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The area of interest is the recent cyclone-affected areas of Mozambique. Damage was mostly from wind, although (as in other parts of Mozambique) flooding was also an important cause of damage in some areas. Construction methods are basic. Schools and clinics have zinc roofs and cement block walls. Housing ranges from mud walls and thatch roofs to zinc and cement block construction.
I am particularly interested in literature in Spanish, which can be easily translated into Portuguese for local use, but references to any appropriate literature would be appreciated.
Charles Kelly, Program Coordinator, LWF/Mozambique
E-mail: 72734.2412@Compuserve.com
http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/qr/qr127/qr127.htmlThis study examines preparation by and psychological functioning of victims in several different countries following Hurricane Georges. Four to five weeks after the event, the researchers surveyed almost 700 individuals who weathered the hurricane. They found that in all locations, resource loss was of substantial importance among variables that predicted psychological distress. In addition, storm strength and location accounted for a significant portion of psychological distress variance. The authors discuss the implications of their findings for mitigating psychological distress due to disasters as well as other problems in human disaster response.
QR127: Hurricane Georges: A Multinational Study Examining Preparedness, Resource Loss, and Psychological Distress in the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic, and the United States, by David N. Sattler, and Charles F. Kaiser, College of Charleston.
A complete list of Quick Response reports is available on-line; see: http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/qr/qr.html.
A New Working Paper
The Hazards Center has also added an extensive Working Paper to its
Web site:
http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/wp/wp103/wp103.htmlIn this field study of a housing reconstruction project in Honduras undertaken following Hurricane Mitch in 1998, Ranganath recounts in detail how structures were rebuilt, then offers suggestions for how this and other projects could be designed to produce more sustainable communities. Specifically Ranganath points out that the establishment of sound infrastructure and community support services and the creation of a sustainable economy and employment opportunities may be as important to long-term recovery as the actual construction of dwellings themselves, that careful siting of projects is also critically important, and that local community involvement is essential.
WP103: Mitigation and the Consequences of International Aid in Postdisaster Reconstruction by Priya Ranganath of McGill University.
A complete list of Working Papers is available on-line; see: http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/wp/wp.html.
Copies of Planning Ahead (Special Publication #37, 295 pp., $20.00, plus $6.00 shipping) can be ordered from 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: janet.kroeckel@colorado.edu; WWW: http://www.colorado.edu/hazards. All orders must be prepaid. Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Diners Club cards are accepted.
The commission concluded that federal policy must shift from its current emphasis on drought relief and instead focus on reducing vulnerability. Programs should:
The commission urges Congress to pass a National Drought Preparedness Act that would:
Among its many tasks, the National Drought Council would oversee the timely and effective delivery of more than 80 existing federal drought programs, assess drought-related assistance efforts, identify regions with the most pressing need, develop drought response coordination strategies, develop a handbook of emergency drought preparedness measures, establish drought impact assessment teams to survey impacts, and advocate drought-related educational programs within universities, agencies, and public-sector programs.
The full text of this report, as well as a 16-page Executive Summary, are available from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Web site: http://www.fsa.usda.gov/drought/finalreport/accesstoreports.htm.
The primary missions of ECSUS are to:
For more information about ECSUS, contact the directors, Martin Chapman and James Martin, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, 200 Patton Hall, Virginia Tech University, Blacksburg, VA 24061; (540) 231-6635; fax.: (540) 231-7532; WWW: http://ecsus.ce.vt.edu.
In the late 1970s, the North Carolina Coastal Resources Commission, the policy-making authority for the coastal program, prohibited the use of hard erosion control structures to protect new buildings. In 1985, the commission revised the rule to prohibit such structures for protection of any building, unless it is historic and cannot be relocated, or to protect a waterway for navigation purposes.
