Radiological/Nuclear & Oil and Gas Incidents
I am a general term collectively representing all "radiation" with shorter, higher-energy wave lengths than visible light spectrum. Despite many individuals claiming to "nuke" their food in the microwave, those wavelengths are not part of me and therefore do not have the same bond-breaking/damaging capacity I do.
What is ionizing radiation?
I represent the CDC's classification of the most likely biothreat to be used as a bioweapon today. Collectively, all of the pathogens in my category can be easily disseminated and/or transmitted person-to-person, resulting in high mortality rates if untreated; likely cause mass panic and public health actions.
What are Category A threats?
The City of New Orleans’ mass evacuation plan - the City Assisted Evacuation - serves to ensure all residents are evacuated and safe from a hurricane’s impact. Following the established timeline is critical to ensure as smooth an operation as possible. I represent a mechanism that helps improve roadway congestion and is controlled by the state police. Once enacted, all lanes of traffic will flow in one direction.
What is contraflow?
Hurricanes are categorized using my scale, which is based on the hurricane’s maximum sustained wind speed and can therefore help estimate potential property damage. I am a category 1 to 5 wind speed rating scale for winds that does not take into account hazards such as storm surge, rainfall flooding, or tornadoes.
What is the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale?
Engaged partnership, one of the main themes of the National Response Framework, created these, which are described as functional areas of the homeland security/emergency management enterprise. They aid local jurisdictions, for example, by organizing agencies with similar missions or assets to build capability and capacity (and improve awareness of them) to enhance response efficiencies by providing coordinated support, resources, and services needed for response and recovery, such as saving human lives, sheltering, and restoring critical infrastructure.
What are emergency support functions (ESFs)?
Together, we serve as the lead agencies for all oil spills in impacting the US.
Who are the EPA (for inland waters and land) and USCG (for coastal and deep waters)?
Historical use of chemicals as warfare agents, as well as recent derailments and studies, have consistently demonstrated that topography is crucial to understanding the viability and threat of chemicals to the general public in the event of terror or another incident. I am a major characteristic of many of these chemicals that must be considered when establishing plume models for dispersion and therefore exposure.
What is the "density" of a chemical/gas (ie, heavier than air, therefore remains low on the ground)?
Contrary to possible uninformed beliefs likely associated with general fear of nuclear exposures, I am the two most significant public health impacts (to the general public) of the Chernobyl and Fukushima nuclear incidents we discussed in class.
What are psychosocial or mental health impacts, and onest of Type II diabetes? Remember, the largest impacts were mental health impacts and not radiation exposures on the general population (excess abortions, suicides, and possible stress eating and altered diets)
I represent areas contaminated by hazardous materials/waste that pose a significant risk to human health and have been placed on the National Priorities List for cleanup. There are 327 of "me" in areas vulnerable to rising sea levels and excess flooding.
What are Superfund sites?
These are the 3 primary tenets that create the foundation for Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication (CERC).
What are 1) be first, 2) be right, 3) be credible?
Radiological isotopes are thought to be emitters of specific particles, including alpha, beta, and gamma particles. I am generally considered capable of blocking the larger alpha particles in a nuclear/radiological exposure incident.
What is paper, clothing, or even unbroken skin?
I can be used to describe the protective action for individuals who have been exposed to a contagious disease (not currently a positive case) but who may or may not become ill.
What is quarantine?
I am a trace element that is important for human health. During Chernobyl, the population was deficient in me and as a result there was a high rate of thyroid cancer in children and adolescents.
What is iodine?
And remember, radiostable iodine (or potassium iodine) is often recommended (even stocked in the strategic national stockpile - SNS) following radiological/nuclear threats. The thyroid will become full of safe iodine rather than the radioactive iodine 131, which may be released in a nuclear incident.
I represent the levels of particulate air pollution that concern scientists and researchers studying the health impacts of decreased air quality from wildfire smoke.
What is PM2.5?
In the face of a threat to public health across the international community, the World Health Organization’s Director-General and an emergency committee will convene to declare "me." Generally, a coordinated global response is warranted after "my" declaration. I was declared as recently as the COVID-19 pandemic.
What is a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)?
Oil spills are potentially harmful to humans through geographic proxitmity and bioaccumulation, etc. Knowing this, I am a petroleum constituent (i.e., "exist within") who is semi- or non-volatile and is a known carcinogen.
What are PAHs - Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons?
I am defined as the strategy that separates individuals who are confirmed to have a contagious disease.
What is isolation?
There have been numerous coronaviruses in humans, documented since the 1960s. It is HIGHLY likely that you, yes, you in the class, have had a coronavirus that caused your common cold at some point well before COVID-19. However, these three have proven to be far more pathogenic/virulent in human cases and remain a health security concern going forward.
What are SARS, MERS, and SARS-CoV-2 (or COVID-19 variants)?
A living organism that transmits disease-causing pathogens from an infected person or animal to a non-infected person or animal. As a result of a changing climate, many of "me" are now affecting areas that typically do not worry about "me" (expanding presence beyond the typical equatorial zones due to warming areas north and into the US, for example).
What are vectors (or vector-borne diseases)?
I represent the 15 capabilities (perhaps even requirements) expected to be demonstrated to improve public health emergency response capacity at the STLT (state, tribal, local, territorial) jurisdictional levels. Collectively, we are known as this.
What are PHEP Capabilities?
While calculations such as the mathematical equation of X=1/D2 (known as the inverse square law) quantify action steps and needs, I am the basic message that helps demonstrate improved protection against radiation exposure. This action/step-wise process is crucial for controlling the radiation dose to both patients and healthcare workers. During emergencies and based on the source location, it becomes critical for the general public.
What is decreasing time, increasing distance, and increasing shielding to assure ALARA?
The ability of a healthcare system to quickly expand its services and capacity to meet a sudden increase in demand for medical care.
What is (medical) surge capacity?
I am a chemical with a documented history of consistent use by bad actors and was the choice of the Aum Shinrikyo cult during the 1995 Tokyo subway attack.
What is Sarin?
In addition to shelters providing safe and adequate facility layout and design (e.g., family bathrooms, family sleeping areas, appropriate bedding for infants, good lighting inside and out), best operational practices include 1 of these 3 specific child-centric strategies discussed in class.
What are 1) Dedicated play space for children; 2) establishing a routine, including rest periods; or 3) Providing for transportation to schools (and providing daycare) as much as possible
When an incident/disaster occurs that overwhelms local capacities, the local government may need to call upon the state for additional resources. If it is large enough in scope, the state may need to request federal assistance from FEMA and the POTUS. This policy was designed to make the process orderly and systematic to provide disaster assistance.
What is the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (aka TheStafford Act)?