Back to the Home Page.In March President Clinton conveyed to Congress a long-awaited (at leastby some flood aficionados) report - "A Unified National Program forFloodplain Management" (FEMA Document #248, 1994, 54 pp.). The report isa guidepost for the future of floodplain management in the U.S., settingforth a broad conceptual framework for managing the nation's floodplainsto achieve the dual goals of reducing human suffering and property lossdue to floods and protecting the natural resources inherent tofloodplains. The document was prepared by the Federal InteragencyFloodplain Management Task Force, chaired by the Federal EmergencyManagement Agency (FEMA).
Copies of "A Unified National Program" are available free of charge fromFEMA, Publications Distribution Facility, 8231 Stayton Drive, Jessup, MD20794; (800) 480-2520; (202) 646-3484; fax: (202) 497-6378.
The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) recently announced changesin its regulations as part of its implementation of the National FloodInsurance Reform Act of 1994. Specifically, the new rules establish a30-day waiting period, with a few limited exceptions, before floodinsurance coverage becomes effective under the Standard Flood InsurancePolicy and provide higher limits of coverage - up to $250,000 for aresidential structure - to current and new policyholders. New rules alsodictate mandatory escrow of flood insurance premiums whenever a lenderrequires an escrow account for taxes, fees, or other insurance, andmonetary penalties for lenders who fail to require mortgagees topurchase flood insurance for structures in the floodplain. The first twochanges and the monetary penalties are now in effect; the escrowrequirement becomes effective on loans made one year after enactment ofthe law.
These regulations were announced in the Federal Register, Vol. 60, No.19, pp. 5583-5586 (January 30, 1995). For further information, contactCharles M. Plaxico, Jr., Federal Emergency Management Agency, FederalInsurance Administration, 500 C Street, S.W., Washington, DC 20472;(202) 646-3422.
A report by the U.S. Senate Bipartisan Task Force on Funding DisasterRelief concludes that Congress needs to improve financial preparednessfor catastrophic events. The task force was established pursuant to a"Sense-of-the-Senate" resolution contained in Public Law 103-211, theemergency supplemental appropriations relief bill for victims of theNorthridge earthquake. The report notes that between fiscal years 1977and 1993, the federal government spent $64 billion in direct disasterrelief and $55 billion indirectly through low-cost loans. In addition,Congress spent nearly $10 billion through the Federal Crop InsuranceProgram and provided $3 billion to cover unmet costs in the NationalFlood Insurance Program. These figures exclude money spent to repair orrebuild damaged federal facilities.
The report contains information on federal disaster assistance programsand funding; assistance from nonfederal sources, including state andlocal funding and private insurance; the effectiveness of federalprograms; proposals to modify federal disaster assistance; and budgetaryoptions that include modifying the budget process.
The proposals for modifying federal disaster assistance include:
Budgeting proposals include:
A limited number of copies of this free, 250-page report are availablefrom Senator John Glenn, Ranking Minority Member Office, Committee onGovernmental Affairs, 326 Dirksen Office Building, United States Senate,Washington, DC 20510; (202) 224-2627; fax: (202) 224-9682.
The Clinton Administration has issued an "Administration Policy Paper"on the current debate over a national all-hazards insurance program andstate and local disaster preparedness. Rising federal costs for majordisasters have prompted concern in both the House of Representatives andthe Senate, which created natural disasters task forces to investigatemethods for reducing losses (see the previous article).
The position paper, submitted to the House and Senate by FederalEmergency Management Agency Director James L. Witt and TreasurySecretary Robert Rubin, states that any federal initiative to reducedisaster losses should:
An initiative should also:
The paper offers 11 elements to decrease losses, including tying federalassistance to mitigation efforts such as building acquisition orenforcement of building codes that include wind and seismic riskstandards. It also suggests developing recommended guidelines formaintenance and operation of essential public facilities following adisaster, ensuring dissemination of all disaster research anddevelopment, requiring mortgage insurance for all natural hazards,limiting individual and family grants to households that earn less than$100,000 annually and restricting temporary housing assistance to 12months, establishing maximum federal cost shares based on the size ofthe disaster and level of state and community mitigation efforts, andevaluating these actions five years after enactment.
Copies of this paper can be obtained via FEMAFAX - using a touchtonephone, dial (202) 646-3362. Follow the instructions and orderpublication #16001 to have the document sent to your fax machine.
On March 27, James Lee Witt, the head of the Federal EmergencyManagement Agency, presented to the president and vice president theagency's plan for the second phase of the Clinton Administration'sNational Performance Review (NPR). The plan is geared to reduce theburden on American taxpayers while improving assistance to the nation'sdisaster victims and their communities.
FEMA will save money by eliminating several outmoded programs andactivities, liquidating the agency's mobile home inventory, andstreamlining both the agency's central and regional offices. Inaddition, the federal crime insurance program will be transferred to theprivate market.
The FEMA plan calls for the signing of multiyear performance agreementswith each state that provide incentives for increasing disastermanagement capabilities; consolidating funding for grant programs toallow states to better use funds for their special needs; establishingstate disaster trust funds; transferring disaster mitigationadministrative responsibilities to state and local jurisdictions; andusing AmeriCorps and other national volunteer groups to supplement FEMAoutreach workers.
