Yi-Chang Chiu wants to move people efficiently - lots of people, millions of people - in response to a terrorist attack or natural disaster.
Suppose, for instance, that a disaster occurred in Southern California and suddenly 700,000 vehicles headed for the Arizona border" How would transportation officials generate the best traffic management strategy to cope with the traffic"
One very good option would be to use the computer simulation package that Chiu, an assistant professor in The University of Arizona Civil Engineering Department, has been developing since 1995, when he was a graduate student at the University of Texas in Austin.
"Solving large-scale evacuation problems is overwhelming," Chiu said. "No one can just sit down with a map and draw lines and figure out the best answer to problems like these."
No single plan or even series of plans is sufficient, he added. "We're not focusing on a script because a disaster scenario is very unpredictable. You can't have one plan that fits all situations, and you can't evaluate hundreds of scenarios or your 'plan' will end up looking like a phone book."
Instead, Chiu and his colleagues have focused on developing software that can react to a situation in real time, adjusting as conditions on the ground change.
Planning on the Fly "If we're reacting to a hurricane, we have 72 hours to plan," he said. "But what if an unforeseen disaster occurs" We need to make a decision in 15 minutes."
The software package depends on detailed traffic census data that is collected by state and city transportation departments in conjunction with real-time traffic surveillance data. "The cars aren't just randomly placed on the streets in our simulations," he said. "We know where every car has come from, where it's at and where it's headed, and vehicle movements follow rigorous traffic flow theories. So the simulation is very realistic. It's not just a random process."
It's also very complicated. The software considers decisions each driver might make on factors such as when to leave, which route to take, if they listen to radio reports and change their route, if they are slowed by congestion and change routes, or if they react to freeway message boards that carry routing advisories.
Responding to Airborne Hazards The model also can be combined with an air-plume dispersion model to predict how traffic will respond to airborne hazardous material.
"We have a scenario that says a refinery caught fire and every 30 minutes the wind plume is progressing according to the wind speed and temperature," Chiu said. "So we can calculate the health risk. In the case of an extremely toxic substance, we can also calculate the number of casualties and where they will occur."
The model isn't finished when the disaster ends. It also has post-disaster applications. For instance, Chiu and his colleagues analyzed a high-rise, multi-level interchange in El Paso, Texas where I-10 and US 54 meet.
If that interchange were completely destroyed, what would be the immediate and long-term impact to the city and what would be the best scenario for recovery"
"If you have only limited funds or time, which project will do the most good for recovery"" Chiu asked. "Do you open I-10 first or US 54" The model allows us to make those kinds of after-disaster recovery decisions based on the detailed, day-to-day traffic-flow data that has been collected by the City of El Paso and the projected traffic patterns from the model."
Value Pricing on Toll Roads Chiu and his colleagues also have used the software to model what's called "value pricing" on toll roads. The idea is to use a sliding toll scale to manage congestion. When traffic increases, the toll notches up incrementally to a maximum amount. This information is broadcast to drivers in various ways, with the hope that they will choose a different route, use public transit or delay their trip.
"The real research focus here is to develop a fair method for calculating tolls," Chiu said. "It can't be arbitrary or people won't accept it. You need to do very careful planning."
The traffic software, which Chiu and others began building line-of-code by line-of-code back in 1995, has undergone several software engineering cycles since then and now is a mature product that will soon be ready for state transportation and emergency medical agencies.
The next generation of the software, which is now under development, is called MALTA (Multi-Resolution Assignment and Loading of Traffic Activities). It is being designed to run even faster, to handle networks with much larger sizes, and to respond minute-by-minute to real-time emergencies. Instead of running on a single computer, it employs parallel processing, in which several computers work together on the problem. The National Science Foundation and Arizona Department of Transportation are funding the development and field testing of MALTA.
Chiu is developing this next-generation software with Professor Pitu Mirchandani, of UA's Systems and Industrial Engineering Department, and Mark Hickman, an associate professor of Civil Engineering.
Chiu originally worked on the software at the University of Texas with his major professor Hani S. Mahmassani.
The Federal Highway Administration funded that project.
Chiu has worked with the following agencies on developing and testing the software: Federal Highway Administration, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Arizona Department of Transportation, Texas Department of Transportation, Florida Department of Transportation, CalTran, Virginia Department of Transportation, Maricopa Association of Governments, Pima Association of Governments, the City of Houston, the City of El Paso, the City of Austin and the City of Tucson.
Contact: Johnny Cruz
University of Arizona
суббота, 30 апреля 2011 г.
пятница, 29 апреля 2011 г.
Four American Health Care Professionals Freed On Bail In Zimbabwe
Four American health care professionals, consisting of doctors and nurses, have been freed on bail by a Zimbabwean court. They had been arrested last week for not having the right medical licenses and dispensing medications without proper supervision and authorization. They had to pay $200 bail and are to appear in court on September 27th.
Local media say the six individuals, four Americans, a Zimbabwean, and a New Zealander, may be fined or deported. They have surrendered their passports. The court ordered them to remain at the Mother of peace Orphanage until September 27th.
The doctors and nurses worked with AIDS patients and orphans in Zimbabwe. One of them is Chairwoman of an AIDS program run by the Allen Temple Baptist Church, Oakland, California.
According to their lawyer, Jonathan Samukange, they have been charged with:
Practicing medicine without proper licenses
Running a pharmacy without a pharmacist's license
Running a pharmacy without the supervision of a pharmacist
According to their lawyer, they do have proper licenses. Samukange added that the pharmacy gave out medications for the treatment of AIDS.
The defendants appeared in court today, after spending the weekend in what local media described as smelly and badly ventilated cells at Harare Central police station.
Most experts say that without international help from charities, Zimbabwe's health system would probably collapse completely. The team had brought 4 months' worth of antiretroviral drugs for about 800 AIDS patients.
There are approximately two million people living with HIV/AIDS in Zimbabwe, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. Zimbabwe has the third largest HIV/AIDS burden in sub-Saharan Africa, and among the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence rates globally.
Written by
Local media say the six individuals, four Americans, a Zimbabwean, and a New Zealander, may be fined or deported. They have surrendered their passports. The court ordered them to remain at the Mother of peace Orphanage until September 27th.
The doctors and nurses worked with AIDS patients and orphans in Zimbabwe. One of them is Chairwoman of an AIDS program run by the Allen Temple Baptist Church, Oakland, California.
According to their lawyer, Jonathan Samukange, they have been charged with:
Practicing medicine without proper licenses
Running a pharmacy without a pharmacist's license
Running a pharmacy without the supervision of a pharmacist
According to their lawyer, they do have proper licenses. Samukange added that the pharmacy gave out medications for the treatment of AIDS.
The defendants appeared in court today, after spending the weekend in what local media described as smelly and badly ventilated cells at Harare Central police station.
Most experts say that without international help from charities, Zimbabwe's health system would probably collapse completely. The team had brought 4 months' worth of antiretroviral drugs for about 800 AIDS patients.
There are approximately two million people living with HIV/AIDS in Zimbabwe, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. Zimbabwe has the third largest HIV/AIDS burden in sub-Saharan Africa, and among the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence rates globally.
Written by
четверг, 28 апреля 2011 г.
UPS And The American Red Cross Team Up To Send Relief Flight To American Samoa
UPS is delivering 70 tons of food and relief supplies to communities affected by the earthquake and tsunami in American Samoa, as a UPS relief flight has delivered the first payload to assist the ongoing recovery efforts, with additional supplies scheduled to arrive in November by ocean freight.
The shipments by UPS, which is a member of the Annual Disaster Giving Program of the American Red Cross, are supporting the ongoing relief efforts of the Red Cross in American Samoa in the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami that struck on September 29. When disaster strikes, the Red Cross mobilizes volunteers and supplies into affected areas to shelter, feed and provide mental health counseling to disaster victims and emergency personnel.
"Thanks to the generosity of our Annual Disaster Giving Program members, we are able to mobilize human and material resources at a moments notice to provide lifesaving services," said Jeffrey Towers, chief development officer at the American Red Cross. "These funds, coupled with the support of the American public, are critical during hurricane season and enable the Red Cross to rush immediate relief to disaster victims before the first donation has been given."
Since the Annual Disaster Giving Program's inception in 1997, members have pledged donations to the Red Cross in advance of major disasters to ensure an immediate response will meet the needs of people who are affected by disasters of all sizes, at no cost and regardless of income. This year's members provided more than $20 million in funding for the Disaster Relief Fund.
"In addition to our annual contribution, one of the strengths UPS brings is using our network to position needed supplies to support local recovery efforts," said Ken Sternad, president of The UPS Foundation. "By donating funds, coordinating volunteer activities and moving supplies, UPS has been able to help provide some relief to those in need."
Individuals can join forces with companies who are members of the Annual Disaster Giving Program and help provide food, shelter, counseling and other assistance to the victims of thousands of disasters across the country each year, disasters like the recent earthquake and tsunami in American Samoa. Log-on to RedCross or call 1-800- RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767) to make a donation.
Other members of the Annual Disaster Giving Program include Altria Group, Inc., American Express, AXA Foundation, ConAgra Foods, FedEx Corporation, GE Foundation, The Home Depot Foundation, John Deere Foundation, Kimberly-Clark Corporation, Merck & Co., Inc., Morgan Stanley, Nationwide Insurance Foundation, Raytheon, Ryder Charitable Foundation, State Farm, State Street Foundation, Target, The TJX Companies, Inc. and UnitedHealthcare.
About The UPS Foundation
Founded in 1951 and based in Atlanta, Ga., The UPS Foundation's major initiatives include programs that support community safety, nonprofit effectiveness, economic and global literacy, environmental sustainability and diversity. The UPS Foundation pursues these initiatives by identifying specific projects where its support can help produce a measurable social impact. In 2008, The UPS Foundation donated $46.9 million to charitable organizations worldwide. Visit community.ups for more information about UPS's community involvement.
Source
American Red Cross
The shipments by UPS, which is a member of the Annual Disaster Giving Program of the American Red Cross, are supporting the ongoing relief efforts of the Red Cross in American Samoa in the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami that struck on September 29. When disaster strikes, the Red Cross mobilizes volunteers and supplies into affected areas to shelter, feed and provide mental health counseling to disaster victims and emergency personnel.
"Thanks to the generosity of our Annual Disaster Giving Program members, we are able to mobilize human and material resources at a moments notice to provide lifesaving services," said Jeffrey Towers, chief development officer at the American Red Cross. "These funds, coupled with the support of the American public, are critical during hurricane season and enable the Red Cross to rush immediate relief to disaster victims before the first donation has been given."
Since the Annual Disaster Giving Program's inception in 1997, members have pledged donations to the Red Cross in advance of major disasters to ensure an immediate response will meet the needs of people who are affected by disasters of all sizes, at no cost and regardless of income. This year's members provided more than $20 million in funding for the Disaster Relief Fund.
"In addition to our annual contribution, one of the strengths UPS brings is using our network to position needed supplies to support local recovery efforts," said Ken Sternad, president of The UPS Foundation. "By donating funds, coordinating volunteer activities and moving supplies, UPS has been able to help provide some relief to those in need."
Individuals can join forces with companies who are members of the Annual Disaster Giving Program and help provide food, shelter, counseling and other assistance to the victims of thousands of disasters across the country each year, disasters like the recent earthquake and tsunami in American Samoa. Log-on to RedCross or call 1-800- RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767) to make a donation.
Other members of the Annual Disaster Giving Program include Altria Group, Inc., American Express, AXA Foundation, ConAgra Foods, FedEx Corporation, GE Foundation, The Home Depot Foundation, John Deere Foundation, Kimberly-Clark Corporation, Merck & Co., Inc., Morgan Stanley, Nationwide Insurance Foundation, Raytheon, Ryder Charitable Foundation, State Farm, State Street Foundation, Target, The TJX Companies, Inc. and UnitedHealthcare.
About The UPS Foundation
Founded in 1951 and based in Atlanta, Ga., The UPS Foundation's major initiatives include programs that support community safety, nonprofit effectiveness, economic and global literacy, environmental sustainability and diversity. The UPS Foundation pursues these initiatives by identifying specific projects where its support can help produce a measurable social impact. In 2008, The UPS Foundation donated $46.9 million to charitable organizations worldwide. Visit community.ups for more information about UPS's community involvement.
Source
American Red Cross
среда, 27 апреля 2011 г.
German Chancellor Merkel Discusses Ways To Maintain G8 Focus On Africa
German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Tuesday met with the Africa Progress Panel to discuss ways of maintaining the Group of Eight industrialized nation's focus on Africa once Germany transfers the G8 presidency to Japan on Jan. 1, 2008, the AP/International Herald Tribune reports (AP/International Herald Tribune, 12/18).
G8 leaders at their summit in Heiligendamm, Germany, in June agreed to provide more than $60 billion to fight HIV/AIDS and address other issues in Africa. Part of the funding includes $6 billion to $8 billion for the Global Fund To Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. The communique also recommits to the aid pledges made during the 2005 G8 summit in Gleneagles, Scotland, to increase aid to $50 billion annually by 2010. The final communique also includes the goal of providing five million HIV-positive people with drug access by 2010 (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 6/8).
Former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who heads the Africa Progress Panel, said that Merkel is "one of the champions of Africa." He also praised Merkel for advocating for the implementation of international commitments to the continent. Annan said that Africa is "at a takeoff point" with "very positive things happening ... on the economic front." He added, "There are also new players on the ground in Africa who are making a difference, whether it's China or India, and we would want to see a situation where all those who share the mission ... of making Africa stable and prosperous pool their efforts to succeed." Merkel said she and the panel members will discuss "what advice we can support the Japanese presidency of the G-8 in order to maintain the momentum for Africa" (AP/International Herald Tribune, 12/18).
Reprinted with kind permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation© 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.
G8 leaders at their summit in Heiligendamm, Germany, in June agreed to provide more than $60 billion to fight HIV/AIDS and address other issues in Africa. Part of the funding includes $6 billion to $8 billion for the Global Fund To Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. The communique also recommits to the aid pledges made during the 2005 G8 summit in Gleneagles, Scotland, to increase aid to $50 billion annually by 2010. The final communique also includes the goal of providing five million HIV-positive people with drug access by 2010 (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 6/8).
Former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who heads the Africa Progress Panel, said that Merkel is "one of the champions of Africa." He also praised Merkel for advocating for the implementation of international commitments to the continent. Annan said that Africa is "at a takeoff point" with "very positive things happening ... on the economic front." He added, "There are also new players on the ground in Africa who are making a difference, whether it's China or India, and we would want to see a situation where all those who share the mission ... of making Africa stable and prosperous pool their efforts to succeed." Merkel said she and the panel members will discuss "what advice we can support the Japanese presidency of the G-8 in order to maintain the momentum for Africa" (AP/International Herald Tribune, 12/18).
Reprinted with kind permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation© 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.
вторник, 26 апреля 2011 г.
Major Research Program On Natural Disasters Launched By International Council For Science
In response to the urgent need to reduce the impacts of natural disasters, the International Council for Science (ICSU) has launched a new, 10-year, international research programme designed to address the gaps in the knowledge and methods that are preventing the effective application of science to averting disasters and reducing risk. The programme was announced at the 29th ICSU General Assembly in Maputo, Mozambique.
Each year hundreds of thousands of people are killed and millions injured, displaced or have their livelihoods destroyed by natural disasters. There has been a dramatic increase in the frequency of disasters - when communities are overwhelmed and need outside assistance - from around 30 per year in the 1950s to more than 470 per year since the beginning of this century.
'Integrated Research on Disaster Risk (IRDR) will provide an enhanced capacity around the world to address hazards and make better decisions to reduce their impacts', said Gordon McBean, Canadian climatologist and Chair of the ICSU Planning Group for Hazards.
'In 10 years, as a result of this programme, we would like to see a reduction in loss of life, fewer people adversely impacted, and wiser investments and choices made by governments, the private sector and civil society'.
Invariably, it is the poorest countries that are least well equipped to cope with disasters and which suffer the most.
'Disaster events in a region like Africa can have an enormous impact on economic activities and livelihoods. Mozambique is especially vulnerable to disasters, particularly those triggered by weather and climate. IRDR will provide knowledge that will support better decision making processes within the country, paving the way for improved disaster risk management,' said Filipe Domingos Freires Lucio, a member of the ICSU Planning Group and a former Director-General of the National Institute of Meteorology of Mozambique, now at the World Meteorological Organization.
'With the predicted impacts of climate change, countries like Mozambique have no alternative but to integrate disaster risk reduction in development planning and climate change adaptation.'
The new programme, which builds on existing research activities, will address the impacts of disasters on all scales, from local to global. It will combine experience and expertise from around the world, and provide an unprecedented opportunity for the natural and social sciences to work together as never before.
McBean said, 'A truly global, interdisciplinary approach is essential if we are to provide the knowledge that can avoid unnecessary losses and save thousands, or even millions of lives'.
IRDR will focus on all hazards related to geophysical, oceanographic, climate and weather trigger events - and even space weather and impact by near-Earth objects. The programme will also take account of the effects of human activities in creating hazards - or making them worse.
