OCTOBER 22ND DEADLINE FOR FILING A CLAIM UNDER TYCO SETTLEMENT APPROACHING IN THE TOWN OF PESHTIGO, WISCONSIN

Johnson Controls International / Wisconsin Public Radio

The Residents of the town of Peshtigo are approaching their October 22 deadline to file a claim under the 2021 Class Action Settlement against Tyco Fire Products. On December 17, 2018, the Plaintiffs (residents of Peshtigo), filed a complaint against Tyco involving exposure, injury, and property damage. This is a result of the per- and polyfluoroalkyl (PFAS) substance activities at the Tyco Fire Technology Center.

The involved parties reached a $17.5 million settlement in May of 2021. Some residents of Peshtigo may also be eligible to file a claim against Tyco and receive financial compensation. Residents that are eligible to file a claim would be all persons who currently reside on/own or formerly resided on/owned a property with a Private Well Drinking Water Source within the Class Area, defined as the area in the Town of Peshtigo bounded by University Drive, Heath Lane, Roosevelt Road and the Bay of Green Bay, for at least one year between January 1, 1965, and December 31, 2020.

OIL SPILL OFF SOUTHERN CALIFRONIA COAST CLOSES DOWN BEACHES

Ringo H.W. Chiu / Press Herald

Saturday morning, the U.S. Coast Guard noticed an oil slick off the coastline of Newport Beach. The oil slick was later discovered to be the result of a leak from an oil pipeline off Huntington Beach. So far, an estimated 126,000 gallons, or 3,000 barrels, had spread into an oil slick covering about 13 square miles of the Pacific Ocean since it was first reported on Saturday morning. As the oil spreads, beaches are being closed down, including those in Laguna Beach.

HONEY, WE BOUGHT THE EXORCIST HOUSE!

Evy Mages / Washingtonian

In August of 2020, Danielle Witt and Ben Rockey-Harris traded in their apartment in the district for a house in the suburbs. They were able to find a three-bedroom house in the Prince George county town of Cottage City.

However, the now home owners would find out after purchasing the home that the property was the site of the events that inspired the exorcist. In 1949, an exorcism was preformed on a young boy who had supposedly been posses by demons after reporting’s of strange events occurring around the house had been placed. These events would catch the attention of a Georgetown student who would then go on to write the novel and then screen play “The Exorcist” based off these events.

The director of the film, “The Exorcist,” even filmed himself in the driveway of this property for a documentary. The story has attracted several “ghost hunters” to their property. The new homeowners claim that most of these individuals park their cars, take a few pictures, and leave. Some do approach the couple to inquire further about the property.

FLAGSTAFF ADDRESSES FLOOD DAMAGE AFTER RECORD RAINFALL HITS MUSEUM FIRE BURN SCAR

Coconino County / AZCentral

After a 200 to 500 year rainfall hit the city of Flagstaff Arizona on the Museum Fire Burn Scar, Governor Doug Ducey issued a declaration of emergency. This rainfall occurred on August 17, 2021, coming in at the largest rainfall to date for this area flooding streets and building all across the area. This flooding resulted in 88 private homes to endure damage either internally or externally, and 33 public properties.

FIRST EPA-VALIDATED LAB TEST FOR PFAS IN WASTEWATER, GROUNDWATER AND SURFACE WATER

Environmental Source Samplers, Inc.

The EPA has partnered with the United States Department of Defense to create a draft of the first EPA-validated laboratory analytical method. This method will be able to test for per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) in eight environmental media. This list of media includes: wastewater, surface water, groundwater, and soils.

This partnership has developed a single – laboratory validated method that will test for forty different PFAS compounds. These methods will also help to produce a multi – laboratory validation study of the method by the year 2022. This application may also be used for different applications such as the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits while also supporting NPDES implementation. This method provides a consistent method for measuring PFAS that maintains quality control procedure for the Clean Water Act.

RESIDENTS OF TROUBLED SUPERTALL TOWER SEEK $125 MILLION IN DAMAGES

Karsten Moran / The New York Times

The Supertall Tower located at 432 Park Avenue, is one of the most expensive properties in the world. It is being sued by its own board for $125 million in damages. These damages are listed as but not limited to: multiple flooding incidences, faulty elevators, intolerable noise that is caused by the sway of the building, and the second electrical explosion to happen in three years that knocked out the power for all residents in the building.