The agency also proposes a new approach to mitigation, focusing onsingle and multihazard cost-effective strategies that contain incentivesand address the economic impacts of natural hazards. The proposal wouldmake the receipt of direct federal assistance for new buildingconstruction conditionally based on a state or local jurisdiction'sadoption and enforcement of building codes that promote safety againstseismic and wind hazards, and it would require multihazard insurance asa condition of receiving federally backed mortgages.
Additionally, the plan requires states to provide $5.00 per capita self-insurance for public facilities that will serve as deductibles thatstates must cover before receiving federal assistance; it also providesfor fixed federal cost shares for infrastructure repairs.
FEMA's National Performance Review, Phase 2 report is available on theInternet from the FEMA gopher:www.fema.govunder "Publications." For additional information about the plan, contactFEMA, Emergency Information Public Affairs, 500 C Street, S.W.,Washington, DC 20472; (202) 646-4600; e-mail: eipa@fema.gov.
The Western Forest Fire Research Center (WESTFIRE) is a multi-disciplinary research facility based at Colorado State University. Itbrings together researchers, land managers, and affected publics for thepurpose of developing and applying technologies for managing wildlandfires - before they occur. WESTFIRE's mission includes basic, applied,and synthetic research relevant to solving wildland fire problems in thewestern U.S. Faculty/student teams from across a variety of disciplinesfocus on a set of interrelated themes essential to understanding firedynamics in western wildlands. In cooperation with federal and stateagencies, the center's activities focus on problems that identify andprovide insight to mechanisms contributing to fire risk. Team effortsare consolidated to facilitate early warning of problem situations andbroader understanding of management alternatives.
WESTFIRE currently has openings for graduate research assistants infuels management and fire economics, leading to an M.S. or Ph.D. degree.Interested persons should contact Dr. Philip N. Omi, Director, WESTFIRE,Department of Forest Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins,CO 80523; (970) 491-5819/491-2626; fax: (970) 491-6754; e-mail:westfire@lamar.colostate.edu.
Women and Children - Key to Prevention
For more information, contact the International Decade for NaturalDisaster Reduction Secretariat, Department of Humanitarian Affairs,Palais des Nations, CH-1211, Geneva 10, Switzerland; (+41 22) 798 6894;fax: (+41 22) 733 8695; e-mail: dha.idndr.gva@cgnet.com.
"Dreading the Next Wave: Nontraditional Settlement Patterns and TyphoonThreats on Contemporary Majuro Atoll" (Working Paper #90, 1995, 40 pp.,$4.50), by Dirk H.R. Spennemann, Charles Sturt University, New SouthWales, Australia. Spennemann argues that traditional, pre-World War IIsettlement patterns on the Marshall Island atolls provided maximumprotection given the prevailing environmental conditions and that thepresent location of the republic's population centers defeatstraditional wisdom and unnecessarily exposes the residents to typhoonrisks.
"Renewing FEMA: Remaking Emergency Management" (Working Paper #93, 1995,36 pp., $4.50), by Richard Sylves, University of Delaware. Sylvesdiscusses FEMA's history; presidential disaster declarations andfunding; strategic and operational changes within FEMA; and FEMA'srelationships with other federal agencies, states, and localgovernments. He concludes that recent changes within the agency aregenerally in the right direction, but further work is needed in certainareas.
Quick Response Reports:
These publications can be ordered from the Publications Clerk, NaturalHazards Center, Campus Box 482, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO80309-0482; (303) 492-6819; fax: (303) 492-2151; e-mail:jclark@colorado.edu. Include $1.00 if first class shipment is desired.Orders from outside North America must include $1.00 for surfaceshipment or $3.00 for shipment via air printed matter. All orders mustbe prepaid and checks made payable to the University of Colorado. Visa,Mastercard, American Express, and Diners Club cards are accepted.
Since last year's Northridge earthquake, Californians have been barragedwith media reports about the possibility of future earthquakes. Toanswer this growing concern, the Southern California Earthquake Center(SCEC), the United States Geological Survey (USGS), and the BusinessAlliance for Earthquake Education and Mitigation are collaborating withsouthern California businesses to launch a major earthquake informationand mitigation project - the distribution of "Putting Down Roots inEarthquake Country" throughout California.
"Putting Down Roots" is an illustrated, 32-page, personal handbook thatintroduces new scientific findings by SCEC regarding southernCalifornia's earthquake hazard and information on personal mitigationand preparedness. The handbook is intended as a resource for governmentagencies, schools, and businesses, as well as individuals. The principalauthor, seismologist Lucile M. Jones of the Southern California Officeof the USGS, offers a consistent but encouraging message: earthquakesare inevitable, but they are understandable, and damage and seriousinjury are preventable.
The final version of "Putting Down Roots" is now complete. The initialcost of production was underwritten by the USGS, the National ScienceFoundation, and SCEC. However, those agencies continue to seekadditional sponsors. With further community support, several millioncopies in up to five languages (English, Spanish, Korean, Chinese, andVietnamese) will be distributed. For further information contact JillAndrews, Southern California Earthquake Center, University of SouthernCalifornia, University Park, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0740; (213) 740-3459;fax: (213) 740-0011; e-mail: jandrews@coda.usc.edu.
