Dataset Information

Assessing the water quality impacts of two Category-5 hurricanes on St. Thomas, Virgin Islands.

ABSTRACT: Managing waterborne and water-related diseases is one of the most critical factors in the aftermath of hurricane-induced natural disasters. The goal of the study was to identify water-quality impairments in order to set the priorities for post-hurricane relief and to guide future decisions on disaster preparation and relief administration. Field investigations were carried out on St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands as soon as the disaster area became accessible after the back-to-back hurricane strikes by Irma and Maria in 2017. Water samples were collected from individual household rain cisterns, the coastal ocean, and street-surface runoffs for microbial concentration. The microbial community structure and the occurrence of potential human pathogens were investigated in samples using next generation sequencing. Loop mediated isothermal amplification was employed to detect fecal indicator bacteria, Enterococcus faecalis. The results showed both fecal indicator bacteria and Legionella genetic markers were prevalent but were low in concentration in the water samples. Among the 22 cistern samples, 86% were positive for Legionella and 82% for Escherichia-Shigella. Enterococcus faecalis was detected in over 68% of the rain cisterns and in 60% of the coastal waters (n = 20). Microbial community composition in coastal water samples was significantly different from cistern water and runoff water. Although identification at bacterial genus level is not direct evidence of human pathogens, our results suggest cistern water quality needs more organized attention for protection of human health, and that preparation and prevention measures should be taken before natural disasters strike.

SUBMITTER: Jiang SC

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7001102 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Assessing the water quality impacts of two Category-5 hurricanes on St. Thomas, Virgin Islands.

Jiang Sunny C SC Han Muyue M Chandrasekaran Srikiran S Fang Yingcong Y Kellogg Christina A CA

Water research 20191224

Managing waterborne and water-related diseases is one of the most critical factors in the aftermath of hurricane-induced natural disasters. The goal of the study was to identify water-quality impairments in order to set the priorities for post-hurricane relief and to guide future decisions on disaster preparation and relief administration. Field investigations were carried out on St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands as soon as the disaster area became accessible after the back-to-back hurricane strik ...[more]

PMID: 31955059

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Project description:IntroductionHurricanes Irma and Maria made landfall in the US Virgin Islands (USVI) in 2017. To date, there is no published literature available on the experiences of pregnant women in the USVI exposed to these hurricanes. Understanding how hurricanes affect pregnant women is key to developing and executing targeted hurricane preparedness and response policies. The purpose of this study was to explore the experiences of pregnancy and birth among women in the USVI exposed to Hurricanes Irma and Maria.MethodsWe employed a qualitative descriptive methodology to guide sampling, data collection, and analysis. Semi-structured interviews of 30-60 min in length were conducted with a purposive sample of women (N = 18) in the USVI who were pregnant during or became pregnant within two months after the hurricanes. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and data managed in MAXQDA. Team members developed a codebook, applied codes for content, and reconciled discrepancies. We thematically categorized text according to a socioecological conceptual framework of risk and resilience for maternal-neonatal health following hurricane exposure.ResultsWomen's experiences were organized into two main categories (risk and resilience). We identified the following themes related to risk at 3 socioecological levels including: (1) individual: changes in food access (We had to go without) and stress (I was supposed to be relaxing); (2) household/community: diminished psychosocial support (Everyone was dealing with their own things) and the presence of physical/environmental hazards (I was really scared); and (3) maternity system: compromised care capacity (The hospital was condemned). The themes related to resilience included: (1) individual: personal coping strategies (Being calm); (2) household/community: mutual psychosocial and tangible support (We shared our resources); and (3) the maternity system: continuity of high-quality care (On top of their game).ConclusionsA socioecological approach provides a useful framework to understand how risk and resilience influence the experience of maternal hurricane exposure. As the frequency of the most intense hurricanes is expected to increase, clinicians, governments, and health systems should work collaboratively to implement hurricane preparedness and response plans that address pregnant women's unique needs and promote optimal maternal-infant health.

Project description:A photochemical model platform for Hawaii, Puerto Rico, and Virgin Islands predicting O3, PM2.5, and regional haze would be useful to support assessments relevant for the National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS), Regional Haze Rule, and the Prevention of Significant Deterioration (PSD) program. These areas have not traditionally been modeled with photochemical transport models, but a reasonable representation of meteorology, emissions (natural and anthropogenic), chemistry, and deposition could support air quality management decisions in these areas. Here, a prognostic meteorological model (Weather Research and Forecasting) and photochemical transport (Community Multiscale Air Quality) model were applied for the entire year of 2016 at 27, 9, and 3 km grid resolution for areas covering the Hawaiian Islands and Puerto Rico/Virgin Islands. Model predictions were compared against surface and upper air meteorological and chemical measurements available in both areas. The vertical gradient of temperature, humidity, and winds in the troposphere was well represented. Surface layer meteorological model performance was spatially variable, but temperature tended to be underestimated in Hawaii. Chemically speciated daily average PM2.5 was generally well characterized by the modeling system at urban and rural monitors in Hawaii and Puerto Rico/Virgin Islands. Model performance was notably impacted by the wildfire emission methodology. Model performance was mixed for hourly SO2, NO2, PM2.5, and CO and was often related to how well local emissions sources were characterized. SO2 predictions were much lower than measurements at monitors near active volcanos on Hawaii, which was expected since volcanic emissions were not included in these model simulations. Further research is needed to assess emission inventory representation of these areas and how microscale meteorology influenced by the complex land-water and terrain interfaces impacts higher time resolution performance.

Dataset Information

Assessing the water quality impacts of two Category-5 hurricanes on St. Thomas, Virgin Islands.

Publications

Assessing the water quality impacts of two Category-5 hurricanes on St. Thomas, Virgin Islands.

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