Post-disaster Studies Research Articles

(A135) Preliminary Results of Post-Flooding Impacts on Rural Elderly in Hainan Province, China

BackgroundLimited information is available on the health outcomes of the rural older population in developing countries is affected by disasters. In October 2010, Hainan Province experienced severe flooding following heavy rains. Nearly four million people were affected and many had undergone resettlement. This study investigated the impacts of the flooding on people living in the disaster-affected rural communities. The findings were compared with baseline information collected in 2010 about health issues in rural villages in Hainan. Health outcome comparisons also were made between ethnic groups (Han versus Li).MethodsA two-stage cluster-sampling, cross-sectional post-disaster study was conducted. The entire Hainan Island was categorized into ranks of different severity in rainfall amount and associated damage in October (most severe, intermediate, least severe). The county with the most rainfall and the most severe ranking and the one with least rainfall and the least severe ranking were identified. In each county, one Han and one Li village were chosen by using a computer-generated random number, so four villages were sampled in total. More than 100 individuals ≥ 50 years of age were interviewed by face-to-face survey. Data on disaster-related injuries, socio-demographic information, non-communicable disease, lifestyle, and mental health were collected.ResultsFindings indicated the severity of impact was associated with self-reported health outcomes of older population. Gender and ethnic differences were found in reported health outcomes. Predictors of adverse post-disaster health outcomes in older populations in rural communities were identified.ConclusionsThe results demonstrated significant differences in the impacts of flooding in rural populations. Targeted services and interventions should be planned to address the disparity and meet the physical and mental health needs post-disaster.

ソーシャル・キャピタルと健康

Social capital (SC), resources obtained from social relationships, has been considered a determinant of health. There are many classifications and subordinate concepts in SC. SC is considered to affect health by modifying health behaviors, health care policies, and psychological stress. Social epidemiology studies using multilevel analysis have revealed that SC in a community affects the health of residents regardless of individual characteristics. Studies have reported the association between SC and various health outcomes. In addition, studies suggested a buffering effect of SC on socioeconomic inequalities in health. SC also has negative effects on health. Japanese studies including intervention studies also reported the association between SC and health outcomes. Post-disaster studies also revealed the important role of SC in mitigating the health effects of disasters.

Nonresponse to a population‐based postdisaster postal questionnaire study

We examined nonparticipation in a 2-year postdisaster mail survey of Norwegian tourists evacuated from countries affected by the 2004 tsunami. One hundred seventy-one persons out of a random sample of 330 nonparticipants were telephone interviewed concerning disaster exposure, current posttraumatic stress reactions, and reasons for not participating. Fewer nonparticipants than participants had been in a place directly affected by the tsunami. Nonparticipants reported less perceived threat of death and lower levels of posttraumatic stress reactions. Reasons for not participating were "lack of interest or time" (39.2%), "lack of relevant experiences" (32.2%), and "too personal or emotionally disturbing" (15.2%). Our findings suggest that postdisaster studies may be biased in the direction of more severe disaster exposure and pronounced posttraumatic stress reactions.

Disaster Medicine And Disaster Planning: Swedish Perspective

Disaster Medicine And Disaster Planning: Swedish Perspective

Life-events and psychiatric symptoms in a general psychiatry clinic: the role of intrusion and avoidance.

Recent literature has been concerned with the relationship between life-events and psychological symptoms, and more particularly studies of communities subsequent to disasters have suggested the presence of intrusive cognitions to be a mediating variable. In this investigation new patients presenting to a general community psychiatric clinic over a four-month period completed a brief life-event scale, the Impact of Event Scale (IES) and the 28-item General Health Questionnaire (GHQ). Appropriate statistical methods were employed to model the intervening role of IES scores between numbers of life-events and subsequent psychiatric symptomatology. Data was collected on 48 subjects, for whom it was shown that IES score accounted for the reporting of psychiatric symptoms following adversity. It appeared to be the dimension of cognitive intrusion that mediated this effect, with cognitive avoidance occupying a subsidiary, reactive role. There was also evidence of specific relationships between intrusion and anxiety and somatic subscales of the GHQ, and between avoidance and depression. Despite small numbers and simple measures, the findings supported the post-disaster studies, and raises further questions about the emotional processing of adversity.

The magnitude and distribution of wind-induced pressures on hip and gable roofs

Some recent post-disaster studies have suggested that in severe wind storms hip roofs survive better than gable roofs. This has stimulated the present study, which has derived aerodynamic data for otherwise similar 4:12 hip and gable roofs. These show that for this common roof geometry there is little difference in overall lift and overturning loads; however, there are dramatic differences in local pressures and in the loads applied to the primary structural elements. These differences appear to explain the improved survival of hip roofs.

Hurricane Hugo briefing

The effects of Hurricane Hugo could have been much worse, in terms of lives lost and structural damage, according to postdisaster study teams. As part of the National Research Council's Committee on Natural Disasters, teams were sent to the disaster sites almost immediately after Hugo struck on September 18.Meteorologists, wind engineers, coastal geologists, civil engineers, structural engineers, and other members of the study teams presented their findings at a briefing held November 28 in Washington, D.C.

The development of models designed to fail under wind loading

Recept post-disaster studies have highlighted deficiencies in the design and construction of low buildings for wind such as a lack of structural systems to transmit wind loads to the foundations and poor connection details. A lack of conviction, in some circles of the construction industry, of the real effect of wind loads on building appears to have contributed to widespread damage, often during storms with wind speeds below those specified for design. A technique developed using models scaled to fail under wind tunnel wind loading allows some simple structural failure mechanisms of low buildings to be illustrated and also provides simple quantitative comparison of the effect of a multitude of parameters on the overall performance.