Tennessee flooding kills at least 22, Henri moves through New England: 5 Things podcast

On today's episode of 5 Things: Heavy rains across Tennessee came as Tropical Storm Henri slammed New England. Plus, violence continues at Kabul's airport, it's been one year since Jacob Blake was shot, the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine could get full FDA approval this week and mental health advocates question whether police should share videos of suicide intervention.

Taylor Wilson:

Good morning, I'm Taylor Wilson, and this is 5 Things You Need To Know, Monday the 23rd of August, 2021. Today, devastating weather in Tennessee. Plus the Taliban blame the US for airport chaos in Kabul. And more.

Taylor Wilson:

Here are some of the top headlines.

1. The death toll from the Haitian earthquake has risen to more than 2,200 with more than 300 people still missing. Recovery efforts in the country are also ongoing during peak hurricane season with Tropical Storm Grace hitting Haiti last week.
2. Don Everly has died. His music with sibling, Phil Everly, in the Everly Brothers helped shape the course of rock and roll. He was 84.
3. And a five year old boy has conquered the entire Appalachian trail. Harvey Sutton is likely the second youngest ever to complete the more than 2,100 miles.

Taylor Wilson:

Tropical Storm Henri made landfall in the Northeast on Sunday. It slammed the region with high winds and rainfall records in some places after coming to land in westerly Rhode Island, right on the Connecticut Rhode Island state line. Rhode Island resident, Stephen Hayes told the AP that the storm passed through relatively quickly.

Stephen Hayes :

Today, we got a direct hit basically from Hurricane Henri or Tropical Storm Henri. Winds were pretty high this morning. Power stayed on almost all the way through. We just lost it about, I would say about an hour ago. But other than that, we have no property damage at our place. We got very lucky. I am a little surprised with this Tropical Storm Henri. It came really quick. It came quick and passed faster than normal. So we had some high winds. You could see some trees bending. I'm really surprised at how sunny it is right now. Really lucky. I was six years old, Hurricane Bob. So I'm real happy right now to be on the other side of this one.

Taylor Wilson:

As of Sunday night, the storm was in upstate Connecticut near Hartford. It was forecast a week into a tropical depression while moving into Southern Massachusetts on Monday. Henri is also expected to slow down, which could mean heavy rains for part of New York State, Massachusetts and Northern Connecticut. The storm already slammed the region even before making landfall. Saturday was the wettest day in New York City in seven years, according to the National Weather Service, and the nearly two inches of rain in central park from 10 to 11:00 PM that night was the wettest hour in the city's history. In Rhode Island, at least 70,000 homes and businesses were without power Sunday night, while some 30,000 were without power in Connecticut. In briefings over the weekend, area governors said they expect storm disruptions to last for at least the next few days. Rhode Island Governor, Dan McKee.

Dan McKee :

Now, as the storm begins to pass out of the state, the important work of recovery must begin promptly. I've asked the National Grid to begin recovery efforts during daylight hours today so that we can get a jump on restoration efforts. We are expecting temperatures in the 90s beginning on Tuesday. This is not going lost on us. We know that that's an issue, and that's why getting power restored is critical for the health and safety of our residents, our economy, and our small businesses to make sure that they're operating.

Taylor Wilson:

The storms hit New England as severe flooding killed at least 22 people in Tennessee. At least 20 people are still missing after new rain records across the state. In McEwen, about 60 miles west of Nashville, a state record, 17 inches of rain fell in less than 24 hours. Many other towns saw at least a foot of rain in the same time period. And lots of towns got up to a quarter of their typical annual rainfall in one morning. Thousands of homes may be unlivable with damage.

Taylor Wilson:

Violence continues at Kabul's international airport in Afghanistan. At least seven Afghans died on Sunday during a panicked crush of people trying to enter the airport. Large crowds continue to gather outside its walls with many people promised an exit out of the country by the United States or other countries and missions. The German military also now says that a firefight broke out in a separate incident. They said one Afghan security officer was killed and three were wounded by unknown attackers. US and German forces then also got involved. The Taliban took control of the capitol a week ago, after a quickly moving through the country ahead of the United States' troop withdrawal at the end of this month. In the days since, the US has evacuated its embassy there and moved operations to the airport, also sending thousands of troops back into the country to help evacuate Americans and Afghans who helped the United States against the Taliban over the past 20 years.

Taylor Wilson:

The Taliban have installed checkpoints around the city and getting even close to the airport has been tough for many. They also fired shots into the air to try and drive back crowds during Sunday's crush. The US Embassy is telling American citizens and others not to come to the airport at all until they receive specific instructions. The airport is one of the last routes out of the country and has seen almost constant chaos since last week's Taliban takeover. Another 7 people were killed on August 16th, including several who fell to their death as they held on to a US military plane, while it took off.

Taylor Wilson:

President Joe Biden and other US leaders gave updates over the weekend. Biden said that 11,000 had been airlifted from Kabul in total over a 36 hour period this weekend. US National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan told CNN that nearly 4,000 people were flown out of Kabul on US military flights over the past 24 hours, in addition to around the same number on non-military US flights. That's still below the 5,000 to 9,000 that the military says it has the capacity to airlift daily. Over the weekend Biden, also again, defended his decision to pull out from Afghanistan.