In 2015, this new building was a statement to quality apartments, attracting some of the wealthiest owners. Many of the owners are part time residents or investors who hid their identity from the public using their own shell companies. One of the apartments sold for $88 million to the Saudi retail magnate Fawaz Alhokair. Jennifer Lopez also owned an apartment here in 2018 for $15.3 million. However, the residents of this building have a high turnover rate because the building does not live up to the luxury that is promised by the pricing of the apartments.

In some cases, the defects that were found and complained about by residents posed a life safety risk making the building undesirable. For instance, there have been several reporting’s of residents getting stuck in stalled elevator cars for hours which could be attributed to the large amount of sway in the building.

Many of these claims have already been made about the building in a suit filed in February. The $125 million will go towards repairing over 1,500 design and construction defects. Most of these defects were found in common elements of the building and were identified by an engineering firm hired by the board of condos. The board of condos claims there may be more to come with resident lawsuits and punitive damage.

SOCALGAS AGREES TO PAY UP TO $1.8 BILLION IN SETTLEMENT FOR 2015 ALISO CANYON GAS LEAK

Environmental Defense Fund / The New York Times

Six years ago in a natural gas well located in the hills above the San Fernando valley area of Porter Ranch failed, filling the air with methane. An agreement was announced on Monday that Southern California Gas Co.  will pay up to $1.8 billion to settle after years of lawsuits.

SoCalGas has made a statement that this settlement is to resolve “substantially all material civil litigation” that has been placed against them. This would also include an after-tax charge of nearly $1.1 billion within this month. While this may have ended the legal battle for the company, many residents say the settlement came with no ease of long-term fears over exposure to toxic chemicals.

Residents have also raised the question whether or not their community will be safe after the exposure to the toxic chemicals. 100,000 tons of methane, ethane and other chemicals populated the atmosphere over the Porter Ranch area for 112 days forcing 8,000 families to flee their homes. When the gas leak had finally been contained, it had become the largest Methane leak in US history.

The attorneys that representing the plaintiff mentioned Monday at the Los Angeles Federal Courthouse that the settlement reflected just compensation for the injuries caused by the methane leak. Many of the effected residents were able to give depositions via zoom expressing that they want the storage field shut down, as it remains active to this day.

In some cases, residents reported heart palpitations, cancer and other ongoing health problems they believe have been caused by being exposed to these toxic chemicals. Residents also keep reporting and claiming that they smell leaks coming from the facility even still. The company has since then been required to conduct a $25 million study to determine the long term and short-term effects of the people located withing the effected area.

STUDY FINDS PFAS ‘FOREVER CHEMICALS’ IN INDOOR AIR

Getty Images / Independent

PFAS “forever chemicals” are being found inside of classrooms, stores, and homes. The University of Rhode Island and Green Science Policy Institute tested twenty sites for PFAS chemicals. The chemicals were found at seventeen of the sites including a kindergarten classroom. PFAS chemicals are linked to causing cancer, birth defects, liver disease, thyroid disease, decreased immunity, hormone disruption and many of other serious health concerns.

NEW ORLEANS SEEKS SUSTAINABILITY AS IT REBUILDS FROM HURRICANE IDA

Jalen Small / NewsWeek

New Orleans, the city that has faced the front lines of two major hurricanes within the last two decades. Several residents stayed with there properties throughout the flooding just as they had done in 2005 with Hurricane Katrina. Of those people, 26 of them were killed during the flooding. The city is longing for a way to preserve their cultural heritage while also maintaining a safe environment that may endure several natural disasters to come.

After Hurricane Ida passed, the community began planning a program called “We’re Fueling the City.” It is a week-long event where food and gasoline was handed out to local residents in need of assistance. Within a couple of days, the event had given away over 1,200 gallons of gas and served over 2,000 meals to people in need.

MICROPLASTICS IN GOA'S SAL RIVER

IANS / The Weather Channel

A major body of water in South Goa, India is contaminated with microplastics. The National Institute of Oceanography and Academy of Scientific and Innovative Research began this study in Goa and Vellore Institute of Technology (VIT). This study was able to produce three polymers: polyacrylamide, a water-soluble synthetic linked to the mining industry; ethylene-vinyl alcohol used in packaging; and polyacetylene, an electrical conductivity agent. These examinations were found in shellfish, finfish, clams, and oysters. This experiment was completed in order to have a better understanding of the amount of microplastics in the environment surrounding Goa. 

THE JERSEY SHORE IS SINKING

Mark Wilson/Getty Images North America

A barrier-island resort including a famous boardwalk, expensive homes and an endless supply of salt-water taffy located in Ocean City, New Jersey spends its days as puddles. However, the sea that surrounds ocean city is starting to rise. The ocean is coming into the city and backing up storm drains leaving no place to discharge water. Rising ocean tides are also causing other problems such as declining reliability of critical infrastructures such as communication, power, and transportation.

NEW YORK MULTIFAMILY DAMAGE IN THE ‘BILLIONS’ FROM HISTORIC FLOODING

Spencer Platt / Getty Images

Hurricane Ida has gone through New York City which resulted in a city-wide rampage and has caused nearly $1 billion in damage and 16 people dead. New York had its first ever flash flood emergency warning from the national weather service on Wednesday night. Heavy winds and record-breaking rainfall caused several power outages, fallen trees and street flooding. The roof of Broadway street’s The Strand Smokehouse concaved in and several other properties close by suffered flooded basements.

Out of the 16 New York citizens that were killed during the flooding, 9 of those individuals died in their basement apartments where water levels rose and trapped residents inside. The basement flooding also posed a threat to residents who did not live in a basement apartment trying to escape their buildings during the flooding. Unless the cleanup process is done properly, flooding can create mold and poor air conditions that may cause other health concerns.

IDA DAMAGES 1,200 NEW YORK HOMES, OVER $50 MILLION IN DAMAGES

AP Photo / Eduardo Munoz Alvarez

A major disaster declaration has been expedited by president Biden provided financial relief for the local governments of New York to help with the damages that were caused by hurricane Ida. The counties of Bronx, Queens, Kings, Richmond and Westchester will be covered by the declaration of individual assistance.

For the time being, the county of New York is only eligible for public assistance. The major disaster declaration starts the process of allowing for financial assistance to be given from the federal government to New York citizens and business owners in order to allow New Yorkers to continue to regrow and rebuild after the damage that was caused by the flooding. FEMA will also be working with eligible homeowners and providing temporary housing, driveway repairs, crisis counseling, unemployment assistance, and legal services.

HURRICANE IDA’S DAMAGE TALLY COULD TOP $95 BILLION, MAKING IT ONE OF THE COSTLIEST HURRICANES

Alach11 | Taken at 9:10 AM on Monday, August 30, 2021. The image shows damage to buildings in Houma, Louisiana the morning after Hurricane Ida made landfall. House of Hope provides services for the homeless. | https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Damage_in_Houma_Following_Hurricane_Ida.jpg | Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license. | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en

Hurricane Ida has gone from New Orleans to New York, raising questions as to the potential economic damages that will be caused by the hurricane. AccuWeather is now projecting that the damages will total over $95 billion, potentially one of the costliest hurricanes since 2000. This estimate is higher by $20 to $30 billion from their initial projections when the hurricane had begun.

The forecasting company is predicting that the storm will come in seventh place in regard to the costliest hurricane to hit the United States. Hurricane Katrina is still expected to be the costliest hurricane to hit the United States with damages totaling at $320 billion. If hurricane Ida were to keep moving north, the total damage may increase and surpass hurricane Ivan and Hurricane Rita.

NEARLY 1 MILLION HOMES ALONG THE GULF COAST MIGHT BE DAMAGED OR DESTROYED BY HURRICANE IDA

Michael M Stokes | Flooding in Norristown PA from remains of Hurricane Ida. Norristown Riverfront Apartments at DeKalb Street near the Norristown SEPTA station | https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ida_Flooding_Norristown_%284%29.jpg |  Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license. | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creative_Commons

Data suggests that Hurricane Ida approached the gulf coast at an alarming rate and threatened damaging or destroying nearly one million homes within the region. CoreLogic estimated that the storm threatens approximately 941,392 homes with storm surge damage. CoreLogic also estimated the reconstruction cost value to be approximately $220.37 billion. The areas that are projected to have the highest amount of reconstruction cost value is New Orleans-Metairie, Louisiana, totaling over 394,000 single / multifamily properties with estimated damages over $101.66 billion.  

Hurricane Ida will hit this region on the sixteenth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, the costliest natural disaster in United States history. However, Hurricane Katrina was smaller. It was a category 3 hurricane, whereas Ida is a category 4. Nevertheless, Hurricane Katrina still caused $161 billion in economic loss and killed nearly two thousand people.

