EMERGENCY OFFICIALS ARE STARTING TO ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO START GETTING READY FOR IT NOW. BUT AS WESH 2S MEGAN MELLADO REPORTS, THEY SAY PREPARATIONS WILL LOOK A LITTLE DIFFERENT THIS YEAR. MEGAN: THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCE FOR THIS UPCOMING HURRICANE SEASON HAS TO DO WITH SHELTERS. MANY OF THE SHELTERS IN OSCEOLA COUNTY USUALLY ACCOMMODATE ABOUT 200 PEOPLE, BUT WITH CORONAVIRUS CONCERNS IN MIND, EMERGENCY OFFICIALS ARE LIMITING THAT NUMBER TO 50. >> WERE ENCOURAGING OUR RESIDENTS THIS YEAR, BECAUSE OF COVID AND THE IMPACT IT WILL HAVE ON OUR EMERGENCY SHELTERS, TO, IF YOU CAN, AND YOURE IN A SITE-STRUCTURED BUILT HOME, TO SHELTER IN PLACE AT YOUR HOME. IF YOU CANT DO THAT, THEN WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO GO WITH FRIENDS OR FAMILY IN THE AREA TO RIDE OUT THE STORM. MEGAN: PEOPLE WHO FALL INTO THESE THREE CATEGORIES WILL TAKE PRIORITY WHEN IT COMES TO SHELTERS -- FIRST, IF YOU LIVE IN A MANUFACTURED HOME, LIKE A MOBILE HOME OR RV, SECOND, IF YOU LIVE IN A LOW-LYING OR FLOODPLAIN AREA, AND THIRD, IF YOU HAVE SPECIAL NEEDS OR REQUIRE MEDICAL CARE DUTCH MEDICAL CARE. THE SHELTERS WILL REQUIRE SCREENING AND TEMPERATURE CHECKS. >> WERE GOING TO HAVE TO HAVE ISOLATION CENTERS. IF WE HAVE A SICK PERSON, ITLL BE TO MOVE THEM FROM THE POPULATION, ESPECIALLY IF THERES WINDS UP AND ITS A HURRICANE OUTSIDE, WE CANT MOVE THEM AT THAT POINT IN TIME. MEGAN: OSCEOLA COUNTY IS WORKING ON FINALIZING EXACT LOCATIONS AND PLANS. IN THE MEANTIME, THEY SAY NOW IS THE TIME FOR RESIDENTS TO PLAN AHEAD, BUILD A KIT,

Hurricane shelters will have limited capacity due to COVID-19

Many of the hurricane shelters in Osceola County usually accommodate about 200 to 300 people, but with COVID-19 concerns in mind, emergency officials are limiting that number to 50.

Updated: 6:21 PM EDT May 22, 2020

Many of the hurricane shelters in Osceola County usually accommodate about 200 to 300 people, but with COVID-19 concerns in mind, emergency officials are limiting that number to 50.Were encouraging our residents this year, because of COVID and the impact it will have on our emergency shelters, to if you can, and youre in a site-structured built home, to shelter in place at your home. If you cant do that, then we encourage you to go with friends or family in the area to ride out the storm, Emergency Management Director, Bill Litton, said.People who fall into these three categories will take priority when it comes to shelters:-Those who live in manufactured homes, like mobile homes or RVs-Those who live in low-lying or flood prone areas-Those who have special needs or require medical careThe shelters will require screening and temperature checks. They'll also have isolation areas if someone tests positive for COVID-19.Were going to have to have isolation centers. If we have a sick person, itll be to move them from the population especially if theres winds up and its a hurricane outside, we cant move them at that point in time.Osceola County is working on finalizing exact locations and plans In the meantime, they say NOW is the time for residents to plan ahead, build a kit, stay informed, and take action.

Many of the hurricane shelters in Osceola County usually accommodate about 200 to 300 people, but with COVID-19 concerns in mind, emergency officials are limiting that number to 50.

Were encouraging our residents this year, because of COVID and the impact it will have on our emergency shelters, to if you can, and youre in a site-structured built home, to shelter in place at your home. If you cant do that, then we encourage you to go with friends or family in the area to ride out the storm, Emergency Management Director, Bill Litton, said.

People who fall into these three categories will take priority when it comes to shelters:

-Those who live in manufactured homes, like mobile homes or RVs

-Those who live in low-lying or flood prone areas

-Those who have special needs or require medical care

The shelters will require screening and temperature checks. They'll also have isolation areas if someone tests positive for COVID-19.

Were going to have to have isolation centers. If we have a sick person, itll be to move them from the population especially if theres winds up and its a hurricane outside, we cant move them at that point in time.

Osceola County is working on finalizing exact locations and plans In the meantime, they say NOW is the time for residents to plan ahead, build a kit, stay informed, and take action.

Read more:
Hurricane shelters will have limited capacity due to COVID-19 - WESH 2 Orlando

Ted Fujita examines the circulation produced by a tornado vortex generator in his lab at the University of Chicago.

When people challenge a long-held belief, there is often pushback, and the famed weather researcher Dr. Tetsuya Theodore Ted Fujita was no exception. In his landmark studies of thunderstorms and tornadoes, Fujita made more than one discovery that his peers just couldnt acceptuntil they did.

Fujita, who carried out most of his research while a professor at the University of Chicago, will be profiled on Tuesday in Mr. Tornado, an installment of the PBS series American Experience.

