STRONG EARTHQUAKE KILLS AT LEAST 14 IN ECUADOR, 1 IN PERU

www.DW.com

On Saturday March 18th, 2023 an earthquake hit southern Ecuador and Northern Pery killing at least 15 people and trapping others under rubble. The U.S Geological Survey reported that the earthquake was centered off the Pacific Coast with a magnitude of about 6.8. One of the victims died in Peru, while 14 others died in Ecuador, where authorities also reported that at least 126 people were injured.

Firefighters worked to rescue people while the National Police assessed damage, their work made more difficult by downed lines that interrupted telephone and electricity service. Ecuador’s government also reported damages to health care centers and schools. In Guayaquil, about 170 miles (270 kilometers) southwest of the capital, Quito, authorities reported cracks in buildings and homes, as well as some collapsed walls. Machala student Katherine Cruz said her home shook so badly that she could not even get up to leave her room and flee to the street.

TOWN OF MAMMOTH LAKES ISSUES EVACUATION WARNING FOR SNOW DAMAGED PROPERTIES

SnowBrains.com

The town of Mammoth Lakes issued an evacuation warning on March 16th, 2023 due to snow. Several properties within the town have collapsed or failed due to structural damage from excessive snow. The town encourages residents to shovel their roofs as soon as possible.

MILWAUKEE APARTMENT BUILDING CHEMICAL HAZARD; CLOSURE ORDERED

www.TMJ4.com

An apartment building on North 32nd street in Milwaukee has found that vapors from a chemical are at dangerous levels in the complex. On March 24th, 2023 the commissioner of the Milwaukee health department Tyler Weber was informed that the apartment had exceeding levels of Tri Chloral Ethylene or TCE. The building was evacuated March 25th, 2023 in order to remove the chemical from the property. The Vapor Action Level (VAL) aids in determining health risk based on the quantity of the chemical present. TCE levels in the building were measured to be almost 200 times a Vapor Action Level.

A MOVING ACCIDENT TURNED THIS NYC BUILDING INTO A SOGGY MESS

www.NewsBreak.com

Dating from around 1900, the Textile Building — at 66 Leonard Street in Tribeca has a current $4.95 million listing has nearly 3,000 square feet, and monthly common charges and taxes of more than $10,000.

A year and a half ago someone on the 6th floor was selling a couch through Furnishare also known as Kaiyo. The service offers to remove the pains of transporting large and bulky items. As Furnishare movers began to descend the staircase with the couch the couch struck an exposed sprinkler head resulting in a release of water. Three months later, emergency mold remediation began in the hallways and stairwells. The estimated repair cost was $400,000. The work took eight months, according to permits from the Department of Buildings.

HINESBURG MEETING OVER CONTAMINATED DRINKING WATER

VTDigger.org

The town of Hinesburg applied for a grant to take a step towards managing contaminated drinking water from the town landfill. Poly- and perfluoroalkyl substances — or PFAS — were found in the drinking water of two more residential homes in April 2023, two years after the town first discovered wells had methylene chloride and PFAS.

Residents packed in the town meeting area last week argued the volatility of the groundwater — the fact that detection levels of PFAS and other chemicals has been changing over both a short- and long-term period.

FIRE CAUSES $200K IN DAMAGES TO APARTMENT BUILDING IN NAPERVILLE

Patch.com

An apartment building in Naperville, IL suffered $200,000 in property damages as a result of an early morning fire. When firefighters arrived at the scene at 5:45 am, they found a fire in a unit on the second floor.

Residents were evacuated and were allowed to return to their units once the fire was extinguished, however, the unit found on fire when the firefighters arrived was deemed uninhabitable. The cause of the fire is currently under investigation.

FIRE BREAKS OUT AT LOCKPORT SCHOOL; SCHOOL CLOSED FOR A WEEK

News.Yahoo.com

Four classrooms were impacted by a fire at Emmet Belknap Intermediate School. The fire started because of 18 tablet-type devices stacked together which overheated. Fire crews were on the scene for 2.5 hours and reported no injuries.

Damages were estimated at $200,000 to the property and $100,000 to contents. The fire took place on a Sunday which lead the school closing down on Monday and Tuesday and a follow-up announced the school would be closed for the rest of the week.

SUFFERN HOMEOWNERS SAY VEOLIA WON'T COVER PROPERTY DAMAGE FROM WATER MAIN BREAK

Bronx.News12.com

A water main break resulted in property damage at two homes in Rockland County. The homeowners filed a claim with Veolia; however, they both received denial letters. The letters stated that Veolia is only responsible to make payments where there is negligence or wrongdoing.

