I'm sorry, you're all probably already sick of hearing this, but I have to say it: Winter is coming. Alright, got that out of my system.
Winter Storm Cleon is upon us, and you know what that means: at least a couple more weeks before anyone remembers what snow or ice covered roads are like to drive on. I'll give you all a hint: SLOW THE HELL DOWN. Here in Eau Claire, we barely have any snow yet and I've already seen some accidents. Didn't most of us up here grow up with snow?
Anyway, moving on. A huge swath of the country has, is, or is about to be affected by Cleon. Death and destruction aren't usually in the wake of a winter storm, but school closings and fender-benders are pretty common. Though most of the places to get hit by the storm are fully prepared for snow, there's only so many snowplows you can fit on the roads at a time. Roads and interstates all through the North, from Oregon to Minnesota, are being temporarily closed to deal with the extra snow.
Like it or not, winter is here. So brace yourselves. Or better yet, go sledding or something. The nice thing about living up here is that snow storms are usually the worst of our weather problems, and they can even be a little bit fun. After what happened in the Philippines last month, I don't want to hear anyone bitch about snow.
http://www.naturaldisastersnews.net/disaster-news/natural-disasters-events-archive-of-all-natural-disasters-news/coldwave-snowstorms/1815-2013-12-02-03-snowstorm-in-midwestern-usa
http://www.weather.com/news/weather-winter/winter-storm-cleon-update-20131202
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Yolanda Haiyan
Its been about a month now since Typhoon Haiyan (or Typhoon Yolanda as it's known in the Philippines. You know, I think it was a big enough storm that it warrants a last name too. Super Typhoon Yolanda Haiyan?) hit the Philippines. Over 5,000 people were directly killed. That number will surely grow as time goes on, since Haiyan stripped away food and shelter from millions. This all came at a time when the Philippines was one of the worlds fastest growing economies. This could be a massive set back for the nation. Some, however, like Asian Institute of Management Economist Ronald Mendoza, believe there is a silver lining to this horrifying disaster. Mendoza thinks that it could be an opportunity to improve impoverished areas and infrastructure during the rebuilding process. To rise like a phoenix, as it were. Not only that, but showing an ambition and drive to rebuild even better than before could also send a positive message to the rest of the world. The economy of the Philippines could continue to be one of the fastest growing.
The nations government is also upgrading disaster defenses. This includes planting mangroves along areas of the coast to help mitigate storm surges. If you head over the "Images" page of this blog, or visit www.stopdisastersgame.com, you'll see why I mention mangroves. If cheap Internet flash-games are any indication, a few mangroves can go a long way.On a side note, since hazard education can also go a long way, I stumbled across an episode of Sesame Street that was dedicated to dealing with storm damage. I don't even know if kids still like that show or not, but the entire episode is on YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEz1yb3WPwA). It might help kids out there cope with the emotions they have to deal with after an event like this.
http://www.naturaldisastersnews.net/statistics-datas/statistics-datas-news/1774-philippines-counts-the-cost-of-typhoon-haiyan
http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2013/11/25/as-weeks-pass-massiverecoveryeffortcomesintofocusinphilippines.html
Thursday, November 7, 2013
Resilience
It's been about a year since Sandy dug her claws into the Eastern seaboard. In the past week, there have been plenty of articles, airtime, slide shows, blogs, tweets, posts, etc, etc, along the lines of "A Look Back at Sandy: One Year Later." Putting aside the many sources that discussed why the government did/didn't do their job correctly, I started to notice a trend. There was a lot of "feel good" articles about people 'picking themselves up by their boot straps' and 'not backing down' and the 'good ol' fashioned American/New Yorker resiliance'. I started to get the impression that moving out of a hazardous area was weak, cowardly, and un-American.
Take this article I found on The New York Times website (Link 1 at bottom). A mans house is destroyed by Sandy, so he rebuilds a bigger, better house entirely on his own. The single, 34 year old strength and conditioning coach for a university has spent the last six months building this new home all by his lonesome to save money. Powerful stuff, right? Or this article (Link 2 at bottom) about a man who's wine shop was destroyed a year ago. He now has a white line circling the establishment about 6 ft off the ground; the height of the flood waters. He keeps it there as a reminder of the past.
These are interesting stories, showcasing strong-willed folks that haven't let a disaster ruin their lives. I mean, constructing a house entirely on your own is probably the most manly thing a guy can do. About the only thing that would have made the story more manly is if he would have cut all the trees down himself, too. But what about the people that made the decision to get out? Is this not also resilience? If a person realizes
that the threat associated with where they live is too great, are they weaker than a guy that rebuilds in the same spot?
