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Over
10 million people in the south-central U.S. face potential flash
flooding as a slow-moving storm dumps heavy rain through the weekend —
and only intensifies in the wake of Hurricane Patricia, forecasters
warn.
Cars were reportedly stranded by floodwaters in Corsicana,
south of Dallas, after nearly 10 inches of rain fell by Friday afternoon
since midnight, the National Weather Service said.
Officials in
Galveston County were considering a voluntary evacuation of Bolivar
Peninsula but would reevaluate Saturday morning.
Much of central
and southeast Texas were under a flood watch Friday and there were flash
flood warnings issued for Navarro and Hamilton counties, according to
the National Weather Service.
Over 4 inches of rain fell on
Collins by Friday afternoon and more than 6 inches of rain fell over 48
hours in parts of Tarrant County by Friday afternoon, the NWS said.
Water
flows into a neighborhood Thursday, Oct. 22, 2015, in Midland County,
Texas following heavy rains overnight. One home owner said he had water
in his garage and his neighbor had water in his house. Mark Sterkel / Odessa American via APIn
total, parts of Texas could see 3 to 6 inches — and upwards of 10
inches locally — through Sunday, aid Lamont Bain, a meteorologist in the
National Weather Service's Fort Worth office, said.
That's because Patricia, the strongest storm ever measured on
the planet, is expected to make landfall along Mexico's Pacific coast
Friday night before pushing north into the United States.
Hurricane
Patricia 2015, the strongest storm ever, grew into a Category 5 on
Mexico’s central Pacific Coast late Thursday for what forecasters said
could be a devastating blow, as officials declared a state of emergency and handed out sandbags in preparation for flooding, according to Bloomberg.
Steady
rain began to fall after dark in Manzanillo, one of the country’s
principal ports, ahead of an expected landfall Friday. Luis Felipe
Puente, Mexico’s civil defense coordinator, said schools would be closed
in Colima state, which is home to Manzanillo.
“We are calm,” said
Gabriel Lopez, a worker at Las Hadas Hotel in the city. “We don’t know
what direction (the storm) will take, but apparently it’s headed this
way. … If there is an emergency we will take care of the people. There
are rooms that are not exposed to wind or glass.”
Hurricane Patricia to be devastating, according to National Hurricane Center.
The
U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami warned that preparations should
be rushed to completion, saying Hurricane Patricia could cause coastal
flooding, destructive waves and flash floods.
“This is an extremely dangerous, potentially catastrophic hurricane,” center meteorologist Dennis Feltgen said.
Category 5 EPAC hurricane #Patricia was just sampled by #NOAA43 (@NOAA P3). This is the eye radar img 10/23/2015
What Makes a Hurricane Category 5?1:08
Hurricane
Patricia became the strongest storm ever measured on the planet early
Friday, with experts warning it could trigger 40-foot waves along
southwestern Mexico and "life-threatening" flash flooding.
More
than 7 million residents — and an estimated tens of thousands of U.S.
citizens visiting or living there — were told to prepare for the
"worst-case scenario" as the ferocious storm was expected to race ashore
on Mexico's Pacific coast between 6 to 10 p.m. ET Friday.
At 5 p.m. ET, Patricia was about 60 miles west of Manzanillo, and about 110 miles south-southeast of Cabo Corrientes.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center
said Patricia was expected to make landfall "in the next several
hours." A hurricane warning was in place for San Blas to Punta San
Telmo.
The tourist magnets of Puerto Vallarta and Manzanillo were
directly in the Category 5 storm's projected path, and Puerto Vallarta's
airport was closed Friday out of precaution as some stranded
vacationers described their inability to fly out of a "nightmare."
By
5 p.m. winds had weakened slightly to 190 mph, the Hurricane Center
said. Winds of 200 mph were measured earlier, and the Hurricane Center
labeled Patricia as the "strongest hurricane on record" in the Atlantic
and eastern North Pacific Basins.
Mexico has not formally
requested help from the U.S., but State Department spokesman Mark Toner
told reporters Friday that America "stands up to offer any assistance
that we can in the aftermath of what at least appears to be a pretty
epic event in terms of the intensity and size of the storm."
