News Of Western Pennsylvania And The World
Staff at the UPMC Mathilda H. Theiss Health Center in Pittsburgh’s Hill District neighborhood were met with an unwelcome surprise Friday morning. A roof leak on Thanksgiving damaged the health center and ruined the donations they had collected so far for an annual holiday toy drive.
Source: Roof leak wipes out toy drive contributions at Pittsburgh health center; donations sought
IRWIN, Pa. — A Westmoreland County apartment building was destroyed in an overnight fire.
The fire broke out along Main Street in Irwin overnight Saturday.
When our crew got on scene, flames were still shooting from the roof of the building. When the fire started subsiding, the flames were replaced by plumes of thick smoke.
Source: PHOTOS: Crews respond to massive fire at Westmoreland County apartment building
A domestic plane crashed just after taking off from the airport serving Nepal’s capital. Eighteen people were killed and all the bodies were pulled out and transported to a morgue.
Source: Plane crashes just after takeoff from Nepal’s capital, killing 18 people. Pilot is lone survivor
Officials said two victims were taken from the scene by a helicopter, including the bus driver who was ejected at the time of the crash.
NEW ORLEANS — A charter bus carrying 56 students from the University of South Carolina rolled over while traveling on Interstate 10 headed to New Orleans, according to Nola.com.
The crash happened around 3:30 p.m. Friday when the bus had a blowout and rolled on its side near the Diamondhead and Mississippi 603 exits, said the Mississippi Department of Transportation.
The westbound lanes of I-10 were blocked for hours as first responders and authorities helped students and cleared roadways, Nola.com reported.
Officials said school buses came to bring uninjured students to safety.
It is unknown if the students were traveling for a school event, Mississippi Highway Patrol Trooper Cal Robertson said.
Source: Bus filled with 56 students rolls over on I-10 – 11 injured, 2 medevaced
The wildfire in the mountainous area east of Mililani Mauka is now 90% contained and has blackened 1,681 acres, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said in its final daily update on the blaze.
Source: Mililani Mauka fire burns 1,681 acres, remains 90% contained
The cars that ended up in the water contained asphalt and sulfur so there was no hazardous oil spill although other cars on the train were carrying petroleum.
Source: Train derails into Yellowstone River in Stillwater County
OceanGate Expeditions said it believes the five passengers on board the missing Titanic wreckage-bound submersible have died.
- Debris found: Debris found on the ocean floor, about a third of a mile from the Titanic wreck, has been assessed to be from the external body of the missing submersible, according to a memo reviewed by CNN.
Source: CNN
An earthquake shook southeast Turkey on Monday, killing one person, injuring 69 and causing some buildings to collapse, Turkish authorities said.
It hit three weeks after a massive quake that killed more than 50,000 people in Turkey and Syria.
Source: One killed in new Turkey quake, 69 injured as buildings collapse
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources says more than 38,000 fish and 5,500 other aquatic species died after the East Palestine train derailment.
Source: ODNR: East Palestine train derailment killed roughly 40,000 fish
Pittsburgh officials waited months to address structural problems on three bridges that experts said needed to be addressed within a week, according to a spokeswoman for Mayor Ed Gainey. Gainey released a comprehensive report on the condition of 147 city-maintained bridges in December.
‘Priority zero’
A report released in December on the condition of bridges maintained by the city of Pittsburgh revealed 13 were identified as “priority zero” spans in need of immediate repairs.
Despite repeated requests, the city waited until Tuesday to publicly release a list of those bridges. Needed repairs on the spans have either been completed or in the works. The bridges include:
- Bloomfield Bridge, Bloomfield.
- Centre Avenue Bridge, over East Busway, Shadyside.
- West Carson Street, connecting Esplen and McKees Rocks over Chartiers Creek.
- Elizabeth Street Bridge, Hazelwood.
- Herron Avenue, connecting Polish Hill and Lawrenceville.
- Maple Avenue, northeastern pedestrian ramp at North Charles Street, North Side.
- Parking lot bridge at Woodruff Street and Saw Mill Run Boulevard, Beechview.
- South Negley Avenue Bridge, Shadyside.
- Swinburne Bridge, connecting South Oakland and Greenfield.
- Tripoli Street, connecting Madison Avenue and East Street over I-279, North Side.
- Ramp Q bridge, connecting Madison Avenue and East Street over I-279, North Side.
Julia Felton is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Julia by email at jfelton@triblive.com or via Twitter .
Source: 3 Pittsburgh spans in urgent need of work not addressed for months
Number of people killed in Turkey and Syria expected to keep rising as anger grows in Turkey over slow response from authorities
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has announced that the death toll from Monday’s quake has reached 8,754. Combined with the 2,470 known deaths in Syria, that brings the total official death toll to 11,224.
The World Health Organization has suggested the final toll could rise as high as 20,000. A similar-sized earthquake in the region in 1999 killed at least 17,000 people.
