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Abstract

FigureFigureFigureIt began as a day like any other at the picturesque unpopulated beach. The king tide surged under a full moon, which lined up with the sun to exert a higher-than-usual gravitational pull. In the distance, cold water lapped at the deck of a remote boardwalk that decades ago had perched a few feet above the water's surface. If the past few years of rising sea level continued, the boardwalk platform would be underwater at times next year. Restaurants had already abandoned the location, and now the sturdy posts were only occasionally used as a mooring for fishing boats. “Charlene, be careful. Don't get so close to the water. What if a great white shark jumps up and bites you?” The young mother had an adventurous fourth grader, who looked back and defiantly dipped a toe in the water. She was a feisty little girl. Like most other children her age, however, she was not a particularly strong swimmer or fast runner. Mom was focused on her daughter's antics and didn't notice when, in time with the waves striking the surf, the water level under the dock dropped by eight inches, held for 30 seconds, climbed halfway back, and then dropped by a foot. What happened next caught her and hundreds of thousands of other people living in adjacent coastal communities unprepared. A small tidal wave, caused by an offshore earthquake, compounded the local effect of sea level rise caused by melting polar ice. It was already the case in this embattled oceanfront that cliffs had eroded and dwellings collapsed, but these events were skillfully predicted so that people could be moved out of harm's way. But as is almost always the way with a storm surge, a torrential cloudburst onto parched ground that drains into a slot canyon, a rising river in the aftermath of Midwestern summer rains, or a tsunami, extreme sudden flooding catches people by surprise. Overwhelmed by the magnitude of events, the bystanders try to hold their ground. But the water always wins, as relentless tons of liquid engulf defenseless humans. The ocean became a monster. Mother and daughter were separated when the small hump in the ocean flowed past them, rolling the surface of the dock like a carpet being flipped for a cleaning. The height of the water they encountered was five feet above normal, a decent wave by surfing standards. They had no way to ride it and were tumbled like rag dolls, driven by the sea onto land, where they struck utility poles and parked cars. Bones were broken. Reflexively inhaling, their lungs filled with sand and debris-laden water. They had only a moment of fear and agony before they became unconscious. If by some miracle they had survived, after four minutes of oxygen deprivation, they would have suffered irreparable severe brain damage and been profoundly disabled for the rest of their lives. Flood is the most common natural disaster in developed and developing countries, and they are expected to increase worldwide in intensity and frequency from extreme weather events and sea level rise. Their impact can be deadly and widespread. Dozens of floods have resulted in more than 10,000 deaths apiece in the 20th century alone. Hurricane Katrina struck New Orleans in 2005, causing hundreds of deaths and displacing thousands of people. The effects of floods on human health are diverse and vary in time and scope. Direct and instantaneous effects, such as trauma or drowning, occur in the chaos of rising, rushing waters. Days after the flood, the risk of infectious disease spikes due to exposure to stagnant and contaminated water. Months to years later, the toll on mental health from loss and displacement becomes evident. The nature and extent of impact upon a given population depend on the flood characteristics and baseline vulnerability and resources of the victims, such as infrastructure and isolation, and access to emergency services and post-flood relief resources. This excerpt is from Enviromedics: The Impact of Climate Change on Human Health, available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Books, Inc. In it, Drs. Lemery and Auerbach clarify science, dispel myths, and explain the threats of climate change to human health.