Fujita is best known for the scale he created with meteorologist Allen Pearson to estimate tornado winds by the level of destruction found. Introduced in 1971, and updated as the Enhanced Fujita Scale in 2007, the scale (also known simply as the F-scale, running from EF0 to EF5) is the near-universally accepted yardstick for gauging tornado strength.

Fujita was delighted when the National Weather Service adopted the original Fujita-Pearson Scale in the 1970s. He wasnt so thrilled when people refused to accept the concept of suction vortices. These mini-whirls spin around the edge of a multiple-vortex tornado, completing a circuit in mere seconds and adding as much as 100 mph to the parent tornados top winds.

A multi-vortex tornado developing near Katie, Oklahoma, on May 9, 2016.

Countless photos and videos have confirmed the existence of suction vortices, which produce some of the worst tornado damage as well as its often-haphazard-seeming nature.

Such images werent available in 1970, when Fujita first came up with the concept after analyzing damage from a tornado in Lubbock, Texas. His colleagues literally couldnt see it.

I got into a tremendous argument, Fujita recalled in a 1988 oral history conducted by the American Meteorological Society (AMS) and the National Center for Atmospheric Research. You talk about a tornado; people take lots of pictures of a nice tornado [which has] one funnel. How can I say there's a small vortex running around, dancing around?

[They] said: You're dead wrong. But I still pursued my concept.

What turned the tables was a catastrophe: the Super Outbreak on April 3, 1974, which produced 148 twisters across the eastern U.S. and killed more than 300 people. The only comparable event in modern U.S. history is the Super Outbreak of April 27, 2011, that ravaged the South.

Fujita carried out aerial and ground surveys of the extensive damage, and they made the existence of suction vortices crystal clear.

Indianapolis TV stations sent me a beautiful [movie] that showed my suction vortices dancing around, and I went to the spot to find exactly what I expected. One house was damaged; the one right next to it was standing, untouched. Houses located in between the path of suction vortices left standing confirmed everything.

Fujita's aerial surveys in 1974 helped spur another of his great contributions: the discovery of microbursts. These compact, intense downdrafts led to the deaths of hundreds of air passengers in catastrophic wrecks, until a warning system was developed and implemented in the 1990s.

Since 1994, not a single U.S. airline passenger has been killed by a microburst.

In this 1980s photo, rain-cooled air from a thunderstorm crashes to the ground in the form of a downburst near Denvers former Stapleton International Airport, one of the main sites where microburst warning systems were developed and tested.

As a 24-year-old assistant university professor in Japan during World War II, Fujita visited Nagasaki and Hiroshima just weeks after nuclear bombs dropped by the U.S. devastated both cities. He mapped out how the catastrophic damage radiated from a central point, and theorized that thunderstorms must have similar downdrafts.

A landmark U.S. study in the 1940s and 1950s called the Thunderstorm Project independently came up with the same conclusion. But the dynamics behind these downdrafts didnt seem to be intense enough to cause major damage.

Fujita returned to the downdraft concept after he noticed starburst-like damage patterns from the 1974 Super Outbreak. These differed dramatically from the cyclonic swirls typical of tornado damage.

On June 24, 1975, an Eastern Airlines flight crashed in a thunderstorm at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, killing 113 of the 124 people aboard. Fujita was asked to investigate the accident. I analyzed about an eighteen-minute period when there were more than ten aircraft around [the apparent weather feature]. Some reported very bad wind shear, but the next one didn't. Even the control tower was confused.

Harking back to his first hand look at nuclear bomb damage, Fujita concluded that a much smaller, more intense downdraft must have been at work.

I got quite a bit of resistance at the time, but I'm glad that I went through it, Fujita said. What rescued me at the time were the pilots.They said, We had the same experience. It looked very innocuous and we went through it and all of a sudden, it was not a downdraft, there was a loss of airspeed.

Fujita surmisedand later studies confirmedthat the loss of airspeed occurred as pilots encountered a headwind, sinking air, and tailwind in rapid succession while flying through a microburst.

Among Fujitas other key insights:

He coined the terms collar cloud, tail cloud, and wall cloud in a paper analyzing a 1957 tornado that devastated Fargo, North Dakota. Storm spotters and chasers still use these terms often.

He introduced the concept of tornado families, in which a long-lived supercell thunderstorm produces several tornadoes in sequence. Storm surveyors now watch for distinct breaks between damage paths in order to distinguish members of a tornado family.

Greg Forbes, the longtime severe weather expert with The Weather Channel, was among those who earned a doctoral degree with Fujita as his advisor. Another was Roger Wakimoto, an eminent tornado researcher and former AMS president who is now vice chancellor for research at the University of California, Los Angeles.

I consider my time spent with Ted the personal highlight of my professional career, Wakimoto said in an email. I started at the University of Chicago unsure of my abilities to succeed. I left with a wealth of knowledge and confidence that I could successfully embark on a teaching and research career."

Fujita was a demanding advisor, but his enthusiasm, deep insights, and ability to conceptualize mesoscale processes were truly inspiring," Wakimoto added. "Ted loved to argue with other researchers when there was pushback for his suction vortex model, the existence of microbursts, and the accuracy of his windspeed estimates based on the F-scale. Debates on these topics seem to energize him, and he often said that time would prove that his theories were correct."

I was always in awe that his seminars and other public events would be literally packed to the rafters. He was a brilliant speaker and one of the greatest spokespersons for our community. I often think that today's TED talks were appropriately named after him.