The science plan for IRDR and more on the General Assembly are available at: icsu/3_mediacentre/GA_29.html
About ICSU
Founded in 1931, ICSU is a non-governmental organization with a global membership of national scientific bodies (114 Members, representing 134 countries) and International Scientific Unions (29 Members). The Council is frequently called upon to speak on behalf of the global scientific community and to act as an advisor in matters ranging from the environment to conduct in science. ICSU's activities focus on three areas: planning and coordinating research; science for policy; and strengthening the Universality of Science.
About the IRDR programme
Integrated Research on Disaster Risk (IRDR) is a major new international initiative of the International Council for Science (ICSU). The programme addresses the impacts of disasters on regional and global scales and brings together the combined talents of the natural, socio-economic, health and engineering sciences from around the world.
The IRDR programme has three research objectives. The first addresses the gaps in the knowledge and methods for the effective identification and forecast of risks leading to the effective application of science towards averting disasters and reducing risk. The second is to understand decision-making in risk management and how human decisions and the factors that affect such decisions contribute to hazards becoming disasters - or the reduction of their effects. The third objective, building on the first two, is to develop knowledge-based actions that will reduce risk and curb the losses caused by hazards and disasters.
Three cross-cutting themes will support the objectives: capacity building, including mapping capacity for disaster reduction and building self-sustaining capacity at various levels for different hazards; the development of case studies and demonstration projects; and assessment, data management and monitoring of hazards, risks and disasters.
An important element of the programme is the development of case studies that will analyse disasters caused by natural phenomena to establish what was done well and what caused failure - to avoid repeating mistakes.
Source: Jacinta Legg
International Council for Science
Each year hundreds of thousands of people are killed and millions injured, displaced or have their livelihoods destroyed by natural disasters. There has been a dramatic increase in the frequency of disasters - when communities are overwhelmed and need outside assistance - from around 30 per year in the 1950s to more than 470 per year since the beginning of this century.
'Integrated Research on Disaster Risk (IRDR) will provide an enhanced capacity around the world to address hazards and make better decisions to reduce their impacts', said Gordon McBean, Canadian climatologist and Chair of the ICSU Planning Group for Hazards.
'In 10 years, as a result of this programme, we would like to see a reduction in loss of life, fewer people adversely impacted, and wiser investments and choices made by governments, the private sector and civil society'.
Invariably, it is the poorest countries that are least well equipped to cope with disasters and which suffer the most.
'Disaster events in a region like Africa can have an enormous impact on economic activities and livelihoods. Mozambique is especially vulnerable to disasters, particularly those triggered by weather and climate. IRDR will provide knowledge that will support better decision making processes within the country, paving the way for improved disaster risk management,' said Filipe Domingos Freires Lucio, a member of the ICSU Planning Group and a former Director-General of the National Institute of Meteorology of Mozambique, now at the World Meteorological Organization.
'With the predicted impacts of climate change, countries like Mozambique have no alternative but to integrate disaster risk reduction in development planning and climate change adaptation.'
The new programme, which builds on existing research activities, will address the impacts of disasters on all scales, from local to global. It will combine experience and expertise from around the world, and provide an unprecedented opportunity for the natural and social sciences to work together as never before.
McBean said, 'A truly global, interdisciplinary approach is essential if we are to provide the knowledge that can avoid unnecessary losses and save thousands, or even millions of lives'.
IRDR will focus on all hazards related to geophysical, oceanographic, climate and weather trigger events - and even space weather and impact by near-Earth objects. The programme will also take account of the effects of human activities in creating hazards - or making them worse.
The science plan for IRDR and more on the General Assembly are available at: icsu/3_mediacentre/GA_29.html
About ICSU
Founded in 1931, ICSU is a non-governmental organization with a global membership of national scientific bodies (114 Members, representing 134 countries) and International Scientific Unions (29 Members). The Council is frequently called upon to speak on behalf of the global scientific community and to act as an advisor in matters ranging from the environment to conduct in science. ICSU's activities focus on three areas: planning and coordinating research; science for policy; and strengthening the Universality of Science.
About the IRDR programme
Integrated Research on Disaster Risk (IRDR) is a major new international initiative of the International Council for Science (ICSU). The programme addresses the impacts of disasters on regional and global scales and brings together the combined talents of the natural, socio-economic, health and engineering sciences from around the world.
The IRDR programme has three research objectives. The first addresses the gaps in the knowledge and methods for the effective identification and forecast of risks leading to the effective application of science towards averting disasters and reducing risk. The second is to understand decision-making in risk management and how human decisions and the factors that affect such decisions contribute to hazards becoming disasters - or the reduction of their effects. The third objective, building on the first two, is to develop knowledge-based actions that will reduce risk and curb the losses caused by hazards and disasters.
Three cross-cutting themes will support the objectives: capacity building, including mapping capacity for disaster reduction and building self-sustaining capacity at various levels for different hazards; the development of case studies and demonstration projects; and assessment, data management and monitoring of hazards, risks and disasters.
An important element of the programme is the development of case studies that will analyse disasters caused by natural phenomena to establish what was done well and what caused failure - to avoid repeating mistakes.
Source: Jacinta Legg
International Council for Science
понедельник, 25 апреля 2011 г.
Humanitarian Aid Not Enough For Myanmar's Poor - UN Official
A senior official of the United Nations World Food Programme
said
that humanitarian assistance is presently unable to meet the needs
of
the people of Myanmar and that the Myanmar Government must undertake
immediate critical reforms for the benefit of the country's desperately
poor and needy people.
Following a visit last week to Myanmar, WFP Regional Director for Asia
Tony
Banbury said that while at least five million vulnerable persons in
Myanmar
are short of food, and that far too many people suffer needlessly from
diseases and live in poverty, WFP can presently only provide food to about
500,000 vulnerable persons - far less than is needed.
"Humanitarian organizations can help, but we are faced with insufficient
funding, and whatever we manage to accomplish in the current circumstances
will only scratch the surface," said Banbury, whose four-day visit
included
reviewing WFP operations in Shan State, Myanmar. The WFP operation in
Myanmar is presently only 30 percent funded.
Banbury met with UN Agency and diplomatic representatives in Yangon, and
met with WFP's staff in Yangon and in Taunggyi during his visit to
Myanmar.
Banbury also travelled to Pin Laung and Hsi Hsaing Townships in Southern
Shan State, visiting villages and schools where WFP food assistance
supports families and communities formerly dependent on opium cultivation.
"Myanmar and its people have tremendous potential. But the government's
policies, its harsh travel and trade restrictions, unnecessarily trap
millions in lives of poverty and malnutrition, even in food surplus areas
such as Shan State," said Banbury. "WFP food assistance is desperately
needed by so many people, but it is only reaching a fraction of them."
Even with greater funding for aid agencies, humanitarian assistance alone
will not be enough to transform the lives of the millions of vulnerable
persons in Myanmar who need help, said Banbury. "The Myanmar government
should immediately pursue the reforms needed to lift Myanmar's people out
of poverty and hunger, and allow them to reach their full potential."
Operating in Myanmar in collaboration with 22 UN and NGO cooperating
partners, WFP provides food assistance to vulnerable persons in Myanmar
including HIV/AIDS and TB patients under treatment and school children in
marginalized areas of the country. A programme giving
nutritionally-enriched foods to mothers and children addresses acute
malnutrition rates that prevail in several operational areas.
Over three years, WFP plans to reach a total of 1,600,000 vulnerable
people
at a total cost of US$51.7 million. WFP assistance is provided to the
returned Rohinga communities in North Rakhine State, drought-affected
areas
in the central dry zone, and farming communities in former poppy growing
areas in the Shan State. WFP provides vulnerable families and households
with a food basket consisting of rice, pulses, vegetable oil, salt and
high-protein blended food. WFP operations rely on the Government to
facilitate the movement of food and personnel.
Donors to WFP's protracted relief and recovery operation in Myanmar
include
Australia (US$5.1 million), the United Nations Central Emergency Response
Fund (US$1.4 million - for CERF see: ochaonline.un), the United
Nations Trust Fund for Human Security (US$ 648,000), Japan (US$1.1
million), European Union (US$1.1 million), Switzerland (US$870,000),
Finland (US$670,000), Germany (US$670,000), United States (US$300,000),
New
Zealand (US$210,000) and Italy (US$140,000). A further US$2.3 million has
been received in multilateral donations and US$40,000 in private
donations.
WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency: on average, each year, we
give food to 90 million poor people to meet their nutritional needs,
including 58 million hungry children, in 80 of the world's poorest
countries. WFP - We Feed People.
wfp
said
that humanitarian assistance is presently unable to meet the needs
of
the people of Myanmar and that the Myanmar Government must undertake
immediate critical reforms for the benefit of the country's desperately
poor and needy people.
Following a visit last week to Myanmar, WFP Regional Director for Asia
Tony
Banbury said that while at least five million vulnerable persons in
Myanmar
are short of food, and that far too many people suffer needlessly from
diseases and live in poverty, WFP can presently only provide food to about
500,000 vulnerable persons - far less than is needed.
"Humanitarian organizations can help, but we are faced with insufficient
funding, and whatever we manage to accomplish in the current circumstances
will only scratch the surface," said Banbury, whose four-day visit
included
reviewing WFP operations in Shan State, Myanmar. The WFP operation in
Myanmar is presently only 30 percent funded.
Banbury met with UN Agency and diplomatic representatives in Yangon, and
met with WFP's staff in Yangon and in Taunggyi during his visit to
Myanmar.
Banbury also travelled to Pin Laung and Hsi Hsaing Townships in Southern
Shan State, visiting villages and schools where WFP food assistance
supports families and communities formerly dependent on opium cultivation.
"Myanmar and its people have tremendous potential. But the government's
policies, its harsh travel and trade restrictions, unnecessarily trap
millions in lives of poverty and malnutrition, even in food surplus areas
such as Shan State," said Banbury. "WFP food assistance is desperately
needed by so many people, but it is only reaching a fraction of them."
Even with greater funding for aid agencies, humanitarian assistance alone
will not be enough to transform the lives of the millions of vulnerable
persons in Myanmar who need help, said Banbury. "The Myanmar government
should immediately pursue the reforms needed to lift Myanmar's people out
of poverty and hunger, and allow them to reach their full potential."
Operating in Myanmar in collaboration with 22 UN and NGO cooperating
partners, WFP provides food assistance to vulnerable persons in Myanmar
including HIV/AIDS and TB patients under treatment and school children in
marginalized areas of the country. A programme giving
nutritionally-enriched foods to mothers and children addresses acute
malnutrition rates that prevail in several operational areas.
Over three years, WFP plans to reach a total of 1,600,000 vulnerable
people
at a total cost of US$51.7 million. WFP assistance is provided to the
returned Rohinga communities in North Rakhine State, drought-affected
areas
in the central dry zone, and farming communities in former poppy growing
areas in the Shan State. WFP provides vulnerable families and households
with a food basket consisting of rice, pulses, vegetable oil, salt and
high-protein blended food. WFP operations rely on the Government to
facilitate the movement of food and personnel.
Donors to WFP's protracted relief and recovery operation in Myanmar
include
Australia (US$5.1 million), the United Nations Central Emergency Response
Fund (US$1.4 million - for CERF see: ochaonline.un), the United
Nations Trust Fund for Human Security (US$ 648,000), Japan (US$1.1
million), European Union (US$1.1 million), Switzerland (US$870,000),
Finland (US$670,000), Germany (US$670,000), United States (US$300,000),
New
Zealand (US$210,000) and Italy (US$140,000). A further US$2.3 million has
been received in multilateral donations and US$40,000 in private
donations.
WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency: on average, each year, we
give food to 90 million poor people to meet their nutritional needs,
including 58 million hungry children, in 80 of the world's poorest
countries. WFP - We Feed People.
wfp
воскресенье, 24 апреля 2011 г.
United To Fight Child Hunger Across The World
Tens of thousands of people yesterday took to the streets in
cities around the world to show their support for the work of the
United
Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in the fight against global hunger.
The annual 'End Hunger: Walk the World' initiative mobilised an
estimated
300,000 people to raise awareness and funds for WFP's school
feeding
programmes. At least 200 walks took place in 70 countries across all
24
time zones.
Now in its seventh year, the Walk the World event is sponsored by three
of
WFP's global private sector partners: express delivery company
TNT,
consumer goods company Unilever, and nutrition and life-science
specialists
DSM.
"Walk the World - both in its global scope and in its diversity -
showed
that the problem of hunger and undernutrition resonates with people
from
all walks of life," said Nancy Roman, WFP's Director of Public
Policy,
Communications and Private Partnerships. "Hunger is a problem that
touches
one out of every seven people on this planet, and it is our
responsibility
to take action collectively to fight hunger."
The worldwide series of walks kicked off in Australia with a climb
up
Sydney Harbour Bridge. In the Philippines, monsoon rains gave way to
a
bright sunny day for 6,000 people to walk together in the streets
of
Manila, while in Indonesia an early-morning walk followed by a
concert
attracted 12,000 supporters.
The largest walks took place on the African continent, with 64,000
people
walking in 53 locations in Malawi and 50,000 people gathering in
Tanzania
under the enthusiastic leadership of Prime Minister Mizengo Kayanza
Peter
Pinda, who walked in Arusha. In Burkina Faso, Walk the World became
a
flagship event for the women of the country. Under the patronage of
the
first lady Chantal Kompaor?© and many other eminent women, the walk
and
concert attracted 15,000 people. In Kenya, WFP Ambassador Against
Hunger
Paul Tergat - a champion marathon runner and former school
feeding
beneficiary - joined walkers in Nairobi.
In Europe, the largest walk took place in Portugal with about
4,000
participants, while the CEOs of the three global sponsors of the
event
walked in The Hague in The Netherlands. In Denmark, participants
braved
blustery weather to walk together and to taste a rice-and-beans
dish
prepared by a celebrity chef inspired by the meals WFP distributes
to
schoolchildren in Tanzania.
Supporters of the fight against hunger in Egypt walked through the
old
citadel of Cairo. In the Americas, walks began in New York City with a
walk
in Battery Park. WFP's Filipina Ambassador Against Hunger KC Concepcion,
on
tour in Canada, joined walkers in Toronto. In Latin America, walks
ranged
from a massive 30,000 participants in the Honduran capital of
Tegucigalpa
to just a few hundred determined walkers on the island of Trinidad.
Hundreds of supporters also joined a virtual online walk, where donations
were counted as miles walked with the objective of 'walking' 25,000 miles
around the world. At the time of writing more than US$17,600 had been
donated. The online walk will remain open at wfp/walktheweb until
the end of June.
Source
United Nations World Food Programme
cities around the world to show their support for the work of the
United
Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in the fight against global hunger.
The annual 'End Hunger: Walk the World' initiative mobilised an
estimated
300,000 people to raise awareness and funds for WFP's school
feeding
programmes. At least 200 walks took place in 70 countries across all
24
time zones.
Now in its seventh year, the Walk the World event is sponsored by three
of
WFP's global private sector partners: express delivery company
TNT,
consumer goods company Unilever, and nutrition and life-science
specialists
DSM.
"Walk the World - both in its global scope and in its diversity -
showed
that the problem of hunger and undernutrition resonates with people
from
all walks of life," said Nancy Roman, WFP's Director of Public
Policy,
Communications and Private Partnerships. "Hunger is a problem that
touches
one out of every seven people on this planet, and it is our
responsibility
to take action collectively to fight hunger."
The worldwide series of walks kicked off in Australia with a climb
up
Sydney Harbour Bridge. In the Philippines, monsoon rains gave way to
a
bright sunny day for 6,000 people to walk together in the streets
of
Manila, while in Indonesia an early-morning walk followed by a
concert
attracted 12,000 supporters.
The largest walks took place on the African continent, with 64,000
people
walking in 53 locations in Malawi and 50,000 people gathering in
Tanzania
under the enthusiastic leadership of Prime Minister Mizengo Kayanza
Peter
Pinda, who walked in Arusha. In Burkina Faso, Walk the World became
a
flagship event for the women of the country. Under the patronage of
the
first lady Chantal Kompaor?© and many other eminent women, the walk
and
concert attracted 15,000 people. In Kenya, WFP Ambassador Against
Hunger
Paul Tergat - a champion marathon runner and former school
feeding
beneficiary - joined walkers in Nairobi.
In Europe, the largest walk took place in Portugal with about
4,000
participants, while the CEOs of the three global sponsors of the
event
walked in The Hague in The Netherlands. In Denmark, participants
braved
blustery weather to walk together and to taste a rice-and-beans
dish
prepared by a celebrity chef inspired by the meals WFP distributes
to
schoolchildren in Tanzania.
Supporters of the fight against hunger in Egypt walked through the
old
citadel of Cairo. In the Americas, walks began in New York City with a
walk
in Battery Park. WFP's Filipina Ambassador Against Hunger KC Concepcion,
on
tour in Canada, joined walkers in Toronto. In Latin America, walks
ranged
from a massive 30,000 participants in the Honduran capital of
Tegucigalpa
to just a few hundred determined walkers on the island of Trinidad.
