DISASTER RESEARCH 333

November 17, 2000

TABLE OF CONTENTS:


  1. NEMA and Friends Launch Emergency Management Accreditation Program

  2. A New Working Paper and Quick Response Report from the Hazards Center

  3. Introducing the Indira Gandhi National Open University Programme in Disaster Management and
    A Call for Donors and Collaborators to Support Work on Community-Based Disaster Management

  4. A Few New Web Resources

  5. PAHO Seeks Comments on their Manual for Logistical Management

  6. CUREe Expands Membership/Changes Name

  7. Help Wanted: Johns Hopkins

  8. Conferences and Training


1)----------

NEMA and Friends Launch Emergency Management Accreditation Program

Recognizing that state and local emergency management programs play a crucial role in creating safe communities and reducing disaster impacts, a dozen national organizations have cooperatively developed the Emergency Management Accreditation Program - EMAP.

The National Emergency Management Association (NEMA), National League of Cities, Federal Emergency Management Agency, National Governors Association, U.S. Department of Transportation, and several other organizations helped create EMAP to promote continuous improvement of both state and local emergency management programs. EMAP provides national standards through which emergency management programs can both demonstrate success and accountability and determine areas and issues where resources are needed.

Because gauging the capabilities of state and local programs before a disaster strikes is a major challenge for government and community leaders, the goal of EMAP is to provide a meaningful, voluntary accreditation process that can be used by state, territorial, and local programs. By offering consistent standards and a fair accreditation process, the EMAP developers feel that the program will strengthen communities' abilities to prepare for and respond to all types of hazards, from tornadoes and earthquakes to school violence and bioterrorism. Accreditation is voluntary and not tied to any funding. Again, its intent is to encourage examination of strengths and weaknesses, pursuit of corrective measures, and communication and planning among different sectors of government and the community - particularly in light of new, emerging problems such as changing climate and weather patterns and the threat of terrorism.

In 2001, this new program will pilot test accreditation standards and procedures within two state emergency management programs. Following these tests, EMAP will refine its procedures and materials and offer the accreditation process to all U.S. state and territorial emergency management programs. In 2002, the program expects to pilot test the accreditation process among local emergency management programs. The process will include an application, self-assessment, on-site assessment by an outside review team, and committee and commission review of compliance with EMAP standards; it will also require re-accreditation every three years.

EMAP currently operates under the auspices of and with staff support from NEMA. Collaboration with interested organizations and individuals as well as use of existing assessment and standards materials have helped minimize initial costs. The developers intend the program to become self-supporting through application and re-accreditation fees. In the near future, the current EMAP steering committee will be superseded by a nine-member commission with broad representation, and as soon as is practical the commission will be incorporated as an independent entity.

For more information about EMAP, contact Emily DeMers, Accreditation Coordinator, NEMA, c/o Council of State Governments, P.O. Box 11910, Lexington, KY 40578-1910; (859) 244-8210; fax: (859) 244-8239; e-mail: edemers@csg.org; WWW: http://www.nemaweb.org.


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

A New Working Paper and Quick Response Report from the Hazards Center

Emergency planning and management increasingly depend on computer- based tools that gather and analyze various kinds of data and provide decision support for prevention, mitigation, response, and recovery. Often, various technologies are combined to create more powerful decision-support tools, but such amalgamation can lead to problems.

Natural Hazards Working Paper #105, Challenges in Designing Spatial Decision Support Systems for Evacuation Planning , by F. Nisha de Silva of the Department of Management Studies, University of Aberdeen, U.K., identifies and analyzes the specific problems faced when two technologies - simulation modeling and geographical information systems (GISs) - were used to create a prototype decision support tool for evacuation planning called the Configurable Evacuation Management and Planning Simulator (CEMPS). CEMPS was designed to aid planning for and management of evacuation during nuclear facility emergencies.

The paper focuses on issues related to the behavioral and decision- making processes of the various players in the evacuation system, logistics, the generation of realistic scenarios for testing contingency plans, the validation of decision support tools, and future trends in technology and emergency planning that decision support system developers should take into account.

