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Psychological Response to Tornadoes
... (MHs) in the region (Davies-Jones et al. 1973;Ashley 2007;Sutter and Simmons 2010;Lim et al. 2017;Strader and Ashley 2018). Mobile homes and manufactured homes are factory-built homes that are placed on a chassis and transported to an installation site. ...
Southeastern United States mobile and manufactured housing (MH) residents are the most tornado vulnerable subset of the population due to both physical and socioeconomic factors. This study builds upon prior MH resident tornado vulnerability research by statistically and geographically analyzing responses from a survey administered to these residents in the Southeast. Specifically, 257 Alabama and Mississippi MH residents were administered a survey with questions pertaining to their perceived tornado risk and vulnerability, protective action and decision making, and beliefs about the structural integrity of their homes. Results indicate that, despite the weather and emergency management enterprises consistently suggesting that MH residents evacuate their homes for sturdier shelter during tornado events, more than 50% of MH residents believe their homes are safe sheltering locations. The prevalence of larger MHs in northern Alabama partially influences willingness to shelter within one’s MH, while higher levels of negative affectivity stemming from recent impactful tornadoes in northern Alabama influences people to evacuate their MHs for safety. Study findings also uncovered a perception and vulnerability paradox for these residents: Those who have the means to evacuate their MH often feel they have no need to do so; whereas, those who recognize the potential peril of sheltering in their home and want to evacuate, often lack the resources and/or self-efficacy to carry out more desirable sheltering plans. Overall, study results provide valuable information for National Weather Service forecasters, emergency managers, and media partners so that they may use it for public outreach and MH resident education.
... It negatively influences patients' feelings of accomplishment, control, independence, pride, and self-worth. These negative feelings, with the related financial burdens, might then contribute to depressive symptoms (Horn, 2009). Some of the physical limitations are directly caused through the diplopia caused by the injury and this diplopia also specifically interferes to varying degrees on patients' ability to drive. ...
Purpose To understand patient's experience with blow-out fracture of the orbit and its possible influence on management Design A purposive, non-probabilistic, sample of 21 patients treated in a secondary care hospital were interviewed. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim and data analysis continued until saturation. A framework approach was used to help organise the data and the principles of the constant comparison method were adopted to analyse the data. Findings Patients with blow-out fractures of the orbit perceived the diplopia associated with the injury as an eye injury with the potential for loss of vision. They found it difficult to relate such concerns with the clinical information described by surgeons and this, and the injury itself, negatively impacted on their everyday lives.
... They downplayed tornado frequency and intensity, time of day of tornado occurrence, population density, home construction quality, poverty, and warning communication as explanations for the higher death rate in the South, and focused instead on psychological dimensions as a primary cause. In a brief rejoinder to the Sims and Baumann article, Davies-Jones, Golden, and Schaefer (1973) argued that while psychological dimensions could be a contributing factor, the Sims and Baumann study was errant in its dismissal of nocturnal tornadoes, poor housing construction, and tornado frequency as important contributors to the South's tornado fatality problem. Boruff and coauthors (2003) focused on the national pattern of tornado hazardstornado events that impacted humans in some way-in the US over the period 1950 to 1999. ...
Previously published claims of large regional (northern vs southern states) differences in risks of fatality associated with tornadoes in the United States are reexamined. This new study extends earlier claims to include 1) data from a much longer time frame, 2) injuries as well as fatalities, and 3) more precise estimates of meteorological features of tornado events (specifically, a precise calculation of daytime vs nighttime and pathlength). The current study also includes formal mediation analyses involving variables that might explain regional differences. Results indicate that significant increases in the risk of fatality and injury do occur in southern states as compared with northern states. Mediation models show that these regional differences remain significant when meteorological factors of nocturnal occurrence and pathlength are included. Thus, these meteorological factors cannot explain regional differences in risk of fatality and injury, a failure that is unlikely to reflect a lack of data or a lack of precision in the measurement of potential mediators.
