Wednesday, January 10, 2018

Alert – Southern California mudslides; 13 dead

Santa Barbara County, California officials evacuated nearly 7,000 residents from foothill communities shortly before the heaviest mudslide surge hit the area around 3 a.m. So far, 13 deaths have been reported. The 101 Freeway, in parts of Montecito and Santa Barbara, will remain closed for at least 48 hours. At Los Angeles International Airport, flooding diverted travelers from a Terminal 2 customs area.

According to the CNN/Money:

Weeks after devastating fires tore through Southern California, heavy rains sent mudslides rolling down hillsides in Santa Barbara County on Tuesday, leaving 13 people dead.

The storm uprooted trees and homes, and left mangled cars and abandoned surfboards on the streets.

Roads turned into debris-filled rivers and swallowed up communities downstream from where the Thomas Fire burned thousands of acres last month.

“It was literally a carpet of mud and debris everywhere, with huge boulders, rocks, down trees, power lines, wrecked cars — lots of obstacles and challenges for rescue personnel to get to homes,” Santa Barbara County Sheriff Bill Brown said.

According to the LA Times:

The California Highway Patrol reported 275 traffic collisions on Los Angeles-area freeways between 5 and 9 a.m. One person was killed when a big rig overturned in the rain in the northbound lanes of the 5 Freeway near Los Feliz, but officials could not confirm the wreck was storm-related.

There were mudslides on Country Club Drive in Burbank, where police ordered evacuations.

The Burbank Police Department released footage of water surging across a roadway and urged people not to attempt to drive over it. The surge picked up and moved some vehicles, and a few homes suffered minor damage, but no one had been injured as of 1 p.m., according to police Sgt. Derek Green.

Surges also washed out Topanga Canyon Boulevard north of Pacific Coast Highway, and flooding closed sections of the 110 Freeway. Rescue workers saved a man and a dog trapped in rising water near the Sepulveda Basin Recreation Area, and a Los Angeles Police Department cruiser had to be dug out of debris on La Tuna Canyon Road with a backhoe. At Los Angeles International Airport, flooding diverted travelers from a Terminal 2 customs area.

Bill Patzert, climatologist for NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Cañada Flintridge, said mudslides are par for the course in this region.

“There are four seasons in California — drought, followed by fire, followed by floods, followed by mudslides,” he said. “That’s the normal sequence that we live with, unfortunately.”

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Sunday, January 7, 2018

Alert – New York: Evacuation at JFK Airport

JFK Airport’s Terminal 4 had a water main break at its baggage claim on Sunday, leading to an evacuation.

According to CNN:

The temperature was around 15 degrees when the flooding started about 1:30 p.m. Video showed standing water in a large section of the terminal and water cascading down a wall in an arrival area. Power went out in parts of Terminal 4. Conveyer belts stopped working on some luggage carousels and travelers were instructed to pick up their bags in another part of the terminal. The arrival area was cordoned off while employees swept water off the floor. The New York City Fire Department responded, but no cause of the leak has been provided. No injuries were reported. Around 3:30 p.m., the airport announced via Twitter that international flights into Terminal 4 had been shut down. Departures were not affected. JFK advised passengers to check with their airline prior to arriving at the airport.

The New York Times wrote:

For thousands of weary travelers, there seemed to be no end to the massive fallout from Thursday’s winter storm, which damaged equipment and forced scores of flights in and out of Kennedy Airport to be canceled or delayed. The effects have rippled across the world, stranding passengers at airports as far away as Beijing, many of whom are trying to return home after the holidays. Federal officials were forced to limit some flights into Kennedy Airport on Saturday, and the disruptions continued into Sunday. Shortly after the water main break in Terminal 4, the airport closed that terminal to international flights and diverted some planes to other terminals.

Please contact the PR Team if you have any concerns: TravelLeadersGroupPR@TravelLeaders.com.

January 4, 2018

All,

Early this morning an earthquake (reported as being a magnitude of either 4.4 or 4.5) struck Berkeley, near San Francisco. Currently, no damages or injuries are reported.

The San Francisco Gate writes:

The quake was centered two miles east-southeast of Berkeley at 2:39 a.m., at a depth of eight miles, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The quake struck on the Hayward Fault near the Claremont Hotel, USGS seismologists said.

People were awakened from the North Bay to San Jose, and some reported feeling it from as far as Sacramento and Lodi, but there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries.

According to USA Today:

Bay Area Rapid Transit said it had no initial reports of damage to the system.

