Predictors for people's response to a tornado warning: Arkansas, 1 March 1997

On 1 March 1997, powerful tornadoes touched down in Arkansas (USA) on a Saturday afternoon. Twenty-six fatalities and 400 non-fatal injuries were reported. We performed a population-based cross-sectional study to determine factors associated with appropriate responses to tornado warnings. Of 146 survey participants, 140 (96 per cent) knew the difference between 'tornado watch' and 'tornado warning' and were aware of when the warning was announced. Of those 140 participants, 64 (45.7 per cent) responded to the warning by seeking shelter, and 58 (90.6 per cent) of those 64 acted within five minutes of hearing the warning. Four factors were positively associated with those seeking shelter: having graduated from high school (OR = 4.2, 95 per cent CI = 1.1-15.5); having a basement in one's house (OR = 3.8, 95 per cent exact CI = 1.1-17.1); hearing a siren (OR = 4.4, 95 per cent CI = 1.3-18.9); and having prepared a household plan of response when tornadoes occur (OR = 2.6, 95 per cent CI = 1.1-6.3). On the basis of these findings, we recommend: first, that people who live in tornadoprone areas have a personal plan of action to help them respond immediately to warnings; second, public-health education officials in areas with frequent tornadic activity should do more to educate the public about what they can do to protect themselves from a tornado; and third, that emergency-management officials planning protection measures for vulnerable communities should consider that most people have limited time (our study documented five minutes) in which to respond to a tornado warning. Thus, shelters in tornado-prone areas should be quickly accessible by residents.     

长春市西湖灌区土壤砷污染调查与评价

通过对长春市西湖灌区62个样点土壤砷含量的调查,评价该区域砷的污染状况。方法选择灌区稻田地、菜地、玉米地,以未利用土地为对照,采集耕层土壤样品,测定砷的含量,结果与吉林省土壤背景值比较,利用污染累积指数法评价砷的污染程度。结果未利用地砷含量（P〈0．05）与吉林省土壤背景值（8．38mg／kg）没有显著差剐;稻田、菜地、玉米地耕层土壤砷的算术平均值分别为12．79mg·kg^-1、11．96mg·kg^-1、11．19mg·kg^-1,明显高于吉林省土壤砷的背景值;三种土地利用方式下土壤砷的污染累积指数范围在1．90-1．17之间,并且土壤累积指数随着距污灌渠（口）距离的增大而减小。结论长期利用污水灌溉,导致砷在长春市西湖灌区耕层产生累积．土壤受到一定程度的污染。应当引起关注。