Latest news with #OfficeofEmergencyServices
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Yahoo
PCH from Los Angeles to Malibu set to reopen on Friday
After months of being closed to regular travel, a critical 11-mile stretch of Pacific Coast Highway is set to reopen this Friday, just in time for Memorial Day weekend. PCH, a key route connecting Los Angeles to Malibu and coastal Ventura County, has been closed to all but local residents, businesses and emergency crews following extensive damage from January's Palisades Fire and subsequent mudslides. The reopening, expedited by Gov. Gavin Newsom's 'all-hands-on-deck' initiative, comes well ahead of initial projections. The prolonged closure has created dire conditions for local businesses, many of whom have endured months without regular income. 'Reopening PCH is a top priority, and we are going all-in to get this done,' Newsom stated in his April 12 directive. To meet the deadline, the Governor's Office of Emergency Services, Caltrans and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers deployed a massive surge of manpower and equipment. More than 100 USACE crews have been working around the clock, clearing debris and demolishing unsafe structures, The Malibu Times reported. Officials said crews are removing an astonishing 1,284 truckloads of debris daily, using PCH itself as the primary haul route. On Friday, two lanes in each direction will be open to public travel. Los Angeles City Councilwoman Traci Park, who represents the area's 11th District, has scheduled a virtual community meeting for 4 p.m. Thursday to address residents' concerns about the reopening. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
PCH to reopen Friday for first time since Palisades Fire
An 11-mile stretch of the Pacific Coast Highway will reopen Friday for the first time since the Palisades Fire. Two lanes will be restored in each reopening comes earlier than expected, just ahead of Memorial Day Weekend. Governor Gavin Newsom called for a coordinated emergency response, which accelerated the timeline. Local businesses, many of which have gone months without regular customers, are hoping the return of traffic brings a much-needed boost.'Reopening PCH is a top priority, and we are going all-in to get this done,' Newsom said in an April 12 statement. The Governor's Office of Emergency Services, Caltrans, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have deployed hundreds of workers and heavy equipment in order to finish ahead of the deadline. According to The Malibu Times, more than 100 Army Corps crews have been working around the clock. They've been demolishing structures and hauling away more than a thousand truckloads of debris each day. The highway itself is being used as the main haul and the California Highway Patrol are also urging drivers to follow 'Move Over' laws to keep workers and first responders warned that while the road will be open, traffic will likely be heavy over the weekend, and construction is still ongoing. Drivers should expect delays, plan for extra travel time, or consider alternate routes.
San Francisco Chronicle
26-04-2025
- San Francisco Chronicle
California's MyShake quake alert app surpasses 4 million downloads
The MyShake app — which alerts Californians that an earthquake is about to hit — surpassed 4 million downloads, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Friday. The app relies on the state's early warning system to send alerts to users' phones. The warning system uses ground motion sensors across California to notify people seconds prior to earthquakes, allowing people to prepare for shaking. 'MyShake provides Californians with life-saving seconds before earthquakes strike,' Newsom said in a statement. 'This milestone is a proud moment for California, and a reminder that preparedness is a continuous effort. We urge everyone to spread the word to friends, family, neighbors, and co-workers to download this critical tool.' Newsom's Office of Emergency Services said that more than 60% of the 1,046 total sensors the warning system will eventually rely on have been installed since the early warning program started in 2019. Newsom celebrated the milestone of 4 million downloads, representing the equivalent of 10% of the state's population. The emergency services office said with the addition of more sensors, the alerts sent to MyShake app users are delivered faster and with more accuracy. The governor's office said the app has sent out more than 5 million alerts for 170 earthquakes since it was launched in 2019, while millions of other alerts have been sent out through other channels, including wireless emergency alerts reaching phones. Newsom's emergency services office said that MyShake users were notified as much as 35 seconds in advance of a 5.2 magnitude earthquake in San Diego County last week. The app, which can be downloaded for iOS and Android devices, as well as on Chromebooks, is available in English, Spanish, Chinese (traditional), Tagalog, Korean and Vietnamese, the emergency services office said. Officials advised Californians to download the free app and set a default location, which will notify users of earthquakes nearby, even if they're not currently there or if their location services are not working.