“In an abundance of caution we are running the very first trains at reduced speed for another visual inspection by the operator,” BART said in a statement. “Riders on those first trains will experience a 20 minute delay. Normal speeds will resume following.”

USGS seismologist Robert Sanders told the Los Angeles Times that a magnitude-4.5 quake was not expected to cause major damage but added “there’s always a possibility of some minor damage to older structures in the area.”

Please contact the PR Team if you have any questions or concerns: TravelLeadersGroupPR@TravelLeaders.com.

January 4, 2018

All,

More than 3,100 flights were canceled today and nearly 1,000 delayed as 13 states are now under a winter storm warning, with states of emergency declared in Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia. Airlines have updated their waivers and advisories:

• • • Delta Airlines

• • United Air Lines
• • American Airlines.

Other airlines to note:

• • Alaska Northeast Policy
• • Air Canada Operations Outlook
• • British Airways Northeast & Southeast Policies
• • Frontier Northeast Policy
• • JetBlue Northeast & Southeast Policies
• • Southwest Policies
• • Virgin America Policies

According to the CNN/Money:

More than 90% of flights at New York’s La Guardia Airport were canceled, the airport said on Twitter on Wednesday night, before the storm had struck. More than 20% of flights were canceled at JFK Airport at that time and more than 70% of flights canceled at Newark Liberty in New Jersey. American Airlines (AAL) suspended departures from Boston on Thursday because of strong winds and heavy snow.

American, Delta (DAL), Southwest (LUV) and United all warned passengers to expect long delays and cancellations at dozens of airports across the country.

Thirteen states from South Carolina to Maine are under a winter storm warning and the governors of Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia declared states of emergency. Forecasters say the Northeast states can expect hurricane-force winter wind gusts and blinding snow. Travel Leaders • 3033 Campus Drive Ste W320 • Plymouth, MN 55441

Greyhound buses running between Montreal, Boston, New York City, Albany, New York, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Atlantic City, New Jersey, and the Maine cities of Bangor and Portland, were also canceled. The bus station in Savannah, Georgia, was shut down.

Motorists are also urged to leave their cars at home.

Please contact the PR Team if you have any questions or concerns: TravelLeadersGroupPR@TravelLeaders.com.

Thursday, December 21, 2017

Alert – Australia – Deliberate Car Ramming Injures 19 in Melbourne

A vehicle plowed into more than a dozen terrified pedestrians in Melbourne, Australia on Thursday, in what police called a “deliberate” and “cowardly” act. Security will be stepped up in the area, police said. It currently is not being identified as an act of terrorism.

The ABC News reports:

Two people were arrested at the chaotic scene, which was packed with holiday shoppers in Melbourne’s central business district.

Police said 19 people were injured in the ramming, and four remain in critical condition. The perpetrator and an off-duty police officer, who made the arrest, were included in the injured. 9News in Australia reported a 4-year-old girl was taken to the hospital with a serious head injury.

“This is horrific. It’s evil,” Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews said. “We are not defined by these sorts of incidents.”

The driver of the white Suzuki SUV was arrested on the scene. Victoria Police identified him as a 32-year-old Australian of Afghan descent. Police said the man has a history of drug abuse and mental health issues.

A second person was also arrested after being seen filming the incident, according to Victoria Police. He was found to have three knives in his backpack, but officials do not believe there is a connection between him and the driver.

Authorities said the incident, which occurred just after 4:30 p.m. local time, was a “deliberate act,” but repeatedly said they do not yet know the motivation, including whether it was terror-related.

Paul Calahane, a native of Ireland who said he’d been in Melbourne for seven weeks, was coming home from work when the incident unfolded behind him.

“I heard a bit of a bang behind me, even though I had my headphones in with a bit of audio,” Calahane told ABC News. “I leaned forward, thinking it was a blast, then I saw people running. I saw people just scattered on the road. … There were people running, screaming, thinking it was a bomb.”

Calahane said he then turned to see the white SUV across the street, which had plowed into a light pole. He said a man was pulled out the vehicle and arrested. “Within a minute there was about 40, 50 people on the scene,” he said. “They were really pushing people back from the scene.”

The owner of a bakery across the street, named Jim, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation he saw many people hit.

“He came to rest just next to the tram stop — maybe the side of the tram stop stopped him — but the only thing that seemed to be slowing him down was the amount of pedestrians he had hit,” the man said.

“All you could hear was just ‘bang bang bang bang bang.'”

Police said at a Thursday evening press conference security would be stepped up in the area, and that the investigation scene would be in place for a considerable amount of time.

Please contact the PR Team if you have any concerns: TravelLeadersGroupPR@TravelLeaders.com.