Hundreds of supporters also joined a virtual online walk, where donations
were counted as miles walked with the objective of 'walking' 25,000 miles
around the world. At the time of writing more than US$17,600 had been
donated. The online walk will remain open at wfp/walktheweb until
the end of June.
Source
United Nations World Food Programme
суббота, 23 апреля 2011 г.
First UK Medicines Reach Haiti
The first plane bearing essential medicines donated by pharmaceutical companies in the UK touched down in Haiti.
It is the first consignment of many planned flights. Pledges of donations from pharmaceutical companies so far total ??5.6 million.
The medicines are to treat a wide range of conditions, and include comprehensive medical kits that contain antibiotics, analgesics, anti-fungals, water purification tablets and wound dressings among other supplies. They have all been requested by medical authorities in Haiti to ensure that they will be of maximum use.
The first load, of emergency kits that can treat up to 20,000 people, was on board a charter aircraft that left from Newquay yesterday and landed at Port-au-Prince this afternoon. More flights are planned over the next few days and weeks.
Anthony Dunnett, President of International Health Partners (IHP) - the organisation that co-ordinates offers of medical aid to disaster zones and works closely with local and international aid bodies - said: "We have to ensure that the medicines we send to Haiti are exactly what are needed by doctors on the spot so that patients gain maximum benefit.
"Arrangements are in place to ensure that these supplies reach patients with the minimum of delay once the aircraft has landed."
IHP's industry liaison function is being co-ordinated from the offices of the Association of the Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) in Whitehall free of charge. "We are delighted to play our part in helping the people of Haiti by ensuring that essential medical supplies are delivered where they are going to give maximum benefit fast," said Dr Richard Barker, Director General of the ABPI.
Source
ABPI
It is the first consignment of many planned flights. Pledges of donations from pharmaceutical companies so far total ??5.6 million.
The medicines are to treat a wide range of conditions, and include comprehensive medical kits that contain antibiotics, analgesics, anti-fungals, water purification tablets and wound dressings among other supplies. They have all been requested by medical authorities in Haiti to ensure that they will be of maximum use.
The first load, of emergency kits that can treat up to 20,000 people, was on board a charter aircraft that left from Newquay yesterday and landed at Port-au-Prince this afternoon. More flights are planned over the next few days and weeks.
Anthony Dunnett, President of International Health Partners (IHP) - the organisation that co-ordinates offers of medical aid to disaster zones and works closely with local and international aid bodies - said: "We have to ensure that the medicines we send to Haiti are exactly what are needed by doctors on the spot so that patients gain maximum benefit.
"Arrangements are in place to ensure that these supplies reach patients with the minimum of delay once the aircraft has landed."
IHP's industry liaison function is being co-ordinated from the offices of the Association of the Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) in Whitehall free of charge. "We are delighted to play our part in helping the people of Haiti by ensuring that essential medical supplies are delivered where they are going to give maximum benefit fast," said Dr Richard Barker, Director General of the ABPI.
Source
ABPI
пятница, 22 апреля 2011 г.
Canadian Physician In Zimbabwe Recognized By Royal College Of Physicians And Surgeons Of Canada
The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada is pleased to present the Teasdale-Corti Humanitarian Award for the first time ever to
Dr. Paul Thistle, FRCSC, who has built his life around serving the people of rural Zimbabwe.
"Where health is concerned, globalization is a reality - disease and illness know no boundaries and we are increasingly interdependent in our approach to solutions." says Dr. Louise Samson, FRCPC, Royal College President. "The Royal College has a global reach with Fellows practising in 88 countries worldwide. Their contributions are valued and deserve to be honoured."
The Royal College launches the Teasdale-Corti Humanitarian Award in 2008 to recognize the work of Canadian physicians who go beyond normal expectations to deliver health care worldwide.
Dr. Thistle has been the chief medical officer of The Salvation Army Howard Hospital in Glendale, Zimbabwe since 1995. In his time there, Zimbabwe's life expectancy dropped to the lowest in the world. Faced with monumental challenges, Dr. Thistle has kept his hospital's doors open providing a high level of health care to a population suffering from poverty and HIV/AIDS.
"As part of the Teasdale-Corti Humanitarian Award, the Royal College is proud to offer $5,000. on Dr. Thistle's behalf to The Salvation Army World Missions." says Dr. Andrew Padmos, FRCPC, Royal College CEO. "This money is expected to go along way in supporting Dr. Thistle's continued work at Howard Hospital."
The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada is the national, not-for-profit organization that oversees the medical education of specialists in Canada by setting high standards for postgraduate medical education and continuing professional development. In collaboration with health organizations and government agencies, the Royal College also plays a role in developing sound health policy in Canada.
Royal College Of Physicians And Surgeons Of Canada
rcpsc
Backgrounder
Paul Thistle: Multi-faceted physician excelling under pressure
Dr. Paul Thistle, FRCSC, is graduate of the University of Toronto and a specialist in obstetrics and gynecology. In 1995, he accepted a posting at The Salvation Army Howard Hospital in rural Zimbabwe - a country characterized by the World Health Organization as one "plagued by food insecurity, economic crisis and one of the world's highest HIV/AIDS prevalence rates."
Dr. Thistle is a dedicated clinician. Of the three physicians at Howard Hospital who attend to its 2,500 deliveries per year, he is the only specialist. As a result, he is on call day and night to offer his expert support. Dr. Thistle has been instrumental in bringing a number of critical programs to the region. Among them, he secured USAID and Ministry of Health funding in 2003 to start and maintain an antiretroviral program that currently treats close to 1,200 patients.
Dr. Thistle is a teacher and a researcher. He has taught and mentored many students and residents whether from Zimbabwe, Canada or elsewhere. He has 20 publications to his credit on topics ranging from perinatal HIV transmission to antiretroviral therapy and rural maternal health issues in developing nations.
Dr. Thistle is an advocate. He and his wife Pedrinah, a nurse and midwifery instructor, facilitate funding for the education of 300 AIDS orphans, also helping to mentor them. His "Hockey Night in Zimbabwe" is a small example of an important outlet for play and social development for many of these children. Dr. Thistle works 16-hour days and yet a holiday back to Canada usually involves speaking engagements, educational events and advocacy for international health, his hospital and his work.
In June 2008, Dr. Thistle is receiving both the Royal College Teasdale-Corti Humanitarian Award and an Honorary Doctorate of Law from the University of Windsor, Ontario.
Doctors Teasdale and Corti: A legacy of service in the developing world
The Royal College's Teasdale-Corti Humanitarian Award is named in honour of Dr. Lucille Teasdale, FRCSC, and Dr. Piero Corti, a physician couple who devoted their professional careers to healing, teaching and improving the condition of the population residing in the poverty-stricken Gulu region of Uganda. For 35 years the couple served in this region, characterized by frequent outbreaks of infectious diseases, and provided medical care throughout nearly 25 years of Ugandan civil war and unrest. Their medical and surgical skills saved thousands of lives; their teachings instilled hope for a better future in many; and their perseverance transformed a small missionary dispensary into the St. Mary's-Lacor Hospital, which is now a modern teaching hospital and medical centre almost entirely staffed by Ugandan health care professionals.
Dr. Paul Thistle, FRCSC, who has built his life around serving the people of rural Zimbabwe.
"Where health is concerned, globalization is a reality - disease and illness know no boundaries and we are increasingly interdependent in our approach to solutions." says Dr. Louise Samson, FRCPC, Royal College President. "The Royal College has a global reach with Fellows practising in 88 countries worldwide. Their contributions are valued and deserve to be honoured."
The Royal College launches the Teasdale-Corti Humanitarian Award in 2008 to recognize the work of Canadian physicians who go beyond normal expectations to deliver health care worldwide.
Dr. Thistle has been the chief medical officer of The Salvation Army Howard Hospital in Glendale, Zimbabwe since 1995. In his time there, Zimbabwe's life expectancy dropped to the lowest in the world. Faced with monumental challenges, Dr. Thistle has kept his hospital's doors open providing a high level of health care to a population suffering from poverty and HIV/AIDS.
"As part of the Teasdale-Corti Humanitarian Award, the Royal College is proud to offer $5,000. on Dr. Thistle's behalf to The Salvation Army World Missions." says Dr. Andrew Padmos, FRCPC, Royal College CEO. "This money is expected to go along way in supporting Dr. Thistle's continued work at Howard Hospital."
The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada is the national, not-for-profit organization that oversees the medical education of specialists in Canada by setting high standards for postgraduate medical education and continuing professional development. In collaboration with health organizations and government agencies, the Royal College also plays a role in developing sound health policy in Canada.
Royal College Of Physicians And Surgeons Of Canada
rcpsc
Backgrounder
Paul Thistle: Multi-faceted physician excelling under pressure
Dr. Paul Thistle, FRCSC, is graduate of the University of Toronto and a specialist in obstetrics and gynecology. In 1995, he accepted a posting at The Salvation Army Howard Hospital in rural Zimbabwe - a country characterized by the World Health Organization as one "plagued by food insecurity, economic crisis and one of the world's highest HIV/AIDS prevalence rates."
Dr. Thistle is a dedicated clinician. Of the three physicians at Howard Hospital who attend to its 2,500 deliveries per year, he is the only specialist. As a result, he is on call day and night to offer his expert support. Dr. Thistle has been instrumental in bringing a number of critical programs to the region. Among them, he secured USAID and Ministry of Health funding in 2003 to start and maintain an antiretroviral program that currently treats close to 1,200 patients.
Dr. Thistle is a teacher and a researcher. He has taught and mentored many students and residents whether from Zimbabwe, Canada or elsewhere. He has 20 publications to his credit on topics ranging from perinatal HIV transmission to antiretroviral therapy and rural maternal health issues in developing nations.
Dr. Thistle is an advocate. He and his wife Pedrinah, a nurse and midwifery instructor, facilitate funding for the education of 300 AIDS orphans, also helping to mentor them. His "Hockey Night in Zimbabwe" is a small example of an important outlet for play and social development for many of these children. Dr. Thistle works 16-hour days and yet a holiday back to Canada usually involves speaking engagements, educational events and advocacy for international health, his hospital and his work.
In June 2008, Dr. Thistle is receiving both the Royal College Teasdale-Corti Humanitarian Award and an Honorary Doctorate of Law from the University of Windsor, Ontario.
Doctors Teasdale and Corti: A legacy of service in the developing world
The Royal College's Teasdale-Corti Humanitarian Award is named in honour of Dr. Lucille Teasdale, FRCSC, and Dr. Piero Corti, a physician couple who devoted their professional careers to healing, teaching and improving the condition of the population residing in the poverty-stricken Gulu region of Uganda. For 35 years the couple served in this region, characterized by frequent outbreaks of infectious diseases, and provided medical care throughout nearly 25 years of Ugandan civil war and unrest. Their medical and surgical skills saved thousands of lives; their teachings instilled hope for a better future in many; and their perseverance transformed a small missionary dispensary into the St. Mary's-Lacor Hospital, which is now a modern teaching hospital and medical centre almost entirely staffed by Ugandan health care professionals.
четверг, 21 апреля 2011 г.
UNICEF's Life-Saving Operation In Pakistan In Jeopardy Due To Funding Shortfall
UNICEF warned that serious funding shortfalls are jeopardising its humanitarian operation in Pakistan. UNICEF is extremely concerned at the lack of funds for its water and sanitation operation, with millions of children at risk from water-borne diseases.
"Providing clean water and adequate sanitation is key to the survival of millions of flood affected people in Pakistan. In terms of numbers of people needing life-saving assistance, this emergency is bigger than the Tsunami, Haiti, and the last Pakistan earthquake put together," said Martin Mogwanja, UNICEF Representative in Pakistan
"UNICEF is currently providing enough clean water for 1.3 million people every day, but millions more need the same services. We urgently need to scale up the distribution of water. If we are not able to do so because of lack of funding, water-borne diseases such as cholera, diarrhoea and dystentery will spread and begin killing affected populations, especially children, already weak and vulnerable to disease and malnutrition", added Mogwanja.
The Government of Pakistan estimates 20 million people overall have been hit by the flood crises, and according to the UN, at least 15 million people have been seriously affected, half of whom are children.
UNICEF is concerned that the floods have hit "the poorest of the poor", those least able to survive the present harsh conditions. The top concerns are water-borne diseases, acute respiratory infections, skin diseases and malnutrition rates, already dangerously high in many flood-affected regions of Pakistan.
Polio is endemic and measles still a threat, says UNICEF, which, together with WHO and Government, is carrying out polio and measles vaccinations at relief centres. UNICEF is also supplying oral rehydration solution, a home based treatment for diarrhea, but notes that this treatment is also in short supply due to funding constraints.
Source:
UNICEF
"Providing clean water and adequate sanitation is key to the survival of millions of flood affected people in Pakistan. In terms of numbers of people needing life-saving assistance, this emergency is bigger than the Tsunami, Haiti, and the last Pakistan earthquake put together," said Martin Mogwanja, UNICEF Representative in Pakistan
"UNICEF is currently providing enough clean water for 1.3 million people every day, but millions more need the same services. We urgently need to scale up the distribution of water. If we are not able to do so because of lack of funding, water-borne diseases such as cholera, diarrhoea and dystentery will spread and begin killing affected populations, especially children, already weak and vulnerable to disease and malnutrition", added Mogwanja.
The Government of Pakistan estimates 20 million people overall have been hit by the flood crises, and according to the UN, at least 15 million people have been seriously affected, half of whom are children.
UNICEF is concerned that the floods have hit "the poorest of the poor", those least able to survive the present harsh conditions. The top concerns are water-borne diseases, acute respiratory infections, skin diseases and malnutrition rates, already dangerously high in many flood-affected regions of Pakistan.
Polio is endemic and measles still a threat, says UNICEF, which, together with WHO and Government, is carrying out polio and measles vaccinations at relief centres. UNICEF is also supplying oral rehydration solution, a home based treatment for diarrhea, but notes that this treatment is also in short supply due to funding constraints.
Source:
UNICEF
среда, 20 апреля 2011 г.
WFP Buys Over 2 Million Tons Of Food On Local Southern Africa Markets
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has
bought
more than two million tons of food on local markets in Southern Africa
in
the last five years - the equivalent of providing 12 million hungry
people
with a full food basket for an entire year.
The food agency announced that it has spent almost US$430
million
since Southern Africa was first hit by recurring food crises in 2002.
The
funds were used to purchase 2,020,000 metric tons of cereals,
pulses,
vegetable oil, corn-soya blend, salt and sugar in eight countries
across
the region, mainly South Africa, Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique.
"These purchases have provided WFP with the means to help millions of
needy
people," said WFP Executive Director Josette Sheeran, speaking from
the
agency's headquarters in Rome.
"At the same time, buying local has been both cost efficient as well
as
extremely effective in supporting small-scale farmers and stimulating
local
agricultural economies."
Sheeran said WFP has already bought more food in Malawi and Mozambique
this
year than ever before and, given additional cash contributions,
purchases
could also hit record levels in Zambia.
"It really is a win-win situation," she added, "because local
purchases
benefit surplus-producing small farmers and traders, while ensuring
that
WFP can provide those in need in those countries and elsewhere in
southern
Africa with sufficient food in time."
With parts of southern Africa facing severe food shortages once again,
WFP
is aiming to assist over four million vulnerable people across the
region
before the next main harvest in April 2008. WFP is currently scaling up
its
operations in the worst affected countries, particularly Zimbabwe,
Lesotho
and Swaziland.
While the bulk of the two million tons bought over the last five years
in
Southern Africa was distributed to people hit by a succession of crises
in
the region, WFP also used some of it to assist vulnerable people
facing
food shortages in other countries across the continent, including Chad,
the
Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Niger and Somalia.
More than half the food was produced in or bought from South
African
companies. However, WFP is currently focussing its procurement on
countries
that enjoyed good harvests in 2007 such as Zambia, Mozambique
and
particularly Malawi, which has a cereal surplus of over one million
tons
this year.
Additional donations are urgently required to ensure that WFP reaches
all
of its targeted beneficiaries in southern Africa over the next
seven
months. Whenever possible, future cash contributions will be used
to
purchase food either locally or regionally.
Over the past five years, WFP has bought food in South Africa
(1,275,000
tons; US$259 million), Zambia (285,000 tons; US$62 million),
Malawi
(203,000 tons; US$46 million), Mozambique (125,000 tons; US$29
million),
Lesotho (81,000 tons; US$18 million), Namibia (25,000 tons; US$7
million),
Zimbabwe (20,500 tons; US$7 million) and Swaziland (5,500 tons;
US$1
million).
WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency: on average, each year, we
give food to 90 million poor people to meet their nutritional needs,
including 58 million hungry children, in 80 of the world's poorest
countries. WFP - We Feed People.
wfp
bought
more than two million tons of food on local markets in Southern Africa
in
the last five years - the equivalent of providing 12 million hungry
people
with a full food basket for an entire year.
