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Friday, January 6, 2017
2017. January 6, 2016. Public Health Emergency Weekly Report
2017. Do you know who in your community is most at-risk in a disaster?
https://www.phe.gov/ASPRBlog/pages/BlogArticlePage.aspx?PostID=222
Do you know who in your community is most at-risk in a disaster?
Author: ASPR/OPP Division of Policy and Strategic Planning
Published Date: 1/6/2017 10:10:00 AM
Category: National Health Security; Public Health Preparedness;
Published Date: 1/6/2017 10:10:00 AM
Category: National Health Security; Public Health Preparedness;
When a disaster strikes, it can harm the health of anyone in your community. However, some people are less likely to weather the storm because they may have certain medical conditions, are not able to get the help they need, or because they rely on others for help.
Helping these people during an emergency and keeping their health secure means being prepared to meet their needs. Is your community-based organization ready to serve?
Who qualifies as “at-risk”?
People who will likely have more trouble staying safe and healthy during a disaster are known as “at-risk” individuals. At-risk individuals can include people who may have specific challenges that could prevent them from getting medical care before, during, or after a disaster or emergency. This can include physical restrictions or limitations people have that make them dependent on the help or assistance of others in a disaster event, or can include poor access to services they would need in an emergency, like transportation or accommodations.
Who would I consider to be my at-risk audiences?
Many community-based organizations work with or serve at-risk individuals every day. Here are a few examples of people whose health is at risk during a disaster. Focus on one or two groups you know your organization would be able to help secure in an emergency, and start to incorporate them into your disaster preparedness and health security planning.
- Children
- Older adults
- Pregnant women
- People with physical disabilities
- Non-English speakers
- Homeless people
- People with chronic medical disorders
- People with a life dependence on medications
- People who depend on at-home medical equipment, such as ventilators
How can I best meet the needs of my at-risk audiences?
With a better idea of what types of people may qualify in your community as “at-risk,” you can now start to think about ways to incorporate them into your community health resilience and health security planning activities.
Here are some of the challenges that your organization could help address so that you can better keep your whole community healthy in a disaster.
Communication
People can only use disaster health information if they can understand it. Think about some common barriers to accessing information in your community. This can include people who are deaf or hard of hearing, speak American Sign Language, have limited to no English proficiency, are blind, or have cognitive limitations. Make sure any materials your organization develops can be understood by your community. Create targeted materials to help ensure the whole community can understand your message.
Maintaining Health
There are certain people who may require personal care assistance in the maintaining of daily activities, such as eating, dressing, and grooming. The needs of this group are unique and should have a place in your planning process. Decide how you will determine who needs help and how you will use volunteers and other resources to help them.
Independence
A sense of independence allows for people to function on their own, as long as they have the required health devices or supplies, such as diapers and formula, wheelchairs and walkers, service animals, and so on. If your organization can offer access to items like these, let other community organizations in your area know so they can include this information in their health security planning. If your organization may need items like these in a disaster event to help the people you serve, find out where you may be able to get these items in an emergency and include that information in your health security planning.
Many people rely on electricity powered medical equipment to remain independent. In a power outage, giving these people a place to plug in could save their lives or keep them out of the hospital. How many of these people are in your community? Check out the HHS emPOWER Map to find out! The HHS emPOWER Map provides information on the total number Medicare beneficiaries with electricity-dependent equipment in your state, county, or ZIP code.
Services and Support
Some people require specific behavioral or mental health needs. In the event of a disaster event, think about how people who rely on your community organization and may require support for dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, severe mental illness, and more receive these services. During a disaster, cases of domestic violence often increase. As a community organization, you may be able to offer assistance for services like these to at-risk people in the area, or you may be able to connect your audiences to other local community organizations that can help.
Transportation
There are many people who will need easy access to transportation during a disaster event or even in maintaining everyday health, regardless of disability, temporary injury, or poverty. How do you plan to get to the at-risk people in your area to assist them, or how can you help them get to your organization? Coordinate to ensure mass transit or accessible vehicles are taken into account in your health security planning.
If you know that a disaster is coming, plan to help get certain at-risk individuals the care that they need before a disaster strikes. For example, early dialysis saves lives during disasters. If there are dialysis-dependent patients in your community who lack access to transportation, help connect them with early dialysis services. Check out resources from the Kidney Community Emergency Response (KCER) Program to help with planning.
Reach out to your local health or emergency management departments to find out more about how you can help at-risk people through your community-based efforts.
There are many planning guides available to help your community organization plan. Check out the At-Risk Individuals, Behavioral Health & Community Resilience (ABC) Resource Library for guides to help you get started.