Yahoo
13-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Broome County Executive reflects on COVID-19 five years later
BROOME COUNTY, N.Y. (WIVT/WBGH) – Five years ago this week, the world turned upside down with the declaration that COVID-19 was an international pandemic. One week, later, everything was in lockdown. During the first months of the shutdown, many Broome County residents turned to County Executive Jason Garnar for daily updates online. Today, he reflects back on those early days. For Jason Garnar, he had been briefed about COVID-19 in the months leading up to March, but had no idea how quickly things would change. It didn't even warrant a mention in his State of the County address in mid-February of 2020. 'It went from me not mentioning it at all in my county address and three weeks later, just about everything is shut down,' said Garnar. Once the lockdown mandates came from the state, it was all systems go with his executive team working closely with the county health department and the Office of Emergency Services on the response. An early challenge was a lack of tests. 'I remember there was a road patrol deputy that would drive up to Albany if we could find 50 tests. We'd send him up to Albany and he would grab the tests and bring them back,' said Garnar. The overriding concern was over hospital capacity, with fears that medical institutions would become overwhelmed with patients. As then Governor Andrew Cuomo would hold daily online briefings each morning, Garnar and his staff would digest the information, try to determine how the new edicts would be implemented and then hold a briefing of his own to disseminate the important information. Garnar says it was vital to get accurate info out 'There was one rumor that black helicopters were coming and landing on the top of hospitals and taking all of the ventilators. And certainly, that wasn't happening. So, part of it was to kind of dispel some of those rumors that did understandably scare people. Get the factual information out to people,' said Garnar. Garnar's briefings informed residents about what was and wasn't allowed, where to get personal protective equipment or PPE, where to get free food, where to get testing and eventually where to get vaccinated. He also gave guidance to businesses and non-profits on how to safely reopen. The County Exec would start his briefing with data, the number of cases reported and sadly, the number of deaths in the county. 'I often took very personal responsibility for it because I felt like I was the person who was supposed to be managing this epidemic. So, when somebody would die and we would get a report of the death, it was a hard thing to take. It was not an easy thing to take,' said Garnar. Garnar says there was a lot of suffering: nursing home residents who couldn't see loved ones, students who fell behind on their school work and socialization and disabled kids who missed out on services. Garnar says his role was often that of messenger. He says many other folks behind the scenes helped to organize and coordinate the response. 'The other thing that I would say that we saw is county employees stepping up and doing things that they'd never done before. One of the big things they had to do is contact tracing,' said Garnar. Garnar says the daily briefings definitely increased his public profile and made him much more recognizable in the community. And he says the pandemic also educated people about the important work that the county does. Garnar says the county learned a lot from the experience. He believes we're better prepared to respond should there be another pandemic. Watch the full interview below. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
CNN
13-03-2025
- Climate
- CNN
Powerful storm prompts evacuations in California, threatens outbreak of tornadoes and wildfires across US this week
A powerful storm is dropping drenching rain on flood-prone Southern California and heavy snow on the state's mountains. It's the first act of a storm that will unleash a severe thunderstorm outbreak, dangerous fire conditions and a blizzard as it crosses the entire United States in the coming days. The National Weather Service issued flash flood warnings early Thursday morning for parts of Ventura, Los Angeles and Orange counties still recovering from devastating wildfires. Emergency management officials in Santa Barbara, just north of Los Angeles, ordered residents in and around the Lake Fire burn scar to shelter in place starting Wednesday night, as 'flash flooding and debris flows may be imminent or occurring.' 'Residents are advised to stay inside and go to the innermost room in your home or to higher ground such as a second floor until further notice. DO NOT attempt to leave,' the county Office of Emergency Management warned. The ongoing warnings for California came alongside a rare increase Thursday in the level of severe thunderstorm risk this storm will bring to the central and eastern US Friday and Saturday. Forecasters are increasingly concerned those regions will see a dangerous severe thunderstorm outbreak capable of multiple strong tornadoes. As the storm arrived in the West on Wednesday, evacuation warnings urging people to prepare to leave at a moment's notice were issued for parts of Los Angeles County, while authorities ordered hundreds of residents in more vulnerable areas to evacuate ahead of the rain. 