'Extraordinarily Dangerous' Category 5 Hurricane Patricia Makes Landfall in Mexico
byElisha Fieldstadt
An
"extraordinarily dangerous" category 5 hurricane slammed into
southwestern Mexico Friday night, bringing lashing winds and rainfall
that has the potential to create life-threatening flash floods. Hurricane Patricia
made landfall near Cuixmala, west-northwest of Manzanillo, carrying 165
mph winds at 6:15 p.m. local time (7:15 p.m. ET), according to the
National Hurricane Center. Palm trees bent and rain whipped in sideways
as the storm made its first appearance on land.
Patricia's
"potentially catastrophic landfall" would affect a stretch of coast
between the popular tourist destinations of Puerto Vallarta and
Manzanillo, the World Meteorological Organization said. Hurricane force winds covered 35 miles, while tropical storm force winds extended 175 miles, according to the NHC.
More than 7 million people were in the storm's path.
Rainfall
amounts of up to a foot in a short span of time between Friday night
and Saturday over the Mexican states of Nayarit, Jalisco, Colima,
Michoacán and Guerrero could trigger "life-threatening flash floods and
mud slides," according to the National Hurricane Center.
Jalisco
was already seeing destruction from the storm Friday afternoon,
according to state police. The state, which encompasses Puerto Vallarta
and the Guadalajara metro area, had 1,075 shelters set up, according to
the Ministry of Communications and Transportation.
About 3,500
people were evacuated from the region ahead of the storm, and airlifts
were prepared to rescue people from the region on Saturday.
Hurricane Patricia Strikes Mexico With 165 M.P.H. Winds
Photo
Preparations were underway for the arrival of Hurricane Patricia in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, on Thursday.Credit Cesar Rodriguez/Associated Press
MEXICO CITY — The strongest hurricane to ever assault the Western Hemisphere slammed into Mexico’s
southwest Pacific Coast on Friday evening, transforming hotels into
makeshift shelters, shuttering schools, closing airports and sending
inhabitants racing to bus stations to flee inland.
The
storm, named Hurricane Patricia, was packing winds of about 165 miles
per hour as it struck land, having slowed considerably from earlier
speeds of about 200 miles per hour as it spun toward a coastline dotted
with tiny fishing villages and five-star resorts in cities like Puerto
Vallarta.
As
the outer wall of the hurricane swept over the coast at 6:15 p.m., the
authorities reported trees being knocked down and landslides taking
place along the road between the city of Colima and the port city of
Manzanillo. Light poles were quickly toppled and roofs torn off.
Less than an hour later, the National Hurricane Center said the hurricane was barreling inland over southwestern Mexico with maximum sustained wind speeds of 160 m.p.h. and remained “extremely dangerous.”
Photo
An
employee boarded up a store in the Pacific coastal resort of Puerto
Vallarta on Friday. The rapid strengthening of the storm caught many
people off guard.Credit Henry Romero/Reuters
The
government of Mexico had already declared a state of emergency in
dozens of municipalities in the states of Colima, Nayarit and Jalisco.
Residents had stacked sandbags around properties and rushed to grocery
stores to stock up on supplies.
By
noon, there were no more bus tickets to buy or gas to pump in order to
evacuate, some residents said. Lines at neighborhood grocery stores,
hours long earlier in the day, suddenly disappeared. Those who made it
out were long gone. The rest were stuck to weather out the monster
storm.
Will the 'stricter regulations' serve as protection?
by Julie Fidler Posted on October 21, 2015
Just
days after 1,800 people from around Kyushu gathered to protest the
planned restart of another reactor at the Sendai nuclear plant, the
second reactor has been brought online. The Sendai Nuclear Power Plant
is the only one working in Japan since the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster.
[1]
There
are currently 20 reactors at 13 Japanese nuclear power plants
undergoing audits to confirm that their safety standards are in
compliance with new regulations adopted since the Fukushima meltdown.
The new regulations are significantly stricter than those that existed
prior to the earthquake and subsequent tsunami that crashed into
Fukushima and make provisions for the highest level of earthquake and
tsunami risk. Nuclear power plants in Japan must now have several backup
power sources available, as well as other comprehensive emergency
measures.
[2]
Opinion polls have consistently shown that residents
were against bringing the second Sendai reactor online. On October 12,
nearly 2,000 people protested the restart, waving placards reading
“Nuclear plant, no more” and shouting slogans. The plant’s No. 1 reactor
was brought back on line in August
. [3]
Protesters called the
decision to bring No. 2 online a “suicidal” decision, as a steam
generator in the reactor building has not been replaced with a more
durable one. Kyushu Electric Power Co. had said it would replace the
generator in 2009.
