Disaster Research 191

Looking for School Disaster Plans

Help Wanted - Sacramento

Executive Director (exempt position), California Seismic SafetyCommission. Salary approximately $78,000 to $84,000 per year. Theexecutive director reports to the commission and is responsible forthe executive and administrative duties of the commission. Theexecutive director organizes, coordinates, supervises, and directs theoperations and affairs of the commission. Apply by sending a currentresume to: Department of General Services, Personnel Section, 1325 JStreet, Suite 1714, Sacramento, CA 95814; Attention: Lynn Catania,(916) 323-7472.

The California Seismic Safety Commission is a small, exciting stateagency that advises the governor, legislature, and the public onearthquake policy issues. The commission provides state governmentwith policy, information, oversight, and leadership on seismic issuesthat affect existing and new development, emergency response, anddisaster recovery. It develops and monitors seismic risk mitigationprograms, holds monthly hearings, and sponsors legislation regardingseismic safety. The commission has a staff and is located in midtownSacramento.

Help Wanted - Bangkok

Position: Urban Information Manager/Editor to work under the overallsupervision of the Senior Program Manager of the Asian Urban DisasterMitigation Program (AUDMP) at Asian Disaster Preparedness Center(ADPC) and the Information Officer of the ADPC, Information Section.The incumbent will be expected to work closely with members of theAUDMP staff, ADPC staff, staff of Asian Institute of Technology's(AIT) Library and Regional Documentation Center and Office of Mediaand Information Services, and most importantly to interact effectivelywith international and Asian information centers, networks, libraries,organizations, and individuals active in the urban disaster mitigationand preparedness field. The goals of the AUDMP program are to promoteand advocate urban disaster mitigation; therefore the success of theproject depends on effective dissemination of information.

Grade: IFS IV Outreach
Qualifications:

• Masters Degree in a related field preferred;
• Demonstrated understanding and knowledge of urban mitigation issues;
• Minimum 5 years experience of which 3 years should be as an information manager;
• Excellent computer communication and desktop/electronic; publishing skills, knowledge of Internet, FIDO networks, bulletin boards, home pages, databases and database systems, Netscape, Acrobat and other similar systems;
• Demonstrated research and information analysis skills, knowledge of library science skills;
• Excellent English proficiency in communication and presentation skills, report writing and paper preparation; a second language with an Asian application will be considered as an advantage;
• Excellent interpersonal skills; team oriented working style; experience and demonstrated interest in multi-cultural, international work environment;
• Strong desire to learn, undertake new challenges and new work under pressure; must be a creative problem solver; must have self-confidence, a willingness to work hard, a good sense of humor and fun but with a seriousness about quality and excellence in his/her work
• Willingness to travel under sometimes adverse conditions
• Minimum 2 years experience in an Asian country;
• Preferably be an Asian citizen;

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Design and implement the AUDMP program information and dissemination plan;
• Develop and implement a plan to institutionalize and fund on a sustainable basis, regional and national urban disaster mitigation networks in Asia and at ADPC;
• Help develop, establish and maintain networks and contact lists of AUDMP network members, national urban disaster mitigation information networks
• Set up and operate a desktop/electronic publishing system for all AUDMP related reports, manuals, newsletters and other publications done for the program;
• In collaboration with national organizations, research, analyze and develop urban disaster mitigation related data and information to be developed into reports, publications, databases to provide for needs urban mitigation decision makers;
• Prepare project proposals and budgets, course/event announcements, and event follow-up actions;
• Participate in conferences, meetings, seminars, workshops, training sessions organized, assisted or attended by the Senior Program Manager or program staff;
• Participate as needed by ADPC in providing inputs into other projects and programs as from time to time will be required.

Salary: Salary commensurate with qualifications of the selectedcandidate will be provided, together with 20% housing allowance plus5% cost of living allowance increases annually with other benefits.

Interested applicants should send their curriculum vitae indicatingcurrent expected remuneration together with one recent photo before 1April 1996 to:

ILRG Newsletter on the Web

The International Landslide Research Group recently put its funkynewsletter up on the Web. Those of you interested in the many aspectsof mass earth movement around the world should check out:

IAVCEI on the Web

If, on the other hand, it's lava, lahars, and lapilli that tickle yourfancy, the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry ofthe Earth's Interior (IAVCEI) also now has a Web site:

New Internet Journal on Medicine and Emergencies

"Medicine and Global Survival," an international peer-reviewed journalon the health impacts of war, environmental destruction, andhumanitarian emergencies, has joined the small but growing number ofinteractive publications found exclusively on the Internet.

Editor-in-Chief Jennifer Leaning, M.D. recently announced that thefive-year-old journal, which has suspended print publication, hascompleted a transition to the World Wide Web in an effort to reach alarger international audience of health professionals, medicalstudents, policy makers, and nongovernmental organizations. The WorldWide Web address for Medicine and Global Survival is:

Previously Unavailable FEMA Publications Now on the Web

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recently announced thatthree very popular pamphlets that are out of print are now availablefrom FEMA's Web site. "Family Disaster Plan", "Family DisasterSupplies", and "Emergency Preparedness Checklist" have been scannedand PDF files that retain all of the original graphics are posted at:

NSF/EPA Partnership for Environmental Research

EERI Offers 1996-97 EERI/FEMA Fellowship in Earthquake Hazard Reduction

The Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) has announced theavailability of a graduate fellowship for the 1996-97 academic year tosupport one full-time student in a discipline contributing to thescience and practice of earthquake hazard mitigation. The fellowship,underwritten by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), isdesigned to foster the participation of capable individuals in workingtoward goals and activities of the National Earthquake HazardsReduction Program. For more information or to obtain applicationforms, contact EERI, 499 14th Street, Suite 320, Oakland, CA 94612-1934; (510) 451-0905; fax; (510) 451-5411.

Since You're Probably Sitting in Front of a Computer Screen at This Very Moment . . .

A friend and colleague in the Bay Area recently sent the followingnote:

We are having a tremendous number of Repetitive Strain Injuries herein the Bay Area in a broad cross section of business and industry.Local Industrial Clinic said their case load from RSI has gone up~10%/year for last 5 years - mostly from too much bad form withcomputers.

And once injured, it's a long way back to unlearn bad habits, andrecover from the injury. Tremendous loss of productivity and verytough on workaholic Emergency Management types. How about suggestingthis to our colleagues in the Hazards Field before they get injured,too.

Check it out. May save some pain and strain...

Web Site for the Northeast Regional All Hazard Conference

The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency has established a Website with the latest information on the Northeast Regional All HazardConference to be held June 26-28, 1996 in Boston. The URL is

Conferences and Training

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: