Category Archives: Hazards
The Nepal Earthquake
Many of you have heard about the worst earthquake in 80 years to hit Nepal last week on April 25. At this writing, the death toll is >4000 and climbing. Incredible to see the sudden awesome power of human nature, especially in a setting like the Himalayas. We deal with tragedies in our lives, but […]
What a Traffic Jam…A Livestock Rollover Accident!
All of us have seen auto accidents, and many of us have been involved in a collision – hopefully nothing more than a fender bender. However, we know that some accidents are a tragic — involving police, ambulances, lane closures, and tying up traffic for hours. Although not very common, an example of this is […]
2014: The Year in Review
A popular media segment at the end of every year is ‘most important news’, especially on radio, which is my favorite means of receiving news clips. I thought I’d look back at some of worthwhile stories (i.e., those beyond the local politics and teapot tempests of Vancouver Island, BC) Although I am a huge advocate […]
Training Wheels
I spent most of today assisting in a local mobile medical unit training. The International Red Cross Federation calls it an Emergency Response Unit. The ERU can be deployed worldwide when a disaster occurs. This weeklong exercise takes an enormous amount of time, money, and human effort. The operative word is ‘training’. The question is whether the […]
Relief vs. Development: The Agony and the Ecstasy (Part 2)
In the last blog, I discussed advantages and challenges of relief programming in a disaster. I will now discuss “development model” considerations in an international disaster response. By definition, the international NGO (INGO) is present because the host country is considered “under-developed” by one or more recognized international indices. The lack of development is usually sectoral, i.e. […]
Radiation Disasters (Part 3)
The past two blogs have addressed the possibility of both unintentional and intentional releases of radiation. The situation may appear bleak, but you are not helpless! This blog will speak to what you can do to prevent, prepare, and respond. First, response: Response: A large radiation disaster would be followed by a massive government response. However, even […]
Avalanche!
The season is here again, when the local news gives a tragic story of another death from an avalanche. As I write this, the hourly news from my trusty radio just reported two deaths in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Avalanches kill more than 150 people throughout the world every year. Here in British Columbia, the toll averages 11 deaths annually. The 2008-09 winter was especially tragic, with […]
The Big One
Earthquakes involve the powerful movement of the Earth’s crust, when two blocks of rock suddenly slip past one another. The rapid release of energy creates seismic waves that travel through the earth. The damage caused by earthquakes depends on their depth and fault type, as well as the geology of the region. Scientists use seismometers […]
Defining Risk
My consulting company is called Risk Reduction Strategies. I gave it this name after careful consideration. What is risk? Risk is the probability of something negative happening in the future, which will cause loss, harm, or suffering. Although risk is part of everyday life, risk can be “managed”. Risk management is the identification and prioritization […]
The Horror of Chemical Weapons
The alleged use of chemical weapons against civilians in Syria last month should sicken all of us. What exactly is a chemical weapon, and why are they universally condemned? Chemical agents are “weapons of mass destruction” along with radiological and biological agents. WMDs cause great social upheaval, and usually the psychological effect is greater than the physical effect. Briefly, […]
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