Fujitas research continues to influence and inspire scientists delving into severe weather.

As a tornado nerd growing up in Minnesota in the 1980s, Fujita was a supernatural figure, said Robin Tanamachi, an assistant professor at Purdue University. Though Tanamachi never met him, I consider myself an heir of his scientific legacy. No matter which line of scientific inquiry I make in my tornado research, I always seem to come back to Fujita's books and papers.

While based at the University of Oklahoma, Tanamachi carried out measurements with a University of Massachusetts mobile Doppler radar of the very first tornado rated EF5 on the Enhanced Fujita Scalethe one that decimated Greensburg, Kansas, on May 4. 2007. She marvels at Fujitas exhaustive work in developing the original version of the scale.

Even today with mobile Doppler radars, accurate wind measurements in tornadoes are exceedingly rare, said Tanamachi. Fujita recognized that the only consistently available indicator of a tornado's wind speed is the damage path that it leaves behind.

By studying hundreds of tornado damage tracks, he was able to correlate damage to a standard indicator (a well-built house) to wind speeds, thereby creating the Fujita scale that is the basis for the Enhanced Fujita scale that we use today. All of this research was done without the aid of Doppler radars, drones, or machine learning.

This three-dimensional illustration of a microburst by Roger Wakimoto is based on a figure produced by Ted Fujita in 1985.

Tanamachi also points to Fujitas exceptionally meticulous illustrations, which became legendary in meteorological circles.

I was struck, as a child first learning about Fujita's work, by how even I could understand many of his graphics. They were simultaneously highly complex and yet crystal clear in their content and messaging.practically works of art, even more so because each image or frame of animation was painstakingly drafted by Fujita's own hand."

As a junior scientist, the lesson I took is that one can almost never spend too much time perfecting a figure," Tanamachi said. "It will be remembered long after the accompanying, explanatory text is forgotten.

Fujitas best-known legacythe tornado intensity scalehas continued to evolve long after Fujitas death in 1998 at age 78. Interest in an upgrade to the original F-scale grew as it became increasingly clear that peak tornado winds were likely lower than originally thought and that construction quality has a huge impact on tornado damage.

Following the April 26-28, 2011, tornado outbreak in the southeastern United States, James LaDue and Kevin Scharfenberg (NOAA/NWS) provided on-the-ground reports which, combined with information from aerial reconnaissance and emergency manager reports, led to an EF4 rating for the tornado affecting this location.

The Enhanced Fujita Scale that debuted in 2007 includes 28 separate damage indicators, ranging from single-family homes, manufactured homes, motels, and malls to transmission lines and hardwood trees. Each indicator has its own mini-scale that feeds into the tornados overall EF-scale rating. (The scale is calibrated so that a tornado with a given F rating in the old scale is comparable to the same EF rating in the new scale, even though estimated winds are now lower.)

Now theres another major upgrade in the works. James LaDue (NWS Warning Decision Training Division) is co-chairing a committee with the American Society of Civil Engineers that is charged with incorporating other types of data into the EF-rating process. For example, this could include observations from mobile radars, which can estimate peak winds in places where no visible damage occurred.

Ted had an amazing curiosity to investigate everything, said LaDue. He noted that when Fujitas health began to decline in the late 1990s, he applied his usual observational rigor and graphic skills to documenting his own health indicators, an account that was published in his memoirs.

Ted Fujita's publications still set the standard which we can only improve upon but never replace, LaDue said.

The Weather Companys primary journalistic mission is to report on breaking weather news, the environment and the importance of science to our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.

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How Ted Fujita Revolutionized Tornado Science and Made Flying Safer Despite Many Not Believing Him - The Weather Channel

Rick Gilder, site manager at allnex North Augusta and Langley, and his team recently delivered drums of its hand sanitizer to more than a dozen community organizations, including hospitals, first responders and a variety of nonprofits.

Our team is privileged to be able to assist our community organizations during this challenging time, Gilder said. It is tremendously fulfilling knowing that our healthcare workers, first responders and neighbors will benefit from our work.

The South Carolina team joins its fellow allnex colleagues across the globe who have been producing the much-needed product as demand continues to rise amid the COVID-19 crisis. Following the guidelines from the World Health Organization, the pharmaceutical-grade hand sanitizer will help many in the community to stay healthy.

Like other allnex sites, the raw materials for the "liquid gold" were sourced through new vendors and other allnex locations to support the Langley initiatives. Once permits were in hand, operators were able to quickly and easily manufacture the hand sanitizer, making it readily available to their colleagues and their families.

The FDA recently published guidelines on the production of hand sanitizers for industries who are not currently licensed or registered drug manufacturers. The document provides detailed information about acceptable ingredients and measurements, ensuring that the product is being manufactured in a safe and clean environment.

Im especially proud of the team at Langley and our entire organization, who have demonstrated their commitment to giving back as well as to keeping colleagues and their families safe and healthy, Gilder said.

Current recipients include: ACTS, CanHope, Child Advocacy Center, Childrens Place, Community Medical Clinic, Family Y, Golden Harvest, Helping Hands, Helpline 211, Project Vision, Tri Development Center, United Way of Aiken County, 360 Mechanical, Aiken County EMS, Aiken County Sheriff Department, Aiken Housing Authority, Augusta Industrial, Augusta Industrial, Augusta Industrial, Brothers And Sisters, Halocarbon, Helping Hands Hospice, Langley Volunteer Fire Department, Mental Health America, Pruitt Nursing Homes, SFC, University Hospital, UW Aiken Center and Walking Tall.

