AMU Emergency Management Original Public Safety

EDM Wednesday Briefing: Blood Pressure Meds Recalled

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Emergency and disaster management briefing for August 29, 2018: Harris County, Texas approves measure to provide funding for flood control projects in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, a single lot of the blood pressure medication Hydrochlorothiazide has been recalled due to potential mislabeling, a crude oil storage tank caught fire in Texas prompting the evacuation of the entire plant in Wichita Falls, scientists have identified a sixth Ebola virus but are not yet sure of its impact to humans, the death toll from Hurricane Maria was raised to nearly 3,000 by Puerto Rico’s governor following study findings, a scaffolding collapse near the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida leaves two workers dead, a recent report prompts swift action by the U.S. Army to test military housing for toxic lead levels, and extreme heat is still a threat to the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic as heat advisories and warnings remain in effect at least through Thursday.

  1. Voters in Harris County, Texas, home to the city of Houston–which was inundated with flood waters in 2017 by Hurricane Harvey–voted 85-15 to approve $2.5 billion in bonds [link url=”https://earther.gizmodo.com/houston-passes-historic-flood-reforms-on-hurricane-ha-1828626021″ title=”to help finance flood control projects”]. The projects will begin in 2020 and will include mapping floodplains, voluntary buyouts for homeowners living on floodplains, the repair of watersheds–such as the Addicks and Barker reservoirs–and improving early flood warning systems. Hurricane Harvey produced the largest rain event in modern U.S. history, killed at least 75 people, and [link url=”https://earther.gizmodo.com/houston-passes-historic-flood-reforms-on-hurricane-ha-1828626021″ title=”cost $125 billion in damages”].  

  2. A fire broke out in a crude oil storage tank east of Wichita Falls, Texas on Tuesday, [link url=”https://www.reuters.com/article/us-plains-all-amer-fire-crude/fire-breaks-out-at-plains-all-american-crude-tank-near-wichita-falls-texas-idUSKCN1LD1VA” title=”causing the evacuation of dozens of workers from the plant”]. The fire, which occurred at the Plains All American Pipeline, L.P., began while workers were replacing a vapor seal on the tank and the crude oil ignited. Nearly 50 firefighters, including [link url=”https://www.timesrecordnews.com/story/news/local/2018/08/28/oil-storage-take-catches-fire-wichita-falls/1120425002/” title=”mutual aid assistance from the Sheppard Air Force Base Fire Department and other agencies”], worked to extinguish the fire and reduce the environmental impact. 

  3. Scientists have now discovered [link url=”http://www.foxnews.com/health/2018/08/27/scientists-discover-sixth-species-ebola-virus-in-bats.html” title=”a sixth species of the Ebola virus that was previously unknown, the Bombali virus”]. The virus has so far been found to be carried by at least two species of bats in Sierra Leone and [link url=”http://www.foxnews.com/health/2018/08/27/scientists-discover-sixth-species-ebola-virus-in-bats.html” title=”is the first Ebola virus species to be detected in an animal”] before being detected in humans. Scientists who found the species point out that it is still unclear if the new Bombali virus species will cause the severe and often fatal illness in humans attributed to four of the five already known Ebola virus species.  

  4. Puerto Rico’s governor raised the death toll of Hurricane Maria from 64 to 2,975–after [link url=”http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/08/28/puerto-rico-governor-raises-hurricane-maria-death-toll-from-64-to-2975.html” title=”a new study declared deaths resulting from the storm were under reported”]. Researchers counted deaths across a much longer time span than is usually used–six months–due to the amount of time people remained without power after the storm. [link url=”http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/08/28/puerto-rico-governor-raises-hurricane-maria-death-toll-from-64-to-2975.html” title=”According to Gov. Ricardo Rossello”], the island never anticipated a situation where they would have “zero communication, zero energy, zero highway access” and indicated better preparation for the future would occur by anticipating the worst case scenario.  

  5. [link url=”http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/08/29/scaffolding-collapse-near-walt-disney-world-resort-kills-2-workers.html” title=”A scaffolding collapse early Wednesday at a hotel under construction”], nearby the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, has killed two workers and caused minor injuries to a third worker. A [link url=”http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/08/29/scaffolding-collapse-near-walt-disney-world-resort-kills-2-workers.html” title=”third worker was able to hold on and climb to safety”] when the collapse occurred that sent his two coworkers plunging seven stories to their deaths. It is unknown at this time what caused the scaffolding to collapse at the site of the future JW Marriott Orlando Bonnet Creek, and officials stated that the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) will be investigating the incident.  

  6. A single lot of the blood pressure medication, Hydrochlorothiazide (HCL) USP 12.5 mg, from Accord Healthcare, Inc. was recalled, [link url=”https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2018/08/28/hydrochlorothiazide-recall-after-potentially-life-threatening-mixup/1129359002/” title=”PW05264″], after a bottle in the lot was found to contain Spironolactone-instead of the blood pressure medication. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) [link url=”https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2018/08/28/hydrochlorothiazide-recall-after-potentially-life-threatening-mixup/1129359002/” title=”stated that the recall of the specific lot of blood pressure medication”] is due to possible mislabeling. The mixing of medications can be potentially life-threatening and anyone with this lot of HCL should contact their doctor or pharmacist.  

  7. A recent [link url=”https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-military-housing/” title=”report”] that showed [link url=”https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-military-cleanup-exclusive/exclusive-u-s-army-forms-plan-to-test-40000-homes-for-lead-following-reuters-report-idUSKCN1LC1ZH” title=”children in military housing were at risk of lead poisoning”] has prompted the swift action by the U.S. Army as it rapidly devised a plan to test for toxic lead hazards. The inspection plan would be implemented quickly and target 40,000, pre-1978 homes to identify deteriorating lead-based paint, leaded-dust, and water and soil contamination. The report was initiated after findings from recent years showed that [link url=”https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-military-cleanup-exclusive/exclusive-u-s-army-forms-plan-to-test-40000-homes-for-lead-following-reuters-report-idUSKCN1LC1ZH” title=”1,050 small children had tested high for lead at military base clinics”]–and the results were not always being reported to state health authorities.  

  8. Extreme heat is still in the forecast for much of the East Coast until Friday, with temperatures remaining in the mid-to-high nineties [link url=”http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/08/29/extreme-heat-relief-this-week.html” title=”amid heat advisories and warnings”]. As a cold front begins its trek from the Midwest to the Northeast on Wednesday, it will help trigger showers and thunderstorms that will be capable of producing [link url=”http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/08/29/extreme-heat-relief-this-week.html” title=”damaging winds, large hail, and heavy rainfall along its path”]. That same cold front will bring relief to the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, cooling temperatures down to the upper seventies and eighties. 

Kimberly Arsenault serves as an intern at the Cleveland/Bradley County Emergency Management Agency where she works on plan revisions and special projects. Previously, Kimberly spent 15 years in commercial and business aviation. Her positions included station manager at the former Midwest Express Airlines, as well as corporate flight attendant, inflight manager, and charter flight coordinator. Kimberly currently holds a master's degree in emergency and disaster management from American Public University.

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