For more information and resources on national health security, please visit www.PHE.gov/NHSS.
Thursday, January 5, 2017
2017. March 22, World Water Day
World Water Day is an annual event celebrated on March 22. The day focuses attention on the importance of fresh water and advocates for the sustainable management of freshwater resources.[1]
This day was first formally proposed in Agenda 21 of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro. In 1993, the first World Water Day was designated by the United Nations General Assembly and since, each year focuses on a different issue.
Climate Change and Water Resouces. Reference. Agriculture.
Climate Change and Water Resources
Tamim Younos, Caitlin A
Grady - Science -
2014 - 221 pages
This volume presents
nine chapters prepared by international authors and highlighting various
aspects of climate change and water resources. Climate change models and
scenarios, particularly those related to precipitation projection, are
discussed and uncertainties and data deficiencies that affect the reliability
of predictions are identified. The potential impacts of climate change on
water resources (including quality) and on crop production are analyzed and
adaptation strategies for crop production are offered. Furthermore, case
studies of climate change mitigation strategies, such as the reduction of
water use and conservation measures in urban environments, are included.
This
book will serve as a valuable reference work for researchers and students in
water and environmental sciences, as well as for governmental agencies and
policy makers.
|
National Latino Farmers & Ranchers Trade Association
717 D Street, NW, Suite 400
Washington, DC 20004
202- 628- 8833
Fax: 202- 393-1816
Email: latinofarmers@live.com
Website: www.NLFRTA.org
Twitter: @NLFRTAJanuary 2017. Water is the latest battleground in Syria
http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/03/middleeast/syria-damascus-water-crisis/
By Eliza Mackintosh
Updated 6:21 PM ET, Tue January 3, 2017
Story highlights
- UN says water supply cut to 4 million people in Damascus
- Residents in the Syrian capital fear water contamination
(CNN)Nour, a housewife in Damascus, says the latest joke in the Syrian capital is also a prayer of sorts: "May the gold you hold become water."
It is a half-hearted attempt to make light of a water crisis that is impacting millions in Damascus, a city that has been relatively sheltered from the violence raging elsewhere in the country.
Nour said that her family just got water on Tuesday morning, after four days without access. Her family quickly lined up to use the shower and she switched on the washing machine. Now, when she hears the sound of the water motor running, she says it is "like a wedding."
"When the water comes, it's the same joy as a mom having a boy after 10 daughters," Nour said. She did not feel comfortable sharing her last name with CNN.
Some four million people in Damascus have suffered from acute water shortages for more than a week after springs outside the Syrian capital were targeted, the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said in a statement on December 29.
Water from the Wadi Barada and Ain al-Fija springs, which serve 70 percent of the population in and around Damascus, was cut after infrastructure was damaged in fierce clashes. OCHA described the damages as "deliberate," without saying who was responsible.
Syrian government and opposition trade blame
The Syrian government and rebel forces are trading blame for the water shortages.
Rebels claim the government destroyed the water pumping station in the Wadi Barada valley, one of the last remaining rebel-held pockets of Damascus.
The Syrian army and its allies are pushing to recapture Wadi Barada in spite of a nationwide ceasefire. The regime claims it is going after rebel groups who were excluded from the truce, like former al Qaeda affiliate Fateh al-Sham, which it says is operating in the area (although local groups deny this).
The Syrian regime has accused rebels of contaminating the springs with diesel, forcing the Damascus water authority to cut the supplies.
CNN could not independently verify these claims.
A group of pro-opposition groups and civil society organizations in Wadi Barada, including the Local Council and the Syrian Civil Defense, released a statement on Monday calling for the International Committee of the Red Cross and the United Nations to assess damages at the Ain al-Fija spring, situated northwest of the capital in a mountainous area near the border with Lebanon.
"(We express) our willingness and readiness to accompany and assist teams heading to al-Fija spring to accelerate resupplying fresh water to our people in Damascus city," the statement read. "This facilitation needs to be accompanied with activating the ceasefire in Wadi Barada region and halting the aggression conducted by the Syrian government forces backed by Hezbollah militias."
The Syrian government denies any involvement in the destruction of the springs. State-run Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported on December 27 that the springs in Wadi Barada "came out of service as a result of terrorist acts."
Fears over water contamination
In recent days, the Syrian government initiated a program of rationing and distribution to address the scarcity of water, as seen in footage released by SANA on December 30. But OCHA says the efforts aren't enough to meet the massive need.
"[People] are having to purchase water from private vendors, where prices and water quality are unregulated," OCHA said in a statement. "The UN is concerned about the lack of water which could lead to waterborne diseases, particularly among children, as well as the financial strain this is having on families."