“It’s built into our culture. We take pride in toughing it out, in building back stronger. After disasters, we make T-shirts that say ‘I survived,’” said David Salvesen, who is deputy director at the Center for Sustainable Community Design at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. This seemed to sum up what I was seeing in the media.
At least one community is cutting their losses and moving out. Fox Beach, a community on Staten Island, took a buyout program offered by federal and state governments. The government bought their houses for pre-disaster prices plus some extra to help move on. The area will then be demolished and nature will take over.
“It is more resilient that we started fresh,” said Samantha Langello, who moved out of Fox Beach with her family after Sandy. “I didn’t lie down and roll over because I walked away from my home. I picked myself up. I put a roof over my kids’ head within days of the storm. I didn’t stand here with my hand out. I acted. And I made the situation better for my family. That’s resilience to me.”
Sometimes, we have to do what we have to do. If that means leaving our home, so be it. That's not giving up. That's not weakness. Quite the opposite, in fact. A community will always be filled with memories, especially if you are raising a family there. It will always be difficult to leave. But doing what's best to keep your family safe should be paramount to a sense of pride, which is why I don't consider it the slightest bit cowardly.
Sure, building a house by yourself is pretty badass, but is it smart? We need to keep this in mind when disasters like this do occur.
Link 1 http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/30/nyregion/what-hurricane-sandy-destroyed-a-man-rebuilds-by-hand.html
Link 2 http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/29/nyregion/turning-hurricane-sandys-scars-into-badges-of-survival.html
http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2013/10/29/after-sandy-resiliencyforsomemeansrebuildingsomewhereelse.html
Take this article I found on The New York Times website (Link 1 at bottom). A mans house is destroyed by Sandy, so he rebuilds a bigger, better house entirely on his own. The single, 34 year old strength and conditioning coach for a university has spent the last six months building this new home all by his lonesome to save money. Powerful stuff, right? Or this article (Link 2 at bottom) about a man who's wine shop was destroyed a year ago. He now has a white line circling the establishment about 6 ft off the ground; the height of the flood waters. He keeps it there as a reminder of the past.These are interesting stories, showcasing strong-willed folks that haven't let a disaster ruin their lives. I mean, constructing a house entirely on your own is probably the most manly thing a guy can do. About the only thing that would have made the story more manly is if he would have cut all the trees down himself, too. But what about the people that made the decision to get out? Is this not also resilience? If a person realizes
that the threat associated with where they live is too great, are they weaker than a guy that rebuilds in the same spot?
“It’s built into our culture. We take pride in toughing it out, in building back stronger. After disasters, we make T-shirts that say ‘I survived,’” said David Salvesen, who is deputy director at the Center for Sustainable Community Design at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. This seemed to sum up what I was seeing in the media.At least one community is cutting their losses and moving out. Fox Beach, a community on Staten Island, took a buyout program offered by federal and state governments. The government bought their houses for pre-disaster prices plus some extra to help move on. The area will then be demolished and nature will take over.
“It is more resilient that we started fresh,” said Samantha Langello, who moved out of Fox Beach with her family after Sandy. “I didn’t lie down and roll over because I walked away from my home. I picked myself up. I put a roof over my kids’ head within days of the storm. I didn’t stand here with my hand out. I acted. And I made the situation better for my family. That’s resilience to me.”
Sometimes, we have to do what we have to do. If that means leaving our home, so be it. That's not giving up. That's not weakness. Quite the opposite, in fact. A community will always be filled with memories, especially if you are raising a family there. It will always be difficult to leave. But doing what's best to keep your family safe should be paramount to a sense of pride, which is why I don't consider it the slightest bit cowardly.
Sure, building a house by yourself is pretty badass, but is it smart? We need to keep this in mind when disasters like this do occur.
Link 1 http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/30/nyregion/what-hurricane-sandy-destroyed-a-man-rebuilds-by-hand.html
Link 2 http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/29/nyregion/turning-hurricane-sandys-scars-into-badges-of-survival.html
http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2013/10/29/after-sandy-resiliencyforsomemeansrebuildingsomewhereelse.html
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Japan hit again
 |
| Figure 1- Izu Oshima |
It wasn't the wind or the water that directly caused most of the damage and loss of life, though. Huge landslides were caused by the storm, burying people alive in their own houses.
Thankfully, the island did receive support in the form of police officers from Tokyo and helicopters from the military to assist in rescue operations.
Mayor Masafumi Kawashima publicly apologized on October 17th, following the storm. Leading up to the typhoon hitting the island, officials warned of flooding as the rain increased in intensity, but never issued an evacuation. Kawashima was concerned that an evacuation in the middle of the night would cause more harm that good.
