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Dear DR Readers,
Below is an advertisement soliciting applications to become Director of the Natural Hazards Research and Applications Information Center. Please know that I am NOT leaving the center.
From its inception over a quarter century ago, only one of the University of Colorado's faculty, the center's director - first Gilbert White, then Bill Travis (Riebsame), and, for the last eight years, me - has formally participated in the center. When I became the director, I was committed to generating more faculty participation in the center without increasing our operating costs. There is now an opportunity to significantly further that goal.
The faculty of the Department of Sociology at the University of Colorado has voted unanimously to make environmental sociology with a track in hazards an area of specialization, and several new faculty have already been hired. Moreover, the university's central administration has agreed to let the department hire a new faculty member, at the full professor level, to replace me as director of the Natural Hazards Center if I remain as chair for another term.
I will remain a permanent fixture at the Natural Hazards Center when the new director is hired and will work with that person in whatever capacity is most appropriate to further the center's mission.
One final word: Directing the Natural Hazards Center here at the University of Colorado is the best job in the country for a social scientist interested in hazards. Please read the job description below, and if you are interested and a hazards sociologist, be sure to apply.
Dennis S. Mileti
Director
Natural Hazards Research and
Applications Information Center
University of Colorado
The Department of Sociology and the Institute of Behavioral Science at the University of Colorado are seeking applications for a full-time tenured full professor in sociology. The applicant must specialize in hazards, disasters, and their link to broader environmental/sustainable development issues. Related areas of interest are welcome. The person in this position will serve as the director of the Natural Hazards Research and Applications Information Center, part of the Research Program on Environment and Behavior, Institute of Behavioral Science. The director will serve as co-principal investigator on the National Science Foundation (NSF) grant that funds the center, set policy for and provide intellectual leadership to the center and its staff, work with the larger hazards community and the funding agencies that contribute to the center through its NSF grant, secure additional external funding to support the center, conduct interdisciplinary hazards and environment-related research with colleagues in the Institute of Behavioral Science, and establish and strengthen relationships with the larger academic community engaged in environmental and risk-related research at the University of Colorado and in the Boulder vicinity. The director of the center receives substantial staff support. This position is also expected to work half-time in the Department of Sociology to help develop and teach the newly organized environmental specialty and other courses, as well as perform other departmental duties and services.
Letters of application should include a statement of research and teaching interests, a perspective on how the applicant would advance the Natural Hazards Center (http://www.colorado.edu/hazards), comment on how the applicant would enhance the environmental sociology specialization in the Sociology Department (http://socsci.colorado.edu/SOC/), a curriculum vitae, and contact information for three referees. The University of Colorado is committed to diversity and equality in education and employment.
Review of applications will begin June 1, 2001. Applications should be submitted to Dennis S. Mileti, Chair, Department of Sociology, University of Colorado, 327 UCB, Boulder, CO 80309.
The paper is available on the World Wide Web at
http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/wp/wp106/wp106.html.
A complete index of working papers is available from
http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/wp/wp.html.
Due to the frequency of natural disasters in Iran, the country has substantial capacities and resources for responding to emergencies, primarily concentrated in government institutions, principally the Ministry of Interior, or based in the Iran Red Crescent Society. Given the potential scale and frequency of disasters in Iran, it is critical that the range of stakeholders be increased and that immediate disaster response, in particular, be strengthened.
The Red Crescent Society of Iran performs a mandated role in disaster response and is responsible for the national- and local-level relief and rescue committees. The leadership of the RCS have identified that to improve disaster response in the country, there is a need to:
The overall objective of the consultancy advertised here is to assist the RCS in implementing the operational elements of the strategic plan, such as the establishment of a functional Emergency Center, updating of the RCS emergency management guidelines, and the implementation of a training program to train 30 trainers. This will be achieved by a short preparatory mission to review the capabilities of RCS, preparation of the training material, followed by another mission to conduct the training course. This consultancy will be carried out in June-July 2001.
The consultant should have the following qualifications:
The cost of these missions will be covered by the Capacity Development for National Disaster Response and Coordination project in accordance with UNDP rules and regulations.
Persons interested in learning more about this project or applying for the consultancy should contact Aisha Parveen Bilal, Research Associate, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), South Asia Sub-Regional Resource Facility (SURF), Islamabad, Pakistan; tel: 92-51-2277627, 2279165 Ext. 2241; fax: 92-51-2829709; e-mail: aisha.bilal@undp.org; WWW: http://www.surfsouthasia.org.