Ghassan, a medic in Damascus city center who did not feel comfortable sharing his last name with CNN, said many people are worried that the drinking water being distributed might be contaminated. He added that residents are more concerned with finding potable water than going to the doctor.
Thomas Webber, an American resident of Damascus, told CNN that he has not had fresh water since December 28. Webber, who lives in the Al Rhoumani district, said that his two full tanks ran dry after just two days. Since then, he and his wife have been relying on a stock of bottled water for cooking and drinking. Water they fill up at a government-installed pipe near their home is used for washing and flushing the toilet.
Webber's district and the neighboring Malki district have not yet been slated to receive any deliveries, according to a government website announcing scheduled water truck stops.
"Two days ago they [the government] shared online which districts would get water, but people in districts on the list say there was no water deliveries," Webber told CNN in a phone interview.
TV advertisements are also being used to notify residents of scheduled deliveries. Webber's mother-in-law, who lives in a district near Shalan, was one of the lucky ones. She recently received a delivery from a government water truck, which filled up tanks in her home.
As water runs low, locals get creative
Webber said nearby shops are running out of bottled water and that some locals are getting water from a government-installed plastic pipe in Jawez park.
"For some reason parks are still getting water. On the 29th I found hoses going from fountains, draining fountains in the parks," Webber said. He believes that the parks are getting water from artesian wells.
He has concerns about the quality of water coming from the Jawez pipe. Ever since his wife fell ill, they have only been using it for sanitation purposes.
Webber says people are getting creative in the crisis. His local car-washer has now become the neighborhood's go-to person for water delivery.
''He started out carrying 20 liter jerry cans to and from the pipe for us and other people. Then I saw he got a pushcart. Now he has borrowed a small 4x4 jeep from a friend and he's using that. He's making more money delivering water than he ever was washing cars.''
Webber says he's trying to stay optimistic, despite the ongoing water crisis: ''The glass is still half-full, but it's emptying fast.''
Basma Atassi and Ruth Hetherington in Abu Dhabi contributed to this report.
January 5, 2017. Revisiting the Flint, Michigan, lead-in-water crisis a year after its state of emergency
https://news.uci.edu/research/revisiting-the-flint-michigan-lead-in-water-crisis-a-year-after-its-state-of-emergency/
Revisiting the Flint, Michigan, lead-in-water crisis a year after its state of emergency
“We’ve only scratched the surface,” says UCI historian Andrew Highsmith
ON
Irvine, Calif., Jan. 5, 2017 – Last year, as media coverage of Flint, Michigan’s lead-in-water crisis developed, a cautionary tale emerged about the repercussions of cost-saving infrastructure changes and lax governmental oversight, and their disproportionate effect on impoverished communities.
It began in April 2014 when the city of Flint canceled its contract with the Detroit Water and Sewage Department and began buying water from the Flint River as an interim supply, with the ultimate goal of sourcing water from Lake Huron through the Karegnondi Water Authority. KWA was building the infrastructure to make this possible.
The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality assured the public that the water met its safety standards. However, Flint officials failed to add an anti-corrosive chemical or treatment to the water to prevent lead leaching from the pipes into the water supply. As a result, lead and other toxins contaminated the water, causing widespread illness and destroying the public’s trust in the city.
A few key dates:
- Oct. 1, 2015: The Genesee County Health Department declares a public health emergency
- Dec. 14, 2015: Flint Mayor Karen Weaver declares a state of emergency
- Jan. 5, 2016: Gov. Rick Snyder declares a state of emergency
- Jan. 16, 2016: President Obama declares Flint an emergency, but not a natural disaster
We reached out to Andrew Highsmith, historian at the University of California, Irvine, and former Flint resident, for his insight into the city’s progress nearly a year later and where it might be headed in 2017.
Highsmith has studied the structural barriers to racial equality and economic opportunity in Flint for more than a decade. His book, Demolition Means Progress: Flint, Michigan, and the Fate of the American Metropolis (University of Chicago Press, 2015), is in many ways a pre-history of Flint’s water crisis. Over the past year, he has been quoted and featured as an expert in several news stories about the emergency.
Q: It’s been almost a year since President Obama declared Flint in a state of emergency. What has happened since then?
