Drought-Related Health Effects

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From the Disaster Information Management Research Center of the National Library of Medicine , a new web page focused on Droughts and Health. The webpage looks primarily at the human health effects of drought conditions as experienced in the United States.  Some of the health effects in the United States have historically included (or are speculated to include):

-Changes to water quality, especially private wells, with potential for increased waterborne disease
-Changes to air quality, increased dust, particulates with potential for increased respiratory distress
-Poorer personal hygiene due to decreased water availability
-Food crop or food processing contamination from use of recycled water
-Increased suicide rate (higher than national average) among farm families affected by drought-related economic concerns”

Positive Outcome of H. Isaac = drought relief

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Two articles on the likely positive effects:

  1. From Accuweather; August 29, and
  2. From the Christian Science Monitor: Could tropical storm Isaac actually help break US drought?

Tropical storm Isaac is bearing down on the Gulf Coast, but once it gets inland, it is expected to bring much needed rain to drought-hit farmlands.

Although tropical storm Isaac is causing evacuations and is expected to lead to power outages when it comes ashore, there may be a silver lining for drought-pressed farmers farther inland.

Building to Deal with Sea Level Rise – the Maldives Islands

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An enlargeable map of the Republic of Maldives

An enlargeable map of the Republic of Maldives (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In an article from HSWire, see Maldives to build floating islands to save country from rising sea levels
August 27,  2012. Afe details:

The Maldives Islands, a low-lying chain of twenty-six atolls in the Indian Ocean, are sinking; more precisely: due to global warming, the sea level is rising over the islands, most of which sit lower than three feet above the rising water; the Maldives government has embarked on an ambitious project: build floating islands, anchor them to the ocean floor, then relocate most of the population of 300,000 – and some of the tourist attractions – to them

Related articles

 

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Dems Continue to Hammer at Republicans’ Proposed Cuts to Disaster Funding

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The red "GOP" logo used by the party...

You have to admit that when the week of the GOP convention is also the week of  H. Isaac, with its uncanny resemblance to H. Katrina, it’s the perfect opportunity to discuss positions on disaster aid and relief.  The Huff Post notes: GOP Convention Under Storm Threat Creates Opening For Democrats On Disaster Relief Cuts;8/27/2012

A new online ad campaign launched Monday targets Republicans for proposed cuts to disaster relief funding and weather monitoring systems. The ads, launched by the Progressive Change Campaign Committee, coincided with Tropical Storm Isaac’s pass over the southwest of the state, where it caused widespread power outages and forced the GOP to cancel the first day of the Republican National Convention.

As of Monday morning, the storm had moved back over the Gulf of Mexico, where meteorologists expect it to build strength before slamming into the Gulf Coast on Tuesday night as a Category 1 hurricane. The storm is currently headed straight for New Orleans, where it’s expected to reach land on or before Wednesday, seven years to the day afer Hurricane Katrina destroyed much of the city.

The ad, which will appear on hundreds of thousands of computer screens across the state, features images of Mitt Romney and his running mate, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), flanked by …Sen. Marco Rubio.

“Republicans voted against disaster relief,” it reads. “Thank them here.” A click-through web page cites Ryan’s budget, which the ad says would have “cut billions from disaster relief funding.”

Some additional details about the positions of the two parties are in this HuffPost article today.

Hurricane Isaac May Repeat Path of H. Katrina

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The news from CNN this morning is eerie indeed. See : Eerie similarites: Isaac follows track of Katrina, evacuations ordered for coast. (August 27) .  If H. Isaac does in fact follow the path of H. Katrina 7 years later, it will be very interesting to EM researchers to see just how many lessons were in fact learned.

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U.K. National Risk Register & U.S. Strategic National Risk Assessment

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United Kingdom

Here is a link to the 2012 edition of the UK’s National Risk Register of  Civil Emergencies. Thanks to John Twigg for calling this to my attention.

Although the U.S. has done a national risk assessment, the final document was classified. I did find an unclassified version of the results, on the DHS website. A copy of the 7- page unclassified version of the Strategic National Risk Assessment  (dated Dec. 2011) is posted here.  If anyone knows of additional information in the public domain on this topic, please let me know.

It would be interesting to compare the approaches and results of both studies.

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East Coast Earthquake – one year anniversary

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East Coast earthquake created a ‘new normal’. Huff Post, August 23. On the first anniversary of the surprise quake on the east coast there have been many articles about the event in the media today. And some lessons appear to have been learned. An excerpt from the Huff Post article:

Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia are revising their emergency planning documents to include earthquakes. The response of many East Coast residents – many of whom fled high-rise buildings – went counter to the behavior recommended by experts during a quake.

“It’s fair to say that no one thought we’d have an earthquake,” said Christopher Geldart, director of the D.C. Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency. The agency is hoping to educate the public about what to do next time. It is even encouraging participation in a regional earthquake drill this fall.

According to a local news article, it was a very rare event – repeat interval of 2,000 years!

Housing Needs in the Aftermath of Disaster

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Housing and Disasters: Thoughts on Hurricane Katrina and Haiti.  From the Brookings Institution.

The article states some well-known facts about housing recovery, but they are worth repeating for those new to the field.  An excerpt:

But the ultimate lessons I took away from the two very different meetings are that: finding housing solutions for those displaced by disasters (either in very rich or in very poor countries) takes a long time. Long after the television cameras have moved on, when people don’t have a secure place to live, the disaster continues. Furthermore, those who seem to be most in need of housing are among the most vulnerable in the communities and are disproportionately renters rather than homeowners.

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Small-Town Recovery Effort – TED talk by 2 young residents of Monson, MA

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From a TED Talk, June 2012. Caitria and Morgan O’Neill: How to step up in the face of disaster

I found this link on the blog HomelandSecurityWatch.com, which posted an article titled Community-Powered Recovery.

Entering Monson

Unfortunately, the comments on that site were rather cynical  and frivolous about what these young ladies accomplished.  I suggested that readers dig deeper, because the Monson example is a significant one. Someone write up a full case study, because Monson is a worthwhile example of small town recovery.  Note to researchers: someone could do a  great service by documenting this example.