Public Health England heatwave plan 2014

John Hicks writes that UK preppers might like to know that the “Heatwave Plan for England” has been released for operation by Public Health England.

Its objective is to protect the population from heat-related harm to health, by raising awareness of the negative health effects of severe heat and enabling services and the public to prepare and respond appropriately.

It is an important component of long term and emergency planning – and our own disaster preparedness - which will become increasingly relevant in adapting to the impacts of climate change [1].

Information newly released comprises:

   *   the Heatwave Plan for England 2014;

   *   Making the Case, a companion document giving further information on a range of topics

        related to the Heatwave Plan; and

   *   three information pamphlets containing action cards based on the plan for easy use by

        organisations, staff and the public.

The plan sets out a series of clear actions to being prepared minimise the effects of severe heat on health, to be taken by the NHS, social care and other public agencies; professionals working with vulnerable people; and individuals and local communities.

The Plan continues to be underpinned by the Heat-Health Watch service. The UK Met Office will issue Heatwave Alerts from 1 June 2014 to 15 September 2014.

Following consultation with stakeholders, no significant or immediate changes were considered essential this year. Therefore, the only changes to content have been the removal of specific dates relevant only to 2013.

The plan has been jointly agreed between Public Health England, the Department of Health, NHS England, the Local Government Association and other stakeholders. It continues to be underpinned by the Heat-Health Watch service, developed with the Met Office to alert key stakeholders to the likelihood of severe hot weather in different parts of the country, so they can take appropriate action.

Reference

1.      Public Health England (2014) "Heatwave plan for England - protecting health and reducing harm from severe heat and heatwaves" 13 May.

 

Follow John on Twitter at @preppingUK - and listen out for Tom Linden's UK Prepper Show on UK Health Radio at the weekend! John’s health and wellness blog can be found at www.health-kicks.co.uk

 

PreppingUK is kindly sponsored by Hampshire Snow Clearance (www.hampshiresnowclearance) – helping businesses in the Basingstoke, Fleet and Hook areas of Hampshire, UK maintain safety and business continuity during adverse weather conditions. Services include preventative gritting of car parks and footpaths in icy conditions and heavy duty snow clearance of commercial premises.

  

Stark reminder for UK preppers from government research!

Government research identifies Supervolcanoes Spewing Deadly Gases as the Greatest Hazard to UK, writes John Hicks of PreppingUK.co.uk and the internationally-syndicated 'Health Kicks Show'.

 

Not just preppers but everyone in Britain should take notice that a high-level UK Government report has issued a stark warning of dangers posed to the United Kingdom.

Though not by terrorism, economic collapse or global warming, but the eruption of so-called 'supervolcanoes' in nearby Iceland threaten the UK. These hazards include extremes of cold in winter and heat in summer, catastrophic crop failure and deadly clouds of sulphur dioxide.

The Government commissioned the study by scientists from the UK Meteorological Office, universities and the British Geological Survey (BGS), following the eruption of Iceland's Eyjafjallajokull volcano in 2010 which caused months of disruption for airlines because volcanic ash posed a threat to plane engines.

The report will be presented at the European Geosciences Union meeting in Vienna.

Head of volcanology at the BGS Sue Loughlin will present the paper, and warns that Eyjafjallajokull was a relatively small eruption and would be dwarfed by eruptions at other volcanic systems, which have erupted in the relatively recent past.

Ms Loughlin's report warns that such eruptions, "typified by the Laki eruption in Iceland in 1783-84, have been identified as one of the three highest priority natural hazards faced by the UK."

Unlike with a traditional funnel-shaped volcano, the 1783 Laki event happened when a 17-mile fissure opened up in the Grimsvotn complex in the east of the island. This caused 130 craters along the crack to pump out 3.6 cubic miles of lava, sending lava fountains a mile into the sky.

The Laki event caused 120m tons of sulphur dioxide cloud to drift across the UK. Once inhaled it turns to sulphuric acid, which can cause fatal inflammation. Around 23,000 died in Britain – in an age when the population was far lower and there were far fewer older people. The consequences of "effusive gas-rich eruption" in a country of 63 million people could be truly disastrous.

In Iceland during 1783 the effects were even more devastating, with 80% of livestock being wiped out and crop failure causing 20% of the population to starve the death. Over the following years winters across Europe were exceptionally cold and summers blisteringly hot, and it has been suggested that the knock-on effects may have helped usher in the French Revolution of 1789.

The report found that major events at Grimsvotn and at Katla, a similar volcanic system, have occurred at least 40 times over the last 1,130 years. The government has now ordered the Met Office to monitor Iceland's active volcano systems.

John says: "So, in my view, it is a stark reminder to UK preppers, that we should continue our efforts to be able to look after ourselves and our families - even if just for a matter of weeks - in the event of a disaster affecting our region of the country."

Supervolcanoes aren't just found in Iceland, but around the world. Earlier this year there were fears of an eruption at the Yellowstone National Park, which includes a 55-mile-wide underground cavern holding vast quantities of molten rock. Scientists fear if it erupts the impact on climate could potentially threaten the existence of all human life on earth.



Follow John on Twitter at @preppingUK - and listen out for Tom Linden's UK Prepper Show on UK Health Radio at the weekend!