for specific types of natural disasters
Helpful for any natural disaster
Weather Mapping and GIS Tools
Below are a few interactive GIS maps that I have found helpful for planning, policy development, and getting real-time info during an event. The HHS emPOWER Map is a brand new mapping tool for EPR folks as they plan to meet the emergency needs of community residents who rely on electrically powered medical and assistive equipment to live independently at home. I will continue to add new tools to this list as I find them-- and please email me to share any other good finds!
Weather Links:
National Weather Service: http://www.nws.noaa.gov
Storm Prediction Center: http://www.spc.noaa.gov/
Weather Prediction Center: http://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/
National Hurricane Center: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov
Get Free Weather Alerts: http://inws.wrh.noaa.gov
Storm Prediction Center: http://www.spc.noaa.gov/
Weather Prediction Center: http://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/
National Hurricane Center: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov
Get Free Weather Alerts: http://inws.wrh.noaa.gov
Climate Change
Below are a compilation of major public health reports that examine the effects of climate change — including extreme heat, floods, drought and extreme weather, and indirect effects ranging from food insecurity to air pollution. These conditions have been shown to impact people’s health through asthma, malnutrition, cardiovascular disease and infectious disease, among other conditions. With vulnerable populations at greatest risk, such as the elderly, those with chronic disease and the poor.
ASTHO Extreme Weather and Climate Readiness Toolkit for State Health Departments
Recognizing that the changing climate is a significant threat to the health of our communities, the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) recently created a toolkit to help agencies enhance program readiness.The toolkit offers practical steps for integrating climate readiness into seven public health topic areas: air quality, water safety, vector-borne and zoonotic disease, food safety, chemical safety, healthy sustainable communities and injury prevention, and natural disaster emergency preparedness. Worksheets have been provided throughout the toolkit to assist readers in performing Climate Readiness Assessments in each topic area.
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2015 Lancet Commission on Health and Climate Change
The 2015 Lancet Commission on Health and Climate Change maps out the impacts of climate change, and the necessary policy responses, to ensure the highest attainable standards of health for populations worldwide. This Commission believes that the resultant climate change poses a range of threats to human health and survival in multiple, interacting ways (see image on left). Impacts can be direct (eg, heatwaves and extreme weather events such as a storm, forest fire, flood, or drought) or indirectly mediated through the effects of climate change on ecosystems (eg, agricultural losses and changing patterns of disease), economies, and social structure (eg, migration and conflict). The Lancet Report summarizes the evidence attributing climate change to specific extreme weather events, outlining the role that climate change is playing in the present day. It demonstrates increasing certainty that climate change significantly alters the probability of extreme weather, most often in directions that have dangerous health consequences.
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New Tools and Data from the White House
The White House Innovation for Disaster Response and Recovery Initiative was launched by the Administration in response to Hurricane Sandy. The idea is to find the most effective ways for technology to empower survivors, first responders, and all levels of government with critical information and resources. In addition to a list of apps and tools, the portal brings together and categorizes open data sets (good for research) and special landing pages for America's favorite natural disasters, such as earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, and tornadoes.
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