Tuesday, December 19, 2017

Alert – Mexico: 12 reported dead as foreign tourist bus crashes in Mexico

At least 12 people are dead and others injured after a tour bus carrying several American tourists flipped over on a highway in Mexico.

According to CBS News:

Passengers from two Miami-based Royal Caribbean cruise ships, the Celebrity Equinox and Serenade of the Seas, were on board the bus when it overturned on a two-lane highway. Seven Americans and two citizens of Sweden are among the injured. The crash occurred as the bus was on its way to the ruins at Chacchoben, about 110 miles south of Tulum.

According to ABC:

Twenty-seven passengers from both cruise ships were on the bus during the crash, Royal Caribbean said in a statement, adding it was working with local authorities to get more information about the accident.

“Our hearts go out to all those involved. We are doing all we can to care for our guests, including assisting with medical care and transportation,” the company said.

The cause of the accident is under investigation.

Please contact the PR Team if you have any concerns: TravelLeadersGroupPR@TravelLeaders.com.

December 19, 2017

Royal Caribbean had a norovirus outbreak last week aboard the Independence of the Seas cruise out of Florida. Travel Leaders Group has been checking to see if we had any passengers onboard that may have booked through our agents. So far we know of approximately 25 clients that booked with us. We will keep you informed if we discover that the number changes substantially.

The USA Today reports:

More than 300 passengers became ill on a Royal Caribbean cruise out of Florida last week, the second time in less than a month that sickness swept through passengers and crew on one of the cruise line’s ships.

Royal Caribbean said 332 cases of gastrointestinal illness were reported on the Independence of the Seas before it returned Saturday to Port Everglades, Fla., after a five-night cruise.

Victoria Nolan of Genesee, N.Y., told WPLG-TV that she and six of 15 of her relatives on the ship fell ill. She described a horrific scene of people throwing up in elevators while going to the ship’s medical facility. Nolan said she also went, but returned to her room after realizing the wait for medical assistance was more than four hours.

“It’s not their fault that it happened, but the way they handled it after people started getting sick made it 10 times worse,” Nolan said.

Marsha Homuska told the TV station the crew worked hard to keep the ship clean during the outbreak, but the situation was overwhelming.

The Miami Herald reports:

A Royal Caribbean ship that returned to Port Everglades Saturday morning had many passengers relieved they were on dry land after a five-night cruise to the Caribbean.

Cruise line officials reported that there were 220 cases of a stomach virus on board the Independence of the Seas after it departed from Port Everglades on Monday. 

A passenger on board the ship told WSVN 7News that people began to show symptoms of the gastrointestinal illness on Wednesday.

As passengers disembarked from the ship Saturday, cruise line employees were seen wearing gloves as they handled passengers’ routine needs on dock, WPLG’s Erika Rakow posted on Twitter.

On Thursday, Royal Caribbean distributed a letter to passengers alerting them to a possible norovirus outbreak on board as more than 200 sought attention, overwhelming the ship’s three nurses, WPLG reported.

The letter read, in part, “In an abundance of caution, we have implemented enhanced sanitizing procedures onboard, as recommended by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Public Health Agencies worldwide.”

According to the CDC, norovirus or acute gastroenteritis, causes inflammation of the stomach or intestines or both. The most common symptoms are diarrhea, vomiting, nausea and stomach pain. One can also have fever, headache and body aches. Dehydration is the greater concern, especially among young children, the elderly or those with other illnesses.

Please contact the PR Team if you have any questions or concerns: TravelLeadersGroupPR@TravelLeaders.com.

December 18, 2017

There are multiple fatalities after a high-speed Amtrak train derailed and dangled from an overpass onto Interstate 5 in Dupont, Washington outside of Tacoma. A section of the highway has been closed down. Amtrak service south of Seattle is temporarily suspended.

NBC News reports:

Several people were killed Monday after an Amtrak train derailed while traveling on the first day of a new route outside Tacoma, Washington.

“There have been multiple casualties as a result of the Amtrak derailment near Tacoma, Washington,” Pierce County spokesman Ed Troyer said of the 7:40 a.m. incident. “The casualties include multiple injuries and fatalities.”

The cause is under investigation, Troyer said.

Washington State Department of Transportation tweeted a picture of the derailment at 7:45 a.m. PST, showing what appeared to be a car on its side over a highway lane.

“All SB lanes of I-5 blocked near Mounts Road in Pierce County due to derailed train car. Avoid area!” the tweet said.

Following the incident, Amtrak tweeted that it had been made aware of the incident.