The food agency announced that it has spent almost US$430
million
since Southern Africa was first hit by recurring food crises in 2002.
The
funds were used to purchase 2,020,000 metric tons of cereals,
pulses,
vegetable oil, corn-soya blend, salt and sugar in eight countries
across
the region, mainly South Africa, Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique.
"These purchases have provided WFP with the means to help millions of
needy
people," said WFP Executive Director Josette Sheeran, speaking from
the
agency's headquarters in Rome.
"At the same time, buying local has been both cost efficient as well
as
extremely effective in supporting small-scale farmers and stimulating
local
agricultural economies."
Sheeran said WFP has already bought more food in Malawi and Mozambique
this
year than ever before and, given additional cash contributions,
purchases
could also hit record levels in Zambia.
"It really is a win-win situation," she added, "because local
purchases
benefit surplus-producing small farmers and traders, while ensuring
that
WFP can provide those in need in those countries and elsewhere in
southern
Africa with sufficient food in time."
With parts of southern Africa facing severe food shortages once again,
WFP
is aiming to assist over four million vulnerable people across the
region
before the next main harvest in April 2008. WFP is currently scaling up
its
operations in the worst affected countries, particularly Zimbabwe,
Lesotho
and Swaziland.
While the bulk of the two million tons bought over the last five years
in
Southern Africa was distributed to people hit by a succession of crises
in
the region, WFP also used some of it to assist vulnerable people
facing
food shortages in other countries across the continent, including Chad,
the
Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Niger and Somalia.
More than half the food was produced in or bought from South
African
companies. However, WFP is currently focussing its procurement on
countries
that enjoyed good harvests in 2007 such as Zambia, Mozambique
and
particularly Malawi, which has a cereal surplus of over one million
tons
this year.
Additional donations are urgently required to ensure that WFP reaches
all
of its targeted beneficiaries in southern Africa over the next
seven
months. Whenever possible, future cash contributions will be used
to
purchase food either locally or regionally.
Over the past five years, WFP has bought food in South Africa
(1,275,000
tons; US$259 million), Zambia (285,000 tons; US$62 million),
Malawi
(203,000 tons; US$46 million), Mozambique (125,000 tons; US$29
million),
Lesotho (81,000 tons; US$18 million), Namibia (25,000 tons; US$7
million),
Zimbabwe (20,500 tons; US$7 million) and Swaziland (5,500 tons;
US$1
million).
WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency: on average, each year, we
give food to 90 million poor people to meet their nutritional needs,
including 58 million hungry children, in 80 of the world's poorest
countries. WFP - We Feed People.
wfp
вторник, 19 апреля 2011 г.
USAID Announces Youth-Focused HIV/AIDS Programs In Ethiopia
The U.S.
Agency for International Development (USAID) awarded a $500,000 grant to
the YMCA of the USA to combat HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia. The program will
provide youth access to basic HIV prevention education and vital medical
services and improve existing care and prevention programs in five
underserved communities in the cities of Addis Ababa and Adama. It will
also build community networks by means of youth-led volunteer services. The
program is funded as a part of President Bush's Emergency Plan for AIDS
Relief (PEPFAR) and YMCA has agreed to leverage matching resources at a
ratio of at least 2:1.
Approximately 2.2 percent of more than 80 million people in Ethiopia
are HIV positive, and, according to Ethiopian authorities, over 880,000
children have been orphaned as a result of AIDS. In order to confront this
mounting crisis, the YMCA AIDS Volunteerism and Community Engagement
(ADVANCE) program seeks to improve the health knowledge and practices of
50,000 youth and young adults between the ages of 10 and 29, as well as
provide care and support services for 5,000 orphans and vulnerable children
in these communities by July 2011.
The aim of the program is to educate and empower young people from
within the community to raise awareness and compassion for individuals
living with HIV/AIDS, as well as for orphans and vulnerable children. YMCA
will recruit and train hundreds of Ethiopian youths to become peer
educators who will spread prevention and care information, work towards
building a strong sense of community, and refer members of the community to
health facilities.
Youth education and recreation programs hosted at participating YMCA
branches in Ethiopia will be expanded and improved upon in order to provide
both life-saving information to and a reliable safe haven for those
suffering from or vulnerable to HIV/AIDS. YMCA will cooperate with local
schools, community leaders, and social service agencies to identify orphans
and vulnerable children in need of educational and recreational support in
order to learn how to function as a valuable member of a community.
USAID is dedicated to developing sustainable programs that will remain
salient to these communities and its efforts promise to have a resounding
impact on community members for years to come.
For more information about USAID's programs in Ethiopia and around the
world, please visit usaid.
The American people, through the U.S. Agency for International
Development, have provided economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide
for nearly 50 years.
U.S. Agency for International Development
usaid
Agency for International Development (USAID) awarded a $500,000 grant to
the YMCA of the USA to combat HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia. The program will
provide youth access to basic HIV prevention education and vital medical
services and improve existing care and prevention programs in five
underserved communities in the cities of Addis Ababa and Adama. It will
also build community networks by means of youth-led volunteer services. The
program is funded as a part of President Bush's Emergency Plan for AIDS
Relief (PEPFAR) and YMCA has agreed to leverage matching resources at a
ratio of at least 2:1.
Approximately 2.2 percent of more than 80 million people in Ethiopia
are HIV positive, and, according to Ethiopian authorities, over 880,000
children have been orphaned as a result of AIDS. In order to confront this
mounting crisis, the YMCA AIDS Volunteerism and Community Engagement
(ADVANCE) program seeks to improve the health knowledge and practices of
50,000 youth and young adults between the ages of 10 and 29, as well as
provide care and support services for 5,000 orphans and vulnerable children
in these communities by July 2011.
The aim of the program is to educate and empower young people from
within the community to raise awareness and compassion for individuals
living with HIV/AIDS, as well as for orphans and vulnerable children. YMCA
will recruit and train hundreds of Ethiopian youths to become peer
educators who will spread prevention and care information, work towards
building a strong sense of community, and refer members of the community to
health facilities.
Youth education and recreation programs hosted at participating YMCA
branches in Ethiopia will be expanded and improved upon in order to provide
both life-saving information to and a reliable safe haven for those
suffering from or vulnerable to HIV/AIDS. YMCA will cooperate with local
schools, community leaders, and social service agencies to identify orphans
and vulnerable children in need of educational and recreational support in
order to learn how to function as a valuable member of a community.
USAID is dedicated to developing sustainable programs that will remain
salient to these communities and its efforts promise to have a resounding
impact on community members for years to come.
For more information about USAID's programs in Ethiopia and around the
world, please visit usaid.
The American people, through the U.S. Agency for International
Development, have provided economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide
for nearly 50 years.
U.S. Agency for International Development
usaid
понедельник, 18 апреля 2011 г.
Fraunhofer CMB Receives Gates Foundation Grant To Develop Innovative Malaria Vaccines
The Fraunhofer USA Center for
Molecular Biotechnology ("Fraunhofer CMB") announced today the receipt of a
$3.5 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to support the
development of transmission-blocking vaccines against malaria. To achieve
the goals of this project, Fraunhofer CMB will employ its proprietary
platform technology to produce lifesaving vaccines in non-genetically
modified plants.
Despite a century of efforts, malaria remains a major cause of
morbidity and mortality in tropical and subtropical regions throughout the
world, causing more than 300 million acute cases and at least one million
deaths annually. Malaria is the leading cause of death in young children in
Africa, killing one child every 30 seconds.
Vaccines could provide an effective means for the control and
prevention of malaria. Previous research has shown that some human
antibodies can reduce the transmission of malaria parasites from humans to
mosquitoes. The project announced today will develop vaccine candidates
designed to elicit these antibodies, thus preventing further spread of
disease in endemic communities.
"This support from the Gates Foundation will significantly expedite the
development of these novel vaccines. This will be an international effort
between several institutions, wherein each group will contribute their
expertise and know-how," said Dr. Vidadi Yusibov, Executive Director of
CMB. "Fraunhofer CMB will work closely with the Malaria Vaccine Development
Branch of NIAID of the National Institutes of Health, USA, Radboud
University Nijmegen Medical Centre in the Netherlands, Imperial College
London's Division of Cell and Molecular Biology, UK, and The Cell-Free
Science and Technology Research Center, Ehime University in Japan to ensure
success."
This is the third grant that Fraunhofer CMB has received from the Bill
& Melinda Gates Foundation to support development of vaccines using its
plant- based platform. A $2.7 million award for development of novel
subunit vaccines against influenza was announced last week. Fraunhofer CMB
was also the recipient of a $1.2 million Gates Foundation grant in 2005 for
pre-clinical studies towards the development of a vaccine against African
trypanosomiasis.
About Fraunhofer USA Center for Molecular Biotechnology (CMB).
Fraunhofer USA Center for Molecular Biotechnology was established in July
2001 as a partnership between the Fraunhofer Society in Germany and the
State of Delaware. CMB is part of Fraunhofer USA, Inc., a non-profit
organization that has five research Centers in the United States. CMB is
located at the Delaware Technology Park in Newark, Delaware and is a unique
institution conducting research in the area of plant biotechnology,
developing cutting edge technologies to assist the diagnosis, prevention
and treatment of human and animal diseases.
Fraunhofer USA
fraunhofer
Molecular Biotechnology ("Fraunhofer CMB") announced today the receipt of a
$3.5 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to support the
development of transmission-blocking vaccines against malaria. To achieve
the goals of this project, Fraunhofer CMB will employ its proprietary
platform technology to produce lifesaving vaccines in non-genetically
modified plants.
Despite a century of efforts, malaria remains a major cause of
morbidity and mortality in tropical and subtropical regions throughout the
world, causing more than 300 million acute cases and at least one million
deaths annually. Malaria is the leading cause of death in young children in
Africa, killing one child every 30 seconds.
Vaccines could provide an effective means for the control and
prevention of malaria. Previous research has shown that some human
antibodies can reduce the transmission of malaria parasites from humans to
mosquitoes. The project announced today will develop vaccine candidates
designed to elicit these antibodies, thus preventing further spread of
disease in endemic communities.
"This support from the Gates Foundation will significantly expedite the
development of these novel vaccines. This will be an international effort
between several institutions, wherein each group will contribute their
expertise and know-how," said Dr. Vidadi Yusibov, Executive Director of
CMB. "Fraunhofer CMB will work closely with the Malaria Vaccine Development
Branch of NIAID of the National Institutes of Health, USA, Radboud
University Nijmegen Medical Centre in the Netherlands, Imperial College
London's Division of Cell and Molecular Biology, UK, and The Cell-Free
Science and Technology Research Center, Ehime University in Japan to ensure
success."
This is the third grant that Fraunhofer CMB has received from the Bill
& Melinda Gates Foundation to support development of vaccines using its
plant- based platform. A $2.7 million award for development of novel
subunit vaccines against influenza was announced last week. Fraunhofer CMB
was also the recipient of a $1.2 million Gates Foundation grant in 2005 for
pre-clinical studies towards the development of a vaccine against African
trypanosomiasis.
About Fraunhofer USA Center for Molecular Biotechnology (CMB).
Fraunhofer USA Center for Molecular Biotechnology was established in July
2001 as a partnership between the Fraunhofer Society in Germany and the
State of Delaware. CMB is part of Fraunhofer USA, Inc., a non-profit
organization that has five research Centers in the United States. CMB is
located at the Delaware Technology Park in Newark, Delaware and is a unique
institution conducting research in the area of plant biotechnology,
developing cutting edge technologies to assist the diagnosis, prevention
and treatment of human and animal diseases.
Fraunhofer USA
fraunhofer
воскресенье, 17 апреля 2011 г.
NCD Alliance Receives Major Grant Ahead Of The UN Summit On Non-Communicable Diseases
A major donation to the NCD Alliance in the lead-up to the United Nations Summit on Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) was announced in the form of a USD$1 million grant by the Medtronic Foundation. The financial commitment was announced at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) in New York as part of an overall strategic effort to reduce the burden of NCDs.
"This announcement is a critical step towards the action needed to turn around the growing epidemic of NCDs in low- and middle-income countries. We are very thankful for Medtronic's donation to the NCD Alliance and its efforts in the fight against NCDs," said Ann Keeling, Chair of the NCD Alliance Steering Committee and Chief Executive Officer of the International Diabetes Federation.
With the UN Summit less than one year away, plans are well underway to maximize the opportunity to put NCDs, which include diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease and chronic respiratory disease, and their common risk factors of tobacco use, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity and harmful use of alcohol, on the global health and development agenda. Grants like this one, which will be delivered to the NCD Alliance over a two- year period, will make a strong contribution to the Summit's success.
"Medtronic is making an unprecedented, long-term strategic commitment to the fight against non-communicable diseases. By working with global stakeholders, we can bring the innovative solutions necessary to combat and ultimately overcome the unique challenges of the burgeoning chronic disease epidemic," said Bill Hawkins, Medtronic's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.
The NCD Alliance has published a Plan of Action for the UN NCD Summit which outlines a coordinated and resourced programme of work to be undertaken by civil society in the next 12 months.
The NCD Alliance is calling for the UN NCD Summit to deliver a set of outcomes which help stop or reverse the growing burden of NCDs affecting millions of people around the world. Governments should allocate more resources to improve NCD early detection, diagnosis, treatment and care in current health systems and in the context of a robust national NCD Control Plan. Specifically, the UN Summit should reinforce the importance of governments completing the full obligations contained in the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. The NCD Alliance believes that the UN should seek to identify and implement globally agreed approaches to NCD treatment and care. The NCD Alliance supports the objectives of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) but believe the achievement of the MDGs will be undermined by the growing NCD epidemic. Without doubt, NCDs should be included in the successor goals to the MDGs in 2015.
"The UN Summit will be a key opportunity for governments to demonstrate their recognition that NCDs are a global development priority requiring an urgent response. Today's announcement will greatly contribute towards the global fight against NCDs. With a combination of proven interventions, medicines, technologies, and lifestyle changes, we believe we can cut the human cost of 14 million annual premature deaths from NCDs," Ms Keeling added.
Source:
Medtronic
NCD Alliance
"This announcement is a critical step towards the action needed to turn around the growing epidemic of NCDs in low- and middle-income countries. We are very thankful for Medtronic's donation to the NCD Alliance and its efforts in the fight against NCDs," said Ann Keeling, Chair of the NCD Alliance Steering Committee and Chief Executive Officer of the International Diabetes Federation.
With the UN Summit less than one year away, plans are well underway to maximize the opportunity to put NCDs, which include diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease and chronic respiratory disease, and their common risk factors of tobacco use, unhealthy diet, physical inactivity and harmful use of alcohol, on the global health and development agenda. Grants like this one, which will be delivered to the NCD Alliance over a two- year period, will make a strong contribution to the Summit's success.
"Medtronic is making an unprecedented, long-term strategic commitment to the fight against non-communicable diseases. By working with global stakeholders, we can bring the innovative solutions necessary to combat and ultimately overcome the unique challenges of the burgeoning chronic disease epidemic," said Bill Hawkins, Medtronic's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.
The NCD Alliance has published a Plan of Action for the UN NCD Summit which outlines a coordinated and resourced programme of work to be undertaken by civil society in the next 12 months.
The NCD Alliance is calling for the UN NCD Summit to deliver a set of outcomes which help stop or reverse the growing burden of NCDs affecting millions of people around the world. Governments should allocate more resources to improve NCD early detection, diagnosis, treatment and care in current health systems and in the context of a robust national NCD Control Plan. Specifically, the UN Summit should reinforce the importance of governments completing the full obligations contained in the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. The NCD Alliance believes that the UN should seek to identify and implement globally agreed approaches to NCD treatment and care. The NCD Alliance supports the objectives of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) but believe the achievement of the MDGs will be undermined by the growing NCD epidemic. Without doubt, NCDs should be included in the successor goals to the MDGs in 2015.
"The UN Summit will be a key opportunity for governments to demonstrate their recognition that NCDs are a global development priority requiring an urgent response. Today's announcement will greatly contribute towards the global fight against NCDs. With a combination of proven interventions, medicines, technologies, and lifestyle changes, we believe we can cut the human cost of 14 million annual premature deaths from NCDs," Ms Keeling added.
Source:
Medtronic
NCD Alliance
четверг, 14 апреля 2011 г.
New Orleans' Mortality Rate 47% Higher After Hurricane Katrina, Study Finds
The mortality rate among people who lived in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina made landfall in August 2005 increased by 47% during the first six months of 2006 compared with the rate in the years before the hurricane, according to a study recently published in the journal Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness, USA Today reports. To measure the combined mortality rate of people who returned to New Orleans after the hurricane and those who remained in other cities, researchers at the New Orleans Health Department compared the number of death notices published each month in the New Orleans Times-Picayune during the first six months of 2006 to the number published each month in 2002 and 2004.
According to the study, 1,317 death notices on average were published per month from January 2006 to June 2006, compared with an average of 924 death notices per month in 2002 and 2004. The figures indicate that the death rate has risen to 91 per 100,000 people since the storm from 62 per 100,000 people, according to the study.
