FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. —
State and Federal emergency responders organized an Emergency Support Function #10 (ESF #10) North Carolina Unified Command, Thursday, with the mission of overseeing the assessment, mitigation and removal of hazardous materials from North Carolina’s waterways in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence.
The Unified Command consists of U.S. Coast Guard Cmdr. JoAnne Hanson serving as Federal On-Scene Coordinator Representative; Mr. Jordan Garrard, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Incident Commander; Mr. Jim Bateson, North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) On-Scene Coordinator; and Capt. David O’Neal, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (WRC) On-Scene Coordinator. Currently, response teams are assessing the most affected areas in declared North Carolina counties.
“Our number one priority during pollution assessments is the safety of our responders and the public affected by these potential hazards,” said Hanson. “Our objective is to complete assessment and mitigation of all hazardous materials and substances, including displaced vessels and chemical containers, that resulted from the hurricane.”
As of Sept. 27, 2018, ESF #10 Pollution Assessment Teams have identified 223 vessels and 33 containers impacted by Hurricane Florence. These numbers are subject to change as owners salvage their vessels and additional vessels are discovered in the affected areas.
Owners of storm-impacted vessels can contact the teams at (757) 355-1042 to report their salvage plan or request assistance. Owners should be prepared to provide their name, phone number, vessel registration number, and the reference number listed on the sticker placed on their vessel.
Assessment teams will place highest priority on vessels actively leaking pollution, and can take immediate action to contain the material and remove it from the environment. The teams are tagging damaged vessels with a sticker requesting owners contact a hotline to report the vessel’s salvage or request assistance. Vessels that are sunk or damaged will be mitigated to avoid pollution release and may be relocated to avoid becoming a future hazard to navigation.
Any displaced or adrift containers larger than 55 gallons (approximately two feet wide by three feet tall) should be reported to the the National Response Center at (800) 424-8802. Any containers smaller than 55 gallons should be reported to the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality or local municipal waste facilities.
ESF #10 is the framework coordinating federal and state agency response to actual or potential oil spills or hazardous material releases in the FEMA designated counties. Partner agencies, including the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are contributing expertise and experience to the assessment efforts.
In addition to the ESF #10 mission, Coast Guard crews have rescued or assisted 934 people and 313 pets across North and South Carolina and helped reopen the ports of Morehead City and Wilmington.
For photos and video of the Coast Guard’s preparation and response to Hurricane Florence, visit our Hurricane Florence Flickr album.
Coast Guard establishes safety zone on the Whale Branch in Beaufort County, SC
September 28, 2018
CHARLESTON, S.C. —
The Coast Guard Captain of the Port of Charleston has established a temporary safety zone Friday on the waters of Whale Branch in the vicinity of Little Barnwell Island, Long Island, and Bluff Island in Beaufort County, due to potential hazards associated with a military aircraft crash.
The temporary safety zone covers all navigable waters of Whale Branch encompassed within a 1,500-yard radius of position 32°30’32”N, 080°47’23”W.
The safety zone is effective immediately and is expected to continue through Oct. 10, or until salvage operations are complete.
No one shall enter, transit through, anchor in, or remain within the safety zone unless specifically authorized by the COTP or their on-scene designated representative.
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BEAUFORT, S.C. (AP) —
UPDATE 3:02 p.m.
MCAS Beaufort sent the following press release:
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"A 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing F-35B belonging to Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron 501 (VMFAT-501) stationed at Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort crashed in the vicinity of Beaufort, South Carolina at approximately 11:45 a.m. (EST), today.
The U.S. Marine pilot safely ejected from the single-seat aircraft and is currently being evaluated by medical personnel. There were no civilian injuries. Marines from MCAS Beaufort are working with local authorities currently conducting standard mishap operations to secure the crash site and ensure the safety of all personnel in the surrounding area.
The cause of the crash is under investigation."
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UPDATE 2:41 p.m.
BCSO Capt. Bob Bromage said in a press conference that no injuries have been reported in the crash and he was not aware of any structures being hit.
The pilot was also the sole occupant of the plane.
UPDATE 2:16 p.m.
MCAS Beaufort posted the following information to their Facebook page:
"On September 28, at approximately 11:45, a 2D Marine Aircraft Wing F-35B impacted near the Broad River in Beaufort County. The pilot safely ejected and is being examined by medical personnel. To ensure the safety of the general public, as well as officials securing the site, all civilians should remain clear. More information will be provided as it becomes available."
UPDATE 2:02 p.m.
BCSO says the pilot was rescued by emergency services personnel after the crash on Little Barnwell Island.
The pilot was taken to a medical facility for evaluation. No other injuries were reported.
No information has been released so far regarding the pilot's identity or condition.