A spokesman for Veolia said that an investigation into the incident found no evidence of negligence by Veolia. One of the properties had damage estimates at $50,000, and the other properties insurance would not cover the damages because the water line was not their own and the break did not happen on their property.

LA METRO SUES PROLOGIS OVER CONTAMINATED SITE

www.RailwayAge.com

On March 7, LA County’s “Metro” filed a lawsuit against Prologis, alleging that former owners of the site, 203 East College Street, were negligent in using hazardous materials at the site. Investigation into the contamination cost Metro $40,000 and the estimated cost to clean up the site was estimated at around $10 million. Contaminants at the site include petroleum and hydrocarbons in the soil and the groundwater.

According to a 2017 lease agreement, if the sites were contaminated one of the defendants would be responsible for clean up at the site and reimburse Metro for costs incurred in a clean-up. However, the suit alleges that the defendant refused to clean up the site.

TOXIC CONTAMINATION AT SANTA MARIA AIRPORT

SantaMariaTimes.com

Santa Barbara County supervisors are being urged to clean up contaminants that have been in the subsurface soil of the Santa Maria Airport for at least the past 42 years. It remains unknown how large the contaminated area is, what compounds were released, and by whom. One of Santa Maria’s drinking-water wells was shut down in 1985 because of the environmental threat, and other wells may also be vulnerable. One chemical compound of concern is TCE.

STATE WARNS EUGENE NEIGHBORHOOD OF DIOXIN CONTAMINATION IN SOIL

www.TheLundReport.org

The Oregon Health Authority has issued a warning to residents of an Oregon neighborhood after it was found that dioxin contamination in the soil of some yards. The contamination is thought to have been caused by a wood creosoting factory owned by J.H. Baxter, which was shuttered last year after increasing criticism and state and federal fines for chemical mishandling and emissions violations. The state is now conducting further testing on contaminated sites and plans to remove polluted earth this summer.

AWATOTO FLOODING: CONTAMINATION FEARS PLAGUE COMMUNITY RESIDENTS SAY HAS BEEN ‘FORGOTTEN’

www.NZHerald.co.nz

Residents of Awatoto, a flood-stricken part of Hawke's Bay, are facing potential health risks from toxic sludge and contamination caused by the flooding. The community is adjacent to one of Napier's largest industrial centers, and damage to nearby plants has posed health concerns. Although the risk of pollution contaminating residential areas of Awatoto is now "low," residents have expressed concerns about looting and a lack of communication from local authorities regarding the situation.

The Napier City Council says it is working closely with Civil Defense to coordinate response efforts in Awatoto. The council has provided email and paper notices to residents and has made welfare checks via phone to those who are not in their homes. The council has also given residents in the area full personal protective equipment for any cleanup work they may need to do.

Council contractors will begin collecting flood-damaged rubbish in Meeanee, with plans to move into further areas over the next few days. Meanwhile, residents continue to call and email the council to get more information about the situation and to request the removal of the silt and protection for their homes if they have to leave.

2 TORNADOES TOUCH DOWN IN HIGHLAND COUNTY OHIO CAUSING DAMAGE TO BUILDINGS

SpectrumNews1.com

Two tornadoes touched down in Highland County, Ohio on Friday, according to the National Weather Service (NWS). An EF1 tornado first touched down at around 5:25 p.m. The tornado moved to the northeast and damaged trees and structural damage was reported. The tornado traveled over 14 miles and ended around 5:40 p.m. A second EF0 tornado touched down around 5:35 p.m. near Panhandle Road with one house and a shed behind another home sustaining damage. It caused damage to several barns with estimated winds of 90 mph. More significant damage was noted at a couple of properties on state Route 131 with one home and a detached garage both sustaining damage. A church also reported heavy damage.

33% DRINKING WATER SAMPLES IN GHAZIABAD HAVE FECAL CONTAMINATION

TheHill.com

Around a third of Ghaziabad’s potable water is adulterated with fecal contamination, according to district officials. Teams of the health department collected samples from 359 sources such as residential societies, schools and commercial complexes.

“This puts residents of Ghaziabad at risk of acquiring infections such as typhoid, jaundice and cholera”, said Dr. Rakesh Gupta, district surveillance officer. “The presence of fecal coliform or other type of fecal contamination could be due to mixing of sewerage or broken sewer lines or failure to disinfect water source,” said Gupta.

The samples were picked up from water plants, handpumps, religious places, schools, water-tanks of buildings like high-rises, food outlets in malls, hotels, JJ clusters and water sources at residential localities.

GUSTY WINDS CAUSE POWER OUTAGES

www.CantonRep.com

A recent storm front rolled through Ashe County North Carolina that brough rain, high winds and resulted in power outages and several property damage reports. Approximately 2,500 residents lost power overnight due to broken power poles and line damage in 36 different areas of the county.

