EM Bulletin: News and Events Impacting the Emergency Management Community

Earthquake Hits New Zealand
In late December 2007, a strong earthquake hit New Zealand's east coast, causing power outages and damage to buildings, but no casualties.

The tremor measured 6.8 on the Richter scale, and struck at 8:55 p.m. (7:55 a.m. GMT). The epicenter was located 30 miles offshore, southeast of the city of Gisborne on the country's north island.

Authorities said Gisborne took the brunt of the quake, but damage appeared to be mostly superficial. - Guardian Unlimited

Storm Slams West Coast
On Jan. 4, a major winter storm nailed the West Coast. California was hardest hit, prompting Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to declare a state of emergency in nine counties because of damage. Winds up to 70 mph uprooted trees, and heavy rainfall caused localized flooding. At one point, more than 1.2 million Californians were without power; in some areas, residents waited four days for electricity to be restored.

A 163 mph wind gust was clocked atop the Sierra Nevada crest just west of Tahoe City. In the Sacramento Valley, Jan. 4 peak gusts reached 70 mph in Redding and 69 mph in Sacramento.

On Jan. 5, a levee on a rain-swollen canal ruptured in Fernley, Nev., affecting about 800 homes and businesses, according to the National Guard. Dozens of Fernley residents were rescued by helicopter and boat. On Jan. 8, President George W. Bush declared a state of emergency for the town, 30 miles east of Reno.

Fixing Interoperability
More than eight in 10 Americans say a fix to the 9/11 interoperability problem should already be in place, and a majority said they now trust local authorities more than the federal government to overcome the nagging emergency communications obstacle.

According to a national In Motion Technology/RT Strategies poll released in January, 83 percent of those surveyed said the federal government already should have deployed an interoperability solution for first responders. Sixty-five percent of respondents said the federal government should have resolved the issue within a year after the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Training Doctors
The goal of a new emergency medicine residency program approved by the American Osteopathic Association is to train doctors in Johnstown, Pa., to respond to local, national and international disasters.

Four residents will begin the four-year program in July, and four more will be added each year until the 16-student complement is reached, said Dr. Michael Allswede, program director and a bioterrorism expert. "They will earn an emergency medicine certification and also a master's [degree] in public health with a concentration in disaster response."

Memorial Hospital's residents will learn disaster-response skills that include setting up command posts to triage victims in case of chemical and biological attacks, police hostage situations and other emergencies.

Coursework will be offered in medical-surgical capacity development to help busy hospitals create contingency plans for influxes of patients during disasters. Graduates will be able to help hospitals improve performance for medical disasters such as epidemics, bioterrorism and assassinations by poison. - Randy Griffith, The Tribune-Democrat

Tornado Trouble
On Jan. 7, tornadoes ripped a half-mile path through Kenosha County, Wis., where an estimated 100 homes were destroyed. Though floods are expected in the state, Lori Getter of the Wisconsin office of Emergency Management said January tornadoes are rare - it's been approximately 100 years since a tornado was reported in January.

More than 35 tornadoes were reported across the Midwest Jan. 7 and 8, and tornadoes raked across more than 100 miles of central and northern Mississippi on Jan. 10.

Also on Jan. 10, a Vancouver, Wash., tornado damaged nearly 130 homes and caused at least $500,000 in insured losses, according to estimates in late January.

After the tornado, Clark County officials told the Governor's Office that a disaster declaration wouldn't be necessary because most of the damage is covered by private insurance, The Oregonian reported.