Disaster Research 147

1. Looking for Information on Public Works Emergency Preparedness

Folks--
Perhaps someone out there can help with this:
The folks at one of our county Public Works Departments is putting together an emergency response plan (e.g., dealing with their responsibilities after a big earthquake: debris removal, building inspections, emergency stuff). Have other local government public works departments done this? Are there examples our folks can use?

Phone replies to:					Susan Larson 					Washington Dept. of Economic Trade & Development					Emergency Management Office					(206) 923-4976or e-mail replies to me:					Connie Manson					Wash. Div. Geology & earth Resources					cjmanson@u.washington.edu

2. Looking for Information on Evacuation of Handicapped Individuals

I am inquiring if anyone is familiar with codes or regulations governing the evacuation of handicap individuals especially from laboratories? Examples of existing plans or actual code references would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Chris Pruett
Safety Coordinator
St. Marys Health Center
Jefferson City, MO 65101
e-mail: cpruett@smtpgwy.ssmhc.com

3. Looking for Information on Relief Logistics

My name is Frank Fiedrich and I am a student from Germany. I am [working on] a project for the United Nations IDNDR program. The goal of my work is to develop a model for storage of relief goods in areas where earthquakes could occur. It implies questions like: where should the depots be located, how many will be needed, which factors affect the location, which goods should be stored, and so on.

Can you please help me with the following questions?

• Do you know of a literature list of books or abstracts relating to logistical problems in disaster management?
• Does anybody have experience with storage of relief goods, especially in connection with earthquakes? Which relief goods will be needed after an earthquake and in what quantity?
• Are there some good simulation models? For the input of my model I need information about the possible damages like the number of injured and dead people, damages of the infrastructure and so on.
• I want to create a mathematical location model, therefore I need special information about the rescue actions. How long does a single rescue action take and which factors do affect the duration? How many people are usually rescued in one action and how many rescue actions are made by one search and rescue team?

4. What Do We Need to Know About Emergency Networks?

In a recent issue of NETS (the Networks in Emergency Management electronic newsletter) our friend Peter Anderson wrote:

A colleague and I are interested in undertaking some emergency network analysis research and would be interested in obtaining comments, suggestions, etc. about areas of research which would be beneficial or interesting from your own or your organization's perspective. For example: If all analytic barriers could be eliminated, what questions would you like to ask about the data you have? What aspects of the communication networks do you want to get at? What are the biggest questions you have that you can't answer because you don't have the analytic tools? What theoretical issues are relevant?

5. Looking for Information on Warning Failures (from NETS)

Hi.
I'm currently working on my thesis for my master's in Emergency Management and Public Administration. The topic of the thesis is "The inadequacy of planning, warning and notification for disaster," focusing on the warning and notification end utilizing today's present technology. I've been able to come up with substantial information regarding outdoor warning systems (multi-tone with voice), but I'm having a little difficulty coming up with information that's pertinent in the area of the Emergency Broadcast System, and even how the Internet might someday play a part in this process.

Any suggestions? If you're able to help, will you allow me to quote you and use your name as a source? Any and all info would be greatly appreciated!

Replies to IDT_GA488795@emuvax.emich.edu

6. An Information Request from New Zealand via Australia

Paul Bladen writes:
We have had a request here (which actually originated in New Zealand) for information on any research that has been carried out into the number of enquiries received from the public after a disaster.

I have found individual articles indicating how many calls a particular incident generated, but nothing indicating any study has been undertaken to get an overall view. I hope someone who subscribes to DR may be able to help.

Please send replies to:
Paul Bladen
Information and Research Centre
Australian Emergency Management Institute
Mt. Macedon, Victoria, AUSTRALIA 3441
tel: (+6154) 261 205
fax: (+6154) 262 479
email: robf@vifp.monash.edu.au

7. An Information Request from the Netherlands

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen:
Can you kindly provide me with information (and references) on rehabilitation after complex emergency approaches of bi- and multilateral international donors. Issues which are of particular interest relate to capacity questions in respect of recipient (and donor) management of such approaches.

Thank you sincerely,
Glenn Brigaldino
European Centre for Development Policy Management
O.L.Vrouweplein 21
6211 HE Maastricht, The Netherlands
tel: 0031 43 255121
fax: 0031 43 253636
e-mail: g.brigaldino@ecdpm.antenna.nl

8. NGO Disaster Network Formed

[Adapted from *IDNDR Informs*, May-June 1994 - the Decade bulletin for Latin America and the Caribbean.]

More than 45 nongovernment organizations (NGOs) participated in the World Conference for Natural Disaster Reduction in Yokohama in May. Because NGO delegates had "neither voice nor vote" in any of the sessions, they drafted an NGO resolution that was presented in a plenary session and widely distributed to conference participants. This resolution points out the lack of participation by the most vulnerable and affected groups in disasters - poor communities, women, and children. The NGO coalition urged that these groups be integrated into both national and international efforts and that governments strengthen education and community training for disaster reduction.

The NGOs who attended the conference formed a network called Forum Global to exchange information among NGOs that work with disaster reduction, to edit a directory, and to organize joint meetings. The group will be coordinated by the Joint Assistance Centre of India for the first year and the Citizen's Disaster Response Center Foundation of the Philippines during the second year.

For more information on this effort, contact:
Kumar Jain
Joint Assistance Centre
G-17/3, DLFF Qutab Enclave, PH.I
Gungaon 122002 Hasyana, India
fax: (91-11) 463 2517

9. IDNDR Fellowships Available

[Adapted from "Disasters: Preparedness and Mitigation in the Americas", July 1994.]

Within the framework of the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR), the United Nations Department of Humanitarian Affairs (UN/DHA) and MAPFRE, the Compania de Reaseguros in Madrid, Spain, have initiated a Joint Fellowship Program on Natural Risks Reduction. This program offers fellowships to persons involved in their country's natural risk reduction programs, particularly policy elaboration and implementation. The program's overall aim is to strengthen national capabilities in disaster management by providing fellowships to post-graduate candidates from developing countries.

For more information, contact:
Dusan Zupka
UN/DHA
Palais des Nations, CH-1211
Geneva 10, Switzerland
tel.: (41-22) 917 2468
fax: (41-22) 917 0023

10. Earthquake Insurance in New Zealand: A New Working Paper from the Hazards Center

In 1944, the New Zealand Parliament passed the Earthquake and War Damage Act to provide insurance coverage for buildings damaged by seismic events and warfare during World War II. The program was developed with the notion that compensation for damages was to be shared by all property owners. It was eventually expanded to provide coverage for all disasters. The latest working paper from the Natural Hazards Center, Insurance and Natural Disasters: An Examination of the New Zealand Earthquake and War Damage Commission (WP87, 1994, 24 pp.), by Arnold R. Parr, examines the history of this national insurance program and recent efforts to privatize disaster coverage. The paper costs $4.50 ($5.50 overseas, $7.50 overseas airmail). All orders must be prepaid and checks should be made payable to the University of Colorado.

Order from:
Publications Clerk
Natural Hazards Research and Applications Information Center
University of Colorado
Campus Box 482
Boulder, CO 80309-0482
(303) 492-6819
fax: (303) 492-2151
American Express, Visa, Mastercard, and Diners Club are accepted.

11. Dam Safety Research Data Base Being Established

The Association of State Dam Safety Officials (ASDSO) is formulating a data base on current research in dam safety. To provide information for the data base, request a research summary form from:

ASDSO
450 Old East Vine, Second Floor
Lexington, KY 40507
(606) 257-5140
fax: (606) 323-1958

12. EERI Annual Student Paper Competition

The Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) has announced its annual student paper competition to promote active involvement of students in earthquake engineering and the earthquake hazards research community.

Instructions for preparing manuscripts are available from:
Professor Alan G. Hernried
Civil Engineering Department
Oregon State University
Corvallis, OR 97331

Papers must be received by December 15, 1994. Winners will be invited to the EERI Annual Meeting in San Francisco, February 9-11, 1995, and will receive financial support for this purpose. In addition, winning papers will be considered for publication in "Spectra", the EERI journal.

13. New Bibliodes Bibliography Available

[Adapted from "Disasters: Preparedness and Mitigation in the Americas," July 1994.]

The Disaster Documentation Center of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has released a new bibliography - BIBLIODES #12 on hurricanes. In addition, two special issues are also being prepared in cooperation with the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR) Regional Office in San Jose, Costa Rica. One is a collection of documents presented at the Interamerican Conference on Disaster Reduction in Cartagena, Colombia, in March 1994, and at the World Conference in Yokohama, May 1994. The other will focus on the IDNDR theme for this year, "Vulnerable Communities."

To obtain these bibliographies, contact:
Disaster Documentation Center, OPS
Apartado 3745
San Jose 1000, Costa Rica
fax: 506-231-5973
E-mail: rperez@cariari.ucr.ac.cr

The Disaster Documentation Center publishes extensive bibliographies of its holdings as well as briefer bibliographies on selected topics (such as the one on hurricanes mentioned above). The center is always in search of new documents, publications, articles, audio-visual aids related to hazard and disaster management. Anyone having such documents is asked to send them to the center at the address above.

14. A Recent Grant of Note

"Land Use Planning for Seismic Mitigation: Lessons from Los Angeles," $79,257, 12 months
Grantor: National Science Foundation
Principal Investigator:
Robert B. Olshansky
Department of Urban and Regional Planning
University of Illinois at Urban-Champaign
907 1/2 West Nevada Street
Urbana, IL 61801
(217) 333-3890
fax: (217) 244-1717

15. The 1995 TIEMES Conference

In cooperation with The National Institute for Urban Search and Rescue, The International Emergency Management and Engineering Society (TIEMES) is presenting TIEMEC'95, The International Emergency Management and Engineering Conference, May 9-12, 1995 in Nice, France. The theme for this year's conference is "Globalization of Emergency Management and Engineering: National and International Issues Concerning Research and Applications." TIEMEC is an interdisciplinary conference bringing together users, planners, researchers, managers, technicians, response personnel, and other interested parties to learn, teach, present, share and exchange ideas and information about how, when, where, and why information management tools can be used to avoid, mitigate, and recover from disasters and other emergencies. Papers, demonstrations, panel discussions, tutorials, workshops, exhibits, and case studies are solicited that relate to the research, development, and application of information management and related technologies in the management of both natural and technological disasters. Those using techniques such as GIS, computer simulation, expert systems, operations research, decision support, and automation in any areas related to disaster management are particularly encouraged to submit abstracts to:

TIEMES
9241 LBJ Freeway
Suite 100
Dallas, Texas 75243 for consideration.

For additional information concerning the conference, contact:
Jim Sullivan at the address above
phone: (214) 994-9522
fax: (214) 270-3014
email: gaa201@utdallas.bitnet or gaa201@utdallas.edu
or
Jean-Luc Wybo
(33) 9395 7575 (France)
email wybo@cemef.cma.fr
Ecole des Mines de Paris, CEMEF
B.P. 207
06904 Sophia Antipolis Cedex, France