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The Natural Hazards Research and Applications Information Center, Institute of Behavioral Science, University of Colorado-Boulder, is seeking a person to develop a plan for creating Disaster Recovery Assistance Teams (DRAT). The DRAT teams, comprised of experienced disaster professionals, would be deployed to communities affected by disasters to help community leaders determine their recovery options.
Specifically, the person selected will be responsible for: establishing an advisory committee for the project; conducting a review of disaster recovery literature and compiling a bibliography and summary report on the literature; identifying and interviewing key informants who can advise the project about communities' needs following disasters; developing a database of disaster experts; organizing and conducting workshops; writing a plan for implementing the Disaster Recovery Assistance Team program; and preparing a manual to guide teams when they are working in the field.
Minimum qualifications include a Masters degree in a pertinent discipline; knowledge of disaster literature and recovery/ reconstruction programs; excellent writing and communication skills; and ability to work both independently and in a team setting. This is a one-year, three-quarter time position with the possibility of being extended. The salary is $36,000 plus benefits. Interested persons should submit a letter of application, resume, and contact information for three professional references, stating their relationship to the applicant, to the address below. Screening of applications will begin June 15, 1998, and continue until the position is filled. The University of Colorado at Boulder is committed to diversity and equality in education and employment.
Mary Fran Myers, Co-DirectorHazards researcher Elliott Mittler has undertaken a series of case studies as part of an assessment of state roles in disaster mitigation and management. The goal is to understand why states take the initiative to develop in-state programs, to determine how other states can be encouraged to follow suit, and to determine an appropriate role for the federal government in supporting state initiatives. When the case studies are completed, a theoretical model of the initiation process will be tested. The first two case studies are now available from the Natural Hazards Information Center as Working Papers on the center Web site:
- "A Case Study of Florida's Homeowners' Insurance Since Hurricane Andrew," by Elliott Mittler (Working Paper #96), and - "A Case Study of the Enactment of a State Building Code in South Carolina," by Elliott Mittler (Working Paper #97)
Both papers are available from: http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/wp/wp.html.
On February 24, 1998, governors of western states and top federal officials signed a Memorandum of Understanding, agreeing to develop new partnerships to reduce flood risks in the West and improve the management of floodplains. The agreement was signed by representatives from the Departments of Agriculture, Interior, and Commerce; the Federal Emergency Management Agency; the Assistant Secretary of the Army for Civil Works; and the Western Governors' Association.
Under the agreement, states and federal agencies agree to:
- develop new partnerships among all levels of government to improve floodplain mapping;
- collaborate on improving flood risk and warning systems;
- improve data sharing among states, tribes, and local governments; and
- continue to improve disaster recovery program delivery through better coordination among federal agencies and state and local governments.
The "Memorandum of Understanding Among the Parties and the Western Governors' Association Regarding Future Management of Floodplains in the West" can be found on the WGA Web site: http://www.westgov.org/wga/publicat/press/floodmou.htm . Further information about this effort can be obtained from Bruce Flinn, Western Governors' Association, 600 17th Street, Suite 1705 South Tower, Denver, CO 80202; (303) 623-9378; fax: (303) 534-7309; WWW: http://www.westgov.org.
In an effort to help local governments reduce losses from natural hazards through better mapping and loss estimation, FEMA funded the National Institute of Building Sciences to develop HAZUS, a standardized earthquake loss estimation methodology that uses geographic information system software.
HAZUS is one component of FEMA's National Mitigation Strategy to promote reduction of long-term risk to people and property due to earthquakes. HAZUS can also be used by local governments to enhance short-term recovery by improving emergency preparedness for earthquakes.
HAZUS is being expanded to cover other hazards, with new models under planning and development for estimating potential losses from wind (hurricanes, thunderstorms, tornadoes, extra tropical cyclones, and hail) and floods (both riverine and coastal).
HAZUS comes in two versions, each compatible with one of the two major geographical information system (GIS) platforms commonly used in the U.S. - MapInfo and ArcView. The program is available on CD for either the eastern or western U.S.; other HAZUS products include individual CDs providing specific local data for multihazard exposure analysis by state. A user's manual, a three-volume technical manual, a computer-based tutorial, and "InCAST" - an inventory survey and collection tool - are also available.
These products can be obtained from the National Institute of Building Sciences at no charge for the 1997 versions. However, upon release of the 1998 versions (expected late this year), private organizations will be charged for HAZUS at prices structured to cover the cost of production, shipping, and handling. Federal, state, and local agencies will continue to be eligible to receive HAZUS products at no cost. For further information on HAZUS, visit the temporary HAZUS Web site: http://www.fema.gov/hazus. The permanent HAZUS Web site will be on-line shortly and will be accessible through the FEMA Web site.
