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October 2009 Archived Listing of Evacuations in the News
An archived weekly listing of Evacuations in the News.
October 5-11, 2009
Tropical Storms (TS), Hurricanes (HU), Typhoons (TY) & Cyclones (CY)
- The Philippines (Tropical Storm Ketsana & Typhoon Pepeng-Evacuation Orders lifted)
- Aichi, Mie, Kochi, Osaka, and Nara prefectures, Japan (Typhoon Melor)
Earthquakes, Landslides & Tsunamis
- Naches, Washington (massive landslide blocked highway [SR-410] with 20 feet of dirt and rocks and diverted a river)
- Fiji & New Caledonia (earthquake triggered evacuations due to potential tsunami)
Floods
- Boone and Sharp counties, northwestern Arkansas
- Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra states, India (1.5 million homeless)
Structural or Chemical Fires
- San Diego, California (burning towels on La Jolla hotel cart)
Wild or Brush Fires
- Wrightwood, Los Angeles, California (Sheep Fire evacuations lifted)
- Skyline area, San Diego, California
- Williams, Arizona (Twin Fires - contained and evacuation orders lifted)
- Thousand Oaks and San Bernardino Mountains, California
Hazardous Materials
- Seattle, Washington (pepper spray released into hotel ventilation system)
- Washington Township, Ohio (natural gas leak)
- Portland, Maine (natural gas leak)
- Providence, Rhode Island (natural gas leak)
- Detroit, Michigan (natural gas leak on Wayne State University campus)
- Londonderry, New Hampshire (hydrogen peroxide, peracetic acid and acetic acid that had disintegrated their plastic containers)
Malevolent Acts
- New Haven, Connecticut (car stuffed with pipe bomb materials)
- Las Vegas, Nevada (standoff at residence)
- Fayetteville, Lincoln County, Tennessee (bomb threat at courthouse)
Planning and Analysis
- San Diego County claims that it is better prepared to evacuate its citizens, particularly since it is in the midst of fire season and hopes to improve upon operations during deadly fires of 2003 and 2007. Officials claimed that in 2007 one out of five back country residents ignored evacuation orders. Better planning and coordination resulted in stronger plans since them.
- Ngukurr, Northern Territory Province, Australia, claims that because a 70 km stretch of highway just before Ngukurr is not sealed, health officials have to conduct aerial evacuations. Health officials claim that there are up to seven air evacuations a week, costing taxpayers $13,000 each, or between $2.7 million and $4.7 million a week, justifying the cost of sealing the road and putting in all-weather bridges. A nurse claims anything less smacks of "criminal negligence."
- When a bomb scare in Toronto triggered an emergency evacuation, responders used GIS Emergency Locator Application to ensure that high risk residents were assisted through the evacuation.
- In assessing the results of the February 7, 2009, or "Black Saturday" bushfire disaster, officials claimed that no thought was given to evacuating Marysville in Victoria, Australia, before it was wiped out by the fire that caused 34 deaths. Authorities also said that they must improve the tracking and monitoring of known arsonists to prevent a repeat of this year's disastrous bushfires. This after deliberately lit bushfires bore down on Boolarra in February. As a kick-off for the State's first fire action week designated to get homes ready for the coming fire season, officials explained that they have revised evacuation guidelines to emphasize the protection of human life and that evacuations would not be mandatory but would be urged in the strongest possible terms.
- More and more medical evacuations are occurring on the Kokoda Track, Papua New Guinea, as unlicensed campsite operators proliferate and people are turning people off the track and walking into the wilderness.
- Kaibab National Forest officials apologized for a prescribed burn-turned-wildfire that led to evacuations last week in Williams, Arizona, saying they'd bring in outside investigators to review the incident and issue their findings to the public.
- A Melbourne, Australia, council apologized for the way it handled a methane gas scare last year, when dozens were evacuated after they were told gas levels were so high there could be an explosion. The Casey City Council mayor and councilors said that the action was unnecessary.
- Dozens of residents of south Taiwan who disobeyed government orders to evacuate for Typhoon Parma could face fines of thousands of dollars.