Reuters reports that, speaking to reporters in the Kahramanmaraş province near the epicentre of the earthquake, with constant ambulance sirens in the background, Erdoğan said there had been problems with roads and airports but that everything would get better by the day.
He also said citizens should only heed communication from authorities and ignore “provocateurs,” as thousands of people complain about the lack of resources and slow response by officials. Turkish police have detained several people over their social media posts about the earthquake.
Many reportedly trapped under rubble after strong quake strikes south-eastern Turkey around 4am on Monday
Source: Turkey and Syria earthquake: more than 650 dead after 7.8-magnitude quake – latest updates
With 95 dead in police mosque attack, the nation is in shock as a political stalemate hampers the chance for a coordinated response.
PESHAWAR, Pakistan — After frantically combing through the debris of a devastated mosque throughout the night and Tuesday morning, police called off the search for survivors of a terrorist suicide bombing in the highly guarded site where several hundred police and army men had gathered for afternoon prayers.
Source: Pakistan reels after bombing kills almost 100, fears more terrorism to come
A nationwide power outage in Pakistan left nearly 220 million people without electricity on Monday, threatening to cause havoc in the South Asian nation already grappling with fuel shortages in the winter months.
Source: Nearly 220 million people in Pakistan without power after countrywide outage | CNN Business
Fire damaged several townhomes in Zelienople overnight Thursday after a car caught fire in the driveway, spreading to the front of one of the homes.
Neighbors who live on Timberbrook Court said they heard a loud boom right around midnight, looked outside, and saw flames.
“My brother came in my room screaming, ‘Madi. There’s a fire. We gotta go!’ We grabbed my dog and ran outside,” said Madi Parrotto.
Madi and her brother, Nick, could only watch as flames tore through the roofs of their neighbors’ homes, with six families total having to rush out of their homes.
“Everyone was just panicking. Everyone was knocking on each other’s doors, trying to get everyone out. But the fire was just crazy. I’ve never seen anything like it,” Parrotto said.
Melissa Smith was at work and learned of the fire through her doorbell camera system.
“It’s unbelievable that a car could do that and how fast it caused these units to go up,” Smith said.
Chief Scott Garing of the Harmony Fire Department said the front of the second unit, where the car was parked, sustained the most damage, but none of the six units were a total loss. Garing said there’s a reason for that.
“It started to spread through the roof and common walls. The firewalls in the attic are what stopped it from spreading,” Garing said.
Smith, who had to deliver the news to her next-door neighbor who is out of town, said her home only sustained smoke damage and she is thankful her kids and neighbors got out safely.
“I’m good, yeah. I’m very lucky,” Smith said.
No injuries were reported. Crews at the scene told us the fire remains under investigation.
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Source: Six families escape fire at Zelienople townhouse complex
At least 68 people were killed Sunday when an aircraft went down near the city of Pokhara in central Nepal, a government official said, the country’s deadliest plane crash in more than 30 years.
Source: At least 68 killed in Nepal’s worst airplane crash in 30 years | CNN
Two weeks after a broken pipe caused water to cascade into four floors at the Westmoreland County Courthouse, officials still are assessing the cost of repairs. Crews worked for nearly 24 hours to fix water damage caused when sub-zero temperatures led to a waterline break the evening of Dec. 25,
Source: Repair costs undetermined for Westmoreland courthouse waterline break
A five-year-old boy was also killed in Georgia when a tree struck the car he was traveling in.
At least six people are dead in Alabama after tornadoes struck the state Thursday, destroying homes and causing what Selma’s mayor called “significant damage.” A five-year-old boy was also killed in Georgia when a tree struck the car he was traveling in.
The Alabama deaths were in Autauga County, northwest of Montgomery, county Emergency Management Agency Director Ernie Baggett said.
He said a tornado struck the communities of Old Kingston and Marbury, with a suspected path of around 20 miles.
Source: 6 dead after destructive tornadoes hit Alabama
The gym floor at Jeannette Junior-Senior High School was damaged after flooding on Christmas but Superintendent Matt Jones said it hasn’t affected basketball games and physical education classes.
A frozen water line and broken sprinkler sent water onto the floor during the holiday deep freeze. City firefighters alerted district maintenance crews and the water was cleaned up quickly.
Efforts were made to dry the wood and officials consulted with the company that installed the floor for an inspection of the top layers and subsurface.
The district is awaiting a response from its insurance company before deciding how to restore the floor to its original condition, he said.
Jeannette was not the only school district that faced damage from water during the deep freeze around the holiday.
On Christmas Eve at Shaler Area High School, a sprinkler pipe burst around dinner time. Water expands as it freezes — it’s the only known nonmetallic substance to do so — and, as a result, can put pressure on the pipes that contain it.
Source: Jeannette gym damaged by flooding over Christmas break
Two snowmobile riders were buried and killed in an avalanche in Colorado on Saturday, according to the Colorado Avalanche Information Center (CAIC).
The incident occurred around 2 p.m. on Mount Epworth, located about 6 miles east of Winter Park, CAIC officials said in a Facebook post.