"Design and Specification for a Decision Support System for EmergencyServices," National Science Foundation, six months. PrincipalInvestigator: Paul Sorensen, ISERA Group, Inc., 5370 Hollister Avenue,Suite 5, Santa Barbara, CA 93111-2399; (805) 967-3820.
"Disaster-Induced Employee Evacuation Behavior," National ScienceFoundation, $314,975, 32 months. Principal Investigator: Thomas E.Drabek, Department of Sociology, University of Denver, 2040 South RaceStreet, Denver, CO 80208; (303) 871-2000.
"Information Transmission in the Context of a Complex System: A CaseStudy of the October 4, 1994 Tsunami Warning," National ScienceFoundation, $16,852, six months. Principal Investigator: Jane Preuss,Urban Regional Research, 1809 7th Avenue, Suite 1000, Seattle, WA 98101-1313; (206) 624-1669.
"U.S.-Japanese Internet Exchange of Information about the 1995 SouthHyogo Prefecture Earthquake," National Science Foundation, $20,048, 12months. Principal Investigator: Jean-Pierre Bardet, University ofSouthern California, Department of Civil Engineering, KAP #230B, LosAngeles, CA 90007-4363; (213) 740-0608; e-mail: jbardet@bcf.usc.edu.
"Multi-Generational Predictors of Earthquake Impact and Preparedness,"National Science Foundation, $65,994, 11 months. Principal Investigator:Margaret Gatz, University of Southern California, LAS, Social Sciencesand Communication, SGM #520, Los Angeles, CA 90007-4363; (213) 740-2212.
"Evaluation of Damage to CSUN [California State University - Northridge]Campus in the Northridge Earthquake, National Science Foundation,$65,116, 12 months. Principal Investigator: Roger DiJulio, UniversityCorporation, Northridge Foundation, Northridge, CA 91330; (818) 885-1200.
"In Response to the East Bay Hills Study: To Assist the City of Oaklandin Establishing an Emergency Response System Using GeographicInformation System Technology"; $105,000, first phase, East BayVegetation Management Consortium; $60,000, second phase, City ofOakland; 12 months. Principal Investigator: John Radke, University ofCalifornia at Berkeley, Departments of City and Regional Planning andLandscape Architecture, 201A Wurster, Berkeley, CA 94720-2000; (510)643-5995; fax: (510) 643-6166; e-mail: ratt@ced.berkeley.edu.
"Climate Change and Extreme Events: Altered Risks, Socio-EconomicImpacts and Policy Response"; European Commission, Directorate GeneralXII - Science, Research and Development; 178,200 ECU; 19 months.Coordinator: Pier Vellinga, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Instituut voorMilieuvraagstukken, P.O. Box 7161, 1081 HV Amsterdam, Netherlands; tel:+31-20-54.83.827; fax: +31-20-64.45.056.
"The Role of Value Conflict Assessment in the Formulation ofImplementable and Effective Coastal Zone Management Policies"; EuropeanCommission, Directorate General XII - Science, Research and Development;415,551 ECU; 36 months. Coordinator: Jonathan Side, Heriot-WattUniversity, Institute of Offshore Engineering, Riccarton Campus,Edinburgh EH14 4AS, Scotland; tel: +44-31-44.93.393; fax: +44-31-44.96.254.
Based on the announcement of a workshop on disaster management with regard to chaos theory in the latest Disaster Research issue (164), Ithought list members might be interested in a chaos workshop beingoffered by the University of South Alabama sceduled for April 29. It is not too late to register if anyone is interested in attending.
Dr. Paul J. Croft
Assistant Professor of Meteorology
University of South Alabama
Department of Geography and Geology
LSCB 136
Mobile, AL 36688-0002
1-334-460-6381
fax -7886
email: pcroft@jaguar1.usouthal.edu
Following is the [condensed] original announcement for the workshop:
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The University of South Alabama and the American Association ofPhysicists in Medicine announce a one day workshop entitled"Introduction to Chaos and the Changing Nature of Science and Medicine"to be held April 29 at the Adam's Mark Hotel in Mobile, Alabama.
The workshop is intended for a broad audience and is designed to presentbasic concepts of the field of chaos and to illustrate its application.Premiere speakers from the field will give morning presentations onnonlinear dynamical systems and complexity theory, catastrophe theory,fractal structures and processes, chaos theory, and nonlinear waves andvortices as related to research and teaching in science and medicine. The afternoon session will feature applications, videos, and thehands-on use and demonstration of computer software. One of the speakerswill address the cultural impact of chaos theory and its ramificationswith regard to disciplinary boundaries. Proceedings of the workshop willbe published by the American Institute of Physics.
The registration fee is $85 per person and includes workshop,refreshments, lunch, and a copy of the workshop proceedings. Hotelregistration must be made separately. If you would like moreinformation, or wish to register for the workshop, please contact Dr.Herbert at 1-334-460-7064 (fax 1-334-460-6 391).
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