President Joe Biden :

The evacuation of thousands of people from Kabul is going to be hard and painful no matter when it started, when we began. It would have been true if we had started a month ago or a month from now. There is no way to evacuate this many people without pain and loss of heartbreaking images you see on television.

Taylor Wilson:

For their part, the Taliban keeps sending messages to the Afghan people through the press, emphasizing that their reign will be peaceful. They're also blaming the airport chaos on the United States. Senior Taliban official, Amir Khan Muttaqi said, "All Afghanistan is secure, but the airport, which is managed by the Americans has anarchy. The US should not embarrass itself to the world and should not give this mentality to our people that the Taliban are a kind of enemy." The Taliban have control of almost all of Afghanistan, but not everywhere. Panjshir Province is the only one in the country that has not fallen to the group. The Taliban have spread video showing their fighters heading toward the region. But militia leaders there say they will defend Panjshir against them. That could spell violence after a relatively peaceful takeover with most Afghan security forces surrendering without a fight in recent weeks.

Taylor Wilson:

It's been one year since Jacob Blake was shot multiple times in the back by Kenosha, Wisconsin, police officer, Rusten Sheskey. The incident paralyzed the then 29 year old black man. Video of the shooting was shared across social media, sparking protests in Kenosha and around the country. Jacob's uncle, Justin Blake, told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel of the USA Today Network last week about Jacob's current condition while calling out political leaders.

Justin Blake :

My nephew, little Jake is just getting out of hospital again, after suffering severe pain. He has a new doctor so they're trying to manage his pain better. In order for him to do his therapy, he needed more pain managing. But he and our entire family are disgusted at the lying, of about all the deceitfulness that's going on in and around this case. The Mayor's a bull face liar, they utilize community members to make it look and to placate to the people as though something was going to be done when nothing at all has happened. I just got off another interview with the Chief of Police there, the African-American community he's been having me just talking to the people and things are going well. He's a liar. Things are not well in the community. I don't have to be nice anymore about it. A racist systemic runs through their whole top echelon in their government, in the Sheriffs Police Department, in the DA and et cetera.

Justin Blake :

So as an uncle, I've got the right to be frustrated as hell after I've been down there almost a year, nothing at all has happened. The police officer who shot my nephew is back at work. There's a gentleman running for sheriff that murdered somebody 15 years ago. We got arrested and brutalized, and our shoulder torn out of place while we were in custody. So nothing absolutely has changed. It's gotten worse. How about let's have a real investigation? How about let's get the gentleman, the cop that shot my nephew indicted and get him fired and indited in jail. That'd be a hell of a beginning. Because right now it's open season on African-Americans in Kenosha. Why? Because my nephew didn't commit a crime. They never charged him with a crime. And if you understand that fact, and this man got away with shooting my nephew seven times in the back and paralyzed him, then you can understand that no African-Americans in the city, state or county of Wisconsin, or specifically Kenosha, Wisconsin are able to walk around in comfort. How can they possibly?

Taylor Wilson:

Justin Blake and others in the area have been fighting this entire past year for justice. They demand that Sheskey be fired and charged. They've also pushed for an outside investigation into the police department and District Attorney's office. Sheskey was responding to a call about a domestic incident at a kid's birthday party when he shot Blake, who is now bound to a wheelchair.

Taylor Wilson:

The Pfizer BioNTech vaccine against COVID-19 could get full FDA approval as early as Monday. Though parts of the review may need more time and could push approval back later this week. US Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy told ABC that he would not be surprised if the FDA soon gives full approval. Pfizer's vaccine along with Moderna's and Johnson & Johnson's is being made available under an emergency use authorization. There was no word when Moderna or J&J might get full approval. Some vaccine hesitant Americans have questioned the safety of the shots, citing no full approval. The move could urge more Americans to get vaccinated and more companies and organizations to require them. 60.7% of Americans are at least partially vaccinated with 51.5% fully vaccinated.

Taylor Wilson:

Police often share videos on social media of officers saving people from suicide. That's especially true over the past year, as departments are eager for good press after the murder of George Floyd and protests around the country against police brutality and systemic racism. But mental health advocates are worried these videos could do more harm than good. One of them, Kevin Berthia, has survived his own suicide attempts. He said, "It's like we are living this tragedy with them. Who else is this triggering?" The New York Police Department, for example, often tweets detailed captions along with images of smiling cops referring to exactly where or how someone tried to kill themselves. But the American Association of Suicidology recommends that any reporting on suicide or suicide attempts specifically not do so. And that photos and videos from the scene also be left out.

Taylor Wilson:

Many departments also don't ask the person's permission to post the videos in the first place. Though, that could be changing at least in Appleton, Wisconsin. There, they had discussions for nearly a month before showing a video that is less explicit than others. They also asked permission from the man in crisis and worked with mental health organizations. For more on this issue and mental health in general, you can head to the Life section on usatoday.com. And if you or someone you know needs help, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255. That's 1-800-273-8255. And thanks for listening to 5 Things. You can find us wherever you get your audio, including Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Thanks as always to Shannon Green and Claire Thornton for their great work on the show. Five Things is part of the USA Today Network