myanmar cyclone

More than 22,000 people were reported dead and 41,000 more were missing after a cyclone tore through the Southeast Asian country of Myanmar late Friday night and early Saturday morning. Over 10 hours, winds traveling up to 150 miles per hour struck Yangon, Myanmar's largest city, and dumped 20 inches of rain on the harbortown, formerly known as Rangoon. According to published reports, the country's foreign minister fears the final death toll may rise as high as 50,000. That would make the storm -- Tropical Cyclone Nargis -- one of Myanmar's most deadly natural disasters and the second largest in the region after the tsunami of 2004, which took nearly 200,000 lives.

Nargis is a cyclone because it arose in the Indian Ocean. What differentiates cyclones from hurricanes and typhoons is where they arise. All are storms with wind speeds of more than 74 miles per hour. If one is born in the Atlantic Ocean or east of the international date line in the Pacific, it's called a hurricane; in the northwest Pacific, it's a typhoon; in the Southwest Pacific and Southeastern Indian Ocean, it becomes a severe tropical cyclone; in the north Indian, it's a severe cyclonic storm; and in the southwest Indian, it is referred to as a tropical cyclone. They can carry as much energy as 10,000 nuclear bombs—making them nature's most destructive storms. These storms typically begin to crop up in the Northern hemisphere around this time of year, as ocean waters warm. Nowadays, there is a raging debate over whether climate change, and the overall rise in global temperature it is supposed to bring, will cause tropical cyclones to develop more often and become more powerful in the future.

cathrina cyclone

BADAI MATAHARI

Badai matahari terbentuk karena terjadinya gejolak di atmosfer matahari yang dipicu terbentuknya bintik hitam. Kondisi ini dapat mengakibatkan loncatan api / solar flare yang materinya dapat terlontar ke Bumi. Ketika materi tersebut melintas di atmosfer Bumi, maka terjadilah Aurora dan badai elektromagnetik.

Partikel dari badai Matahari tersebut diperkiran sampai ke Bumi pada tahun 2011-2012. Partikel bermuatan listrik ini dapat menghasilkan noise atau gangguan besar pada frekuensi radio 1,2GHz - 1,6GHz. Ini sangat mengancam sinyal GPS.

“Jumlah dan intensitas noise akan meningkat dan dapat mengaburkan sinyal GPS selama periode ini,” kata Paul Kintner dari Departemen Teknik Elektro Universitas Cornell. Keakuratan GPS akan berkurang hingga 90%, dan dapat rusak. Hal ini sangat membahayakan dunia penerbangan, di mana fungsi GPS sudah seperti “nafas pada Manusia.

Hal ini pernah terjadi beberapa tahun silam, tepatnya pada akhir oktober 2003. Pada waktu itu, tidak hanya satelit GPS saja yang rusak, tapi juga satelit komunikasi publik.

Namun, yang paling bahaya adalah apabila distribusi listrik terganggu…! Pada 28-30 Oktober 2003, hampir seluruh pembangkit listrik di dunia dinonaktifkan untuk sementara. Apabila listrik tidak dimatikan, maka akan terjadi kerusakan pada pembangkit-pembangkit listrik di setiap negara. Hal ini disebabkan karena terjadinya ketidakstabilan medan magnet di Bumi.

tsunami IN HAWAII

The word "tsunami" is actually a Japanese word. The first part, tsu, means harbor and nami means wave. So, in its original usage, tsunami meant a harbor wave. However, the term is now used to refer to waves caused by seismic (earthquake) or volcanic activity in or near the ocean floor. When there is an undersea disturbance, waves form and travel away from the center of the disturbance kind of like when you throw a rock in a pond. These waves can travel as fast as 450 miles per hour. Deep in the ocean, tsunami can pass undetected under ships. However, as they approach land, the water becomes more shallow and they rise up and crash on the shore. Tsunami can be very dangerous. They can damage or destroy coastal towns and villages. (Note: In the image above, notice the man on the left. The photo was taken in April 1946 in Hilo, Hawaii. Click the image for a full size photo.)

Most tsunami are caused by earthquakes with epicenters near or on the ocean floor. Not all earthquakes generate tsunami and some tsunami can be small and cause little or no damage. Because of this, people and surfers sometimes go to the beach when there is a tsunami warning. This is not a good idea because it is difficult to know when tsunami will be small and when they will be deadly. It usually takes an earthquake greater than 7.5 on the Richter scale to produce dangerous tsunami. Click here for a tsunami animation (you will need MPEG viewing software).

Sometimes people use the words tidal wave and tsunami to mean the same thing. However, the two are not related. While tsunami refers to dangerous waves caused by underwater disturbances, tidal waves are simply the crest of tides as they travel around the Earth. Tsunami have nothing to do with tides.

tsunami

Although a tsunami does not look like in the picture below, it helps you to gain an idea about the destructive power of a tsunami.

tsunami

1/2 a second before tsunami

The last picture! There are people who believe in God, there are others who don't believe, but we must understand that we are small when nature hits...

This picture was taken on the banks of Sumatra Island (the height of waves was of approx. 32 m = 105 ft). It was found saved in a digital camera, 1 1/2 years after the disaster.

We cannot know for sure, but very likely the one who took the picture is not alive any more (it was just a matter of seconds). Today we can see the last image he/ she saw before ending life on Earth!

prepared

You know the saying: “hindsight is the best foresight.” When it comes to handling public health disasters, we can only hope that prior failures and shortcomings of the system – the aftermath of Katrina, for example – will serve as a valuable lesson for the future.