“Amtrak is aware of an incident with Train 501, Cascades service from Seattle to Portland. Emergency services are on the scene and Amtrak management is responding,” the company said in a statement.

“Amtrak service south of Seattle is temporarily suspended. Service from Seattle to points north and east is continuing to operate.”

The derailment happened between Olympia and Tacoma on a newly established Amtrak route aimed at adding more frequent and faster service Seattle and Portland, part of an $800 million project called the Cascades High-Speed Rail Capital Program.

Reuters reports:

An Amtrak passenger train derailed on a bridge over a major highway in DuPont, Washington, on Monday morning, blocking all southbound lanes on Interstate 5 and prompting a massive emergency response, according to local authorities and news media reports.

Amtrak confirmed its train was involved but did not provide further information.

“We are aware of an incident involving Amtrak train 501,” the rail operator said on Twitter. “We will update with additional details as they become available.”

Part of the train fell onto the interstate around 7:30 a.m. (1530 GMT), causing several injuries, The News Tribune reported. The local newspaper did not have further details on the nature or extent of the injuries. No deaths were immediately reported.

A photograph posted on Twitter by the Washington State Department of Transportation showed a train car that had apparently veered off a bridge onto the highway below. The agency said southbound lanes were closed, and warned drivers to avoid the area.

The National Transportation Safety Board said on Twitter that it was gathering information about the incident.

Please contact the PR Team if you have any questions or concerns: TravelLeadersGroupPR@TravelLeaders.com.

December 18, 2017

Power has been restored at Hartsfield-Jackson Airport in Atlanta as of 11:55 p.m. last night.

According to CNBC:

Airlines had canceled 1,173 flights to or from the Atlanta airport as of 10:55 p.m., according to flight-tracking site FlightAware.

Atlanta-based Delta Air Lines said it canceled more than 900 mainline and regional flights due to the outage and diverted 48 flights to other airports. It also canceled 300 flights scheduled for Monday.

Southwest Airlines canceled the remainder of its flights to and from the Atlanta airport on Sunday.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection said some international flights were sent to other airports.

Power was restored to terminals and for “all essential” airport activities shortly before midnight said Georgia Power, the airport’s electricity provider. The company had said it “believed” the outage was caused by a fire that damaged an underground facility and affected substations serving the airport.

The Chicago Sun Times writes:

Robert Mann, an aviation consultant and former American Airlines executive, said it likely will be Tuesday before Delta’s operations in Atlanta return to normal, and for passengers “it could be most of the week” because there aren’t many open seats on other flights in the last week before Christmas.

One bit of good news, according to Mann: Delta has more spare planes and available crews in Atlanta than anywhere else, which should help it to recover.

Delta customers flying to or from Atlanta can make a one-time change to travel plans without incurring a $200 change fee. The airline also encouraged travelers not to pick up their bags Monday because of anticipated congestion at the airport.

Still, when flights at Atlanta were grounded for most of one day last spring, it took Delta five days — and about 4,000 canceled flights — before it fully recovered.

Like Sunday’s outage, that April storm hit Delta’s largest hub at a busy travel time when there weren’t many empty seats to accommodate customers from cancelled flights.

Please contact the PR Team if you have any questions or concerns: TravelLeadersGroupPR@TravelLeaders.com.

December 11, 2017

Breaking News: New York police are responding to reports of an explosion at the Port Authority at 42nd Street and Eighth Avenue. The trains on the A, C and E subway lines near are being evacuated.

The NY Post reports:

Several people were injured Monday morning when a device exploded at the Port Authority bus terminal on 42nd Street, according to law enforcement sources.

One person is in custody after his device partially detonated inside a tunnel, sources told The Post.

Police and firefighters have responded to the scene, where the bomb squad also has been deployed.

The NYC Office of Emergency Management said commuters should expect delays.

There was no immediate word on what prompted the response between Eighth and Ninth avenues.

WABC News (NY) in LA reports:

What police sources describe as a possible pipe bomb detonated in a passageway below ground at the Port Authority. One person is in custody. Only a few injuries have been reported.

It happened in an MTA passageway at the terminal at 42nd Street and 8th Avenue. Streets are being closed in the vicinity of the terminal. There are also the following subway disruptions: 1, 2, 3, N, Q, R, W and 7 trains are bypassing Times Sq-42 St in both directions.

A, C and E trains are bypassing 42 St/Port Authority-Bus Terminal in both directions.

Please contact the PR Team if you have any questions or concerns: TravelLeadersGroupPR@TravelLeaders.com.