Performance of lifelines during the 1994 Northridge earthquake

1995 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 438-451 ◽  
Author(s):  
David L. Lau ◽  
Alex Tang ◽  
Jean-Robert Pierre
Keyword(s):  
Los Angeles ◽  
Electric Power ◽  
System Performance ◽  
Water Distribution ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Northridge Earthquake ◽  
Epicentral Area ◽  
Lifeline Systems ◽  
Earthquake Damages ◽  
The Impact

Lifelines are essential infrastructures and facilities that are considered vital to the rescue effort and recovery of the affected community in the event of a natural disaster or emergency. The lifeline systems in a densely populated area, such as the Los Angeles basin, are very complex. The Northridge earthquake, which occurred in southern California on January 17, 1994, caused extensive damage to many of these lifeline facilities in the epicentral area. Effects of the damages were felt not only in the vicinity area of the earthquake but also in areas far from the earthquake site. This paper describes the earthquake damage to and performance of gas and water distribution and electric power and telecommunication systems. The impact of these failures on the overall system performance are presented. The significance and effect of the interdependency of life systems in an integrated urban environment are discussed. Lessons learned on system performance, seismic risk, and reliability of lifeline systems from the Canadian perspective are presented. Key words: earthquake damages, electric power, gas, lifelines, performance, risk, telecommunication, water.

Analysis of the Coordination of Suppression and Ventilation in Single-Family Homes

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jack Regan ◽  
◽  
Julie Bryant ◽  
Craig Weinschenk
Keyword(s):  
Water Distribution ◽  
Fire Service ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Positive Pressure ◽  
Water Application ◽  
Single Family ◽  
Surface Cooling ◽  
Initial Application ◽  
Alternative Means ◽  
The Impact

Prior full-scale research with the fire service was primarily designed to isolate specific tactics, most often either ventilation or suppression, which allowed researchers to develop science-based recommendations related to the specific components of fireground operations studied in relatively controlled conditions. The current project went beyond earlier research by conducting twenty experiments in eight acquired, single-family residential structures and that combined fireground tactics to quantify the impact of coordination between ventilation and suppression actions. This experimental series included second-story bedroom fires (14 experiments) and first-floor kitchen fires (6 experiments). The main control variables studied included the position of initial application of water, the ventilation method, and the timing of ventilation relative to water application. The ventilation tactics examined in these experiments included horizontal, vertical, positive pressure, and hydraulic ventilation, while the suppression tactics included both interior water application and initial exterior water application followed by interior water application. While some elements of the experiments (e.g. structure floor plan and weather) resulted in increased variability, the lessons learned highlighted the importance of having a systematic approach to the implementation of tactics. Most importantly, there was no meaningful increase in temperature outside of fire rooms when ventilation tactics were executed in coordination with (shortly after or shortly before) the onset of suppression. The effectiveness of suppression actions in extinguishing the fire were dependent on the ability of those actions to 1) cool surfaces in the fire room and 2) wet unburned fuel. Exterior suppression actions on second-floor bedroom fires resulted in a decrease in temperatures throughout the second floor, followed by regrowth prior to final suppression through interior streams. When exterior suppression was performed on first-floor kitchen fires, where more complete fuel wetting was possible, regrowth was not observed prior to interior suppression. When surface cooling or fuel wetting are not possible due to the elevation of the fire room, missing ceiling, or obstacles, firefighters should consider alternative means of water distribution to improve the effectiveness of suppression actions from outside the fire room. Suppression actions, whether interior or exterior, generally resulted in a decrease in temperatures and gas concentrations at locations where occupants may potentially be located. Conditions improved most quickly at locations closest in proximity to the inlet of the flow path established between the front door and the fire room. For this reason, opening an exterior door to gain access should be thought of as an important ventilation action, both in terms of its potential to cause fire growth and its potential to improve conditions for potentially trapped occupants. After effective suppression, structure ventilation operations should similarly be cognizant of gas flows, with the aim of establishing flow throughout all areas where occupants may be located.

scholarly journals WIC Is Critical During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Lessons Learned From Los Angeles County Participants