We are seeking examples of research instruments used in disaster research (e.g. questionnaires directed to city officials, journalists, seismologists, etc.) to facilitate cross-cultural comparisons. We are doing research on earthquake reactions/readiness of local governments, rescue groups, journalists, scientists (prediction/information management), volunteer organizations etc. Of course, we would be interested in instruments constructed for reactions/readiness in the case of other natural and technological disasters. Please correspond with us at our e-mail address: erc@otenet.gr.
Nicholas Petropolous
Emergencies Research Center
Varvogli 7
Athens 11361
Greece
Tel/fax: 00 301 825 6266
E-mail: erc@otenet.gr
http://www.ftw.nrcs.usda.gov/pl566/agingwater/infra.html
More than 50 years ago, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
was first authorized by Congress to help local communities with upstream
flood control and watershed protection. Today, there is growing national
concern that many of the early flood control dams are at or near the end
of their planned design life and may pose a risk to public safety. In A
Report to Congress on Aging Watershed Infrastructure: An Analysis and
Strategy for Addressing the Nation's Aging Flood Control Dams, the
USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) outlines the history
of its Small Watershed Program and discusses the risk posed by some of
the more than 10,000 upstream flood control dams constructed since 1948.
Many of the older small dams require significant rehabilitation, and some pose a threat to the safety of people and towns downstream or to anyone who uses the reservoirs as a source of drinking water. The NRCS stresses that if action is not taken to rehabilitate these dams, there is potential for adverse impacts on downstream floodplains and ecosystems the dams have been protecting. The agency estimates that more than 2,200 dams need work and that the total cost will be more than $540 million. The cost of rehabilitation will only rise with time as deterioration increases, construction costs rise, and more rehabilitation needs are identified. Conversely, these repairs can provide opportunities to increase municipal and industrial water supplies, firefighting water resources, recreation opportunities, and wetland and wildlife assets. This and numerous other reports on this problem are available on the NRCS web site above.
http://www.fema.gov/nfip/pfloydrpt.pdf
When Hurricane Floyd struck North Carolina in 1999, flood damage was
severe because soil was already saturated by rainfall. Because the region
had been flooded before, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
and state and local governments had implemented a variety of flood
mitigation activities. Following the hurricane, FEMA funded a study to
evaluate the effectiveness of these activities, and the results of that
study are now available in the report, Evaluation of CRS Credited
Activities During Hurricane Floyd, available from the web site above.
The National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) Community Rating System (CRS) was implemented in 1990 to recognize and encourage community floodplain management activities that exceed minimum NFIP standards. Under the CRS, flood insurance premium rates are lowered to reflect the reduced flood risk resulting from activities that meet three goals: 1) reducing flood losses; 2) facilitating accurate insurance rating; and 3) promoting awareness of flood insurance. For the FEMA report, eight credited CRS activities were evaluated to determine their impact on flood losses. Among the findings:
http://www.bghrc.com
The Benfield Greig Hazard Research Centre in London has recently put
up two new publications on the centre's web site. The first is Guidance
Notes on Participation and Accountability in Disaster Reduction,
intended to help practitioners in disaster mitigation and preparedness.
The notes cover principles and practice, and contain a number of case
studies. They are still in draft form, and comments and, particularly,
additional case study material are welcome. A copy can be downloaded from
the Benfield Greig site - go to the Disaster Management pages and look
under "Other Publications."
The second publication, Sustainable Livelihoods and Vulnerability to Disasters, summarizes recent thinking on this topic. In particular, it looks at a sustainable livelihoods framework currently being developed and promoted and includes a list of selected references and sources of information on these subjects. It also comments on issues arising from current theories relevant to work on livelihood options for disaster risk reduction. Copies are also available from the centre web site - go the Disaster Management pages and look under "Working Papers."
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/emlegislation
A new Yahoo Internet discussion group has been established to
disseminate legislation and regulatory notices (such as Federal Register
documents and texts of bills) that might affect emergency management
professionals. Additionally, this group will serve as a forum for
discussion of emergency management policy issues. To subscribe send an
e-mail to: emlegislation-subscribe@yahoogroups.com, or visit the group's
homepage above. The group moderator is seeking to establish partnerships
with others who can provide information for the group. If you are
interested in such a partnership please contact MaryAnn Marrocolo,
e-mail: mmarroco@oem.cn.ci.nyc.ny.us, or
mmarrocolo@aol.com.
