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Hello!
I'm putting together a manual for Swedish authorities on how to use
the Internet for spreading information in case of hazards or disaster.
Many communities in Sweden have learned that this is becoming a more
and more effective way to keep the citizens up to date. So what I want
to know is: In what way is the Internet commonly used in the United
States? What are your experiences about advantages and disadvantages?
In short, do you have any tips? What needs to be in such a manual?
Grateful for any kind of answer . . .
Sara Morge
for the National Board of Psychological Defence (Sweden)
E-mail: sara.morge@telia.com
Intercultural Volcanic Hazards Communications - input solicited! Nancy Hoft, a Ph.D. candidate in Scientific and Technical Communications at Michigan Tech University, has written a chapter aimed at interesting technical communicators in volcanic hazards and the problems of effective communications about them to affected people. The volcanological community has a growing interest in attracting communications experts to the field, and you are invited to send feedback on this article, which is titled "Communicating the Risks of Natural Hazards: The World-at-Large Is at Stake" directly to Ms. Hoft at: nhoft@world-ready.com.
The chapter focuses on volcanic hazards in and around Santa Maria Volcano in Guatemala, one of IAVCEI's Decade Volcanoes. There is a lot of information about the current (November 1998) activity and the response of local people to the problems. The article is meant as a seed for student investigations and can be read on the Web at: http://www.world-ready.com/volcano.htm
Again, comments should be directed to Nancy Hoft, e-mail: nhoft@world-ready.com.
Submitted by Bill Rose
Geological Engineering and Sciences
Michigan Tech University
Currently on leave at Bristol Univ
E-mail: W.I.Rose@bristol.ac.uk
I am frequently asked to send outline/format for disaster plans to health care facilities. With the assistance of the state emergency preparedness agency, I have prepared a format that can be used by nursing homes in completing their emergency/disaster plans. This plan can be revised to accommodate residential care facilities.
My questions: Is there a source for plan formats that can be used by these facilities or by adult and child day care centers, or even other types of care facilities? Some type of starter kit, if you will, that can help them in constructing emergency plans? If so, I would appreciate it if you could provide me this information. If not, we intend to continue our assistance to them, however, it is getting a bit time consuming.
Anthony Wynn
E-mail:
WYNNTJ@columb54.dhec.state.sc.us
The European Community Office is implementing a Disaster Prevention, Information, and Mitigation Program for the Caribbean region and is implementing 11 regional and national projects to strengthen prevention efforts and support community initiatives in Jamaica, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and the Caribbean region generally. We are preparing a second action plan for 1999-2000, and I would like to make an appeal to obtain information on current disaster management programs for the Caribbean.
Also, I would like to inform everyone that we are working on a Web Site and a Distribution List for Disaster Management in the Caribbean. Any assistance you can provide would be most appreciated. If you need information about our program I can provide you with it. I'll be posting the address of the Web site as soon as it is ready.
Sincerely,
Daniel Urena Cot
Assistant Coordinateur Regional
Officina ECHO Caribe
Calle La lira #4 El Vergel
Santo Domingo, Republica Dominicana
Tel (809) 472-1615 Fax: (809) 472-3767
Email:
urena.dipecho@internet.codetel.net.do
Greetings!
I am seeking assistance regarding a project I am currently working on.
The project is aimed at developing guidelines on community information
gathering in emergency management. The guidelines will provide advice
to agencies on conducting surveys that will enable them to: obtain a
better understanding of community risk, awareness, and behaviour (and
the relationship among them); assess community expectations of
services delivered by emergency management organisations; assess
community satisfaction with service delivery; and develop and evaluate
services/programs.
I am eager to obtain the following information:
If you wish to further discuss this project I can be contacted via telephone at +61 (0)2 6266 5009; fax: +61 (02) 6257 7665; e-mail: dwinterburn@ema.gov.au.
I thank you in anticipation of your assistance.