Kevin Stephens, director of the city's health department and lead author of the study, said, "We're facing a lot of health care challenges. I'm sure that has a significant impact on mortality." Stephens added that people who no longer live in New Orleans often have trouble obtaining health care in their current locations. Jullette Saussy, director of New Orleans EMS, said, "The lack of primary care, of mental health care and of long waits in emergency rooms all have (worsened) people's normally controllable chronic diseases."
A separate study published in the same journal finds that more than 4,486 doctors from three parishes in the New Orleans area have been displaced, creating a shortage that continues to be a problem at many hospitals. The second study was led by Kusuma Madamala of the American Medical Association (Sternberg, USA Today, 6/22).
"Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.
According to the study, 1,317 death notices on average were published per month from January 2006 to June 2006, compared with an average of 924 death notices per month in 2002 and 2004. The figures indicate that the death rate has risen to 91 per 100,000 people since the storm from 62 per 100,000 people, according to the study.
Kevin Stephens, director of the city's health department and lead author of the study, said, "We're facing a lot of health care challenges. I'm sure that has a significant impact on mortality." Stephens added that people who no longer live in New Orleans often have trouble obtaining health care in their current locations. Jullette Saussy, director of New Orleans EMS, said, "The lack of primary care, of mental health care and of long waits in emergency rooms all have (worsened) people's normally controllable chronic diseases."
A separate study published in the same journal finds that more than 4,486 doctors from three parishes in the New Orleans area have been displaced, creating a shortage that continues to be a problem at many hospitals. The second study was led by Kusuma Madamala of the American Medical Association (Sternberg, USA Today, 6/22).
"Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.
G8 Leaders Reach Agreement on Increased Aid to Africa at Close of Summit
Leaders from the Group of Eight industrialized nations on Friday at the close of the G8 summit in Gleneagles, Scotland, agreed to an immediate doubling of aid to Africa to $50 billion annually in order to fight poverty and disease on the continent,... BBC News reports. In the final communique, which is expected to be released on Friday, G8 leaders agreed to the aid target as well as proposals on international trade, universal access to HIV/AIDS treatment and debt cancellation for the world's poorest countries, according to British Prime Minister Tony Blair. "It isn't all everyone wanted, but it is progress," Blair said, adding, "All of this does not change the world tomorrow. It is a beginning, not an end" (BBC News, 7/8). Although Blair also has advocated that all G8 countries increase foreign aid commitments to 0.7% of their gross national incomes by 2015, that target is expected to be excluded from the communique (AP/CNN, 7/8). Although President Bush announced last week that he will seek to double U.S. aid to Africa from the $4.3 billion committed in 2004 to $8.6 billion by 2010, he opposed the 0.7% GNI target. According to anti-poverty advocates, Bush's goal of $8.6 billion by 2010 falls about $6 billion short of what is needed from the United States to meet Blair's proposal to increase aid to $50 billion by 2010 (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 7/7).
Debt Relief, Treatment Access
The final agreement also will officially endorse a debt relief plan proposed last month by G8 finance ministers (Swanson, Edinburgh Evening News, 7/8). The plan will cancel at least $40 billion in debt owed by the world's 18 poorest nations. Under the agreement, Benin, Bolivia, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guyana, Honduras, Madagascar, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia will receive immediate forgiveness for the debt they owe to the World Bank, the African Development Bank and the International Monetary Fund. The deal will save the 18 countries about $1.5 billion annually, which they could use toward health care, education and poverty alleviation programs, according to U.K. Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 6/13). The communique also includes an agreement on providing universal access to HIV/AIDS treatment, according to Blair (BBC News, 7/8). G8 finance ministers last month agreed to increase efforts to provide universal access to HIV/AIDS treatment by 2010, as well as encourage research into vaccines for HIV, tuberculosis and malaria (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 7/7). However, it is unclear if G8 leaders reached an agreement on international trade issues, according to the Evening News. Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa have called for tariffs, subsidies and other trade barriers to be eliminated in an effort to reduce poverty in developing countries. In addition, Bush has said he would like to eradicate farm subsidies by 2010. Any action on opening world markets to developing countries probably will not occur until World Trade Organization talks resume in December, according to the Evening News (Edinburgh Evening News, 7/8).
"Reprinted with permission from kaisernetwork. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at kaisernetwork/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.
Nurses Send Sympathies To The People Of NZ, Australia
The Australian Nursing Federation said nurses, assistants in nursing and midwives send their deepest sympathies to the people of New Zealand and those in Christchurch following the earthquake yesterday.
"Our immediate thoughts are for those who are still trapped, those who are injured and the families of the people who lost their lives," said Lee Thomas, ANF federal secretary.
"At this difficult time we also think of the emergency services personnel, local nursing, allied health and medical staff who are working around the clock rescuing and caring for people following the earthquake.
Ms Thomas said it was vital the international community continue to provide New Zealand with the support and resources it needs during the recovery
Source:
Australian Nursing Federation
"Our immediate thoughts are for those who are still trapped, those who are injured and the families of the people who lost their lives," said Lee Thomas, ANF federal secretary.
"At this difficult time we also think of the emergency services personnel, local nursing, allied health and medical staff who are working around the clock rescuing and caring for people following the earthquake.
Ms Thomas said it was vital the international community continue to provide New Zealand with the support and resources it needs during the recovery
Source:
Australian Nursing Federation
American Red Cross Supports Communities Across The Country In Their Battles Against Flood Waters
With flooding occurring or threatened in several parts of the United States, the American Red Cross is responding with meals, snacks and support.
In the Midwest, as the Red River waters rise again this spring, the American Red Cross is supporting residents of Minnesota and North Dakota who are dealing with the flood threats.
"We're hoping the river doesn't reach last year's record levels. But regardless of what happens, the Red Cross will be there to help everyone who is affected by this disaster," said Joe Becker, Senior Vice President of Disaster Services at the Red Cross.
The Minn-Kota Chapter of the Red Cross has been supporting residents all week as they formed sandbag brigades along the Red River. So far, the Red Cross has served more than 38,000 meals and snacks to citizens helping in this effort. The Red Cross is also distributing clean-up kits and has disaster mental health staff on hand to support community members, letting families know what to expect physically and emotionally in the days ahead.
The Northeast has also been hard hit by floods, as heavy rains drenched the region last weekend. The Red Cross has opened shelters in Connecticut, New Jersey, West Virginia, Massachusetts and Rhode Island, along with providing meals, health services and emotional support to residents. The Red Cross is also distributing clean-up and comfort kits to people whose homes were flooded.
Floods are the most common, costly and deadly severe weather each year in the United States. The public can get the facts on how to be prepared for flooding and other emergencies at redcross.
Time is of the essence in any disaster. Donations to the American Red Cross by members of the Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP) allow the Red Cross to respond immediately to the needs of individuals and families impacted by disaster anywhere in the United States, regardless of cost.
ADGP members include Altria Group, Inc., American Express, AXA Foundation, ConAgra Foods, FedEx Corporation, GE Foundation, General Motors Foundation, The Home Depot Foundation, John Deere Foundation, Kimberly-Clark Corporation, Merck, Morgan Stanley, Nationwide Insurance Foundation, Raytheon, Ryder Charitable Foundation, State Farm, State Street Foundation, Target, The TJX Companies, Inc., UnitedHealthcare and UPS.
Help people affected by disasters like the recent floods, by donating to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. On those rare occasions when donations exceed Red Cross expenses for a specific disaster, contributions are used to prepare for and serve victims of other disasters. Your gift enables the Red Cross to prepare for disasters and provide shelter, food, emotional support and other assistance to victims of all disasters. Call 1-800-REDCROSS (1-800-733-2767) or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish). Contributions to the Disaster Relief Fund may be sent to your local American Red Cross chapter or to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013. Internet users can make a secure online contribution by visiting redcross.
Source
American Red Cross
In the Midwest, as the Red River waters rise again this spring, the American Red Cross is supporting residents of Minnesota and North Dakota who are dealing with the flood threats.
"We're hoping the river doesn't reach last year's record levels. But regardless of what happens, the Red Cross will be there to help everyone who is affected by this disaster," said Joe Becker, Senior Vice President of Disaster Services at the Red Cross.
The Minn-Kota Chapter of the Red Cross has been supporting residents all week as they formed sandbag brigades along the Red River. So far, the Red Cross has served more than 38,000 meals and snacks to citizens helping in this effort. The Red Cross is also distributing clean-up kits and has disaster mental health staff on hand to support community members, letting families know what to expect physically and emotionally in the days ahead.
The Northeast has also been hard hit by floods, as heavy rains drenched the region last weekend. The Red Cross has opened shelters in Connecticut, New Jersey, West Virginia, Massachusetts and Rhode Island, along with providing meals, health services and emotional support to residents. The Red Cross is also distributing clean-up and comfort kits to people whose homes were flooded.
Floods are the most common, costly and deadly severe weather each year in the United States. The public can get the facts on how to be prepared for flooding and other emergencies at redcross.
Time is of the essence in any disaster. Donations to the American Red Cross by members of the Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP) allow the Red Cross to respond immediately to the needs of individuals and families impacted by disaster anywhere in the United States, regardless of cost.
ADGP members include Altria Group, Inc., American Express, AXA Foundation, ConAgra Foods, FedEx Corporation, GE Foundation, General Motors Foundation, The Home Depot Foundation, John Deere Foundation, Kimberly-Clark Corporation, Merck, Morgan Stanley, Nationwide Insurance Foundation, Raytheon, Ryder Charitable Foundation, State Farm, State Street Foundation, Target, The TJX Companies, Inc., UnitedHealthcare and UPS.
Help people affected by disasters like the recent floods, by donating to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund. On those rare occasions when donations exceed Red Cross expenses for a specific disaster, contributions are used to prepare for and serve victims of other disasters. Your gift enables the Red Cross to prepare for disasters and provide shelter, food, emotional support and other assistance to victims of all disasters. Call 1-800-REDCROSS (1-800-733-2767) or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish). Contributions to the Disaster Relief Fund may be sent to your local American Red Cross chapter or to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, DC 20013. Internet users can make a secure online contribution by visiting redcross.
Source
American Red Cross
George Washington University Emergency Medicine Physicians Responding To "Oil Spill Syndrome" In Gulf Coast
Shortly after the April 20th explosion and fire on the drilling rig, Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf Coast, the emergency and specialty physicians of the George Washington University-Maritime Medical Access program (MMA) have been responding to an increase in calls from marine spill response crews participating in the cleanup effort in the Gulf Coast.
Fielding incoming calls from Gulf Coast vessels is Daniel Casares, Communication Specialist in the GW Worldwide Emergency Communications Center. Casares states, "Every day since the first day of spill cleanup, I have received calls from vessels requesting medical advice for five to ten patients at a time, all of them sharing the same complaints."
Crew members aboard these vessels are immediately patched to the on-call GW emergency physician for remote medical consult. The physicians have identified a pattern of similar symptoms including nausea, vertigo, headaches, respiratory problems and flu like symptoms. These environmental related health issues of oil spill responder crews have been coined in the U.S media as "Oil Spill Syndrome", although the definite source of these illnesses have not been identified. Working in conjunction with medical officers aboard the spill response vessels, MMA physicians and staff have made the correlation that these illnesses occur after the crew has been exposed to inhaling oil dispersants and burning crude oil fumes for several hours at a time as well as handling contaminated oil clean up materials and by products.
The GW-Maritime Medical Access (MMA) program has had experience with remote maritime medical emergencies, as recently in 2009 with oversight of medical care in response to the Somali pirate hijacking of the Maersk M/V Alabama, but the recent events in the Gulf Coast have required the program staff to educate themselves as well as the crew on the detrimental implications of short and long term effect of inhaling oil fumes. The MMA program has also initiated and implemented the creation of client and crew education protocols with health signs and symptoms for medical officers to monitor for those working in the oil spill environment.
Source:
George Washington University
Fielding incoming calls from Gulf Coast vessels is Daniel Casares, Communication Specialist in the GW Worldwide Emergency Communications Center. Casares states, "Every day since the first day of spill cleanup, I have received calls from vessels requesting medical advice for five to ten patients at a time, all of them sharing the same complaints."
Crew members aboard these vessels are immediately patched to the on-call GW emergency physician for remote medical consult. The physicians have identified a pattern of similar symptoms including nausea, vertigo, headaches, respiratory problems and flu like symptoms. These environmental related health issues of oil spill responder crews have been coined in the U.S media as "Oil Spill Syndrome", although the definite source of these illnesses have not been identified. Working in conjunction with medical officers aboard the spill response vessels, MMA physicians and staff have made the correlation that these illnesses occur after the crew has been exposed to inhaling oil dispersants and burning crude oil fumes for several hours at a time as well as handling contaminated oil clean up materials and by products.
The GW-Maritime Medical Access (MMA) program has had experience with remote maritime medical emergencies, as recently in 2009 with oversight of medical care in response to the Somali pirate hijacking of the Maersk M/V Alabama, but the recent events in the Gulf Coast have required the program staff to educate themselves as well as the crew on the detrimental implications of short and long term effect of inhaling oil fumes. The MMA program has also initiated and implemented the creation of client and crew education protocols with health signs and symptoms for medical officers to monitor for those working in the oil spill environment.
Source:
George Washington University
Japan Earthquake: Radiation Risk More Like Three Mile Island Than Chernobyl Says Expert
After reports of two explosions at a
nuclear power plant in Japan following Friday's devastating earthquake, experts say that the radiation risk to the public appears low; it's looking "more like Three Mile Island
than Chernobyl", the director of the Center for Radiological Research at Columbia University in New York City, Dr David
Brenner, told the New York Times.
Japanese authorities said the first blast on Saturday destroyed the concrete shell surrounding reactor number 1 at the Tokyo Electric
Power Company nuclear power plant in Fukushima Dai-ichi, 150 miles (241 km) north of Tokyo.
Since then, a second hydrogen explosion has occurred at the plant but the Japanese authorities told the press the inner reactor
container remains intact, reports Sky News.
11 people were injured, four members of the army and seven workers at the plant, after Unit 3 at the nuclear plant exploded on
Monday. One of the injured is in a serious condition.
Yukio Edano, Japan's chief cabinet secretary said the inner containment vessel that holds the nuclear fuel rods is safe and that the
chances of a radioactive leak were "low".
He said people within a 12 mile (20 km) radius of the plant were being ordered to stay indoors.
Earlier today, the US Seventh Fleet, which was positioned about 100 miles (160 km) off the coast of Japan said it had moved its
ships and aircraft further away after its instruments detected low-level radiation.
According to a report from the Associatied Press, the fleet said the dose of radiation was around the equivalent of one month's
normal exposure to natural background radiation in the environment.
The explosions are thought to have occurred as a result of hydrogen build up from a chemical reaction between water and
overheated metal sheaths surrounding the nuclear fuel rods. As a result of the earthquake, the normal cooling systems failed, and
the authorities have taken emergency measures, including pumping in sea water, to cool the reactors.
A UK nuclear expert, Robin Grimes, director of the Center for Nuclear Engineering at Imperial College London, told Reuters that
it does not look as bad as Three Mile Island:
"What's clear because of the incidental radiation being released at the moment, which is significant but not overwhelming, is that
the structure of the core is probably still intact".
In the meantime, the Japanese authorities are focusing on a three-pronged strategy to stop the public from getting contaminated:
evacuation, shelter and iodine pills.
These are the three weapons against civilian contamination, said Patrick Gourmelon, director of radioprotection at a French
nuclear watchdog, the Institute for Radioprotection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN), according to an AFP agency report.
According to Sky News, the Japanese authorities are warning people not to drink tap water and to take iodine to prevent throat
cancer.
The Chernobyl disaster occurred in April 1986 when an entire nuclear reactor blew up, vaporizing its radioactive fuel and sending
up a radioactive cloud of dust over parts of Ukraine and Belarus.
This was followed by an epidemic of thyroid cancer and increases in cases of leukemia, said Brenner.
A UN estimate puts the death toll at 4,000, but other non-governmental groups say it was much higher than this.
The Three Mile Island accident was in 1979 in Pennsylvania in the US, when a partial core meltdown occurred in a pressurized
water reactor. Brenner said the radiation released from Three Mile Island was about a millionth of that released by
Chernobyl.
There is no evidence that anyone got sick as a result of Three Mile Island, said Brenner, "even decades later".
Exposure to radiation interferes with DNA in cells, compromising their ability to divide and make healthy new cells. To keep us
alive and healthy, our cells have to keep dividing, making new ones, allowing old ones to die, and get recycled. Especially in our
gut, where the turnover rate is quite high, as in the cells in our bone marrow that make blood cells.
Fetuses and children are the most vulnerable groups.
The severity of medical symptoms from radiation exposure depend on two things: the strength of the radiation, and the duration
of the exposure.
High levels of exposure cause severe radiation sickness with symptoms including fatigue, nausea and vomiting, hair loss,
hemorrhage and diarrhea.
Very high doses eventually lead to death, which can occur up to several weeks later. Brenner said this is usually as a result of the
lining of the gut being depleted.