On January 4, the agencies posted a notice in the Federal Register that provides an initial list of at-risk communities as well as the preliminary criteria for risk evaluation and management that will be used to focus hazardous fuel reduction efforts funded by Congress. Communities on the list "exist where humans and their development meet or intermix with wildland fuel." The agencies divided jurisdictions into three types: "interface," "intermix," and "occluded" communities.
On May 1, 2001, the secretaries are required to publish a second list in the Federal Register of high risk communities for which fuels reduction activities will not begin in 2001. Risk factors that will be considered in narrowing the initial list include: fire behavior potential, values at risk (e.g., property, natural resources, or cultural treasures), and infrastructure (e.g., dead end roads, steep grades, fire-fighting capacity, water supply, and emergency response capabilities). The subsequent fire-reduction projects will focus on federal land and may be extended to nonfederal land in close proximity. Other factors that may be considered in project selection include community contributions, such as the establishment of a defensible space around a community, hazardous fuel reduction activities and programs, partnerships with other agencies, enforcement of fire-related laws, appropriate community planning and land-use practices, and fire safety and related environmental education.
The notice can be found in the Federal Register, Vol. 66, No. 3, pp. 751-777. Copies are available on-line at http://www.access.gpo.gov.
The group's recommendations are intended to reflect national public interest, and members will represent varied stakeholders affected by the Joint Fire Science Program. For more information, contact Bob Clark, Joint Fire Science Program Manager, National Interagency Fire Center, 3833 South Development Avenue, Boise, ID 83705; (208) 387-5349; e-mail: bob_clark@blm.gov.
The report Ten-Year Comprehensive Strategy: A Collaborative Ten-Year Strategy for Restoring Health to Fire-Adapted Ecosystems is currently posted in draft form on the Western Governors' Association (WGA) web site: http://www.westgov.org. The final version is expected to be completed May 1.
The WGA also issued a statement in December 2000, calling for a long-term approach to the wildfire risk in the U.S. The Catastrophic Wildfires of 2000: Collaborative Effort Key to Prevention and Improved Ecosystem Health outlines action the chief executives feel needs to be initiated under the new Bush administration and Congress. In particular, the governors call on Congress to provide funding over the next 10 years consistent with the amount appropriated for fiscal year 2001, asserting that this funding will "pale in comparison to that required for future fire fighting needs, lost timber value, restoration costs and damage to downstream resources if the trends continue and we see more fire seasons like the Summer of 2000." This report is also available from the Western Governors' Association web site.
For further information, contact Leona Dittus, Executive Director, Interim National Drought Council, U.S. Department of Agriculture, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Room 6701-S, Washington, DC 20250-0501; (202) 720-3168; fax: (202) 720-9688; e-mail: leona.dittus@usda.gov;
The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), under a cooperative agreement with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), has completed a project to update and convert the "NEHRP [National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program] Guidelines for the Seismic Rehabilitation of Buildings" (FEMA-273) and the related "NEHRP Commentary" (FEMA-274) into a mandatory language "Pre-standard and Commentary for the Seismic Rehabilitation of Buildings" (FEMA-356). This pre-standard is now available for use.
In addition, Global Topics Report on the Pre-standard and Commentary for the Seismic Rehabilitation of Buildings (FEMA-357), which documents the nature of and rationale for the technical changes made in the conversion of the guidelines into the pre-standard, is also now available.
The completion of the pre-standard is the first step in turning FEMA 356 into an ASCE/American National Standards Institute (ANSI) approved national consensus standard. In this process, recent research results and technical advancements have been incorporated into the pre-standard if deemed appropriate by the project team and approved by the ASCE Standards Committee on Seismic Rehabilitation.
The ASCE Standards Committee on Seismic Rehabilitation of Buildings has unanimously voted to accept FEMA-356 as the basis of a voluntary consensus standard, which, upon its completion, will be suitable for reference by building codes and inclusion in contracts. In 2001, the Standards Committee is balloting members and otherwise pursuing the formal standard development process. For more information, contact ASCE's Standards Coordinator, Kim Brubaker, ASCE, 1801 Alexander Bell Drive, Reston, VA 20191; e-mail: kbrubaker@asce.org.
Free copies of both FEMA-356 and FEMA-357 are available from the FEMA Document Distribution Center, P.O. Box 2012, 8231 Stayton Drive, Jessup, MD 20794-2012; 1-800-480-2520; fax: (301) 362-5335.
***
Flood Warning Program Effectiveness in Boulder and Boulder County,
Colorado. Funding: Urban Drainage and Flood Control District, $40,000,
12 months. Principal Investigators: Eve Gruntfest and Kim Carswell,
Department of Geography, Post Office Box 7150, University of Colorado,
Colorado Springs, CO 80933-7150; (719) 262-4058; fax: (719) 262-4066;
e-mail: ecg@brain.uccs.edu.
***
A 1,200-Year, High Resolution Record of Hurricane Activity for Southern
New England. Funding: National Science Foundation, $10,000, 15 months.
Principal Investigator: Raymond S. Bradley, Department of Geosciences,
233 Morrill Science Center, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA
01003; (413) 545-2286; fax: (413) 545-1200; e-mail:
rbradley@geo.umass.edu;
WWW: http://www.geo.umass.edu.
***
Speleotherms: A New Proxy Record of Individual Hurricanes and Tropical
Storms. Funding: National Science Foundation, $19,782; 12 months.
Principal Investigator: Dork L. Sahagian, Climate Change Research Center,
Morse Hall, Room 164, University of New Hampshire, 39 College Road,
Durham, NH 03824; (603) 862-3875; fax: (603) 862-3874;
dork.sahagian@unh.edu.
***
Rainfall Characteristics and the Influence of Urban Land Use on Shallow
Landslide Initiation in Seattle, Washington. Principal Investigator:
T. Nelson Caine, Department of Geography, 260 UCB, University of
Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0019; (303) 492-8642; e-mail:
cainen@colorado.edu.
***
Climate Change Response Strategies for Water Resources: Price and
Non-Price Demand Management. Funding: National Science Foundation,
$237,918, 24 months. Principal Investigator: Robert N. Stavins, John F.
Kennedy School of Government, 79 J.F. Kennedy St., L306, Harvard
University, Cambridge, MA 02138; (617) 495-1820; fax: (617) 496-3783;
e-mail: robert_stavins@harvard.edu.
***
Flood Research Partnership: Promoting Stakeholders' Participation in
Sustainable Floodplain Management in the Red River Basin. Funding: Social
Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) of Canada, $600,000, 36
months. Principal Investigators: John Sinclair, Natural Resources
Institute, University of Manitoba, and Emdad Haque, Department of
Geography, Brandon University. Contact: John Sinclair, Natural Resources
Institute, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3T 2N2;
tel: (204) 474-8374; e-mail: jsincla@ms.umanitoba.CA
***
Strengthening Disaster Mitigation and Management at the State Level in
India. Funding: Asian Development Bank, 12 months. For information,
contact the Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC), Asian Institute
of Technology, P.O. Box 4, Klong Luang, Pathumthani 12120, Thailand; tel:
66-2-524-5353; fax: 66-2-524-5360; e-mail: adpc@ait.ac.th; WWW:
http://www.adpc.ait.ac.th/Default.html.
April 25 - Consequence Management News, Equipment, and Training (CoMNET) Magazine
May 2 - National Alert - Special Feature - "Stoned Cold" on the hazards of teenage drunk driving and response to accidents
May 9 (1:30 p.m.) - "Caregiving and Loss: Family Needs, Professional Response"
May 16 - National Alert Broadcast - FEMA's monthly video magazine on emergency management activities and issues - see the EENET web page listed below for topics
May 23 - Weapons of Mass Destruction - "Live Response"
May 30 - "Highlights from the National Training and Education Conference"
June 6 - "Mitigating the Terrorists Threat - The Community Leader's Role"
June 13 - "Firefighter Incident Review: 'Cherry Road'"
June 20 - National Alert Broadcast - see the EENET web page below for topics
June 27 - Consequence Management News, Equipment, and Training (CoMNET) Magazine
Note: Satellites and transponders vary for these programs, see the EENET web site - http://www.fema.gov/emi/eenet.htm - for broadcast details. Additional broadcasts are frequently added. For the most current listing, or to sign up for regular e-mail updates about EENET events, see the EENET web page above.
"Gaining Knowledge from Environmental Data": A Workshop on the Data-Information-Knowledge Continuum. Sponsored by: U.S. Global Change Research Program Data and Information Working Group (DIWG); hosted by: U.S. Geological Survey. Fort Collins, Colorado: May 1-3, 2001. For more information, see: http://www.globalchange.gov/workshop2001; or call (970) 226-9303; or e-mail: USGSglobalchange@aol.com.