FISH PLANT AT CENTER OF LAWSUIT

USDA NRCS CA | Tilapia growing on Kelley Hot Spring Fish Farm west of Alturas, California, USA | https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tilapia_farm_california.jpg |  Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license. | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creative_Commons

A partner of a company formed to buy and rent commercial real estate at 159 Main St. is suing the other three partners. He is alleging that his partners "conspired to violate both fiduciary duties and contractual obligations" in the renting of the Atlantic Fish & Seafood space. Mr. Montagnino, of Gloucester, filed the suit last week in Essex Superior Court against, Nicholas M. Osgood, of Hamilton, Shawn S. Hynes, of Braintree, and David Hynes, of Braintree. His three partners at NSDJ Real Estate LLC.

These charges have been pressed stating that the three partners violated their fiduciary duty by "leasing the property to themselves and/or their wholly owned corporation at substantially less than fair market value" at the expense of Mr. Montagnino. Mr. Montagnino also stated that his three partners breached the terms of a 2018 operating agreement. Claiming that the three partners "intentionally interfered with NSDJ contractual obligations" to Montagnino. Mr. Montagnino also seeks "a complete accounting of all NSDJ funds, income, expenses and assets."

JULY FLOODS CAUSED $2M IN DAMAGE FOR LARIMER COUNTY

Defense Visual Information Distribution Service | A view of flood damage along a highway in Larimier County | https://nara.getarchive.net/media/a-view-of-flood-damage-along-a-highway-in-larimer-county-564245 | Public Domain Dedication. Public Use Notice of Limitations |  https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright

In Larimer County, two floods in July caused over $2 million in damages to properties and roads. A report also concluded that residents should not stay overnight due to the high risk of another potential flooding. Colorado Geologic Survey assessment of the Black Hollow neighborhood in the upper Poudre Canyon stated that instability rates are far too high in the area for any of the residents to spend the night in their homes. Three people have died in the flood with the fourth family member still missing and presumably dead. The flood has destroyed three homes.

Haiti Earthquake

U.S. NAVY | PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti | https://picryl.com/media/haitian-citizens-gather-in-a-severely-damaged-compound-in-port-au-prince-haiti-3059ad | Public Domain | https://www.navy.mil/

Death tolls rose to 2,000, along with more than 9,900 injured after the earthquake in Haiti on August 18, 2021. These numbers are likely to rise as search and rescue operations are still being conducted. The Haitian Civil Protection General Directorate (DGPC) claimed that over 137,000 families have been affected in the Sud, Grand'Anse and Nippes departments. 500,000 people, or about 40 percent of the total population within those departments, require emergency humanitarian assistance.

61,000 homes have been reported to have been destroyed and over 76,000 sustained damages in the most effected departments of the flooding. 24 health facilities have also been affected by the earthquake with 20 of them suffering from infrastructure damages and 4 of them being completely destroyed. This flood has other effects on surrounding areas such as triggering flooding in Jacmel, Les Cayes and Marigot.

EPA Plans to Start Cleaning Up Soil with Lead and Arsenic in Garland Neighborhood

William Addington | picture of the Historic Downtown Garland square | https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Garland_Sqr_1.jpg | Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 Generic license. | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creative_Commons

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is expecting that they will begin cleaning up soil that has high contamination levels of lead and arsenic near Park Crest Elementary School in Garland, Texas. This is due to the Globe Union lead battery manufacturing site.

Nearby residential areas can expect clean up to begin by the end of August 2021. EPA expects to spend approximately 10 weeks cleaning up the site of the incident. EPA also claimed that if more locations are identified as being contaminated with lead, the cleanup process will likely take longer than ten weeks. Testing of the local soils began back in September of 2019, which is what prompted the EPA to get involved with this matter.

Forever Chemicals: California Unveils Health Goals for Drinking Water

David Hawgood / Drinking fountain, Kew Gardens / CC BY-SA 2.0 | Drinking fountain, Kew Gardens Supplied by the Metropolitan Drinking Fountain and Cattle Trough Association | https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Drinking_fountain,_Kew_Gardens_-_geograph.org.uk_-_788808.jpg | Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license. | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en

New health limits for two PFAS contaminants help California take a step in regulating these “forever chemicals” in drinking water. The proposed targets are 0.007 nanograms per liter of water for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and 1 nanogram for perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS). A nanogram per liter is equivalent to a part per trillion or one cup of a contaminant in a trillion cups of water. Establishing these health limits set in motion a process to create a new state regulation to replace the current California guidelines.