Home Emergency Management News EDM Monday Briefing: Cargo Flight Crash Kills 3

EDM Monday Briefing: Cargo Flight Crash Kills 3


Emergency and disaster management briefing for February 25, 2019: Three people are dead after an Atlas Air Cargo flight crashed into the water en route to Houston; severe storms across the south spawned several tornadoes, flooding, landslides, and road closures; a Tennessee deputy was shot and the shooter is dead after a welfare check that turned deadly; two people died in a small plane crash and fire in Massachusetts; Tennessee declared a state of emergency following severe weather that brought record rainfall and widespread flooding; blizzard conditions in Minnesota and Wisconsin stranded motorists and caused a major interstate pileup; high winds caused widespread power outages in eastern states and an ice tsunami along the shore of Lake Erie in New York; and an entire town in West Virginia is without water after four water main breaks occurred due to old and failing infrastructure.

  1. Three people onboard an Atlas Air Cargo plane are presumed dead after it crashed in Trinity Bay, near Anahuac, Texas on its way to Houston. The Chambers County Sheriff's Department stated that human remains had been found in the debris field, making it likely that everyone onboard the twin-engine Boeing 767 died in the crash. Atlas Air Flight 3591, with a reported three people on board, was en route from Miami to George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston when it lost contact with air traffic control at around 12:40 p.m. on Saturday and disappeared off radar. 
  2. Severe weather across the south brought torrential rainfall, flooding, flash floods, mudslides, sinkholes, and spawned  several tornadoes, including a deadly one in Columbus, Mississippi, downed trees and power lines, and caused widespread and significant damage throughout the town. In Knoxville, Tennessee, at least 98 roads were closed due to flooding, and a landslide closed Interstate 40 near the TN/NC line, while a mudslide destroyed a Subway Restaurant in Signal Mountain, near Chattanooga, Tennessee. Due to widespread flooding throughout the county, and with the many road closures, schools in Knox, Blount, Roane, and Sevier county, Tennessee, were all closed Monday.  
  3. A Tennessee Sheriff's deputy is in serious condition, and the shooter is dead after a welfare check turned deadly on Saturday morning. The incident occurred in Sullivan County when deputies were dispatched to conduct a welfare check on Jackie Scott Pendergrass, 44, and Pendergrass opened fire on the deputies. Deputy Steve Hinckle was struck in an exchange of gunfire, and after an hours long standoff with the suspect, officers entered the home and found the suspect deceased.  
  4. Two people are dead following a small plane crash at an airport in Massachusetts on Saturday. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), in conjunction with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), is investigating the crash of a Cessna 172, a single engine, fixed-wing aircraft, after it crashed and caught fire at the Mansfield Airport around 12:30 p.m. The victims of the crash were identified as Julian Latterman, 18, and Sydney Miti, 32--the only occupants on board the aircraft.  
  5. The Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA) has declared a state of emergency for Tennessee, which remained in place on Monday, due to record high February rainfall amounts that have led to flash flooding, flooding, and widespread issues including landslides and road closures, across the state. The National Weather Service (NWS) has also issued a flood warning for residents of Loudoun and Roane counties in Tennessee, where the Tennessee River is expected to crest at 752 feet by Monday evening. Three fatalities have resulted from the heavy rainfalls and flooding, including one person who drowned in Knox County on Saturday after getting trapped in his submerged vehicle.  
  6. Blizzard conditions Saturday night into Sunday across several northern states prompted the rescue of dozens of people, including in Minnesota, where the governor declared an emergency and ordered the National Guard to assist with rescuing stranded motorists. A major pileup of more than 100 vehicles due to heavy snow and whiteout conditions in east-central Wisconsin on Interstate 41, killed one person and injured several others, who were taken to area hospitals. Additional roads were closed, including many in southern Minnesota, with conditions so bad Sunday, that Minnesota's Homeland Security and Emergency Management Director urged everyone to stay home.   
  7. High winds persist into their second day in the eastern part of the country and have left at least 24,000 people in West Virginia without power and prompted evacuations along Lake Erie in New York. The windstorm has created an ice tsunami--pushing large chunks of ice off Lake Erie and onto the shore along the Niagara River, closing roads, toppling trees and light posts, and coming dangerously close to homes. Winds could also reach up to 75 mph on neighboring Lake Ontario, which could cause widespread power outages due to extensive damage to trees and power lines.
  8. A water crisis has impacted a town in West Virginia after four water main breaks cut the supply of water to at least 1,000 people beginning on Friday, including cutting off water to a nursing home. The entire city of Glasgow, in Kanawha County, lost water on Saturday, and according to the city mayor, the water system infrastructure is at least 30 years old, failing, and in need of major repairs and upgrades. The mayor also noted that the city does not have the money needed for the repairs, and is currently in the process of selling the system to West Virginia American Water.  
