posals
  • NSF Earthquake Engineering Research Centers Offer Summer Research Opportunities for Undergraduates

  • EERI Offers Graduate Fellowship

  • Help Wanted: WSSPC

  • NWS/FEMA Offer EM Classes

  • April Offerings from the EIIP

  • May/June '00 EENET Schedule

  • Conferences and Training

    • 1)----------

    (Re)Introducing the Central United States Partnership

    In Disaster Research #287, we introduced readers to a new initiative - then called the Mid-America Partnership (MAP) - established in early 1999 by representatives of several public and private central U.S. organizations. The partnership's goal was to link these various groups so that they might help one another in dealing with hazards (particularly earthquakes) affecting the region.

    Since then, MAP has become CUSP - the Central United States Partnership - and its goals and plans have been refined. The partnership is now developing a long-term strategic plan to reduce the risk from a damaging earthquake in the central U.S. Together, the member agencies are fostering a cooperative effort to enlighten residents and policy makers in the area regarding the need to increase preparedness and mitigation for earthquakes. CUSP core organizations include the Central U.S. Earthquake Consortium (CUSEC), Association of CUSEC State Geologists, Institute for Business and Home Safety, Mid America Earthquake Center, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and U.S. Geological Survey. The group also includes numerous other partner organizations from the region, and more will be added as plans and programs are defined.

    One current goal is to develop a regional seismic advisory council to advise the various partners on directions they should take in order to best coordinate their various strengths.

    An initial meeting of CUSP was held last July and a second meeting is planned for May 23-24 to refine the long-term plan and define partner expectations around three key issues: Living with Earthquakes, Building for Earthquakes, and Learning from Earthquakes. For more information about CUSP, contact CUSEC, 2630 East Holmes Road, Memphis, TN 38118-8001; (901) 544-3570; fax: (901) 544-0544; e-mail: cusec@cusec.org.

    2)----------

    ISDR Establishes Inter-Agency Task Force for Disaster Reduction

    An "Inter-Agency Task Force for Disaster Reduction" is being set up according to the terms of reference established by the UN Secretary-General in his report to the General Assembly (A/54/497). The task force will serve as the main forum through which the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) will be implemented. The ISDR is the U.N.'s successor arrangement to the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR).

    The primary functions of the Task Force are: a) to serve as the main forum within the United Nations system for devising strategies and policies for the reduction of natural hazards; b) to identify gaps in disaster reduction policies and programs and recommend remedial action; c) to ensure complementary action by agencies involved in disaster reduction; d) to provide policy guidance to the ISDR Secretariat; e) to convene ad hoc meetings of experts on issues related to disaster reduction.

    The task force is chaired by the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs. The director of the ISDR Secretariat acts as secretary. Members are appointed for two years. They are: a) eight representatives of organizations and entities of the United Nations system, designated by the UN Administrative Committee on Coordination; b) eight representatives of civil society and nongovernmental organizations, designated by the Chairman of the Scientific and Technical Committee of IDNDR; c) six representatives from regional entities, designated by the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs. The chairman and secretary are appointed ex-officio.

    The Task Force will convene for its first meeting in Geneva April 27-28. Additional information can be obtained from the ISDR Secretariat, Palais des Nations, CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland; tel: (41-22) 917-9000; fax: (41-22) 917-9098 or 917-9099; e-mail: idndr@dha.unicc.org; WWW: http://www.idndr.org.

    [Taken from International Strategy for Disaster Reduction - ISDR Highlights, March 2000, Vol. III, Issue 3]

    3)----------

    Web Resources

    [Below are a few of the latest Internet resources we've discovered. For an extended list of selected Internet sites dealing with hazards and disasters, see http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/sites/sites.html]

    http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/winter/index.html
    http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/svrawar/svrwx.htm
    http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/hazstats.htm
    The National Weather Service Office of Meteorology (OM) has created two new Web pages: a "Winter Weather Awareness Page" with links to awareness and preparedness guides, forecasts, warnings, outlooks, historical information, and a calendar of upcoming events and meetings; and a remodeled "Severe Weather Awareness Page" with similar information on thunderstorms, tornadoes, and floods.

