www.WFAA.com
On January 24, 2023, approximately 18,600 single- and multifamily residential properties were damaged from hail, winds, and tornadoes across the Gulf Coast area of Harris County. CoreLogic computed a combined reconstruction value of $4.6 billion.
Winds gusts reached 136 to 165 miles per hour destroying homes as well as disrupted operations at petrochemical facilities outside of Houston, Texas.
www.MarketWatch.com
A listing on Zillow went viral recently after users spotted the highly unusual photos of a property that was ablaze. The home located in Franklin, Tennessee was badly damaged by a fire in September 2022 and the listing photos on Zillow show the extent of the fire damage.
Homeowner Danny Duval bought the home in 2020 and was in the process of putting the finishing touches on remodeling the home, when it caught fire.
After dealing with investigators, insurance companies and lawyers, he decided to sell the house and move on. “What I can tell you is we’ve had a major loss, and we’ve already settled with the insurance company. [But] we’ve still not been made whole,” he explained. “We want to put it behind us.”
The home received 15 calls in the first hour of being listed and was under contract within a week.
www.WikiWand.com
An EPA cleanup plan for the 160-acre Sulphur Bank Mercury Mine Superfund site was released to the public for review and comments. The plan focuses on cleanup in Clearlake Oaks, specifically the mine area, the sovereign territory of the Elem Indian Colony Tribe and contaminated soils in the residential area to the southwest of the site.
Since the site was placed on the Superfund cleanup program in August 1990, the EPA has completed eight early cleanups in an attempt to protect human health and the environment and reduce contamination in soil, lake water and sediments, fish and wildlife, and tribal and residential properties near the mine.
The cleanup plan is open for public comments until April 10, 2023. The EPA will host virtual Q&A sessions, in-person open houses, and in-person final meetings in the coming months.
DailyYonder.com
Residents in Wabasha County, Minnesota are seeing elevated levels of nitrate in their groundwater. With each periodic test, the nitrate concentration increased until it surpassed the EPA’s safety standard of 10 parts per million in 1990 and eventually climbed to 22 ppm.
Drinking water with high levels of nitrate can cause methemoglobinemia or “blue baby syndrome,” a potentially life-threatening condition affecting the blood’s ability to carry oxygen throughout the body. Nitrates also have been linked to thyroid disease and certain cancers.
www.SFChronicle.com
Costs for repairs to storm damage in Santa Cruz are piling up due to the mudslides, downed trees, and power outages, as well as flooded businesses, roadways and residences. The number tied to storm damages is expected to grow as first responders are still finding and experiencing damages.
Santa Cruz County emergency official David Reid told the Business Journal that the storms have caused more than $55 million in damage including more than $21 million for roads. Plus, lost revenues for area businesses are estimated to be between $5 million and $10 million.
www.USAToday.com
The storm on January 16 caused downed power lines and trees throughout San Diego County.
In Golden Hill, a 60-70-foot tree fell from the golf course onto the street around 2:30 a.m. Monday morning at Golf Course Drive and 28th Street. In Pacific Beach, a large tree crashed into powerlines in front of a residence, knocking out power to 2,100 units on Ingraham Street and Fortuna Avenue around 3:20 a.m. In Serra Mesa, several people were evacuated from their homes around 5:18 a.m. after a large pine tree fell onto the roof of a two-story apartment complex. No injuries were reported.
www.NYTimes.com
COVID-19 forced restaurants to close or limit their service during the pandemic. Two class-action lawsuits allege restaurants still had to pay their health permit fees and license fees despite government-mandated closures.
The Orange County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a $1.7 million settlement to resolve the two lawsuits brought by restaurant owners looking to recoup fees paid to the county during the pandemic.
Similar lawsuits were also filed in Los Angeles, San Bernadino, Riverside, San Diego counties as well as Northern California counties. In San Diego, a settlement of $4.5 million over permit fees was finalized.
WJON.com
The city of Sartell, Minnesota has been awarded $50,000 for riverfront redevelopment at the old Verso Paper mill site. The city will use the money to fund a study for the 45.8-acre site to be redeveloped into a mix of residential and commercial use. The redevelopment project is anticipated to create close to 100 jobs and increase the local tax base by $647,000. Matching funds will be provided by the City of Sartell.
