Weather Killers

Tornadoes and Hurricanes do incredible damage and usually get a lot of attention in the mainstream media. But despite their dramatic appearance, they are not the most lethal weapons in Mother Nature’s arsenal.

The most potent weather killers and what you can do to survive them:

1. Extreme Cold

It’s not dramatic and very easy to predict. Nonetheless Extreme Cold weather tops our list, killing 680 annually — more deaths than all other extreme weather combined. Don’t be caught unprepared. Blizzard and Winter Storm Warnings are often issued 24 hours in advance. Pay attention to the local weather. Have extra blankets and winter gear in your vehicle during winter months.

2. Extreme Heat

On the other end of the spectrum, but just as deadly is Extreme Heat. Heatstroke, heat exhaustion and other heat-related illnesses account for over 350 deaths annually. Like Extreme Cold, Extreme Heat can also be easily avoided with some common sense. Monitor infants and elderly closely during extreme heat. They are especially at risk. If you must be outside, drink lots of water and avoid unnecessary physical exertion during peak hours.

3. Flooding

Slow-rising currents of water may not look threatening, but looks can be deceiving. Flood waters kill 100 people every year in the U.S. A primary reason why people die in flood waters is because they are swept away and drowned attempting to drive through flood currents. Never attempt to cross flowing water more than 6 inches deep. If the depth is unknown, avoid it altogether. In an evacuation situation, seek high ground roads or Interstates, which are usually built several feet above ground.

4. Lightning

Known as the “underrated killer”, Lightning ranks #4 on our list with 60-90 deaths and 500 injuries each year – more than Tornadoes and Hurricanes combined. There is a lot of confusion regarding when and where lightning can strike. The critical rule is this: if thunder can be heard, you are at risk of being struck.

The majority of lightning fatalities occur when people resume outdoor activities too soon after a storm has passed. Their flawed reasoning is, “it stopped raining, and we can go back outside now”. Consider that lightning can strike ten miles from the base of a thunderstorm. To avoid tragedy, you should wait at least 30 minutes after a storm has passed before going back outside.

Into the Storm: Violent Tornadoes, Killer Hurricanes, and Death-defying Adventures in Extreme Weather
by: Ph.D., Reed Timmer
publisher: Dutton Adult, published: 2010-10-14
ASIN: B004MPRWRS
sales rank: 424443
price: $5.87 (new), $5.15 (used)

Reed Timmer, a star of the top rated Storm Chasers on the Discovery Channel is one of the most successful and most extreme storm chasers in the world. His is a job that requires science and bravado, knowledge and instinct just to survive, never mind excel. Now, in Into the Storm, he takes readers inside the terrifying and awe-inspiring world of big weather.

Published to coincide with the fourth season’s premiere, Into the Storm is Timmer’s dramatic account of his extraordinary profession. Featuring stories of the three-hundred-plus extreme tornados, hurricanes, or blizzards that Timmer has watched ring-side over the last decade-storms that include the killer F5 tornado that struck Moore, Oklahoma, in May 1999; the unprecedented, devastating storm surge of Hurricane Katrina; and the little-studied but enormously powerful storm systems in places like Canada and Argentina. As a Ph.D. candidate in meteorology, Timmer is after more than just an adrenaline rush-his stories feature fascinating insights into the science of storms, and how the data he is collecting will could possibly save lives. With a firsthand perspective on the storm-chasing community, Timmer also takes readers inside this world, examining his controversial obsession and the ethical debates it sparks.
Featuring the same you-are-there immediacy that attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors to Timmer’s web site tornadovideos.net, every month, Into the Storm is one wild-and informative-ride.

How the Weather Affects Your Health
by: MANFRED KAISER
publisher: ReadHowYouWant, published: 2010-10-12
ASIN: 1427096341
EAN: 9781427096340
sales rank: 1971640
price: $19.90 (new)

ReadHowYouWant publishes a wide variety of best selling books in Large Print and Super Large Print formats in partnership with leading publishers. EasyRead books are available in 11pt and 13pt. type. EasyRead Large books are available in 16pt, 16pt Bold, and 18pt Bold type. EasyRead Super Large books are available in 20pt. Bold and 24pt. Bold Type. You choose the format that is right for you.