Challenges in Designing Spatial Decision Support Systems for Evacuation Planning is available from the Natural Hazards Center Web site: http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/wp/wp105/wp105.html.

A complete list of on-line Working Papers is available from http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/wp/wp.html.

The Hazards Center has also recently published on-line its latest Quick Response Report, QR134 - Citrus Growers Attitudes in North- Central Florida, by Cesar N. Caviedes of the University of Florida: http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/qr/qr134/qr134.html.

Caviedes examines changes in attitudes and practice among Florida citrus growers since the devastating freezes of the 1980s. He demonstrates how, with advice from state and federal agencies, practices have been improved to deal with this hazard, but notes that these changes have not yet been put to the test, since a major freeze has not struck the area since 1989.

A complete list of on-line Quick Response Reports is available from http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/qr/qr.html.


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

Introducing the Indira Gandhi National Open University Programme in Disaster Management
and
A Call for Donors and Collaborators to Support Work on Community-Based Disaster Management

The Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi, India, offers over 50 programmes in different disciplines, including a Certificate Programme in Disaster Management, offered through distance learning. The university has more than 600,000 learners in various programmes through out the country.

We have also undertaken field-based projects on "Community Awareness on Disaster Preparedness" in 550 villages in five states of India. The basic objective of this project is to create and sustain community awareness and develop a Community Action Plan for each village, while building the capabilities of local officials, NGOs, and elected representatives.

The university, which reaches out to all corners of India, is keen to pursue disaster preparedness at the community level through print material, audio/video programmes, pamphlets, brochures, etc. We are especially interested in developing an approach for enhancing the capability of local elected representatives to develop programmes and projects that include disaster mitigation components. This package will include print material on the areas of disaster preparedness; disaster mitigation with special reference to risk assessment and vulnerability analysis; rescue and relief; recovery and rehabilitation; and disaster and development. In addition, a detailed questionnaire will be sent to each participant to obtain key information about the social, economic, and disaster profile of his or her village in order to identify priority areas for development and mitigation. An underlying focus in the whole exercise will be to ascertain traditional knowledge and coping mechanisms within each community so that these approaches can not only be documented but also supplemented with the modern technology.

Interested donors should note that ours is an autonomous university. Auditing is done by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India. We are eager to collaborate with donor agencies interested in supporting wise disaster preparedness initiatives in India as well as in other SAARC countries.

Any persons or organizations interested in supporting these efforts may contact me by e-mail at pardeepsahni@hotmail.com.

Professor Pardeep Sahni
Indira Gandhi National Open University
Maidangarhi
New Delhi 110068
India
E-mail: pardeepsahni@hotmail.com


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

A Few New Web Resources

[Below are some Internet resources we've recently discovered. For an extended list of some of the better Internet sites dealing with hazards, see http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/sites/sites.html]

http://www.msc-smc.ec.gc.ca/hazards_assessment/
A Web site has been established dedicated to the currently ongoing Canadian Natural Hazards Assessment Project (see DR #327 and #312). The site will act as a source of current information on the project and will be updated and modified as the project progresses. The designers ask interested persons to examine the site and send any suggestions or comments to Lianne Bellisario, Adaptation and Impacts Research Group, Meteorological Service of Canada, Environment Canada, c/o Institute for Environmental Studies, University of Toronto, 33 Willcocks Street, Suite 1016V, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 3E8; (416) 978-0309; fax: (416) 978-3884; e-mail: lianne.bellisario@ec.gc.ca.

