Friday Risk Watch: September 15, 2023

Stay ahead of potential risks and ensure the safety of your employees with?Friday Risk Watch, a weekly newsletter curated by our?Global Intelligence Team.

Expect?updates on emerging risks, geopolitical developments, weather forecasts, etc. We'll notify you of the latest incidents that could impact your organization, allowing you to make informed decisions and mitigate potential risks.

What We're Watching:?

Hurricane Lee Impacts Apparent Across New England:?As of Friday afternoon,?Lee?has weakened to a Category One hurricane. Nonetheless, due to the abnormally large size of the storm, widespread moderate to locally significant impacts are anticipated across coastal New England and Atlantic Canada.??

• Sustained tropical storm conditions extend over 300 miles from the center. Friday night into Saturday, the western edge of the wind field will clip parts of Coastal Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine.
• Scattered power outages are likely, especially in areas with gusts near 50-70 mph. Low-end hurricane conditions remain possible over Down-East Maine, Southern New Brunswick, and Eastern Nova Scotia, Canada.?
• Persistent onshore winds could also result in a?2-3 foot coastal storm surge near Cape Cod and Nantucket, Massachusetts.??

Libyan Authorities Still Responding to Extreme Flooding:?Within the last week, Storm Daniel has caused massive loss of life after gathering strength in the Mediterranean Sea and making landfall along the Libyan coast.??

• In Derna and surrounding cities, over 11,000 flood-related deaths have been?confirmed. Local authorities fear the death toll could approach 20,000 as more victims are recovered.?There are at least three primary reasons why this was such an extreme event:
• First, 24-hour rain totals?reached?as high as 16 inches in Northern Libya, more rainfall than the area would typically see for an entire year.
• Second, local officials?note?that two dam failures occurred, which resulted in a rapid surge in floodwater that?swept?homes and even multi-story buildings into the ocean.
• Third, according to the United Nations,?deficiencies?in early warning systems prevented large-scale evacuations that would have averted such a massive loss of life.?

Climate Demonstrations Heating Up as Activists Hit the Streets Worldwide:?Expect heightened security and road disruptions in Manhattan over the weekend during demonstrations ahead of the UN's?Climate Ambition Summit. Climate activist groups, who began a series of protests at the start of the week, will host a "March to End Fossil Fuels" on Sunday, September 17, with thousands expected to attend.??

• An action against Citibank Thursday in Lower Manhattan attracted hundreds and?resulted?in over 20 arrests. Additional demonstrations are planned before Sunday's march, and multiple climate groups intend to hold a "Mass Civil Disobedience to End Fossil Fuels" on Monday.?
• Outside of New York, Fridays for Future (FFF) held the first of two global climate strike days on Friday, with another expected on Sunday. Climate organizers associated with FFF and the?"Fight Fossil Fuel" movement?have registered dozens of demonstrations in cities worldwide. Previous FFF global climate strikes have garnered hundreds of thousands of participants across dozens of countries.?
• Most of the demonstrations mentioned above will likely be peaceful; however, climate activists may also conduct direct actions against businesses involved in fossil fuel production or financing, as evidenced by Thursday's targeting of Citibank.?

Demonstrations Expected Across Globe Commemorating the Death of Mahsa Amini:?Iranian officials have?reportedly?stepped up security checks and?warned?against street protests ahead of the first anniversary of the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who died in police custody last year after being detained for allegedly violating the country's hijab laws. Expect demonstrations commemorating Amini's life in cities across the globe on Saturday.?

• Amini's death sparked a wave of widespread and sustained demonstration activity in Iran. The government responded forcefully to the unrest, leading to hundreds of fatalities and the detention of more than 22,000 people.?
• Activists are?reportedly?organizing in the country ahead of Saturday despite officials in Tehran warning that they were "monitoring all the movements and will identify and deliver to judicial authorities those who want to…take to streets in the coming days and create problems." Earlier this week, NetBlocks?reported?Internet disruption in Iran for two consecutive days, which is seen as potentially related to government efforts to limit organizing.?
• Demonstrations outside Iran will likely be peaceful, though disruptions are likely in areas where larger actions occur. Expect well-attended gatherings in major U.S. and European urban areas, including Brussels, Paris, Los Angeles, and The Hague.?

India Locks Down Several Villages in Race to Contain Deadly Nipah Virus:?The southern Indian state of Kerala has closed schools and businesses in at least nine towns and issued health alerts for four districts after detecting at least six cases of the deadly Nipah virus. There have been two confirmed fatalities so far. The Kerala Health Department has implemented several restrictions and is conducting a mass testing campaign as part of its containment efforts.?

• The government has?closed?schools and colleges, banned large gatherings, and implemented other social distancing restrictions in Kozhikode district, where cases from this latest outbreak have been concentrated. Authorities have issued health alerts for Kannur, Malappuram, and Wayanad districts. The neighboring states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka have established checkpoints along their borders with Kerala for fever surveillance.?
• At least nine grama panchayats?(village or bloc of villages) in Kozhikode district have been designated as "containment zones." Travel in and out of the zones is barred, offices, banks, schools, and childcare centers are closed, and shops selling essential commodities can only operate between 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. There are no restrictions on medical shops and health centers.?
• Nipah is a zoonotic disease with an estimated?40-75% fatality rate. Initial symptoms are similar to common respiratory illnesses, but as the infection worsens, it can trigger disorientation, seizures, and brain swelling. This is the third time in five years Nipah has been discovered in Kozhikode district, with the worst outbreak occurring in 2018 when 21 people died. Other countries that have reported outbreaks include Bangladesh, Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines.??

Stay in the Know

Don't miss out on crucial information that can make a difference! Follow us on?Instagram?and?TikTok?for upcoming editions of?Friday Risk Watch, and subscribe for weekly reports that can help ensure the safety and security of your organization.? ??