However, the most likely risk to the public from what is happening in Japan, according to the current view from experts, which is
highly dependent on the information being released by the Japanese authorities, is that of low-level exposure.
This can increase the risk of cancer many years later, but it depends on what types of radioactive materials people are exposed to
and for how long. Some materials, like tritium, pass quickly through the body, while others travel to a particular part of the body
and linger.
Most of the very dangerous substances, such as uranium and other heavy metals, would probably drop to the bottom of the
containment vessel and not get released into the air, they would have to be recovered by nuclear hazard teams later.
The danger to the public is from the radioactive chemicals that are spewed into the air: smaller than a grain of sand, they can get
into a person through their lungs, into their mouths and via the skin. And depending on the dose, they can lead to cancer years
later.
These include for example, iodine-131 and strontium-90.
Iodine is normally present in our diet and travels to the thyroid. Strontium is not normally in our diet, but because it behaves
chemically like calcium, it travels to bones and teeth.
According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, iodine-131 has a half life of eight days, which means after a year, it is no
longer radioactive. Strontium-90 on the other hand, has a half-life of 29 years, which means basically, once in the body, it remains radioactive for most
a person's lifetime.
Brenner said while giving iodine tablets will help protect people against inhaling radioactive iodine, there is also a need to address
the indirect route through which it gets into the body.
For instance, in the case of Chernobyl, many of the cancers that occurred years later came from eating dairy products
contaminated with radioactive iodine that had fallen to the ground and been eaten by cows.
Brenner also said that another route was contaminated crops:
"I wouldn't be eating an apple from a tree close to the [nuclear] plant," he told the New York Times.
Sky News reported on Sunday that around 200,000 people have been evacuated from near the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant where
the explosions have occurred, and also from near the Fukushima Daini plant nearby.
Sources: New York Times, AP, Wall Street Journal, AFP, BBC, Sky News, US Environmental Protection
Agency.
Written by: , PhD
nuclear power plant in Japan following Friday's devastating earthquake, experts say that the radiation risk to the public appears low; it's looking "more like Three Mile Island
than Chernobyl", the director of the Center for Radiological Research at Columbia University in New York City, Dr David
Brenner, told the New York Times.
Japanese authorities said the first blast on Saturday destroyed the concrete shell surrounding reactor number 1 at the Tokyo Electric
Power Company nuclear power plant in Fukushima Dai-ichi, 150 miles (241 km) north of Tokyo.
Since then, a second hydrogen explosion has occurred at the plant but the Japanese authorities told the press the inner reactor
container remains intact, reports Sky News.
11 people were injured, four members of the army and seven workers at the plant, after Unit 3 at the nuclear plant exploded on
Monday. One of the injured is in a serious condition.
Yukio Edano, Japan's chief cabinet secretary said the inner containment vessel that holds the nuclear fuel rods is safe and that the
chances of a radioactive leak were "low".
He said people within a 12 mile (20 km) radius of the plant were being ordered to stay indoors.
Earlier today, the US Seventh Fleet, which was positioned about 100 miles (160 km) off the coast of Japan said it had moved its
ships and aircraft further away after its instruments detected low-level radiation.
According to a report from the Associatied Press, the fleet said the dose of radiation was around the equivalent of one month's
normal exposure to natural background radiation in the environment.
The explosions are thought to have occurred as a result of hydrogen build up from a chemical reaction between water and
overheated metal sheaths surrounding the nuclear fuel rods. As a result of the earthquake, the normal cooling systems failed, and
the authorities have taken emergency measures, including pumping in sea water, to cool the reactors.
A UK nuclear expert, Robin Grimes, director of the Center for Nuclear Engineering at Imperial College London, told Reuters that
it does not look as bad as Three Mile Island:
"What's clear because of the incidental radiation being released at the moment, which is significant but not overwhelming, is that
the structure of the core is probably still intact".
In the meantime, the Japanese authorities are focusing on a three-pronged strategy to stop the public from getting contaminated:
evacuation, shelter and iodine pills.
These are the three weapons against civilian contamination, said Patrick Gourmelon, director of radioprotection at a French
nuclear watchdog, the Institute for Radioprotection and Nuclear Safety (IRSN), according to an AFP agency report.
According to Sky News, the Japanese authorities are warning people not to drink tap water and to take iodine to prevent throat
cancer.
The Chernobyl disaster occurred in April 1986 when an entire nuclear reactor blew up, vaporizing its radioactive fuel and sending
up a radioactive cloud of dust over parts of Ukraine and Belarus.
This was followed by an epidemic of thyroid cancer and increases in cases of leukemia, said Brenner.
A UN estimate puts the death toll at 4,000, but other non-governmental groups say it was much higher than this.
The Three Mile Island accident was in 1979 in Pennsylvania in the US, when a partial core meltdown occurred in a pressurized
water reactor. Brenner said the radiation released from Three Mile Island was about a millionth of that released by
Chernobyl.
There is no evidence that anyone got sick as a result of Three Mile Island, said Brenner, "even decades later".
Exposure to radiation interferes with DNA in cells, compromising their ability to divide and make healthy new cells. To keep us
alive and healthy, our cells have to keep dividing, making new ones, allowing old ones to die, and get recycled. Especially in our
gut, where the turnover rate is quite high, as in the cells in our bone marrow that make blood cells.
Fetuses and children are the most vulnerable groups.
The severity of medical symptoms from radiation exposure depend on two things: the strength of the radiation, and the duration
of the exposure.
High levels of exposure cause severe radiation sickness with symptoms including fatigue, nausea and vomiting, hair loss,
hemorrhage and diarrhea.
Very high doses eventually lead to death, which can occur up to several weeks later. Brenner said this is usually as a result of the
lining of the gut being depleted.
However, the most likely risk to the public from what is happening in Japan, according to the current view from experts, which is
highly dependent on the information being released by the Japanese authorities, is that of low-level exposure.
This can increase the risk of cancer many years later, but it depends on what types of radioactive materials people are exposed to
and for how long. Some materials, like tritium, pass quickly through the body, while others travel to a particular part of the body
and linger.
Most of the very dangerous substances, such as uranium and other heavy metals, would probably drop to the bottom of the
containment vessel and not get released into the air, they would have to be recovered by nuclear hazard teams later.
The danger to the public is from the radioactive chemicals that are spewed into the air: smaller than a grain of sand, they can get
into a person through their lungs, into their mouths and via the skin. And depending on the dose, they can lead to cancer years
later.
These include for example, iodine-131 and strontium-90.
Iodine is normally present in our diet and travels to the thyroid. Strontium is not normally in our diet, but because it behaves
chemically like calcium, it travels to bones and teeth.
According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, iodine-131 has a half life of eight days, which means after a year, it is no
longer radioactive. Strontium-90 on the other hand, has a half-life of 29 years, which means basically, once in the body, it remains radioactive for most
a person's lifetime.
Brenner said while giving iodine tablets will help protect people against inhaling radioactive iodine, there is also a need to address
the indirect route through which it gets into the body.
For instance, in the case of Chernobyl, many of the cancers that occurred years later came from eating dairy products
contaminated with radioactive iodine that had fallen to the ground and been eaten by cows.
Brenner also said that another route was contaminated crops:
"I wouldn't be eating an apple from a tree close to the [nuclear] plant," he told the New York Times.
Sky News reported on Sunday that around 200,000 people have been evacuated from near the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant where
the explosions have occurred, and also from near the Fukushima Daini plant nearby.
Sources: New York Times, AP, Wall Street Journal, AFP, BBC, Sky News, US Environmental Protection
Agency.
Written by: , PhD
Southwest Airlines Delivers "Comfort" To Americans Displaced By Disasters
Southwest Airlines employees have partnered with the American Red Cross to show their "LUV" to 10,000 people displaced by disasters across the nation. In an unprecedented show of support, the Dallas-based air carrier, currently headquartered at Love Field, encouraged employees to "Share the Spirit" by collecting, assembling and distributing "comfort kits" to Red Cross chapters in all 68 cities the airline serves.
Comfort kits are an essential part of a Red Cross disaster response, particularly those affected by a home fire, the most common type of disaster the Red Cross responds to on a daily basis.
"The Red Cross is grateful to the employees at Southwest Airlines for donating essential items that will help individuals affected by disasters," says Joe Becker, Senior Vice President, Disaster Services, American Red Cross. "Often when we arrive on the scene of a disaster, we're met by people who have nothing left except what they wore to bed. Being able to provide for their most basic and immediate needs, will truly bring comfort to the 10,000 people who receive these kits."
The white bags marked with the Red Cross logo, contain personal hygiene supplies such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, deodorant, combs, razors and more. The Red Cross provides kits to every family affected by a home fire and are often made available to people at Red Cross shelters.
Southwest Airlines will be assembling and delivering the kits to Red Cross chapters the week of October 5-9, 2009.
"Southwest Airlines employees work hard every day to do the right thing, share their spirit, and give generously of their time and their hearts," said Linda Rutherford, Vice President of Communication and Strategic Outreach for Southwest Airlines. "We value our partnership with the Red Cross, and we know the vital role the Red Cross plays in helping people recover from disasters. We are honored to support their efforts."
For more information on how to prepare for emergencies or to make a donation, please visit redcrossdallas.
About Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines is one of the most honored airlines in the world, consistently appearing on the FORTUNE Magazine's "Most Admired Companies" list. After 37 years of service, Southwest Airlines, the nation's leading low-fare carrier, continues to stand above other airlines-offering a reliable product with exemplary Customer Service. Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) currently serves 68 cities in 34 states, and announced service to Milwaukee beginning Nov. 1, 2009. Based in Dallas, Southwest currently operates more than 3,300 flights a day and has more than 35,000 Employees systemwide who work hard each and every day to provide excellent Customer service and make a difference in the community. To learn more about how Southwest does the right thing visit southwest/cares
Source
American Red Cross
Comfort kits are an essential part of a Red Cross disaster response, particularly those affected by a home fire, the most common type of disaster the Red Cross responds to on a daily basis.
"The Red Cross is grateful to the employees at Southwest Airlines for donating essential items that will help individuals affected by disasters," says Joe Becker, Senior Vice President, Disaster Services, American Red Cross. "Often when we arrive on the scene of a disaster, we're met by people who have nothing left except what they wore to bed. Being able to provide for their most basic and immediate needs, will truly bring comfort to the 10,000 people who receive these kits."
The white bags marked with the Red Cross logo, contain personal hygiene supplies such as toothbrushes, toothpaste, shampoo, deodorant, combs, razors and more. The Red Cross provides kits to every family affected by a home fire and are often made available to people at Red Cross shelters.
Southwest Airlines will be assembling and delivering the kits to Red Cross chapters the week of October 5-9, 2009.
"Southwest Airlines employees work hard every day to do the right thing, share their spirit, and give generously of their time and their hearts," said Linda Rutherford, Vice President of Communication and Strategic Outreach for Southwest Airlines. "We value our partnership with the Red Cross, and we know the vital role the Red Cross plays in helping people recover from disasters. We are honored to support their efforts."
For more information on how to prepare for emergencies or to make a donation, please visit redcrossdallas.
About Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines is one of the most honored airlines in the world, consistently appearing on the FORTUNE Magazine's "Most Admired Companies" list. After 37 years of service, Southwest Airlines, the nation's leading low-fare carrier, continues to stand above other airlines-offering a reliable product with exemplary Customer Service. Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV) currently serves 68 cities in 34 states, and announced service to Milwaukee beginning Nov. 1, 2009. Based in Dallas, Southwest currently operates more than 3,300 flights a day and has more than 35,000 Employees systemwide who work hard each and every day to provide excellent Customer service and make a difference in the community. To learn more about how Southwest does the right thing visit southwest/cares
Source
American Red Cross
UNICEF Regional Ambassador Mahmoud Kabil Appeals For Urgent Aid To Displaced Children In Northern Yemen
UNICEF Regional goodwill Ambassador for the Middle East and North Africa, Mahmoud Kabil has just concluded a three-day visit to Yemen where he met with children affected by the ongoing fighting in the North. Kabil visited Al Mazrak camp, in Hajjah governerate, some 20 km away from the Saada governorate where the conflict is raging.
"I saw children on the brink of death due to acute malnutrition and dehydration. I have never seen such a sight since I became UNICEF regional goodwill ambassador in 2003. Not when I was in Darfur five years back, or anywhere in this region."
UNICEF has screened over a thousand children in the camp and found that 10 per cent of them were severely malnourished and needed immediate treatment.
The escalation of the fighting in the North since August has uprooted more than 50,000 people and brought the total number of persons displaced by the fighting to 150,000 since 2004. Latest estimates from Hajjah governorate talk of up to 14,000 displaced persons in Al Mazrak camp and its surroundings.
The area lacks basic infrastructures and the influx of newcomers fleeing the fighting is continuous.
Lack of security has constrained access to the affected populations and UNICEF, along with other humanitarian agencies, has repeatedly called for safe corridors to deliver urgently needed supplies.
"I call on parties involved in the conflict to search their soul and conscience", said Kabil. "The death and suffering of these children is killing your future and that of your country."
In addition to the displaced, thousands more people remain trapped in the governorate of Saada where most of the hostilities are taking place, with barely any humanitarian assistance. Women and children continue to bear the brunt of this conflict.
Earlier, Mahmoud Kabil met with the Minister of Social Affairs and Labour and the Minister of Health and Population, as well as with the governor of Hajjah to discuss the current crisis and its impact on humanitarian and development efforts in Yemen.
Note
UNICEF's focus in support of internally displaced person includes the provision of safe drinking water, hygiene and sanitation, protection of children as well as educational support and nutrition. UNICEF has appealed for over 6 million dollars. Only 30 per cent has been received so far.
Source
UNICEF
"I saw children on the brink of death due to acute malnutrition and dehydration. I have never seen such a sight since I became UNICEF regional goodwill ambassador in 2003. Not when I was in Darfur five years back, or anywhere in this region."
UNICEF has screened over a thousand children in the camp and found that 10 per cent of them were severely malnourished and needed immediate treatment.
The escalation of the fighting in the North since August has uprooted more than 50,000 people and brought the total number of persons displaced by the fighting to 150,000 since 2004. Latest estimates from Hajjah governorate talk of up to 14,000 displaced persons in Al Mazrak camp and its surroundings.
The area lacks basic infrastructures and the influx of newcomers fleeing the fighting is continuous.
Lack of security has constrained access to the affected populations and UNICEF, along with other humanitarian agencies, has repeatedly called for safe corridors to deliver urgently needed supplies.
"I call on parties involved in the conflict to search their soul and conscience", said Kabil. "The death and suffering of these children is killing your future and that of your country."
In addition to the displaced, thousands more people remain trapped in the governorate of Saada where most of the hostilities are taking place, with barely any humanitarian assistance. Women and children continue to bear the brunt of this conflict.
Earlier, Mahmoud Kabil met with the Minister of Social Affairs and Labour and the Minister of Health and Population, as well as with the governor of Hajjah to discuss the current crisis and its impact on humanitarian and development efforts in Yemen.
Note
UNICEF's focus in support of internally displaced person includes the provision of safe drinking water, hygiene and sanitation, protection of children as well as educational support and nutrition. UNICEF has appealed for over 6 million dollars. Only 30 per cent has been received so far.
Source
UNICEF
Power Plant Waste To Be Used To Clean Up Gulf Oil Spill
Specially treated waste material from electric power plants will soon be used to clean up oil in the Gulf thanks to the ingenuity of a University of Central Florida professor.
The National Science Foundation awarded Sudipta Seal a $67,000 grant that will help the professor turn waste material, commonly referred to as flyash, into a cleaning agent. Seal will modify the flyash so that it absorbs oil and can be delivered to a coal-burning facility and re-used.
The flyash will be safe, preserve the oil's energy-generating capabilities and be reusable once the oil is burned off.
"It's a completely green process very cost effective and easy to scale up," said Seal, who has been studying the characteristics of flyash for more than a decade as part of his research on rare earth nanoparticles.
Seal is director of UCF's Advanced Materials Processing and Analysis and NanoScience Technology Centers and a professor of mechanical, materials and aerospace engineering.
Larry Hench, a renowned ceramic materials professor who conducts special projects for UCF, will work with Seal to develop the flyash and prepare a process for deployment that can then be licensed to a commercial partner.
They envision that the flyash will be retrieved from the water in a low-cost mesh packaging material and then transported to a coal-burning power plant or other facility where the oil will fuel production processes.
The flyash has also shown the ability to clump oil that has already washed up on shore, enabling it to be easily collected and, again, re-used.
Since the Deepwater Horizon spill began in April, NSF has funded 65 of the rapid response grants to researchers across the country addressing all aspects of the clean-up.
The grants are deployed in times of natural or accidental disasters to quickly engage the world's best scientists and engineers to help search for solutions.
Source:
Zenaida Gonzalez Kotala
University of Central Florida
The National Science Foundation awarded Sudipta Seal a $67,000 grant that will help the professor turn waste material, commonly referred to as flyash, into a cleaning agent. Seal will modify the flyash so that it absorbs oil and can be delivered to a coal-burning facility and re-used.