http://mceer.buffalo.edu/research/taiwaneq9_99/default.asp
The Multidisciplinary Center for Earthquake Engineering Research (MCEER) has published The Chi-Chi, Taiwan Earthquake of September 21, 1999: Reconnaissance Report (MCEER-00-0003), which discusses the physical and economic damage caused by that earthquake. Shortly after the earthquake occurred, MCEER scientists visited the devastated area and developed a program to investigate the disaster in cooperation with the National Center for Research on Earthquake Engineering (NCREE) at the National Taiwan University in Taipei (see DR #328 and #306). This report contains observations on the performance of critical facilities, electric power lifelines, highway bridges, buildings, geotechnical issues, economic impacts, restoration and recovery, and applications of remote sensing. Initial observations and impressions from the Chi-Chi earthquake are reported on the MCEER Web site above, including selected sections from the full-length report, as well as numerous photographs taken during the reconnaissance. Additional information about the earthquake can be obtained through NCREE's Web site: http://921.ncree.gov.tw/. To order The Chi-Chi, Taiwan Earthquake of September 21, 1999: Reconnaissance Report, contact: MCEER Publications; (716) 645-3391, ext. 105; fax: (716) 645-3399; e-mail: mceer@acsu.buffalo.edu; WWW: http://mceer.buffalo.edu. The price of $30 covers shipping within the U.S. For international shipping charges, contact MCEER publications.

http://www.paho.org/disasters/
http://165.158.1.110/english/ped/pedhome.htm
(in either case, click on "Newsletter")
We'd like to remind DR readers that one of the better newsletters on disaster management is available free on the World Wide Web, and specifically note that the latest issue of Disasters: Preparedness and Mitigation in the Americas, published by the Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Relief Coordination Program of the Pan American Health Organization, includes a four-page supplement describing approximately 18 of PAHO's newest publications on disasters, disaster management, and disaster health. All of these documents are offered for sale but are also provided free via the PAHO Web site. Included are such publications as Principles of Disaster Mitigation in Health Facilities, Hurricanes Georges and Mitch, Natural Disasters: Protecting the Public's Health, Humanitarian Assistance in Disaster Situations: A Guide to Effective Aid, and many other useful books. See the on-line newsletter for ordering or downloading information.

http://www.nnic.noaa.gov/CENR/cenr.html
Last week the Working Group on Natural Disaster Information Systems, Subcommittee on Natural Disaster Reduction, Committee on Environment and Natural Resources of the National Science and Technology Council released a 56-page report on Effective Disaster Warnings. The report "compiles . . . a wealth of information on public and private sector R&D capability to provide early warning of natural or technological hazards. . . . It is designed to assist scientists, engineers, and emergency managers in developing more accurate . . . warnings . . . The goal of this Report is to provide a broad overview of major issues related to warning the right people at the right time." The report focuses on emerging opportunities in technology that can focus warnings on particular populations and thus improve public safety. It notes that a major priority is to address concerns regarding data/information standards and dissemination systems to be used, and recommends close collaboration between federal, state, local, and private-sector organizations.

http://www.itu.int/ITU-D-StGrps/SGP_1998-2002/SG2/Documents/DocList.htm
The Disaster Communications Handbook, a publication of the International Telecommunication Union, is now available in English, Spanish, and French in Microsoft Word format from this Web site.

http://geopubs.wr.usgs.gov/prof-paper/pp1623
The newly published Catalog of Hawaiian Earthquakes 1823-1959 (USGS Professional Paper 1623), by Fred Klein and Thomas L. Wright, available from this URL, contains information extrapolated from historical accounts concerning more than 17,000 earthquakes in the Hawaiian Islands, mostly on the Island of Hawaii, from 1823 to 1959 (after which, modern instrumentation and techniques allowed comprehensive cataloging).


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

PAHO Seeks Comments on their Manual for Logistical Management

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is circulating a preliminary version of a practical manual on humanitarian supply management and is interested in receiving comments, critiques, and suggestions to ensure that the publication meets the widest range of needs and will be used broadly. Comments must be received by January 15, 2001. The manual is available on-line at http://www.disaster.info.desastres.net/, or can be requested from the Editor, Disasters: Preparedness and Mitigation in the Americas, Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Relief Coordination Program, PAHO, 525 Twenty-third Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20037-2895; (202) 974-3527; fax: (202) 775-4578; e-mail: disaster@paho.org. Comments should be e-mailed to disaster-publications@paho.org.


