"We're Having A Heatwave"...the new urban disaster?

[mycrofft]

Here's the recipe:

1. Take aging and overloaded/precarious local electricity delivery systems embedded in a bearably coordinated dynamic power grid .
2. Add an increasing frequency and length of stretches of days with temperatures much higher than "normal".
3. Add a population containing an increased percentage of people on fixed or very low incomes.

Add one strategically placed thunderstorm, tornado, hurricane, sunspot surge, or computer cyber attack.

Right now we are undergoing this on the east coast, and we have had similar occurrences prior of varying degrees and sizes. What are YOUR experiences with this sort of condition?

 

[mycrofft]

as a followup:

Other affects beside heat related illnesses and injuries:
1. Loss of refrigeration leading to loss of much food and decrease of some foods' availability.
2. Loss of electricity means no lights or cash registers or ATMs or operating gas pumps or microwave /electric ovens or TV or Internet....
3. Competition for space and crowding in cooling centers, crowding in such centers.
4. In some areas, loss of pumps for sewage, water, and storm drainage, including one family sump pumps and wells.

Others? Seeing any of this? (Public Radio reports the owner of a Panera's Bread restaurant having to "run people off" who are camping in their A/C, running water, wifi etc etc.

 

[Melclin]

During the black saturday bush fires in which about 180 people were killed and about 450 injured the the emergency management division of our state ambulance service noted that the larger emergency being dealt with at the same time, in terms of morbidity and mortality, complexity of providing adequate resources and stress put on the system was the concurrent wave of heat related illnesses in metropolitan Melbourne.

People don't think about these things when they talk about disasters but they are far more common and use as many if not more resources. They also tend to be protracted. Days and weeks rather than a few hours. Puts incredible stress on the workforce let alone the other parts of the system. But we don't talk about them.

 

[EpiEMS]

Right now we are undergoing this on the east coast, and we have had similar occurrences prior of varying degrees and sizes. What are YOUR experiences with this sort of condition?

Don't forget about older folks and those with chronic illnesses.

 

[mycrofft]

During a heat wave in 1981, without a concurrent power outage, we had elderly and chronically ill people being hospitalized and found dead in their homes. Got to be where the local (Lincoln Nebraska) radio stations were asking people to donate fans.

 

[Achilles]

Most of the country will have triple digits by the end of the week. Which is very uncommon for Michigan!
I just hope no body strikes a brush fire tomorrow.

 

[Anjel]

Most of the country will have triple digits by the end of the week. Which is very uncommon for Michigan!
I just hope no body strikes a brush fire tomorrow.

Im so sad with this heat.

Bring on the snow!

 

[lightsandsirens5]

Got a bit of wet snow/sleet here today. It was just for about five minutes....but still.

Oh mycrofft, don't forget EMP.

 

[Achilles]

Im so sad with this heat.

Bring on the snow!

I love snow because of snowplowing and the actual reason to be happy at night. The nut jobs are off the road from 0000-0700 and I get 105 an hour after expenses.


At least your dress is probably white

 

[mycrofft]

Lightsandsirens, remember Nature's EMP: Solar Flare.
Even if they do't take down the power grid, they screw up radio commo. The heat wave I cited above we also had a lot of solar activity, the Motorola network for Lincoln (1981) was so buggered that we could hear Orlando Florida and someone speaking Spanish but not across town.

 

[akflightmedic]

the Motorola network for Lincoln (1981) was so buggered that we could hear Orlando Florida

It was not me....I was just a wee one then.

 

[Melclin]

Because I'm a bored nerd.

Yes lets talk disasters. I love disaster talk. If I may, I'd like to add some fuel to the fire mycrofft...

From the WADEM guidelines for evaluation and reporting of disasters
http://www.wadem.org/guidelines.html

A disaster: "A precipitous or gradual decline in the overall health status of a community with which it is unable to cope adequately".

The use of this definition requires an assessment of the pre-disaster event health status of the affected community. By definition, the disaster begins when it first is recognized as a disaster, and is overcome when the health status of the community is restored to its pre-event state. Responses to disaster aim to:

(1) Reverse adverse health effects caused by the event;

(2) Modify the hazard responsible for the event (reducing the risk of the occurrence of another event);

(3) Decrease the vulnerability (increase the resiliency) of the society to future events; and

(4) Improve disaster preparedness to respond to future events.

Model of a disaster:

With these aims in mind in regards to heat waves:
We cannot change affect the hazard directly; we cannot modify it or prevent it, meaning we cannot reduce the risk that an event (a heat wave) will occur.

We cannot modify location based factors and heat is pretty much widespread, so we can't modify the impact.

What we can do is augment our vulnerability by increasing resilience. The response phase is all very interesting but once its done and dusted, EMS response is disasters are discussed quite often.

But lets get involved in the the first two parts of resilience. Buffering capacity is probably less relevant given that we're talking about reasonably short term disasters (weeks, not years). Absorbing capacity is what I'm interested in.

Now take the following from and essay I wrote in 2nd year:

In the next twenty years, Australia’s population is predicted to age such that almost 25% of the population will be over 65 years old (1). This has many serious implications for the provision of healthcare. Currently, although only comprising approximately 15% percent of the population (2), Australians over 65 utilize 3 times the amount health resources (in terms of cost) used by the remaining 85% of people under 65 (3,4). Given that the population is aging, it is reasonable to expect a concomitant rise in the demand for care as ambulance usage has been shown to increase with age. (5,6).

I assume the same is true of the US.

Given the combination of an ageing population and an already strained ability to cope with heat related events, EMS has a role in organising and improving absorbing capacity in the population. Discuss.

 

[mycrofft]

Ems role in heat related illness emergencies

By EMS I presume we are talking about prehospital providers like EMTs and paramedics working in ambulances, or IFT, and fire service. (Please add in any UK/NZ/Australia additionals).

Since such folks are not very powerful but carry some authority and in many cases a legal responsibility in regards to the elderly and the young, the key may be the following:
1. Analyze the pathways leading to admission for heat-related illnesses related to heat waves.
2. Pick the point in the pathway where small additions can cause improved outcomes and/or fewer presentations.
3. Figure out a way to affect it.

Measures that have helped in the past:

1. Set up, publicize and conduct a fan collection, cleaning and redistribution program.
2. Get involved with community cooling stations, public transport to them, community pools, and other means for people at risk to keep cooler. Spread information about these to your clientele.
3. Distribute pamphlets (see local agencies to get some) to clients and etc. educating people about their alternatives.
4. If you find or know people at risk due to poverty, simply no A/C, lack of transportation, ask them if you may notify someone (city or County perhaps) who might have some solutions.

The bigger issue I think of here where it gets and stays hot, is heat leading to/concurrent with electrical outages

 

[mycrofft]

Stausu check...all okay?

How are the heat waves going now? Our most recent hot pulse in Calif ought to be hitting the east coast about NOW.....

 

[DVetter]

Heat wave power outage

During our last power outage we responded to numerous calls for home O2 systems out of service due to no electricity. These older folks begin to panic and don't have the strength to connect their nasal canulas to the reserve O2 cylinders. Also we responded to a man who was stuck in the recline position in his lazy boy electric recliner and couldn't get out due to the power failure.

You never know what the next call will bring.

 

[mycrofft]

Wow, never thought of that/those!

 

[mycrofft]

Summer's over. How did it go?

?...........