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. 205-205
Author(s):  
Lauren Au ◽  
Lorrene Ritchie ◽  
Nicole Vital ◽  
Marisa Tsai ◽  
Christopher Anderson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Los Angeles ◽  
Service Delivery ◽  
Nutrition Education ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Safe Delivery ◽  
Funding Sources ◽  
Low Income Families ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Objectives The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way that the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC) delivers services. The USDA granted multiple waivers to allow flexibility in WIC operations during the pandemic. The objective of this study was to hear from WIC participants about the impact of changes due to COVID-19. Methods In the summer of 2020, 60 semi-structured interviews were completed, half with English-speaking and half with Spanish-speaking WIC participants in the Los Angeles area. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using a deductive content analysis approach to describe responses and identify themes. Results Four themes emerged: 1) The pandemic has exacerbated the ckhallenges facing low-income families; 2) WIC continues to be a valued resource especially under the challenging circumstances; 3) WIC's transition to remote service delivery has ensured that families continue to receive not only critical WIC food benefits, but also nutrition education and support; 4) Lessons learned during COVID-19 can inform needed WIC modernizations to maximize WIC's proven benefits post-pandemic. Nearly 75% of WIC participants faced reductions in income due to job loss or reduced work hours. Nearly 60% of households reported experiencing food insecurity. Early in the pandemic, many reported challenges accessing WIC-eligible foods, resulting in lost food benefits. Approximately 43% reported getting food from a food pantry or church, with most (77%) reporting first time usage. Participants shared that even with the change to only remote education, they valued the information and were very satisfied with WIC services. The majority (83%) found the California WIC App helpful in informing what WIC foods they could purchase. Participants also reported that enrolling in WIC remotely was easier than coming in-person and they were comfortable providing documents related to income and eligibility determination remotely. Conclusions WIC has been essential in helping families cope with COVID. WIC's transition to remote service delivery has ensured seamless and safe delivery of services, helping families with young children during an unprecedented time of need. Funding Sources The David and Lucile Packard Foundation

Impact of the 1994 Northridge Earthquake on the Utilization and Difficulties Associated with Prescription Medications and Health Aids

2000 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 47-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harvinder Sareen ◽  
Kimberley I. Shoaf
Keyword(s):  
Los Angeles ◽  
Household Income ◽  
Income Level ◽  
Prescription Medications ◽  
Northridge Earthquake ◽  
Medical Problems ◽  
Level Of Education ◽  
Moderate Earthquake ◽  
Chi Square Analysis ◽  
The Impact

AbstractIntroduction:The medical impacts of disasters have focused on the injuries, illnesses, and deaths related to the disaster. Little has been written about the impact of disasters on persons who use prescription medications or those medications that require refrigeration, or those who require health aids. The objective of this study was an evaluation of the level of utilization of prescription medications and medications that require refrigeration as well as the use of health aids by the population affected by the disaster.Methods:Following the Northridge earthquake of 1994, a survey of Los Angeles County households was conducted to assess the impact of the earthquake. A total of 1247 households completed the 48 minute telephone interview. As part of the interview, 10 questions assessed the utilization of medications and medical aids by household members and the effects that the earthquake had on those medications and devices. Chi-square, analysis of variance (ANOVA), and logistic regression analysis were applied.Results:Of the 1,212 completed interviews, 21% of the households had a family member taking a prescription medication or a medication requiring refrigeration. Associated factors included gender, race, age, household income, level of education, presence of children, and the intensity of the earthquake (by the Modified Mercalli Index). Only 3% of those that reported medication usage noted problems associated with the use of these medications.Thirty-nine percent of the respondents indicated that someone in the household used a health aid (e.g., eyeglasses, hearing aid, etc.). Usage was related to gender, race, age, household income, level of education, presence of children, and the intensity of the shaking associated with the earthquake. Of these, 6.5% reported difficulty with these aids, usually related to loss or breakage.Conclusions:Although the proportions of the population requiring prescription or refrigerated medications and/or for those using health aids in Los Angeles seemingly are small, this translates to 630,000 households in which someone requires medications and 1.2 million households with a requirement for health aids. Thus, there are a huge number of persons at risk for serious medical problems related to these medications and devices that could produce profound medical problems during a disaster. However, during and following a moderate earthquake, it does not seem that the consequences will be great.