Authorities are asking people to avoid Little Barnwell Island as well as the Grays Hill Boat Landing while first responders assess the area for safety.
UPDATE 12:55 p.m.
A military official confirms that a Marine F-35B fighter went down close to Marine Corps Air Station Beaufort.
It happened near the Grays Hill community near Claredon Road.
BCSO said in a tweet that the pilot safely ejected.
Whale Branch High School is close to the crash scene but officials tell WJCL 22 News that classes are not affected.
This week CNN reported that the U.S. Marine Corps' stealth F-35B Lightning fighter jet could fly its first combat mission within days.
The aircraft are reportedly being used to conduct airstrikes over Afghanistan.
A military plane has crashed in Beaufort County according to the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office.
The crash was reported at approximately 11:45 a.m. Friday near Clarendon Road and Joe Allen Drive in Grays Hill.
BCSO says the military has confirmed that it was a military plane that went down.
Construction worker dies of possible electrocution while working on Miami high-rise
By David J. Neal
dneal@miamiherald.com
September 25, 2018
Miami, Florida
A construction worker died after possibly being electrocuted while working on the elevator of a high-rise going up near Midtown Miami, according to Miami Fire Rescue.
The man’s identity hasn’t been released yet.
Miami Fire Rescue Capt. Ignatius Carroll said a call of a possible electrocution brought units to a construction site at Northeast 30th Street and First Avenue after noon. The foreman told fire-rescue workers the man was working on the interior elevator electrical system when he stopped breathing and collapsed.
Co-workers started CPR, which is what they were doing when Miami Fire Rescue arrived. He was taken to Ryder Trauma Center two miles away, and died there soon after.
Breaking News
The foreman shut down work for the day, Carroll said. The Fire Marshal, City of Miami building officials and Miami police, likely soon joined by he Occupational Safety Health Administration, are investigating.
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A construction worker at Midtown 8 in Miami died on Tuesday afternoon after he was possibly electrocuted while working on the building’s elevator system.
Miami Fire Rescue Capt. Ignatius Carroll said the worker was transported from the construction site on the southeast corner of Northeast 30th Street and First Avenue to Ryder Trauma Center, where he was pronounced dead. Atlanta-based Wood Partners is developing the 28-story, 387-unit tower at 2901 and 2951 Northeast First Avenue.
Kast Construction topped off the 389,700-square-foot apartment building in May. It’s being designed by Stantec.
The employee was on the 24th floor, working on the interior elevator system when he collapsed, the project’s foreman told Miami Fire Rescue. His coworkers performed CPR and brought him to the first floor to wait for paramedics, according to a release.
In a statement, Kast Construction CEO Michael Neal called the accident “an overwhelming tragedy” and said that the project team will work with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration as it completes its investigation.
The worker’s identity has not yet been released.
In 2016, a construction worker was killed after falling from the 15th floor of the Alexander, a 16-story apartment building under construction in West Palm Beach. Kast Construction was the general contractor for the project, developed by Ram Realty and Kolter Group.
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Wood Partners' Stantec-Designed Midtown 8 Officially Tops Off In Midtown Miami
June 3, 2018
Wood Partners, Stantec and Kast Construction have officially celebrated the topping off of Midtown 8, their new 28-story, 389,700 SF residential development in Midtown Miami. Located on a two-acre site at 2901 and 2951 NE 1st Avenue in Midtown Miami, the mixed-use development by the Atlanta-based multifamily developer Wood Partners includes residences, retail space and parking. Residential units range from studios to three-bedroom penthouses with high ceilings.
Midtown 8 features nearly 30,000 SF of commercial space, 519-car parking garage, 27 Citi Bike spots. Amenities include co-working space, a spacious hammock garden that provides a tropical feel amidst the city, a rocking chair lounge area, yoga studio, demonstration kitchen and juice bar. The outdoor amenity spaces also features lush greenery and green walls creating an inviting and relaxing oasis for residents as well as a landscaped linear outdoor space with dog walk area and a colorful mural art wall expressive of the neighborhood.
“We’re proud to be celebrating this momentous milestone for Midtown 8, said Jennifer Llop-Noy, project manager, Stantec’s Miami office. Once completed, Midtown 8 will provide exceptional residences with sophisticated interiors and amenities for the local market in Midtown Miami, one of the most dynamic residential enclaves in the city.”
“The 28-story luxury rental tower will have 387 units and a 10-story parking structure with a rooftop amenity deck with pool, fitness center and club room to allow for beautiful views of Miami. There will be seven bridges connecting the garage to the residential tower. The team of Kast Construction, Wood Partners and Stantec Architecture look forward to delivering this project in May 2019,” said Dave DeMay, senior vice president, Kast Construction.
