Return to Index of Disaster Research Newsletters
Of interest to DR readers is Public Law 106-74, the "Departments of Veterans Affairs and Housing and Housing and Urban Development, and Independent Agencies Appropriations Act, 2000," signed into law by the president on October 18, 1999. This law appropriates funds for the operation of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which received:
Under Public Law 106-60, Congress appropriated the following to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers:
Public Law 106-79, the "Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2000," provides:
For the complete text of these public laws, contact any federal repository library or access the Library of Congress via the World Wide Web: http://thomas.loc.gov.
The Public Assistance Program provides grants to state and local governments and certain nonprofit organizations, enabling them to respond to disasters, recover from disaster impacts, and mitigate the effects of future disasters. The redesigned program emphasizes better, more personal customer service, improved communications, reallocated responsibilities, more efficient and consistent program delivery, and a more efficient system for obtaining funding than under previous regulations.
The final rule that appears in the Federal Register outlines specific changes to regulations that rename documents, define terms, adjust responsibilities, and amend the rule in ways the agency hopes will make it easier to understand. It took effect on November 12, 1999. The complete text of the final rule can be found in your federal repository library or on the World Wide Web at http://www.access.gpo.gov. Information about the Public Assistance Program in general can be found on the FEMA Web site: http://www.fema.gov/r-n-r.
In addition, this new law requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to support efforts by individual states to develop comprehensive emergency communications infrastructure and programs based on coordinated statewide plans. In an effort to assist emergency responders in overcoming prior limitations in wireless service, the legislation also authorizes telecommunications carriers to provide call location information concerning a user of a commercial mobile service to emergency dispatchers and emergency service personnel to help them respond to the user's call; to the user's legal guardian or family member in an emergency situation that involves the risk of death or serious injury; and to others solely responsible for assisting in the delivery of emergency services. Finally, it requires telephone exchange service providers to provide both listed and unlisted subscriber information to providers of emergency services.
Again, the full text of the legislation can be found at any federal repository library or on-line: http://thomas.loc.gov.
HAZUS (short for "Hazards U.S."), a state-of-the-art computer program developed by NIBS to provide loss estimations following an earthquake, has been upgraded and is now significantly faster and can provide more detailed information in just minutes following a quake. The new edition - HAZUS99 - is available from FEMA and NIBS and is free of charge to all federal, state, and local agencies and other public and private organizations.
The program is designed to aid not only response and recovery, but also preparedness and mitigation, through the creation of earthquake scenarios. HAZUS99 is a nationally applicable, standardized method for estimating earthquake losses at the community or regional level. It is available on CD-ROM in three editions: Eastern U.S., Central U.S., and Western U.S. Each CD includes a tutorial and an "Inventory Collection Tool." The program will be available to work with either MapInfo or ArcView GIS software.
CD ROMs containing data for earthquake, wind, and flood exposure analysis are being prepared for each state. FEMA is expanding the capabilities of HAZUS by developing loss estimation models for flood and hurricane hazards, and preview versions of these models are being prepared for release in 2002.
For more information, contact Philip Schneider, NIBS Multihazard Loss
Estimation Program, NIBS, 1090 Vermont Avenue, N.W., Suite 700,
Washington, DC 20005-4905; (202) 289-7800; fax: (202) 289-1092;
e-mail: pschneider@nibs.org; WWW: http://www.nibs.org;
or
Claire Drury, FEMA HAZUS Project Manager, FEMA, 500 C Street, S.W.,
Washington, DC 20472; (202) 646-2884; e-mail: claire.drury@fema.gov.
http://www.floods.org
The Web site of the Association of State Floodplain Managers
(ASFPM) now includes Mitigation Success Stories in the United
States. As the authors state, "The purpose of this document is
twofold: to showcase examples of natural hazard mitigation activities
and to publicize the benefits of mitigation successes across our
country. Hopefully, these examples can serve as models for others to
use and provide decision-makers with valuable information about how to
formulate, undertake and ultimately achieve natural hazard reduction
in our communities."
http://www.egs.uct.ac.za/dimp
The Disaster Mitigation for Sustainable Livelihoods Programme
(DiMP), at the Department of Environmental and Geographical Sciences,
University of Cape Town, South Africa, promotes disaster mitigation as
a strategy to achieve sustainable development. The unit encourages the
integration of disaster mitigation with development programs,
particularly those targeted at economically vulnerable communities.
DiMP carries out its mission in three principal areas: collaborative
research, policy advocacy, and education and training.
In 1997, the Overseas Development Administration of the British Government funded DiMP to establish a regional network of organizations committed to strengthening disaster mitigation research, training, education, and practice. The initial work resulted in the establishment of "Periperi" (partners enhancing resilience for people exposed to risks) - a network of organizations and institutions committed to risk reduction in southern Africa. Periperi allows a diverse range of organizations to work together across disciplines and national borders to further disaster mitigation through sustainable development and the integration of risk reduction principles and technologies into ongoing development practice and policy. Periperi, the Southern African Risk Reduction Network, is now supported by the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance, United States Agency for International Development (OFDA/USAID) and the Department for International Development of the British Government.
The new DiMP Web site provides a description, history, much background information, and details about current areas of interest of the program; more information about Periperi; a list of DiMP publications; and links to related regional and international organizations. For more information about DiMP, contact the Disaster Mitigation for Sustainable Livelihoods Programme, Department of Environmental and Geographical Sciences, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa; tel: 27 (0)21 650-2987, 27 (0)21 650-4115, 27 (0)21 650-4116; fax: 27 (0)21 689-1217; e-mail: nomdo@enviro.uct.ac.za.
http://isis.uwimona.edu.jm/index.html
The new Web site of the Unit for Disaster Studies, Department of
Geography and Geology, University of the West Indies offers scientific
information, data, and references to promote better understanding of
natural hazards in the Caribbean and the relation of people to those
risks. The site has sections entitled Natural Hazards and Disasters
(showing the various hazards to which the islands of the region are
vulnerable), Caribbean Geology, Jamaica, Other Islands, Organizations,
Bibliography, Maps, Announcements, Miscellaneous, and News.
Date & Time Topic
(All times Eastern)
January 5 Classroom Connection - "Community Emergency Response
2:00-3:30 pm Team (C.E.R.T.) Training"
January 12 Disaster Resistant Homes
2:00-4:00 pm
January 19 National Alert Broadcast
2:00-3:30 pm FEMA's monthly video magazine on emergency
management activities and issues
January 26 Gems from EENET - "Recruiting and Retaining
2:00-4:00 pm Volunteers: Preserving A National Resource"
February 2 Special Y2K Wrap-up
2:00-3:00 pm
February 9 Exercising
2:00-4:00 pm
February 16 National Alert Broadcast
2:00-3:00 pm
February 23 Gems from EENET - "Even The Smallest Community
2:00-4:00 pm Can Manage Fire Prevention"
March 1 Learning Again - "Safe Room"
2:00-3:00 pm
March 8 A Case Study of Critical Incident Stress Management
2:00-4:00 pm
March 15 National Alert Broadcast
2:00-3:00 pm
March 22 National Fire Information Council - Part I
2:00-4:00 pm
March 29 "Around the Table" in Emmitsburg
2:00-3:00 pm A new series of programs that brings together the
talents of the staff, faculty, and students at the
National Emergency Training Center.
April 5 Learning Again - program TBA
2:00-3:00 pm
April 12 National Fire Information Council - Part II
2:00-4:00 pm
April 19 National Alert Broadcast
2:00-3:00 pm
April 26 Living with Grief: Children, Adolescents, and Loss
1:30-4:00 pm
All programs will be aired on the following satellites:
C-Band Ku-Band
Galaxy 6 SBS 6
Transponder 24 Transponder 4
Downlink Freq: 4180 MHz Downlink Freq: 11798.5 MHz
Audio Freq: 6.2/6.8 MHz Audio Freq: 6.2/6.8 MHz
Location: 99( West Location: 74( West
Polarity: Vertical Polarity: Vertical
Additional broadcasts will be added to the schedule. For the most
current listing of programs and satellite information, check EENET's
Web Page: http://www.fema.gov/emi/eenet.htm.
IIASA is an international institution, supported by the U.S. and thirteen other governments, that engages in scientific research aimed at providing policy insight on issues of regional and global importance. Its suite of projects presently covers a wide range of issues (see the IIASA Web site: http://www.iiasa.ac.at), including "Natural Catastrophes and Developing Countries" - a project involving a partnership with the World Bank and reinsurance companies to estimate the vulnerability of countries to natural catastrophes and create policy options to prevent or mitigate that vulnerability.
Individuals should consider applying for the summer program if they are an advanced graduate student at a U.S. university; their field is compatible with ongoing research at IIASA; their research and career would profit from interactions with scientists from all over the world; and they would like to investigate the policy implications of their work.
Each applicant must send application forms, a CV, two references, and a 500-word essay explaining how his or her skills and interests relate to the project with which he or she would most like to work. Selection of participants is done by IIASA to insure a match with an IIASA researcher. Details and application forms are available at the IIASA Web site: http://www.iiasa.ac.at/.
The application deadline is January 17, 2000.
Interested persons can also contact Margaret Goud Collins, Program Director for the U.S. Committee for IIASA, American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 136 Irving Street, Cambridge, MA 02138; (617) 576-5019; fax: (617) 576-5050; e-mail: mcollins@amacad.org.
Statistical Methods to Enhance Site-Specific Tornado Hazards Analysis. Funding: National Science Foundation, $100,000, six months. Principal Investigator: Kenneth R. Nixon, CGI, 330 West Gray, Suite 500, Norman, OK 73069; (405) 360-0472; e-mail: compgeo@telepath.com.
This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will explore the feasibility of developing innovative spatial/temporal statistical techniques to improve site-specific tornado hazard analysis for any location in the conterminous United States.
Midwestern Wild Weather Project. Funding: National Science Foundation, $1,621,716, 36 months. Principal Investigators: Olivia Diaz and Sarah Wolf, Science and Technology Interactive Center, 18 West Benton Street, Aurora, IL 60506-6013; (708) 859-8112.
Midwestern Wild Weather is a traveling exhibit designed to reach audiences in small, rural communities and in science centers and museums in Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, and Michigan.
Spring 2000 Courses in Emergency Preparedness and Continuity Planning.
Offered by: University of California-Berkeley Extension.
Critical Elements of Business/Service Continuity Planning. Offered by:
Strohl Systems, Educational Division.
Tampa Bay, Florida: February 14-16, 2000
Chicago, Illinois: May 2000
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: June 2000
Houston, Texas: October 2000
Contact: Strohl Systems, Education Division, 500 North Gulph Road,
King of Prussia, PA 19406; (800) 634-2016 or (610) 768-4120; fax:
(610) 768-4135.
Virginia Emergency Management Annual Conference. Sponsored by the Virginia Department of Emergency Services (VDES) and Virginia Emergency Management Association. Williamsburg, Virginia: March 20-22, 2000. Contact: VDES, 10501 Trade Court, Richmond, VA 23236-3713; (757) 474-3096; e-mail: mary.powell@gte.net; WWW: http://www.vdes.state.va.us/confrnce/2000conf.htm.
Second U.S. Weather Research Program Science Symposium. Boulder, Colorado: March 27-28, 2000. Abstracts due February 4, 2000. Contact: Carey Bousquet, e-mail: bousquet@ucar.edu.
American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Forensics 2000 Conference. San Juan, Puerto Rico: May 21-24, 2000. On the World Wide Web, see: http://www.asce.org/conferences/forensics, or contact ASCE World Headquarters, 1801 Alexander Bell Drive, Reston, VA 20191-4400; (800) 548-2723 or (703) 295-6300 [outside the US]; fax: (703) 295-6144.
In the Aftermath of Hurricane Floyd: Recovery in the Coastal Plain. Presented by: East Carolina University. Greenville, North Carolina: May 24-26, 2000. Contact: John R. Maiolo, Conference Chair, A-421 Brewster Building, Department of Sociology, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858-4353; (252) 328-4838; e-mail: maioloj@mail.ecu.edu.
American Geophysical Union (AGU) Spring Meeting. Washington, D.C.: May 30-June 3, 2000. Contact: AGU Meeting Department, 2000 Florida Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20009; (202) 462-6900; fax: (202) 328-0566; e-mail: meetinginfo@agu.org; WWW: http://www.agu.org/meetings.
Multihazard Building Design Summer Institute. Offered by: Federal Emergency Management Agency, Emergency Management Institute. Emmitsburg, Maryland: July 24-28, 2000 (Flood and Wind Mitigation Design); July 31-August 4, 2000 (Earthquake Mitigation Design and Fire Safety Design). For more information, see http://www.fema.gov/emi/mbdsi3.htm or contact the course manager, Joe Bills, c/o FEMA, Emergency Management Institute, 16825 South Seton Avenue, Emmitsburg, MD 21727; e-mail: joe.bills@fema.gov.
American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting. San Francisco, California: December 15-19, 2000. Contact: AGU Meeting Department, 2000 Florida Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20009; (202) 462-6900; fax: (202) 328-0566; e-mail: e-mail: meetinginfo@agu.org; WWW: http://www.agu.org/meetings.
Return to Index of Disaster Research Newsletters
Return to Hazards Center Home Page
hazctr@colorado.edu