Allnex is the leading global producer of industrial coating resins and additives for architectural, industrial, protective, automotive and special purpose coatings and inks. Allnex is recognized as a specialty chemicals pioneer and offers an extensive range of products including innovative liquid resins and additives, radiation cured and powder coating resins and additives, and cross linkers for use on wood, metal, plastic and other surfaces. Today, allnex has a strong global presence with 4,000 employees worldwide, 35 manufacturing sites, two of which are in Augusta, Georgia and Langley, and 23 research and technology support facilities.

Excerpt from:
Allnex South Carolina donates hand sanitizer to area organizations - Aiken Standard

With more emphasis than ever on the supply of protective equipment for health care professionals, universities, nonprofits and businesses around the nation have figured out creative ways to help.

3-D printing has proven to be one viable way to increase the production of this equipment and Lehigh is taking advantage.

Using the 3-D printers in Wilbur Powerhouse and the laser cutters in the Design Labs on Mountaintop, Brian Slocum, Michael Moore, and Trevor Verdonik, all Wilbur staff members, have manufactured and donated 1,500 face shields for local hospitals in the Lehigh Valley. They plan to make about 2,000 more over the next three weeks.

Among the organizations receiving the shields are Lehigh Valley Hospital, Good Shepherd Hospital and the Lehigh and Northampton County Emergency Management Agencies (EMAs). The EMAs distribute the shields to first responders such as EMS, police and fire, as well as nursing homes and others in need.

Brian Slocum, managing director of Lehighs Wilbur Powerhouse and design labs, said he was contacted in March by hospitals who knew of Lehighs 3-D printing capabilities and were in need of more personal protective equipment, or PPE.

We were exploring this to maybe send to New York, not knowing that we would have the need right here, in the Lehigh Valley, Slocum said.

After receiving approval from the university, Slocum said he began working with Moore and Verdonik, assistant managers of Wilbur Powerhouse, to 3-D print and laser cut the face shields.

Slocum, Moore and Verdonik developed the prototype for the face shields with the help of a Lehigh alum at Knoll Inc. in East Greenville, Pennsylvania. Slocum said they began with a vetted design for face shields from the Czech Republic, which they modified to meet the needs of hospitals.

The face shields consist of five components, Slocum said. These include a headband which lays across the forehead, a neoprene comfort band and roof which wrap over the face shield, an adjustable neoprene strap in the back, the clear PET plastic shield and a 3-D printed component at the bottom of the shield which curves the plastic to the face, he said.

Verdonik oversees the 3-D printing process at Wilbur, while Moore works at Mountaintop doing the laser cutting. Slocum serves as the project manager and delivers the shields to the hospitals.

These face shields are designed to be washed and reused, and many doctors who have received the shields said that they are tremendously more comfortable than the commercially available shields.

Ive heard that theyve been fighting over the ones that were providing, Slocum said.

Verdoniks wife, who is a physician assistant, can attest to the shields quality. Verdonik said she was one of the primary reasons why he was excited to start this project.

Moore and Slocum, too, said this project has proved to be impactful.

You sit back and ask, What can I do in this crisis, and its nice to be able to at least do something, Slocum said. You dont feel quite so inept.

Moore said being able to physically work on this project has helped him with the negative mental effects brought by social distancing.

Wilbur Powerhouse already had the filament necessary for 3-D printing, but Slocum said he needed to source the neoprene and PET plastic for the face shields. DuPont chemical company has donated an additional 1,000-foot roll of PET plastic to Lehigh, he said.

This project has been fully funded by Lehigh, but they are relying on donations of materials to continue manufacturing once the budget is exhausted. However, Lehigh has launched a crowdfunding campaign to help raise $5,000 so they can continue. Theyve also shared their design so other universities can continue to help.

The face shields are not replacements for face masks, and are intended to be worn in conjunction with an N95 respirator, Slocum said. He said the face shield protects the eyes and most of the face from any droplets, which a mask does not.

Slocum, Moore and Verdonik are the only people working to produce the masks, but volunteers from the Lehigh Valley Health Network have helped to assemble the masks, Slocum said.

Tim Docherty, director of occupational safety and health management at LVHN, and Frank Hyland, executive director of Good Shepherd, said they are appreciative of the face shields Lehigh has provided.

Im truly appreciative of the phenomenal generosity, innovation and expertise that the Lehigh University school of engineering has offered, Docherty said. We certainly want to extend our gratitude to the entire Lehigh community.

Good Shepherd has been getting out-of-state referrals for rehabilitation, making the demand for face shields much higher, Hyland said.

Slocum said in the coming weeks, face shields will be sent to Lehigh and Northampton County emergency agencies, so that they may be distributed to first responders, nursing homes and doctor offices throughout the area.

Read more:
Lehigh Works to Produce Face Shields - The Brown and White

This photo provided by Maxar Technologies shows an overview of Midland, Mich., Thursday, May 21, 2020, with floodwaters along the Tittabawassee River. (Maxar Technologies via AP)

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) - It took seven years to settle on a plan for cleansing two rivers and floodplains polluted with dioxins from a Dow Chemical Co. plant in central Michigan. The work itself has lasted nearly twice as long, with plenty still to do.

