The Impact of Hurricane Irma on Our Community and the Collier Mosquito Control District's Mission. 2020

Robin A King, and Rebecca Heinig, and Patrick Linn, and Keira J Lucas
Collier Mosquito Control District, 600 North Road, Naples, FL 34104.

The Collier Mosquito Control District, located in southwest Florida, is uniquely positioned in a subtropical environment between the Gulf of Mexico and Everglades National Park. The District's mission is focused on the control of disease vector and nuisance mosquitoes in Collier County, which is accomplished through integrated mosquito management. Hurricane Irma made landfall in the county on September 10, 2017, leaving in its wake tremendous property and infrastructure damage, and it also disrupted communications and airport operations. These factors greatly affected the District's operations and its ability to meet its mission. In addition, the lengthy loss of electrical power forced most residents outdoors, increasing their exposure to mosquitoes. From challenges in completing poststorm treatments to outdated policies that caught us off-guard, the event prompted a new hurricane policy and plan to ensure improved preparedness for the next natural disaster. The poststorm environment also provided a rich foundation for research into mosquito populations after tropical disturbances of this scale. Here we report the impact on the District's aerial mosquito control operations, changes to internal policies, and mosquito population abundance following Hurricane Irma.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D009032 Mosquito Control The reduction or regulation of the population of mosquitoes through chemical, biological, or other means. Control, Mosquito
D002959 Civil Defense Preventive emergency measures and programs designed to protect the individual or community in times of hostile attack or natural disaster. Civil Defenses,Defense, Civil,Defenses, Civil
D005431 Florida State bounded on east by the Atlantic Ocean, on the south by the Gulf of Mexico, on the west by Alabama and on the north by Alabama and Georgia.
D055867 Cyclonic Storms Non-frontal low-pressure systems over tropical or sub-tropical waters with organized convection and definite pattern of surface wind circulation. Cyclone,Cyclones,Hurricane,Hurricanes,Tropical Storm,Typhoon,Typhoons,Cyclonic Storm,Storm, Cyclonic,Storm, Tropical,Storms, Cyclonic,Storms, Tropical,Tropical Storms

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