David Winterburn
Disaster Mitigation Development Officer
Emergency Management Australia
E-mail:
David.Winterburn@ema.gov.au
**QR Reports**
As long-time DR readers are well aware, the Natural Hazards Center
sponsors "Quick Response" research regarding the effects of and
immediate response to disasters. The center publishes brief reports of
these researchers' findings on the World Wide Web. Below are three new
reports now available on-line.
http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/qr/qr113.html
QR113: "The Mass Media, Political Fragmentation, and
Environmental Injustice in Puerto Rico: A Case Study of the
Floods in Barrio Tortugo," by Marla Perez-Lugo
http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/qr/qr114.html
QR114: "Effectiveness of Geographic Information Systems (GIS)
Applications in Flood Management During and After Hurricane
Fran," by Ute J. Dymon
http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/qr/qr115.html
QR115: "A Review of Relief: An Examination of the Response to
Hurricane Georges in the Dominican Republic," by David A.
McEntire
The entire list of quick response reports is available at:
http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/qr/qr.html
In addition, printed copies can be purchased for $5.00 each, plus
shipping charges ($3.00 for the U.S., Canada, and Mexico; $4.00 for
international surface mail; and $5.00 for international air printed
matter). Orders should be directed to the Publications Clerk, Natural
Hazards Research and Applications Information Center, Campus Box 482,
University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0482, (303) 492-6819; fax:
(303) 492-2151; e-mail:
jclark@colorado.edu. For overseas costs,
contact the Publications Clerk at the address above or consult the
Hazards Center on-line publication order form:
http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/puborder.html.
**1998 Annual Report**
Almost 15,000 people receive the Hazard Center's printed newsletter,
the "Natural Hazards Observer," and another 2,000+ receive "Disaster
Research," the e-mail rag you're reading right now. The center's Web
site now offers 35 Quick Response reports and seven Working Papers. If
you would like more information about what the center has been up to
lately, including the titles of all recent publications, see the
"Natural Hazards Research and Applications Information Center 1998
Annual Report," now on-line at
http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/annrpt/98annrpt.html.
**Search Engines**
Last year, the Hazards Center added two search engines to its Web site
to help users locate information either on the site or in the Hazard
Center's bibliographic database, HazLit. Recently, we added two more
search facilities to enable netsurfers to search back issues of either
the "Natural Hazards Observer," our printed newsletter, or "Disaster
Research," the e-mail rag you're reading right now. See
http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/o/oquery.html
or
http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/dr/drquery.html.
The EmergencyNet News service has announced a new initiative for 1999. Because the service believes that "all too frequently, the general public and even other emergency service providers usually hear only 'one side of the story' that . . . may be critical of emergency service/government agencies," the service has decided to invite all fire, police, EMS, disaster, military, intelligence, and other emergency-related agencies to submit their press releases, situation reports, and/or supplemental information on notable incidents so that the information can be shared with other emergency service personnel and the media in EmergencyNet's daily internet news reports and on their Web site: http://www.emergency.com.
In return for this local feedback and information, the service promises to provide a forum for more positive press for emergency/disasters services departments. Persons interested in participating should send department press releases by e-mail to firenet@emergency.com, or fax them to (773) 631-4703. Questions, comments, or suggestions, should be directed to: Clark Staten, Executive Director/Publisher, EmergencyNet News Service Emergency Response & Research Institute, 6348 North Milwaukee Avenue, #312 Chicago, IL 60646; (773) 631-3774; fax: (773) 631-4703; modem/emergency BBS on-line: (773) 631-3467; WWW: http://www.emergency.com; e-mail: webmaster@emergency.com.
The Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS) is a nonprofit initiative of the insurance industry to reduce deaths, injuries, property damage, economic losses, and human suffering caused by natural disasters. One of the major initiatives of IBHS is to institutionalize mitigation. IBHS' Certified Home Program provides a set of criteria for new construction and retrofit of existing one- and two-family homes that, when voluntarily implemented, would strengthen the home's resistance to natural perils. If a qualified inspector completes an inspection and certifies that a home meets all the criteria for the perils affecting the home, the home will receive a special designation. It will then qualify for various private- and public-sector incentives tied to natural hazard mitigation. The homeowner could also save thousands of dollars in avoided damage, and more importantly, reduce human casualties during the next natural disaster.
