Analyses of the Effects of Global Change on Human Health and Welfare and Human Systems Page: 43
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Analyses of the Effects of Global Change on Human Health and Welfare and Human Systems
3 hurricane and its path was forecast well in
advance, there was a secondary failure of the
levee system in Louisianna. This illustrates that
multiple factors contribute to making a disaster
and that adaptation measures may not fully
avert adverse consequences.
From 1940 through 2005 roughly 4,300 lives
were lost in the United States to hurricanes.
The impact of the 2005 hurricane season is
especially notable as it doubled the estimate of
the average number of lives lost to hurricanes in
the United States over the previous 65 years.
Figure 2.3 shows the annual number of deaths
attributed to flooding in the United States from
1940-2005 (NOAA, 2007a). Over this period
roughly 7,000 lives were lost.
A wildfire's health risk is largely a function of
the population in the affected area and the speed
and intensity with which the wildfire moves
through those areas. Wildfires can increase eye
and respiratory illnesses due to fire-related air
pollution. Climate conditions affect wildfire
incidence and severity in the West (Westerling
et al., 2003; Gedalof et al., 2005; Sibold and
Veblen, 2006). Between 1987-2003 and 1970-
1986, there was a nearly fourfold increase in the
incidence of large Western wildfires (i.e., fires
that burned at least 400 hectares) (Westerling et
al., 2006). The key driver of this increase was
an average increase in springtime temperature
of 0.87C that affected spring snowmelt,
subsequent potential for evapotranspiration,
loss of soil moisture, and drying of fuels
(Running, 2006; Westerling et al., 2006). Data
providing a time-series summary of deaths
similar to the data in Figures 2.2 and 2.3 were
not identified.
There is a rich body of literature detailing
the mental health impacts of extreme weather
events. Anxiety and depression, the most
common mental health disorders, can be
directly attributable to the experience of the
event (i.e., being flooded) or indirectly during
the recovery process (e.g., Gerrity and Flynn,
1997). These psychological effects tend to be
much longer lasting and can be worse than the
physical effects experienced during an event
and its immediate aftermath.~-
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Figure 2.2 Annual Deaths Attributed to Hurricanes in the United States,
1900 and 1940-2005
Source: NOAA, 2007
Extreme events are often multi-strike stressors,
with stress associated with the event itself;
the disruption and problems of the recovery
period; and the worry or anxiety about the
risk of recurrence of the event (Tapsell et al.,
2002). During the recovery period, mental
health problems can arise from the challenges
associated with geographic displacement,
damage to the home or loss of familiar
possessions, and stress involved with the
process of repairing. The full impact often is
not appreciated until after people's homes have
been put back in order. For instance, in the
aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, mental
health services in New Orleans were challenged
by an increased incidence of serious mental
illness, including anxiety, major depression,
and PTSD. Shortly after Katrina, a Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention poll found that
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,i
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F e 2 a D h ibo i in te,
Y yY,- ,iY Yn 1Ii, . ...oL" W l II .} =1 i + ,! ! I+ w -:1, R " t .. ,,, +!
*di-~ .~ II ,~ DII , F 4141
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Figure 2.3 Annual Deaths Attributed to Flooding in the United States,
1940-2005
Source: NOAA, 2007a' ,'
t +I,43
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U.S. Climate Change Science Program and the Subcommittee on Global Change Research. Analyses of the Effects of Global Change on Human Health and Welfare and Human Systems, book, September 2008; Washington, DC, USA. (https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc12033/m1/55/: accessed April 18, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, UNT Digital Library, https://digital.library.unt.edu; .