scholarly journals Hurricane Preparedness and Response Along Florida's Central-East Coast: Indian River Mosquito Control District's Experiences Over the Years

2020 ◽  
Vol 36 (2s) ◽  
pp. 5-10
Author(s):  
Douglas B. Carlson ◽  
D. Diane Richards ◽  
Joshua E. Reilly

ABSTRACT The hurricane is no stranger to longtime residents of Florida's east coast. In 1979, after about 15 years of local inactivity, Hurricane David made landfall in West Palm Beach. Thirteen years later and 100 miles south, category 5 Hurricane Andrew caused catastrophic damage when it hit the city of Homestead in the Miami-Dade area. In 2004, the counties along the east coast of central Florida were hit by 2 devastating hurricanes, Frances and Jeanne, that made landfall at Sewall's Point just 20 days apart. The very next year, Hurricane Wilma made landfall near Everglades City as a Category 3 storm. After a decade of relief, a glancing blow from Hurricane Matthew struck in 2016, only to be followed by the extremely devastating Hurricane Irma just 1 year later. Each of these hurricanes caused significant property damage and mosquito problems for the Florida residents affected by these storms. In 1997, the Indian River Mosquito Control District (IRMCD) developed a hurricane preparedness plan outlining the appropriate action to be taken depending on the severity of the approaching storm. The IRMCD has also learned to negotiate the intricacies of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's reimbursement program, thus reducing the financial impact to the District. This paper provides an overview of how IRMCD has prepared, reacted, and followed-up with the seemingly constant parade of hurricanes that have threatened and affected the east coast over time.

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Bakota ◽  
Kirsten Short ◽  
Amanda Eckert

ObjectiveThis session will explore the role of the Houston Health Department(HHD) in the City of Houston’s response to the threat of Zika. Thepanelists will provide perspective from the roles of Bureau Chief,informatician, and epidemiologist and provide insight into lessonslearned and strategic successes.IntroductionZika virus spread quickly through South and Central America in2015. The City of Houston saw its first travel-related Zika cases inDecember of 2015. On January 29th, the City held the first planningmeeting with regional partners from healthcare, blood banks,petrochemical companies, mosquito control, and others. Additionallythe City activated Incident Command Structure (ICS) and designatedthe Public Health Authority as the Incident Commander.Initial steps taken by HHD included expanding the capabilityand capacity of the public health laboratory to test for Zika virus;expand surveillance efforts; created an educational campaign aroundthe “3Ds” of Zika defense (Drain, Dress, DEET) which were thendisseminated through several means, including a mass mailing withwater bills; and provided DEET to mothers through the WIC program.The Houston Health Department took the lead in authoringthe City’s Zika Action Plan. In this 3 goals and 6 strategies wereidentified. Goals included 1) Keep Houstonians and visitors aware ofthe threat of Zika; 2) minimize the spread of the virus; and 3) protectpregnant women from the virus. The 6 strategies employed were toA) develop preparedness plans; B) implement ICS within the City;C) ensure situational awareness through surveillance; D) Increasecommunity awareness; E) reduce opportunities for Zika mosquitobreeding grounds; and F) provide direct intervention to reduce thethreat of Zika.HHD was responsible for many of the action items within theplan. We conducted several community outreach events, where wedisseminated educational materials, t-shirts, DEET, and other give-aways. These events allowed frequent engagement with the public forbidrectional communication on how to approach the threat.


The Print Studio is part of Dundee Contemporary Arts (DCA), an organization located in the downtown area near the River Tay on the East Coast of Scotland. The print studio evolved from a number of different art collectives beginning in the 1970s. They were located in the city and provided facilities and equipment for artists to develop their skills. Recognizing that the arts could revitalize a city devastated by a vacuum left by a shift in their industrial base, the city funded the building of a modern arts center with cinemas, a print studio, and large exhibition galleries for world-renowned artists to display their work. Additional funding allowed the print studio at DCA to purchase digital fabrication machinery to investigate the interface of mechanical and digital making processes: in particular, studying how traditional processes can be enhanced with contemporary technology to revitalize and preserve the antique. This chapter explores the Dundee Contemporary Arts Print Studio.


Author(s):  
David Morton

Maputo (Lourenço Marques until 1976) is the capital of Mozambique and one of the busiest port cities on the east coast of Africa. The Bay of Lourenço Marques had already been a source of ivory for the Indian Ocean world and Europe for centuries when, in the late 18th century, Portugal established a permanent garrison there, among the Mpfumo and other Xi-ronga-speaking clans. From 1898 until independence in 1975, the fort-turned-city was the administrative headquarters of Portugal’s territory of Mozambique, a home to many Portuguese settlers, and a stark example of racialized exploitation and urban segregation under colonial rule. It was also the principal transit hub for hundreds of thousands of southern Mozambican men recruited to labor in neighboring South Africa. Following independence, the city became a laboratory of revolutionary socialist experimentation as well as an overcrowded safe haven for refugees of Mozambique’s long and terrible civil war. Despite closer historical ties to South Africa than to most of Mozambique, Maputo is the country’s economic center and its gateway for foreign investment. According to 2017 census figures, the metropolitan population exceeded 2.5 million, making it one of the larger urban areas in southern Africa.


