Seismic St. Louis
Emily SekineI'm interested in better understanding the ongoing geological processes that shape St. Louis and the Mississippi Valley region. So far, I've been looking into the history of seismicity in the region, focusing on the fascinating but little known history of the New Madrid earthquakes of 1811 and 1812 -- the most devastating earthquakes to have hit the US east of the Rockies. I've also been exploring how St. Louis and surrounding areas are dealing with the possibility of another earthquake occurring in the future. According to one article I read, one of the biggest uncertainties is what would happen to the heavily engineered Mississippi River in the case of another major tremblor. The shaking could break the levees, flooding wide areas along the river and creating cascading effects. The flow of the river might also reverse completely, as occurred during the New Madrid earthquakes.
On these possibilities and the lack of scientific consensus surrounding intraplate seismicity in this zone, see this article in The Atlantic.
On current efforts to create earthquake hazard maps in St. Louis, see this overview on the US Geological Survey site.
For a deeper dive into the history of the New Madrid earthquakes, see this book by historian of science Conevery Bolton Valencius.
pece_annotation_1472841420
tamar.rogoszinskiSonja D. Schmid uses data pertaining international response to the disaster that occurred in Fukushima. She uses references and information gathered that has to do with the reactions of various leaders. She uses past situations and opinions in order to formulate her conclusion and claim that there is a need for an international nuclear emergency response plan. She pulls from examples that show that many organizations that tried in the past to create a plan failed due to the lack of international authority.
pece_annotation_1478891023
tamar.rogoszinskiIt doesn't talk about these things because its focus is on depression and the ways in which stories and personal experiences could help doctors better the lives of their patients.
pece_annotation_1473443906
tamar.rogoszinskiThere are no references attached to the article, however, the author does refer to various news sources and has apeared to have interviewed UN officials and other people involved in rebuilding efforts via NGOs.
pece_annotation_1480344766
tamar.rogoszinskiEmergency response is not directly addressed in this article, but humanitarian aid is. Through the analysis of this aid, we can see which areas are in need of help and responders. Because humanitarian aid is a form of responders as well, it is important to understand their function in the context of emergencies and crises. It can also be implied that those receiving aid did at one point need emergency response teams.
pece_annotation_1473993631
tamar.rogoszinskiThe narrative in this film is an emotional one, rather than a scientific one. For the most part, scientific knowledge is common, as the outbreak occurred recently. The only scientific information given was at the end where the statistics of how many deaths occurred in Liberia are given as well as the amount of people who contracted the disease. The primary appeal of this film is that it plays into people's emotions. The narrator is a student at the University of Wisconsin, who discusses his struggle with getting his family to the United States and out of the infected areas. Through graphic footage, as well as this story and narratives from people within the community, we are given an emotional framework with which to empathize.
pece_annotation_1480523269
tamar.rogoszinskiThey are shown for a moment in which they bring in trauma patients, but are not a main player in this documentary.
pece_annotation_1474167786
tamar.rogoszinskiAccording to ResearchGate, this article has been cited 28 times.
pece_annotation_1480606010
tamar.rogoszinskiWhile this article does not really address emergency response, the discussion of violent attacks on humanitarian workers does involve emergency responders and can affect how humanitarians provide care. So while not direct, this article does have implications for emergency responders in those regions.