October 12-18, 2009
Tropical Storms (TS), Hurricanes (HU), Typhoons (TY) & Cyclones (CY)
- Low-lying areas and base of mountains on Visayas, Mindanao, and Luzon islands, eastern Philippines (Typhoon Ramil - international code name is Lupit)
- Los Cabos and Baja California Sur, Mexico (Tropical Storm Patricia)
Earthquakes, Land/Mudslides & Tsunamis
- Davenport, Watsonville, Eureka Canyon, Santa Cruz County, California (evacuation orders lifted following tropical storm produced flooding and mudslides)
Floods
- Albay Province, Bicol Region, Philippines
- Morgan Hill, Santa Clara County, California
- De-an Village and Sansing Township, Taipei, Taiwan (northeast monsoons converged with Typhoon Parma causing inundating floods)
Structural or Chemical Fires
- Annapolis, Maryland (fire in Harbormaster's office)
- St. Albans, Vermont (apartment fire)
- Bridgeville, Pennsylvania (assisted living center)
Wild or Brush Fires
- Folcroft, Pennsylvania (Folcroft Fire)
- Mt. Archer, central Queensland, Australia
- Evia Island, Greece
- Cashmere, Chelan County, Washington
Hazardous Materials
- Tampa, Florida (natural gas leak)
- Fayetteville, North Carolina (car slams into house, causing gas explosion)
Malevolent Acts
- Cote d'Ivoire (civil unrest-missionaries evacuated to Ghana)
Transportation Accident
- Bliss, Idaho (tanker truck overturned)
Miscellaneous
- Mer Rouge, Morehouse Parish, Louisiana (fallen tree snapped gas line and threatened electrical fires)
Planning and Analysis
- New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin arrived in Cuba on October 16 to study the communist government's disaster response system.
- Authorities issued a Federal criminal indictment against the president and then operator of TechSol Chemicals for a train leak that led to an evacuation almost five years ago. A chemical leak from a railroad car drained into Westmoreland sewers that ran through creeks and into the Ohio River.
- Salem County Department of Corrections in New Jersey conducted its first-ever evacuation drill of the correctional facility.
- The Mississippi State Department of Health (MSDH), partnering with the Mississippi State Department of Education, individual school districts and several County Emergency Management agencies, announced a new program called "AmbuBus" to help provide mass patient evacuations in the event of a public health emergency such as a hurricane.
- On October 15, the San Bernardino County Government Center joined 6 million Californians in an annual catastrophic earthquake drill, called Shakeout.
- The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) issued a press release to urge the safeguarding of animal companions during evacuations, following the Santa Cruz County, California, and Cashmere, Washington, wildfire evacuations.
- The Bushfires Royal Commission investigating the deadly February 7, 2009, bushfires in Victoria County, Australia, heard the Victoria County Fire Authority chief admit that they don't know how to evacuate towns like Warrandyte - with only one road in and out - in a hurry but will request all Victorians in high-risk areas to evacuate during catastrophic fire danger and will better manage the fires. About 173 people died in the fires and residents lost over 3,000 homes. In addition, a Marysville Senior Constable said it is not practical or safe for police to forcibly evacuate residents during a bushfire and he does not have the power to force residents to leave their homes.
- San Diego County emergency officials claim that evacuation plans have been upgraded since many ignored orders during deadly wildfires two years ago. This includes development of a regional evacuation plan with pre-designated shelters, evacuation routes, and communication plans. Causing this upgrade was a grand jury issued-report in 2008 describing San Diego County as "woefully unprepared" for another large wildfire.