For further information on the Multihazard Loss Estimation Program or HAZUS, contact Phil Schneider, Multihazard Loss Estimation Program, National Institute of Building Sciences, 1090 Vermont Avenue, N.W., Suite 700, Washington, D.C. 20005-4905; (202) 289-7800; fax: (202) 289-1092; e-mail: pschneider@nibs.org.
For information on ordering HAZUS products, contact John Boyer at the above address; (202) 289-7800; fax: (202) 289-1092; e-mail: jboyer@nibs.org.
The Federal Register, May 1, 1998 (Volume 63, Number 84, pp. 24143-24145) contains a proposed rule from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) concerning the agency's Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP). The rule would revise the categories of projects currently eligible for funding under the HMGP by defining eligible mitigation activities to include nonstructural flood hazard mitigation measures and minor flood control projects that do not duplicate the efforts and authorities of other federal agencies. The complete proposal is contained in the federal register and is also available from the Government Printing Office Federal Register World Wide Web site: http://www.access.gpo.gov/su_docs/aces/aces140.html (see DOCID: fr01my98-30).
The agency invites comments on this proposed rule; comments may be submitted on or before June 30, 1998 and should be sent to the Rules Docket Clerk, Office of the General Counsel, FEMA, 500 C Street, S.W., Room 840, Washington, DC 20472; fax: (202) 646-4536; e-mail: rules@fema.gov. For further information contact: Robert F. Shea, Mitigation Directorate, Federal Emergency Management Agency, 500 C Street, S.W., Washington, DC 20472; (202) 646-3619; fax: (202) 646-3104.
[Adapted from the Multidisciplinary (formerly National) Center for Earthquake Engineering Research (MCEER) "Information Service News" - April 1998]
On May 27, 1996, fire devastated the library of the Institute of Engineering Mechanics (IEM) in Harbin, China. As a result, IEM lost many reports, books, and journals in its collection of earthquake engineering literature. Since the IEM library is the only resource of its kind in China, this disaster is a major loss for that country. To rebuild its library collection, IEM is seeking donations from the world earthquake engineering community. Anyone considering a donation can view a complete wish list of publications on the MCEER/NCEER Web site: http://mceer.buffalo.edu/iem. Paper copies of the list are available from the MCEER Information Service, 304 Capen Hall - SEL, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY; (716) 645-3377; fax: (716) 645-3379; e-mail: nceeris@acsu.buffalo.edu.
I'm in the process of developing a website for M&I Data Services as part of a Corporate Awareness project I'm coordinating and I'm looking for some help from you. This website is currently restricted to and designed for M&I employees only. We've already developed the topics and links, but I'm still looking for a few more unique sayings, quotes, poems, jokes, habits to live by, etc. that might stick in the employees head and have them think disaster recovery, business continuity, or emergency preparedness in their day to day work. All replies will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks for your time,
Ron
Ron Llewellyn
Senior Services Continuity Analyst
M&I Data Services
ron.llewellyn@midata.com
Office: 414-357-2677
Fax: 414-357-9798
[Adapted from "Emergency Management Digest" - the magazine of Emergency Preparedness Canada - April-June 1998]
Following a national survey in 1997, which indicated strong support for the creation of a national emergency preparedness association, Emergency Preparedness Canada consulted with provincial/territorial emergency measures organizations and other stakeholders about the requirements for the establishment of such an association. Subsequently, an organizing committee comprised of representatives from each region of the country was established to prepare a charter for the organization. Numerous association goals and some structure have already been defined; however, a final plan is not yet in place. To learn about this process and how one might get involved, contact Andre Lamalice, Director of Communications, Emergency Preparedness Canada, 122 Bank Street, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0W6, Canada; (613) 991-7034; fax: (613) 998-9589; e-mail: lamala@x400.gc.ca.
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.
The Pan American Health Organization has established a new listserv, *DisasterInfo*, through which PAHO will disseminate disaster information relevant to the Americas - of both general and immediate interest - and share advance notice of selected English-language news and information of interest to the international disaster community. This is a moderated listserv, not a discussion group; recipients will not receive messages or comments from other members of the list. Persons interested in receiving DisasterInfo news should send their postal address and e-mail address to: DisasterInfo@paho.org.
The California Environmental Resources Evaluation System (CERES) is a Web-based information repository developed by the California Resources Agency "to facilitate access to a variety of electronic data describing the region's rich and diverse environments." The goal of CERES is to improve environmental analysis and planning by integrating natural and cultural resource information from multiple contributors and by making it available and useful to a wide variety of users. The site provides much information that is useful beyond California and includes very good sections on earthquakes ( http://www.ceres.ca.gov/theme/earthquakes.html) , El Nino (http://www.ceres.ca.gov/elnino), wildfire ( http://www.ceres.ca.gov/theme/fire.html), and floods (http://www.ceres.ca.gov/flood).
http://www.tor.ec.gc.ca/earg/pubs/ndha/ndha.htm
This site contains a paper by David Etkin, Maria Vazquez, and Ilan Kelman: "Natural Disasters and Human Activity - A Contribution to the North American Commission on Environmental Cooperation State of the Environment Report" (Montreal, Canada: North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation). The paper includes sections on, "What is a Natural Disaster?"; "Types of Natural Hazards and Disasters," including an overview of natural disasters and case studies; "Natural Disasters That Might Have Been"; "How Human Activity Mitigates Natural Disasters"; "How Human Activity Contributes Towards Natural Disasters"; "Global Change and Sustainability"; and "Summary and Concluding Statement."
