DISASTER RESEARCH 256

May 1, 1998

TABLE OF CONTENTS:


  1. Seeking Information on Disasters and Disaster Evacuation in the Tourist Industry
  2. Seeking Your Opinion: The Ombudsman for Humanitarian Assistance Internet Survey
  3. The U.K. Climate Impacts Program
  4. U.N. University Studies El Nino Impacts
  5. Emergency Medicine Directory Available
  6. Web Sites
  7. Upcoming EIIP Events
  8. Conferences and Training


1)----------
Seeking Information on Disasters and Disaster Evacuation
in the Tourist Industry

I am an Emergency Management Coordinator with the Miami-Dade County, Florida Office of Emergency Management. I am developing an evacuation plan for the tourist industry. If you have slides, videos, articles, or statistics regarding damage to hotels and motels from hurricanes and other coastal storms, I would be very grateful.

I may be contacted at:

Rob Marton
Miami Dade Office of Emergency Management
5600 SW 87 Avenue
Miami, FL 33173

(305) 273-6701
Fax: (305) 273-6708
E-mail: Bob.Marton@mci2000.com


2)----------
Seeking Your Opinion:
The Ombudsman for Humanitarian Assistance Internet Survey

Dear friends,

Ombudsman for Humanitarian Assistance Internet Survey -- We would like your input! Visit: http://www.oneworld.org/ombudsman

The "Ombudsman Project" is a feasibility study investigating the possibility of creating an Ombudsman for Humanitarian Assistance (OHA) to provide an accountability mechanism within the humanitarian sector, focusing on beneficiary access. The core of the project is to seek an appropriate means of ensuring that minimum standards and codes of conduct are met by humanitarian agencies operating in the field of emergency relief.

The report is currently being drafted and, before presenting the recommendations to the World Disasters Forum in London this coming June, we are seeking further input from southern-based agencies and beneficiaries on the subject.

We have launched a Web Page: http://www.oneworld.org/ombudsman,which includes relevant background material and a short NGO survey to which we invite your response. The consultation on the Internet will only last for a short while, so please log on as soon as you can. If you do not have World Wide Web access, simply reply to the e-mail address below, and I will forward you text-based versions of the information. You are also welcome to forward this e-mail to any of your colleagues or contacts.

If you have any questions, please contact me. I look forward to receiving your feedback.

Deborah Doane
The Ombudsman Project
c/o British Red Cross
9 Grosvenor Crescent
London SX1X 7EJ, U.K.

Tel: (44) 171 201 5283
E-mail: DDoane@redcross.org.uk


3)----------
The U.K. Climate Impacts Program

[Adapted from the "Networks Newsletter" - a publication of the Environmental and Societal Impacts Group, National Center for Atmospheric Research]

In April 1997, the U.K. government launched a new program to coordinate and integrated assessment of climate change impacts in the U.K. The U.K. Climate Impacts Programme (UKCIP) brings together public and private organizations with responsibilities for studying and accommodating the effects of climate change, in order to undertake integrated sectoral and regional impact assessments.

After conducting an initial review of how climate change might affect the U.K., the group concluded that, based on one scenario of climate change, the impacts would be mixed, but that adverse effects would outweigh positive ones.

The UKCIP recently launched a newsletter to distribute information regularly among stakeholders, researchers, and the program office. Copies are free from that office; contact: the Program Coordinator, UKCIP, Environmental Change Unit, 1a Mansfield Road, Oxford, OX1 3TB, U.K.; tel: 44-1865-281-192; fax: 44-1865-281-188; e-mail: ukcip@ecu.ox.ac.uk; WWW: http://www.ecu.ox.ac.uk/ukcip.html.


4)----------
U.N. University Studies El Nino Impacts

[Also adapted from "Network Newsletter"]

The United Nations University (UNU, Tokyo) is launching a multi-national, multidisciplinary study of "El Nino Impacts and Response Strategies in Pacific Rim Countries." As a first step, the university is developing a plan of action, focusing on an assessment of the interest in and concern about the forecast, impacts, responses, and policies related to El Nino. This phase will involve forecasters, impact assessors, and, when possible, decision makers from various sectors of society. Researchers and institutes in countries that surround the Pacific will be included in the network. The project will enable UNU's environmental program to become an important contributor to an improved understanding of this regional-scale natural hazard that has spawned droughts, floods, frosts, fires, famines, and changes in typhoon tracks. For more information, contact project developer Michael Glantz, National Center for Atmospheric Research, P.O. Box 3000, Boulder, CO 80307; (303) 497-8119; fax: (303) 497-8125; e-mail: glantz@ucar.edu.


5)----------
Emergency Medicine Directory Available

An updated version of the Hardin Meta Directory page for Emergency Medicine, and also a new version of the Hardin Meta Directory (MD) of Internet Health Sources are now available. The new versions include a streamlined design, new features, and new URLs. One of the notable new features is the Hardin MD "Clean Bill of Health Award," which is given to sites that have superlative connection rates.

The new, simplified URL for the Hardin MD is:
http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/hardin/md

The Emergency Medicine page is now:
http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/hardin/md/emerg.html

If you would like to receive e-mail notices for all Hardin MD updates (1-2 messages per week on all medical/health subjects), please e-mail me directly at eric-rumsey@uiowa.edu. Please mention the listserv or newsgroup on which you see this notice.

Eric Rumsey
Hardin Library for the Health Sciences
University of Iowa
Iowa City, IA 52242

(319) 335-9875
Fax: (319) 335-9897
E-mail: eric-rumsey@uiowa.edu


6)----------
Web Sites

These are a few of the latest Internet resources we've discovered. For a list of selected Internet/Web sites dealing with disaster management, see http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/sites/sites.html.

http://www.urban.uiuc.edu/seismiccode

This Web site provides background information, an introduction, and table of contents for a new FEMA earthquake safety manual, "Promoting the Adoption and Enforcement of Seismic Building Codes" (FEMA 313) - part of a larger effort to attract and support a group of advocates interested in promoting seismic building codes and their enforcement. Working with FEMA, the University of Illinois Department of Urban and Regional Planning is seeking to promote dissemination and active use of this new resource document by providing advocates with a free copy along with guidance on how to best use the material for outreach.

The new guidebook brings together a tremendous amount of information about seismic risks and what various areas have done to incorporate seismic provisions into their building codes. Individuals who are interested in volunteering as "delivery agents" to help promote code enforcement activities, can obtain a free copy of the manual along with guidance on its use by contacting:

David O'Dowd/Marie McGuinness/Rajeev Thakur
University of Illinois, Department of Urban and Regional Planning
111 Temple Buell Hall
611 Lorado Taft Drive
Champaign, IL 61820

(217) 244-5374
Fax: (217) 244-1717
E-mail: seismiccode@uiuc.edu

http://cotf.edu/ETE
http://cotf.edu/ete/modules/modules.html

The NASA-sponsored "Classroom of the Future" includes a section on "Exploring the Environment," which, in turn, includes several sections on natural hazards such as volcanoes, hurricanes, El Nino, and climate change. The modules are extensive and very interesting - as is the whole philosophy and concept of this educational program.

http://www.es.mq.edu.au/NHRC/NHS/

The International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards (the Natural Hazards Society - NHS) was established in August 1988. Some of the major objectives of the society are:

+ to promote research in all aspects of natural hazards
+ to assist in the distribution of preparedness and emergency response plans for countries around the world
+ to assist in the formation and implementation of education programs on hazards prevention and mitigation

The society hosts a global conference, supports other meetings, and publishes a journal and newsletter. This Web site includes details about the organization and the world conference, as well as an on-line edition of the society newsletter.

http://www.southcom.com.au/~tasesn/tases.htm

This is the official Web site of the Tasmania State Emergency Service, Tasmania, Australia; it provides an overview of the State Emergency Service, its roles and functions, recent emergency management initiatives, details of recent operations, and links to other emergency management sites within Australia. Among the links is one to the Charles Sturt University, New South Wales, Australia, which offers a distance learning Bachelor of Social Science (Emergency Management) degree that has been jointly developed by the University and the Tasmania State Emergency Service.


7)----------

Upcoming EIIP Events

The Emergency Information Infrastructure Partnership (EIIP) has the following on-line events scheduled for May:

May 3, 4:30-6:30 p.m. (EDT): "Networking and Information Sharing Opportunities through EIIP." Please check the VFRE web site (http://www.vfre.com) for the entire schedule.

May 6, 12:00 Noon (EDT) - Dr. Louise Comfort, University of Pittsburgh, presents a paper in the Virtual Library

May 13, 12:00 Noon (EDT) - Dr. Wayne Blanchard, Federal Emergency Management Agency/Emergency Management Institute, discusses FEMA's Higher Education Initiative in the Virtual Classroom (tentative);

May 20, 12:00 Noon (EDT) - Since May is "Older Americans Month," a panel of experts will discuss the special needs and considerations of older citizens vis a vis emergency management in the EIIP Panel Room

May 27, 12:00 Noon (EDT) - James Bowen, Sitrep 2000 (formerly Apex-M), will demonstrate planning and incident coordination software in the Tech Arena

Login to any of the sessions at http://www.emforum.org/vforum/formchat.htm. To subscribe to the EIIP newsletter, Emergency Partner Postings, and the EIIP Discussion Groups and Mail Lists, visit the EIIP Virtual Forum: http://www.emforum.org.