October 19-25, 2009
Tropical Storms (TS), Hurricanes (HU), Typhoons (TY) & Cyclones (CY)
- Coastal areas in CagayanValley, Cordillera Administrative Region, and Ilocos Norte provinces, Philippines (Typhoon Ramil [aka Lupit])
- Los Cabos, Mexico (Hurricane Rick)
Floods
- Haltom City, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Texas
Wild or Brush Fires
- Watsonville, Santa Cruz Mountains, California
- San Marcos, California
Structural or Chemical Fires
- Salt Lake City, Utah (Tesoro Refinery fire)
Hazardous Materials
- San Juan, Puerto Rico (explosion at the Caribbean Petroleum Corporation storage facility)
- Bemidji, Beltrami County, Minnesota (gas leak caused evacuation of National Guard Armory and curling club)
- Richland Hills, Ft. Worth, Texas (gas leak)
- Washington, DC (broken gas line)
- Nitro, West Virginia (gas leak)
- Montreal, Quebec Province, Canada (gas leak)
- Quebec City, Quebec Province, Canada (noxious fumes thought to be from old gas pipeline - evacuated twice in a week)
- Dunellen, New Jersey (propane leak)
Malevolent Acts
- Chattanooga, Tennessee (bomb threat to Blue Cross Blue Shield facilities)
- Corbin & London, Kentucky (bomb threat to Vangent Communications)
Miscellaneous
- St. Louis, Missouri (Lambert Airport evacuated twice due to malfunctioning sprinkler system)
- Missaukee County Michigan (unstable windmill)
Planning and Analysis
- Crews completed construction at the Montgomery Blair High School, Montgomery County, Maryland, that includes wider stairways for school evacuations.
- New Orleans officials returned from a fact-finding trip to Cuba with lessons learned to aid in evacuations of the city. Cuba faced hurricanes Gustav, Ike and Paloma last year. From the Cubans, the New Orleans team - including Mayor Ray Nagin, Police Superintendent Warren Riley and Fire Chief Charles Parent and Emergency Medical Services Director Juliette Saussy - especially learned new ways for caring for and evacuating the disabled and those needing help when a storm is approaching. The Cubans used pre-positioned medical teams that know their community and where the special needs individuals live, soldiers along highways to enforce evacuations and community block captains to help during evacuations. Cuba experienced lower death tolls following the hurricanes due to government-ordered, mandatory evacuations.
- Commemorating the 6th anniversary (October 24) of the Old Fire that left six people dead, 940 homes destroyed and more than 91,000 acres scorched and cost $42 million, San Bernardino, California, officials say that those residents that were forced to evacuate and lost their homes continue to live in fear of fire threats.
- Indonesia's National Search and Rescue Agency urged Jakarta officials to require that all buildings post up floor plans to speed up evacuations, as a lesson learned from last month's deadly West Sumatra earthquake.
- During a post-fire and mudslide preparedness forum, La Cañada, California, public safety officials called the first rainstorm of the season a "wake-up call" for residents who live in areas threatened by mudslides.
October 26 to November 1, 2009
Tropical Storms (TS), Hurricanes (HU), Typhoons (TY) & Cyclones (CY)
- Phu Yen, Khanh Hoa and Ninh Thuan provinces, Viet Nam (Typhoon Mirinae)
- Catanduanes Province and coastal areas of Quezon Province, Philippines (Typhoon Mirinae)
- Taguig City, Philippines (Typhoon Santi)
Floods
- Bossier & Caddo parishes, Louisiana
- Liberty County, Texas
- Shannon Hills, Arkansas
Structural or Chemical Fires
- El Dorado, Arkansas (fire at chemical plant)
- Monticello, Indiana (fire at business)
Hazardous Materials
- Chico, California (natural gas leak)
- Cincinnati, Ohio (50 20-lb. containers of black powder-unstable pyrodex-found in home)
Malevolent Acts
- Los Vegas, Nevada (search for robbery suspect)
Planning and Analysis
- To aid in evacuating populations in the event of rising floodwaters, South King County, Washington, began installing evacuation signs on key roads in unincorporated areas on November 2. In addition, the transit system produced a revised bus service plan for about 30 regular routes when service can no longer be operated due to flooding and identified existing routes that may be suspended until roadways can be reopened.
- Kern County, California, supervisors approved a Isabella Lake dam failure evacuation plan on October 27 and encouraged residents to plan for evacuations in the event of a dam failure.
- EPA assessment of a chemical leak at a Freeport, Louisiana, chemical plant the weekend of October 24-25, was a highly toxic TDI which could affect skin, eyes and breathing. Dow Chemical, owner of the plant, originally claimed that the chemical was not dangerous. Residents were upset that they were not alerted and evacuated until 24 hours after the leak.
- New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin defended his trip to Cuba, saying he brought back valuable lessons learned in evacuating populations.
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