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Five on Friday: Disaster Preparedness and Public Health

/ 18 April 2025 / 0 Comments

 The Five on Friday banner image for 4/18/2025, Disaster Preparedness and Public Health. Two pairs of hands, one adult, one child, holding a red heart with a small bandage on it.

Welcome back to Five on Friday! Catch up with MCN staff as we share the five of the stories that crossed our desks this week. Have a look before you head into the weekend.

bar dividerA dark sky with a tornado arcing down to a field. Heading reads, "Millions of Americans Don’t Speak English. Now They Won’t be Warned Before Weather Disasters."

Claire forwarded this article from Grist, featuring quotes from MCN’s Amy Liebman, MPA, about the recent decision by the National Weather Service to stop translating weather alerts dispatched to the southern United States. With a population of 71 million people country-wide that speak languages other than English, this puts a significant number of people at risk of missing evacuation notices and will likely increase the number of preventable injuries and deaths. Millions of Americans Don’t Speak English. Now They Won’t be Warned Before Weather Disasters.

bar dividerA gloved hand holding a tube labeled "Measles". Heading reads, "CDC Says Measles Cases are Most Likely Underreported as Outbreak Swells in Texas".

Sonia provided this article from NBC News, an update on the measles outbreak in the United States. Currently, there have been 747 reported cases of the disease, with 561 attributed to the spread in West Texas. A lack of staff and resources makes it difficult to know the true number of cases, though the CDC continues to send additional people to Texas to address the outbreak and assist with disease surveillance. CDC Says Measles Cases are Most Likely Underreported as Outbreak Swells in Texas

bar dividerA mother and child walking underneath the Puerto Rican flag. Heading reads, "Puerto Rico Officials Demand Answers After Latest Island-Wide Blackout".

Esther sent in this article from PBS on the recent power outage that struck Puerto Rico, affecting the entire island and leaving hundreds of thousands without electricity or water. Though the cause of the outage is still unclear, the frequency of outages has increased as a consequence of Hurricane Maria, which has caused severe damage to the island’s power grid that has yet to be fully repaired. Puerto Rico Officials Demand Answers After Latest Island-Wide Blackout 

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A worker in a hard hat and safety vest. Heading reads, "Protecting Workers: How NIOSH Cuts Threaten Occupational Health | Rick Neitzel Explains".

Amy shared this video from the University of Michigan School of Public Health. Presented by Rick Neitzel, professor of Environmental Health Sciences, it explains the importance of the research and training supported by NIOSH. Recent funding changes could disrupt this work, affecting countless workers and businesses. Protecting Workers: How NIOSH Cuts Threaten Occupational Health | Rick Neitzel Explains

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A woman in a sweater reading a book. Heading reads, "April is National Poetry Month!"

Weekly Win: Art in all forms can be healing, helping us feel connected and understood as we process strong emotions, and especially in times of distress. Thanks to Alma for letting us know that April is National Poetry Month! Take a breath and celebrate with the Academy of American Poets, as they provide a list of ways to get involved with poetry near you and online. National Poetry Month

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Have a safe and healthy weekend!