As Hurricane Florence approaches the Carolinas, I wonder is there anywhere left on the planet safe from a natural disaster? Even for those of us who are prepared, are we mindful of the vulnerabilities of our neighbors who might need extra assistance? Of vulnerable populations right within or a short distance from our community?
One measure of the strength of a community’s response and recovery system is its attentiveness to its most vulnerable citizens–children, the frail elderly, the disabled, and the impoverished and disenfranchised. It is a cruel fact: disasters discriminate.
… there are some individuals and groups who are highly and permanently vulnerable to many hazards, and to many consequences. This includes the frail elderly; people living with chronic sensory, mobility, or cognitive impairments; and individuals dependent upon assistive devices or complex medical regimens in order to survive National Center for Disaster Preparedness
Earlier today, a New Republic article Hurricane Florence Is a Public Health Emergency, Too focused on the inequities of disasters on low income communities, noting: “With its hog manure pits, coal waste ponds, and toxic Superfund sites, North Carolina is among the worst places a major cyclone could hit.”
A huge swarth of the state’s population resides in the coastal lowlands, also home to 9 million hogs, which produce nearly 10 billion gallons of feces annually. Excessive rainfall will cause overflowing of the open-air pits which store their excrement, exposing residents to salmonella, giardia and E coli.
The eastern section of the state poses a significant risk because of large coal ash pits, which contain dangerous heavy metals such as arsenic, lead, mercury, cadmium, chromium and selenium. (Coal Ash: Hazardous to Human Health).
Additionally, the EPA has a close eye on nine Superfund sites in the area, sites which house hazardous chemicals and pesticides.
“There’s a lot of poverty in those communities,” says Irwin Redlener, the director of Columbia University’s National Center for Disaster Preparedness. “You’re more vulnerable to everything,” he said. “Your health problems are more prevalent and severe. You won’t have the access or ability to purchase medications. You’re more likely to be uninsured.”
Hurricane Precipitation Levels and Climate Change
"For Hurricane Florence, we present the first advance forecasted attribution statements about the human influence on a tropical cyclone. We find that rainfall will be significantly increased by over 50% in the heaviest precipitating parts of the storm … We further find that the storm will remain at a high category on the SaffirSimpson scale for a longer duration and that the storm is approximately 80 km in diameter larger at landfall because of the human interference in the climate system." Reed et al, Stonybrook.
Hurricane Florence Relief Fund
In partnership with community-based organizations in the eastern part of the state, NC WARN has established the Hurricane Florence Emergency Relief and Recovery Fund. This fund will support groups that do not have the capacity to receive online donations, but who are already providing leadership and offering direct services to those bearing the brunt of economic and environmental devastation. It is critical that we provide support for the people who have yet to recover from Hurricane Matthew 2 years ago, and face severe threats now. Distribution of funds will be determined by an advisory committee of environmental justice leaders from our partnering groups.
|
|
|
|
“We see time and time again that those most in need before a disaster strikes are the most vulnerable afterward,” Jeff Schlegelmilch and Irwin Redlener report in The Hill. “Whether the elderly, those living with medical dependencies who rely on community services and infrastructure, or those living in poverty with limited resources to draw on even in the absence of disasters, disruptions will impact them more than others. Children are particularly vulnerable and often overlooked in disaster management.
“Special attention to these groups pre- and post-storm is required as their needs are not always visible to the response nor are they empowered to advocate for themselves.”
Disaster Preparedness: Are You Ready?
Checklist
- Water - one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days, for drinking and sanitation
- Food - at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food
- Battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert
- Flashlight
- First aid kit
- Extra batteries
- Whistle to signal for help
- Dust mask to help filter contaminated air and plastic sheeting and duct tape to shelter-in-place
- Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation
- Wrench or pliers to turn off utilities
- Manual can opener for food
- Local maps
- Cell phone with chargers and a backup battery
Kitchen Table Kibitzing is a community series for those who wish to share part of the evening around a virtual kitchen table with readers of Daily Kos who aren’t throwing pies at one another. Drop by and tell us about your weather, your garden, or what you cooked for supper. Newcomers may notice that many who post diaries and comments in this series already know one another to some degree, but we welcome guests at our kitchen table, and hope to make some new friends as well.