Iran: The Environmental Side

One would think based off American media that all that Iran consists of is nuclear weapons. While that is the leading issue from an American point of view, Iran has a much larger domestic problem, one potentially detrimental to its society. I read an article from the San Francisco Chronicle about the intense dryness that effect Iran. While it's commonly known that this area of the world is full of deserts, the facts the article offers in regards to the impact these conditions are having on society are eye opening. As would be expected, lakes and rivers are drying up, but along with are the aquifers that supply drinking water to the majority of the countries population. This is obviously a problem. Couple this with the fact that just 16% of the land in the country remains arable fro crops, and you have a country that imports the majority of its drinking water and food. This is never a recipe for success, even for a country rich in oil. The effects of these dry conditions start at a very young age, as 35% of the countries children suffer from asthma or related allergies. So what does this all have to do with America? Why would a US newspaper be writing about environmental problems in Iran, when the real issues we continually hear about is nuclear weapons? The answer is, as the article states, the US has more expertise in this issue than nearly any other country in the world. The truth to that may be questioned, but the country certainly has the researchers and the money to develop a plan to help fix these serious environmental issues in Iran. Imagine what a bargaining chip that would be if the US could help fix such a problem. This is why such an article is being written, and that's why I, as an American, feel this is an extremely interesting topic to blog about. It's first time on this blog we've taken environmental hazard mitigation, and turned it into a political bargaining chip. This bargaining chip just happens to be in play for one of the largest world issues we've heard about over the past year. http://www.sfgate.com/opinion/brinkley/article/Iran-U-S-could-team-up-on-environmental-issues-4986197.php

The Effects of Midwest Tornadoes

Well the past couple weeks have been pretty active with significant events to blog about. While having something to post about usually means loss or suffering for the area that's effected, the simple fact is that we live in a a world where mother nature is constantly active, and hazards are a way of life. Really, there's no new news to post about from the article I read regarding the tornadoes that hit the Midwest last week. Reference my previous blog post about the facts regarding the initial finding on the tornadoes. What I found interesting, and equally important but often ignored, was the now fallout for businesses and different business industries from the tornadoes. This goes back to the swiss cheese model that I've referenced multiple times in blogs over this semester, but the tornado is ultimately just the first step of a a chain of related events. We've talked about a few times in class how insurance plays a part in hazards when it comes to paying for the damage done. This is really the first article I've read and posted on that references insurance companies and the mass payout. State Farm insurance, which insures nearly a third of all the homes in Illinois, are beginning to payout expense checks to the nearly 3,600 claims made. You also have the hotel industry, who sees a massive increase in business from the storms. I find all of this very interesting, specifically the insurance aspect. Very rarely do we see articles written on hazards that talk about these types of aspects of hazards, but they are important to remember that there are multiple effects long after the hazard hits. http://www.wunderground.com/news/midwest-tornado-update-some-illinois-schools-reopen-fema-begins-assessing-damage-20131122

Tornadoes Strike Midwest

It's been a crazy few weeks in the world environmental hazards, both far away and close to home. My last few blog postings have been in regards to the massive tsunami that hit the Philippines nearly two weeks ago. Now, we have a hazards that hit much closer to home, literally a 30 minute drive from my hometown. First off, let me just say I realize Twitter is the last thing that people want to hear about as far as a news source. However, this is how I initially, and really pretty instantly, heard about the tornadoes occurring in Illinois. Specifically what I was reading was the effects it was having close to home for me. I'm from a suburb of Milwaukee, so when I hear sirens going off in Menominee Falls, Wauwatosa, and downtown Milwaukee, I'm starting to think "dang, this is pretty close." Ultimately very little damage was done in Wisconsin, but our neighbors to the south got hit hard. The article I read really doesn't say much about total figures for the multiple tornadoes recorded, but it does state that at total of 16 tornadoes struck Illinois and northwest Indiana on Sunday. What I found particularly interesting about this article was the severity of some of these tornadoes, and just how powerful some were. As I said, the article I read was more about individual towns being hit instead of total figures for all the tornadoes combined. But for example, in the town of Washington, Illinois (near Peoria) the tornado there was measured an E-4. Now I had no clue what exactly that meant before reading the article, but apparently an E-5 is the strongest measurement on a scale for measuring tornadoes. This specific tornado in Washington had winds up 190 miles per hour and stretched 46 miles through two counties. Washington got the worst of the damage, with one dead, 120 injured, and as many as 500 homes damaged. This is just one of the many examples in this article. I've had few opportunities to write about something to close to Eau Claire, let alone so close to my hometown. This absolutely something that's major news regarding environmental hazards, so look for at least one other post about these tornadoes striking the Midwest. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/chi-illinois-tornadoes-20131119,0,3693175.story

Is Haiyan Still Relevant?

