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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Robin Lee, MPH¹, Maria T.F. Thacker², Raquel I. Sabogal³, and Alden K. Henderson, PhD². (1) Division of Health Studies, CDC/ATSDR, 1600 Clifton Road, Mail Stop E-31, Atlanta, GA 30333, 404-498-0605, rpl5@cdc.gov, (2) Division of Health Studies, Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, 1600 Clifton Road NE, Mailstop E31, Atlanta, GA 30333, (3) Division of Environmental Hazards and Health Effects, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4770 Buford Highway, Atlanta, GA 30341

Natural events such as extreme cold or hot weather, lightning, storms and floods, and earth movements cause hundreds of deaths each year in the United States. Most of these deaths are preventable and society can take precautions to decrease the morbidity and mortality from these events.

Preliminary analysis of the National Center for Health Statistics Compressed Mortality File showed that between 1979 and 2002, natural events caused 19,355 deaths in the United States. Deaths due to extreme cold or heat accounted for more deaths than those attributed to lightning, storms and floods, and earth movements such as earthquakes and landslides. Deaths due to extremes of temperature accounted for 74% of the total deaths attributed to natural events – more than the sum of all the other causes. During the 24-year analysis period, there were 9,531 cold-related deaths and 4,780 heat-related deaths recorded in this data set. Other deaths were attributed to lightning (1,813), storms and floods (2,555) and earth movements (676).

Though technology cannot prevent a hurricane or heat wave, the key factors to reducing loss of life include accurate detection and forecasting, warning impacted populations, successful evacuation, and engineering structures to protect their occupants. Knowing what types of weather related events are likely to occur in a particular area as well as who are at greater risk can guide federal, state and local programs in designing effective disaster mitigation actions.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant (learner) in this session will be able to

1
Describe mortality rates associated with the occurrence of natural disaster/events. 2
Evaluate how mortality rates change depending on the type of nature disaster/events.
• Assess which populations are at greater risk from natural disasters/events. 3
  Prevent loss of life by identifying community characteristics and instituting community prevention strategies that will limit mortality due to natural disaster/event.

  Keywords: Disasters, Mortality

  Presenting author's disclosure statement:

  Not Answered

  Developing Public Health Infrastructure to Address Acts of Bioterrorism and/or Pandemics

  The 134th Annual Meeting & Exposition (November 4-8, 2006) of APHA