DISASTER RESEARCH 274

1. Seeking Information on Temporary Disaster Housing


2. Seeking Publications on the Kobe Earthquake


3. Seeking Information on Montserrat Evacuees


4. Seeking Comments on Disaster Safety Message Resource Use


5. Seeking Information on Standards/Codes for Seismic Safety of Computers and Related Equipment


6. Seeking Information on Digital Disaster Communications


7. Share Your Y2K Emergency Management Information


8. GWU and VPI Launch Joint Effort


9. Postdoctoral Opportunities at the USGS


10. EIIP Virtual Forum Schedule for November 1998

1)----------
From Spain . . .
Seeking Information on Temporary Disaster Housing

[Editor's note: we have not been able to communicate with these folks via the indicated e-mail address. Something called "postal mail" may be the technology to use . . .]

The Spanish Department of Public Works has entrusted this institute (which belongs to the National Council of Scientific Research) to establish, through an R&D Project, an integral system for emergency housing that will provide temporary housing for families having lost their homes in disasters.

The first phase of the project requires awareness of systems, their analysis, and procedures used in countries having advanced technology regarding this kind of housing. Thus we are requesting information on the following aspects of this subject:

1. Available system or systems
2. Typology of temporary housing
3. Governmental organizations attending homeless families after disasters
4. Research teams working on this subject
5. Specialized industries in the manufacture of this kind of homes

If requested, we can provide additional information. Thank you in advance for your earnest collaboration. Truthfully yours,
Antonio Ruiz Duerto
Vice-director Instituto Eduardo Torroja

2)----------
From Japan . . .
Seeking Publications on the Kobe Earthquake

Dear DR readers,

I am gathering data about documents written on the subject of the Kobe earthquake of January 1995. This includes professional, academic, and popular titles. "Documents" means reports, books, chapters within a book, articles, CD-ROMs, videos, seminar papers, etc. At a later stage I will need to know how to purchase copies of some titles.

If any DR subscribers have published anything, or co-written on this subject, please send an e-mail to me. I now have several hundred titles and am conducting this research on behalf of a new institute in Kobe - The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake Memorial Research Institute.

Please only tell me of items written by yourself or close associates to avoid duplication of data. However, I have very little data about books on the subject, so if you own any such titles, regardless of authorship, I would like to know about these as well.

Any help would be very much appreciated.
Sincerely,
Tim R.Lemon
International Advisor
JTB Communications Inc.
Osaka, Japan
E-mail: timl@jtbcom.co.jp

3)----------
From the U.K. . . .
Seeking Information on Montserrat Evacuees

Can you help me please? I have recently commenced work on my Ph.D. looking at the experiences of the Montserrat evacuees. As you are probably aware, Montserrat has suffered considerable upheaval following recent eruptions of the Soufriere Hills volcano. Basically, the island's economy has ground to a standstill, and 90% of the 12,000 population have left the island. 6,000 evacuees have come to the U.K., 3,000 have relocated on Antigua, and another 2,000 are distributed mainly throughout the rest of the Caribbean region.

I'm trying to find out about the experiences of the evacuees and what influenced their choice of relocation. I am also interested in how Montserratians perceive the future viability of their island, especially as the volcano is still active (scientists predict for up to four more years), and the region is susceptible to hurricanes and other natural phenomena.

Another important question I'll be asking is whether sustainable development is possible on Montserrat in a climate of uncertainty.

Currently, I'm attempting to build-up a network of contacts. Can you put me in touch with anyone doing similar research?

Thank you, and
Regards,
Martin Lever
Research Associate
University of Manchester
School of Geography
Mansfield Cooper Building
Oxford Road
Manchester
M13 9PL
Tel: 0161 275 5507
Fax: 0161 275 7878
E-mail: martin.lever@stud.man.ac.uk

4)----------
Seeking Comments on Disaster Safety Message Resource Use

[Adapted from FEMA's Community and Family Preparedness Program Act Now Update Newsletter - available on the World Wide Web at http://www.emforum.org/vlibrary/actnow07.htm]

With the endorsement of the National Disaster Education Coalition (NDEC - a joint effort of several federal agencies and nonprofit organizations involved in disaster education and mitigation) and with financial support provided by Lowes Home Safety Council, Beth Navin, an American Red Cross intern, is developing a list of Standard Disaster Safety Messages.

