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My name is Kimanzi Mati and I am assisting my fiancee with her Environmental Psychology Ph.D. thesis. Her research is on the impact that cyclone risk has upon individuals in societies at risk. We are interested in any data that you may have of the social impact that cyclones have had. Also, any other information that you may think is relevant would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your help.
Yours,
Kimanzi Mati
E-mail: Kimanzi=M.=Mati%IS%DFCI@EYE.DFCI.HARVARD.EDU
Greetings!
I'm J.P. DeMeritt, a retired Air Force Disaster Preparedness technician enrolled in University of Houston Clear Lake's MS program in Studies of the Future. I'm interested if you know anyone who might be studying the futures of disaster planning and response. I'm also interested if there's a body of literature regarding preparation and response to disasters and how those might change in the future.
Thank you for your time and attention.
Sincerely,
J.P. DeMeritt
E-mail: eowyn@gte.net
A recent New York Times Magazine profile of Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt commented that his geologic training would appear to be at odds with a career in politics - the former focusing on the longest view imaginable and the latter on the immediacy of the here and now. Although it is true that the slow uniformitarian processes of erosion and the centimeter-per-year pace of tectonic plates take place in deep time, to use essayist John McPhee's apt phrase, geology is also about catastrophes.
Indeed, natural hazard events may take place too fast, failing to stay on the political radar long enough for scientists, engineers, and emergency managers to use them effectively to underscore the relevance of their work to society. And yet it is important that we find ways to do just that. Garnering support for mitigation measures and research, in particular, requires that policy makers think about natural hazards before they strike.
Creating a Congressional Caucus
One way to improve our ability to maintain greater continuity of interest about hazards in Congress would be to establish a congressional natural hazards caucus. Such an entity could provide a ready infrastructure for providing information to members of Congress when a disaster strikes as well as a forum to garner attention at other times when disasters merely loom. Caucuses are informal organizations consisting of like-minded senators and/or representatives who seek to increase awareness of a particular issue among their colleagues and to provide forums for discussion.
Successful caucuses often rely on outside interests that can provide logistical and financial support for briefings and other events. A natural hazards caucus could be supported by scientific and engineering societies, the insurance industry, emergency management groups, and other entities committed to reducing losses from natural hazards. These groups could also work closely with federal and state agencies to coordinate activities. For specific issues, the caucus could leverage its influence by joining forces with existing caucuses such as the coastal caucus, the aviation and space caucus, the science and technology caucus, the upper Mississippi River task force, the National Guard caucus, and the insurance caucus.
Natural disasters strike every state and congressional district, creating a strong potential for broad interest. A number of prominent lawmakers have taken leadership roles on natural hazards issues in recent years and could be potential leaders of such a caucus.
The idea of a natural hazards caucus is not new, but I believe it is one whose time has come. My own interest and that of many others was ignited by a talk given by a House committee staffer at one of the recent Public Private Partnership (PPP) 2000 Forums [see DR #268 for future PPP 2000 forums]. The staffer emphasized that there is interest and enthusiasm for natural hazards issues in Congress, but also noted that there is no mechanism in place on Capitol Hill to discuss these issues. The PPP 2000 Forum series, organized by the White House Subcommittee on Natural Disaster Reduction and the Institute for Business and Home Safety, has already brought together a wide variety of organizations that could back a natural hazards caucus and create such a mechanism.
Broader Benefits
In making the case for a natural hazards caucus to the geoscience community, I have emphasized that greater congressional awareness of geoscience contributions in the natural hazards arena can go a long way toward improving the general awareness and positive perception of geoscience among policy makers and the public at large. The same holds true for the atmospheric science, engineering, insurance, and social science communities, where natural hazards is just one of many issue areas.
Because there is first-order agreement that saving lives and reducing property losses from natural disasters is a public good, most programs to reduce losses from natural hazards do not engender the partisan strife that complicates issues such as resource use and the environment. This is not to say that hazards lack contention. When one gets to the specifics of land-use restrictions and insurance premiums, the issues may be just as intractable. But simply being able to get down to the specifics at all is an accomplishment in the political arena.
The geoscience community is a diverse one, but when it comes to perception by policy makers and the public, geoscientists will sink or swim as a group. The same holds true across the coalition of disciplines and sectors working on natural hazards issues. If this broad community can communicate to Congress the importance and the value of reducing losses from natural hazards, the benefits will accrue to all our professions and to society as a whole. Goodwill goes a long way in a town like Washington, and we must seize every chance we get to win it.
David Applegate
Director of Government Affairs
American Geological Institute
[Adapted from a column targeted at the geoscience community that appeared in the August 1998 issue of Geotimes magazine and is reprinted here with permission. The author can be reached at govt@agiweb.org. The AGI web site is http://www.agiweb.org.]
FLASH raises awareness about home safety from high winds in two ways: by providing a toll-free number, (877) 221-SAFE (221-7233), which callers can contact to receive copies of the IBHS hurricane retrofit guide Is Your Home Protected from Hurricane Disaster?; a brochure from the DCA on its "Breaking the Cycle" program; and the American Red Cross booklet, Preparing Your Home for a Hurricane; and by maintaining a FLASH Web site - http://flsafehomes.org (available after November 1).