Excessive winds caused a shopping cart return corral at Big Lots to break loose and overturned a large outbuilding at Mike’s Mufflers. Numerous incidents of downed trees and roof damage were reported throughout the county. 68 MPH winds were reported around 2:10 a.m. according to the National Weather Service.

EPA TO OVERSEE TESTING, INVESTIGATION OF CONTAMINATED RAILYARD IN HOUSTON’S FIFTH WARD NEIGHBORHOOD.

www.houstonpublicmedia.org

The Environmental Protection Agency announced an agreement to oversee the testing and evaluation of a contaminated rail yard in Northeast Houston. Higher-than-average cancer rates have been confirmed in the area. The rail yard was used decades prior to treat wooden railroad ties and has since seeped into the soil and groundwater.

According to the agreement with the EPA, Union Pacific is required to conduct and pay for testing both on-site and in the community.

Earthea Nance, EPA Regional Administrator, stated in a press release, “Houston’s Fifth Ward and Kashmere Gardens neighborhoods have experienced generations of harm. Today’s action represents a major step forward for people living in this area. We intend to use every tool at our disposal for this community.”

ALASKA LAKES’ LEVELS OF ‘FOREVER CHEMICALS’ REVEALED AS OFFICIALS PONDER ACTIONS TO REDUCE RISKS

AlaskaBeacon.com

Within Anchorage and Fairbanks Alaska perfluoroalkyl substances and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known collectively as PFAS substances, have been found in the waterways. Samples taken in 2021 and 2022 at 15 sites in the state’s two biggest cities, found the highest PFAS levels in Anchorage’s Lake Spenard and Lake Hood. At 952.2 parts per trillion and 698.7 parts per trillion, they were about 10 times the health-advisory threshold for drinking water set in 2016 by the Environmental Protection Agency

Within Legislature a bill has been introduced sponsored by Senator Jesse Kiehl addressing PFAS. This bill would ban the use of fire suppressing foam which is a source of PFAS. Pam Miller, executive director of Alaska Community Action on Toxics states that while the bill is a good start more is needed such as the establishment of statewide drinking-water standards in line with modern knowledge, stepped-up monitoring of both water and fish, alternative water sources provided for people who need it and other measures

EPA TO DELETE TEXAS SUPERFUND SITE FROM THE NATIONAL PRIORITIES LIST

InsideClimateNews.org

On February 22, 2023 the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) deleted River City Metal Finishing site in San Antonio, Texas, from the National Priorities List (NPL) of Superfund sites. The River City Metal Finishing site was a metal plating shop that operated from 1994 until approximately 2002. In 2017 the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) referred the site to EPA in 2017 when hexavalent chromium was found in groundwater.

TCEQ performed cleanup work such as removing containers of waste and demolishing the building while disposing of hazardous materials off site. Investigation activities were done by the EPA at the site from March 2019 to July 2020. EPA’s 2021 Record of Decision selected “no action” because no hazardous substances, pollutants, or contaminants remain at the site above levels that preclude unlimited use and unrestricted exposure.

“This is an action that has been decades in the making for the residents of Bexar County,” said Regional Administrator Dr. Earthea Nance. “By working alongside impacted communities and the TCEQ, we improved public health and the environment while paving the way for the land to be reused. We are pleased with this outcome, and I want to thank all parties involved in making this monumental achievement possible.”

NORTHEAST WISCONSIN TOWN FACES PFAS

In Peshtigo, Wisconsin residents have been exposed to high levels of a group of toxins known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, in their groundwater. PFAS have difficulty breaking down in the environment and are thus called “forever chemicals.” Issues with PFAS include high blood pressure in middle-aged women and stunted developmental growth in children, as well as kidney and testicular cancers.

The PFAS within the community comes from a local manufacturing facility the produces firefighting foam which had spread through the town’s groundwater networks. Creeks within the area have reported PFAS levels as high as 3,800 ppt while groundwater wells near the facility reporter concentrations of 2,100 ppt, or 30 times the state’s drinking water standards.

THE COST TO REPAIR STORM-RAVAGED PUBLIC PROPERTY IN CAPITOLA JUMPS TO $3.5M

Fox5SanDiego.com

Severe storms over the month have caused widespread damage to the Bay area and Santa Cruz region. Damages from the storm include ripping a 40-foot section of the Capitola wharf apart.

Capitola’s director of public works Jessica Kahn estimates that the cost to rebuilt or repair public property in Capitola is around $3.5 million. That’s almost $1 million more than the previous estimate of $2.6 million.

The city is currently in the process of obtaining funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Public Assistance Program for storm-related repairs. Funds will go towards construction, engineering and permitting costs.