South Carolina flooding becomes case study in community resiliency

Note: This post was republished from APHA's Annual Meeting Blog

When Hurricane Joaquin hovered over South Carolina in the fall of 2015 causing historic flooding, state residents — particularly in the Midlands region — had to quickly discover what they were made of.

In the midst of disaster, researchers from the University of South Carolina Arnold School of Public Health saw an opportunity to see how residents acted and adapted to a life-changing event. They presented on their work during Monday’s Annual Meeting session “Response, Recovery and Resiliency: Understanding Public Health in Practice During and After the Flood of October 2015.”

Over 11 trillion gallons of water were dumped into the Midlands region of the state, said Heather Brandt, associate professor of health promotion, education and behavior at the Arnold School of Public Health.

“This is not something that’s becoming a 1,000-year flood,” Brandt said. “It’s becoming something far more routine and certainly climate change is playing a role in this.”

Social media played a large role in communicating the threat of floods, particularly from residents and media outlets, Brandt said. She and researchers examined tweets with the hashtag #SCFlood over four time periods, including 72 hours before Sept. 30 to Oct. 2, when residents were urged to leave areas at risk for flooding as well as the six months following the flooding from Oct. 15 through April 15. The most popular themes in tweets across all periods were about the natural environment, built environment and devastation.

Those connected on social media could glean information from Twitter about accessing FEMA assistance, resource donation, road closures and shelter availability. Access to this information contributed to the resiliency of affected residents.

“I had never seen so much bottled water in my life,” Brandt said. “We saw a lot of community resiliency coming forward and demonstrating support. People relying on each other, people visiting to play games with kids at the shelters, having shelters where people could bring family pets, not just dogs and cats.”

Communication was critical for response and recovery and crucial to residents building resiliency during and after the crisis, said Sayward Harrison, who studied community resilience during the flooding for the University of South Carolina’s SmartState Center for Healthcare Quality.

Harrison defined community resiliency as the “capability of a community to draw upon its individual, collective and institutional resources and competencies to cope with, adapt to and develop from the demands, challenges and changes encountered before, during and after disaster.”

In interviews of nearly 40 residents affected by the floods, Harrison brought up examples of that definition in action. Those included identifying a Spanish-speaking TV reporter in the Midlands region who could translate emergency messages to Hispanic residents, such as boil water advisories and stories of residents in affected neighborhoods who knew where vulnerable residents, such as seniors, lived so resources could be directed to them.

Another part of resiliency is post-traumatic growth — the change that comes as a result of trauma that involves developing a “new normal,” Harrison said.

“We’re thinking of ways we can build a stronger community,” Harrison told attendees. “People are used to the way things were but it’s good to have change.”

Global One Health Day launched by three international health groups

Cheryl Stroud, DVM, PhD

Today’s guest post is by Cheryl Stroud, DVM, PhD, executive director of the One Health Commission.

This year, individuals and groups from around the world — from academic, corporate and nonprofit to students and established professionals — have the opportunity to implement One Health projects and special events under the auspices of One Health Day. While the official date is Nov. 3, One Health Day activities can and are happening throughout the year. Over 100 events are known to be planned, with more registrations coming in daily. And many more events that have not been registered on the website are being posted on the One Health Day Facebook page.

One Health is a movement to create collaborations between human and veterinary medical health care providers, social scientists, dentists, nurses, agriculturalists and food producers, wildlife and environmental health specialists and many other related disciplines. In today’s systems, this does not happen spontaneously. It requires that we create opportunities for direct interactions and relationships to form across the many disciplines needed to address today’s critical public-global-planetary health issues.

One Health Day gives scientists and advocates a powerful voice for moving beyond current usual approaches to emerging infectious diseases, antimicrobial resistance, climate change, environmental pollution and many other problems to a holistic default way of doing business. It was officially launched March 31 by three leading international One Health groups:

• the One Health Commission, 
• the One Health Initiative Autonomous pro bono Team, 
• and the One Health Platform Foundation. 

One Health is increasingly accepted by numerous major international organizations such as the World Health Organization, the World Medical Association, the World Veterinary Association, the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, the World Organization for Animal Health and many others. An outstanding group of One Health textbooks and international professional One Health journals has emerged.

The incredible number of events planned for the inaugural One Health Day by scientists, health practitioners and students demonstrates a tremendous global interest, need and call for health professionals to work together across disciplines. And the world is already looking forward to One Health Day 2017. Check out the 2016 global One Health Day events descriptions and map and prepare to be amazed.

This flu vaccine season, stick with the needle for best protection

Getting vaccinated is your best bet for staying safe from the flu. But this year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has even more specific advice: Stick with the needle when getting your flu vaccine.

Since 2003, the nasal flu spray vaccine has been an option for children and adults. It has become a popular choice for those who don’t like needles but still want to be protected.

Recent studies, however, have shown that the spray didn’t do a good enough job guarding against the flu. There were no safety concerns with the nose spray. It just didn’t protect as well during the past three flu seasons.

Everyone ages 6 months and older should get a flu shot each year. You need a shot every year because there are different types and strains of flu virus going around so the vaccine changes each year. Cases of the flu are highest between October and May but you can get the flu at any time during the year.

The flu is a virus that can make you feel tired, hot and sick to your stomach. Getting a flu shot helps keep you from getting the flu and it also helps stop the spread of the flu to others. This is important because the flu can be really dangerous, especially for very young children, seniors and those with compromised immune systems.

For the best protection, follow CDC’s advice and get your flu shot. Find out where today.

Fall is here and so is tailgating. Are you ready to grill like a pro?

Fall is one of the most exciting times of the year. School is back in session, leaves change colors and swimsuits and popsicles are traded in for sweaters and pumpkin-flavored everything.

But there’s another thing that gets some Americans jumping for joy in the fall: Football season! And with football season comes another fall favorite, tailgating.

When you’re building up that team spirit and grilling up some tasty football treats, you’ll want to make sure not to sicken your friends and family. Nothing puts a kibosh on fun like a nasty outbreak of food poisoning.

To keep your team healthy, plan ahead when tailgating and grilling in general:

• Make sure any raw meat, or other perishable food, is stored properly and packaged securely to keep it fresh and prevent contamination. 
• Bring enough plates and utensils. You can’t use the same ones for both raw and cooked meat.
• Come prepared with all the supplies you need, including cleaning supplies, water and, most importantly, your trusty food thermometer.

By using your food thermometer when grilling meat, U.S. Department of Agriculture says you’ll be grilling like a “PRO.”

Here’s how, compliments of the Get Ready cheerleading squad:

• Give me a P! Place the thermometer in the thickest part of the meat, or approach from the side if grilling thinner cuts of meat, once you think it’s fully cooked.
• Give me an R! Read the internal temperature off the thermometer after about 15 seconds. If you’re cooking steaks, roasts or chops made from beef, pork, lamb or veal, you’ll want to cook them to 145 degrees with a three-minute rest time. Ground meats should be cooked to at least 160 degrees, and whole poultry, poultry breasts and ground poultry should be cooked to 165 degrees.
• Give me an O! Off the grill and into your mouth. Make sure you don’t reuse the plates and utensils that came into contact with the raw meat. Also, be sure to clean your food thermometer thoroughly after use.

Now you’re tailgating like a P-R-O! Goooooooo, team! 

Catch this public health Pokemon to help prepare for disasters

Chanseys are rare...but disasters aren't

If you’re a “Pokemon Go” player, you know that there are more than 100 Pokemon, each whom have their own fantastic abilities.

Here at Get Ready, we’re particularly fond of Chansey, a pink, egg-clutching Pokemon who sometimes sports a hat with a red cross. Chansey’s abilities include “natural cure, serene grace and healer,” which makes her a great fit for public health. She even shares her eggs with people who are injured.

As Chanseys are very rare in the wild, we’ve captured one for you to enjoy on our latest Get Ready e-card. Keep a copy close by, and share one with your friends and family who love “Pokemon Go.”

Even if you have been lucky enough to catch a Chansey, you have to be prepared on your own to face disasters and other potential public health emergencies. Find tips on preparedness on our Get Ready website, including fact sheets and infographics.

And while you’re out there playing “Pokemon Go,” remember to keep safety in mind. This awesome Storify from The Nation’s Health gives you fun and helpful info to keep you in the know while you’re catching them all.

And check out our Get Ready e-cards page for even more fun designs to share.