The Mayor apologized because, in hindsight, he thought an evacuation could have helped, and said "It's my deepest regret and I will not forget this."
While the loss of life is certainly a tragedy, the most astonishing outcome of Typhoon Wipha is that a politician voluntarily said "I'm sorry" for something.
http://www.weather.com/news/weather-hurricanes/typhoon-wipha-update-evacuation-could-have-saved-lives-japan-20131017
http://www.naturaldisastersnews.net/disaster-news/natural-disasters-events-archive-of-all-natural-disasters-news/tropical-cyclones/1684-2013-10-15-16-typhoon-wipha-strikes-japan-48-killed
http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/515665/20131022/japan-typhoon-wipha-survivors-francisco-tokyo.htm
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
While the Cat's Away
The shutdown of the US federal government has been causing quite a stir lately. Some things are simply inconvenient while the country is closed for business, such as not being able to access national parks or even government websites. Some problems are more major, like thousands of government employees not receiving a paycheck (not including Congress, obviously). Personally, I'm just upset that I can no longer start ludicrous petitions that no one cares about at whitehouse.gov.
But for states that live with the threat of earthquakes on a daily basis, things could be more than just 'inconvenient'. The US Geological Survey (USGS) Earthquake Hazards Program has been forced to reduce or suspend many of it's operations. This could be bad news for those living on the west coast. 24/7 monitoring of seismic activity by the National Earthquake Information Center may not be possible with over half of the employees on furlough. The speed and accuracy of this information will inevitably be affected, as well as simply accessing the data that is being processed. Early detection, warning, and ability to communicate the hazards to the affected population is the best way to mitigate death and injury during and earthquake. Unfortunately, we may be caught with our pants down if something does happen anytime soon.
Another key component to saving lives during a disaster is making sure the folks living there are properly educated about these hazards before they have to experience them first hand. This process is also being hampered by the government shutdown. October 17th is 'The Great ShakeOut', an earthquake preparedness exercise taking place across the world. The USGS has been forced to cancel many events they had planned on attending, thanks to a lack of employees and funding.
But for states that live with the threat of earthquakes on a daily basis, things could be more than just 'inconvenient'. The US Geological Survey (USGS) Earthquake Hazards Program has been forced to reduce or suspend many of it's operations. This could be bad news for those living on the west coast. 24/7 monitoring of seismic activity by the National Earthquake Information Center may not be possible with over half of the employees on furlough. The speed and accuracy of this information will inevitably be affected, as well as simply accessing the data that is being processed. Early detection, warning, and ability to communicate the hazards to the affected population is the best way to mitigate death and injury during and earthquake. Unfortunately, we may be caught with our pants down if something does happen anytime soon.Another key component to saving lives during a disaster is making sure the folks living there are properly educated about these hazards before they have to experience them first hand. This process is also being hampered by the government shutdown. October 17th is 'The Great ShakeOut', an earthquake preparedness exercise taking place across the world. The USGS has been forced to cancel many events they had planned on attending, thanks to a lack of employees and funding.
Speaking of being caught with our pants down, lets hope the metaphorical shit doesn't hit the proverbial fan before our nation's leaders learn to play nice with each other.
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
It's not all Doom and Destruction
Instead of just another post about a vengeful Mother Nature, I wanted to take a moment to talk about things we are doing to help mitigate disasters. Natural hazards will always be here; there is simply nothing we can do about it. But we can work to stop these hazards from becoming destructive disasters.
The ESA (European Space Agency) is working towards just that. When flood disasters occur, it is often difficult for response teams to get current, reliable flood data, especially when out in the field on a rescue operation. FAAPS (Fully Automatic Aqua Processing Service) was developed to give emergency management folks, both in offices and in the field, access to current, large-scale flood extent data. FAAPS can also be used before an event occurs to strengthen areas where flooding is high risk, as well as post-event to assess damage.
Even better; it's not just for the pros. Not only can this data be utilized by professional GIS (Geographical Information System) devices, but also by computer, tablets, and smartphones. Civilians caught in a disaster (or just before a disaster) may be able to use this data in the form of a simple phone app to save valuables or even lives.
As far as I was able to figure out, however, it is only up and running in Europe. On the FAAPS site (http://desktop.faaps.eu/), no flooding in the Western Hemisphere is shown. And a search for the smart-phone app turned up nothing. I wasn't able to find out any more information about it other than on the ESA website either.