IBHS has developed criteria for the five natural hazards covered under the Certified Home Program: windstorm/hurricanes, flood/water, urban/wildland interface fires, earthquakes, and hail; and the institute is seeking an experienced contractor to develop a comprehensive training kit that will qualify inspectors to conduct home inspection under this project. Working under the guidance and overview of the IBHS Project Manager, the training kit contractor will be required to develop: 1) full explanatory technical and background material on the peril criteria; 2) a detailed set of examinations to certify inspectors, who will consist of architects, engineers, building officials, home inspectors, and contractors; and 3) three live training seminars to be conducted within the state of Florida plus a video seminar. Following the completion of the draft kit materials, examination materials, and training seminars, the contractor will revise the draft kit to incorporate input provided by the Project Manager to develop a final version of the Certified Home Training Kit.
An extensive description of the proposed work and selection criteria are available from IBHS. Individuals seeking more information or wishing to be considered for this project should contact Do Kim, P.E., Director, Engineering Services, IBHS, 175 Federal Street, Suite 500, Boston, MA 02482; (617) 292-2003 ext. 242; e-mail: dkim@ibhs.org.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Region IV, Mitigation Division, is seeking a Natural Hazards Program Specialist to support the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and to work on floodplain management issues. Funded by the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), this person will provide a full range of floodplain management technical and training assistance to communities and states participating in the NFIP. Work would include assisting communities in reducing exposure of property and people to natural hazards through implementation of specialized programs and dissemination of technical assistance and information; aiding the NFIP community application process; coordinating the NFIP community conversion process; and providing information and assistance to other parties involved in the NFIP. A complete description of this position, including details on how to apply, is available from the FEMA Web site, http://www.fema.gov, or from the FEMA hot line, 1-800-225-3304. Applications should be sent to FEMA, Field Personnel Operations Division, Building E, Room 113, 16825 South Seton Avenue, Emmitsburg, MD 21727; 1-800-225-3304.
The Promotion and Public Awareness Unit of the United Nations International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR) Secretariat is putting together an exhibition of achievements of the Decade on a country basis. In the context of the 1999 World Disaster Reduction Campaign, the IDNDR Secretariat would like to remind all interested parties that they are invited to share effective examples of successful disaster prevention practices and cases experienced at the international, national, and local level. The aim is to exchange experience between regions in order to enhance disaster reduction awareness. For more information, contact Madeleine Moulin-Acevedo, IDNDR Secretariat, United Nations, Palais des Nations, CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland; tel: (41-22) 917-9709; e-mail: madeleine.moulin-acevedo@dha.unicc.org; WWW: http://www.idndr.org/.
The IDNDR has published a practical "Manual for Social Communication and Disaster Prevention" (available only in Spanish), as a result of last year's campaign. This manual will be available on the Internet shortly and may be requested from the Regional IDNDR Unit in Costa Rica; e-mail: hmolin@undpcos.nu.or.
[These are some of the latest and more useful Internet resources we've encountered. For an extended list of selected Internet sites dealing with hazards and disaster management, see http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/sites/sites.html.]
http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/seg/hazard/tsu.shtml
This page, "Tsunami Data at NGDC," provides access to the
considerable information on tsunamis available from the National
Geophysical Data Center - including NGDC's Tsunami Database, which
encompasses about 6,600 records of tsunami events from 49 B.C. to the
present, tide gage records for over 3,000 tsunamis in the last 150
years, tsunami slide sets, and tsunami publications. (Check out the
cool "Wave of the Future" graphic at the top of the page . . .)
http://www.alaska.net/~atwc/index.html
The home page of the West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center
provides the most recent press releases, advisories, watches, and
warnings from the center; messages from and links to other warning
centers around the Pacific; and links to earthquake catalogs, tsunami
catalogs, and recent historical data on tsunamis. It also describes
the center and provides background information on the physics of
tsunamis, tsunami safety, and the Great Alaskan Earthquake and Tsunami
of 1964.