Social criteria are important to achieving the mission of the National Weather Service. Accordingly, researchers and administrators at the NWS increasingly recognize a need to supplement verification statistics with complementary data about society in performance management and evaluation. This will require significant development of new capacities to both conceptualize relevant criteria and measure them using consistent, transparent, replicable, and reliable measures that permit generalizable inference to populations of interest. In this study, we contribute to this development by suggesting three criteria that require measurement (forecast and warning reception, comprehension, and response) and demonstrating a methodology that allows us to measure these concepts in a single information domain—tornado warnings. The methodology we employ improves upon previous research in multiple ways. It provides a more generalizable approach to measurement using a temporally consistent set of survey questions that are applicable across the United States; it relies on a more robust set of psychometric tests to analytically demonstrate the reliability of the measures; and it is more transparent and replicable than previous research because the data and methods (source code) are publicly available. In addition to describing and assessing the reliability of the measures, we explore the sensitivity of the measures to geographic and demographic variation to identify significant differences that require attention in measurement. We close by discussing the implications of this study and the next steps toward development and use of social criteria in performance management and evaluation.
Ohio is at the eastern edge of the "tornado alley" of the United States,
yet the risk of killer tornadoes is greater in Ohio than some states
within the core of the tornado alley [Abbey, 1976]. This is due to the
higher population density in Ohio and the relatively high frequency of
violent tornadoes in portions of Ohio [Allen, 1981; Schaefer et al.,
1986]. These factors, along with recent Ohio tornado disasters, spurred
me to intensify research into minimizing the risk of death from
tornadoes. White and Haas [1975, p. 280] suggested that research on the
tornado hazard should emphasize social ramifications of the hazard.
Riebsame et al. [1986] called on the atmospheric sciences community to
be more effective in reducing hazard vulnerability, in part by
encouraging historical hazards analysis. This statewide examination of
tornado mortality patterns over four decades addresses these issues in
tornado hazards, incorporating the literature and methods of atmospheric
sciences, natural hazards, and epidemiology.
It is only recently that recognition of the serious and debilitating sequelae of trauma has prompted exploration of outcomes beyond survival, such as disability, health status and quality of life. This paper aims to review the literature describing outcomes following severe traumatic injury to provide clinicians with a greater understanding of the recovery trajectory following severe trauma and highlight the issues faced by those recovering from such injury. Electronic databases, published reference lists and the Internet were searched to identify relevant literature. The heterogeneous nature of published literature in this area prohibited a systematic approach to inclusion of papers in this review. Trauma survivors report significant sequelae that influence functional status, psychological wellbeing, quality of life and return to productivity following severe injury. Key themes that emerge from the review include: current trauma systems which provide inadequate support along the recovery trajectory; rehabilitation referral which is affected by geographical location and provider preferences; a long-term loss of productivity in both society and the workplace; a high incidence of psychological sequelae; a link between poor recovery and increased drug and alcohol consumption; and valued social support which can augment recovery. Future research to evaluate interventions which target the recovery needs of the severely injured patients is recommended. Particular emphasis is required to develop systematic, sustainable and cost-effective follow-up to augment the successes of existing acute trauma services in providing high quality acute resuscitation and definitive trauma management.
Estimates of the pressure reduction in the tornado vortex run up to one-half an atmosphere. The greatest officially reported pressure drop associated with tornadoes has been 0.65 inch (mercury). There is an unofficially reported drop of around five inches. No one can say what the maximum pressure gradient in a tornado is. It is believed that a venting area of one square foot per 1000 cubic feet of air space should be enough to reduce the pressure gradient that most buildings will experience in tornadoes to a safe level. It is also believed that anchorage of the building to the foundation, anchorage of the roof to the building, and better connections at corners will make a house strong enough to resist most tornado forces successfully.
An investigation of the damage resulting from the tornado in Topeka, Kans. on June 8, 1966 was conducted in an effort to determine the most protected areas of dwellings during this tornado. Inspection of 28 full basements under severely damaged houses and houses blown away revealed that some variation of unsafe areas did occur. The north- east section was somewhat safer than other locations although this was not statistically significant. Results based on observations of 17 walk-out basements showed that the north section of the basement was significantly safer than other locations. The walk-out basements faced the southwest which was also the direction from which the storm came. Investigation of the damage to the first floor of 90 houses which had both safe and unsafe areas showed the north and central sections were significantly safer than other locations.
The prominent characteristics of tornadoes, their sociological and
meteorological importance, aspects of the national weather service that
pertain to storm forecasting and warning, observational and theoretical
studies of tornadoes, and some prospects for modifying tornadoes, are
briefly surveyed. Some paths for future development of the warning
service and of scientific investigations are indicated.
Response of Structutral Systems to the Lubbock Storm
- K C Mehta