scholarly journals Household Impacts of Interruption To Electric Power And Water Services

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexia Stock ◽  
Rachel A. Davidson ◽  
James Kendra ◽  
V. Nuno Martins ◽  
Bradley Ewing ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Los Angeles ◽  
Electric Power ◽  
Critical Infrastructure ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Medical Condition ◽  
Empirical Measures ◽  
Service Interruptions ◽  
Household Level ◽  
Societal Impacts ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Critical infrastructure systems derive their importance from the societal needs they help meet. Yet the relationship between infrastructure system functioning and societal functioning is not well-understood, nor are the impacts of infrastructure system disruptions on consumers. We develop two empirical measures of societal impacts—willingness to pay (WTP) to avoid service interruptions and a constructed scale of unhappiness, compare them to each other and others from the literature, and use them to examine household impacts of service interruptions. Focusing on household-level societal impacts of electric power and water service interruptions, we use survey-based data from Los Angeles County, USA to fit a random effects within-between model of WTP and an ordinal logit with mixed effects to predict unhappiness, both as a function of infrastructure type, outage duration, and household attributes. Results suggest household impact increases nonlinearly with outage duration, and the impact of electric power disruptions are greater than water supply disruptions. Unhappiness is better able to distinguish the effects of shorter-duration outages than WTP is. Some people experience at least some duration of outage without negative impact. Increased household impact was also associated with using electricity for medical devices or water for work or business, perceived likelihood of an emergency, worry about an emergency, past negative experiences with emergencies, lower level of preparation, less connection to the neighborhood, higher income, being married, being younger, having pets, and having someone with a medical condition in the house. Financial, time/effort, health, and stress concerns all substantially influence the stated level of unhappiness.

Performance of masonry structures during the 1994 Northridge (Los Angeles) earthquake

1995 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 378-402 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michel Bruneau
Keyword(s):  
Los Angeles ◽  
Unreinforced Masonry ◽  
Masonry Building ◽  
Masonry Buildings ◽  
Masonry Structures ◽  
Northridge Earthquake ◽  
Seismic Evaluation ◽  
Masonry Construction ◽  
Reinforced Masonry ◽  
The Impact

The surface magnitude 6.8 Northridge earthquake which struck the Los Angeles area on January 17, 1994, damaged a large number of engineered buildings, of nearly all construction types. As earthquakes of at least similar strength are expected to occur in most of eastern and western Canada, the study of the effects of this earthquake is of particular significance to Canada. This paper, as part of a concerted multi-paper reporting effort, concentrates on the damage suffered by masonry buildings during this earthquake, and explains why the various types of observed failures occurred. The seismic performance of all masonry construction similar to that commonly found in Canada is reviewed, but a particular emphasis is placed on providing an overview of damage to unreinforced masonry structures which had been rehabilitated before this earthquake. To provide a better appreciation of the impact of this earthquake on masonry buildings, and a better assessment of the engineering significance of their damage in a Canadian perspective, this paper first reviews the evolution of building code requirements for unreinforced masonry buildings up to the seismic retrofit ordinances enacted prior to this earthquake. Examples of various damage types, as observed by the author during his reconnaissance visit to the stricken area, are then presented, along with technically substantiated descriptions of the causes for this damage, and cross-references to relevant clauses from Canadian standards and codes, as well as the recently published Canadian Guidelines for the Seismic Evaluation of Existing Buildings, whenever appropriate. Key words: earthquake, unreinforced masonry, seismic rehabilitation, retrofit, retrofitted masonry building, reinforced masonry, buildings, failure, collapse, heritage buildings.