Now, scientists and activists fear some of the progress may have washed away with floodwaters that overwhelmed two dams this week, chasing 11,000 people from homes in and near Midland, the company's headquarters city.

The Tittabawassee River flows past the Dow plant and eventually meets the Saginaw River, which continues into Lake Huron's Saginaw Bay. That 50-mile stretch is tainted with dioxins - highly toxic compounds that researchers say can damage reproductive and immune systems and cause cancer. The area is on the federal Superfund list of hazardous sites.

Regulators and company officials said Thursday it was too early to tell whether the swollen river had damaged spots that had been repaired or swept pollutants farther downstream. Dow said it would inspect each cleanup location as floodwaters recede and sample for new contamination.

The projects "held up remarkably well" during a 2017 flood "and we are confident that we will see a similar outcome this time," spokesman Kyle Bandlow said.

This photo provided by Maxar Technologies shows Sanford Dam in Sanford, Mich., Thursday, May 14, 2020, before it was damaged. (Maxar Technologies via AP)

This photo provided by Maxar Technologies shows Sanford Dam in Sanford, Mich., Thursday, May 21, 2020, after it was damaged. (Maxar Technologies via AP)

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said it would team with the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy to evaluate any chemical releases from the plant, although Dow had reported none. Damage from the flood three years ago was "minimal" and required only minor repairs, EPA's regional office in Chicago said.

But a similar outcome is unlikely after this week's considerably bigger flood, said Allen Burton, a professor of environment and sustainability at the University of Michigan.

"There's no reason to expect that everything would remain in the same place after a massive flood like this," Burton said. "No scientist out there would predict that will happen."

Erik Olson, a toxic chemicals specialist with the Natural Resources Defense Council, said floods produced by hurricanes have covered hazardous waste sites and carried contaminated wastes long distances.

"You can think you've contained toxic chemicals to a limited area, but a flood can scour that up and move it," Olson said. "We saw that with Katrina. What happened there is exactly what we're worrying about happening in Midland."

This photo provided by Maxar Technologies shows Edenville Dam in Beaverton, Mich., Thursday, May 14, 2020, before it was damaged. (Maxar Technologies via AP)

This photo provided by Maxar Technologies shows Edenville Dam in Beaverton, Mich., Thursday, May 21, 2020, after it was damaged. (Maxar Technologies via AP)

In a report last year, the Government Accountability Office said EPA should take additional steps to safeguard Superfund sites from the effects of climate change, including flooding that might result from heavier downpours. It said 60 percent of Superfund sites not on federal property were vulnerable to floods, storm surge, wildfires, and sea level rise associated with global warming.

Dioxins are byproducts of some of the hundreds of chemicals manufactured over the years at the Dow plant, which began operating in 1897. It now produces silicones used in a variety of home and personal care products and electronics.

The plant also has a small nuclear reactor, used for research, Bandlow said. Dow notified the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission on Tuesday that it had been shut down earlier because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Liquid wastes containing dioxins from the plant were dumped into the river in the early 20th century. The compounds later were incinerated, producing air pollution that settled into sediments, riverbanks and floodplains over decades.

Their discovery along the Tittabawassee River in 2000 sparked a lengthy clash between Dow, regulators and environmental groups over the seriousness of the problem and how to fix it.

Dow began cleanup in 2007, supervised by EPA. The Tittabawassee and its banks were divided into seven segments. The first five are mostly complete. Work on the remaining two began last year.

A Cadillac sits in a pile of sand as residents and business owners dig out after flooding swept through the town of Sanford, Thursday, May 21, 2020. Senior citizens are among the scores of displaced people staying in shelters after flooding overwhelmed two dams, submerged homes and washed out roads in Central Michigan. (David Guralnick/Detroit News via AP)

Thousands of cubic yards of contaminated sediments have been removed and banks have been stabilized. In areas where digging up the dioxins was judged too difficult or impractical, tainted soils were covered with protective mats and deep-rooted plants.

More cleanup is planned along 21 miles of floodplains. EPA expects the Tittabawassee section to be finished next year, followed by work on the Saginaw River.

"We've been feeling pretty confident that this is going to be a successful cleanup," said Terry Miller, chairman of the advocacy group Lone Tree Council and member of a community advisory panel. "But this 500-year flood is a wild card."

Thorough inspections and analysis will be crucial to determine whether the projects are intact and need repairs, he said.

"The post-flood assessments will help identify if any additional cleanup is needed," EPA said.

Environmentalists said they were concerned about releases of pollutants aside from dioxins, although Dow said there had been none.

"The long-term threats to the health and safety of the community are significant, given what we know is in the river and the holding ponds and the Superfund site," said Lisa Wozniak, executive director of the Michigan League of Conservation Voters.

More here:
The Daily Standard World News - The Daily Standard

The modular homes are manufactured in a factory setting, meaning that minimal work is needed once it arrives on site. This allows completion to take days not weeks and enables work to be finished safely while fully respecting all social distancing and safety rules.

ilke Homes can restart delivery immediately with minimal workers on site, meaning that developers and housing associations can deliver homes faster and safer than through traditional methods of construction.

The company delivers modules by road to sites fully-complete with kitchens, bathrooms and interiors, before being craned into their final position.

With utilities and foundations pre-installed, the houses are connected within a matter of hours with minimal labour, ensuring social distancing is maintained.

