Posts Tagged ‘disaster management’

After Fukushima, uncertainty escalated fear

KING’S COLLEGE LONDON (UK) — To reduce the psychological aftershocks of major disasters like the 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident, people need access to clear and credible information. Continue…

Monday, September 24, 2012 11:59 - 0 Comments

Health & Medicine - Jul 19, 2012 12:24 - 1 Comment

Estimate predicts Fukushima’s toll at 130 deaths

STANFORD (US) — Radiation from Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster may eventually cause approximately 130 deaths and 180 cases of cancer, mostly in Japan, researchers say. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Jan 20, 2012 11:21 - 1 Comment

Sunlight-oil mix is deadly for fish embryos

UC DAVIS (US) — In shallow water, even small oil spills can have a significant effect on marine life, according to new research that indicates common chemical analyses of oil spills may be inadequate. (more…)

Finding a ‘new normal’ in Japan

UNC-CHAPEL HILL (US) — Many survivors of Japan’s triple disaster are facing a hard emotional reality: The “old normal” is gone. Now the search for a new normal begins, says a mental trauma expert. (more…)

Science & Technology - Sep 8, 2010 14:30 - 0 Comments

Predicting an oil spill’s next move

UC SANTA BARBARA (US)—A new way to forecast the spread of oil spills has helped pinpoint where and when oil would wash ashore in the Gulf of Mexico—days in advance. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Jun 29, 2010 11:41 - 6 Comments

How nature cleans up a big oily mess

NYU (US)—What if cleaning up the oil in the Gulf of Mexico wasn’t a matter of choosing between harsh chemical dispersants, labor-intensive skimming, and potentially dangerous burns? Nature may have already provided the ideal weapons: biosurfactants. (more…)

Earth & Environment - May 4, 2010 19:48 - 0 Comments

Recovery efforts more destructive than spill?

INDIANA U. (US)—While the initial effects of the massive Gulf Coast oil leak could be devastating to coastal wetlands and beaches, the subsequent cleanup could be even more damaging to the sensitive ecosystems, says a wetlands expert at Indiana University. (more…)

Society & Culture - Apr 16, 2010 11:04 - 3 Comments

Social networks key to New Orleans recovery

RUTGERS (US)—In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, a city that had lost so much managed to preserve a critical element to its eventual recovery: social capital. (more…)

Earth & Environment - Feb 22, 2010 17:40 - 0 Comments

Quake drill points to shaky communication

U. COLORADO (US)—Researchers who devised the largest earthquake preparedness event ever undertaken in the United States say one of the biggest challenges was translating devastation projections from a hypothetical magnitude 7.8 San Andreas Fault temblor into timely, usable information to the more than 5 million California participants in 2008. (more…)

Science & Technology - Feb 3, 2010 13:42 - 2 Comments

Satellite images guide Haiti relief efforts

U. TEXAS (US)—In the days following the Haiti earthquake, satellite and aerial imagery, along with elevation data, helped first responders distribute aid and medical care and conduct search and rescue missions. (more…)

Health & Medicine - Jan 27, 2010 17:22 - 1 Comment

Almost half of injured Haitians are children

USC (US)—Victims of the Jan. 12 quake in Haiti include an extraordinarily high number of children—more than 110,000, nearly half of the estimated total—according to a statistical study. (more…)

Science & Technology - Jan 26, 2010 18:35 - 4 Comments

Earthquake engineer reports from Haiti

U. BUFFALO (US)—Days after arriving in earthquake-ravaged Port-au-Prince, a team of French-speaking structural engineers led by Andre Filiatrault, University at Buffalo civil engineering professor, was appointed by the United Nations as its interim lead coordinating team for organizing and initiating building assessments. (more…)

Society & Culture - Sep 11, 2009 11:40 - 3 Comments

Putting social media to work in a crisis

U. COLORADO (US)—Researchers are working to develop customized tools that will capitalize on the popularity of social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook to help the public and officials share information during an emergency. (more…)

Science & Technology - Sep 2, 2009 12:05 - 0 Comments

‘Smart’ pipes call for help

UC IRVINE (US)—A CD-sized sensor could help keep the water running during earthquakes and other disasters by sounding an alert when pipes crack or break. The sensors are being used to develop a wide-scale pipe monitoring system in California. (more…)

Society & Culture - Jun 9, 2009 6:00 - 0 Comments

Coping skills go global to aid survivors

UC IRVINE (US)—An organization that formed in 2004 to help survivors of natural disasters deal with emotional fallout now provides mental health services to victims in Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Uganda, and Indonesia. (more…)

Health & Medicine - Apr 30, 2009 16:54 - 0 Comments

Post-Katrina stress linked to heart problems

TULANE (US)—Chronic stress following Hurricane Katrina contributed to a three-fold increase in heart attacks in New Orleans more than two years after levee breaches flooded most of the city, according to researchers at Tulane University School of Medicine. The analysis is one of the first to look at the long-term impact on public health resulting from major disasters. (more…)

Society & Culture - Mar 13, 2009 13:54 - 0 Comments

Report: Disaster relief act ignores 21st-century threats

NYU (US)—Years after Hurricane Katrina and the September 11 attacks, the Federal government still lacks the legal authority to provide rapid financial assistance to residents, small businesses, and municipal governments following a major disaster. (more…)