Disaster Research 188

Seeking Information on Disaster Preparedness Programs in Developing Countries

I am preparing a report on self-help disaster preparedness programmesin developing countries for the German Red Cross. Any help inobtaining the following information would be very much appreciated:

• projects and planned projects
• organisations and experts working in this field
• new developments
• combining relief with disaster preparedness

Seeking Information for FEMA Flood Manual

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is currently developinga manual on "Flood-Damage Resistance Design and Construction ofMechanical, Electrical, and Other Building Support Systems" under theNational Flood Insurance Program. The guide will cover how to installor retrofit such systems to eliminate or reduce potential damage dueto floods. It will include examples of successful practices,demonstrate various systems of retrofitting, and discuss theadvantages and disadvantages of these methods and their costs. Theproposed manual will cover all types of building support systems,including mechanical, electrical, telephone, cable television, waterdistribution, sewage, natural gas, and other utility systemsthreatened by flooding.

The corporation developing this manual, Ward Industries, Inc., iscurrently seeking any information DR readers may have in this area.Anyone wanting to contribute knowledge or information should contactHares Sayed, Ward Industries, Inc., 1020 North Fairfax Street, Suite401, Alexandria, VA 22314; (703) 836-9730; fax: (703) 836-9733.

Help Wanted - West Africa

Position: Regional Famine Early Warning Systems Representative

Location: Bamako, Mali

Description: The Regional FEWS Field Representative (RFFR) will coverMali, Mauritania, and Burkina Faso. In Mali, the RFFR will work withhis/her assistant to gather, combine, and analyze information toforecast national or localized food security problems, and conductvulnerability assessments related to food stress. This will requirecombining the collection of secondary field data from nationalgovernment agencies and other sources, such as donor organizations orNGOs, with the analysis based on satellite imagery (NDVI and RFE).Occasional site visits, for ground truthing, and verification ofprimary findings are also expected. From Bamako, the RFFR willsupervise similar work done by national FEWS Project Representativescurrently working in Mauritania, and in Burkina Faso.

Requirements: Masters degree or Ph.D. in a discipline providing abasic understanding of physical and socioeconomic factors affectingfood security, and good computer skills. Relevant academic backgroundsinclude economics, agricultural economics, agroclimatology, publichealth, nutrition, or geography. Training experience will also be aplus. Candidates should have several years of relevant experience inSub-Saharan Africa, and be fluent in French (FSI S3/R3).

Availability: Immediate

Interested, qualified candidates should mail, fax, or e-mail full,current, chronological curriculum vitae (CV) and references to:

Another Information Request that Recently Appeared in the "Nets" Parallel Universe

This is an information request in support of a paper I am writingtitled "Federal Government Department Communication Requirements In AMajor Disaster On the West Coast of Canada". The paper is to serve twopurposes

1. to meet the requirements for a course, Communications 481, I amtaking under the supervision of Peter Anderson at SFU;
2. to be used in the pursuit of my duties as the "emergencypreparedness co-ordinator" for Transport Canada Aviation, and inconjunction with other federal planners in the Pacific Region. Thefocus is on major natural disasters.

• What are the top three problems communicators face when respondingto a major disaster? I am thinking in terms of electrical power,communications equipment training, accommodation, congestion etc. inthis instance.
• What are the major categories of information which emergencycommunication systems must process and transmit? I am not specificallylimiting the systems to just electronic in this instance. Content orcharacter of the information is the focus.

Correction to DR 187

In DR #187 we mentioned that the U.S. Geological Survey wasdistributing its Earthquake Hazards Program External Research ProgramAnnouncement via several media, including the World Wide Web.Unfortunately, the Web URL we received was incorrect; the correctaddress for this information is:

USGS Post-Quake Net Resource Under Construction

[Taken from the "EERI Newsletter" - January 1996]

Chinese Disaster Reduction Center Established

The Chinese Academy of Sciences recently announced the establishmentof a Disaster Reduction Center within the Academy to coordinate thework of the many institutes, committees, and other units engaged inthe study of disaster reduction and to ensure that the results of thatwork are translated into policy and real-world disaster mitigation.The director of the center is Wang Angsheng. The Disaster ReductionCenter is currently housed in the Institute of Atmospheric Physics;tel: 86-10-2048994, 2048997; fax: 86-10-2046316, 2028605; contactpersons: Xu, Naizhang; Chen, Huixiang; Yang, Yi.

Seismic Catalog and Maps for South America Available

[Taken from "IDNDR Informs - Bulletin for Latin America and the Caribbean"]

A seismic danger probability catalog and map of South America havebeen prepared by South American institutions as part of a projectpromoted by the 12 member states of the Regional Seismology Center forSouth America (CERESIS). As a result of this work, CERESIS will makeavailable to the world community the probability map of terrainacceleration and spectral acceleration of South America, the regionalprobability map of seismic intensity, and the regional seismic catalogfor South America, updated in 1991. The catalogs and national maps areavailable from CERESIS headquarters. They will also soon be accessiblevia the Internet through gopher and the World Wide Web. For moreinformation, contact Alberte Giesecke, Director, Centro Regional deSeismologia de America del Sur (CERESIS), Apartado 14-0363, ubicacion:Arenales 431, Of. 702, Lima Peru; tel: (5114) 336 750; fax: (5114)336-750.

FEMA Offers Multihazard Building Design Seminars

[Also taken from the "EERI Newsletter" - January 1996]

During the weeks of July 15 and July 22, 1996, the Federal EmergencyManagement Agency (FEMA) is offering a series of four week-longseminars on hazard mitigation in building design. The MultihazardBuilding Design Summer Institute (MBDSI) will be held at FEMA'sNational Emergency Training Center (NETC) in Emmitsburg, Pennsylvania.The institute has four parts: Earthquake Protective Design; Design forFire Safety; Flood Protection Design; and Wind Engineering. Theseseminars are open to currently active college or university facultyteaching civil or structural engineering; hence, the goal is to "trainthe trainers" and ensure that information on hazard-resistant designand construction is incorporated into college curricula. The instituteis free to qualified applicants, with travel and housing provided byFEMA. Persons interested in attending these seminars should contactJoe Bills, Emergency Management Institute, NETC, 16825 South SetonAvenue, Emmitsburg, MD 21727; (301) 447-1356; fax: (301) 447-1598.

BOCA Offers Disaster Preparedness Seminars

With the assistance of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and theInsurance Institute for Property Loss Reduction, Building Officialsand Code Administrators (BOCA) International, Inc. has initiated aseries of disaster preparedness seminars to prepare code officials orother related officials to respond to disasters in theirjurisdictions. The seminars focus on tactics and procedures for bothimmediate and longer-term response. Participants will learn how toprepare an effective postdisaster response plan that defines the codeofficial's role during response, recovery, and reconstruction; theofficial's role as a mutual aid inspector; and actions needed tocoordinate this plan with other agencies, organizations, and thegeneral public. In 1996, the disaster preparedness seminar will beavailable at the sites listed below.

• October 23, Columbus, Ohio
• October 24, Richmond, Indiana
• November 7, Country Club Hills, Illinois
• November 20, Falls Church, Virginia
• November 20, Framingham, Massachusetts
• December 18, Overland Park, Kansas

These are the latest announcements we've received regarding upcomingmeetings. Most previous issues of DR contain additional notices. For a*comprehensive* list of upcoming disaster-related conferences, see ourWorld Wide Web page: