Disaster Research 218

March 14, 1997

This newsletter is reprinted with the full knowledge and consent of the Natural HazardsResearch and App lications Information Center in Boulder, CO.

Table of contents

  1. ICEC/Karlsruhe Seeks Information on Damage Estimation Models for Earthquakes
  2. NBMG Seeks Data and Photos Regarding the 199 7 Nevada Flood
  3. Hazards Center Seeks Tolstoy
  4. Emergency Management Australia Seeks Reviewers for Guidelines for Applying Risk Management to Emergency Management
  5. EERI Seeks Graduate Fellow and E stablishes Mini-Internship Program
  6. RIBAMOD Seeks European Flood Folk
  7. CSU-Chico Seeks Graduate Students
  8. USGS Seeks NEHRP Applications
  9. WebWatch
  10. EMI Off ers School Disaster Planning Courses
  11. Conferences and Training


ICEC/Karlsruhe Seeks Information on Damage Estimation Models for Earthquakes

Dear sirs and madams,

The Institute for Const ruction Equipment and Construction Managementat the University of Karlsruhe, Germany, is taking part in theCollaborative Research Center (CRC) 461 "Strong Earthquakes - AChallenge for Geosciences and Civil Engineering." This CRC wasestablished in July 1996 and is a German contribution to the UnitedNations' "International Decade of Natural Disaster Reduction" (IDNDR).It aims at strategic research in the field of strong earthquakes withregional focus on Vrancea events in Romania.

This CRC works o n three main topics: 1) lithospheric scenario, 2)recent kinematics and dynamics, and 3) earthquake impacts andengineering measures. We are engaged in the last topic, theengineering measures. Our main aim is the development of mathematicalmodels for si mulation, as well as the installation of a database withthe simulation models for damages existing up too now. Therefore wewould like to get in contact with people also engaged in this field ofresearch, and we would like to ask some questions:

- Wh ich models exist, which input data do they need, and which outputdata do they create?- Are these models designed for complete regions or only forparticular buildings (Do they need detailed information of thestructural design or only general informatio n)?- Are there any simulation models that take pre-damaged structuresinto consideration? Particularly in the Vrancea region (Romania) manybuildings have been damaged during the last earthquakes in 1977, 1986,and 1990. After that they also have not bee n rehabilitated inaccordance with the rules. Ergo it is not possible to base on thegeneral linear supposition that the structure gets worse with its age.Therefore we are looking for simulation models that are taking thisearlier damage into account.- Which kinds of models exist for secondary damages after a disaster(fire, industrial accident, floods)?

We would be very glad to receive some information on this specificsubject. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you are having anyquestions or if you need further information. Thank you for yourco-operation.

Yours sincerely,Thorsten HaertelE-mail: thaertel@imbdec1.bau-verm.uni-karlsruhe.deUniversitdt KarlsruheAm Fasanenga rten76128 KarlsruheGermanyTel: 0049 721 608 3885Fax: 0049 721 695245


NBMG Seeks Data and Photos Regarding the 1997 Nevada Flood

The Nevada Bureau of Mines and Geology (NBMG), in cooperation with theU.S. Geol ogical Survey and the Desert Research Institute, is planninga special publication on the 1997 flood of western Nevada along theTruckee, Carson, and Walker rivers. Individuals with photos of theflood or information about the depth of floodwaters at a gi venlocation (such as a home) should submit the information to Jim Rigby,NBMG, MS178, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557; (702) 784-6691,ext. 145; e-mail: jrigby@nbmg.unr.edu. Photos should include astatement indicating the subject, location, date, and time, andprovide NBMG with permission to use the photo in the publication.


Hazards Center Seeks Tolstoy

As many of you know, throughout its 22-year existence, the NaturalHaza rds Center has published hundreds of works on hazards anddisasters - many of them within the center's ongoing Natural HazardsWorking Paper series. The Working Paper series is intended to aid therapid distribution of research findings and other useful i nformationto both scholars directly involved in hazard research and to thelarger circle of interested persons. Publication in the series is opento all hazards researchers and other professional, and does notpreclude more formal publication elsewhere. (Indeed, reader responseto a publication in this series can be used to improve papers forsubmission to journal or book publishers.)

