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California first responders unite to help Hurricane Helene victims

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California first responders unite to help Hurricane Helene victims


SACRAMENTO — As the aftermath of Hurricane Helene unfolds, California’s first responders are stepping up to help those affected in Florida.

Approximately 120 first responders from across the Golden State, including Sacramento, are helping in various roles. Sacramento is teaming up with other federal response members from across the nation in a management position.

Larry Collins, deputy chief of Special Ops HazMat with the California Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES), emphasized the importance of this nationwide response, stating: “We go there because it’s about neighbor helping neighbor. They would help us if we had a big disaster.”

It’s part of a plan that launched in the 90s, with rotational system of emergency responders organized to go where they are needed most. Collins calls this mutual aid is essential.

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“When it happens here in California and we need the help, we can rely on these other 20 urban search and rescue teams from other states to help us,” Collins said.

Deployed on Friday were crews from Southern California including from Los Angeles, Orange County, Riverside, and San Diego.

Sacramento personnel were pre-positioned on Tuesday, driving to Orlando to be ready to respond as the weather conditions and storm track changed.

“We’re coordinating the movement of all these search and rescue and swift water assets,” Collins explained. “It’s intense. They’re working in the rain. They are in the darkness, in some cases. They have trees falling down power lines falling down.”

The public information officer deployed with the Sacramento crew is Charlie Lubowicki, of the FEMA US&R Incident Support Team. He explained the importance of everyone bringing their own expertise to the table during times like this.

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“It’s a testament to the system that has been built here in the United States,” Lubowicki said. “Those who go to wildfires and are in these large dynamic events all the time, and so they have a very special skill set that when they come out east, they are able to bring to the planning process.”

Federal support and resources

A crucial element of this operation is the backing provided by FEMA, which will reimburse California for the costs associated with sending these teams, given that this is a federally declared disaster. This support enables the state to deploy its resources without jeopardizing local emergency response capabilities.

Officials have reassured the public that despite the ongoing wildfire season, California maintains a robust set of resources ready for “no notice emergencies,” such as earthquakes. The state’s ability to respond to local emergencies remains unaffected by its commitments to national disaster relief.



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California toddler falls out of moving car, mother charged

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California toddler falls out of moving car, mother charged


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A California mother was arrested on felony child abuse charges after a viral video showed her 19-month-old child falling from a moving SUV at a busy Fullerton intersection, police said Monday.

The Fullerton Police Department said it became aware of the video, which shows a black SUV turning at an intersection when a passenger-side door suddenly opens. A small child then falls out of the vehicle and onto the roadway.

The SUV immediately stops, and a car following behind narrowly avoids colliding with it. The car stops just short of the child on the roadway.

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The video shows an adult woman running from the driver’s side, picking up the child and placing the toddler back inside the SUV before driving away.

MAN RUNS INTO FLORIDA STREET TO SAVE TWO YOUNG CHILDREN WHO WANDERED AWAY FROM RENTAL HOME

A black SUV turns at an intersection when a passenger-side door suddenly opens and a small child falls out of the vehicle and onto the roadway. (Fullerton Police Department)

A witness called police on Saturday and provided identifying information about the vehicle. Officers traced the SUV to a home in La Habra, where they located the vehicle, the child and a suspect believed to be the woman seen in the video.

A car following the SUV narrowly avoided hitting the child and SUV. (Fullerton Police Department)

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Police identified the child as a 19-month-old who suffered injuries consistent with the fall. The toddler was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment and is expected to make a full recovery.

FLORIDA DEPUTIES RACE TO SAVE 4-YEAR-OLD WHO STOPPED BREATHING AND HAD NO PULSE ON INTERSTATE, VIDEO SHOWS

The suspect was identified as Jacqueline Hernandez, 35, of La Habra, and the child’s mother. She was arrested and booked into the Fullerton City Jail for felony child abuse, police said.

The child’s mother, identified as Jacqueline Hernandez, 35, of La Habra, picks the child up from the road. Hernandez was later arrested and charged with felony child abuse, police said. (Fullerton Police Department)

Neighbors told FOX11 Los Angeles that the family has several children and could not believe the mother would put her children in such a dangerous situation.

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“I can’t excuse something like that, I’m sorry,” a neighbor who wished to remain anonymous told the local station.

Investigators believe the incident occurred between 8 a.m. and 9 a.m. on Jan. 20. Police said they did not receive any emergency calls related to the incident at the time.

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The investigation remains ongoing, and police are asking anyone with additional information to contact the Fullerton Police Department’s Sensitive Crimes Unit.



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California gubernatorial candidates outline their priorities at UCSF event

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California gubernatorial candidates outline their priorities at UCSF event


Several of the candidates vying to become California’s next governor gathered Monday at the University of California, San Francisco to make their case to voters.

Seven Democrats took the stage at UCSF to outline their priorities for their first 100 days in office. Republican candidates were invited but declined to participate.

On June 2, California voters will narrow the field to two candidates in an open primary. Those two will then face off on Nov. 3.

NBC Bay Area’s Velena Jones has more in the video report above.

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California joins UN health network following US departure from WHO

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California joins UN health network following US departure from WHO


Jan 23 (Reuters) – California said on Friday it will become the first U.S. state to join the World Health Organization’s global outbreak response network following the Trump administration’s decision to pull Washington out of the WHO.

The network, comprised of more than 360 technical institutions, responds to public health events with the deployment of staff and resources to affected countries.

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It has tackled major public health events, including COVID-19.
The state’s decision to join the network comes more than a year after U.S. President Donald Trump gave notice that Washington would depart from the WHO. On Thursday, it officially withdrew from the agency, saying its decision reflected failures in the U.N. health agency’s management of the pandemic.

California Governor Gavin Newsom decried the United States’ move on Friday, calling it a “reckless decision” that will hurt many people.

“California will not bear witness to the chaos this decision will bring,” Newsom said in a statement. “We will continue to foster partnerships across the globe and remain at the forefront of public health preparedness, including through our membership as the only state in WHO’s Global Outbreak Alert & Response Network.”

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The governor’s office said he met with the WHO’s Director General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, this week, where they discussed collaborating to detect and respond to emerging public health threats.

The WHO did not immediately respond when reached for comment.

Reporting by Jasper Ward in Washington
Editing by Rod Nickel

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles., opens new tab



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