International Symposium on Land Degradation and Desertification. Mexico City: May 6-13, 2001. Contact: Department of Physical Geography, Institute of Geography, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Ciudad Universitaria, SP 04510, Coyoacan, D.F. Mexico; tel: (52) 5622-4339; 5622-4340, 5622-4341; fax: (52) 5616-2145; e-mail: landegrad@igiris.igeograf.unam.mx; WWW: http://www.igeograf.unam.mx/instituto/frame.html.
Fundamentals of Seismic Design (May 14-16) and Applications to New and Existing Construction and Structural Bracing for Lateral Loads and Stability May (17-18). Offered by: Department of Engineering Professional Development, University of Wisconsin - Madison. Madison, Wisconsin: May 14-18, 2001. Contact: Pat Richards, Department of Engineering Professional Development, Engineering Registration, Department 107, The Pyle Center, 702 Langdon Street, Madison, WI 53706; 1-800-462-0876; fax: 1-800-442-4214 or (608) 265-3448; e-mail: custserv@epd.engr.wisc.edu; WWW: http://aec.engr.wisc.edu/courses/.
Of People, Place, and Progress: Extended Recovery on the Coastal Plain. Presented by: East Carolina University and Eastern Area Health Education Center (EAHEC). Greenville, North Carolina: May 23-25, 2001. Contact: EAHEC, Venture Towers Building, P.O. Box 7224, Greenville, NC 27835-7224; WWW: http://www.ecu.edu/hazconf.
Sixth International Conference for Health and Human Rights. Organized by: International Society for Health and Human Rights and Society for Psychological Assistance. Cavtat, Croatia: June 20-24, 2001. E-mail: organiz@ishhr-conf-2001.org; WWW: http://www.ishhr-conf-2001.org.
Responding to Acts of Terrorism: Preparing Professional Responders to Define, Recognize, and Respond Effectively to Threats of Terrorism. Offered by: National Institute for Government Innovation (NIGI). Los Angeles, California: July 16-18, 2001. Contact: NIGI, 708 Third Avenue, Fourth Floor, New York, NY 10017; 1-888-670-8200; fax: (941) 365-2507; WWW: http://www.nigi.org.
The First Mediterranean Emergency Medicine Congress. Sponsors: American Academy of Emergency Medicine and European Society for Emergency Medicine. Stresa, Italy: September 2-5, 2001. Abstracts due May 31. Contact: Organizing Secretariat, MAF SERVIZI S.R.L., Via Vico, 7 10128 Torino, Italy; tel: +39 011505900; fax: +39 011505976; e-mail: stresa2001@mafservizi.it; WWW: http://www.mafservizi.it/stresa2001.
International Exhibition for Disaster Control and Emergency Treatment Services. Organizer: Shanghai Municipal Civil Defense Office. Shanghai, China: September 18-20, 2001. Contact: Education Network and Exhibition Services Ltd., 14E Cindic Tower, 128 Gloucester Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong; tel: 852 2598 7556; fax: 852 2598 0302; e-mail: enesjonathan@ctimail3.com.
American Water Resources Association (AWRA) Annual Conference. Albuquerque, New Mexico: November 12-15, 2001. Abstracts due May 7. Contact: AWRA, 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.
Third International Conference on Computer Simulation in Risk Analysis and Hazard Mitigation. Organizer: Wessex Institute of Technology. Sintra, Portugal: June 19-21, 2002. Contact: Susan Hanley, Conference Secretariat, Risk Analysis 2002, Wessex Institute of Technology, Ashurst Lodge, Ashurst, Southampton SO40 7AA, U.K.; tel: 44-0-238-029-3223; fax: 44-0-238-029-2853; e-mail: shanley@wessex.ac.uk; WWW: http://www.wessex.ac.uk/conferences/2002/risk02/index.html.
Ninth International Conference on Urban Drainage. Sponsors: Joint Committee on Urban Storm Drainage of the IAHR and IWA and others. Portland, Oregon: September 8-13, 2002. Abstracts due July 31, 2001. Contact: Cindy Gold, Conference Manager, American Society of Civil Engineers, 1801 Alexander Bell Drive, Reston, VA 20191-4400; (703) 295- 6197; fax: (703) 295-6144; e-mail: cgold@asce.org; WWW: http://www.asce.org/conferences/9iucd2002.
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