Emergency
crews are working to restore power to about 5,000 homes and businesses
after a severe storm swept across Sydney and parts of New South Wales.
The storm was forecast to bring heavy rainfall that could lead to flash
flooding in parts of the Mid North Coast, Hunter and Central Tablelands.
The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) has cancelled its warning for
Metropolitan Sydney and the Illawarra. However, a severe thunderstorm
warning for damaging winds has been issued for residents in parts of the
Hunter, Central Tablelands and far western NSW. A spokesman for Ausgrid
said about 5,000 customers in Sydney are without power, with Hurstville
among the worst affected areas. Earlier, power was restored to about
10,000 homes around Arncliffe. The spokesman said about 15,000 homes
lost power during the height of the storm. Fire and Rescue NSW said
firefighters had been kept busy with more than 60 incidents caused by
wet weather and lightning strikes. Paramedics were called to Newtown in
Sydney's inner west after reports someone was possibly struck by
lightning. Police said the person was "conscious and breathing" when the
ambulance arrived. The BoM said the lower western district of NSW was
likely to be hit with damaging winds. Locations affected might include
Wentworth. The State Emergency Service said a number of trees fell in
Campbelltown and Bankstown. A strong wind warning is also in place for
the Coffs Coast, Macquarie Coast, Hunter Coast and Sydney Coast.
Crews kept busy restoring power after storm hits Sydney, parts of NSW
Tuesday October 20, 2015 - 23:33 EDT
Fire
and Rescue NSW said firefighters had been kept busy with more than 60
incidents caused by the wet weather and lightning strikes. - Audience submitted
Emergency
crews have been kept busy restoring power to homes and businesses after
a severe storm swept across Sydney and parts of New South Wales.
Late
on Tuesday night, the Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) issued a severe
thunderstorm warning with damaging winds for locations including Broken
Hill, Wentworth and Fowlers Gap.
More
Pittsburg students are staying home than usual, and more students at
school are bringing bottled water. These are mainly precautions for the
three confirmed reports of viral meningitis in two of district's
schools. The three infected students are barred from school until the
virus runs its course. And the two schools of the infected students were
not disclosed due to confidentiality laws. Janis Goedeke, a health
officer with Crawford County, said the three cases of viral meningitis
are the only confirmed cases in Crawford County at this time. "The
bacterial is much more serious (than the viral) and can be life
threatening," Goedeke said, adding "Viral meningitis is very common in
the community anyway, and particularly this time of year. This is not an
unusual circumstance." Districtwide, as a precaution to reduce
potential spreading, water fountains were turned off and a trash bag
placed over them on Thursday and Friday - the water fountain
prohibitions were lifted this week. On Saturday, Goedeke said the blood
samples of the students came back positive for viral meningitis. The
results prompted the health department and district to post on Facebook.
The district also sent out an automated voice message to parents about
the incident. All of the alerts talk about precautions the school is
taking and precautions students and parents can take. "The preventative
measures are basically the healthy habits that we normally use," said
Superintendent of Schools Destry Brown. "Encouraging handwashing, we are
going to do more disinfecting every day at the end of the day. We will
also have teachers and students using antibacterial wipes to clean desks
between classes." Brown said anyone with signs of meningitis -
headache, fever or sore neck - should stay home. Brown said "quite a few
parents" have decided to keep their students home at this time. Brown
said the absentees will not be "unexcused." Brown said there was also a
case thought to be Whooping Cough, but the results came back negative.
He said the health department is still waiting the results of others
tested for Whooping Cough.
Biohazard name:
Meningitis (viral)
Biohazard level:
3/4 Hight
Biohazard desc.:
Bacteria
and viruses that can cause severe to fatal disease in humans, but for
which vaccines or other treatments exist, such as anthrax, West Nile
virus, Venezuelan equine encephalitis, SARS virus, variola virus
(smallpox), tuberculosis, typhus, Rift Valley fever, Rocky Mountain
spotted fever, yellow fever, and malaria. Among parasites Plasmodium falciparum, which causes Malaria, and Trypanosoma cruzi, which causes trypanosomiasis, also come under this level.
Symptoms:
Status:
confirmed
..........
Meningitis confirmed in Pittsburg
By Michael Stavola mstavola@morningsun.net
Posted Oct. 19, 2015 at 10:08 PM
Pittsburg, Kan.
More Pittsburg students are staying home than usual, and more students at school are bringing bottled water.