8)----------
Conferences and Training

Below are recent conference announcements received by the Natural Hazards Center. A comprehensive list of upcoming disaster-related meetings and training is available from our World Wide Web site: http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/conf.html

Ninth Changing Weather Patterns Conference and Workshop (including numerous presentations addressing natural catastrophes). Sponsor: LLP Ltd/DYP Conferences and Courses. London, England: May 14, 1998. Contact: Anton Richmond, LLP Ltd, 69-77 Paul Street, London ED2A 4LQ, U.K.; +44 (0) 171-553 1952; e-mail: conferences@llplimited.com.

Second Annual Green Cross Projects Conference and Certification Courses in Traumatology (purpose: to "learn sociology of disasters; learn how to respond with sensitivity to, and empower, the communities, families, organizations and individuals who are experiencing crises"). Tampa, Florida: May 29-31, 1998. For more information, contact: Pat Gleason, (850) 644-7545, or see: http://www.fsu.edu/~gcp. To register, contact: Registration Office, Center for Professional Development, Florida State University, 555 West Pensacola Street, Tallahassee, FL 32306-1640; (850) 644-7559.

EIS and EH&S Software Users Conference. Offered by Essential Technologies, Inc. Washington, D.C.: May 31-June 3, 1998. For details, see: http://www.essentech.com -or- contact: Brian Simpson; e-mail: bsimpson@enviro.com; (302) 324-9100.

El Nino - Storm Lessons Learned in the Bay Area. Presented by: Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG). Oakland, California: June 9, 1998. Contact: ABAG Training Center, P.O. Box 2050, Oakland, CA 94604-2050; (510) 464-7964; fax: (510) 464-7980; WWW: http://www.abag.ca.gov/bayarea/enviro/ElNinoconf.html.

Arizona Emergency Services Association 25th Annual Conference and Training. Mesa, Arizona: June 17-19, 1998. Topics include: The 1997 Fort Collins Flood; Surviving a Trauma/United Flight 1141; Preparing to Meet the Challenge of Terrorism; Business Contingency Planning; El Nino in California; Disaster Planning for Pets; Violence in Schools. Nonmembers wishing to attend should contact Cristina Herrera; (520) 783-5960; e-mail: yfd-em@primenett.com.

"Prevention, Rescue, Assistance - '98" Forum, including the symposium, "Partnership for Life - Limiting the Risk of Emergency Situations and Mitigating the Consequences of Disasters." Organizers: Ministry of the Russian Federation for Civil Protection, Emergency Situations, and Elimination of the Consequences of Natural Disasters (EMERCOM); U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA); and the International Civil Defence Organisation (ICDO). Moscow, Russia: June 23-26, 1998. Contact: Organizing Committee, Mr. Maurin A. Davidkovskay Str. 7 - 121352 Moscow, Russia; tel: +007 095 443 8305.

Review of the Causes and Consequences of Cold Events: A La Nina Summit. Sponsors: United Nations University and National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR). Boulder, Colorado: July 15-17, 1998. Contact: Michael Glantz, Convenor, or D. Jan Stewart, Workshop Coordinator, ESIG/NCAR, P.O. Box 3000, Boulder, CO 80307; (303) 497-8117; fax: (303) 497-8125; e-mail: jan@ucar.edu.

Technology Partnerships for Emergency Management Workshop and Exhibition. Sponsors: Federal Emergency Management Agency, Technical Support Working Group, U.S. Department of Energy. Argonne, Illinois: July 20-23, 1998. For more information, see: http://www.fema.dis.anl.gov -or- call the FEMA Workshop Information Line: 1-800-752-6367.

Improving Local Emergency Management. Course #8223. Offered by: Department of Engineering Professional Development, College of Engineering, University of Wisconsin-Madison. Madison, Wisconsin: July 22, 1998. Contact: Katie Peterson, Department of Engineering Professional Development, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 432 North Lake Street, Madison, WI 53706; 1-800-462-0876; fax: (608) 263-3160; e-mail: custserv@epd.engr.wisc.edu; WWW: http://epdwww.engr.wisc.edu/.

"Rescue Down Under" - 1999 International Road Accident Rescue Competition, Symposium, and Expo. Sponsors: Victoria State Emergency Service and the Australian National Road Accident Rescue Association. Melbourne, Australia: August 30-September 5, 1999. For more information see: http://www.ses.vic.gov.au/rdu/ -or- e-mail: rdu@ses.vic.gov.au.

Colorado Mitigation and Wildfire Conference (CMWC). Lakewood, Colorado: September 25-27, 1998. Contact: CMWC, P.O. Box 3733, Evergreen, CO 80437-3733; (303) 674-3145; fax: (303) 674-8701.


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