Category: Science
Alabama Health Officer Reflects on Lessons Learned From COVID-19
Three years ago, Alabamians were beginning to see the impacts of a new respiratory virus sweeping the nation.
“Everybody remembers watching in horror at what was transpiring in Washington State in this skilled nursing facility,” recalled Dr. Scott Harris, state health officer with the Alabama Department of Public Health. “We just didn’t know how much we didn’t know.”
Harris made the comments during a monthly meeting of the Alabama Board of Health on Thursday. He discussed lessons learned from the pandemic and future challenges amid the looming removal of a federal emergency declaration. Read more.
Work on Landfill Fire ‘Proceeding Well,’ ADEM Director Says
ADEM Director Lance LeFleur said on Friday that smoke from the underground landfill in Moody has been greatly reduced and the EPA expects the fire to be out in a matter of weeks, or sooner. He said work on putting out the fire is proceeding well, and ADEM and EPA are continuing to monitor air and water quality in the area. Read more.
Who would put out a landfill fire near Moody? That question consumed officials for weeks.
A private landfill near Moody smoldered for almost two months, inundating residents miles around with noxious smoke, before the EPA stepped in.
Read more.
No Water Contamination Found From Landfill Fire
This Swampy Paradise is Alabama’s Winter Haven for Sandhill Cranes
As many as 25,000 sandhill cranes migrate to Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge every winter, along with a handful of highly endangered whooping cranes. Read more.
What a Difference a Year Makes, but COVID’s Still Around
One year ago, Alabama was in the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic.
At the state’s peak, on Jan 21, 2022, the 7-day average of new COVID cases per day was 12,918, according to the New York Times’ COVID tracker.
The year before, in February, 2021, deaths hit their high with an average of 147 Alabamians a day succumbing to the disease.
This week, as of Wednesday, Jan. 18, the 7-day average of new cases per day statewide was 963, and the daily average of deaths was 3.1 on Thursday.
Despite the steep drop, health officials have urged people to remain vigilant, keep up with their vaccinations and mask if their community is at risk of COVID or if they are at heightened risk from the virus. Read more.
Moody Landfill Fire Now a Federal Affair as EPA Is Called in to Extinguish Nuisance
The landfill fire in Moody is now a federal affair. At the request of the Alabama Department of Environmental Management, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will lead the effort to put out the underground fire at a privately operated vegetative waste disposal site near Moody in St. Clair County, the agency said in a press release Wednesday. Read more.
‘Is It Soup Yet?’: Engineer Submitting Plans for Putting Out Landfill Fire
Dan Dahlke was reminded of a 1970s TV commercial when he was asked about his submission to Gov. Kay Ivey to put out the months-long smoldering landfill fire in Moody.
“Is it soup yet?”
“It’s getting there,” the St. Clair County engineer said Friday. “I’ve sent stuff over to the county attorney and I think he’s putting it all together and trying to figure out exactly who we need to send this to (in) the governor’s office.
“When he finds that, we’ll probably shoot this off to whoever this afternoon.”
Dahlke has received proposals from a number of contractors with varied ideas for dealing with the fire that has been burning for about two months and irritating residents as far as 30 miles away. Residents have been complaining not just about the smell and the smoke, but about health effects such as asthma, coughing and nausea. Read more.
Lawsuit Filed Over Landfill Fire Near Moody Seeks Class Action Status
A pair of Trussville residents have filed a lawsuit over the landfill fire that’s been burning for almost two months near Moody. The suit alleges, among other claims, the owners and operators of Environmental Landfill Inc. have been negligent and calls for compensatory and punitive damages. Read more.
Plan to Put Out Underground Landfill Fire in the Works
Dan Dahlke is preparing a package to send to Montgomery that he hopes contains the cure to what ails residents who have suffered from the smoke of a Moody landfill fire that’s been smoldering since November.
“This has gone on way too long already,” said Dahlke, the St. Clair County engineer. “That’s sort of my feeling but, regardless of that, I want to make sure whatever we send to the state, I want to feel as positive as I can be that we’re not gonna create a bigger problem.”
Speaking with BirminghamWatch on Wednesday, Dahlke said he is still awaiting some information and getting things together to send to state officials. He hopes to have the plans together by the end of the week to send to the state. Read more.
Related: Lawsuit Filed Over Landfill Fire Near Moody Seeks Class Action Status