Climate change is upon us. Every year new weather records are broken: record heat, drought, flood, and an ever-increasing number of cyclones and tornadoes ravage our homes, livelihoods and health. Weather and health issues rarely leave the headlines, and they are the two subjects we invariably bring up in our day-to-day conversation. If you are concerned about the effect of climatic changes on you, then you will find HOW THE WEATHER AFFECTS YOUR HEALTH is indispensable for explaining the link between the two strongest influences on our lives. The effects that weather sensitivity, climate change, air, heat, cold, solar radiation and violent weather have on us are all presented, with background information on weather-related disorders and preventative and remedial advice.

To find more titles in your Large Print or Super Large Print format, Search in Books using EasyRead and the size of the font that makes reading easier and more enjoyable for you.

Global Climate Change and Extreme Weather Events: Understanding the Contributions to Infectious Disease Emergence: Workshop Summary
by: Forum on Global Health
publisher: National Academies Press, published: 2008-09-23
ASIN: 0309124026
EAN: 9780309124027
sales rank: 1195615
price: $62.25 (new), $39.53 (used)

Long before the ‘germ theory’ of disease was described, late in the nineteenth century, humans knew that climatic conditions influence the appearance and spread of epidemic diseases. Ancient notions about the effects of weather and climate on disease remain embedded in our collective consciousness – through expressions such as ‘cold’ for rhinovirus infections; ‘malaria’, derived from the Latin for ‘bad air’; and the common complaint of feeling ‘under the weather’. Today, evidence is mounting that earth’s climate is changing at a faster rate than previously appreciated, leading researchers to view the longstanding relationships between climate and disease with new urgency and from a global perspective.On December 4 and 5, 2007, the Forum on Microbial Threats hosted a public workshop, summarized in this book, to consider the possible infectious disease impacts of global climate change and extreme weather events on human, animal, and plant health, as well as their expected implications for global and national security.

Extreme Weather Events and Public Health Responses
publisher: Springer, published: 2010-11-09
ASIN: 3642063721
EAN: 9783642063725
sales rank: 7346933
price: $108.33 (new), $139.14 (used)

The global climate is changing. The trend towards warmer average surface temperatures for the period since 1976 is roughly three times that of the past 100 years as a whole. In recent years warming seems to be attributable to human activities (man-made environmental changes) like land-use changes, deforestation, urbanisation and the reduction of wetlands. Global climate change is likely to be accompanied by an increase in frequency and intensity of extreme weather events. This brings with it increased health risks and hence a demand for an adequate response from local health authorities to meet these risks. In 2004, the WHO Regional Office for Europe and the European Environment Agency organized an expert meeting to exchange information and develop recommendations on public health and environmental responses to weather and climate extremes, floods, heat-waves and cold spells. This book reflects a collection of case studies and experiences of experts, ministries and international organizations.

Superstorm Encyclopedia: Tornadoes, Severe Thunderstorms, Hurricanes, Tropical Storms, Typhoons, Cyclones – Meteorology, Forecasts, Safety and Preparedness, History, Disaster Health Problems
by: National Weather Service (NWS)
publisher: Progressive Management, published: 2011-05-25
ASIN: B0052U681S
sales rank: 246159

Earth’s most powerful storms – hurricanes and tornadoes – are the subject of this massive 1700 page report with authoritative coverage of all aspects of these deadly superstorms: meteorology, forecasting, history, safety, preparedness, research, and health hazards.