http://planet-hawaii.com/tsunami
Via this Web site, the Pacific Tsunami Museum in Hilo, Hawaii,
offers not only much information on physical and historical aspects of
tsunamis, but many on-line photographs as well.
http://www.curee.org
CUREe - California Universities for Research in Earthquake
Engineering - is a nonprofit corporation formed by a consortium of
schools devoted to the advancement of earthquake engineering research,
education, and implementation. The new CUREe Web site describes the
organization, its projects, conferences and symposia, and
publications. For more information, contact CUREe, 1301 South 46th
Street, Building 420, Richmond, CA 94804; (510) 231-9557; fax: (510)
231-5664; e-mail: curee@curee.org.
http://www.y2ktimebomb.com/GL/index.htm
Emergency manager Chuck Lanza of Dade County, Florida, has
written a series of articles on local Y2K preparedness available from
the URL above, including a summary of the first of FEMA's recent
series of regional workshops on Y2K.
[Below are some recent 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]
First National Congress on Seismic Engineering. Organized by: Asociacion Espanola de Ingenieria Sismica. Madrid, Spain: April 12-16, 1999. Contact: Secretaria del Primer Congreso Nacional de Ingenieria Sismica, Asociacion Espanola de Ingenieria Sismica (AEIS), C/ Almagro, 42, 28010 - Madrid, Spain; tel/fax: 91 -523 26 85, attn: Srta.Isabel Malagon.
1999 West Coast Disaster Response Conference. Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada: April 25-26, 1999. Contact: Epicentre Inc., Suite 1420-1188 West Georgia Street, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6E 4A2; (604) 682-6005; fax: (604) 682-0500; e-mail: wgc@uniserve.com; WWW: http://www.uniserve.com/epi.
Integrated Response to Disaster: A Multidisciplinary Conference on Disaster Management. Sponsors: (Minneapolis) Metropolitan 911 Board and others. Bloomington, Minnesota: May 19-21, 1999. Contact: Deb Radi, EMS Coordinator, Metropolitan 911 Board, Regional EMS Program, 2099 University Avenue West, Saint Paul, MN 55104-3431; (651) 603- 0105; fax: (651) 603-0101; e-mail: deb.radi@emsmn.com -or- Terry Gisch, Conference Planning Chair; (651) 793-4009; fax: (651) 778-3778; e-mail: terry.m.gisch@healthpartners.com.
13th Annual [Florida] Governor's Hurricane Conference. Tampa, Florida: June 7-11, 1999. Contact: Governor's Hurricane Conference, P.O. Box 279, Tarpon Springs, FL 34688-0279; (727) 944-2724 or 1-800-544-5678; fax: (727) 944-2687; e-mail: lynn.daines@flghc.org; WWW: http://www.flghc.org.
H.E.L.P. - Health Emergencies in Large Populations. Offered by the
International Committee of the Red Cross and World Health
Organization. "Designed to develop and improve the skills of persons
and organizations providing emergency health services in humanitarian
emergencies." Provisional schedule for 1999:
Baltimore, Maryland: July 12-July 30, 1999
Honolulu, Hawaii: July 19-August 6, 1999
Somewhere in Canada: May 3-21, 1999
Geneva, Switzerland: June 21-July 9, 1999
Pretoria, South Africa: November 1999.
Contact: Dr. Pierre Perrin, International Committee of the Red Cross,
19 Avenue de la Paix, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland; tel: +41 22 730 2810;
fax: +41 22 733 9674; e-mail:
pperrin.gva@icr.org.
Colorado Association of Stormwater and Floodplain Managers (CASFM) Tenth Annual Conference. Steamboat Springs, Colorado: September 22-24, 1999. Contact: CASFM, P.O. Box 22673, Denver, CO 80222-0673
1999 National Association of Flood and Stormwater Management Agencies (NAFSMA) Annual Meeting. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: November 2-6, 1999. Contact: NAFSMA, 1299 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Eighth Floor, Washington, DC 20004; (202) 218-4122; fax: (202) 842-0621.
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