The funding was awarded by DEED’s Contamination Cleanup and Investigation Grant Program, which will leverage more than $411 million in private investment.
There was a deadly explosion at the paper mill in May of 2012. The mill was permanently closed in August of that year. AIM Development bought the site from Verso in 2013 and demolished the buildings. It has been vacant ever since.
www.TheGuardian.com
An oil spill of mostly palm oil in Melbourne, Australia has spread across oceans and beaches. Some beaches have been temporarily closed by the city, despite the city’s hot summer temperatures. City officials are still trying to figure out exactly how this happened.
The Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA Victoria) reported that its officers were investigating the source of oil contaminating St. Kilda Beach and Elwood Beach in Melbourne, Australia. Various tests are being conducted by EPA Victoria and forced the agency to issue a water quality alert to a number of neighboring Melbourne beaches. Beach visitors were recommended to stay away from the water.
www.PointLoma-OBMonthly.com
According to San Diego lifeguard Lt. Rick Romero, it could take weeks for crews to assess the damage and make repairs. “That’s going to be out of commission for a couple of weeks, if not more,” Romero said. On Jan. 6, heavy surf and high tides caused damage which will cause the pier to remain closed until it can be repaired.
One of the largest swells to hit San Diego County in years produced 10- to 12-foot waves in many spots, according to the National Weather Service and San Diego lifeguards. Romero said San Diego hasn’t seen this kind of surf “in probably over 10 years.”
In October, the San Diego City Council approved the $8 million contract with Long Beach-based engineering consultant Moffatt & Nichols for a study to begin the planning process for replacing the pier. Plans call for construction of a new pier to begin by 2006.
www.TimesUnion.com
Following an investigation into the hazardous contamination of the former laundry site, the State Department of Environmental Conservation will develop a cleanup plan for the superfund site at 19th Street in Watervliet.
According to a report released earlier, the primary contaminants are “those historically used in dry cleaning solvents and those associated with petroleum.”
Surface and subsurface soil at the site building contained the compounds at “levels warranting mitigation.” The department discovered groundwater to contain similarly hazardous levels of the volatile compounds which have spread to adjacent properties, according to the report.
The building, which served as the Admiral Cleaners site for nearly 70 years before closing in 2017, was demolished and three underground storage tanks and surrounding soil were removed as interim remedial measures. The investigation fact sheet can be found on the Department of Environmental Conservation’s website.
APNews.com
On January 1, 2023, residents of a Northern California community were ordered to evacuate after a powerful storm brought drenching rain or heavy snowfall to much of the state. After the storm moved through major flooding occurred in agricultural areas 20 miles south of Sacramento where rivers swelled beyond their banks and inundated dozens of cars along State Route 99.
According to Don Quiggle, the deputy fire chief for operations for Cosumnes Community Service District Fire Department, emergency crews found one person dead inside a submerged vehicle near Route 99.
An evacuation order was issued late On January 1, 2023, by Sacramento County Authorities citing imminent and dangerous flooding. Residents of the nearby communities of Glanville Tract and Franklin Pond were told to prepare to leave before more roadways are cut off by rising water and evacuation becomes impossible.
www.LATimes.com
The Williamsburg of Cincinnati complex in Hartwell is facing multiple code violations after residents are dealing with water damage and flooding from leaks. Flooding began on Christmas December 25, 2022 when a water line break left families without water for four days. For some of the units, water covered all the floor and carpet.
The city has found ten code violations upon investigation with documents revealing dozens more violations earlier in the year. City inspectors noticed a “general lack of repair to common areas of the property” and have stated that “It is evident that the condition of the property has been deteriorating for some time.”
www.CBSNews.com
Due to a huge sinkhole the Oakland Zoo was shut down until mid-January in 2022. The sinkhole appeared after a culvert collapsed which ran beneath the zoo’s entrance. The chasm measured 10 feet by 10 feet and is stated to be “impassable to vehicles.”
“With the incredible speed and volume of the water it literally collapsed some of the culvert itself and resulted in a collapse of asphalt over it," said Oakland Zoo CEO Nik Dehejia.
Storm forecast had the possibility to make the sinkhole worse with heavy rains inflicting significant damage to other areas of the zoo’s campus in East Oakland hills.
ww.MontgomeryAdvertiser.com
On the morning of Wednesday, January 4th a tornado touched down in east Montgomery, injuring two and damaging more than 50 homes and businesses according to the Montgomery County Emergency Management Agency. On social media Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed stated that there were no fatalities from the tornado.
When the tornado landed there was no tornado warning in effect. However a tornado warning for Montgomery County was issued the same minute the storm touched down and was in effect until 4:45 a.m. The morning the storm hit power was knocked out for about 750 homes.
TheTowersAtLagunaWoodsVillage.com
The Tower 2, a 14-story residential buildings was damaged in Laguna Woods after storms struck the region in January. The general manager for the building was quoted saying “[t]he storms created 20,000 gallons of oily water at the bottom of the elevators, and it all shorted”.
Repair technicians have been working up to15-hour days to get the elevators up and running; however, the repairs have only resulted in the elevators being partially operational for emergency use only. It is unknown how long how long it will take to bring the elevators into full working order.
Staff members have been checking in on residents of the tower, delivering meals, and assisting in other ways to accommodate residents while the elevators are down. Once repairs are complete Tower officials intend to look into speeding up and modernizing the building.
www.KREM.com
According to City of Lewiston officials the reservoir located northeast of 16th Avenue and 29th Street failed in the early morning of January 18, 2023. Video and pictures were seen online showing flood damage to homes downhill from the reservoir.
A boil water advisory order has been issued for residents in the City of Lewiston. Residences of Lewiston Orchards Irrigation District are not affected by the advisory order, which has its own reservoir. If your property is damaged, city officials advise you to report it to 208-984-7069.
JournalStar.com
The result of multiple storms in 2022 has led to higher property damage than previous years. Farmers Mutual of Nebraska, reported $500 million in insure property loss and in total Nebraskans have suffered $2 billion in damages.
According to Mark Waltz, president, CEO and chairman of Farmers Mutual, “[t]he frequency of the loss perils that we experience in Nebraska, and the severity, the size of the loss perils that we’re seeing in the state of Nebraska are going up,” Waltz further sates that the trend is moving upwards.
In addition, rising labor costs, have made property loss claims rise. In 2021, Farmers Mutual only covered $130 million in property loss, as opposed to this year’s $500 million. Furthermore, homeowners “[a]s a result, they should expect insurance rates, as well as deductibles, to most likely be changing as we move forward into 2023 and beyond.” Waltz said. How much the future increase in rates will be is unclear but unless storms calm down rate hikes are practically a given.
PFAsProject.com
Houston based company Inhance Technologies USA is the target of a new lawsuit filed by The Center for Environmental Health (CEH) and Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility (PEER). The lawsuit alleges that Inhance Technologies USA is violating the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) during the fluorination of plastic containers used to hold food, personal care items, and many other products.
Inhance Technologies released a statement saying that the company "believes we have been, and continue to be, in full compliance with all relevant regulations and regulatory guidance, and are operating safely, responsibly and lawfully," while claiming it "embraces" EPA efforts "to ensure science-based decision-making as it relates" to PFAS.
This lawsuit follows California’s recent lawsuit against 18 manufactures for harming human health and the environment, and for deceptive practices. Since 2005 there have been more than 6,000 lawsuit filed in the US federal courts involving PFAS-related matters.
www.Live5News.com
Jeffrey Mikell, a homeowner in the Stratton Capers neighborhood in Dorchester County suffered property damage during Hurricane Ian. He was later told he didn’t qualify for federal assistance, even after his home was destroyed in the storm.
Dorchester County officials informed Mikell that the county did not meet the financial threshold to qualify. A spokesperson for FEMA reported that Dorchester County “was not included in the request for assistance so there are no FEMA disaster relief programs that would apply.” The county determined that Mikell’s home is unsafe and he will most likely sell the property “as is”.
Office: 33971 Selva Road, Suite 230, Dana Point, CA 92629
Phone: 949.497.7603 Fax: 949.497.7601