In just three days in April, ilke Homes safely installed four homes onsite at Wykebeck, Leeds.

The modular housing developer is continuing work on six other sites across Leeds, Derbyshire, Wakefield, Kent, Cumbria and London which will be completed in May and June.

Additionally, ilke Homes new land and partnership team, which is headed up by former Crest Nicholson Midlands managing director Ben Miller, has made three land acquisitions that will see the development of 205 homes across Derbyshire, Gloucestershire and Hereford.

The company has also been proactively refining and improving the technology that it employs at its 250,000 sq ft factory in Knaresborough, North Yorkshire. This technology will ensure the safety of ilke Homes employees, eliminating any personal contact while maintaining the efficient production of homes.

Dave Sheridan, executive chairman at ilke Homes, said:We have had to make adjustments to ensure we can follow safety guidelines and protect our staff, but because homes manufactured in a factory can arrive to site fully-finished, we have been able to keep working and minimise delays.

Offsite manufacturing is the safest and most effective means of building new homes in line with the governments guidelines.

We are now turning our attention to the long-term, as we look to build resilience into the industry by delivering high-quality, energy-efficient homes safely and at speed.

This will be essential to the post-Covid recovery phase, and we want to be working with the government and partners across the industry to rapidly kickstart the countrys housebuilding mission.

See the rest here:
Modular housing developer safely completes site in Leeds - Planning, BIM & Construction Today

Skyline Champion Corporation (NYSE:SKY) ("Skyline Champion"), will release its earnings results for the fourth quarter and the full year 2020 after the market closes on Wednesday, May 20, 2020. Skyline Champion will hold a conference call to discuss the results the following morning, Thursday, May 21, 2020 at 8:00 A.M. Eastern Time.

Interested investors and other parties can listen to a webcast of the live conference call by logging onto the Investor Relations section of Skyline Champions website at http://skylinechampion.com. The online replay will be available on the same website immediately following the call.

The conference call can also be accessed by dialing (877) 407-4018 (domestic) or (201) 689-8471 (international). A telephonic replay will be available approximately two hours after the call by dialing (844) 512-2921, or for international callers, (412) 317-6671. The passcode for the live call and the replay is 13703501. The replay will be available until 11:59 P.M. Eastern Time on June 4, 2020.

About Skyline Champion Corporation:

OUR COMPANY

Skyline Champion Corporation (NYSE: SKY) was formed in June of 2018 as the result of the combination of Skyline Corporation and the operating assets of Champion Enterprises Holdings, LLC. The combined company employs approximately 7,000 people and is the largest independent, publicly traded, factory-built housing company in North America. With more than 65 years of homebuilding experience and 38 manufacturing facilities throughout the United States and western Canada, Skyline Champion is well positioned with a leading portfolio of manufactured and modular homes, park-models and modular buildings for the multi-family, hospitality, senior and workforce housing sectors.

In addition to its core home building business, Skyline Champion operates a factory-direct retail business, Titan Factory Direct, with 21 retail locations spanning the southern United States, and Star Fleet Trucking, providing transportation services to the manufactured housing and other industries from several dispatch locations across the United States.

Skyline Champion builds homes under some of the most well know brand names in the factory-built housing industry including Skyline Homes, Champion Home Builders, Genesis Homes, Athens Park Models, Dutch Housing, Excel Homes, Homes of Merit, New Era, Redman Homes, Shore Park, Silvercrest, Titan Homes in the U.S. and Moduline and SRI Homes in western Canada.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200506005531/en/

Contacts

Investor contact information: Contact: Sarah JanowiczEmail: investorrelations@championhomes.com Phone: (248) 614-8211

Original post:
Skyline Champion Corporation Announces Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2020 Earnings Release Date and Conference Call - Yahoo Finance

While today wraps up the 2020 Hurricane Preparedness Week, and no tropical cyclones threaten the U.S., now is a great time to develop a written plan for what youd do when a storm does threaten in the future. Image: NWS

Hurricane Preparedness Week, which began last Sunday on May 3, is drawing to a close. On this day, government agencies like the National Weather Service and National Hurricane Center are urging people around the country that live in areas that could be impacted by tropical cyclones to have a written plan of what theyd do should a storm materialize in their area this upcoming season. Central Pacific and Atlantic Hurricane Seasons both start on June 1. Tropical cyclones like hurricanes or tropical storms can impact Hawaii, the U.S. Gulf Coast, the entire U.S. East Coast, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands in or even outside of season.

According to the National Weather Service (NWS), The time to prepare for a hurricane is before the season begins, when you have the time and are not under pressure. If you wait until a hurricane is on your doorstep, the odds are that you will be under duress and will make the wrong decisions. To be prepared, the National Weather Service and National Hurricane Center want people in storm-possible areas to take the time now to write downa hurricane plan.

The NWS further advises: Know where you will ride out the storm and get your supplies now. You dont want to be standing in long lines when a hurricane warning is issued. Those supplies that you need will probably be sold out by the time you reach the front of the line. Being prepared, before a hurricane threatens, makes you resilient to the hurricane impacts of wind and water. It will mean the difference between your being a hurricane victim and a hurricane survivor.

With the COVID-19 Pandemic continuing, its also important that people refresh written plans they may have prepared in the past to reflect this new reality. Follow CDC guidance and be sure to protect yourself from the virus before, during, and after a tropical cyclone strikes. This may mean having more masks or perishable supplies on-hand. It may also mean having more disinfectants and sanitizers as part of your storm preparation stock.