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

CUREe Expands Membership/Changes Name

[Adapted from the Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC) INSTANeT news service: scecinstanet-l@usc.edu]

The membership of California Universities for Research in Earthquake Engineering (CUREe) has voted to allow universities across the country to apply for membership. The name of the reorganized nonprofit corporation is Consortium of Universities for Research in Earthquake Engineering (CUREE).

CUREE retains its prime purpose: developing and using the capabilities of faculty and other resources at engineering schools of research universities and applying those resources to the understanding of earthquake engineering and hazard risk reduction. University and individual faculty applications for membership are actively solicited. For more information, visit http://www.curee.org/.


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

Help Wanted: Johns Hopkins

The Department of Civil Engineering at The Johns Hopkins University is currently seeking applicants for two positions starting July 2001. Applications from distinguished candidates are invited for the endowed Willard and Lillian Hackerman Chair in Civil Engineering. In addition, the department has an open tenure-track position at the rank of assistant professor. Candidates for both positions will be expected to complement or strengthen existing research in structural engineering/ mechanics/materials, probabilistic methods/hazard management, or geotechnical engineering/geomechanics. Further information may be obtained from Civil Engineering Web site: http://www.ce.jhu.edu.

Sincerely,
Nicholas P. Jones
Professor and Chairman


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

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]

California Statewide Video Conference: Interactions Between Earth Science Conditions and California Public Policies. Sponsors: California Department of Conservation, Division of Mines and Geology (CDMG); U.S. Geological Survey (USGS); and others. November 20, 2000, 8:30 am to 12:30 pm. There will be three teleconference locations: California State University, Sacramento; University of California, Santa Barbara; and USGS, Menlo Park. One of the panel topics will be "Earthquake Risk in California and Policy Options to Reduce It." See: http://www.consrv.ca.gov/dmg/. Persons interested in participating in the live audience at one of the three locations should contact CDMG; (916) 445-1825; e-mail: mhyland@consrv.ca.gov; or register via the Web site above.

Advancing U.S. Building Regulation: A Two-Day Symposium to Explore the Building Community's Position on the Adoption, Application, and Administration of Comprehensive National Building Codes and Standards. Host: National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS). Sponsor: Federal Emergency Management Agency. Washington, D.C.: November 28-29, 2000. See: http://www.nibs.org, or contact: NIBS, 1090 Vermont Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20005-4905; (202) 289-7800; fax: (202) 289-1092; e-mail: cchittum@nibs.org.

U.K. Natural Disaster Reduction Committee and Hazards Forum Millennium Conference. London: December 13, 2000. E-mail: christine.davison@port.ac.uk.

Disaster Mitigation and Education Implementers Workshop. Offered by the [Florida] Capital Area Chapter, American Red Cross. Tallahassee, Florida: January 9-12, 2001. The workshop will cover four successful disaster mitigation and education programs:
* Building Disaster Resistant Neighborhoods
* Masters of Disaster
* Emergency Management Planning Workshop for Business
* Firewise Communities
See: http://www.tallytown.com/redcross, click on "Disaster Mitigation and Education Implementers Workshop."

GDIN-2001: Fourth Annual Conference of the Global Disaster Information Network. Canberra, Australia: March 21-23, 2001. Host: Emergency Management Australia. Contact: Emergency Management Australia, P.O. Box 1020 Dickson, Australian Capital Territory 2602, Australia; tel: 61 2 6266 5219; fax: 61 2 6266 5029; e-mail: gdin@ema.gov.au; WWW: http://www.ema.gov.au/gdin or http://www.gdin-international.org/.