A: The city stopped using the Flint River water and reconnected to the Detroit Water and Sewage department. They addressed the root of the problem by adding corrosion inhibitors, and approximately 600 lead pipes have been replaced out of an estimated 29,000. However, this year, Flint still plans to switch to the Karegnondi Water Authority, which is problematic given the city’s history in handling the treatment of its water. Thus, we’ve only scratched the surface of restoring clean drinking water to Flint residents. Congress cleared legislation to provide $170 million to deal with the Flint crisis and help other communities with lead-tainted water. That’s a step in the right direction. Lead levels seem to be dropping in the system, but a recent test by scholars at Virginia Tech revealed that five percent of homes in the city still have more lead in their tap water than federal standards allow. That’s thousands of residents who cannot use the tap water in their homes. It’s important to note, too, that the federal standard for lead levels is itself a very minimal standard – 15 parts per billion – and is now being reconsidered. Everybody who knows lead will tell you there’s no there’s no safe amount to have in your water.
Another issue is the battle over water delivery in the city because, even with the improvements, the experts at all levels of government are saying no one should drink the water in Flint without a lead filter, or they should drink bottled water. Unfortunately, the state has challenged a court order mandating that they deliver bottled water to local residents who don’t have properly installed filters. Furthermore, a lot of people in Flint are homebound, or have no access to a car or other transit to get to the pick-up stations. Imagine having to cook, bathe, clean and go about your life using bottled water.
To sum it up, there have been some signs of encouragement, yet this crisis lingers. There’s a general cynicism about the ability of the government to solve this problem.
Q: Is the incoming presidential administration expected to affect the Flint crisis?
A: President-elect Donald Trump’s selection of Scott Pruitt to head the Environmental Protection Agency could affect Flint’s long-term push to replace its pipes. I anticipate pushback over the new, more aggressive lead-in-water rules the EPA is considering – in part because of what happened in Flint. We’ll have to see what happens with the new EPA director who’s an opponent of regulation.
As it is, the EPA’s insufficient monitoring of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality and whistleblower complaints submitted there contributed to the problem. Many months transpired between initial reports and any concrete action. This case suggests a lot of policy remedies, but the main lesson is that we need regulations and the aggressive enforcement. In Flint, the regulations were in place, but were not enforced. And that baffles scientists, because it’s common knowledge that when you have a corrosive river water supply, you add anti-corrosive phosphates. If we get into situations where the regulations themselves are compromised, then that’s an even more grievous situation.
We also can expect additional activism surrounding Flint in 2017. Given the success of the No-DAPL (Dakota Access Pipeline) movement, and the fact that the city is on veteran activist Wes Clark Jr.’s radar, as well as Flint being a hotbed for grassroots activism, I anticipate we will see people coming together to protest any delay of progress.
Q: How does Flint illuminate the convergence of race and environmental issues?
A: We can compare the Flint and the anti-Dakota-Access-Pipeline scenarios. You have poor communities facing infrastructure issues – both real and potential – that prioritize some lives over others. In Flint, citizens believe that this kind of disaster wouldn’t have happened in an all-white suburb. It’s an indication that black and brown lives, and poor white people’s lives, aren’t as valued as more affluent white lives. And the way in which this has been handled – at all levels of government – really confirms that sensibility.
If we want to understand this as a social justice issue, we also have to go a little deeper and think about how it came to be that Flint, a majority black city, is surrounded by nearly all-white suburbs – 90 percent white. We’ve got to think about the legacy of segregation, and how the utility system is fragmented along political and jurisdictional divisions. The crisis unfolded only in Flint and marginalized people have had to bear a disproportionate burden.
Q: What is next for your research?
A: My current book project, Toxic Metropolis: Cities, Suburbs, and the Battle over Public Health in Modern America, is a much broader national and trans-national study of health inequality in modern America. It’s not set in one particular place, but, certainly, the story of Flint will appear in it.
I address the relationship between metropolitan development and public health. There are patterns in where and how close we live to toxic facilities. As an urban historian, I’ve realized that we haven’t really thought enough about how inequality takes shape at the level of the body. The Flint water crisis really confirmed this for me.
People often take for granted the association between where they live and their health. But historians can provide a deeper understanding of how health inequities have emerged over time and, hopefully, a sense of how to ensure all people – no matter their race or socioeconomic status – have access to the resources they need to live healthful lives.
About the University of California, Irvine: Founded in 1965, UCI is the youngest member of the prestigious Association of American Universities. The campus has produced three Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and anteater mascot. Led by Chancellor Howard Gillman, UCI has more than 30,000 students and offers 192 degree programs. It’s located in one of the world’s safest and most economically vibrant communities and is Orange County’s second-largest employer, contributing $5 billion annually to the local economy. For more on UCI, visit www.uci.edu.
Media access: Radio programs/stations may, for a fee, use an on-campus ISDN line to interview UCI faculty and experts, subject to availability and university approval. For more UCI news, visit news.uci.edu. Additional resources for journalists may be found at communications.uci.edu/for-journalists.