Hurricanes arent the only danger from the tropics: while lacking the potent winds that hurricanes have, tropical depressions and tropical storms can be devastating too.The primary hazards from tropical cyclones (which include tropical depressions, tropical storms, and hurricanes) are storm surge flooding, inland flooding from heavy rains, destructive winds, tornadoes, and high surf and rip currents.

Hurricane Matthew stormed through the Caribbean during the 2016 Atlantic Hurricane Season.

Storm surge is the abnormal rise of water generated by a storms winds. This hazard is historically the leading cause of hurricane related deaths in the United States. Storm surge and large battering waves can result in large loss of life and cause massive destruction along the coast. Storm surge can travel several miles inland, especially along bays, rivers, and estuaries. You dont need to live on a beach to fall victim to storm surge flooding, as residents of New Jersey and New York learned in the wake of Hurricane Sandy.

Flooding from heavy rains is the second leading cause of fatalities from landfalling tropical cyclones. Widespread torrential rains associated with these storms often cause flooding hundreds of miles inland. This flooding can persist for several days after a storm has dissipated.

Aerial views of flooding the day after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast. Photo: Jocelyn Augustino, FEMA, katrinadestruction.com

Winds from a hurricane can destroy buildings and manufactured homes. Signs, roofing material, and other items left outside can become flying missiles during hurricanes. Depending on local building codes, many homes may be built to only withstand winds of 100mph; major hurricanes have much higher winds than that and could lead to catastrophic destruction of even strong homes.

Tornadoes can accompany landfalling tropical cyclones. These tornadoes typically occur in rain bands well away from the center of the storm. While not as strong as tornadoes that form in supercell complexes, these tornadoes add an additional element of danger to a landfalling tropical cyclone.

Dangerous waves produced by a tropical cyclones strong winds can pose a significant hazard to coastal residents and mariners. These waves can cause deadly rip currents, significant beach erosion, and damage to structures along the coastline, even when the storm is more than a 1,000 miles offshore.

BEFORE

Before a hurricane or tropical cyclone threatens your area, you should be prepared and have a plan.

DURING

When a hurricane threatens your home,be prepared to evacuate if you live in a storm surge risk area. Listen to the guidance of local officials; if winds are strong enough, they may encourage you to evacuate too. Otherwise, they may recommend that you shelter in place if you arent in danger of flooding. Be sure to allow enough time to pack and inform friends and family if you need to leave your home.

AFTER

Many dangers remain once a storm passes through.

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NHC: Put a Storm Plan in Writing - Weatherboy

There has always been an inherent danger in the notion of abandoning fossil fuels, especially proposals by governments and institutions to clear their environmental conscience by divesting from oil and gas. After all, we need fossil fuels for everyday life. Now, as communities worldwide continue to deal with COVID-19, the value of fossil fuels has come into even greater focus.

Most of the public knows that fossil fuels such as natural gas and coal remain important parts of keeping the lights on and the economy running. But often overlooked is the role of fossil fuels in other aspects of everyday life. For example, many dont know that natural gas is also a critical feedstock for producing petrochemicals like isopropyl alcohol and polypropylene. Manufacturers cant make much of the personal protection equipment now in high demand without polypropylene. Isopropyl alcohol, too, is an essential ingredient for hand sanitizer and many disinfectants that are currently in scarce supply. In other words, the world needs products manufactured by the fossil fuel industry to help combat the spread of this virus.

A recent Wall Street Journal editorial detailed how ExxonMobil has been focused on COVID-19 relief and support. Its been a hundred years since scientists with Standard Oil of New Jersey, the predecessor of Exxon, invented isopropyl alcohol. Now, more than a century later, Exxon has ramped up IPA production at its Baton Rouge, Louisiana, facility by 3,000 tons per month, enough to produce 50 million 4-ounce bottles of hand sanitizer. The company is also increasing its polypropylene production by around 1,000 tons per month, enough raw material to produce 200 million medical masks or 20 million gowns. By teaming with Boeing, Exxon is helping manufacture as many as 40,000 masks per hour right here in the U.S., avoiding the foreign supply chain hiccups that have led to shortages.

Other fossil fuel companies are pitching in, too. BP has announced it will supply three million gallons of jet fuel to FedEx Express charter flights and Alaska Airlines free of charge to ensure that personal protective equipment and other essential goods get to those who need it most. Chevron-funded Fab Labs has plans to produce more than 20,000 face shields and masks for hospitals, nursing homes and first responders and has donated 100,000 surgical masks to California hospitals. Dow Chemical is collaborating to produce 100,000 face shields in Michigan. Phillips 66, Shell and Marathon have also stepped up in a big way to ease the crisis for communities and help those on the front lines.

Of course, that hasnt stopped some from continuing to bang the divestment drum. In a twist of irony, New York has turned to Exxon to supply isopropyl alcohol, even as New York City Council members introduced a resolution recently to divest the city from banks that invest in fossil fuels. Yet Exxon still intends to provide its hand sanitizer to the Empire State for free.

Fossil fuel companies often make easy targets for those with political agendas, but the reality is that the energy and products they manufacture are part of the solution today for dealing with COVID-19. And they will be part of the solution tomorrow as the American economy begins its steady march to recovery. The oil and gas sector, in particular, has been a bright spot for the American economy in recent years, creating jobs and situating the U.S. as the worlds top producer of these important commodities.

