Global & Disaster Medicine

Archive for October, 2018

Paying respect to the pandemic influenza of 100 years ago

NYT

“……This month is another centennial of death and destruction; the influenza epidemic was raging, killing around 195,000 Americans in October alone (for reference, about 116,500 American soldiers died in the whole war, with more than half of those deaths from disease, mostly influenza).

Many of the most haunting images of the 1918 influenza pandemic come from October 1918, when the disease was particularly severe in Philadelphia, with corpses piled up awaiting burial, and bodies buried in packing crates because there weren’t enough coffins. Many cities closed their movie theaters and prohibited public gatherings.

It is estimated that the pandemic killed 50 million to 100 million people worldwide………”


YUTU: FEMA SitRep (Oct. 26-27)

FEMA SitRep

Food, Water, Sheltering: • Emergency boil water advisory issued • Commonwealth Utility Corporation will set up water stations for residents while well systems are being repaired • 50% of grocers, 33% of restaurants and 31% of retailers have re-opened on Saipan • Shelters/Occupants: 15 (-7) / 934 (-72) across CNMI; all Rota shelters have closed

Health and Medical: • Saipan: the only hospital on the island is operational on generator power with no fuel issues, grid power may be restored October 27; both dialysis centers open, private facility re-opened October 26; Chest Clinic resumed services for half-day • Tinian: the only medical facility on the island is structurally compromised, no current patients but patient surge is expected • Patient numbers are decreasing but second wave of patients is possible once people return home and begin cleaning up the damage

Energy: • 46% of gas stations re-opening on Saipan; fuel availability sufficient to meet normal purchasing needs, but heavy generator use may further deplete existing supplies • CNMI: 21 day fuel supply available based on all power generation facilities operating at normal rate; working on refueling plan • CNMI: 100% of customers without electric grid power (19k on Saipan, 1k on Tinian, 1k on Rota) • Saipan: fuel supply for generators not a concern at this time, but distribution may be challenging due to road debris • Saipan: 9 out of 9 power feeders are down; emergency generator assessments ongoing; deploying generators from DC Guam • Tinian: 4 out of 4 power feeders down; power plant damaged, 80-90% damage to distribution structures; expect to return station to service within 24-48 hours; 2-3 weeks fuel supply for generator power • Rota: 3 out of 3 power feeders are online; unable to gain direct access to assess damage; assessment overflight scheduled today

 

Communication: • CNMI: restoration of mobile services to Saipan: ( 2 resorts/hotels and 2 communities/village), Tinian: (1 community/village), Rota: (2 resorts/hotels, 1 village, and the library) • Exchange connection between islands is on generator power with 96 hour capacity • 11 of 11 cell towers on generator power; fuel plan for communication cell towers identified

Transportation: • All sea ports open with no restrictions • Airports: o Saipan: will open Oct 28 for commercial outbound passengers only; closed to incoming commercial traffic until farther notice; flight operations limited to humanitarian relief flights only o Tinian: open for humanitarian relief flights only o Rota: open • Major roads and most secondary roads are accessible and utility crews have begun to restore power on Saipan and Tinian Hazardous Waste: • Solid Waste facility in Puerto Rico, Saipan open for green waste, metals, and white good disposal

Safety and Security: • Saipan: 1 confirmed fatality

State/Local Response • CNMI EOC at Full Activation (24/7)

FEMA HQ/Federal Response • Emergency Declaration FEMA-3408-EM-CNMI approved October 23 • Expedited Major Disaster Declaration FEMA-4404-DR-CNMI approved October 26 • FEMA Region IX RWC at Steady State, continues to monitor • FEMA Region IX IMAT-2 deployed to Saipan; LNOs in Guam, Rota and Tinian • FEMA Region VII IMAT deployed to CNMI (already deployed for Mangkhut) • FEMA NRCC Response Operations Cell (ROC) activated (24/7) • FEMA HQ ISB team and MERS assets deployed • HHS: Federal Health Coordinating Officer, DMAT, and IMT deployed • USACE: 249th Engineer BN ‘Prime Power’ deployed


Eleven people were killed at the Tree of Life synagogue in Pittsburgh

CNN

“…..Six people were wounded….. four of whom were police officers who responded to the scene. No children were among the dead…..”


At a Pittsburgh synagogue: At least 4 killed, more shot (3 cops) in an active shooter situation; gunman captured.

CBS

 


Super Typhoon Yutu packed maximum sustained winds of 180 mph (290 kph) as it passed over the islands of Tinian and Saipan early Thursday.

Fox

“……FEMA has a significant amount of food and water stored on nearby Guam, which was preparing for Typhoon Mangkhut last month. The damage wasn’t as bad as expected, so more than 220,000 liters of water and 260,000 meals are still available for the Northern Marianas, a half-hour plane ride away.