While this strategy falls only in the engineering paradigm of dealing with hazards, and does little on its own to address more complex issues or mitigate future disasters, it should be a strong technological ally when disasters do occur. Seconds really do matter when people are in trouble and rescue teams head out to do their jobs, and having easy access to reliable data can make a huge difference.
http://www.naturaldisastersnews.net/mitigation-news/risk-forecast-warning-news/1639-esa-satellite-flood-maps-reach-crisis-teams-via-internet#.UlWWjlCfjXs
http://iap.esa.int/projects/security/faaps
http://desktop.faaps.eu/
Even better; it's not just for the pros. Not only can this data be utilized by professional GIS (Geographical Information System) devices, but also by computer, tablets, and smartphones. Civilians caught in a disaster (or just before a disaster) may be able to use this data in the form of a simple phone app to save valuables or even lives.
As far as I was able to figure out, however, it is only up and running in Europe. On the FAAPS site (http://desktop.faaps.eu/), no flooding in the Western Hemisphere is shown. And a search for the smart-phone app turned up nothing. I wasn't able to find out any more information about it other than on the ESA website either.
While this strategy falls only in the engineering paradigm of dealing with hazards, and does little on its own to address more complex issues or mitigate future disasters, it should be a strong technological ally when disasters do occur. Seconds really do matter when people are in trouble and rescue teams head out to do their jobs, and having easy access to reliable data can make a huge difference.
http://www.naturaldisastersnews.net/mitigation-news/risk-forecast-warning-news/1639-esa-satellite-flood-maps-reach-crisis-teams-via-internet#.UlWWjlCfjXs
http://iap.esa.int/projects/security/faaps
http://desktop.faaps.eu/
Thursday, September 26, 2013
It's rude to interrupt
A 7.7-magnitude earthquake blundered into Pakistan on Tuesday, apparently oblivious to the fact that people were busy shooting at each other. I've never been in combat, but I assume it's pretty hard to fire a rifle when the Earth herself is trying to shrug you off her shoulder like a piece of dandruff.
The quake struck on Tuesday in the poor, remote, sparsely populated Pakistani province of Balochistan. The death toll is currently 365, with over 600 more injured. Because of how isolated the area is, however, some affected areas are still inaccessible, meaning those numbers are sure to be much higher. Most homes in the region are made of mud brick, meaning entire villages were wiped out. And something tells me that these folks don't have earthquake insurance. Thousands of people are left with no shelter, no drinking water, and in some cases no rescue.
All this ruckus wasn't enough to get some people out of the mood, though. Two rockets were fired at a helicopter heading into the earthquake zone carrying Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority chairman. OK, I'll admit that I know nothing about this conflict. I'm not about to take any sides. I just think there were probably more important things to consider at the time. Like all the dead and dying people. Maybe set down the RPG and help move some rubble?
When disasters strike in areas as impoverished as this, with little to no rescue plans in place, STOP TRYING TO KILL PEOPLE. Politics should take a back seat to saving innocent lives. It's hard enough getting aid to stranded people without having to worry about being blown up.
http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/26/world/asia/pakistan-earthquake/?hpt=hp_t2
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-24222760
http://www.naturaldisastersnews.net/disaster-news/natural-disasters-events-archive-of-all-natural-disasters-news/earthquakes/1612-2013-09-24-mw-7-7-earthquake-in-south-west-pakistan-at-least-348-killed#.UkSy4YafjXs
The quake struck on Tuesday in the poor, remote, sparsely populated Pakistani province of Balochistan. The death toll is currently 365, with over 600 more injured. Because of how isolated the area is, however, some affected areas are still inaccessible, meaning those numbers are sure to be much higher. Most homes in the region are made of mud brick, meaning entire villages were wiped out. And something tells me that these folks don't have earthquake insurance. Thousands of people are left with no shelter, no drinking water, and in some cases no rescue.
All this ruckus wasn't enough to get some people out of the mood, though. Two rockets were fired at a helicopter heading into the earthquake zone carrying Pakistan's National Disaster Management Authority chairman. OK, I'll admit that I know nothing about this conflict. I'm not about to take any sides. I just think there were probably more important things to consider at the time. Like all the dead and dying people. Maybe set down the RPG and help move some rubble?When disasters strike in areas as impoverished as this, with little to no rescue plans in place, STOP TRYING TO KILL PEOPLE. Politics should take a back seat to saving innocent lives. It's hard enough getting aid to stranded people without having to worry about being blown up.
http://www.cnn.com/2013/09/26/world/asia/pakistan-earthquake/?hpt=hp_t2
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-24222760
http://www.naturaldisastersnews.net/disaster-news/natural-disasters-events-archive-of-all-natural-disasters-news/earthquakes/1612-2013-09-24-mw-7-7-earthquake-in-south-west-pakistan-at-least-348-killed#.UkSy4YafjXs
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