2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 233-237
Author(s):  
Selene M. Garcia-Luna ◽  
Luis Fernando Chaves ◽  
José G. Juarez ◽  
Bethany G. Bolling ◽  
Arturo Rodriguez ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT South Texas is recognized as a potential area for the emergence and re-emergence of mosquito-borne diseases due to recent circulation of Zika, chikungunya, and dengue viruses. During 2017, high Aedes aegypti abundance found in the city of Brownsville, TX, in combination with the previous year's local transmission of Zika virus, triggered the activation of the Texas Department of State Health Services Emergency Mosquito Control Contingency Contract. A contract with the Clarke Environmental and Mosquito Control was a response to control Ae. aegypti, using a ground-based wide-area larvicide spray (WALS™) containing Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis. The WALS application was evaluated through a field-based bioassay and by comparing surveillance data pre- and post-WALS application. The WALS application bioassay demonstrated that the larvicide was effective up to 60 m into the target properties. Additionally, the number of Ae. aegypti captured in traps decreased in the WALS intervention areas compared with the untreated control areas, with an estimated 29% control.


2009 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 581-606 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan Milbrath ◽  
Carlos Peraza Lope

AbstractRecent INAH excavations and reanalysis of data from the Carnegie Institution archaeological project document the survival and revival of Classic and Terminal Classic traditions at Postclassic Mayapán, the last Maya capital in Mexico. The survival of some Terminal Classic ceramic types and architectural forms at Mayapán around A.D. 1100–1200 reflects a pattern of continuity. A revival of earlier traditions is notable in the erection of stelae marking the katun endings and in Postclassic architecture that incorporates iconographie elements from Terminal Classic Puuc sites and the city of Chichén Itzá. The rulers and priests of Mayapán displayed their connection with the Terminal Classic Maya heritage to assert political power. The Puuc revival at Mayapán is linked with the Xiu priests, whereas the revival of the Itzá heritage of Chichén Itzá is affiliated with the Cocom rulers. Between A.D. 1250 and 1400, revival-style architecture at Mayapán was inspired by local traditions in the area of Yucatán. After A.D. 1400, trade contact with the East Coast inspired new art forms linked with the international style associated with Mixteca-Puebla art.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 5013
Author(s):  
Tibor Kiss ◽  
Csaba Leitol ◽  
Gergely Márovics ◽  
Tímea Zentai ◽  
Roland Baczur ◽  
...  

In Europe, several exotic Aedes species, such as Aedes albopictus, Aedes eagypti, Aedes japonicas and Aedes koreicus, have become established. Mosquito-borne infection has also become a rising public health issue in Europe. This study aims to present the results of the first Hungarian systematic mosquito monitoring (SMM) operating in an urban environment in the city of Pécs. It also explains the implementation of a targeted mosquito control by the development of a mosquito map with the SMM approach, thus contributing to a reduction of the risks of mosquito-borne diseases. The mosquito trapping started in 2015, and the traps were Center for Disease Control (CDC) equipment. Based on the data of the SMM, an urban mosquito data set was developed. It consisted of the data of 441 trappings, and the data were statistically analyzed. The results show that three influencing factors impacted mosquito population: distance from running water, built-up density and average temperature had a causal impact on the average number of mosquitoes of an urban area. Each of these factors showed direct impact, and the impact intensified with the combination of the three factors. On that basis, it was made clear which areas of the city mosquito control activity should be focused. Areas of the city where interventions of lower intensity may be necessary compared to the intensity of the earlier mosquito control measures could also be determined. Compared to the previous practice, in which the entire city was involved in intensive mosquito control, now the intensive larviciding is advised to be applied in 42.1% of the total residential areas of the city. Thus, mosquito control of lower intensity could also be sufficient in the remaining 57.9% of the city area. This resource reallocation based on planning can boost the efficiency of the control and lead to a positive change towards sustainability regarding reduced pressure on the environment and reduced expenses of protection.


2015 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 226-233 ◽  
Author(s):  
Niza Samsuddin ◽  
Krishna Gopal Rampal ◽  
Noor Hassim Ismail ◽  
Nor Zamzila Abdullah ◽  
Hashima E. Nasreen

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