A few blog posts back, I discussed an article from USA Today talking about Typhoon Haiyan and the large amounts of funds that were being donated from the United States. The question was, how much longer would those funds continue to pour in? It was stated that much of that would depend on the media coverage the event continued to get. Obviously, this was a historical environmental hazard, but how long would American news cover a foreign event? Well if it's any indication, I returned to the USA Today site moments before writing this blog, and found nothing in regards to Haiyan. However, I also happen to be watching a football game as I write this, and there was a message to donate to the relief effort as the start of the second quarter. One thing is clear, more news is coming out about the severity of Haiyan. Through a quick Google search, I did manage to find an article about some new, up to date, facts from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. I've touched on a few facts already, but Haiyan was measured at 370 miles wide as it hit the Philippines. THE OCHA estimates 13 million people have been affected by the typhoon, with 12,501 being injured. 3 million people have been displaced from their homes with 371,000 currently living in evacuation centers. 2.5 million people are in need of food assistance. 491,611 homes have been damaged. These aren't just numbers or facts, these are lives that are being drastically changed. All that can be said is that even if media attention declines, funds remain the steady. Millions are depending on it. http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/11/17/21496134-typhoon-haiyan-a-crisis-by-the-numbers?lite

The Facts Behind Haiyan

Today in class we did a little research on Typhoon Haiyan including the facts surrounding the storm and what may have caused it. It was nearly a week ago the that the largest typhoon in recent memory hit the Philippines causing an estimated 10,000+ deaths and millions in damage. The typhoon measured a five on the saffir-simpson scale, and had low pressure at 895 milibars contributing to a 15 ft. high wall of water. Winds speeds were measured at 195 miles per hour, and gusts reached 235 miles per hour. Lastly, through my groups research, we realized warnings were issued in some areas, and many warnings didn't correctly measure the size of the storm. A storm this size would have a major effect no matter where it hit, but couple the lack of proper warning with the poor building infrastructure and overall poverty of the nation and we begin to see the swiss cheese model in effect. The majority of homes and buildings in general in many parts of this country are not properly built or constructed. We also discovered there was an earthquake in October in the same location where major parts of the storm hit. This left some already without homes living in shelters, just further contributing to the potential for overall death and destruction when the storm hit. Lastly, we took a look at Haiyan from a contextual view and how it relates to future storms. There was one clear point that stood out: climate change. We found climate change affects systems globally, creating a higher frequency of strong category storms such as Haiyan. Increased temperature will contribute to heavy precipitation in some areas and much direr conditions in others. This presents the fact that there is a strong possibility more of these storms will come. Maybe not always to the magnitude of Haiyan, but definitely still creating problem for humans as a whole.

Relief Efforts Continue for Philippine Victoms

When such a major environmental hazard hits, how could I only write one blog about it? Today I read an article on the relief efforts so far in response to last weeks Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. Specifically, this article focused on American relief efforts and the large amount of donations going to recovery efforts. Donations are expected to reach $1 billion according to Patrick Rooney, associate dean at Indiana University's School of Philanthropy. This trails only the 2010 Haitian earthquake and 2004 tsunami in Indonesia for donations to a foreign cause. Donations to the Salvation Army alone went from $300,000 on Monday to about $1 million by Tuesday. One interesting aspect of this whole donation and aid cause is how long will it last? Typically, it's estimated that 75% of donations come within three to six months of a disaster. Of course, no matter the amount of giving, the relief and recovery in the Philippines most certainly will not be complete in six months. Large amounts of this giving also depends on the media coverage the event receives. As is with nearly every new channel, foreign disasters such as this may only stay in our local news for a few weeks, until something else comes up that is fresh and will interest viewers. As bad as it is, how much longer are Americans going to care about the Philippines and its recovery? And directly going along with that, how much longer will they continue to give money to recovery efforts? While initial donations from Americans have been substantial, it will be interesting to see how much longer it continues. Certainly the American government can help in recovery efforts as much as it wants, but as this article shows, many of the current funds are coming from individual Americans that just feel the need to help. Recovery efforts will take years, and it will be interesting to see if recovery efforts last as long as they are needed. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/11/13/donations-typhoon-stricken-philippines/3508929/

