Today's HLSWatch.com post has some useful statistics!
As of Sunday evening in Japan:
Dead: 8133 Missing: 12, 272 (Kyodo)
Injured: 2611 (OCHA)
Evacuees in public shelters: 360,000 (Kyodo)
Buildings damaged or destroyed: 117,000 (USAID)
Without regular water service: 2.3 million people (COE)
Without electricity: 289,000 households (713,000 plus people) (OCHA)
Aftershocks: 290 and at least one separate 6.1 earthquake (USGS)
Translating two of the above statistics to FEMA (and of course these numbers will change over the days, weeks, and months ahead) I focus on two of them.
The number dead would exceed any historic record in the US of dead from any kind of disaster except for plague or flu. Galveston early in the last century and the barrier islands of S.Carolina in the 1880's both had somwhere around 6-8,000 dead from Hurricane Storm Surge.
Still FEMA should conduct mortuary planning for at least 10,000 dead in a single event and perhaps more. Also 50K is not a bad planning number for injured in the event. Today, HHS is accountable for mortuary services under E.O.12656 but FEMA was blamed for problems in that area in Katrina. Perhaps HHS refused a mission assignment?
The second issue is drinking water! Who is accountable for provision of drinking water is under active consideration currently in the Executive Branch. Again E.O. 12656 assigns drinking water to EPA and DOD/USACOE but the relationship has been unclear and opaque since that order was signed in late 1988. This needs prompt FEMA attention now but not sure who or how FEMA would assign resolution without WH support since no longer an independent agency. Hoping this issue gets high priority NOW?
Showing posts with label International Disasters. Show all posts
Showing posts with label International Disasters. Show all posts
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Friday, January 14, 2011
Haiti-One year later!
Okay I have read as many reports as I can about the passage of the one year mark in Haiti's recovery efforts. NY Times reporting Haitian government has documented in excess of 330,000 deaths in last years earthquake. WOW! And just 700 miles offshore!
No disaster declaration or emergency declaration for either Haiti or BP oil spill. Mistake on both accounts IMO!
The BP spill Commission report is out and seems to have some sensible recommendations. Some are very confused.
Bottom line in 2012 both events likely to impact Presidential elections. In particular black turnout only way President Obama can win in 2012 and Haiti will by then demonstrate inherent racism in US disaster policy. Of course if we full militarized the response, a DOD in rapid decline after over a decade of warfare in the faroff marches would probably be glad to repeat the 1915-1933 occupancy of Haiti. Maybe the Haitians would also. But hey isn't Paul Bremer tan, rested and ready? Also the Chinese, Cuban, and Venzuelan
involvement in Haiti is still undocumented by MSM.
Perhaps Haiti is why President's Obama and Sarkozy were doing so much hugging and kissing. Neither publically blamed the other and both have helped destroy the first black ruled nation ever in the modern era starting from the revolt of Toussaint L'Overture. Looks more and more like Katrina and Haiti have lots in common. So let's look at demographics of black population in US and disaster proneness! A good article in JSHEM this month about Social Vulnerability and development of an index to identify problems in advance.
By the way President Obama should rescind the Executive Order giving DOD precedence in overseas disasters and replace that leadership role with Department of STATE. Give State Department the USAF.
No disaster declaration or emergency declaration for either Haiti or BP oil spill. Mistake on both accounts IMO!
The BP spill Commission report is out and seems to have some sensible recommendations. Some are very confused.
Bottom line in 2012 both events likely to impact Presidential elections. In particular black turnout only way President Obama can win in 2012 and Haiti will by then demonstrate inherent racism in US disaster policy. Of course if we full militarized the response, a DOD in rapid decline after over a decade of warfare in the faroff marches would probably be glad to repeat the 1915-1933 occupancy of Haiti. Maybe the Haitians would also. But hey isn't Paul Bremer tan, rested and ready? Also the Chinese, Cuban, and Venzuelan
involvement in Haiti is still undocumented by MSM.
Perhaps Haiti is why President's Obama and Sarkozy were doing so much hugging and kissing. Neither publically blamed the other and both have helped destroy the first black ruled nation ever in the modern era starting from the revolt of Toussaint L'Overture. Looks more and more like Katrina and Haiti have lots in common. So let's look at demographics of black population in US and disaster proneness! A good article in JSHEM this month about Social Vulnerability and development of an index to identify problems in advance.
By the way President Obama should rescind the Executive Order giving DOD precedence in overseas disasters and replace that leadership role with Department of STATE. Give State Department the USAF.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)