The flyash will be safe, preserve the oil's energy-generating capabilities and be reusable once the oil is burned off.
"It's a completely green process very cost effective and easy to scale up," said Seal, who has been studying the characteristics of flyash for more than a decade as part of his research on rare earth nanoparticles.
Seal is director of UCF's Advanced Materials Processing and Analysis and NanoScience Technology Centers and a professor of mechanical, materials and aerospace engineering.
Larry Hench, a renowned ceramic materials professor who conducts special projects for UCF, will work with Seal to develop the flyash and prepare a process for deployment that can then be licensed to a commercial partner.
They envision that the flyash will be retrieved from the water in a low-cost mesh packaging material and then transported to a coal-burning power plant or other facility where the oil will fuel production processes.
The flyash has also shown the ability to clump oil that has already washed up on shore, enabling it to be easily collected and, again, re-used.
Since the Deepwater Horizon spill began in April, NSF has funded 65 of the rapid response grants to researchers across the country addressing all aspects of the clean-up.
The grants are deployed in times of natural or accidental disasters to quickly engage the world's best scientists and engineers to help search for solutions.
Source:
Zenaida Gonzalez Kotala
University of Central Florida
Salvation Army Hurricane Survivors Rescued after 6 Days in New Orleans shelter
After waiting for more than five days without food and dwindling water supplies, 290 people, including 14 children and three gravely ill kidney dialysis patients, were airlifted from The Salvation Army facility in New Orleans and are recovering in Texas.
National Guard and Coast Guard helicopters arrived at 2:00pm (CDT) Friday to begin the successful rescue operation.
Major Richard and Fay Brittle, the New Orleans Area Commanders, were among the group that took refuge from the storm last Sunday after deciding they could not safely move many of the people in their care in time to escape the storm. The Majors reported that everyone was safe a day after the storm, then lost mobile telephone contact with his colleagues in the several days preceding the rescue.
Brief contact was made on Thursday when the Brittle's were able to get word that were still trapped in the Corps center, with dwindling supplies and in desperate need of rescue. During the mid-afternoon airlift, Major Richard Brittle was injured while helping people load the helicopters.
RELIEF EFFORTS CONTINUE TO EXPAND AS MORE SUPPORT ARRIVES
The massive relief effort continues to expand from across North America. An additional 60 mobile feeding canteens and personnel are enroute to supplement the 50 canteens that have been serving since the storm hit. The relief teams will start arriving on Saturday and continue throughout the weekend, joining others from more than 30 states and Canada.
While canteens and relief workers continue to arrive from all over the country, many local residents are pitching in to help The Salvation Army.
In Houma, LA, The Salvation Army has been serving three meals a day to hurricane victims seeking shelter at the Houma Civic Center, but it would not have been possible without the help of the local community.
"We had no food, no ice and no water to give to the four hundred and fifty people that came on the first day seeking shelter," said Liz Daigneault, service center director for The Salvation Army. She put out a plea to the local media and the community responded. "I was crying because I didn't know how I was going to feed all these people. I left for a few hours and when I came back, the freezer was full."
The Salvation Army was able to serve 1,300 meals that first day and now with seven staff members and 100 volunteers, the Army is serving approximately 1,200 people now living in the shelter.
The Houma story is similar to many others across the southern states, as Army facilities are being opened to help the storm evacuees. At least 200,000 people are expected to be seeking help in Army shelters in 12 states by the middle of next week, and in the past three days, approximately 150,000 meals have been served in dozens of communities throughout the South.
HOW THE PUBLIC CAN HELP
Donations
Financial donations are needed for what the Army expects will be the largest single emergency response in its history within the United States. The area of destruction is nearly one-third larger than that of the area affected by hurricanes in Florida last year, and efforts in that state are still on-going. Donations can be made by calling
1-800-SAL-ARMY or on line at salvationarmyusa. Checks can be sent to the local Salvation Army and earmarked "Hurricane Katrina - Disaster Relief"
Gifts In Kind
Donations of gifts in kind are not being sought at this time because of the shortage of storage space throughout the affected area. The Army is working closely with emergency response officials to secure adequate space for these types of donations, and will keep the public informed. Corporations wishing to make donations of large bulk items can call 1-888-363-2769.
Volunteers
People wishing to register to volunteer can do so by logging on to salvationarmyusa. The Army asks that volunteers register first, and avoid visiting locations without proper clearance or training.
Searching for lost relatives
Those looking for lost relatives can register with SATERN (Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network at salvationarmyusa. The network had logged more than 30,000 calls in six days.
About The Salvation Army:
The Salvation Army, an evangelical part of the universal Christian church, has been supporting those in need in His name without discrimination since 1865. Nearly 33 million Americans receive assistance from The Salvation Army each year through the broadest array of social services that range from providing food for the hungry, relief for disaster victims, assistance for the disabled, outreach to the elderly and ill, clothing and shelter to the homeless and opportunities for underprivileged children. About 83 cents of every dollar raised is used to support those services in nearly 9,000 communities nationwide. For more information, go to salvationarmyusa.
National Guard and Coast Guard helicopters arrived at 2:00pm (CDT) Friday to begin the successful rescue operation.
Major Richard and Fay Brittle, the New Orleans Area Commanders, were among the group that took refuge from the storm last Sunday after deciding they could not safely move many of the people in their care in time to escape the storm. The Majors reported that everyone was safe a day after the storm, then lost mobile telephone contact with his colleagues in the several days preceding the rescue.
Brief contact was made on Thursday when the Brittle's were able to get word that were still trapped in the Corps center, with dwindling supplies and in desperate need of rescue. During the mid-afternoon airlift, Major Richard Brittle was injured while helping people load the helicopters.
RELIEF EFFORTS CONTINUE TO EXPAND AS MORE SUPPORT ARRIVES
The massive relief effort continues to expand from across North America. An additional 60 mobile feeding canteens and personnel are enroute to supplement the 50 canteens that have been serving since the storm hit. The relief teams will start arriving on Saturday and continue throughout the weekend, joining others from more than 30 states and Canada.
While canteens and relief workers continue to arrive from all over the country, many local residents are pitching in to help The Salvation Army.
In Houma, LA, The Salvation Army has been serving three meals a day to hurricane victims seeking shelter at the Houma Civic Center, but it would not have been possible without the help of the local community.
"We had no food, no ice and no water to give to the four hundred and fifty people that came on the first day seeking shelter," said Liz Daigneault, service center director for The Salvation Army. She put out a plea to the local media and the community responded. "I was crying because I didn't know how I was going to feed all these people. I left for a few hours and when I came back, the freezer was full."
The Salvation Army was able to serve 1,300 meals that first day and now with seven staff members and 100 volunteers, the Army is serving approximately 1,200 people now living in the shelter.
The Houma story is similar to many others across the southern states, as Army facilities are being opened to help the storm evacuees. At least 200,000 people are expected to be seeking help in Army shelters in 12 states by the middle of next week, and in the past three days, approximately 150,000 meals have been served in dozens of communities throughout the South.
HOW THE PUBLIC CAN HELP
Donations
Financial donations are needed for what the Army expects will be the largest single emergency response in its history within the United States. The area of destruction is nearly one-third larger than that of the area affected by hurricanes in Florida last year, and efforts in that state are still on-going. Donations can be made by calling
1-800-SAL-ARMY or on line at salvationarmyusa. Checks can be sent to the local Salvation Army and earmarked "Hurricane Katrina - Disaster Relief"
Gifts In Kind
Donations of gifts in kind are not being sought at this time because of the shortage of storage space throughout the affected area. The Army is working closely with emergency response officials to secure adequate space for these types of donations, and will keep the public informed. Corporations wishing to make donations of large bulk items can call 1-888-363-2769.
Volunteers
People wishing to register to volunteer can do so by logging on to salvationarmyusa. The Army asks that volunteers register first, and avoid visiting locations without proper clearance or training.
Searching for lost relatives
Those looking for lost relatives can register with SATERN (Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network at salvationarmyusa. The network had logged more than 30,000 calls in six days.
About The Salvation Army:
The Salvation Army, an evangelical part of the universal Christian church, has been supporting those in need in His name without discrimination since 1865. Nearly 33 million Americans receive assistance from The Salvation Army each year through the broadest array of social services that range from providing food for the hungry, relief for disaster victims, assistance for the disabled, outreach to the elderly and ill, clothing and shelter to the homeless and opportunities for underprivileged children. About 83 cents of every dollar raised is used to support those services in nearly 9,000 communities nationwide. For more information, go to salvationarmyusa.
WFP Report Shows Serious Hunger Threat For Flood Victims In DPRK
A food security assessment prepared by the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) indicates that thousands of people recovering from devastating August floods in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) require immediate and continued humanitarian food assistance including nutritional support for children and other vulnerable persons in the heavily-flooded counties.
Immediately following the floods, the DPRK Government gave WFP extensive access and cooperation to assess the disaster's impact on food security. WFP international staff undertook rapid food security assessments between 17-26 August in flood-affected areas covering 33 counties in six Provinces. The assessment findings confirmed that villagers and farmers suffered extensive losses of food stocks, livestock, and private kitchen gardens - all critical and needed sources of food for families seeking food in the upcoming winter months.
"WFP is providing emergency food assistance in 37 of the hardest hit counties, but we are also concerned that children and pregnant mothers are able to receive adequate food as these areas struggle to recover," said Jean-Pierre DeMargerie, WFP's Country Director for the DPRK. "We will work closely with the government in monitoring the nutritional status of vulnerable persons and we will seek to increase food supplements for children who live in these areas."
The floods caused severe damage to agricultural areas, with the greatest impact on the "Cereal Bowl" lowlands of North and South Phyongan, and North Hwanghae and South Hwanghae provinces, representing 76 percent of the DPRK's total arable land. Estimates by the Ministry of Agriculture indicate that the damage to arable land cultivated with rice, maize, soybean and other crops totals 223,381 hectares (which represents 16 percent of total arable land).
WFP is concerned that losses resulting from the floods may also have a negative impact on the functioning of the Public Food Distribution System. The flood damage to the main cereal producing regions has the potential of reducing overall food availability and usual cereal transfers that occur between food surplus and food deficit regions.
"Hundreds of thousands have taken a big hit from these floods. They need our help now just to get by, and they will need our help in the future to recover lost livelihoods," said Tony Banbury, Asia Director for WFP. "WFP is committed to helping them as long as the government provides the conditions we need to do our job."
Since the beginning of the year, cereal prices in Pyongyang have increased, which was particularly noticeable during the months preceding the spring harvest (May and June). Cereal prices were already high when the floods occurred, and post-flood market survey indicate further price increases.
The DPRK Government has agreed to WFP emergency food distributions over a three month period to 215,000 people affected by the flooding in 37 of the 149 flood affected counties across six provinces of the country. The food will be given to the most vulnerable persons affected by the floods, including persons made homeless and now fully dependent on WFP food assistance.
With food stocks now being drawn down for the emergency flood relief operation, more donor resources will be needed to ensure the continuation of the broader nutritional assistance programme for children and women that WFP was implementing before the floods. The emergency flood response alone will cost US$5-6 million according to preliminary estimates.
Donors to WFP's operations in DPRK to date include Republic of Korea (US$19.7 million), Russian Federation (US$5 million), Switzerland (US$4.3 million), Germany (US$2.7 million), Australia (US$4 million), Luxembourg (US$1 million ), Ireland (US$974,000), Denmark (US$883,000), Cuba (US$864,000), Turkey (US$100,000) and Italy (US$51,928).
WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency: on average, each year, we give food to 90 million poor people to meet their nutritional needs, including 58 million hungry children, in 80 of the world's poorest countries. WFP -- We Feed People.
wfp
Immediately following the floods, the DPRK Government gave WFP extensive access and cooperation to assess the disaster's impact on food security. WFP international staff undertook rapid food security assessments between 17-26 August in flood-affected areas covering 33 counties in six Provinces. The assessment findings confirmed that villagers and farmers suffered extensive losses of food stocks, livestock, and private kitchen gardens - all critical and needed sources of food for families seeking food in the upcoming winter months.
"WFP is providing emergency food assistance in 37 of the hardest hit counties, but we are also concerned that children and pregnant mothers are able to receive adequate food as these areas struggle to recover," said Jean-Pierre DeMargerie, WFP's Country Director for the DPRK. "We will work closely with the government in monitoring the nutritional status of vulnerable persons and we will seek to increase food supplements for children who live in these areas."
The floods caused severe damage to agricultural areas, with the greatest impact on the "Cereal Bowl" lowlands of North and South Phyongan, and North Hwanghae and South Hwanghae provinces, representing 76 percent of the DPRK's total arable land. Estimates by the Ministry of Agriculture indicate that the damage to arable land cultivated with rice, maize, soybean and other crops totals 223,381 hectares (which represents 16 percent of total arable land).
WFP is concerned that losses resulting from the floods may also have a negative impact on the functioning of the Public Food Distribution System. The flood damage to the main cereal producing regions has the potential of reducing overall food availability and usual cereal transfers that occur between food surplus and food deficit regions.
"Hundreds of thousands have taken a big hit from these floods. They need our help now just to get by, and they will need our help in the future to recover lost livelihoods," said Tony Banbury, Asia Director for WFP. "WFP is committed to helping them as long as the government provides the conditions we need to do our job."
Since the beginning of the year, cereal prices in Pyongyang have increased, which was particularly noticeable during the months preceding the spring harvest (May and June). Cereal prices were already high when the floods occurred, and post-flood market survey indicate further price increases.
The DPRK Government has agreed to WFP emergency food distributions over a three month period to 215,000 people affected by the flooding in 37 of the 149 flood affected counties across six provinces of the country. The food will be given to the most vulnerable persons affected by the floods, including persons made homeless and now fully dependent on WFP food assistance.
With food stocks now being drawn down for the emergency flood relief operation, more donor resources will be needed to ensure the continuation of the broader nutritional assistance programme for children and women that WFP was implementing before the floods. The emergency flood response alone will cost US$5-6 million according to preliminary estimates.
Donors to WFP's operations in DPRK to date include Republic of Korea (US$19.7 million), Russian Federation (US$5 million), Switzerland (US$4.3 million), Germany (US$2.7 million), Australia (US$4 million), Luxembourg (US$1 million ), Ireland (US$974,000), Denmark (US$883,000), Cuba (US$864,000), Turkey (US$100,000) and Italy (US$51,928).
WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency: on average, each year, we give food to 90 million poor people to meet their nutritional needs, including 58 million hungry children, in 80 of the world's poorest countries. WFP -- We Feed People.
wfp
American Red Cross Blood Services Supports The Blood Needs Of Southern California
The American Red Cross
Blood Services national system continues to aid southern California with
shipments of blood products into the area from across the United States to
help stabilize the local blood supply. Blood drives in southern California
have been curtailed due to the wildfire situation, and as a result,
donations from residents in the area are limited.
The American Red Cross nationally has provided nearly 2,000 blood
products to date to support the efforts of the Southern California Blood
Region. Patients suffering from burns often need transfusions of plasma and
platelets and the American Red Cross, along with other blood collection
agencies, are providing for this need. In addition, shipments of red cells
are being sent to the area to help meet the ongoing needs of patients at
local hospitals and transfusion centers until the wildfire situation is
resolved.
At this time, the American Red Cross is able to meet the requirements
of its Southern California Region. However, there may be an increase in
demand for blood over the next few weeks as area hospitals that cancelled
elective surgeries due to the fires reschedule these procedures. In order
to help keep the southern California blood supply at an adequate level, and
to ensure your local community blood supply is stable, it is important for
eligible donors to make appointments to donate blood over the next several
weeks.
American Red Cross
redcross
Blood Services national system continues to aid southern California with
shipments of blood products into the area from across the United States to
help stabilize the local blood supply. Blood drives in southern California
have been curtailed due to the wildfire situation, and as a result,
donations from residents in the area are limited.
The American Red Cross nationally has provided nearly 2,000 blood
products to date to support the efforts of the Southern California Blood
Region. Patients suffering from burns often need transfusions of plasma and
platelets and the American Red Cross, along with other blood collection
agencies, are providing for this need. In addition, shipments of red cells
are being sent to the area to help meet the ongoing needs of patients at
local hospitals and transfusion centers until the wildfire situation is
resolved.
At this time, the American Red Cross is able to meet the requirements
of its Southern California Region. However, there may be an increase in
demand for blood over the next few weeks as area hospitals that cancelled
elective surgeries due to the fires reschedule these procedures. In order
to help keep the southern California blood supply at an adequate level, and
to ensure your local community blood supply is stable, it is important for
eligible donors to make appointments to donate blood over the next several
weeks.
American Red Cross
redcross
Evidence Of Survivors Of 9/11 Will Help Save Lives In Future High Rise Evacuations
At least five times more people would have died in the 9/11 attack on New York's World Trade Centre if the Twin Towers had been fully occupied on that day, according to new research involving the University of Ulster.
There were only 8,000 people in each of the towers on 9/11, compared to their capacity of 25,000 each. A total of 2,752 people died when two planes were crashed into the towers, 1,462 of them in the North Tower. The research predicts that 7,592 people would have been killed in the North Tower had it been fully occupied.