Beth has been meeting with colleagues from NOAA's National Weather Service, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the U.S. Fire Administration (FEMA), and the National Fire Protection Association to confirm the disaster safety messages these national organizations, in cooperation with local affiliates, jointly provide. She is also developing information that explains why these messages should be delivered (not just because they are technically sound, but also because they deal with folklore, myths, and other misinformation).

The intent is to provide a standard reference document (both in print and electronic/Web-based) that can be used by anyone providing disaster safety information to the public.

The Red Cross and NDEC partners are soliciting answers to a few specific questions regarding this project:

1. If you make presentations to the public, what would be most helpful to you to select messages appropriate for an audience?
2. What organization of the final product would be most helpful to you? (that is, by subject, by audience, by priority of message related to time or space available, other?)
3. What can we do to get across the point that the messages in this resource are "approved" by all national agencies and should be the consistent messages given out by anyone at any level?
4. How do you suggest we obtain "buy in" from potential users of the resource? Since we don't have time to write to every Red Cross member, every emergency manager, and every fire department, what can we do to a) get them to know this resource is available, and b) get them to accept the messages in it as the correct messages?
5. In these days of providing disaster safety messages via the World Wide Web, what can we do to ensure that Web page creators use this resource for disaster safety messages they may be disseminating? (We do plan to put this resource on the Web in addition to printing it for those without Web access.)

Rocky Lopes
lopesr@usa.redcross.org
(703) 206-8805

5)----------
Seeking Information on Standards/Codes for Seismic Safety of Computers and Related Equipment

Thanks in advance,
Mel Hoffman
E-mail: MelMac@pacbell.net

6)----------
Seeking Information on Digital Disaster Communications

I am a professional software developer seeking input from disaster professionals in designing an application that makes efficient use of amateur packet radio to communicate information in the event of a disaster. The advantages of using packet radio are numerous:

• Privacy - anyone with a scanner can hear your voice, but it's a bit harder to listen to digital data
• Accuracy - digital data is inherently more accurate than voice data
• Speed - positioned properly, data can be gathered, processed, and exchanged much faster via digital means than by hand

• Ability to pass structured messages
• Ability to automatically gather and exchange data between stations
• Ability to automatically route messages from "point A" to "point B" with no user intervention
• Ability to query databases for information

I have been unable to locate viable software solutions. The closest I have seen is a package called ARESDATA, which is a DOS-based application limited in scope. TCP/IP software for packet is readily available, but node address configuration is not dynamic, and there is the overhead of TCP/IP to contend with on an already slow 1200 baud half-duplex link. Clearly, a better solution needs to be found.

The software I propose will use the AX.25 protocol built into all packet controllers instead of adding another protocol layer on top of that one. Packet routing will be automatic. The ultimate goal would be for a shelter manager to be able to walk up to a laptop or small desktop system and be able to send a message to "Big City EOC" or send a message to all stations asking "where is person XXX" and have that question answered automatically. The software must be able to peek into data maintained by existing applications (such as any software that used a database to maintain lists and status information of responders, or shelter management software) and be able to query and update those databases as needed.

I can write the software - the routing layer has been designed and tested, the transport layer is complete and in the testing phase, and the application layer is in the conceptual phase. What I need now is input from shelter managers, Red Cross folks, and disaster managers to tell me 1) what they'd like to see, and 2) what information they need. I'd also like to get a bunch of beta test sites to play with the software to tell me what else needs to be done.

Ideally, the software would either be free or at a nominal cost, to encourage folks to use it.

Ideas, inspiration, offers of help, and informational assistance would be gratefully appreciated. What else do people see that this software could be utilized for? I'd like to make it flexible enough so that as people's needs change, the software can accommodate that growth.

Thanks for your help,
Ed Carp, N7EKG
E-mail: erc@pobox.com

7)----------
Share Your Y2K Emergency Management Information

[Taken from the November IAEM Bulletin - the newsletter of the International Association of Emergency Managers]

International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) member Mike Martinet is starting an e-mail information sharing system for emergency managers. He states, "Send me information on Y2K contingency planning efforts or 'real' Y2K problems you have newly discovered. In return, I will place everyone on an e-mail list and redistribute this information to all. I am especially interested in 'embedded chip' and public utility issues." Mike can be contacted via e-mail at: areag@earthlink.net.

