May 12-18, 2022 | Issue 8 - Emergency Management, Health, and Hazards (EMH2)
Alyssa Schmidt, EMH2 Team
Léopold Maisonny, Editor; Demetrios Giannakaris, Senior Editor
Delhi Fire Truck[1]
Date: May 13, 2022
Location: New Delhi, India
Parties involved: New Delhi workers; New Delhi residents; local firefighters; local law enforcement; Red Cross; the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF)
The event: India has been experiencing many fires from the high temperatures of 43 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit). At 1700 local time, a fire in a commercial building in India killed 27 people.[2] Law enforcement arrested two individuals for disregarding safety protocols in the building.[3]
Analysis & Implications:
Indian emergency personnel, especially firefighters, will very likely be overwhelmed by service calls from the heatwave, likely leading to incident prioritization. Emergency vehicle response times will likely be delayed, likely lessening the effectiveness of first responders’ assistance and increasing the mortality rate. Medical supplies and water will likely deplete as temperatures continue to increase, likely leading the Indian government to seek assistance from nearby governments or organizations such as the Red Cross and UNICEF.
The fire will likely impact air quality and the environment. The smoke from the fire will very likely increase respiratory distress in individuals in the immediate area, likely increasing the need for medical assistance. The carbon dioxide emission from multiple fires will likely exacerbate the rate of climate change in India, likely leading to increased future fires.
Date: May 17, 2022
Location: London and Newcastle, England
Parties involved: English residents; English hospitals; UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA)
The event: Monkeypox is a rare disease that usually occurs in Africa. An outbreak of monkeypox has infected England with 20 known individuals since the beginning of May.[4] One of the sick individuals was in Nigeria recently, but it is unclear how other individuals were infected. Monkeypox symptoms are similar to the flu and cause a rash. The disease is transmitted through contact with droplets or bodily fluids from an infected individual.[5]
Analysis & Implications:
Monkeypox is very likely to spread outside England before UKHSA identifies the cause of the infection in the six remaining individuals. Travel from infected areas, such as London and Newcastle, will likely be monitored to limit the spread. Imports and livestock from Africa will likely be examined and halted if contact tracing determines that the outbreak spread from Africa.
Infected areas will likely implement precautionary measures such as imposing handwashing and personal protective equipment (PPE) such as masks. This will likely cause unrest, likely causing individuals to believe the government infringed upon their rights by implementing these measures. Resistance to health protocols will likely lead to an increase in cases and likely virus mutation.
The Counterterrorism Group (CTG)
[1] “Delhi Fire Service Basic Fire Truck” by DiplomatTesterMan licensed under Creative Commons
[2] Building Fire in India’s Capital Leaves Dozens Dead, The New York Times, May 2022, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/14/world/asia/delhi-fire-india.html
[3] Building fire kills 27 in New Delhi, police arrest company owners, Reuters, May 2022, https://www.reuters.com/world/india/building-fire-kills-27-new-delhi-police-arrest-company-owners-2022-05-14/
[4] Monkeypox cases double in UK, pop up in US, LiveScience, May 2022, https://www.livescience.com/monkeypox-cases-double-uk-and-us
[5] CDC expresses concern about possibility of undetected monkeypox spread in U.K., Stat News, May 2022, https://www.statnews.com/2022/05/17/cdc-expresses-concern-about-possibility-of-undetected-monkeypox-spread-in-u-k/