Researchers from the Universities of Ulster, Greenwich and Liverpool spent three and a half years studying the evacuation of the Twin Towers and conducted interviews with 271 survivors.
Preliminary findings include:
-- more than half the occupants stayed to carry out tasks before evacuating;
-- occupants seeking information about what was happening took between
1.5 and 2.6 times longer to respond;
-- congestion on the stairs was the main cause of delay, even though the
towers were less than one-third occupied that day;
-- computer simulations of the evacuation of the North Tower suggest that
had the building been fully occupied at the time of the attack, some 7,592
people would have died in the North Tower alone;
-- computer analysis suggests that for buildings above a critical population
and height, stairs alone will not be sufficient to safely evacuate the entire
building population.
The research has been welcomed by Sally Regenhard, Chairperson of the Skyscraper Safety Campaign and mother of a firefighter lost at the WTC. She said: "Designers of high rise buildings and their evacuation procedures are architects of destiny for millions around the world. When I see a new skyscraper, I want to know that the deadly mistakes of 9/11 have been corrected."
Many of the survivors said they had benefited personally from taking part in the research. "Some of us believe that the only way to deal with the aftermath of the event is to talk about it and that any lessons learned from the events of the WTC evacuation on 9/11 should be shared so that we can be better prepared," said one participant.
Thousands of details have been entered in a database known as HEED (High-rise Evacuation Evaluation Database) and modelled by computer to reveal vital information which will improve the safety of high rise buildings around the world. The project has been funded with an ??1.6 million grant from the UK Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).
Project Director Professor Ed Galea of the University of Greenwich says: "Together these personal stories paint a comprehensive picture of what happened and why. What influenced evacuees' behaviour? What was going through their minds when they made key decisions? This is a hugely important body of data in itself. We will be making the HEED database available to bone fide researchers all over the world, so that it can become a valuable international resource for others to use."
The HEED database is already providing new insights which could lead to the development of safer evacuation procedures, contribute to improved building regulations around the world and lead to more sophisticated evacuation modelling tools. For example, analysis reveals that while people travelled more slowly down the WTC stairs than engineers predicted, based on earlier human behaviour studies, this was not due, as some leading evacuation specialists had suggested, to growing levels of obesity in the community, but primarily to the high levels of crowd density that existed on the stairs.
Overall 82% of those interviewed said that they stopped at least once; a small number stopped more than 20 times during their descent. Congestion was the primary cause of stopping (44% of incidents), followed by ascending fire fighters and descending groups of injured people (17.6%). Only a minority of evacuees needed to take a rest (causing 9.7% of stoppages), or were stopped by environmental conditions such as debris, smoke, heat and water on the stairs (3.5%).
Occupant response time is another important parameter defining the success or failure of an evacuation. Generally, the longer people take to start their evacuation the longer it will take for them to safely get out.
The response time is also an important parameter in evacuation simulation used in design calculations. The research showed that actual response times by people fleeing the burning buildings was slower than that used by engineers when designing high rise buildings.
"Providing people with good information about what is happening and what to do can significantly reduce occupant response times, and lead to a safer evacuation," says Professor Galea. "These results quantify the benefits that can be derived from providing hardened emergency communications systems within buildings."
Analysis of the research information also revealed that for buildings above a critical population and height, stairs alone will not be sufficient to safely evacuate the entire building population.
The University of Greenwich is already exploring the use of lifts for evacuation of high-rise buildings using their building EXODUS evacuation model. They are currently developing enhanced human behaviour models that simulate the choices people make in deciding to use a lift/elevator or stairs as part of their evacuation route. You can help with this research by completing an on-line questionnaire at the University of Greenwich website: fseg.gre.ac.uk/elevator
As a thank you to the survivors who took part in the project, the research team has donated US $5,420 to the participants' chosen charity, the World Trade Centre Survivors' Network.
Five golden rules which could make the difference between life and death in an emergency evacuation:
-- Don't do anything to delay your departure.
-- Know your way out.
-- Don't stop on the way to reassure friends and family.
-- Don't discard your shoes on the stairs.
-- Know how long it will take to get out.
ULSTER UNIVERSITY
York Street
Belfast
BT15 1ED
ulst.ac.uk
There were only 8,000 people in each of the towers on 9/11, compared to their capacity of 25,000 each. A total of 2,752 people died when two planes were crashed into the towers, 1,462 of them in the North Tower. The research predicts that 7,592 people would have been killed in the North Tower had it been fully occupied.
Researchers from the Universities of Ulster, Greenwich and Liverpool spent three and a half years studying the evacuation of the Twin Towers and conducted interviews with 271 survivors.
Preliminary findings include:
-- more than half the occupants stayed to carry out tasks before evacuating;
-- occupants seeking information about what was happening took between
1.5 and 2.6 times longer to respond;
-- congestion on the stairs was the main cause of delay, even though the
towers were less than one-third occupied that day;
-- computer simulations of the evacuation of the North Tower suggest that
had the building been fully occupied at the time of the attack, some 7,592
people would have died in the North Tower alone;
-- computer analysis suggests that for buildings above a critical population
and height, stairs alone will not be sufficient to safely evacuate the entire
building population.
The research has been welcomed by Sally Regenhard, Chairperson of the Skyscraper Safety Campaign and mother of a firefighter lost at the WTC. She said: "Designers of high rise buildings and their evacuation procedures are architects of destiny for millions around the world. When I see a new skyscraper, I want to know that the deadly mistakes of 9/11 have been corrected."
Many of the survivors said they had benefited personally from taking part in the research. "Some of us believe that the only way to deal with the aftermath of the event is to talk about it and that any lessons learned from the events of the WTC evacuation on 9/11 should be shared so that we can be better prepared," said one participant.
Thousands of details have been entered in a database known as HEED (High-rise Evacuation Evaluation Database) and modelled by computer to reveal vital information which will improve the safety of high rise buildings around the world. The project has been funded with an ??1.6 million grant from the UK Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).
Project Director Professor Ed Galea of the University of Greenwich says: "Together these personal stories paint a comprehensive picture of what happened and why. What influenced evacuees' behaviour? What was going through their minds when they made key decisions? This is a hugely important body of data in itself. We will be making the HEED database available to bone fide researchers all over the world, so that it can become a valuable international resource for others to use."
The HEED database is already providing new insights which could lead to the development of safer evacuation procedures, contribute to improved building regulations around the world and lead to more sophisticated evacuation modelling tools. For example, analysis reveals that while people travelled more slowly down the WTC stairs than engineers predicted, based on earlier human behaviour studies, this was not due, as some leading evacuation specialists had suggested, to growing levels of obesity in the community, but primarily to the high levels of crowd density that existed on the stairs.
Overall 82% of those interviewed said that they stopped at least once; a small number stopped more than 20 times during their descent. Congestion was the primary cause of stopping (44% of incidents), followed by ascending fire fighters and descending groups of injured people (17.6%). Only a minority of evacuees needed to take a rest (causing 9.7% of stoppages), or were stopped by environmental conditions such as debris, smoke, heat and water on the stairs (3.5%).
Occupant response time is another important parameter defining the success or failure of an evacuation. Generally, the longer people take to start their evacuation the longer it will take for them to safely get out.
The response time is also an important parameter in evacuation simulation used in design calculations. The research showed that actual response times by people fleeing the burning buildings was slower than that used by engineers when designing high rise buildings.
"Providing people with good information about what is happening and what to do can significantly reduce occupant response times, and lead to a safer evacuation," says Professor Galea. "These results quantify the benefits that can be derived from providing hardened emergency communications systems within buildings."
Analysis of the research information also revealed that for buildings above a critical population and height, stairs alone will not be sufficient to safely evacuate the entire building population.
The University of Greenwich is already exploring the use of lifts for evacuation of high-rise buildings using their building EXODUS evacuation model. They are currently developing enhanced human behaviour models that simulate the choices people make in deciding to use a lift/elevator or stairs as part of their evacuation route. You can help with this research by completing an on-line questionnaire at the University of Greenwich website: fseg.gre.ac.uk/elevator
As a thank you to the survivors who took part in the project, the research team has donated US $5,420 to the participants' chosen charity, the World Trade Centre Survivors' Network.
Five golden rules which could make the difference between life and death in an emergency evacuation:
-- Don't do anything to delay your departure.
-- Know your way out.
-- Don't stop on the way to reassure friends and family.
-- Don't discard your shoes on the stairs.
-- Know how long it will take to get out.
ULSTER UNIVERSITY
York Street
Belfast
BT15 1ED
ulst.ac.uk
Kent State Hosts Public Health Preparedness Conference, Oct. 5, Are We Prepared?
National pandemic flu preparedness, citizen preparedness, national and local all-hazards preparedness, and the use of electron beam radiation to kill bioterrorism agents are some of the topics to be explored at the second annual Public Health Preparedness Symposium, hosted by the Northeastern Ohio Consortium for Biopreparedness (NEOCB) at Kent State University, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 5, in the Kiva, Kent Student Center.
The format will include four morning speakers and multiple afternoon sessions, including break-out workshops intended for public health employees and first-responders, as well as local teachers.
Feature presentations include:
"Grassroots Response: Enabling Individual and Community Action in Disaster Medical Catastrophes"
Dr. James Carafano, Douglas and Sarah Allison Center for Foreign Policy Studies and The Heritage Foundation
"Use of Radiation to Control Bioterrorism"
Dr. Marshall Cleland, Radiation Dynamics, Inc.
"Pandemic Flu Preparedness"
Peter Marghella, Medical Planning Resources, Inc.
"Are We Ready?"
C.J. Couch, Ohio Emergency Management Agency
A complete schedule of symposium events and more information about speakers is available at cphp.kent/October%209%202006.htm
Cost of registration is $15. Conference participants will receive five continuing education credits. To register by Sept. 28, send e-mail to ucbkent.
The Kent State NEOCB, one of only 52 Centers for Public Health Preparedness nationwide, is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It is modeled after the National Science Foundation Science and Technology Centers, uniting academic, public health, business and community groups to address health and safety issues through education, research and workforce development. The NEOCB features a Biosafety Training Lab designed to teach procedures and protocols to those working with, and responding to, attacks involving harmful biological agents. The laboratory, which does not house select agents, is one of only two state-of-the-art CDC biosafety laboratory training facilities in the United States.
For additional information about the NEOCB or the symposium, contact Dr. Christopher J. Woolverton, professor of biological sciences and NEOCB director.
Contact: Lisa Lambert
Kent State University
The format will include four morning speakers and multiple afternoon sessions, including break-out workshops intended for public health employees and first-responders, as well as local teachers.
Feature presentations include:
"Grassroots Response: Enabling Individual and Community Action in Disaster Medical Catastrophes"
Dr. James Carafano, Douglas and Sarah Allison Center for Foreign Policy Studies and The Heritage Foundation
"Use of Radiation to Control Bioterrorism"
Dr. Marshall Cleland, Radiation Dynamics, Inc.
"Pandemic Flu Preparedness"
Peter Marghella, Medical Planning Resources, Inc.
"Are We Ready?"
C.J. Couch, Ohio Emergency Management Agency
A complete schedule of symposium events and more information about speakers is available at cphp.kent/October%209%202006.htm
Cost of registration is $15. Conference participants will receive five continuing education credits. To register by Sept. 28, send e-mail to ucbkent.
The Kent State NEOCB, one of only 52 Centers for Public Health Preparedness nationwide, is funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). It is modeled after the National Science Foundation Science and Technology Centers, uniting academic, public health, business and community groups to address health and safety issues through education, research and workforce development. The NEOCB features a Biosafety Training Lab designed to teach procedures and protocols to those working with, and responding to, attacks involving harmful biological agents. The laboratory, which does not house select agents, is one of only two state-of-the-art CDC biosafety laboratory training facilities in the United States.
For additional information about the NEOCB or the symposium, contact Dr. Christopher J. Woolverton, professor of biological sciences and NEOCB director.
Contact: Lisa Lambert
Kent State University
HHS Releases First Round Of Katrina Aid To 32 States To Help With Evacuee Health Cost, USA
HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt today released $1.5 billion to 32 states to help offset the medical costs of caring for thousands of Hurricane Katrina evacuees who sought refuge after the storm.
Congress set aside $2 billion for this purpose in the Deficit Reduction Act (DRA) signed into law by President Bush February 8. The balance of the funds will be used to cover future costs for the states. In turn, this funding will allow states to claim approximately $4.5 billion in federal matching funds.
"Last year, when disaster struck, President Bush promised to make states whole for the cost of caring for their neighbors," Secretary Leavitt said. "Through the DRA, the President and Congress made good on that commitment."
Thousands of residents of hurricane-ravaged areas of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama who lost homes, jobs and the health insurance that was connected to those jobs, needed medical care in the many states to which they fled. To help states care for these evacuees, HHS' Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the agency that oversees the Medicaid program, granted special, emergency Medicaid eligibility to hurricane victims in 32 states. While the bulk of the funds will go to state Medicaid programs, several states that took in the largest number of refugees will receive special grants to reimburse providers who cared for those ineligible for Medicaid but still unable to pay for their medical care.
"Last year, we worked quickly with the states to set up special Medicaid coverage and funding for uncompensated care for those affected by Katrina, and the Federal funding from the Deficit Reduction Act leverages this assistance," said CMS Administrator Mark B. McClellan, M.D., Ph.D. "Altogether, the affected states will receive over $2 billion toward their health care needs, and we will continue to work closely with them to rebuild an even better health care system."
The special Katrina Medicaid waivers allowed states to immediately enroll qualifying evacuees into their own state Medicaid programs for five months. Benefits were given to low-income children, parents, pregnant women, the elderly, individuals with disabilities and those in need of long-term care. Applications were accepted from August 24, 2005-the date the storm hit-until January 31, 2006. States both enrolled evacuees who already had Medicaid in their home state as well as those who may not have qualified before the storm, but lost everything to it.
Evacuees received the benefit packages of their host state during the five-month temporary program.
Hurricane Katrina, which hit the Gulf states on August 24, 2005, caused widespread damage in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. Select parishes and counties within those states were declared emergency areas by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Individuals and families from those areas were evacuated to the 32 states receiving funds today.
States receiving Katrina relief funds from HHS today include: Texas, Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, Idaho, Arkansas, District of Columbia, Georgia, Tennessee, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Indiana, Maryland, Louisiana, Nevada, California, Ohio, Rhode Island, North Carolina, Wyoming, Arizona, Massachusetts, North Dakota, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Oregon, Iowa, Virginia, Minnesota, Montana, Utah and Wisconsin.
hhs
Congress set aside $2 billion for this purpose in the Deficit Reduction Act (DRA) signed into law by President Bush February 8. The balance of the funds will be used to cover future costs for the states. In turn, this funding will allow states to claim approximately $4.5 billion in federal matching funds.
"Last year, when disaster struck, President Bush promised to make states whole for the cost of caring for their neighbors," Secretary Leavitt said. "Through the DRA, the President and Congress made good on that commitment."
Thousands of residents of hurricane-ravaged areas of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama who lost homes, jobs and the health insurance that was connected to those jobs, needed medical care in the many states to which they fled. To help states care for these evacuees, HHS' Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), the agency that oversees the Medicaid program, granted special, emergency Medicaid eligibility to hurricane victims in 32 states. While the bulk of the funds will go to state Medicaid programs, several states that took in the largest number of refugees will receive special grants to reimburse providers who cared for those ineligible for Medicaid but still unable to pay for their medical care.
"Last year, we worked quickly with the states to set up special Medicaid coverage and funding for uncompensated care for those affected by Katrina, and the Federal funding from the Deficit Reduction Act leverages this assistance," said CMS Administrator Mark B. McClellan, M.D., Ph.D. "Altogether, the affected states will receive over $2 billion toward their health care needs, and we will continue to work closely with them to rebuild an even better health care system."
The special Katrina Medicaid waivers allowed states to immediately enroll qualifying evacuees into their own state Medicaid programs for five months. Benefits were given to low-income children, parents, pregnant women, the elderly, individuals with disabilities and those in need of long-term care. Applications were accepted from August 24, 2005-the date the storm hit-until January 31, 2006. States both enrolled evacuees who already had Medicaid in their home state as well as those who may not have qualified before the storm, but lost everything to it.
Evacuees received the benefit packages of their host state during the five-month temporary program.
Hurricane Katrina, which hit the Gulf states on August 24, 2005, caused widespread damage in Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama. Select parishes and counties within those states were declared emergency areas by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Individuals and families from those areas were evacuated to the 32 states receiving funds today.
States receiving Katrina relief funds from HHS today include: Texas, Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, Idaho, Arkansas, District of Columbia, Georgia, Tennessee, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Indiana, Maryland, Louisiana, Nevada, California, Ohio, Rhode Island, North Carolina, Wyoming, Arizona, Massachusetts, North Dakota, Delaware, Pennsylvania, Oregon, Iowa, Virginia, Minnesota, Montana, Utah and Wisconsin.
hhs
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