8)----------
GWU and VPI Launch Joint Effort

[Taken from a recent Emergency Information Infrastructure Partnership Newsletter - see: http://www.emforum.org/eiip/vo03no03.htm]

The George Washington University, home of the Institute for Crisis, Disaster, and Risk Management, has joined forces with Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University to form a Joint Center for Crisis and Disaster Management and Mitigation. The new center represents a pooling of intellectual resources with respect to both natural and human-caused hazards in the metro Washington, D.C., and northern Virginia area. Both universities have faculty members with extensive hazards/disaster experience. The joint center plans to hold a monthly series of presentations on the third Thursday of each month. To indicate interest in these sessions or to be included in the center's mailing list, call (703) 729-8271 or e-mail crisismgt@seas.gwu.edu.

9)----------
Postdoctoral Opportunities at the USGS

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Geologic Division, is conducting a national competition to find outstanding scientists who have recently completed doctorate-level research to fill 1- to 2-year contractual positions as guest research associates. The objective of the program is to provide associates of unusual promise and ability a formal opportunity to conduct research in an area of their choice that falls within the realm of the Geologic Division's long-term scientific goals (which include, among other things, conducting geologic hazard assessments for mitigation planning, providing short-term prediction of geologic disasters and rapidly characterizing their effects, and anticipating the environmental impacts of climate variability). Approximately five positions are available. For more information, see the Postdoctoral Research Associateship Program Announcement, which is available via the World Wide Web at http://geology.usgs.gov/postdoc/; or call (703) 648-6630 to request a copy.

10)----------
EIIP Virtual Forum Schedule for November 1998

Through its EMForum Web site (http://www.emforum.org), the Emergency Information Infrastructure Partnership (EIIP) offers "Round Table" discussions, Tuesdays at 1:00 pm Eastern Time. That time slot is available for Partner discussions upon request. Additionally, the EIIP is offering:

November 4, Wednesday, 12:00 Noon EST: "Senior Officials Workshop: Preparedness and Response for Terrorist Incidents," presented in the Virtual Classroom by Dennis Hickethier, FEMA Emergency Management Institute, and Tim Campbell, consultant in course development.

November 5, Thursday, 8:00 PM EST: EIIP Special Event in the Virtual Fire and Rescue Expo (VFRE): WEBEX! - a virtual emergency management exercise (login: http://www.vfre.com). Supported by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and its Emergency Management Institute, WEBEX is an attempt to demonstrate the viability of Internet interactive technology for conducting emergency management exercises involving individuals from across the country. All planning, instruction, and rehearsal for WEBEX have been accomplished on-line. Approximately 40 players from local and state governments and the private sector volunteered to assume the roles of controllers, evaluators, and role players in the exercise. Background information is available from the WEBEX portion of the VFRE Web site: http://www.vfre.com/presentation5. Interested persons are invited to monitor WEBEX throughout the exercise. Drop in players are especially encourage to play the role of the media in the Briefing Room. The objective of WEBEX is not to test individual knowledge or skill, but rather, to determine whether this technology might be suitable for use as a distance learning tool or regional coordination tool for plan development and testing.

November 11, Wednesday, 12:00 Noon EST: "Risk Factors for Death in February '98 Florida Tornadoes" presented in the Virtual Library by Thomas Schmidlin, Ph.D., Kent University.

November 18, Wednesday, 12:00 Noon EST: "Security in the World of Crisis Management" - application demonstrated in the Technology Arena by Merrily Powell, Essential Technologies, Inc.

November 25, Wednesday, 12:00 Noon EST: FEMA's "Partnerships in Preparedness Volume III: A Compendium of Exemplary Practices in Emergency Management, 1998 Edition" presented in the Virtual Forum.

To participate, log-in to the Virtual Forum: http://www.emforum.org. For first-time users, simply use the link on the Virtual Forum home page to create a "User Account" and personal password (all lower case) and follow instructions. Questions or comments, should be directed to Avagene Moore, CEM, EIIP Coordinator; e-mail: amoore@emforum.org -or- Amy Sebring, EIIP Technical Projects Coordinator; e-mail: asebring@emforum.org.

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