by Kaitlin Phillips, MS

Four years ago, Dr. Gregory Kearney, Associate Professor and Founding Director of the DrPH Environmental & Occupational Health Program at ECU, wrote this line as part of his introduction to a special issue of the North Carolina Medical Journal:

"Preparing to meet the challenges of climate change could have substantial health benefits to North Carolinians."

That issue of the journal was being published on the heels of Hurricane Isaias, and included data and analysis from the impacts of historic Hurricane Matthew several years before. Dr. Kearney wrote from the Eastern North Carolina perspective, but other authors in the issue wrote from the Western and Central regions of the state. The stories they told may hold helpful lessons for Helene recovery and future resilience.

As Kearney wrote in 2020:

"[T]he effects of climate change are difficult to assess at the individual level. However, an abundance of peer-reviewed climate health research studies provides overwhelming scientific evidence that climate change is impacting population health with generalizable results. Mitigation and adaptability strategies are necessary for reducing carbon emissions and building climate-resilient communities."

It will be some time before we have a full accounting of the toll of the most recent storm, and recovery will take years, with wide-ranging effects, even as the next storms arrive. As we do this work of repair and preparation, we can look to the experiences, research, and innovative solutions of fellow North Carolinians.

Preparing for the Health Impacts of a Changing Climate by Gregory D. Kearney, DrPH, MPH (ECU)

A Hotter, Wetter, and More Humid North Carolina by Kathie Dello, PhD (North Carolina State
Climate Office); Walter Robinson, PhD (NCSU); Ken Kunkel, PhD (NCSU); Jenny Dissen, MS (NCSU); Tom Maycock, MLA (NCSU)

Health Care in a Changing North Carolina Climate by Stan Meiburg, PhD (Wake Forest) and Suzanne Lazorick, MD, MPH (ECU)

Vector-borne Diseases and Climate Change: North Carolina’s Policy Should Promote Regional Resilience by Brian Byrd, PhD, MSPH (WCU); Stephanie L. Richards, PhD, MSEH (ECU); Jennifer D. Runkle, PhD, MSPH (NCSU); Margaret M. Sugg, PhD, MA (Appalachian State University)

Calor Extremo: On the Frontlines of Climate Change with North Carolina Farmworkers by Gregory D. Kearney, DrPH, MPH (ECU) and Lariza Garzon, MBA (Episcopal Farmworker Ministry)

Climate and Health in Cities: A Challenge for the Built Environment by Traci Rose Rider, PhD (NCSU)

Hurricanes and Public Health Preparedness: Meeting the Challenge by Phillip E. Tarte, MHA (New Hanover County Health and Human Services)

Resilience, Self-compassion, and Mental Health Outcomes: Rebuilding Eastern North Carolina After Natural Disasters by C. Suzanne Lea, PhD, MPH (ECU); Heather Littleton, PhD (ECU); Ashley Batts Allen, PhD (UNC Pembroke); Cherry M. Beasley, PhD, MS, RN (UNC Pembroke)