The Doctor Faustus Dossier

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrian Daub
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Los Angeles ◽  
Primary Source ◽  
Music And Literature ◽  
Twentieth Century Music ◽  
Private And Public ◽  
Doctor Faustus ◽  
Public Lives ◽  
Nazi Era ◽  
The Impact

Arnold Schoenberg and Thomas Mann, two towering figures of twentieth-century music and literature, both found refuge in the German-exile community in Los Angeles during the Nazi era. This complete edition of their correspondence provides a glimpse inside their private and public lives and culminates in the famous dispute over Mann's novel Doctor Faustus. In the thick of the controversy was Theodor Adorno, then a budding philosopher, whose contribution to the Faustus affair would make him an enemy of both families. Gathered here for the first time in English, the letters are complemented by diary entries, related articles, and other primary source materials, as well as an introduction that contextualizes the impact that these two great artists had on twentieth-century thought and culture.

Characteristics of Physician Relocation Following Hurricane Katrina

2009 ◽  
Vol 95 (1) ◽  
pp. 6-12
Author(s):  
Kusuma Madamala ◽  
Claudia R. Campbell ◽  
Edbert B. Hsu ◽  
Yu-Hsiang Hsieh ◽  
James James
Keyword(s):  
Hurricane Katrina ◽  
Gulf Coast ◽  
General Medicine ◽  
The United States ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Bivariate Analysis ◽  
Fisher Exact Test ◽  
Exact Test ◽  
Factors Associated ◽  
The Impact

ABSTRACT Introduction: On Aug. 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina made landfall along the Gulf Coast of the United States, resulting in the evacuation of more than 1.5 million people, including nearly 6000 physicians. This article examines the relocation patterns of physicians following the storm, determines the impact that the disaster had on their lives and practices, and identifies lessons learned. Methods: An Internet-based survey was conducted among licensed physicians reporting addresses within Federal Emergency Management Agency-designated disaster zones in Louisiana and Mississippi. Descriptive data analysis was used to describe respondent characteristics. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to identify the factors associated with physician nonreturn to original practice. For those remaining relocated out of state, bivariate analysis with x2 or Fisher exact test was used to determine factors associated with plans to return to original practice. Results: A total of 312 eligible responses were collected. Among disaster zone respondents, 85.6 percent lived in Louisiana and 14.4 percent resided in Mississippi before the hurricane struck. By spring 2006, 75.6 percent (n = 236) of the respondents had returned to their original homes, whereas 24.4 percent (n = 76) remained displaced. Factors associated with nonreturn to original employment included family or general medicine practice (OR 0.42, 95 percent CI 0.17–1.04; P = .059) and severe or complete damage to the workplace (OR 0.24, 95 percent CI 0.13–0.42; P < .001). Conclusions: A sizeable proportion of physicians remain displaced after Hurricane Katrina, along with a lasting decrease in the number of physicians serving in the areas affected by the disaster. Programs designed to address identified physician needs in the aftermath of the storm may give confidence to displaced physicians to return.

Optimizing electronic capture of patient-reported outcome measures in oncology clinical trials: lessons learned from a qualitative study

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (17) ◽  
pp. 1195-1204
Author(s):  
Florence D Mowlem ◽  
Brad Sanderson ◽  
Jill V Platko ◽  
Bill Byrom
Keyword(s):  
Patient Reported Outcome Measures ◽  
Patient Reported Outcome ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Patient Reported ◽  
Oncology Clinical Trials ◽  
Anticancer Treatment ◽  
Fit For Purpose ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Electronic Implementation

Aim: To understand the impact of anticancer treatment on oncology patients’ ability to use electronic solutions for completing patient-reported outcomes (ePRO). Materials & methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven individuals who had experienced a cancer diagnosis and treatment. Results: Participants reported that the following would impact the ability to interact with an ePRO solution: peripheral neuropathy of the hands (4/7), fatigue and/or concentration and memory issues (6/7), where they are in a treatment cycle (5/7). Approaches to improve usability included: larger, well-spaced buttons to deal with finger numbness, the ability to pause a survey and complete at a later point and presenting the recall period with every question to reduce reliance on memory. Conclusion: Symptoms associated with cancers and anticancer treatments can impact the use of technologies. The recommendations for optimizing the electronic implementation of patient-reported outcome instruments in this population provides the potential to improve data quality in oncology trials and places patient needs at the forefront to ensure ‘fit-for-purpose’ solutions.

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