These
are mainly precautions for the three confirmed reports of viral
meningitis in two of district’s schools. The three infected students are
barred from school until the virus runs its course. And the two schools
of the infected students were not disclosed due to confidentiality
laws. Janis Goedeke, a health officer with Crawford County, said the
three cases of viral meningitis are the only confirmed cases in Crawford
County at this time.
“The bacterial is much
more serious (than the viral) and can be life threatening,” Goedeke
said, adding “Viral meningitis is very common in the community anyway,
and particularly this time of year. This is not an unusual
circumstance.”
Districtwide, as a precaution to
reduce potential spreading, water fountains were turned off and a trash
bag placed over them on Thursday and Friday – the water fountain
prohibitions were lifted this week. On Saturday, Goedeke said the blood
samples of the students came back positive for viral meningitis.
A medical
review committee chaired by an external senior hepatologist has found
that a hepatitis C infection could not be ruled out as a contributing
factor to the death of a fifth patient following a viral outbreak of
hepatitis C at the Singapore General Hospital, local media reported on
Monday.
..........
Biological Hazard
Singapore
Capital City, Singapore [Singapore General Hospital]
A
medical review committee chaired by an external senior hepatologist has
found that a hepatitis C infection could not be ruled out as a
contributing factor to the death of a fifth patient following a viral
outbreak of hepatitis C at the Singapore General Hospital, local media
reported on Monday. The hospital had revealed the viral outbreak in its
renal wards earlier this month, saying that four of the eight deaths out
of the 22 affected patients had been linked to the viral infection. A
fifth death had been under investigation then, and may now also be
linked to the hepatitis C infection. "The committee concluded that the
patient passed away from end-stage renal disease and pneumonia. While
the death was not caused directly by hepatitis C virus, the committee
could not rule out the possibility that hepatitis C virus infection
could have been a contributing factor," TODAYonline reported SGH Medical
Board chairman Professor Fong Kok Yong saying. Minister for Health Gan
Kim Yong said on Saturday that international experts will be invited to
advise the Independent Review Committee investigating the outbreak, so
as to ensure that the review is thoroughly done. "The Committee will
also look at the processes in both SGH and the Ministry of Health to
identify whether there are any gaps and areas that we can improve upon
so that we can strengthen our system," Mr Gan told The Straits Times.
The hospital had previously contacted almost 1,000 people for hepatitis C
screenings. 484 patients and 294 hospital employees have tested
negative. The test results for 88 other cases are still pending. More
tests will be done as the hospital schedules appointments for more
patients, as well as for hospital staff currently on overseas leave.
Biohazard name:
Hepatitis C (outbreak)
Biohazard level:
3/4 High
Biohazard desc.:
Bacteria
and viruses that can cause severe to fatal disease in humans, but for
which vaccines or other treatments exist, such as anthrax, West Nile
virus, Venezuelan equine encephalitis, SARS virus, variola virus
(smallpox), tuberculosis, typhus, Rift Valley fever, Rocky Mountain
spotted fever, yellow fever, and malaria. Among parasites Plasmodium falciparum, which causes Malaria, and Trypanosoma cruzi, which causes trypanosomiasis, also come under this level.
Symptoms:
Status:
confirmed
..........
Hepatitis C could have contributed to death of 5th patient, says SGH
TODAY file photo
Medical review committee could not rule out hep C infection as a contributing factor in patient’s death
Published: 10:33 PM, October 19, 2015
Updated: 1:29 AM, October 20, 2015
SINGAPORE
— Hepatitis C virus infection could have been a contributing factor in
the death of a fifth patient affected by the outbreak at the Singapore
General Hospital (SGH).
In a update today (Oct 19), the hospital
said that the medical review committee chaired by an external senior
hepatologist has completed its investigation and found that the patient
died from end-stage renal disease and pneumonia but hepatitis C
infection could not be ruled out as a contributing factor in the death.
When
it broke the news of the outbreak on Oct 6, SGH had said four of the
eight deaths among the 22 patients affected are possibly linked to
hepatitis C infection. The hospital had also said a fifth death was
under review then. Its update today refers to this patient.
Professor
Fong Kok Yong, chairman of SGH’s Medical Board, said: “The committee
concluded that the patient passed away from end-stage renal disease and
pneumonia. While the death was not caused directly by hepatitis C virus,
the committee could not rule out the possibility that hepatitis C virus
infection could have been a contributing factor.”
By: 