When the nine-story Shell Island Resort was built in the 1980s on Wrightsville Beach, its developers signed permits acknowledging they were building in an erosion-prone area, then sold individual condominium units to the public. In 1996, when a nearby inlet had moved to within 200 feet of the resort, homeowners asked for permission to build a steel seawall, and the commission denied their request. Shell Island filed suit in 1998 against the commission, challenging the hard structure rule and arguing that the map used as a basis for issuing the original building permit underestimated the hazard area of the inlet as well as the degree to which it would migrate. The suit further asserted that, because of these conditions, the state should have never issued a building permit and should now allow the owners of the resort to build a seawall to counteract the erosion. The North Carolina Court of Appeals upheld the commission and the state, ruling that the state did not "take" the homeowners' property and that "no property owner has the right to construct an erosion control structure on state-owned submerged lands."
For more information about North Carolina's ban on seawalls or this case, contact Donna Moffitt: (919) 733-2293; e-mail: donna.moffitt@mcmail.net. To view the Court of Appeals decision on-line, see: http://www.ncinsider.com/insider/appeals/appeals99/appeals0720/shell_island1.html and http://www.ncinsider.com/insider/appeals/appeals99/appeals0720/shell_island2.html
http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/nwspub.htm
The National Weather Service Office of Meteorology has numerous
hazards publications available on-line or in print. The newest
include, Saving Lives With an All-Hazard Warning Network, a report
that outlines the potential benefits of a national initiative to
improve hazard warnings, and Thunderstorms . . . Tornadoes . . .
Lightning: Nature's Most Violent Storms - A Preparedness Guide, a
booklet that describes these meteorological hazards and tells what
individuals, families, and schools can do to protect themselves when
threatened. All National Weather Service publications listed on the
site can be ordered for free by contacting your local National Weather
Service office or National Weather Service Headquarters, attn:
Publications, 1325 East West Highway, SSMC2, Room 14408, Silver
Spring, MD 20910; (301) 713-0090, ext.118.
http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2000/05/01_disaster.html
http://www.fema.gov/nwz00/berk0503.htm
The results of a study commissioned by the Federal Emergency
Management Agency (FEMA) and the University of California at Berkeley
underscore the possible long-term, widespread economic loss that could
be brought on by a major earthquake in the region. In the recently
released study, researcher Mary Comerio and her colleagues found that
an earthquake on the Hayward Fault in the San Francisco Bay area could
inflict almost $4 billion in physical damage and cause additional
economic losses of $1.2 billion. (Meanwhile, the U.S. Geological
Survey has forecast a 67% chance of a magnitude 7 or larger earthquake
in the area in the next 30 years.) The report provides detailed
information about these analyses, including information about the
economic role of the university in the community and the specific
consequences of an earthquake on the university's contributions to the
area's well-being. It goes on to offer suggestions concerning how the
university could mitigate these consequences by developing a
comprehensive plan. A fact sheet, charts, and copy of the report are
available from the first Web address above, a news release is
available at the second.
http://ks.water.usgs.gov/Kansas/pubs/fact-sheets/fs.024-00.html
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has issued a fact sheet
entitled Significant Floods in the United States During the 20th
Century - USGS Measures a Century of Floods, by Charles A. Perry.
According to Perry, during the 20th century, floods were the number
one disaster in the United States, both in terms of lives lost and
property damage. Since 1900 flooding has killed more than 10,000
people, and property damage from flooding now totals over $1 billion a
year. The fact sheet discusses 32 significant floods that occurred
during the 20th century, broken down into six types: large regional
floods, flash floods, storm surge, ice-jam floods, dam and levee
failure, and mudflow. The fact sheet names the flood brought on by the
September 1900 Galveston Hurricane as the worst of the century.
Besides examining these disasters, this Web site also describes the
survey's efforts to measure floods and lists additional sources of
flood information on the Internet. Printed copies of Fact Sheet
#024-00 are available from the USGS, Information Services, Box 25286,
Federal Center, Denver, CO 80225-0286; (888) 275-8747.
http://niusr.org
The recently redesigned Web site of the National Institute for
Urban Search and Rescue (NIUSR) offers much information about both
search and rescue and hazards management generally. For example, it
now contains an entire paper by Eugene Lecomte and Patricia Hatch
entitled A Community CEO's Primer for Developing a Risk Management
and Emergency Response Plan. The primer is intended to provide a CEO
with the basics needed to begin developing a comprehensive plan for
dealing with the many risks - including such hazards as civil
disturbance - that can affect a community. It describes how the
community CEO can bring together all of the resources and disparate
interests needed to protect the public from the devastating
destruction wrought by natural or man-made disasters.
disastercom-request@disastercenter.com
The Disaster Center - a nexus of considerable disaster
information - has established an e-mail list for discussion about
improved ways of collecting and communicating information during and
after disasters using the Internet. To subscribe to this list send an
e-mail to the address above with the single word "subscribe" in the
body of the message.
Association of State Dam Safety Officials (ASDSO) 2000 South Regional Technical Seminar. Knoxville, Tennessee: May 25-26, 2000. The topic of the seminar is "Stability Analysis of Embankment Dams." Agenda and registration details are available at from Susan Sorrell, ASDSO, 450 Old Vine Street, Lexington, KY, 40507: (606) 257-5140; WWW: http://www.damsafety.org.
Emergency Management (Disaster) Planning Workshop for Business,
Industry, and Government. Sponsors: American Red Cross [Florida]
Capital Area Chapter and others. Tallahassee, Florida: June 5, 2000.
See: http://www.tallytown.com/redcross; or call the Disaster Services
Office, American Red Cross, 187 Office Plaza Drive, Tallahassee, FL
32301; (850) 878-6080.
Note: A self study version of this workshop is available for $85.00.
To order, contact the Disaster Services Office at the address above.
Fifth Annual Management of Complex Humanitarian Emergencies: Focus on Children and Families. Sponsors: University Hospitals of Cleveland and Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. Cleveland, Ohio: June 19-23, 2000. Contact: Joan Farmer, Continuing Medical Education, University Hospitals of Cleveland, 11100 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106-6026; (216) 844-5050; fax: (216) 844-8133; e-mail: joan.farmer@uhhs.com; WWW: http://www.uhhs.com/toteach/medical/jun_19/index.html
Combined Humanitarian Assistance Response Training (CHART). Offered
by: Center of Excellence in Disaster Management and Humanitarian
Assistance (CEDMHA).
- Bremerton, Washington: June 26-30, 2000
- Honolulu, Hawaii: October 18-24, 2000
- San Antonio, Texas: November 13-17, 2000
For a course description, see the CEDMHA Web site:
http://www.coe-dmha.org, or contact the Center of Excellence in
Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance, c/o Tripler Army
Medical Center, 1 Jarrett White Road (MCPA-DM), Tripler AMC, HI 96859-
5000; (808) 433-7035; fax: (808) 433-1757; e-mail: pr@coe-dmha.org.
To register for a course, contact Lt. Jessie Gee, Defense Medical
Readiness Training Institute, MCCS-TEV, 1706 Stanley Road, Building
2263, Ft. Sam Houston, TX 78234-6100; (210) 221-9523; fax: (210)
221-9061; e-mail: jgee@dmrti.army.mil.
Responding to Acts of Terrorism: An In-Depth Summit for Emergency Responders. Presented by: Institute for International Research in association with several other organizations. Washington, D.C.: July 10-12, 2000. Contact: Institute for International Research, 708 Third Avenue, Fourth Floor, New York, NY 10017; WWW: http://www.iir-ny.com/finance1.cfm?
Operational Impact of Psychological Casualties from Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD). Sponsor: Office of the Army Surgeon General; host: Armed Forces Radiobiology Research Institute (AFRRI). Bethesda, Maryland: July 25-27, 2000. See: http://www.afrri.usuhs.mil/www/conference/conference.htm.
Association of Contingency Planners (ACP) International Symposium: "Planning for the Inevitable." Seattle, Washington: August 14-16, 2000. Contact: Washington State-Pacific Northwest Chapter, ACP, P.O. Box 1144, Renton, WA 98057; (425) 865-2797; WWW: http://www.acp-international.com.
Natural Hazards Management Conference 2000: Interpreting and Applying Natural Hazard Information. Sponsors: Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences Ltd, Hawke's Bay [New Zealand] Regional Council and Ministry for Emergency Management. Napier, New Zealand: August 16-17, 2000. Contact: Julia Becker, Wairakei Research Centre, Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences Limited, Private Bag 2000, Taupo, New Zealand; tel: 07 374 8211; fax: 07 374 8199; e-mail: j.becker@gns.cri.nz; WWW: http://www.gns.cri.nz/news/conferences.
Ninth U.S.-Japan Workshop on Improvement of Structural Design and Construction Practices. Sponsors: Applied Technology Council (ATC) and Japan Structural Consultants Association. Victoria, British Columbia, Canada: August 21-23, 2000. Includes sessions on earthquake engineering and improving seismic performance. Abstracts due June 16. Contact: ATC, 555 Twin Dolphin Street, Redwood City, CA 94065; (650) 595-1542; fax: (650) 593-2320; e-mail: atc@atc.org; WWW: http://www.atcouncil.org.
"Disasters: Who Cares?" - A Conference Dedicated to Exploring the Psychosocial Impact of Major Incidents and Disasters. Wynyard Park, U.K.: October 5, 2000. Contact: Chris Samuel, Senior Emergency Planning Officer, Cleveland Emergency Planning Unit, P.O. Box 194, Middlesbrough, U.K.; tel: +44-1642-221121; e-mail: christopher.samuel@hartlepool.gov.uk.
Third Meeting of the Asian Seismological Commission and Symposium on Seismology, Earthquake Hazard Assessment, and Earth's Interior Related Topics. Tehran, I.R. Iran: October 10-12, 2000. Includes a pre-symposium international training course on "Seismology and Mitigation of Seismic Disaster"; post-symposium field trips; and post- symposium technical workshops on "Educating the Public about Earthquake Hazard and Risk" and "Seismic Networks and Site Selection." The deadline for abstracts is June 15. See: http://www.ut.ac.ir/geo/asc2000.htm.
Fifth Annual Conference on Crises and Disasters. Organized by the Crisis Research Unit, Ain Shams University. Cairo, Egypt: October 28- 29, 2000. Conducted in Arabic; simultaneous English translation will be provided if warranted. A request for presentations has been issued and papers are due July 31, 2000. Contact Mohammed Rashad Elhamalawy, Director, Crisis Research Unit, Faculty of Commerce, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt 11566; tel: (202) 4049260/2609167; fax: (202) 4049259; e-mail: cruegypt@hotmail.com.
26th Course on Disaster Management. Offered by: Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC). Bangkok, Thailand: November 6-24, 2000. Contact: Learning and Professional Development Program, ADPC, Asian Institute of Technology, P.O. Box 4, Klong Luang, Pathumthani 12120, Thailand: tel: 66 2 524 5378/5354; fax: 66 2 534 5360; e-mail: lpdadpc@ait.ac.th; WWW: http://www.adpc.ait.ac.th.
CPM (Contingency Planning and Management) 2001. Sponsor: Contingency Planning and Management Magazine. Boston, Massachusetts: April 24-25, 2001. Contact Alicia LoVerso, Conference Coordinator, WPC Expositions, 84 Park Avenue, Flemington, NJ 08822; (908) 788-0343, ext. 154; fax: (908) 788-9381; WWW: http://www.ContingencyPlanExpo.com.
International Tsunami Symposium 2001 (ITS 2001). Seattle, Washington: August 7-10, 2001. Submit abstracts on-line or by e-mail not later than September 1, 2000. See http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/its2001 for complete instructions and additional information; or contact: E.N. Bernard, NOAA/PMEL, 7600 Sand Point Way N.E., Seattle, WA 98115-6349; (206) 526-6800; fax: (206) 526-4576; e-mail: bernard@pmel.noaa.gov.
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