"Applied Behavioral Science Review," an applied interdisciplinary journal published by JAI Press, is pleased to announce a call for papers for a special issue on the 1997 Red River Valley flooding in the Upper Midwest. Special issue editors, Clifford Staples and Kathleen Tiemann, University of North Dakota, are looking for theoretically informed, empirically grounded social science research on any aspect of this disaster, including applied and policy-oriented papers.
This special issue will be published in the fall of 1999. Deadline for submission is December 31, 1998. Manuscripts should be no more than 30 double-spaced pages and should be submitted in APA style on paper (3 copies) and on disk (Microsoft Word). E-mail inquiries are welcome (staples@badlands.nodak.edu). For information and submissions contact:
Clifford Staples
Department of Sociology
Box 7136
University of North Dakota
Grand Forks, ND 58202
phone (701) 777-4417; fax (701) 777-2468)
e-mail: staples@badlands.nodak.edu.
"Response," the peer-reviewed academic journal published by the National Association for Search and Rescue (NASAR) is seeking timely, academically sound, commercially unbiased articles for publication. Published authors will receive a minimum of $200 payment. Manuscripts should be sent to NASAR, Attn: Larry Jacobson, 4500 Southgate Place, Suite 100, Chantilly, VA 20151.
The Emergency Information Infrastructure partnership (which we've
mentioned here many times before) hosts a number of Web/e-mail-based
discussion groups. The following is an example of the type of
information request that occasionally appears:
-------------
Thank you very much!
Dennis Tate, Disaster Specialist
American Red Cross
Chattanooga-Hamilton County, Tennessee Chapter
423/265-3455
Fax: 423/265-8952
E-mail: TnRbitHntr@aol.com
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For information on joining the EIIP mailing lists, see the partnership's Emergency Management Web site: http://www.emforum.org.
"CCEP NEWS," a nonprofit quarterly magazine published by the Canadian Centre for Emergency Preparedness, is in the mail to subscribers. To receive a free copy, please visit http://www.ccep.ca and sign up! It's as simple as that . . .
The Department of Engineering Professional Development, in conjunction with the Disaster Management Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, hosts a number of training courses in emergency/disaster management throughout the year. Some of the upcoming courses include:
For more information and details about additional courses, contact:
Department of Engineering Professional Development
College of Engineering
University of Wisconsin-Madison
432 Lake Street,
Madison, WI 53706
1-800-462-0876
WWW: http://www.engr.wisc.edu/epd
The PPP2000 project is a joint effort of several federal agencies, the Institute for Business and Home Safety, and other nongovernmental organizations (see DR#228). The goal of PPP 2000 is to create 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 is through a series of forums, held in Washington, D.C., on public policy issues affecting natural disaster reduction. A tentative list of upcoming forums includes:
Forum 6 - "Disaster Recovery Business Alliances," June 9, 1998
Forum 7 - "Real-Time Monitoring and Warning for Natural Disasters," June 30, 1998
Forum 8 - "Coastal Hazards - Year of the Ocean," September 22, 1998
Forum 9 - "Reducing Losses from Floods," October 5, 1998
Forum 10 - "Infrastructure/Toward a National Risk Assessment," November, 1998
Forum 11 - "Grass Roots Mitigation Awareness and Education: How to Mobilize Public and Private Partnerships to Protect People and Communities from the Ravages of Natural Disasters," December 15 or 16, 1998
Forum 12 - "Second Assessment," January 1999
For details about any of these forums, contact:
Olga Marinenko
Futures Group, Inc.
1050 17th Street, N.W., Suite 1000
Washington, DC 20036;
(202) 775-9680
e-mail: omarinenko@ibhs.org
; -or- olgam@erols.com.
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
"Minding the Coast - It's Everybody's Business": The Coastal Society 16th International Conference. Williamsburg, Virginia: July 12-15, 1998. Contact: Conferences Services Office, The College of William and Mary, The Coastal Society Conference, P.O. Box CS, Williamsburg, VA 23187-3542; (757) 221-4084; fax: (757) 221-2090; e-mail: wmconf@mail.wm.edu; WWW: http://www.vims.edu/TCS16/.