'The risk of mudflow and landslides is real,' Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger said in a news conference. The California Governor's Office of Emergency Services said Wednesday it has positioned rescue personnel and equipment in 11 counties where heavy impact from the storm is expected, including Los Angeles County. In the Sierra Nevada, heavy snow brought travel to a standstill along part of Interstate 80 Wednesday night. Multiple crashes occurred in the snow along the eastbound portion of the roadway according to the California Highway Patrol. Rain will continue Thursday with more than 20 million people across Southern California under flood watches until the afternoon, with a level 2 or 4 risk of flooding rainfall, according to the Weather Prediction Center. The storm will track into the Rockies Thursday with additional rain, snow and winds. Winter weather alerts are in place across the highest parts of Nevada, Arizona and Utah, where snow could pile up to 2 feet. Gusts up to 50 mph across the West could make travel difficult and cause power outages. Gusty winds will also impact the Plains and ramp up a widespread fire threat, especially from the late afternoon onward. More than 800 miles of the central US, from western Texas into South Dakota, are under a level 2 of 3 fire weather risk, according to the Storm Prediction Center. Any spark could turn into a wind-driven blaze in these conditions. The fire risk will climb higher Friday in tandem with extremely strong winds. 'Significant, dangerous wildfire-spread conditions' are expected, and a wildfire outbreak is possible across parts of the Southern Plains, according to the center. Those winds could gust up to 90 mph at times in parts of New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma Friday, and also cause power outages and hazardous travel conditions, according to the Weather Prediction Center. The storm will strengthen Friday in the central US and become unusually strong for March just before it tracks into an area where atmospheric conditions are primed to set off dangerous severe weather. Severe thunderstorms will roar to life by the late afternoon in the Mississippi Valley, become more ferocious and pound potentially more than 900 miles of the region – from Louisiana to Minnesota – through the overnight hours. A level 4 of 5 risk of severe thunderstorms is in place for parts of the region – including St. Louis – Friday, according to the Storm Prediction Center. Damaging winds will be widespread, with some storms producing gusts past 75 mph – on par with a Category 1 hurricane – within the level 3 and 4 risk areas. Tornadoes and hail are also possible within any storm. Some of the strongest storms will be active after dark, adding another layer of danger: Nighttime tornadoes are nearly twice as likely to be deadly as those occurring during the day, a 2022 study found. 'All are encouraged to review their severe weather safety plans before Friday evening,' the National Weather Service in Central Illinois urged Thursday. 'Consider discussing the forecast with family/friends so they are aware in advance.' Saturday poses another serious threat for dangerous thunderstorms and will see an increased threat of tornadoes, with the Storm Prediction Center pinpointing the South as the area of greatest concern for 'significant tornadoes, swaths of damaging (wind) gusts and hail.' A level 4 of 5 risk of severe thunderstorms is in place Saturday for parts of Louisiana – including New Orleans – Mississippi, Alabama and the extreme western Florida Panhandle. Severe thunderstorms could be ongoing early Saturday morning after Friday's activity, but the riskiest thunderstorms will intensify or develop by the afternoon in the South. Storms packing damaging wind gusts, tornadoes and hail will once again persist through the evening and overnight. Setting the second-highest level of risk this far in advance is rare, and happens only when forecasters have great confidence that the ingredients for severe storms will be present. Over the past 15 years, level 4 risks issued three days in advance have resulted in an average of 90 tornado reports on the day of concern. Similar instances in the past include the 2011 Super Outbreak centered in Alabama that killed more than 300 and was the costliest tornado outbreak on record. Another was the Easter Sunday Outbreak in 2020 that produced around 150 tornadoes and killed 35 people. This story has been updated with additional information. CNN's Robert Shackelford, Brandon Miller, Allison Chinchar and Kia Fatahi contributed to this report.
