1 / 19

LT Elena Vaouli, MPH Regional Representative Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry & US Public Health S

2009 Samoan Tsunami Environmental Health Observations & Lessons Learned. LT Elena Vaouli, MPH Regional Representative Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry & US Public Health Service Caribbean Regional Response Team Meeting October 27, 2010. September 29, 2009.

carsyn
Download Presentation

LT Elena Vaouli, MPH Regional Representative Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry & US Public Health S

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript


  1. 2009 Samoan Tsunami Environmental Health Observations & Lessons Learned LT Elena Vaouli, MPH Regional Representative Agency for Toxic Substances & Disease Registry & US Public Health Service Caribbean Regional Response Team Meeting October 27, 2010

  2. September 29, 2009 What would you (really) do?

  3. Objectives • Provide background and overview of American Samoa • Describe post-disaster environmental health conditions and response/recovery • Share observations and lessons learned

  4. Map. Wikipedia Maps. NPS, 2002

  5. Samoa Earthquake & Tsunami Earthquake: 8.1 magnitude earthquake 120 miles S/SW of AS 8 miles below seabed Tsunami: 3 – 5 waves 15 -20 ft high Inundation up to 620m Figure. USGS.

  6. Samoa Tsunami Impacts Fatalities = 32 (65K popn) Missing = 2 Damaged homes = 2,750 Destroyed residences = 276 Power generation = 60% loss

  7. Title Copy

  8. 8

  9. Environmental Health Concerns Water Quality Drinking water Surface water Wastewater Hazardous Waste Solid Waste Dengue Air Quality

  10. Drinking Water Quality • Water system damaged • Boil Water Notice issued • Mobile lab set up for intensive monitoring

  11. Drinking Water Quality • Illegal cross-connections (treated and untreated sources) • Use of alternative water sources

  12. Surface Water Quality

  13. Wastewater 200+ damaged septic systems & cesspools 119 permanently decommissioned Need for temporary toilets & showers

  14. Hazardous Waste Responded to: Oil spills Collected household chemicals Removed displaced 55-gal drums • Collected: • 50 drums (35 waste oil) • 165 car/boat batteries • 20 gal of acid • 300 gal paint-related wastes • 50 compressed gas tanks and cylinders • Etc., etc. etc.

  15. Solid Waste, Dengue & Air Quality Solid waste piles increase Creates artificial reservoirs for dengue-breeding mosquito Burning trash creates air quality hazards

  16. Lessons Learned Use what you have Local warning systems Educate appropriately Plan accordingly Practice, practice, practice Photo. NOAA.

  17. Questions?

More Related