Despite the value of fossil fuels, misguided cries for fossil fuel divestment have only grown louder in recent years. Some universities, pension funds and local governments continue to advocate withdrawing all financial support of fossil fuel companies, a move that helps neither shareholders or the planet. Now, in the middle of this crisis, those voices are more misguided than ever.

Natural gas producers have actually played a leading role in addressing climate change. The Energy Information Administration found that the transition to natural gas for electricity generation has helped reduce carbon emissions by 28 percent between 2005 and 2017. This fuel source should be recognized as a leading climate solution.

Fossil fuel manufacturers arent the enemy; theyre part of the solution by making products consumers want and helping the planet. Theyre also providing vital raw materials for products our nation desperately need right now. We should be embracing companies that are part of the solution, not targeting them.

Paul Griffin is the executive director of Energy Fairness, a nonprofit agency that believes the future of energy must include discussions about the cost of energy choices as well as their benefits. He divides his time between Boulder County, Colorado, and Washington, D.C.

Excerpt from:
Paul Griffin: Fossil fuels are a hidden weapon in COVID-19 fight - The Durango Herald

The massive economic disruption brought by COVID-19 has revealed that for many, economic security is an illusion. And our biggest vulnerability is housing costs - the biggest expense for most households.

This fact is pertinent when we consider the crucial task of how to create a more resilient and sustainable economy after the crisis.

We mustnt forget COVID-19 is actually a crisis within a much bigger and more complex crisis climate change and environmental degradation.

But housing costs make many of us utterly dependent on a return to business-as-usual, despite the catastrophic environmental consequences.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Friday flagged the first stage in loosened coronavirus restrictions, expected to boost Australias economy by more than A$3 billion a month.

But we believe bouncing back to a path of untrammelled economic growth is no solution at all.

Rich nations such as Australia must permanently reduce and stabilise economic growth and with it, resource and energy demands to maintain a liveable planet.

But here lies the tragic paradox. How can we deliberately orchestrate an economic slowdown, when the COVID-19 experience has caused so much personal pain and left many unable to pay rent and bills?

Read more: Want an economic tonic, Mr Morrison? Use that stimulus money to turbocharge renewables

Treasury forecasts suggest unemployment in Australia will jump from around 700,000 to 1.4 million as a result of COVID-19. Casuals, many of whom are not eligible for the JobKeeper payments, are already at serious risk of becoming homeless.

Governments and banks have taken immediate steps to keep people afloat, such as stimulus spending on unemployment benefits, a six-month freeze on mortgage repayments and a ban on certain rental evictions.

These stopgap measures show the emerging housing crisis is unprecedented and serious but they are merely band-aid solutions to personal economic insecurity.

Whats more, they ignore the obvious environmental devastation wrought by a growing economy. Its clear we must look for other solutions.

We propose that federal and state authorities offer unemployed people the opportunity to access public housing and a participation income.

The voluntary program would first be offered to eligible people either living in public housing, or at the top of the waiting list. If a pilot proved successful, and as public housing investment increased, the program could be offered more widely.

Participants would be paid a modest living wage in exchange for about 15 hours of local community service each week. This work could include growing food, maintaining the neighbourhood, helping to run sharing schemes such as a community tool bank, or even building new homes under expert guidance.

Read more: Why it doesn't make economic sense to ignore climate change in our recovery from the pandemic

The payment and associated activities would replace a persons unemployment benefits and job-seeking obligations.

Such a program would provide a secure home and livelihood to the poorest members of society. It would also provide real-world examples of alternative ways of meeting basic human needs, and governing access to land.

This proposal is built on the basic premise that land (just like air and water) was not created by the market and so should not be a commodity. Access to land for housing should be a human right granted to all, not just to those who can afford it.

A scheme such as ours could show how people are liberated from their reliance on economic growth when land is not commodified.

Urban commons, such as the R-Urban project in Paris, demonstrate how everyday citizens can create an alternative economy. There, several hundred people co-manage land that includes a small farm for collective use, a recycling plant and cooperative eco-housing.

Read more: Using lots of plastic packaging during the coronavirus crisis? You're not alone

This is not a new concept. Local collaboration on common land is humanitys oldest and most widespread mode of economic operation. For First Australians, it underpinned their way of life for tens of thousands of years.

And in Britain, people lived and locally collaborated on common land for many thousands of years before it became privatised.

Our proposal is about creating new futures based on common land, not a return to the past. It would initially involve the unemployed in public housing. But it could be expanded to include others alienated from the market: victims of the automation of jobs, the globalisation of labour such as manufactured goods being increasingly produced in developing nations or the decline in polluting industries such as fossil fuels.

Scaling up new land governance arrangements to the point where they influence the broader economy would require a huge expansion in public housing.

COVID-19 has highlighted Australias public housing shortage. Social welfare advocates, unions and the building industry have recognised the problem.

Reserve Bank governor Phillip Lowe says Australia must exploit low interest rates to invest in infrastructure. The stimulus following the Great Depression and the end of World War II offers a precedent: it led to the golden age of Australian public housing.

We call on governments to be innovative and ambitious. Building a more resilient and sustainable future requires the courage to experiment with new housing and living arrangements. Now is the time to act.

More:
Coronavirus shows housing costs leave many insecure. Tackling that can help solve an even bigger crisis - The Conversation AU