User:Ruoying Li/sandbox

The impact of avalanches in Afghanistan
Avalanches in Afghanistan can lead to short-term and long-term effects on physical and mental health. It can indirectly affect health and well-being due to evacuation, social disruption, financial loss, lifestyle change, damage to healthcare facilities, and changes to the wider political and socioeconomic context.

Physical health
A study of 105 avalanche victims at Innsbruck University Hospital showed that a few of the avalanche victims died of cervical fractures and dislocation, very few were due to hypothermia, and most victims were due to asphyxia. Compared with Innsbruck, Afghanistan is less developed, and there is less research on relevant materials and data caused by avalanches. However, Afghanistan is inferior to Innsbruck regarding information time difference and rescue equipment speed. Therefore, the injuries in Afghanistan will be more serious.

mental health
Avalanche accidents may induce post-traumatic stress disorder, which makes some survivors present significant psychological distress and affect their quality of life. The most common symptoms of PTSD were intrusive thoughts and feelings, tension, sadness, and anxiety. Sixteen years after an avalanche, a study found 16% of PTSD among survivors, illustrating the long-term persistence of these symptoms.

Effects on healthcare facilities
Avalanches are major natural hazards in snow-covered mountain areas, threatening people and infrastructure. So search, rescue, and healthcare providers involved in avalanche rescue face logistical and medical challenges.

Crop growth in the economic field
The larger the avalanche area is, the closer the sediment is to the village. In particular, 2003 had many avalanche depositional zones that occupied almost 6 % of the surface area of the entire basin. That year was locally noted as having heavy snowfall, and farmers benefited from more snowmelt in the spring, leading to higher-than-average crop yields in 2003.