Natural Disaster
Burning over 129 square miles in steep, remote terrain, the Gifford Fire has injured at least three people and forced closures in Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties
FEMA is now accepting applications for over a dozen grant programs to support emergency readiness, including natural disasters and cyber threats
FEMA acting administrator David Richardson defended the agency’s response, denying claims of delays and calling the federal-state coordination a model for disaster response
Sixty-six people were trapped in the nursing home by an earthquake that hit Japan barely 24 hours after another quake that killed nine
Rescue operations were repeatedly disrupted by aftershocks; footage showed fires breaking out after the earthquake
There have been at least four deaths and thousands of homes destroyed in Louisiana and Mississippi
Rescuers have freed more than 170 people from the high rise building; as many as 124 may still be trapped
Firefighters used ladders and cranes to free victims from a high-rise that was toppled by an earthquake in Taiwan
Two homes were destroyed in gas leak explosions and the other two were fully engulfed before firefighters determined it was safe enough to enter
Within the first two days of the Haiti earthquake, they produced assessments of damage to critical infrastructure and more
Days of tumultuous weather have led to 34 deaths overall — those in Texas and Illinois, plus 18 total in Mississippi, Alabama, Tennessee and Arkansas
Tornados and flooding tore through the southern states with cold and blizzard conditions expected to follow
Firefighters are sifting through the quicksand-like clay mud looking for survivors
Some of the disaster warning gaps are technological while some are psychological
Fire rescue crews responded to about 260 calls that included trapped vehicles; it’s been made worse by people going around the barriers for flood photos
So far, three deaths have been blamed on the weekend storms that brought tornadoes and flooding
Disaster Assistance Response Team included 57 urban search and rescuers each from Los Angeles County and Fairfax County, Va. fire departments
The utilization of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) during disasters could prove greatly beneficial
For catastrophic disasters in developing countries it’s time to rethink the USAR and aid response from high-income nations
The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that such a quake would trigger 1,600 fire, many that would burn out of control
Urban Search and Rescue Task Force 2 to assist local emergency operations in and around the hardest hit areas of the country
The violent earthquake collapsed houses, leveled centuries-old temples and triggered avalanches in the Himalayas
Fire chief: “We have a lot of safety concerns here, and our firehouses are one of them.”
A total of 172 people were injured, and there have been no reported deaths
System received over 35 calls for service over the next four hours, the equivalent of a normal 24 hour shift
Emergency officials warned people to be careful, because buildings that were damaged by the quake are now more susceptible to collapse from aftershocks