One of the victims, a 58-year-old man, was found by another group on the mountain, where they performed CPR on him, but the individual was pronounced dead on the scene, according to CAIC and the Grand County Sherriff’s Office.
Source: 2 snowmobile riders buried, killed in Colorado avalanche: Officials
Incident happened early Thursday morning
Source: Rocks come down on busy road in Ross Township
Bob Jordan:
I want everyone who is dealing with the problems we’ve been facing, whether you haven’t been able to get to where you need to go or you’re one of our heroic Employees caught up in a massive effort to stabilize the airline, to know is that we’re doing everything we can to return to a normal operation.
And please also hear that I’m truly sorry.
Here’s why this giant puzzle is taking us several days to solve. Southwest is the largest carrier in the country, not only because of our value and our values, but because we build our flight schedule around communities, not hubs. So, we’re the largest airline in 23 of the top 25 travel markets in the U.S.
Cities where large numbers of scheduled flights simultaneously froze as record bitter cold brought challenges for all airlines.
Our network is highly complex and the operation of the airline counts on all the pieces, especially aircraft and crews remaining in motion to where they’re planned to go. With our large fleet of airplanes and flight crews out of position in dozens of locations. And after days of trying to operate as much of our full schedule across the busy holiday weekend, we reached a decision point to significantly reduce our flying to catch up.
We’re focused on safely getting all of the pieces back into position to end this rolling struggle. You know, I have nothing but pride and respect for the efforts of the people of Southwest who are showing up in every way. The tools we use to recover from disruption serve us well, 99 percent of the time; but clearly, we need to double down on our already existing plans to upgrade systems for these extreme circumstances so that we never again face what’s happening right now.
I’m apologizing to them daily and they’ll be hearing more about our specific plans to ensure the challenges that they’ve faced the past few days will not be part of our future.
I reached out to Secretary Buttigieg earlier today to continue the discussions we’ve been having with the DOT through the holiday – sharing all the things that we’re doing to make things right for our Customers.
We always take care of our Customers. And we will lean in and go above and beyond as they would expect us to. Teams are working on all of that: processing refunds, proactively reaching out and taking care of Customers who are dealing with costly detours and reroutes, as just a few examples. Our plan for the next few days is to fly a reduced schedule and reposition our people and planes, and we’re making headway and we’re optimistic to be back on track before next week.
We have some real work to do in making this right. For now, I want you to know that we’re committed to that.
Source: Video: Southwest Airlines CEO Bob Jordan Issues Update
The fire department was called to respond to the scene at the courthouse in Kittanning around 9:30 a.m.
A burst pipe forced the evacuation of the Armstrong County Courthouse Tuesday.
A sentencing hearing was underway in a second-floor courtroom when water started seeping under a door from a broken sprinkler pipe, according to Sheriff Frank Pitzer.
Source: Water condition forces people out of the Armstrong County Courthouse
Rescue crews struggle to reach stranded residents in Buffalo, New York, where dozens have been killed in winter storms
Emergency crews in New York were scrambling to rescue marooned residents from what authorities called the “blizzard of the century,” a relentless storm that has left 27 dead in the state and taken at least 60 lives nationwide, according to an NBC News tally.
In New York state, authorities have described ferocious conditions, particularly in Buffalo, with hours-long whiteouts, bodies being discovered in vehicles and under snow banks, and emergency personnel going “car to car” searching for more motorists, alive or dead.
On Monday night, US president Joe Biden issued a federal emergency declaration for the state of New York, authorising government assistance to bolster state and local recovery efforts.
Source: US braces for more deaths as ‘blizzard of the century’ grips nation
As a massive winter storm continues to blast much of the US with brutal winter weather — leading to at least 37 deaths nationwide — parts of western New York have been buried by up to 43 inches of snow, leaving vehicles stuck and power out for thousands during the Christmas weekend.
A volcano erupted in Indonesia on Sunday spewing a cloud of ash 15 km into the sky and forcing the evacuation of nearly 2,000 people, authorities said, as they issued their highest warning for the area in the east of Java island.
Source: Indonesia evacuates villagers as volcano erupts on Java island
Up to 20 Butler County customers of West Penn Power experienced a power outage Friday afternoon.
The FirstEnergy outage center said crews investigated the cause of a power outage on East Butler Road near Jodi Lane.
The outage center estimated that power would be restored to the area by 5:30 p.m. that same day.
Source: East Butler experiencing power outage
The rescue teams are continuing their search operations amid bad weather with the danger of more landslides. Several people, including the local mayor, have been saved from the mud.
Source: Brazil: Two dead, dozens missing as landslide hits highway
Rescuers were digging through debris on Tuesday to find survivors of a powerful earthquake that toppled homes and buildings in a highly populated area of Indonesia’s West Java province, killing at least 268 people.
Source: Search underway as magnitude-5.6 earthquake leaves over 200 dead in Indonesia | CNN
