Alabama officials were slowed by inexperience, lack of equipment and jurisdictional confusion when trying to battle a blaze rapidly taking hold underneath a vast landfill north of Birmingham late last year, according to a report released Friday by ADEM.
“We have never seen this type of emergency – a large, underground fire emitting smoke affecting possibly thousands of residents and businesses – in this state before, and we simply were not equipped to deal with it,” Sen. Lance Bell, R-Pell City, said in a news release accompanying the report.
The report was prepared by a working group of state and local elected officials, as well as the heads of ADEM, the Alabama Forestry Commission, the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries, and the Alabama Emergency Management Agency. “We need to make sure everyone who should have a responsibility during an emergency, from the local government to state agencies, knows what his or her role should be,” Rep. Danny Garrett, R-Trussville, said. “It also needs to be clear to everyone involved what the criteria are for activating the emergency plan.”
The pile of dead trees and other waste was more than 100 feet high in places, according to the report.
Norge Siste Nytt, Norge Overskrifter
Similar News:Du kan også lese nyheter som ligner på denne som vi har samlet inn fra andre nyhetskilder.
How Birmingham's Class of 2023 'weathered the storm,' graduatedMarkelle Scott is the 2023 valedictorian at BhamCitySchools' Huffman High. He is part of a graduating class who were freshmen when the pandemic hit in 2020. “I believe God will never bring a situation upon a generation he didn’t equip for it,' he said.
Les mer »
Can this Birmingham virtual reality game ease the pain from spinal cord injuries?Immersive Experience Laboratories is working with VCU, UABNews, and UNSW to test how a virtual walking simulator called VRWalk can reduce neuropathic pain among people with spinal cord injuries, including those who are paraplegic or tetraplegic.
Les mer »
$5 billion bypass north of Birmingham unnecessary, destructive, groups sayThe idea of a Northern Beltline for Birmingham has been around since the 1960s, but so far, no actual roads have been completed. Proponents say it can spur development, opponents say it is an expensive boondoggle and environmental disaster.
Les mer »
'Transformational investment': Birmingham lands $22 million for new urban trailThe cityofbhamal has been awarded a nearly $22 million federal grant to create a new urban trail to connect downtown to historic neighborhoods just west of the city center. RepTerriSewell lauded the grant as a 'transformational investment.'
Les mer »
R&B artist Durand Bernarr to headline Art on the Rocks at the Birmingham Museum of ArtIn August, singer and songwriter durandbernarr will headline Art on the Rocks, the bhammuseum of Art's annual summer evening art, cocktail, and concert event.
Les mer »