Seminar on Seismic Upgrading of Hazardous Buildings. Offered by: Applied Technology Council (ATC). San Francisco, California: July 16, 1998. Contact: ATC, 555 Twin Dolphin Drive, Suite 550, Redwood City, CA 94065; (650) 595-1542; fax: (650) 593-2320; e-mail: atc@atcouncil.org; WWW: http://www.atcouncil.org.
Planning for a Safer Tomorrow: A One-Day Seminar on the Realities of Colorado Growth. Englewood, Colorado: August 7, 1998. Topics will include wildfire, flood and hail mitigation. See: http://www.disasters.org/safer-tomorrow.html; or contact Shannon Kelly, Western Insurance Information Service; (303) 790-0216; fax: (303) 790-0433.
National States Geographic Information Council (NSGIC) Annual Meeting. Annapolis, Maryland: September 12-17, 1998. Includes sessions on natural hazards. Contact: NSGIC, Executive Office, 45 Lyme Road, Suite 304, Hanover, NH 03755-1223; (603) 643-1600; fax: (603) 643-1444; e-mail: nsgic@aol.com; WWW: http://www.geo.drake.edu/nsgic.
Floodplain Management Association (FMA) Fall Conference: "After the Storm." Sacramento, California: September 16-18, 1998. Contact: [Northern California] FMA, 4145 Maybell Way, Palo Alto, CA 94306; (650) 493-7198; [Southern California] FMA, P.O. Box 2972, Mission Viejo, CA 92692; (714) 766-8112; fax: (714) 459-8364; WWW: http://floodplain.org.
Climate Change and Human Health: A One-Day Discussion Meeting in the U.K. Royal Society's Science in Society Series. London, England: October 20, 1998. Contact: Claire Sanford, The Royal Society, 6 Carlton House Terrace, London SW1Y 5AG, U.K.; tel: 0171 451 2576; e-mail: claire.sanford@royalsoc.ac.uk.
Geological Society of America (GSA) 1998 Annual Meeting. Toronto,
Canada: October 26-29, 1998. Abstracts due July 13. Contact:
GSA Meetings Department
P.O. Box 9140
Boulder, CO 80301
phone: (303) 447-2020
fax: (303) 447-0648
e-mail: meetings@geosociety.org
WWW: http://www.geosociety.org.
XI Symposium on Earthquake Engineering. Roorkee, India: December 17- 19, 1998. Abstracts due May 31. Contact: Dr. Ashwani Kumar, Organizing Secretary, 11 SEEE, Department of Earthquake Engineering, University of Roorkee, Roorkee-247 667, India; tel: +91 1332 72349, ext. 5228 -or- +91 1332 72130, ext. 5529; fax: +91 1332 76899; e-mail:see11@rurkiu.ernet.in.
CORRECTION
Sixth Annual West Coast Disaster Response Conference (WCDRC). Burnaby,
British Columbia, Canada: March 1999. Contact: WCDRC, c/o Epicentre
Inc., 1188 West Georgia Street, Suite 1420, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6E
4A2; tel: (604) 682-6005; fax: (604) 682-0500.
American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Structures Congress. New
Orleans, Louisiana: April 18-21, 1999. Includes sessions on seismic
analysis, design, and retrofit; wind effects on structures, etc.
Contact: ASCE, 1801 Alexander Bell Drive, Reston, VA 20191; 1-800-548- 2723,
(703) 295-6009; fax: (703) 295-6144; e-mail: conf@asce.org;
WWW: http://www.asce.org
-or-
R. Richard Avent
Chairperson of the Steering Committee
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Louisiana State University
Baton Rouge, LA 70803
(504) 388-8735
fax: (504) 388-8652.
National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1999 Annual Meeting. Baltimore, Maryland: May 17-20, 1999. Abstracts due September 1, 1998. Contact: Casey C. Grant, Assistant Vice-President, Codes and Standards Administration, NFPA, One Batterymarch Park, P.O. Box 9101, Quincy, MA 02269-9101; (617) 770-3000; fax: (617) 770-0700; WWW: http://www.nfpa.org.
Coastal Zone 99. Sponsors: Urban Harbors Institute and others. San Diego, California: July 24-30, 1999. Abstracts due August 1, 1998. Contact: CZ99 Secretariat, Urban Harbors Institute, University of Massachusetts-Boston, 100 Morrissey Boulevard, Boston, MA 02125-3393; (617) 287-5577; fax: (617) 287-5575; e-mail: cz99@umbsky.cc.umb.edu; WWW: http://omega.cc.umb.edu/~cz99.
Sixth International Conference on Seismic Zonation. Sponsor:
Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI). Palm Springs,
California: November 12-15, 2000. Contact: EERI
499 14th Street, Suite 320
Oakland, CA 94612-1934
(510) 451-0905
fax: (510) 451-5411
e-mail: eeri@eeri.org
WWW: http://www.eeri.org.
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