An RQ-4 Global Hawk, assigned to the 12th Reconnaissance Squadron, makes
a first ever appearance during Red Flag Alaska 18-3, Aug. 16, 2018, at
Eielson Air Force Base, Alaska. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tristan D.
Viglianco)
False Navigation Data Caused Global Hawk to Nosedive, Break Apart: Air Force
Military.com 27 Sep 2018 By Oriana Pawlyk
A U.S. Air Force RQ-4 Global Hawk broke apart and crashed last year after the drone's navigation system caused it to fly at an altitude and speed it couldn't handle, according to a recent service investigation report.
The RQ-4, from the 9th Reconnaissance Wing at Beale Air Force Base, California, was conducting a flight from Edwards Air Force Base to Beale last June when one of the unmanned aerial vehicle's Litton inertial navigators produced "erroneous data" that told it to begin "a false left wing down roll," according to an accident investigation report published Wednesday.
A Northrop Grumman contractor aircrew was operating the drone from a mission control element, dubbed MCE1, a "portable shelter equipped to support enroute aircraft mission functions," out of Palmdale, California, while airmen monitored the event at MCE2 at Beale.
Prior to the flight, the Global Hawk experienced "problems with its links to [mission control elements] one and two," as well as high temperature warnings, the report said. Both issues were resolved and cleared before flight. It had earlier undergone right-wing maintenance at Edwards.
The RQ-4's Kearfott KN-4074E navigators (KNA and KNB) were turned off after takeoff, leaving its Litton LN-100G LNA/B navigators -- the drone's only other two navigators -- to steer the flight, the report said.
The drone took off before 12:30 p.m. local time. For about the first 50 minutes of the June 21 flight, the "mishap RPA ... turned to planned waypoints uneventfully." Then, the LNA navigation gave the false left-wing roll indication.
The Global Hawk, "having failed to detect the erroneous nature of LNA's navigational data, sent control inputs to correct the false roll data. This included keeping a full throttle, even while the [mishap RPA] was in an unusual nose low attitude," the report said. Roughly 20 seconds later, "the [mishap RPA] regained roll control but airspeed continued to increase."
The UAV subsequently lost its communication links with the mission control element hubs.
Shortly after losing link, "MCE1 and MCE2 received a data packet, showing the [mishap RPA] in an unusual attitude with increasing airspeed and maxed descent rate, before losing links again," the report said.
The data showed that the roll, combined with the acceleration, put the RQ-4 into a dive and caused structural damage.
The Global Hawk broke apart during flight and crashed in an unpopulated area near Lone Pine, California.
While the LNA navigator caused the crash, Col. Jeremy Thiel, the board's investigation authority, said that disabling the KNA/B navigators also contributed to the crash.
"I also find by a preponderance of evidence that disabling the [mishap RPA]'s two Kearfott KN-4074E navigators (KNA and KNB) after takeoff substantially contributed to the mishap," he said in his opinion summary.
The destroyed aircraft cost the Air Force $79 million.
Sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) is used to neutralize the sulfuric
acid spill.
Pocatello cleans up massive sulfuric acid spill on multiple roads
By: Misty Inglet
September 28, 2018
POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI/KIDK) -
Pocatello police, the Pocatello Fire Department and several other agencies cleaned up a massive sulfuric acid spill across multiple roads.
The Pocatello Police Department said the sulfuric acid came from a leak on a flatbed truck that was carrying an 83-gallon tank of the acid. It is 98% sulfuric acid, so it is very concentrated.
There are only about 20 gallons of acid left in the tank, so around 60 gallons of it was spilled on roadways from Soda Springs to Pocatello.
Lt. Whitney with the Pocatello Police Department said the truck left Soda Springs, stopped in Lava Hot Springs at the Sinclair there for fuel, went on U.S. 30, down to Old Highway 91, through Inkom, down Portneuf Road, up Fort Hall Mine Road, to North Main Street to the Gould Street overpass, then North on McKinley to the 700 block.
According to Pocatello police, crews are dealing with spills along all those roads in Bannock County, as well as a few spills in Inkom. There was no reported spill at the gas station.
All those roads, and some nearby roads, were losed off while HAZMAT teams work to clean up the spill and neutralize the acid.
Pocatello police said they got the call just before 7 p.m. Thursday night about the spill.
Pocatello PD said there is no contamination to city drinking water and HAZMAT crews will be working likely through the night to continue to clear the acid off the roadways.
The DEQ said anyone whose cars may have been affected by this, and may have picked up acid, can wash them with soap and water. That should neutralize the acid. Avoid direct skin contact with it though, it's recommended you use a commercial car wash to clean it.