Typhoon Haiyan: The Aftermath

It's to have a environmental hazards blog and not have a post on the recent typhoon in the Philippines. Lat last week, typhoon haiyan hit the country and destroyed nearly everything in its path. The article I read is more about the recovery and relief efforts, but offers stunning facts at the strength of this hazard. The typhoon was measured as one of the strongest ever recorded, and it's estimated it destroyed up to 90% of the structures in its path. Now we have to consider the Philippines isn't necessarily the wealthiest of nations with building structures engineered to stand up to storms, but even with advanced building design, a storm with this strength is going to leave its mark. Also, the death toll is climbing daily, and it's estimated nearly 10,000 have lost their lives do to the storm. Relief efforts are coming from all over with the UN, Red Cross, and US marines all on the ground already in hit areas. Common supplies such as blankets, food, and medical supplies are being delivered hourly for the survivors. Win gusts were measured at 175 miles per hour. An estimated 9.5 million were affected. 630,000 plus were forced from their homes. This is the best example I've written about on this blog so far of just the absolute strength of nature and the affects it can have. All we can do as society in cases like this is make sure our relief efforts are made rapidly, not wasting that precious time following the hazard to get in right away and save as many lives as possible. It appears every effort is being made to save as many lives as possible, but the overall strength of an environmental hazard has never been more clear. http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/11/10/21389125-it-was-like-a-tsunami-philippines-stunned-by-typhoon-haiyans-devastation-as-us-forces-head-to-islands

Landslide in Newfoundland

Daniel's Harbour, a western town in Newfoundland, was the victim of a large landslide this week that has a history in the same area. The landslide has gotten worse over the past few days, and geologists will be in the town in the next few days to asses the degree to which the landslide could continue and the potential damage is may cause if this occurs. In reading this article, there's a sense that proper mitigation techniques were in place to defend against mass destruction by the landslide. First of all, it is mentioned that Daniel's Harbour has a history of landslides, but also that zero injuries have been reported. However, roads have been closed alongside the area hit, an act that is a mitigation attempt in itself, but also shows a lack of planning by having roads in an area where there is a history of landslides. Perhaps the most interesting, and potentially harmful, aspect of this landslide is that there's a concern that if the destruction continues the communities water and sewer system will be affected. This is a clear example of the swiss cheese model discussed in class, as a landslide leads to all these other potential problems. While the landslide's overall effect does not seem that great for now in Daniel's Harbour, it appears there's still a fear that it could create major problems for the town.
http://www.bing.com/search?q=landslide+affects&src=ie9tr

Wildfire Satellites

The first few posts on this blog involved the Yosemite wildfire, and the fire has since been contained, wildfire prevention technology is taking a huge step forward. Taking mitigation to a whole new level, Cal Berkeley researches are developing a satellite that could detect wildfires in their infant stages. Using infrared sensors, the satellite can detect a wildfire when it's under an acre in size. In a state that just lost millions due to a massive wildfire, it should be no surprise that they're attempting to come up with new techniques to decrease the impact. However, this is taking it to another level. Obviously satellite's in space are going to cost millions of dollars, so is the cost really worth it to prevent only potential millions in fire damage? I feel like that's the future question on the development of this satellite. While it most certainly would make an impact, the cost just operate may not make it worth the money lost in wildfire damage. But than you also have to consider the potential safety of humans effected by wildfire's, how much do you pay for that? All things to be considered as the wildfire satellite continues its development. http://www.hcn.org/blogs/goat/wildland-firefighting-goes-high-tech