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I am a post-graduate student at Oxford Brookes University, UK, studying for a Master of Science Degree in Development Practices. I am presently in the research phase of the degree and have chosen to do a review of the IDNDR [United Nations International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction] for my dissertation.
Within the review, I intend to study the impact of IDNDR locally, nationally, and regionally. I will be looking at the effect of individual projects in disaster reduction, as well as the impact of activities initiated by national committees/focal points and the IDNDR Secretariat itself.
Part of the review will include the views on the impact of IDNDR of people such as yourselves who are involved in IDNDR activities. I will be collecting opinions through interviews in the UK, but hope that through this e-mail list I will be able to discover the views of more people over a wider geographical area, and over a wider range of disciplines and specialties.
Therefore, I would really appreciate you giving 5 minutes of your time to reply to this e-mail with your views and stories about the success and impact, or otherwise, of the IDNDR in your projects, countries or regions.
Thank you very much for your time.
Miss Nichola Simmonds
E-mail:
98071726@brookes.ac.uk
Hello,
My name is Kenton Friesen. I work for the Manitoba Emergency
Management Organization. I am currently working on a project to
demonstrate the capabilities of GIS systems for use within an
operations centre. Is there a standard set of symbols used to identify
different disasters, e.g. fire, flood, plane crash, train derailment
etc.?
Your help is appreciated,
Kenton
E-mail: kentfriese@gs.gov.mb.ca
I am an Indonesian student and IGIA (Institute for Geographic Information and Analysis) researcher searching for methodologies for hazard zonation (hazard mapping) due to lahar and pyroclastic flow. My research topic is Integration of Remote Sensing (Landsat TM) and GIS (geological map, geomorphological map, river map, vegetation map, and land-use map) for lahar and pyroclastic flow zonation (hazard mapping), especially for Merapi Volcano. I would greatly appreciate any information by e-mail or to my postal address:
Frans R. Siahaan
Remote Sensing and GIS Department
Faculty of Geography
Gadjah Mada University
Jl. Baradha 47B
Puren, Sleman
Yogyakarta 55283
Indonesia
E-mail:
frans98@mailcity.com
Steven Winter Associates, Inc., a building research firm, is under contract with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to prepare a guidebook for the owners of mobile homes and HUD-Code manufactured homes. This guidebook will illustrate a variety of measures that can be taken to strengthen the home to resist the most common forms of natural disasters.
We are seeking information on retrofit measures, the construction of older mobile homes, their behavior during natural disasters, and relevant sources of information. If you have such information, please contact Gordon Tully by e-mail at gtully@swinter.com. Our Web site can be seen at http://www.swinter.com.
[Adapted from the June 1999 "IAEM Bulletin" - the newsletter of the International Association of Emergency Managers]
The Public Health Service has initiated a project to compare the health and medical portions of disaster plans/annexes, and they are asking emergency managers to send copies of such plans (sources will remain anonymous). Sample methods and contents will be made available at the end of the project. Send material to: Peter Podell, U.S. Public Health Service, Office of Emergency Preparedness, 12300 Twinbrook Parkway, Room 360, Rockville, MD 20847; e-mail: ppodell@osophs.dhhs.gov.
[Also adapted from the June 1999 "IAEM Bulletin"]
The Emergencies and Megacities Initiative (EMI) is an international grassroots organization trying to reduce earthquake risk. The EMI mission is to accelerate earthquake preparedness, mitigation, and recovery for large urban areas by bridging the existing gap in technology transfer to the end users. These efforts are aimed at improving practical, cost-effective, and culturally appropriate solutions, particularly in developing countries.
Established in early 1998, EMI is a scientific, nongovernmental organization. Supported so far with in-kind contributions, volunteers, and small grants, EMI is preparing to incorporate as a nonprofit organization so it can receive broader funding. The organization sees research and scientific advancements as only one-half of a two-pronged approach to earthquake mitigation. The second half involves capacity building among at-risk cities - focusing on specific projects and fostering strong regional and local partnerships.
Regarding this latter approach, EMI supports a "twin cities" project (which pairs or groups cities with differing earthquake experience in order for them to share knowledge and insights), development of regional centers to spread information and expertise, and a training and education program.
