Citation

Ebrahim SH, Rahman NMM, Imtiaz R, Gozzer E, Alqahtani SA, Ahmed Y, Memish ZA. Lancet Planet. Health 2020; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/S2542-5196(20)30175-3

PMID

32795405

Abstract

The landfall of cyclone Amphan around the India and Bangladesh border on May 20, 2020, which resulted in the most severe storm in the region since 1999, highlights the limitations to standard disaster responses during pandemics such as the current COVID-19 crisis. The frequency of geophysical, meteorological, and biological hazards is on the increase, their causes and impact might be intertwined, and only few of them are predictable. Occurrences of extreme humid heat, higher than the optimal human survivability limit of 35°C, have more than doubled in frequency since 1979, leading to an increased frequency of tropical cyclones (also known as hurricanes or typhoons; panel). These are formed when ocean temperatures increase to greater than 27°C, and can move at speeds greater than 322 km/h; at landfall, they cause tornadoes, torrential rains, high winds, and flooding. Additionally, climate change is increasing the risk of extreme and longer wildfire seasons. Floods and landslides related to seasonal monsoon rains in the Indian subcontinent (typically starting in mid-June each year) have become frequent. In east Africa, the path of the monsoons and the new vegetation they provide are followed by an ongoing outbreak of desert locust swarms, decimating crops and livestock that depend on the vegetation. Further distal effects of the weather extremes might be unpredictable, such as extreme rainfalls triggering volcano eruptions, landslides, or breakage of dams. El Niño Southern Oscillation, which affects countries in the Pacific Rim from Peru to Indonesia and Australia, can also bring heavy rainfall and long droughts.

Language: en