The Working Paper series has now migrated to the Hazards Center Website (see http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/wp/wp.html), and thecenter is now seeking additional papers to post there. Anyone with apaper they would like to have considered for publication is encouragedto contact David Butler, Natural Hazards Center, Campus Box 482,University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0482; (303) 492-4180; fax:(303) 492-2151; e-mail: butler@colorado.edu.


Emergency Management Australia Seeks Re viewers for Guidelines for Applying Risk Management to Emergency Management

Emergency Management Australia is facilitating the development ofguidelines, based on the "Australian/New Zealand Standard AS/NZS4360:1995 Risk Management" to provide f or the application of riskmanagement in an emergency management context. The guidelines providea logical and systematic method of identifying risks to communitiesand their environment, analysing the risks, evaluating the risks, andselecting an appropr iate mix of strategies to enhance public safety.The guidelines may be applied by single agencies or through multi-agency partnerships. As an important part of developing theguidelines, we are seeking comment on the quality of this product. Ifyou would like to participate in the review and development process,please contact John Salter, Emergency Management Australia; e-mail:jsalter@ema.gov.au, to receive a copy of the draft guidelines.


EERI Seeks Graduate Fellow and Establishes Mini-Internship Program

The Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) has announced theavailability of a graduate fellowship for the 1997-98 academic year tosupport a full-time student in a di scipline contributing to thescience and practice of earthquake hazard mitigation. The fellowship,underwritten by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, is designedto foster participation in the mission of the National EarthquakeHazards Reduction Pro gram. For more information or to obtain anapplication, contact EERI, 499 14th Street, Suite 320, Oakland, CA94612-1934; (510) 451-0905; fax: (510) 451-5411; e-mail: eeri@eeri.org. Information and forms are also availab le from the EERI WEBsite: http://www.eeri.org. Deadline for application is May 23.

EERI has also just announced the creation of a program of mini-internships intended to promote the exchange of new or cross-cuttingi deas among professionals in related areas in earthquake engineeringand risk reduction. For example, the two- or three-day exchanges mightplace practicing engineers, earth scientists, policy makers, or socialscientist in academia; or place interns in go vernment agencies orfinancial and insurance organizations. The exchanges would includeboth lectures and informal discussion. For more information, contactEERI at the address above.


RIBAMOD Seeks European Flood Folk

[A dapted from "STOP Disasters" - the newsletter of the InternationalDecade for Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR)]

In 1996 the European Union (EU) Directorate General of Research andDevelopment organized an expert workshop to discuss the current state of practice and research in river flood management. One result was theformation of the RIBAMOD (River Basin Modeling) group and thedevelopment of the RIBAMOD plan for "Concerted Action."

The plan calls for examination of long-term generic issues i n floodingwithin the context of integrated river basin management; it has fivemain components: identification of difficulties arising from pastmanagement practices, identification of the state-of-the-art in thisarea, identification of best practices, development of an overview ofcurrent EU research, and identification of research needs.

It is expected that other benefits will result from the plan,including establishment of an informal network of researchers andpractitioners, and the sharing of information, findings, andexperience among these interested parties. The existing RIBAMODpartners welcome the participation of all professionals involved withriver modeling, management, and flood mitigation. To register yourinterest or to obtain furth er information, contact the coordinator:Dr. Paul G. Samuels, HR Wallingford, Howbery Park, Wallingford, Oxon,OX10 8BA, U.K.; fax: +44-1491-83.53.81; e-mail: pgs@hrwallingford.co.uk.


CSU-Chico Seeks Graduate Students

The Department of Geography and Planning at California StateUniversity, Chico, would like to remind anyone interested in pursuinga master's degree, either in geography or in rural and town planning,that we are accepting applications through April 4 for the fall 1997semester.

Chico State has a unique interdisciplinary master's program inplanning, in its focus on the planning needs of rural areas (includingenvironmental and water resource planning) and sm aller towns. Thegeography master's has particular strengths in hazards, resources,cultural ecology, GIS and other techniques, physical and environmentalgeography, and geographic education.

For more information, contact Dr. Christine M. Rodrigue (Gr aduateCoordinator in Geography and Director, RTPL); GEOP/CSU-Chico, Chico,CA 95929-0425; (916) 898-4953 or -5285; e-mail: crodrigue@oavax.csuchico.edu; WWW: http:// www.csuchico.edu/geop; - or - http://www/csuchico.edu/gs/index.html.


USGS Seeks NEHRP Applications

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has announced that it is nowac cepting applications under the National Earthquake Hazards ReductionProgram (NEHRP) for Fiscal Year 1998. The USGS NEHRP External ResearchProgram is intended to support research in earthquake hazardsprediction and to promote the provision of earth scie nce data andinformation essential to determine seismic hazards present in the U.S.and to mitigate earthquake damage. The NEHRP supports research relatedto evaluating national and regional hazard and risk; evaluating urbanhazard and risk; understanding earthquake processes; providing real-time hazard assessment; and providing geologic hazards informationservices. The application deadline is April 4, 1997. To obtain moreinformation, consult the USGS Contracts and Grants Information WebSite: http://www.usgs.gov/contracts/ and see the information aboutAnnouncement No. 00042. The site includes virtually all theinformation and forms you need to apply, as well as lists of researchpriorities and previously f unded proposals. Alternatively, write toBrian Heath, USGS, Office of Acquisition and Federal Assistance, MailStop 205A, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, Reston, VA 20192; fax: (703)648-7901.


WebWatch

Below are a few of the hazard/disaster Web sites we've encounteredrecently. Previous issues of DR list hundreds of other URLs ofinterest. In addition, the Natural Hazards Center World Wide Web pageincludes an extensive annotated list of useful sites. See: http://adder.colorado.edu/~hazctr/sites.html

http://www.fema.gov/mit/
Considering the Federal Emergency Management Agency's increasingemphasis on mitiga tion and disaster prevention, it's not surprisingthat the FEMA mitigation page has expanded. This section of the vastFEMA Web site includes pages entitled, "About Mitigation," "What's Newin Mitigation," "Mitigation News Desk," "Mitigation Room - FEMAL ibrary," "Mitigation at Work," "Upcoming Meetings, Conferences andSeminars," "Know Your Risks," and "Map Service Center." The"Mitigation at Work" page provides an overview of the NationalMitigation Strategy and specific information for homeowners, bui ldingprofessionals, communities, and businesses. The "Know Your Risks" pagecovers floods, hurricanes and tornadoes, earthquakes, dam safety, andwildfire.

http://www.wnylrc.org/pub/disman.htm
This is the Web sit of the Western New York Library ResourcesCouncil's "Western New York Disaster Preparedness and Recovery Manualfor Libraries and Archives" (1996) - an excellent guide that includes*extensive* reference material as well as workshee t and planningsections.

http://iii.org/media/catas.HTM
The Web site of the Insurance Information Institute includes thissection on catastrophes, including earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes,floo ds, and fires. For each hazard, there is information on historicalrecord events and pre- and post-event steps that an individual cantake to protect family and property.

http://www.fileshop.com/apwa /emgmgt.html
The American Public Works Association (APWA) Emergency Managementhome page offer's a statement of APWA's "Emergency Management Missionand Vision"; as well as a list of goals and strategies; a guide to theAPWA emergency managem ent committee and points of contact; an index ofupcoming emergency management activities, conferences, and training;emergency management news and information; a "visitors' center": and,of course, a list of other emergency management Web sites.


EMI Offers School Disaster Planning Courses

The Federal Emergency Management Agency's Emergency ManagementInstitute (EMI) is offering the course, "Multi-Hazard Safety Programfor Schools - Train-the-Trainer," April 14-18, June 2-6, and August11-15, 1997. Intended for any interested members of a schoolcommunity, the course is designed to enable participants to conductsubsequent school disaster preparedness training in their communities.

EMI also offers "Earthquakes: A Te acher's Package for K-6 - Train theTrainer," July 7-11 and July 21-25, 1997; and "Seismic Sleuths: ATeacher's Package on Earthquakes for Grades 7-12 - Train the Trainer,"August 4-8, 1997.

For more information, contact: EMI, National Emergency Train ingCenter, 16825 South Seton Avenue, Emmitsburg, MD 21727; (301) 447-1000.


Conferences and Training

These are the latest conference announcements received by the NaturalHazards Center. Most previous issues of DR con tain additional notices.For a comprehensive list of upcoming disaster-related meetings andtraining, see our World Wide Web page: http://adder.colorado.edu/~hazctr/conf.html

Tornado a nd Severe Storm Seminar. Sponsors: Fermilab NationalLaboratory and WGN-TV, Chicago. Chicago, Illinois: April 12, 1997.Contact: American Weather Observer, 401 Whitney Boulevard, Belvidere,IL 61008-3772; (815) 544-9811; e-mail: awowx@aol.com.

Dissemination Technology Conference - A Meeting to Present and SeekInformation Regarding Plans and Technologies for National WeatherService Dissemination of Weather and Hazards Information to thePublic. Sponsor: U.S. Departm ent of Commerce. Washington, D.C.: April15, 1997. Contact: Ann Radding, National Weather Service, W/OSO153,SSMC#2, RM 17100, 1325 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD 20910;(301) 713-1724, ext. 154, or (212) 645-1127; e-mail: ann.radding@noaa.gov; WWW: http://www.nws.noaa.gov/conferences/dtc/.

Lightning Safety Training Course. Offered by: the National LightningSafety Institute (NLSI). Boulder, Colorado : April 16-17, 1997.Contact: NLSI, 891 North Hoover Avenue, P.O. Box 778, Louisville, CO80027-0778; (303) 666-8817; fax: (303) 666-8786; e-mail:rkithil@ix.netcom.com: WWW: http://www.lightningsafety.com/train.html.

Seismic Hazards Analysis Short Course. Sponsor: San Francisco Sectionof the Association of Engineering Geologists. Menlo Park, California:May 3, 1997. Contact: Jack Alt; (510) 791-1986; e -mail: epigenelnt@aol.com.

National Conference on Lifesaving Intervention. Sponsors: BirminghamEducation Center, National Disaster Medical System, and others. Tampa,Florida: May 4-7, 1997 (pre-conference cours es: May 2-4). Contact:Friends Research Institute, Inc., 505 Baltimore Avenue, P.O. Box10676, Baltimore, MD 21285; (410) 823-5116; fax: (410) 823-5131; WWW:http://www.fema.gov/fema/confrnc.htm.

1997 Emergency Management and Business Resumption Conference andExhibition. Sponsor: Colorado Rocky Mountain Chapter of Association ofContingency Planners. Denver, Colorado: May 15-16, 1997. Contact: EMBRConference, P.O. 3943, Englewood, CO 80155-3943; e-m ail: Bob Niehoff,bniehoff@unipac.com.

1997 National Flood Conference. Sponsor: Federal Emergency ManagementAgency, National Flood Insurance Program. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania:May 19-23, 1997. Contact: 1997 Na tional Flood Conference, 10115 SenateDrive, Lanham, MD 20706; (301) 918-1439; fax: (301) 918-1479.

Caribbean Tsunami Workshop. Sponsors: University of Puerto RicoResearch and Development Center, Puerto Rico State Civil Defense, andothers. Mayaguez, Puerto Rico: June 11-13, 1997. Contact: AurelioMercado Irizarry, Department of Marine Sciences, University of PuertoRico, P.O. Box 5000, College Station, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico 00681-5000; (787) 832-4040, ext. 3201; fax: (787) 265-5408; e-mail:a_mercado@rmocfis.upr.clu.edu.

1997 Congress of the Insurance Institute for Property Loss Reduction(IIPLR). Co-sponsors: Federal Emergency Management Agency and AmericanRed Cross. Irvine, California: June 18-20, 1997. Contact: IIPLR, 73Tremont Street, Suite 510, Boston, MA 02108-3910; (617) 722-0200: fax:(617) 722-0202.

Emergency Preparedness Conference for Museum Staff. Sponsor: UpperMidwest Conservation Association. Madison, Wisconsin: June 23-24, 1997. Contact: Pam Richardson, Elvehjem Museum of Art, University ofWisconsin-Madison, 800 University Avenue, Madison, WI 53706; (608)263-3722; fax; (608) 263-8188; e-mail: paricha1@facstaff.wisc.edu.

Community Preparedness: Making a Safer Tomorrow. Sponsor: DisasterEmergency Response Association (DERA). Asheville, North Carolina: July17-18, 1997. Contact: DERA Regional Workshop, P.O. Box 6558,Asheville, NC 28816; e-mail: n3dak@ix.netcom.com; WWW: http://www.netcom.com/~n3dak/asheville.html

Northridge Earthquake Research Conference. Sponsor: National ScienceFoundation. Los Angeles, California: Au gust 20-22, 1997. Abstracts dueApril 2. Contact: Northridge Earthquake Research Conference,California Universities for Research in Earthquake Engineering(CUREe), 1301 South 46th Street, Richmond, CA 94804; (510) 231-9557;fax: (510) 231-5664; e-mail: curee@nisee.ce.berkeley.edu.

Dam Safety '97: Association of State Dam Safety Officials (ASDSO)Annual Conference. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: September 7-10, 1997.Contact: ASDSO, 450 Old Vine, Second Floo r, Lexington, KY 40507; (606)257-5146; fax: (606) 258-1958.

Fourth National Conference on Earthquake Engineering. Sponsor: TurkishNational Committee for Earthquake Engineering. Ankara, Turkey:September 17-19, 1997. Contact: Prof. Haluk Sucuoglu, Mi ddle EastTechnical University; tel: +90 312 210 54 80; fax: +90 312 210 13 28;e-mail: eerc@rorqual.cc.metu.edu.tr; WWW: http://www.metu.edu.tr/~wwweerc.

S econd National Conference on Integrated Catchment Management:"Advancing Integrated Resource Management: Processes and Policies."Organizers: Centre for Water Policy Research, University of NewEngland, Armidale, Australia; Soil and Water Conservation Soc iety(USA); and Soil and Water Conservation Association of Australia.Canberra, Australia: September 29-October 1, 1997. Contact: RonHodges, 16 Larch Crescent, Mt. Waverley, Victoria 3149, Australia;tel: +61 3 9802 4859; fax: +61 3 9802 2315; e-mail:rmbs@vicnet.net.au; WWW: http://www.vicnet.net.au/~rbms.

IDER '97 - International Disaster and Emergency Response Conference.The Hague, Netherlands: October 7-9, 1997. Contact: AndrichInternational Limited, 51 Market Place, Warminster, Wiltshire BA129AZ, U.K.; tel: +44-1985-846181; fax: +44-1985-846163; e-mail:100522.1102@compuserve.com.

International Conference an d Sino-American Symposium on the Tectonicsof East Asia. Sponsors: National Science Council, National TaiwanUniversity. Chungli, Taiwan: November 3-5, 1997. Abstracts due: July1, 1997. Contact: C.H. Lo, Department of Geology, National TaiwanUniversity, Taipei, Taiwan; fax: (886) 2 3636095; e-mail: lo@suno3.gl.ntu.edu.tw; WWW: http://fermat.geol.uconn.edu/info/taiwan.

Central Building Research Institut e (CBRI) Golden Jubilee Conference:Natural Hazards in Urban Habitat. New Delhi, India: November 10-11,1997. Contact: Sri. M.P. Jaisingh, Organising Secretary, GJC-NH, CBRI,Roorkee - 247 667 (U.P.), India; tel: 01332-72103; fax: 01332-72272;72543; e-ma il: mpjai@cscbri.ren.nic.in.

Sixth Society for Earthquake and Civil Engineering Dynamics (SECED)Conference: "Seismic Design Practice into the Next Century." Oxford,U.K.: March 26-27, 1998. Abstracts due A pril 15, 1997. Contact: RachelConinx, Thomas Telford Conferences, Institution of Civil Engineers,One Great George Street, London SW1P 3AA, U.K.; tel: +44 (0) 171 6652314; fax: +44 (0) 171 233 1743; e-mail: coninx_r@ ice.org.uk.

Hydrology in a Changing Environment (includes sessions on thehydrology of environmental hazards). Sponsor: British HydrologicalSociety. Exeter, U.K.: July 6-10, 1998. Abstracts due April 1, 1997.Contact: B. Webb, Department of Geogr aphy, University of Exeter, AmoryBuilding, Rennes Drive, Exeter, Devon, EX4 4RJ, U.K.; fax: +44 (0)1392 263342; e-mail: b.w.webb@exeter.ac.uk; WWW: http: //www.nwl.ac.uk/ih/prototype/new/bhs.html.

Eighth Congress of the International Association of EngineeringGeology. Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada: September 21-25, 1998.Contact: Ms. Kim Meidal, Secretariat, 8th Congress IAEG; tel: (604)528 -2421; fax: (604) 528-2558; e-mail: kim.meidal@bchydro.bc.ca; WWW:http://ewu.bchydro.bc.ca/IAEG/IAEG98.html.


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