Latest news with #CollinArnold
Yahoo
18-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Berkeley city council advances defensible space ordinance
BERKELEY, Calif. (KRON) — The City of Berkeley is stepping up efforts to protect property and lives during wildfire season. A new ordinance advanced by the city council this week would require some residents to clear five feet of defensible space around their homes. During a wind-driven fire event, embers blowing ahead of the main fire can start new fires. This ordinance aims to keep additional homes from catching fire. Prediction of 'major earthquake' on anniversary of Great San Francisco Earthquake not credible, experts say This week, the Berkeley City Council advanced a measure known as 'Zone 0,' a new ordinance that would require some property owners to clear all flammable material five feet away from their homes. That could include trees, shrubs, grass, plastics, vehicles — basically, anything that could catch fire. That 5-foot defensible space will make a difference, officials say. Collin Arnold is an interim assistant chief with the Berkeley Fire Department. He says five feet of defensible space would slow a wildfire down enough to allow firefighters to do their jobs. By reducing the number of houses that ignite, firefighters can do their job of going from house to house and making sure they can get in front of the ones that do ignite. The new ordinance currently applies to about 850 homes in two parts of the city: the Panoramic Hill neighborhood above the Cal campus, and a strip of homes east of Grizzly Peak boulevard. Assistant Chief Arnold cites this home as a good example of what needs to be done but says that this ordinance will work best if everyone is onboard. 'This is going to be effective if everybody does it,' he said, 'where everyone is pulling together to make everyone safer.' The ordinance will be heard by the city council a second time next month. If passed, the new rules would kick in on Jan. 1, 2026. Homeowners who then fail to comply with the ordinance could face fines of up to $500 a day for each violation. Now homeowners would be allowed to keep some potted plants next to their homes as long as they are spaced out. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Boston Globe
30-01-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
NFL confident in Super Bowl security plan in wake of New Orleans terror attack on New Year's Day
The 11th Super Bowl hosted by New Orleans next weekend is expected to draw an estimated 100,000 visitors to the city, according to Collin Arnold, director of the New Orleans Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness. Multiple investigations are now reviewing how an Islamic State-group inspired attacker was able to drive his F-150 truck onto the city's famed Bourbon Street and plow into New Year's revelers. A lawsuit alleges the city and multiple contractors failed to instigate security measures that could have prevented or mitigated the attack. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Enter Email Sign Up New Orleans will host the Super Bowl for the 11th time, this time will be a little more than a month after 14 people were killed as an Islamic State-group inspired attacker was able to drive his F-150 truck onto the city's famed Bourbon Street and plow into New Year's revelers. Matthew Hinton/Associated Press Advertisement Lanier said the NFL — which had already developed a security plan over the last two years — had worked with federal, state, and local authorities and reassessed security plans after the Jan. 1 attack to make fans feel comfortable going into the game between the Chiefs and Eagles. 'I think the biggest thing that you'll see that's different following the attacks is just a lot more visible law enforcement presence,' she said. 'We are still prepared to make new modifications should something change between now and the Super Bowl. That's kind of our job is to be flexible and make changes, as needed." Lanier said the Super Bowl was given the second highest security rating possible by the Department of Homeland Security in the wake of the attack. Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker (7) kicks the game-winning field goal with seven seconds left when in Super Bowl LVII in 2023. Marcio J. Sanchez/Associated Press 'I feel very confident that we're going to the Super Bowl in an environment that people are going to feel comfortable, they're going to feel safe and they're going to enjoy the Super Bowl,' she said.
Yahoo
29-01-2025
- Yahoo
Super Bowl in New Orleans is attractive target for potential attacks, particularly car ramming, law enforcement warns
As fans prepare to head to New Orleans for the Super Bowl on Feb. 9, law enforcement agencies warn the game and its celebrations are attractive targets for potential attacks -- particularly vehicle ramming -- following the deadly New Year's attack in New Orleans, according to a new security assessment obtained by ABC News. State and federal agencies said they "are concerned about the potential threat of copycat attacks" in the wake of the New Orleans attack and "recent [foreign terrorist organization] messaging calling for attacks against Western targets," the document said. Early on New Year's Day, an ISIS-inspired terrorist plowed an electric pickup truck into pedestrians on Bourbon Street, killing 14 people and injuring dozens more. A separate law enforcement document obtained by ABC News said electric vehicles -- which were used in both the New Orleans attack and a blast in Las Vegas -- make "attractive options" for attacks because they are quieter, accelerate faster and "are typically much heavier than the average combustion engine vehicle." The same day as the New Orleans attack, a soldier fatally shot himself and exploded a Tesla Cybertruck outside the Trump hotel in Las Vegas. Several people suffered minor injuries. MORE: New Orleans attack suspect searched for Germany truck-ramming incident hours before carrying out attack: FBI The assessment also mentioned a "low-level threat" to the food sector during the Super Bowl. "Threat actors maintain continued interest in using chemicals and biological agents to poison food and water sources; therefore, vigilance is necessary by all stakeholders (e.g., public health, law enforcement, private industry, emergency management) to prevent, detect, mitigate, and respond to any incidents of intentional food contamination," the document said. About 100,000 visitors are expected in New Orleans for the Super Bowl, according to Collin Arnold, New Orleans' director of homeland security and emergency preparedness. MORE: What we know about the victims of the New Orleans attack: 'So beautiful and full of life' A state of emergency is in effect in Louisiana during the Super Bowl and Mardi Gras, which is on March 4. When the terror attack unfolded on New Orleans' Bourbon Street at the start of the month, the bollards that used to protect the high-traffic district were gone. They had been removed in order to be replaced and improved ahead of the Super Bowl. New barriers and wedges are now in place, New Orleans ABC affiliate WGNO reported on Tuesday. Hundreds of New Orleans police officers as well as parish, state and federal officials will be deployed and ready for the Super Bowl, New Orleans Police Chief Anne Kirkpatrick assured at a Jan. 10 news conference. MORE: FBI releases timeline of suspect Shamsud-Dim Jabbar's New Orleans attack New York City Police Commissioner Bill Bratton was also hired to review New Orleans' security vulnerabilities and recommend ways to shore them up, Kirkpatrick said. "You can come with great confidence because we have a safety plan that the NFL is very pleased with," Kirkpatrick said. Super Bowl in New Orleans is attractive target for potential attacks, particularly car ramming, law enforcement warns originally appeared on
Axios
27-01-2025
- Climate
- Axios
After snow slowdown, New Orleans makes a mad dash to Super Bowl and Mardi Gras
After a terror attack and a once-in-a-lifetime snow, New Orleans is in a mad dash to finish preparations to host the Super Bowl, with NFL events beginning in just a week. The intrigue: Oh, and Chewbacchus, our first major parade this Carnival season, rolls on Saturday. Fun fact: This year's Carnival, which began Jan. 6 and runs until Mardi Gras on March 4, lasts nearly 60 days. That's so much more time to celebrate than last year's roughly six-week-long season. Yes, but: The number of working hours got cut short because of the snow, and it was already especially nutty with the Super Bowl smack in the middle of all of the madness. This year's parade schedule shifts slightly because city officials didn't want the NOPD to split focus between patrolling parade routes and Super Bowl crowds. Zoom in: City leaders held Super Bowl prep briefings last week as the NFL continued loading gear into the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center and the Caesars Superdome, officials said. "There's probably going to be some pretty furious work as far as 24-hour days trying to get some things done because we want to make sure that we have our best foot forward for Super Bowl," NOLA Ready director Collin Arnold said last week. "But while this [snow] has been a distraction, I don't think it's anything that's been limiting at this point." Security-focused meetings will pick up this week, too, Arnold said. "'Snowmageddon' should only cause us to lose a couple of days," Super Bowl czar and GNO Inc. CEO Michael Hecht tells Axios New Orleans. "We are confident we can make these up in the coming days, assuming Mother Nature cooperates." State of play: As for Mardi Gras, this year's revelry will have a few new rules on the route after City Council officials edited Carnival laws during the offseason. We also expect to see new security measures in place because of the New Year's Day terror attack. Meanwhile, notably absent will be the Krewe of Nyx, which got the axe from the city's official Mardi Gras calendar last summer. (Go deeper) The Krewe of Alla will now parade in Nyx's place on the Wednesday before Mardi Gras. Here's a quick look at some of the new rules for 2025: Banned: Tents, tarps, sofas, scaffolding, charcoal barbecue pits, portable toilets of any kind, ladders that have been strapped together. Confetti cannons are out, and so are beads with any non-krewe-related symbols. Krewe members can't throw toilet paper anymore. (Tucks is exempt from this one.) School and nonprofit bands must have at least 30 participants. Go deeper for more rules impacting krewes. What's next: Les Fous du Carnaval rolls Friday at 8pm in the French Quarter. (Route) Chewbacchus rolls Saturday at 7pm in the Marigny. (Route) Go deeper NOPD hires former New York police commissioner as a terrorism expert. New Orleans strengthens counterterrorism efforts for Mardi Gras and Super Bowl LIX. New Orleans Super Bowl prep is down to punch list items. Mardi Gras 2025 parade schedule.
