Assessing health impacts of the December 2013 Ice storm in Ontario, Canada

Rajaram, Nikhil; Hohenadel, Karin; Gattoni, L.; Khan, Yasmin; Birk-Urovitz, Elizabeth; Li, Lennon; Schwartz, Brian S.

doi:10.1186/s12889-016-3214-7

Cited by 13 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 23 publications

(30 reference statements)

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“…The results show that more than 47 percent of the calls received during 2009–2016 were related to medical calls. While it has been noted that emergency department visits and visits related to injuries and environmental causes in the Toronto and Ottawa were higher during the 2013 ice storm compared to other years (Rajaram et al , 2016), the number of medical calls in the City of Vaughan did not increase during the ice storm. This was experienced by VFRS as its fire stations assisted other public services during the ice storm.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 88%

“…As several power outages happened during the ice storm, some of these CO incidents could have been the result of burning charcoal or propane inside the houses. For example, Rajaram et al (2016) reported that 98 cases of CO poisoning (3.54 cases per 100,000 population) had been diagnosed in Toronto during the 2013 ice storm. VFRS may need to provide public awareness beforehand to prevent these types of emergencies during future ice storms.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Emergency calls during the 2013 southern Ontario ice storm: case study of Vaughan

Sabet

Asgary

Solis

2019

IJES

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Purpose Responding to emergency incidents by emergency response organizations such as fire, ambulance and police during large disaster and emergency events is very important. The purpose of this paper is to provide some insights into response patterns during the 2013 ice storm in the city of Vaughan, Ontario, Canada, using temporal and spatial analyses. Design/methodology/approach The City of Vaughan Fire and Rescue Service data set containing all responses to fire and other emergency incidents from January 1, 2009 to December 31, 2016 was used. The 2013 Southern Ontario ice storm occurred from December 20, 2013 to January 1, 2014, and, for this study, December 20–31 is considered the “study period.” Temporal, spatial and spatiotemporal analyses of responses during the study period are carried out and are compared with the same period in other years (2009–2012 and 2014–2016). Findings The findings show that temporal patterns of response attributes changed significantly during the 2013 ice storm. Similarly, the spatial pattern of responses during the 2013 ice storm showed some major differences with other years. The spatiotemporal analyses also demonstrate significant variations in responses in the city during different hours of the day in the ice storm days. Originality/value This study is the first study to examine the spatiotemporal patterns of responses made by a fire department during the 2013 ice storm in Canada. It provides some insights into the differences between response volumes, temporal and spatial distributions during large emergency events (e.g. ice storm) and normal situations. The results will help in mitigating the number of responses in the future through public education and technological changes. Moreover, the results will provide fire departments with information that could help them prepare for such events by possible reallocation of resources.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 88%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Emergency calls during the 2013 southern Ontario ice storm: case study of Vaughan

Sabet

Asgary

Solis

2019

IJES

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“…It was ranked among the most extreme disasters in the history of Canada, which resulted in a total economic damage of approximately $6 billion, an evacuation of 88,000 people and damaged 2,400 houses and businesses (Mamuji and Rozdilsky, 2019). Additionally, between 1844 and 2002, 25 ice storms occurred in Southern Ontario (Rajaram et al, 2016). The 1998 Ice Storm is considered the most disastrous one and it resulted in a total of 47 deaths, 28 in Canada and 19 in the United States (Rajaram et al, 2016).…”

Section: Background and Significance Of Environmental Disastersmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Additionally, between 1844 and 2002, 25 ice storms occurred in Southern Ontario (Rajaram et al, 2016). The 1998 Ice Storm is considered the most disastrous one and it resulted in a total of 47 deaths, 28 in Canada and 19 in the United States (Rajaram et al, 2016).…”

Section: Background and Significance Of Environmental Disastersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental Disaster Management in the Great Lakes: To What Extent are Governments in the Region Prepared?

Alotaibi¹

2022

Preprint

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Introduction -- Natural and man-made disasters are threatening countries and causing fatal damages to the economy, the environment and the livelihood and well-being of people across the globe (Zhang and Huang, 2018). Scholars in many disciplines and practitioners in several fields have realized the significance of natural and environmental disasters for decades. The study of environmental disasters is interdisciplinary and requires a broad range of knowledge and research to understand the natural and human dimensions of disasters. Some environmental disasters are known to be directly caused by human actions and behavior, while others are beyond human control and understanding. Reducing associated risks with existing and potential hazards that threaten people and societies is the ultimate goal of disaster management (O'Brien et al., 2006) at local, regional and international scales. <div><br></div><div>Disaster management is based on the belief that human intervention and action can help humans mitigate and adapt to disasters. There is an extensive scholarly and practitioner literature related to disaster management, as virtually all jurisdictions have to grapple with environmental disasters. Yet, capacity for human intervention, ‘management’ and action remain limited in the context of uncertainty related to many types of natural disasters. In addition, there are a wide range of government, non-government and private sector actors involved in environmental disaster management. </div><div><br></div><div>This thesis focuses on government-led regimes related to environmental disaster management in the Great Lakes region. The introduction covers the significance of disasters globally, in Canada and the United States, and in the Great Lakes region. It introduces key concepts and dimensions of environmental disasters; outlines the objectives of this research project; the central research questions; and provides an overview of the structure of the thesis. </div><div><br></div><div>Prior to a focus on environmental disasters in the Great Lakes, the researcher had an interest of exploring environmental disaster management in the Red Sea region in Saudi Arabia. The goal was to investigate transboundary and national government arrangements related to environmental disasters in the Red Sea within the borders of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Sudan. A comparative research approach was considered to study both regions and compare government arrangements. However, due to the lack of publically available government documents and some government restrictions on data related to environmental disasters management in the Red Sea, a focus on environmental disaster management in that region and a comparative analysis was not feasible to conduct. Preliminary research indicated that there was not a lot of research on this topic in the Great Lakes region. Therefore, this thesis focuses on environmental disaster management in the Great Lakes region of North America providing some research foundations for possible comparative research in the future.</div>

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“…6 New Jersey's largest electrical utility company estimated that 48 000 trees were trimmed or removed in the process of restoring power in their service area. 9 Of the 7 work-related fatalities in New Jersey immediately associated with Hurricane Sandy, 3 were tree-care workers (unpublished data, New Jersey Department of Health, Occupational Health Surveillance Unit, fatal occupational injuries surveillance, 2012). Some residents handling trees themselves also died of injuries.…”

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confidence: 99%

Tree-Related Injuries Associated With Response and Recovery From Hurricane Sandy, New Jersey, 2011-2014

Marshall

Williams

et al. 2018

Public Health Rep

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Assessing health impacts of the December 2013 Ice storm in Ontario, Canada

Cited by 13 publications

References 23 publications

Emergency calls during the 2013 southern Ontario ice storm: case study of Vaughan

Emergency calls during the 2013 southern Ontario ice storm: case study of Vaughan

Environmental Disaster Management in the Great Lakes: To What Extent are Governments in the Region Prepared?

Tree-Related Injuries Associated With Response and Recovery From Hurricane Sandy, New Jersey, 2011-2014

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