What would happen if a contagious disease spread across the United States, or a deadly toxin were released into the population? Would the government and medical community be able to spring into action quickly and coherently, or would they be fumbling in the dark, leaving millions of people without immediate and proper care? Should we be worried about our nation’s readiness to deal with disasters swiftly and effectively?

The question is not superfluous.

“When it comes to pandemics, we are overdue. And, we are under-prepared,” Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt warned last year.

He went on to deliver a frightening prediction: if we were to have an outbreak today comparable to the 1918 influenza pandemic, 90 million Americans would get ill; 45 million would become sick enough to require serious medical treatment, and roughly two million would die.

An obvious frustration of preparing for possible disasters, Secretary Leavitt added, is that “anything we say in advance feels alarmist, but anything we do once a pandemic starts seems inadequate.”

The good news is that some inroads are made all the time by health officials and the government in bolstering our preparedness to handle public health disasters. For example, a survey released last fall by the National Association of County and City Health officials shows that 90% of the nation’s 2,800 local health departments have consolidated their disaster planning and ability to respond.

On the medication front, just this month, the Food and Drug Administration granted Fast Track designation – which expedites the development and review of drugs intended for the treatment of life-threatening conditions — to BioThrax, which would treat, in conjunction with antibiotics, the outbreak of anthrax infections. And 16 manufacturers from 10 countries are currently in the process of developing prototype pandemic influenza vaccines against the H5N1 variant of the deadly bird flu virus, while five are also developing vaccines against other virus strains

It is a small step considering plethora of possible toxins that could be unleashed, but it is a stride forward nevertheless.

Also this month, the administration released a new budget, which proposes, for the year starting in October 2008, $1.2 billion in new funds for pandemic preparedness, which includes $870 million to develop a pandemic vaccine.

Bioterrorism spending would increase by $143 million to $4.3 billion, including $154 million for the training of medical emergency response teams, as well as $135 million for the Strategic National Stockpile, the large quantity of perpetually rotated antibiotics, antidotes and other vital medications that Centers for Disease Control and Prevention maintains for predictable health threats.

That’s the good news. The not-so-good news is that while one hand giveth, the other one taketh away.

Public heath experts point out that while some disaster preparedness funding would get a boost, other essential programs would get the boot. Trust for America’s Health (TFAH), a non-profit health advocacy group, says the budget cuts of $185 million from the funds earmarked for improving state and local preparedness capabilities would plunge grass-roots first-response institutions 25% below 2005 levels.

“We are cutting core support for emergency disaster response,” said Richard Hamburg, TFAH’s director of government relations, “leaving the country at unnecessary levels of risk.”

At the end of the day, the question is whether our government and health system could step up to the plate in a harmonized and efficient manner.

“While we have taken steps in the right direction, our level of preparedness remains a work in progress,” Frank J. Ciluffo, director of Homeland Security Policy Institute at George Washington University told the Senate last year. “It is not yet where it needs to be.”

earthquake

A team of three companies, led by DynCorp International Inc., won a five-year, $450 million contract from the Naval Facilities Engineering Command to deliver global disaster response services.

DynCorp International’s team includes Parsons Global Services Inc., Pasadena, Calif., and PWC Logistics, Safat, Kuwait. The three companies won the award under the banner of Contingency Response Services LLC, their partnership group.

The Navy will use the contract to obtain services via individual tasks in response to natural disasters, humanitarian efforts, and interim or transitional base operating needs.

woew

The Director of Disaster Services for the Town of Hanna is responsible for maintaining and implementing Hanna’s Municipal Emergency Plan. This Master Plan is designed to aid the Disaster Services Agency in responding to any man made or natural disasters that may overwhelm the resources of regular day-to- day operations in our community.

The Disaster Services Agency is comprised of representatives from local industry, education, health agencies, first responder agencies (FIRE, EMS, RCMP, etc.), Non-Government Organization’s, Non-Profit Organization's, the Town, (Public Works, FCSS) as well as surrounding communities through mutual aid agreements.

Major emergencies such as severe weather (tornadoes, blizzards, etc.), explosions, major fires, dangerous or hazardous goods spills, pandemics and even acts of terrorism would be dealt with by this comprehensive agency.

Hanna’s Town Council appoints a Disaster Services Committee to oversee the Disaster Services Agency. This committee is comprised of the Mayor and two appointed Council members and is responsible for setting policy and dealing with budget issues.

The Town also has a Director of Disaster Social Services who oversees the Disaster Social Services Emergency Plan, which is an annex to the Municipal Emergency Plan. This plan primarily deals with issues associated with the “people and pets” aspect of a major emergency or disaster where, for example, events such as evacuation of ones home might become necessary.

The Government of Alberta through its primary agency, Emergency Management Alberta, sets out the rules and guide lines for all communities and municipality’s when it comes to major emergencies or disasters in the Province. It aids each community in preparing it’s Municipal Emergency Plan, provides resources for training through grant programs and also provides and manages disaster recovery grant programs.

american red cross

If you live within our coverage area (see map in “About Us” section), it is likely that the local Red Cross Disaster Team responded to the disaster incident to provide emergency assistance to you and others affected by the disaster. In the event that the Red Cross was not called to the disaster scene, and you need emergency assistance immediately following a disaster, please call the number above. If you live outside of the Cincinnati Area Chapter coverage area, please contact your local Red Cross chapter. Find your local Red Cross Chapter

Disasters requiring a Red Cross response are defined as “Any single event that makes a person’s home unliveable” including natural disasters and some man-made disasters such as hazardous materials spills. Following a disaster, if you need emergency assistance, the Cincinnati Area Chapter of the American Red Cross may be able to assist you.

earth quake

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