    The Office of Meteorology also recently released U.S. natural hazard statistics for 1998 at the third URL above. Among the many significant numbers: 687 lives were lost to weather and flood-related hazards; 11,171 people were injured; and property and crop damage totaled $16 billion. Extreme heat ranked as the #1 weather-related killer with 173 fatalities. Floods resulted in 136 deaths; tornadoes in 130. More than one fourth of the damage was due to tropical storms and hurricanes.

    http://www.comet.ucar.edu/resources/cases
    The Cooperative Program for Operational Meteorology Education and Training (COMET - see DR #262) provides materials for the education of meteorologists and other hazards professionals, including numerous Web-based case studies. The program has recently added studies of the May 3, 1999, Oklahoma/Kansas tornado outbreak; Hurricane Floyd; severe rain and flooding in Kansas in October 1999; and an outbreak of severe weather in the Northeast in June 1998. More than 20 cases studies are now available. Interested persons can stay informed of the latest developments in the COMET case study project by subscribing to the COMET mailing list: http://www.joss.ucar.edu/cometCases/mailList.htm.

    http://www.dec.org.uk
    http://www.unhcr.ch/evaluate/main.htm
    Via the natural-hazards-disasters e-mail list (natural-hazards-disasters@mailbase.ac.uk), Professor John Twigg of the Benfield Greig Hazard Research Centre notes that "Researchers and practitioners alike will welcome the decisions of the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to make their evaluations publicly available on their websites [listed above]. The DEC is making evaluations of all its appeals since 1998 available. The first two (Sudan, Bangladesh floods) are online, and the Hurricane Mitch evaluation is due shortly." The UNHCR is posting all evaluation reports since 1996; earlier reports are available in hard copy only.

    http://www.scec.org/instanet
    The Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC) recently announced the launch of SCEC INSTANeT News, an e-mail/Web-based service that provides weekly coverage of earthquake research and news. SCEC INSTANeT articles are announced via e-mail as short news "bytes," with a link to a longer article, commentary, interview, announcement, event description, etc. available at the Web site above. The SCEC INSTANeT News replaces the SCEC Quarterly Newsletter. Subscription/unsubscription instructions for the scecinstanet-L e-mail list are available at http://www.scec.org/instanet/subscribe.html.

    4)----------

    Announcing WaterForum - A New E-mail Discussion Forum

    WaterForum is a free and open forum for discussion of surface water and groundwater resources issues; including drinking water, water conservation, environmental chemistry, wetlands, wastewater, irrigation, recreational use, fisheries and wildlife use, aquaculture, coastal studies and oceanography, environmental and public health issues, contamination/remediation, computer modelling, climatology, flooding, and any other relevant water resources topics. WaterForum seeks a broad range of members from academia, industry, government, and the general public, as well as wide ranging geographic diversity, to ensure an interesting and helpful forum. All input is welcome. To join, simply send a blank e-mail to waterforum-subscribe@eGroups.com.

    Best wishes and I hope to see you on the new list.
    Ken Bannister
    WaterForum Moderator
    E-mail: kenbannister@groundwater.com
    WWW: http://www.egroups.com/group/waterforum

    5)----------

    USGS Accepting NEHRP FY2001 Proposals

    The U.S. Geological Survey is currently inviting applications for research projects under the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP) for fiscal year 2001. Applications will be accepted until May 10 and may be submitted by educational institutions, private firms, private foundations, individuals, and agencies of state and local governments. The purpose of this program is to support the USGS Earthquake Hazards Program by providing products for earthquake loss reduction to the public and private sectors and by carrying out research on earthquake occurrence and effects. For a copy of the program announcement (#01HQPA0002) and supporting documents see the USGS Web site: http://www.usgs.gov/contracts/nehrp; or contact Brian Heath, USGS, Office of Acquisition and Federal Assistance - Mail Stop 205A, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, Reston, VA 20192; fax: (702) 648- 7901. More information is available from John Unger, Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program, USGS, Mail Stop 905, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, Reston, VA 20192; (703) 648-6701.

    6)----------

    NSF Earthquake Engineering Research Centers Offer Summer Research Opportunities for Undergraduates

    Undergraduate students are invited to explore new directions in earthquake studies this summer through the National Science Foundation (NSF) sponsored Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Program in earthquake engineering and related studies.

    The program offers opportunities for outstanding undergraduate students to spend ten weeks conducting individual research projects that contribute to ongoing research programs of the three NSF-funded earthquake engineering research centers: the Mid-America Earthquake (MAE) Center, based at the University of Illinois at Urbana/Champaign; the Multidisciplinary Center for Earthquake Engineering Research (MCEER), headquartered at the State University of New York at Buffalo; and the Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research (PEER) Center, housed at the University of California at Berkeley.

    Each center will sponsor up to eight students, each of whom will receive a $4,000 stipend. The program is open to students who have not yet completed an undergraduate degree in earthquake engineering or a related field. Students with a GPA of 3.0 or higher are eligible to apply to any university affiliated with the earthquake engineering research centers. Students may not participate in the REU program at the university in which they are enrolled. Application deadline is April 21, 2000.

    REU participants will be paired with a faculty advisor and will join the faculty member's research team. Each participant will have a predetermined individual research project, chosen during the selection process, and will be responsible for completing the project within the allotted time. Students should be available full time from June through mid-August, although start and end dates are flexible to accommodate students on quarter systems.

    The experience will culminate with each student participating in the Earthquake Engineering Symposium for Young Researchers, to be held in Memphis, Tennessee in August. Participants will also be strongly encouraged to publish their results and to present their research at a professional society undergraduate conference.

    For application forms and further information, please visit these web sites:
    Mid-America Earthquake Center - http://mae.ce.uiuc.edu
    Multidisciplinary Center for Earthquake Engineering Research - http://mceer.buffalo.edu
    Pacific Earthquake Engineering Research Center - http://www.eng.uci.edu/civil/peer

    7)----------

    EERI Offers Graduate Fellowship

    The Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) is now accepting applications for its Graduate Fellowship for the 2000-2001 academic year. The fellowship supports one full-time student in a discipline contributing to the science and practice of earthquake hazard mitigation. Underwritten by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the fellowship is designed to encourage participation of capable individuals in the goals and activities of the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP).

    Applicants must be enrolled in a graduate degree program at an accredited U.S. college or university and must hold U.S. citizenship or permanent resident status. For details and/or an application form, see http://www.eeri.org; or contact: EERI, 499 14th Street, Suite 320, Oakland, CA 94612-1934; (510) 451-0905; fax: (510) 451-5411; e-mail: eeri@eeri.org. The application deadline is May 15.

    8)----------

    Help Wanted: WSSPC

    The Western States Seismic Policy Council (WSSPC) is seeking a Program Manager. The position will report to and be responsible for carrying out the directions of the WSSPC Executive Director and the Board of Directors. Responsibilities of the position fall into three broad areas:

    A bachelor's degree and at least two years responsible experience required; master's degree preferred. Applicants must be detail- oriented, have strong written and oral communication skills, working knowledge of Word, Excel, Access, FrontPage, and Pagemaker. Salary $30-35,000 (D.O.E.) plus excellent benefits. Starting date approximately May 1, 2000. Applications accepted until April 24, 2000.

    The mission of the Western States Seismic Policy Council is to provide a forum to advance earthquake hazard reduction programs throughout the Western Region and to develop, recommend, and support seismic policies and programs for the region through information exchange, research, and education. WSSPC is currently a FEMA-funded, nonprofit regional organization comprising 13 western states, American Samoa, Northern Marianas, Guam, British Columbia, and the Yukon Territory. WSSPC members are state emergency managers and state geoscientists. WSSPC is governed by a seven-member board of directors.

    Send resume, letter of interest and the names of three references to:
    Program Manager
    Western States Seismic Policy Council
    121 Second Street, 4th Floor
    San Francisco, CA 94105
    E-mail: wsspc@wsspc.org
    Fax: 415-974-1747
    WWW: http://www.wsspc.org
    No phone calls please

    9)----------

    NWS/FEMA Offer EM Classes

    The National Weather Service (NWS) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) have collaboratively produced four courses for emergency managers: For more information about these courses, contact John Ogren, (301) 713-0090, ext. 140; e-mail: john.ogren@noaa.gov.

    10)----------

    April Offerings from the EIIP

    In April the Emergency Information Infrastructure Partnership (EIIP) Virtual Forum will be offering the following programs via the World Wide Web on Wednesdays, 12:00 noon Eastern time: To participate in these on-line discussions and presentations, log in to http://www.emforum.org/vforum/formchat.htm.

    11)----------

    May/June '00 EENET Schedule

    Below is a list of satellite broadcasts scheduled by the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Emergency Education Network (EENET) (all programs begin at 2:00 pm Eastern time): Additional broadcasts are added frequently. For a description of each of these programs and broadcast information, visit the EENET Web site: http://www.fema.gov/home/emi/eenet.htm.

    12)----------

    Conferences and Training

    [Below are some recent announcements received by the Natural Hazards Center. A comprehensive list of upcoming hazards-related meetings and training is available from our World Wide Web site: http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/conf.html]

    African Symposium on Natural Disasters. Sponsors: United Nations and Organization of African Unity. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: May 2000. Contact: ISDR Secretariat, United Nations, Palais des Nations, CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland; tel: +41 22 917 9000; fax: +41 22 917 9098/99; e-mail: idndr@dha.unicc.org.

    "Floodproofing for Your Future" - Floodproofing and Retrofitting Workshops for Commercial, Residential, and Historic Structures Damaged by the North Carolina Floods of '99. Wilmington, North Carolina: May 23, 2000; Greenville, North Carolina: May 25, 2000. Sponsored by: North Carolina Division of Emergency Management and others; conducted by: Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM). Contact: Diane Watson, ASFPM, 2809 Fish Hatchery Road, Suite 204, Madison, WI 53713; (608) 274-0123; fax: (608) 274-0696; e-mail: diane@floods.org.

    World Forum on Mountains. Sponsors: UNESCO, U.N. International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) Secretariat, and others. Chambery, France: June 5-12, 2000. Includes sessions on mountain- related natural hazards. Contact: Ms. Christel Rose, ISDR Secretariat, United Nations, Palais des Nations, CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland; tel: +41 22 917 9717; fax: +41 22 917 9098/99; e-mail: rosec@un.org.

    Critical Incident Stress Management Workshops. Sponsor: Southern Nevada Critical Incident Stress Management Network; offered by: International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF). Las Vegas, Nevada: June 8-11, 2000. Contact: ICISF, 10176 Baltimore National Pike, Unit 201, Ellicott City, MD 21042; (410) 750-9600; fax: (410) 750-9601; WWW: http://www.icisf.org.

    Second Annual Survive Business Continuity Executive Symposium. Offered by: Survive Business Continuity Group. Hamilton, Bermuda: June 11-15, 2000. Contact: Survive Business Continuity Group Secretariat, The Chapel, Royal Victoria Patriotic Building, Fitzhugh Grove, London SW18 3SX, U.K.; tel: +44 (0) 20 8874 6266; fax: +44 (0) 20 8874 6446; e-mail: survive@survive.com; WWW: http://www.survive.com.

    National Environmental Health Association (NEHA) 2000 Annual Educational Conference and Exhibition. Includes sessions on emergency response and risk management. Denver, Colorado: June 15-19, 2000. Contact: NEHA, 720 South Colorado Boulevard, Suite 970-S, Denver, CO 80246-1925; (303) 756-9090; fax: (303) 691-9290; WWW: http://www.neha.org.

    Climate Change Communication: An International Conference. Hosts: University of Waterloo and Environment Canada. Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario, Canada: June 22-24, 2000. "This conference will profile climate change outreach initiatives; probe the role of communication on perceptions of climate change; examine the effectiveness of various tools in raising awareness of climate change; explore the barriers that hinder effective climate change communication." Complete information is available from: http://geognt.uwaterloo.ca/c3confer. Attendance is limited and registration closes June 1, 2000.

    International Conference on Disaster: Issues and Gender Perspectives. Sponsors: Bangladesh Geographical Society and others. Dhaka, Bangladesh: June 23-24, 2000. Abstracts due May 31, 2000. Contact: Dr. Hafiza Khatun, Department of Geography and Environment, University of Dhaka, Dhaka-1000, Bangladesh; fax: 880-2-865583; e-mail: duregstr@bangla.net.

    HELP 2000 - Health Emergencies in Large Populations Course. Sponsors: International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), American Red Cross, and Pan American Health Organization.

    For general information about the HELP course, contact: International Committee of the Red Cross, GEN_SAN Help Courses, 19, avenue de la Paix, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland; +41 22 730 28 10; fax: +41 22 733 96 74; e-mail: pperrin.gva@icrc.org; WWW: http://www.icrc.org. Additional HELP courses are planned for:

    Dam Safety, Operation, and Maintenance International Technical Seminar and Study Tour. Denver, Colorado: August 14-24, 2000. Contact: U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, International Affairs Team, (303) 445-2127; fax: (303) 455-6322; e-mail: lprincipe@do.usbr.gov.

    XXVII General Assembly of the European Seismological Commission. Lisbon, Portugal: September 10-15, 2000. Abstracts due April 30. Contact: Conference Secretariat; tel: +351 21 3970892; fax: +351 21 3953327; e-mail: esc2000@fc.ul.pt; WWW: http://www.igidl.ul.pt/esc2000/.

    Emergency Medical Preparedness Educational Symposium. Sponsors: Department of Veterans Affairs in conjunction with the Emergency Management Strategic Healthcare Group and others. Albany, New York: September 18-21, 2000. Contact: Paul D. Kim, M.D., Area Emergency Manager, Emergency Management Strategic Healthcare Group, VAMC ALBANY (00D), 113 Holland Avenue, Albany, NY 12208; (518) 462-3311, ext. 2364; fax: (518) 462-2519; e-mail: Paul.Kim@med.va.gov -or- Carolyn Burton, (207) 623-5744.

    Oklahoma Floodplain Management Association (OFMA) Fall Conference. Lake Texahoma, Oklahoma: September 24-27, 2000. Contact: OFMA, P.O. Box 8101, Tulsa, OK 74101-8101; WWW: http://www.okflood.org.

    Second Pan American Course on Soil Movements. San Jose, Costa Rica: November 2000. Contact: Asociacion Costarricense de Geotecnia, c/o Marcia Cordero Sandi, Apartado postal 2346-1000 San Jose, Costa Rica; tel: (506) 253-5564/234-8789; fax: (506) 253-5564; e-mail: mcordero@terraba.fing.uc.acr.cr.

    Disaster Forum 2000. Offered by: Disaster Forum Association. Edmonton, Alberta, Canada: November 1-4, 2000. Contact: Disaster Forum Association, 11215 Jasper Avenue, Suite 437, Edmonton, AB T5K 0L5, Canada; (780) 427-8626; fax: (780) 422-1549; e-mail: disaster@edmc.net; WWW: http://www.edmc.net/disaster.

    American Water Resources Association (AWRA) Annual Conference. Miami, Florida: November 6-9, 2000. Contact: AWRA, 4 West Federal Street, P.O. Box 1626, Middleburg, VA 20118-1626; (540) 687-8390; fax: (540) 687-8395; e-mail: info@awra.org: WWW: http://www.awra.org.

    Seventh National Watershed Conference. Sponsor: National Watershed Coalition. Richmond, VA: May 20-23, 2001. Abstracts due October 1, 2000. Contact: National Watershed Coalition, 9304 Lundy Court, Burke, VA 22015; fax: (703) 455-6888; e-mail: jwpeterson@erols.com.

    Fifth Asia-Pacific Conference on Wind Engineering (APCWE V). Kyoto, Japan: October 21-26, 2001. Contact: APCWE V Secretariat, Department of Global Environment Engineering, Kyoto University, Yoshida Honmachi, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan; fax: +81-75-761-0646; e-mail: apcwe5@brdgeng.gee.kyoto-u.ac.jp; WWW: http://wwwsoc.nacsis.ac.jp/jawe/apcwe5.

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