I was watching a show on our public broadcast system a few days back that got me to doing some research.
One segment of the show dealt with the results of a "once in a century" snowstorm such that strike us over here about once a decade.
Back in 1998 the Canadian Providences of Ontario and Quebec, including the city of Ottawa, experienced a severe blizzard with 73cm of ice and snow mix.
Civilization ended by the end of day one. No road travel was possible. Electricity was off in some ares for up to 3 weeks as was the gas supply. No access to hospitals or emergency services. No ability to shop or travel outside to access food, and not deliveries to the stores for up to 3 weeks.
Life became a constant struggle for survival and although few people died from the storm, hundreds of thousands were under constant stress as to where they would get firewood, how would they stay warm, how to access food and even water.
Since Canada holds their doctors responsible for the welfare of a child they deliver until age 18 the doctors decided to track the progress of children born to women that had endured this trauma.
As the children born to these women grew and aged the doctors took not of their development, tracking them from birth to age 17.
The children born after this event showed a 30% increase in developmental issues, behavioral problems in school, reduced impulse control, slow verbal skill development, increased incidence of autism, extreme allergy problems.
The doctors also documented that the severity of the damage was directly related to how long the expectant mothers had gone without utility services during the storm.
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2007...eandhealth
Keep in mind that it was not the incident that caused these problems, it was the lack of preparedness for the incident that created the issues.
It was the stress of not knowing where the next stick of firewood was coming from or where the next can of beans was to be found and how would they be heated or cooked once acquired. It was the stress caused by the event, not the event itself.
Now this was not a single study by a single doctor. It was a widespread gathering of information and has been verified by several continued studies. One can google "effects of stress on the unborn" and get pages of information. The medical community now considers this general knowledge, but it is not addressed.
There was a time when we did not know that smoking or drinking alcohol was harmful to a developing fetus. Now engaging in those behaviors while pregnant is considered irresponsible.
Might we also consider not having proper preps for surviving a natural disaster just as irresponsible?
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