Other activities include the production of public service announcements for TV and radio, media events to educate the public about hurricane preparedness, billboard messages, and an educational program. For more information on this effort, contact Maggie Sheehan, IBHS, 175 Federal Street, Suite 500, Boston, MA 02110-2222; (617) 292-2003, ext. 214; fax: (617) 292-2022; e-mail: msheehan@ibhs.org; WWW: http://www.ibhs.org.
The National Flood Insurance Reform Act of 1994 directs the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to list all communities with probable erosion hazards, estimate the amount of flood insurance claims attributable to erosion, and assess the full economic impact of erosion on the National Flood Insurance Program.
FEMA is now conducting a study to determine the technological feasibility of mapping riverine erosion hazard areas (REHAs). The study will: define riverine erosion processes, review geomorphic and engineering methods that could be used to map REHAs, evaluate methods for predicting and modeling REHAs, estimate the cost to study and map these areas, and determine elements that should be included in a program to map and regulate REHAs. The project will address past and ongoing research that assesses the effects of the many processes contributing to riverine erosion and will concentrate on physical and statistical models that could be used to predict stream bank erosion.
The Technical Evaluation Contractor for FEMA is the firm of Dewberry and Davis. Persons with information that may be helpful to this FEMA study should contact Mike Grimm, e-mail: michael.grimm@fema.gov.
The Multidisciplinary Center for Earthquake Engineering Research (MCEER), headquartered at the State University of New York at Buffalo, has joined in an effort sponsored by FEMA Region II to build a consortium of organizations to define and assess the vulnerability of the New York metropolitan area to credible earthquake hazards.
Academic institutions; municipal, state, and federal emergency management, and public service agencies; and private corporations are invited to participate in the consortium's activities. As seismic characterizations and a built environment inventory are developed for the metropolitan area, the consortium will work to further foster awareness by providing key groups with accurate vulnerability and loss estimation data as well as technical assistance on loss reduction strategies.
MCEER is responsible for overall coordination of the project, which is overseen by a technical coordinator, an executive committee of representatives from some of the key participating agencies, and an external technical advisory board.
For additional information about consortium activities, contact Bruce Swiren, Earthquake and Hurricane Programs Manager, FEMA Region II, (212) 225-7230 -or- Andrea Dargush, MCEER, State University of New York at Buffalo, Red Jacket Quadrangle, Buffalo, NY 14261-0025; (716) 645-3391; fax: (716) 645-3399; e-mail: dargush@acsu.buffalo.edu; WWW: http://mceer.buffalo.edu.
"The Political and Policy Basis of Emergency Management" course consists of a 528-page instructor guide that considers the political and policy environment in which emergency management is practiced. Topics include: the American political system and disasters; executive and legislative political issues and disasters; federal, state and local political and organizational issues; and intergovernmental relations. Like all FEMA Higher Education Project courses it has been developed at the upper division four-year college level and is intended for college students who will become the next generation of emergency managers.
This course is available electronically via the Internet. To review or acquire a copy, see: http://www.fema.gov/EMI/edu/higher.htm.
Paper or microfiche copies are available from the National Technical Information Service (NTIS), 5285 Port Royal Road, Springfield, VA 22161; (800) 553-6847 or (703) 605-6000; fax: (703) 321-8547; e-mail: orders@ntis.fedworld.gov; WWW: http://chaos.fedworld.gov. Reference NTIS order number PB98-169154, and price code A24 for paper copy and A04 for Microfiche.
The primary purpose of the Higher Education Project is to encourage
and support the development of Bachelor degrees in Emergency
Management in every state. Towards this end a prototype emergency
management college-level curriculum of over 20 course has been
designed and is currently being developed. The other two Higher
Education Project courses now available are:
Questions concerning the Higher Education Project can be addressed to: Wayne Blanchard, Federal Emergency Management Agency, NETC/EMI, Building N, Room 430, 16825 South Seton Avenue, Emmitsburg, MD 21727; (301) 447-1262; e-mail: wayne.blanchard@fema.gov.
Finally, the center has just published the first issue of its newsletter (from which this information is taken). For information on subscribing or regarding the items above, contact the Center for Public Health and Disaster Relief, UCLA School of Public Health, Box 951772, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1772; (310) 794-6646; fax: (310) 794- 1805; e-mail: locn@ucla.edu; WWW: http://www.ph.ucla.edu/cphdr/.
In 1997, each participating state established a tsunami mitigation resource center, and meteorologists from each state attended a two-day workshop on understanding tsunami warning procedures. In addition, participants have inventoried state tsunami education materials, identified gaps, and formed working groups to address public education needs.
For more information on this program, contact the Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program, NOAA/Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL), Bin C-15700, 7600 Sand Point Way, N.E., Seattle, WA 98115-0070; (206) 526-6800; fax: (206) 526-6815; e-mail: ann@pmel.noaa.gov; WWW: http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/tsunami-hazard. For more information on the Center for Tsunami Inundation Mapping Efforts, contact NOAA/PMEL/OERD, 2115 S.E. OSU Drive, Newport, OR 97365-5258; (541) 867-0372; fax: (541) 867-3907; e-mail: kamphaus@pmel.noaa.gov; WWW: http://newport.pmel.noaa.gov/time/home.html.
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