Hazards/Disasters

Planning and managing disasters when they occur

Naturally Occurring Disasters

Floods bring about a temporary overflow of water onto land that is normally dry. Information can be found at https://www.ready.gov/floods.

Drought information and resources focusing specifically on the agriculture sector is provided by the National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) and can be found at https://www.drought.gov/sectors/agriculture.

Tornado and High Winds can destroy buildings, flip cars, and create deadly flying debris. To access more information on the government’s Ready website go to https://www.ready.gov/tornadoes.

Weather

  • The Ohio State University’s State Climate Office provides climate information to improve the lives of all Ohioans. Visit their site and view the Hydro-Climate Assessment tool at https://climate.osu.edu/.
  • Ready is a National public service campaign designed to educate and empower people to prepare for, respond to and mitigate emergencies, including natural and man-made disasters. From the home landing page users can navigate to resources for specific types of emergencies and disasters. Learn more at https://www.ready.gov.
  • Heat Hazards — Prevention of heat stress in workers is important. Employers should provide training to workers so they understand what heat stress is, how it affects their health and safety, and how it can be prevented.
  • The National Institute for Occupation Safety and Health (NIOSH) — Extreme heat guidelines. Find more information at https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/heatstress/.
  • The Midwestern Regional Climate Center provides services and research to better explain climate and its impacts on the Midwest, provide practical solutions to specific climate problems, and allows them to develop climate information for the Midwest on climate-sensitive issues such as agriculture, climate change, energy, the environment, human health, risk management, transportation, and water resources. Visit their site at https://mrcc.purdue.edu/.
  • The U.S. Drought Monitor can be found at https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/.

Fires move quickly. Ready warns in just two minutes a fire can become life-threatening. In five minutes, a residence can be engulfed in flames. Find more information about fire safety at https://www.ready.gov/home-fires.

Human Health

COVID-19 continues to impact farm families and farm labor. To access more information and the resources that have been released please explore the Knowledge Exchange’s Covid-19 Hub while the global situation continues at https://kx.osu.edu/covid-19.

Talking about disasters with children is an important part of diminishing associated stress. Disasters can leave children and teens feeling frightened, confused and insecure. Their responses can be quite varied. It’s important to not only recognize these reactions, but also help children cope with their emotions. Find resources to help guide this process at https://www.ready.gov/helping-children-cope.

Websites

Extension Disaster Educational Network (EDEN) is a collaborative multi-state effort by Cooperative Extension Services across the country to improve the delivery of services to citizens affected by disasters. EDEN’s mission is to reduce the impact of disasters through research-based education. Find resources at https://extensiondisaster.net.

OSU Agricultural Safety and Health Program is devoted to supporting safety for Ohio’s farmers by providing programming and resources focused on injury prevention, grain rescue, emergency planning and the health aspects of the people and animals on Ohio’s farms. Access more information at https://agsafety.osu.edu.