Snowfall: Social and Economic Impact

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  • Costs and losses to livestock producers
    • Increased feed costs
    • Dairy operations dependent on electric milking machines
      • Lost revenue
      • Loss of dairy herd due to infectious disease
  • Urban, residential, and commercial impacts
    • Structural damage from weight of snow on roofs of buildings
    • Cost of keeping transportation lines clear of ice and snow
  • Health
    • Injuries and fatalities in weather-related traffic accidents
    • Injuries and fatalities from pedestrians falling on snow-covered surfaces
    • Hypothermia
    • Carbon monoxide poisoning due to running automobile engines to produce heat or using faulty alternative heating systems in homes
  • Disruption of services
    • Power
    • Communications
    • Government offices and schools closed
    • Emergency services unavailable or longer response times, including fire, police, and emergency medical services
    • Garbage collection halted
  • General economic effects
    • Revenue loss from lost production in business and industry
    • Negative impact of economic multipliers
    • Costs to repair damaged infrastructure

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Impacts
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Mitigation