A major workshop to further the aims of EMI is planned for November 29 - December 2, 1999 in Manila. For more information about this initiative, see http://www-megacities.physik.uni-karlsruhe.de/ or contact EMI members: Ellis Stanley, e-mail: estanley@cao.ci.la.ca.us, tel: (213) 485-3469; Shirley Mattingly, e-mail: abovethebay@earthlink.net; tel: (415) 435-0149; Pamela Ehret, EMI Executive Secretary, Engineering Resource, Risk Management Solutions, Inc., 149 Commonwealth Drive, Menlo Park, CA 94025; tel: (650) 617-6613; fax: (650) 617-6490; e-mail: pamelae@riskinc.com.
[Adapted from the Emergency Management Forum "Preparedness" e-mail list. See http://www.emforum.org.]
The International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) has extended the deadline for participation in its Y2K survey (http://www.iaem.com/y2k-survey.html) and emergency managers are urged to provide input. The survey is designed to measure confidence in the level of compliance of command and control systems and evaluate compliance and/or preparedness in selected critical sectors. The information provided will be utilized by the emergency management community in reporting to the White House on Y2K preparedness levels. IAEM will compile data and post findings. Please complete this survey on-line so IAEM can receive your responses electronically; however, if this is not possible, you may download the survey instrument and fax your responses to IAEM headquarters: (703) 241-5603.
"Natural Disaster Management" (NDM), the official commemorative volume of the United Nations' International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR) 1990-2000 is just off the presses. NDM assesses the achievements of the Decade and analyses how we may continue to promote hazard preparedness into the 21st Century in order to reduce loss of life and property. Comprising more than 100 contributions from experts across 32 countries, NDM offers a rich and diverse selection of articles on natural hazard preparedness and disaster mitigation. This book is intended for anyone concerned with the observation, analysis, interpretation, management, and mitigation of natural hazards. Copies are now available for US$70 (45 Pounds Sterling) from its UK publisher, Tudor Rose; tel: +44 116 251 5123; fax: +44 116 251 7123. An on-line order form is available from the NDM Web site: http://www.ndm.co.uk.
[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://hurricane.lsu.edu
A team of faculty and graduate students from Louisiana State
University are currently hosting an Internet conference on "Hurricanes
and Chemical Hazards" at this site. Numerous papers are already
available on-line, and the authors and staff encourage interested
persons to take a look and provide insights, comments, and other
discussion.
http://www.anglia.ac.uk/geography/gdn
The Gender and Disaster Network is an educational project
initiated by women and men interested in gender relations in disaster
contexts. It emerged from an early-morning meeting during the July
1997 Hazards Workshop in Denver, Colorado. While understanding that
communication technology is not fully accessible and that we work in
many languages and contexts, this group hopes to utilize the Internet
to support a global network of researchers and practitioners. Broadly
stated, the network's goals are to:
This Web site was developed to support these goals. It currently includes a list of members with short statements of interest, papers, bibliographies, and other material outlining gender issues related to disasters. The Gender and Disaster Network is open to anyone who shares these goals.
http://pdm.medicine.wisc.edu/executiv2.htm
This site offers a complete on-line document, "Health Disaster
Management: Guidelines for Evaluation and Research in the Utstein
Style: Executive Summary" by the Task Force on Quality Control of
Disaster Management.
There has been little organized evaluation and research into the medical aspects of disasters, and most of the issues and the solutions defined represent a litany that has been repeated over and over in after-action reports during the last 25 years. Such evaluations have not provoked changes or allowed the identification of resources to promulgate such changes.
Moreover, today, there does not exist any universally accepted organized methodology for conducting and reporting evaluations of the medical effectiveness, efficacy, and benefit/cost relationships of disaster medical responses and relief efforts. In addition, there are no guidelines for conducting research relative to the health aspects of disaster response. Current research designs and evaluation strategies usually are anecdotal, and much of the data reported has little external validity (application to other events) because common factors have not been identified. In addition, both the responses and the projects for their evaluation are multidisciplinary, and there are no universally recognized, common definitions of terms and abbreviations used among the multiple disciplines involved.
However, in the new science of disaster medicine there now are techniques available that can be used in the design and conduct of evaluations and research of disasters. The validity of such techniques has been demonstrated repeatedly within the last decade. Thus, the science to conduct such studies currently exists.
The guidelines proposed in this report are the result of extensive research and discussions by a steering committee during multiple meetings over the past five years and by invited participants in an International Workshop on the Quality Control of Disaster Management conducted at the Nordic School of Public Health in Gothenburg, Sweden. The task of these meetings was the development of a structural framework for investigations into the medical and public health aspects of disasters that could be used for the appropriate design, conduct, and reporting of evaluation and research. Such studies could investigate absorbing capacity and preparation for the impact or the unfortunate realization of a hazard, the effectiveness and efficacy of responses as they relate to the needs of the affected population, and benefit/cost relationships associated with medical responses to disasters worldwide. Such studies would result in the ability to compare and integrate the findings of evaluations and research of many disasters with the goal of improving the effectiveness and decreasing costs associated with the health aspects of prevention, vulnerability, preparedness, and response to disasters.
http://www.worldbank.org/html/fpd/urban/dis_man/dis_man.htm
This is the Web site of the World Bank's new Disaster Management
Facility (DMF) (see DR #283).
Developing countries suffer the greatest costs when disaster hits - more than 95% of all deaths caused by disasters occur in developing countries, and losses due to natural disasters are 20 times greater (as a percent of GDP) in developing countries than in industrial countries. World Bank lending has increased greatly over the last decade (to about $8.8 billion) in response to both sudden-onset events (e.g., earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, and forest fires) and slow-onset events, such as droughts, in every region of bank involvement.
However, poorly planned development can turn a recurring natural phenomenon into a human and economic disaster. For example, allowing dense populations on a floodplain or allowing poor or unenforced building codes in earthquake zones is as likely as a natural event itself to cause casualties and losses. Similarly, allowing the degradation of natural resources increases the risk of disaster.
To deal with these issues, in July 1998 the World Bank established the DMF to ensure that disaster prevention and mitigation are integral parts of development programs. The DMF provides operational support, promoting capacity-building and establishing partnerships with the international and scientific community working on disaster issues. Key activities of the DMF include:
For more information about the DMF, contact Alcira Kreimer, Manager, or Margaret Arnold, Program Officer, Disaster Management Facility, World Bank, 1818 H Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20433; (202) 473-1378; fax: (202) 522-3224 or (202) 522-2125; e-mail: DMF@worldbank.org; WWW: http://www.worldbank.org/html/fpd/urban/dis_man/dis_man.htm.
http://www.area.fi.cnr.it/protezionecivile
This Web site offers the proceedings from a conference: "The
Challenge of Major Hazards on the Threshold of the New Millennium
Palazzo dei Congressi, Florence, November 3-8, 1998"; it includes
papers in both Italian and English. Those in English cover such issues
as "The Use of Virtual Emergency Management Information Systems in
Integrated Emergency Management Activities: A Look at the Emerging
Role of the Internet," "The Re-emergence of Environmental Hazard as an
Urban Problem," "The Role of Epidemiology in Mitigating the Impact of
Natural Disasters," "The Content of Emergency Training Programs," and
many other topics.
http://mceer.buffalo.edu/pubs.html
The publications section of the MCEER (Multidisciplinary Center
for Earthquake Engineering Research) Web site has recently been
expanded. All MCEER publications can now be accessed through an
improved catalog that allows users to search for publications along
any of several dimensions (title, author, date, type, etc.). Each
publication then has its own page with complete information and
references to related materials, if appropriate. The site also
includes an on-line order form.
http://www.disaster.info.desastres.net/idndr/hemiscr/ig_decla.htm
The Hemispheric Meeting of the International Decade for Natural
Disaster Reduction (IDNDR) for Latin America and the Caribbean was
held in San Jose, Costa Rica, in early June. The recommendations and
conclusions of this meeting will be presented at the IDNDR Global
Forum in Geneva in July, the closing event for the IDNDR. In the
meantime, the Declaration of San Jose, approved by the participants at
the San Jose meeting, is available at the Web site above.
http://www.paho.org/english/ped/pedhome.htm (See "Earthquake in
Mexico" under "What's New")
At this Web site, the PAHO/WHO Office in Mexico is posting
situation reports on the recent Mexico earthquake. While the quake did
not cause large-scale loss of life or infrastructure, several
hospitals and health centers in the states of Puebla, Oaxaca, and
Guerrero did suffer damage. The latest reports on these affected
health facilities are on this Web site.
http://www.oas.org/nhp
This is the new URL for the Natural Hazards Project (NHP) of the
Unit for Sustainable Development and Environment (USDE), Organization
of American States (OAS) (see DR #283). The page contains information,
in Spanish and English, about the project's various natural hazard
mitigation activities including the projects in the areas of
transportation vulnerability reduction, education vulnerability
reduction, and floodplain management, as well as announcements about
up-coming activities, the project's internship program (see Disaster
Research #281), and contact information.
The Western States Seismic Policy Council (WSSPC) is accepting applications for its Awards in Excellence program. These awards recognize achievement in earthquake mitigation, preparedness, and response. The program is both a way to showcase model programs and to reward innovative efforts within the earthquake hazard reduction community. Details about the program and a list of previous recipients can be found on the WSSPC Web site at http://www.wsspc.org.
Eligibility:
State, provincial, county, or city government or nonprofit agencies in
WSSPC member states, provinces, and territories are eligible for the
WSSPC Awards in Excellence. Programs must be nominated by someone
outside of the nominated agency.
Categories:
Awards are given in the following categories:
Applications are due to the WSSPC Office July 12. For an application or more information contact WSSPC, 121 Second Street, 4th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94105; (415) 974-6435; fax: (415) 974-1747; e-mail: wsspc@wsspc.org.
A DR reader passed along the following Executive Order from last week:
By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, and in order to create the Information Coordination Center to assist the Chair of the President's Council on Year 2000 Conversion in addressing year 2000 conversion problems both domestically and internationally, it is hereby ordered that Executive Order 13073 is amended as follows:
Section 1. A new section 5 is added to the order and shall read "Sec. 5. Information Coordination Center. (a) To assist the Chair in the Y2K response duties included under section 2(c) of this order, there shall be established the Information Coordination Center (ICC) in the General Services Administration.
(b) At the direction of the Chair, the ICC will assist in making preparations for information sharing and coordination within the Federal Government and key components of the public and private sectors, coordinating agency assessments of Y2K emergencies that could have an adverse affect on U.S. interests at home and abroad, and, if necessary, assisting Federal agencies and the Chair in reconstitution processes where appropriate.
(c) The ICC will:
(1) consist of officials from executive agencies, designated by
agency heads under subsection 3(a)(2) of this order, who have
expertise in important management and technical areas, computer
hardware, software or security systems, reconstitution and recovery,
and of additional personnel hired directly or by contract, as
required, to carry out the duties described under section 5 of this
order;
(2) work with the Council and the Office of Management and Budget to assure that Federal efforts to restore critical systems are coordinated with efforts managed by Federal agencies acting under existing emergency response authorities."
(d) The Chair of the President's Council on Year 2000 Conversion shall designate a Director of the ICC.
Sec. 2. The preexisting section 5 of Executive Order 13073 shall be renumbered as section 6.
WILLIAM J. CLINTON
THE WHITE HOUSE,
June 14, 1999.
The Pan American Health Organization of the World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) has a vacancy for an Emergency Preparedness Advisor with duty station in Quito, Ecuador. This senior-level advisor will assist in developing and strengthening disaster preparedness, mitigation, and response programs in South America. The deadline for applying is July 27, 1999. Visit PAHO's Web site for the full-text description of the duties and requirements of this post: http://www.paho.org/english/apl/apl99p26.htm#99p26is. At the bottom of the vacancy notice you will find instructions for applying on-line. If you cannot access this Web site, send an e-mail message to renzolin@paho.org, and PAHO will fax you a copy of the vacancy notice.
The U.S. Agency for International Development/Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (AID/OFDA) currently seeks a person for the position of Program Operations Assistant in Washington, DC. This is a 2-Year contract at the GS-7/9 level ($27,508 to $43,747 annual). The solicitation closes 6/25/99.
If you are interested in this position and consider yourself suitable to the tasks and qualifications of the position please contact XL Associates by calling Jesse Freese or Kirk Dohne at (301) 770-0090. The complete solicitation and more information on how to apply are available from http://www.xla.com/ofda/poa61199.htm.
Details:
The Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) of the U.S. Agency for International Development is recruiting for a Program Operations Assistant for its Operations Support Division. A complete list of duties is available from the Web site indicated above.
Qualifications:
Bachelor's degree and one year's experience in administrative support
or similar employment. Experience in working with international
organizations, USG agencies and NGO's helpful. Basic computer skills,
writing and analytical skills. Experience with logistics useful. An
ability to organize and prioritize tasks is essential. USAID Secret
Level security clearance will be required. U.S. citizenship required.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Division of International Health (DIH), Epidemiology Program Office (EPO), currently has a number of positions available as resident consultants to the Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETP) / Data for Decision-Making (DDM) Training Programs in Central America. As a result of recent congressional funding for Hurricane Mitch relief CDC has been asked to provide assistance in the rehabilitation of the various countries public health infrastructure. The incumbent will function as epidemiologist in the Division of International Health (DIH), assigned to work with ministries of health and may be stationed in one of the following countries: Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Haiti, or Costa Rica. The incumbent has primary responsibility for providing assistance to the program director, program staff and trainees, and the ministry of health, regarding FETP and DDM activities, working in conjunction with USAID, PAHO, and various other agencies.
Duties will include assisting FETP staff with the planning and implementation of basic applied epidemiology and statistical training for FETP trainees; providing guidance in conducting field investigations and studies of infectious and non-infectious disease outbreaks, chronic diseases, environmental and other threats to public health. Duties will also include assisting the FETP / DDM staff with the planning and implementation of in-service training in data use for state-level personnel. Improvement of data collection and information systems, as well as helping develop strategies for country-specific health problems will also be priority activities. The DDM training program includes basic epidemiology, management, economic evaluation, and communications. In addition, the incumbent will assist with preparation of scientific papers and presentations for seminars and international meetings; facilitate collaboration with CDC, academic institutions, other international agencies and private organizations, and coordinate laboratory activities with designated agencies. Working to promote the sustainability and institutionalization of the FETP / DDM within the MOH during the tenure of the incumbent will also be a priority objective.
Qualifications for Medical Officer/Medical Epidemiologist/
Epidemiologist:
Doctoral-level degree (MD, DO, or DVM) is required, plus four years of
additional education/training or experience in public health or
medicine, including two years experience in the Epidemic Intelligence
Service, or two years additional experience in public health practice,
or completion of a residency in a medical specialty, or specialized
training in a public health-related field, such as an MPH or
equivalent degree. Experience in applied public health training is
desirable. A proficiency in Spanish is required.
Interested candidates should submit curriculum vitae by July 9, 1999 to Diane Wylie, Mailstop C08, Division of International Health, EPO Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA 30333; e-mail: mdw1@cdc.gov. For additional information contact Sharon McDonnell at (404) 639-3188 or via e-mail at SEM0@cdc.gov.
Klutz (the juggling and knots people) have come out with a very cool book titled "Disaster Science." The target audience is children, but I found it an excellent survey and primer for the newbie emergency manager.
Without disregard for the suffering involved, the authors successfully provide a lighthearted perspective that should engage children (and grownups) without scaring the bejesis out of them. There are also some excellent before and after lift-up photos courtesy of PhotoShop that most will be amazed at.
Anyway, it's $12.95 and worth it. ISBN 1-57054-251-1.
Klutz
455 Portage Avenue
Palo Alto, CA 94306
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]
Letter of Map Change Process and Determining the 100-year Floodplain in Approximate A Zones. Offered by: Utah Floodplain Management Association. Salt Lake City, Utah: August 10-11, 1999. Call (801) 538- 3750 to reserve a place in this workshop.
Applied Workshop on Stream, River, and Floodplain Restoration. Sponsors: Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM) and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Chicago, Illinois: September 1-2, 1999. Contact: ASFPM, 4233 West Beltline Highway, Madison, WI 53711; (608) 274-0123; fax: (608) 274-0696; e-mail: asfpm@floods.org; WWW: http://www.floods.org/rrw2.htm.
Fifteenth International Hazardous Material Spills Conference. Sponsors: National Response Team, National Governor's Association, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and others. St. Louis, Missouri: April 4-6, 2000. For details, e-mail: hazmat2000@nrt.org; WWW: http://www.nrt.org/hazmat2000.
Eighth International Conference of the Natural Hazards Society. Tokushima, Shikoku, Japan: May 21-25, 2000. Abstracts are due September 30, 1999. See: http://www.drs.dpri.kyoto-u.ac.jp/Hazards2000/. For general information, contact: Russell Blong, Natural Hazards Society, c/o Natural Hazards Research Centre, Macquarie University, NSW 2109, Australia; fax: +61-2-9850-9394; e-mail: NHS@ocs1.ocs.mq.edu.au; WWW: http://www.es.mq.edu.au/NHRC/NHS.
Karst 2000: International Symposium and Field Seminar on the Present State and Future Trends of Karst Studies. Sponsors: International Research and Application Center for Karst Water Resources and others. Marmaris, Turkey: September 17-21, 2000 (symposium); September 22-26, 2000 (field seminar). Abstracts are being solicited. Contact: (North America) A. Ivan Johnson, Honorary Chairperson, Karst 2000, 7474 Upham Court, Arvada, CO 80003; (303) 425-5610; fax: (303) 425-5655; (Europe, Asia, Africa, etc.) Prof. Gultekin Gunay, International Research and Application Center for Karst Water Resources, Hacettepe University, 06532 Beytepe Ankara, Turkey; tel: +90 312 235 2543; fax: +90 312 299 2136; e-mail: karst@eti.cc.hun.edu.tr; WWW: http://www.karst.hun.edu.tr.
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