Military flights from Guam started bringing supplies Friday…..

The agency is constantly communicating with local officials on transportation, communications, food and water, and energy and fuel…… FEMA made changes after Hurricane Maria, a Category 5 storm that struck Puerto Rico last year, creating task forces to tackle those areas…….”


An eastern China coal mine collapse 11 dead, with 10 miners still trapped underground

CBS


And Yutu keeps on coming…….


How does a national prohibition on corporal punishment affect violence in kids?

BMJ

Elgar FJ, Donnelly PD, Michaelson V, et al

Corporal punishment bans and physical fighting in adolescents: an ecological study of 88 countries

 

“…..Country prohibition of corporal punishment is associated with less youth violence. Whether bans precipitated changes in child discipline or reflected a social milieu that inhibits youth violence remains unclear due to the study design and data limitations. However, these results support the hypothesis that societies that prohibit the use of corporal punishment are less violent for youth to grow up in than societies that have not.….”


FEMA SitRep on Yutu and US territories: 10/26/18

FEMA

Safety and Security: • Saipan: 1 confirmed fatality • CNMI Attorney General issued consumer alert on price gouging related to post-storm services

Food, Water, Sheltering: • Establishing 5 points of distribution (PODs) on Saipan to provide water and humanitarian daily rations (HDRs) on October 28 • Shelters/Occupants: o Saipan 12 / 893 (+340), 6 shelters at capacity; Tinian 2 (-1) / 34 (-11); Rota 2 / 79
Health and Medical: • CNMI: Public Health Emergency declared to release resources to respond to disaster • Saipan: the only hospital on the island is operational on generator power with 4 days fuel supply; dialysis center has resumed operations • Tinian: the only medical facility on the island has infrastructure compromised but is operational on generator power with 3 days fuel supply • Rota: Rota Health Center operational on generator power, no reported damaged • HHS deploying 1 LNO, 1 Incident Management Team Logistics Officer, and Health and • Medical Task Force-Oahu

Energy: • CNMI: 100% of customers without electric grid power (19k on Saipan, 1k on Tinian, 1k on Rota) • Saipan: 9 out of 9 power feeders are down; 2 out of 3 power generating plants require drying and testing before bringing back on-line, 1 plant available for service; island is relying on generator power • Tinian: 4 out of 4 power feeders down; power plant compromised, distribution system completely destroyed; island is relying on generators • Rota: 3 out of 3 power feeders are online • Deploying generators to Saipan from DC Guam • CNMI: Commonwealth Utilities Corporation estimates that 21 days of fuel is currently available on the islands; CNMI relies on petroleum products for nearly all energy needs, supplied once a week by tanker through Saipan port, Tinian and Rota by barge.

Communication: • CNMI: Significant damage to cell towers throughout the islands; telecommunications services have only one provider • Saipan: 11 of 11cell towers on generator power, fuel plan is being executed by CNMI • Exchange connection between islands is on generator power with 96 hour capacity • CNMI Public Safety Radio System is online

Transportation: • Ports: Saipan and Tinian remain closed pending assessment; all ports in Rota re-opened • Airports: o Saipan: significant damage, most flights cancelled, humanitarian and military flights only; suitcase tower needed to facilitate air traffic control is operational o Tinian: open with flights scheduled to begin October 27 o Rota: open • Road debris assessment and clearance ongoing on Saipan and Rota; assessment team scheduled to begin work on Tinian on October 27
Hazardous Waste: • Solid Waste facility in Puerto Rico, Saipan open for green waste, metals, and white good disposal • As Gonno facility in Saipan expected to re-open on October 27; Marpi transfer station in Saipan requires removal of lines and power poles before re-opening

State/Local Response • CNMI EOC at Full Activation (24/7), COR I

FEMA HQ/Federal Response • Emergency Declaration FEMA-3408-EM-CNMI approved October 23 • FEMA Region IX RWC at Steady State, continues to monitor o FEMA Region IX IMAT-2 and select ESFs deployed to Saipan o LNOs in Guam, Rota and Saipan • FEMA Region VII IMAT deployed to CNMI • FEMA NRCC Response Operations Cell (ROC) activated (24/7) • FEMA HQ ISB team and MERS assets deployed • HHS: Federal Health Coordinating Officer, DMAT, and IMT deployed • USACE: 249th Engineer BN ‘Prime Power’ deployed.


“…..There is now a clear and present danger of an imminent and great, big famine engulfing Yemen…..”

NYT

“……And in the hushed hunger wards, ailing infants hover between life and death. Of nearly two million malnourished children in Yemen, 400,000 are considered critically ill — a figure projected to rise by one quarter in the coming months...….”

 


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