Tornadoes: Tornado Overview, Science, Meteorology – including Forecasting, Frequently Asked Questions, Research, the work of NOAA’s National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL) and Storm Prediction Center (SPC); Tornado Safety and Preparedness Measures – including Storm Shelters and Safe Rooms; Hail – Lightning -Flash Floods ; Storm Observation, Spotting, and Reporting; Historic Tornadoes, History of Forecasting; Building Performance Assessment: Oklahoma And Kansas Tornadoes 1999; Glossary; and Health And Medical Impacts of Disasters. Some of the specific topics covered include: Tornado Basics; Supercells, Updrafts, Gustnadoes, Shear, Downdraft, Tornadogenesis, Rear Flank Downdraft, Waterspouts, Dry Line, Tornado Vortex Signature, Wedge Tornadoes, Rope Tornadoes, Condensation Funnel, Radar Evidence, Hook Echo, Wall Cloud, Beaver’s Tail, Descriptions of Radar Hardware and Software, Watches and Warnings, F and EF Fujita damage estimate scales, Tornadoes from Hurricanes, Climatology, Extremes, Research, VORTEX, SPC Products, Relationship Between El Nino, La Nina, And United States Tornado Activity, Preparedness Guide for Tornadoes, Lightning, and Thunderstorms, Disaster Plans, Mobile Home Danger, A Guide To Developing A Severe Weather Emergency Plan For Schools (And Businesses, Shopping Malls, Depots, Hotels, Hospitals); FEMA Residential Safe Rooms Background and Research; How to Prepare for a Tornado; What to Do Before, During and After; Inspecting the Damage; Emergency Care After a Natural Disaster; Storm Observation, Spotting and Reporting: Basic and Advanced Guides, Thunderstorm Life Cycle; Visual Indications of Updraft Strength and Organization, Tornadic Wall Cloud Characteristics; Reporting to NWS Criteria; First Successful Tornado Forecast March 1948 (fascinating first-person account by forecaster); the report of the 1999 FEMA Building Performance and Assessment Team which conducted a field investigation of the devastating outbreak in Oklahoma and Kansas, leading to building recommendations; the Health and Medical Impacts of Disasters with detailed information on emergency preparedness and response from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) – including wounds, insects, pets, animals in evacuation centers, carbon monoxide poisoning, chain saw injuries during tree removal, released chemicals, cleaning with bleach, respiratory protection, mold and fungal contamination, personal protection, emotional trauma, and much more.

Hurricanes: Overview, Science, and Meteorology (National Hurricane Center); Mariner’s Guide For Hurricane Awareness In The North Atlantic Basin; Glossary; FEMA Hurricane Documents. Specific topics: Names and the History of Naming * Hazards, Rainfall and Flooding, Storm Surge and Inland Flooding * High Wind Safety * Historic Storm Surge and High Wind Events * Hurricane Hunters * Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale (complete description) * Technical Summary of NHC Track and Intensity Models (providing details on the models used in forecasting) * Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory – Hurricane Research Division Frequently Asked Questions * Discussions about modification efforts, Project Stormfury * Important Dates in the History of Research (Timeline) * Tornadoes Spawned by Hurricanes * Preparedness Guide * Shutters * Avoiding Damage * FDA, NOAA, CDC Advice * History of Hurricanes – from Galveston 1990 to Katrina 2005, Ike 2008 * Deadliest Atlantic Cyclones, 1492-1996 * Full Reports on Allison, Andrew, Floyd, Ike, Isabel, Ivan, Katrina, Opal, Rita, Wilma

This is a privately authored news service and educational publication of Progressive Management.

Sudden Weather Changes Raise Health Concerns
Experts say sudden temperature changes can affect your health.

Effects of cold weather
We haven´t received a really heavy dose of winter yet, but using your furnace, shoveling snow, or just being out in the cold can be dangers to your health. Dr. Kris Brickman of the University of Toledo Medical Center has information you need to know as we enter the winter season in this edition of FOX Toledo Talk Back.

Protect Your Health When It´s Hot
Edward J. Vassallo, Ready Coordinator for Philadelphia´s Office of Emergency Management, provides Wally Wise Guy´s Wise Words of the Week – Protect Your Health When It´s Hot. During summer months, hot weather can be hard to take. High heat can cause health problems, especially for seniors, pregnant woman, infants, and children. You also need to be careful if you: – Have a chronic medical condition – Take certain prescription and non-prescription medications (read the labels, and talk to your doctor or pharmacist) – Are over 50 or under 5 – Are obese – Have had a previous heat-related illness – Have been drinking alcohol – Use IV drugs – Work in a high heat environment – Engage in strenuous physical activity Be a Buddy Check elderly friends and neighbors, as well as those with medical conditions. During extreme heat conditions, the Philadelphia Health Commissioner declares a heat emergency whenever the temperature and relative humidity index exceeds 105F. For further assistance, call the Heat Emergency Hotline at 215-765-9040. For more information on staying safe this summer, download the Stay Cool Guide or visit the Extreme Heat page of the Philadelphia Office of Emergency Management website, www.phila.gov.ready.

Weather Killers

This entry was posted on Sunday, December 25th, 2011 at 10:41 AM and is filed under Health issues. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.