Disaster Research 228

A Note from the Editor: Institutes Dealing with Disasters

Seeking Information on Coastal Hazards Notification Programs, Public Subsidy Restriction Policies, and Hazard Area Acquisition Programs

We are seeking information on implementation of mitigation approaches for a state coastal hazards study. We are particularly interested in finding out about the structure, procedures, content, authority, and effectiveness of state actions aimed at: 1) hazards notification (information and disclosure for consumers), 2) restriction of public subsidies for infrastructure and facilities in hazard areas (similar to federal policies under the Coastal Barrier Resources Act), and 3) acquisition of land in hazard areas (both open space and threatened structures). We would appreciate learning of the availability of both published reports and word-of-mouth information sources covering both established and new mitigation activities. Please respond by e-mail (preferred channel), phone, or mail.

NRC Seeking Information on Disaster Manager Communication Needs

It is well-understood that the information needs of disaster management practitioners are extraordinary, especially in times of acute crisis. Information technology developed for ordinary business use may well be inadequate under such demanding conditions. Inspired by the positive reception of the disaster management community to its report "Computing and Communications in the Extreme," the Computer Science and Telecommunications Board (CSTB) of the National Research Council is seeking to build intellectual bridges between disaster management practitioners and the information technology research community.

IDNDR Plans New Internet Conference for 1997 World Disaster Reduction Campaign

The United Nations International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR) Secretariat invites you to join its 1997 Internet Conference on the "socio-economic impact of water-related disasters." The conference is part of the 1997 World Disaster Reduction Campaign: "Water: Too Much...Too Little...Leading Cause of Natural Disasters."

What is the Conference About?
The conference will focus on floods and drought and will feature reports that concisely outline the impact of water-related disasters on specific locations around the world. From there, the aim of the conference is to move forward to build a culture of prevention, by asking participants to focus on recent actions that have been successful in mitigating disaster impacts.

The conference will take place on the Internet using electronic mail and World Wide Web pages from mid-September to mid-October 1997.

Who Can Participate?
The conference is for anyone concerned about water-related disasters. Persons interested in participating are invited to provide reports (1-3 pages) on floods and drought, based on their organizational and geographic perspective. They can make comments and introduce new cases during the debate.

Key policy-making institutions and eminent specialists will contribute. The conference is therefore a useful pool for new contacts, bringing together a mix of professions from local, national, regional and international bodies in developed and developing countries, all with different perspectives about water-related disasters.

A related service will allow participants to post announcements on related events, projects, or initiatives and thereby engage in bilateral networking with other conference participants.

What Language Will Be Used? How Much Will It Cost?
Conference participation is free of charge. It will take place in English, with some presentations in Spanish.

Introducing PPP 2000

Public Private Partnership 2000 (PPP 2000) is a cooperative endeavor of the federal agencies comprising the Subcommittee on Natural Disaster Reduction (SNDR - a subcommittee of the president's National Science and Technology Council), the Insurance Institute for Property Loss Reduction (IIPLR), and other nongovernmental organizations. The partnership is committed to reducing deaths, injuries, property damage, economic loss, human suffering, and detrimental environmental impacts caused by natural disasters.

The goal of PPP 2000 is to seek new and innovative opportunities for government and nongovernment partners to work together to reduce losses from and vulnerability to natural hazards. One of the group's principal ways of doing this will be through hosting a series of forums on public policy issues affecting natural disaster reduction. In each forum the partnership will seek a wide range of ideas and opinions in order to identify common agendas and determine ways that the partners and others can work to resolve scientific, technical, economic, and policy issues to achieve individual and collective goals regarding disaster reduction. The aim is to improve 1) risk assessment, 2) risk management, 3) and emergency response.

All PPP 2000 forums will be held in Washington, D.C.; dates for the first two are now firm:

   Natural Disaster Reduction Initiatives
   of the Insurance Sector                          September 10, 1997
   Host: IIPLR

   The Uncertainty of Managing
   Catastrophic Risks                               December 11, 1997
   Host: Catastrophic Risk Management Project, Wharton School,
   University of Pennsylvania

   Cities and Megacities at Risk                    January 1998
   Host: Department of Civil Engineering/Worldwide Seismic Safety
   Initiative, Stanford University

   A Domestic and International
   Broadcast Media Partnership
   to Support Natural Disaster Reduction            February 1998
   Host: International Association of Broadcast Meteorologists

   Reduction of Earthquake Vulnerability
   in California: 1998-2003                         March 1998
   Host: California Seismic Safety Commission

   Assisting Communities to Deal with
   Vulnerability to Natural Hazards                 March 1998
   Host: American Society of Civil Engineers Committee on Natural
   Disaster Reduction

   A Global Perspective on Natural Disasters        April 1998
   Host: United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural
   Organization and World Meteorological Organization

   Disaster Recovery Business Alliance              May 1998
   Host: Electric Power Research Institute and Association
   of Contingency Planners

   Real-Time Monitoring and Warning for
   Natural Hazards                                  June 1998
   Host: Pacific Gas & Electric Company

   Natural Hazards Safety and Reliability
   of Utility and Transportation Systems            September 1998
   Host: Pacific Gas & Electric Company

   Grass Roots Mitigation Awareness and
   Education                                        October 1998
   Host: American Red Cross and IIPLR

   Toward a National Risk Assessment                November 1998
   Host: Center for Risk Management, University of Virginia

   Demonstration Studies for Natural
   Disaster Reduction                               December 1998
   Host: IIPLR

Introducing the Working Group on Natural Disaster Information Systems (NDIS)

Introducing the Greig Fester Centre for Hazard Research

The Greig Fester Centre for Hazard Research, sponsored by the major reinsurance broker, Greig Fester International, is the first multidisciplinary natural hazards research group in the U.K. The centre was officially launched June 1, 1997, and is housed in the Department of Geological Sciences, University College London. The centre incorporates staff from ten departments within the university who are engaged in all aspects of natural hazards research, including volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, floods, windstorms, and landslides. Centre researchers have recently attracted over two million pounds of research from the European Commission, the U.K. Research Councils, and other sources. Some current research projects include: analysis of Atlantic sea-surface temperatures for hurricane forecasting; the use of SPOT-generated digital elevation models for identifying active, potentially seismogenic, faults; mechanisms of formation and transport of long run-out landslides; the development of a PC-based hazard simulator for training civil authorities; and the mitigation of volcanic risk among vulnerable island communities.

Introducing the Research Center for Disaster Reduction Systems

The Research Center for Disaster Reduction Systems (DRS) was established in 1993 and expanded in 1996 within the Disaster Prevention Research Institute, Kyoto University. It is a center of excellence for the promotion and integration of various fields of research dealing with catastrophic urban disasters affecting megacities. The goal of the center is to minimize direct and indirect losses and reduce human suffering that result from this type of natural disaster.

Introducing the Centre for Risk and Disaster Management Studies: Institute for Cindynics

["Cyndynic" is a Greek word for danger.]