European Geophysical Society (EGS) XXVI General Assembly. Nice, France: March 25-30, 2001. Contact: EGS Office, Max-Planck-Str. 13, 37191 Katlenburg-Lindau, Germany; tel: +49-5556-1440; fax: +49-5556-4709; e-mail: egs@copernicus.org; WWW: http://www.copernicus.org/EGS/EGS.html.
The assembly includes a session on tsunamis (NH8); abstracts are due December 1, 2000. See http://www.mpae.gwdg.de/EGS/EGS.html and http://www.mpae.gwdg.de/EGS/egsga/nice01/nice01.htm, or contact the session convenor: Professor Stefano Tinti, Department of Physics, Sector of Geophysics, Universitat di Bologna, Viale Berti Pichat 8, 40127 Bologna, Italy; tel: 0039-051-209-5025; fax: 0039-051-209-5058; e-mail: steve@ibogfs.df.unibo.it.

Sea-Surface Changes and Coastal Flood Hazards in Europe (Fourth Euresco Conference on "Glacial-Interglacial Sea-Level Changes in Four Dimensions"). Host: European Science Foundation. St. Andrews, U.K.: March 31-April 5, 2001. See: http://www.esf.org/euresco/01/lc01087a.htm, or contact: Dr. Josip Hendekovic or Ms. Rhona Heywood; +33 388 76 71 35; fax: 33 388 36 69 87; e-mail: rheywood@esf.org.

2001 National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) Conference. Dallas, Texas: April 21-25, 2001. Contact: NDMS, 12300 Twinbrook Parkway, Suite 360, Rockville, MD 20857; (301) 443-1167, (800) 872-6367; fax: (301) 443-5146, (800) 872-5945; e-mail: ndms@usa.net; WWW: http://www.oep-ndms.dhhs.gov.

Regional LIDERES 2001 Course on Disaster Management. Hosted by: Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). San Jose, Costa Rica: June, 2001. "Directed at top-level professionals with broad experience in disaster situations from a wide variety of organizations and sectors (health ministries, national disaster offices, the Red Cross, financing institutions, U.N. and other cooperating agencies)." Contact: PAHO, Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Relief Coordination Program, 525 Twenty-third Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20037-2895; fax: (202) 775-4578; e-mail: curso-lideres@paho.org; WWW: http://165.158.1.110/english/ped/pedhome.htm.

Conference 2001-Las Vegas: Critical Incident Stress Management Suite of Workshops. Offered by: International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF) in cooperation with the Southern Nevada Critical Incident Stress Management Network. Las Vegas, Nevada: June 28-July 1, 2001. Contact: ICISF, 10176 Baltimore National Pike, Unit 201, Ellicott City, MD 21042; (410) 750-9600; fax: (410) 750-9601; WWW: http://www.icisf.org; or the Southern Nevada Critical Incident Stress Management Network; e-mail: training@sncismn.com; WWW: http://www.sncismn.com.

Earthquake Engineering Applications in Geotechnical Engineering - held in conjunction with the Sixth U.S. National Congress on Computational Mechanics. Dearborn, Michigan: August 1-4, 2001. Deadline for abstract submission: January 31, 2001. Contact: Takaaki Kagawa, 2150 Engineering Building, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48202; (313) 577-3853: fax: (313) 577-3881; e-mail: tkagawa@ce.eng.wayne.edu; WWW: http://141.217.53.75/usnccm6.

2001 Open Meeting of the Human Dimensions of Global Environmental Change Research Community. Hosted by: Interamerican Institute for Global Change Research; International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change; Human Dimensions Program, Brazilian Academy of Sciences; and the Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center, Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN). Rio de Janeiro, Brazil: October 6-8, 2001. Deadline for submission of abstracts and session proposals: March 29, 2001. See: http://sedac.ciesin.org/openmeeting, or contact: CIESIN, Columbia University, 61 Route 9W, P.O. Box 1000, Palisades, NY 10964; (845) 365-8988; fax: (845) 365-8922; e-mail: open.meeting@ciesin.org.

Second International Symposium on Advances in Wind and Structures (AWAS'02). Pusan, Korea: August 21-23, 2002. Abstracts due: August 31, 2001. Contact: Secretariat, AWAS'02, Department of Civil Engineering, Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, Taejon 305-701, Korea; tel: 82-42-869-8451/ 3621; fax: 82-42-869-8450; e-mail: technop@chollian.net.


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