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Emergency Preparedness Canada is giving consideration to the development of a database that will assist in tracking of mitigation activities in Canada (programs, activities, costs, etc.) across various levels of government, NGOs, and the private sector.
I am looking for information as to whether similar databases are in use in other countries and if so, how useful has this been for them. I would appreciate any sense of lessons learned and how best to approach the development of such a database.
Val Hwacha
E-mail: Valeriah.Hwacha@OCIPEP-BPIEPC.gc.ca
Dear DR Readers,
I am preparing to do a thesis about involving GPs in case of a major catastrophe or disaster. I have got in contact with doctors in Belgium, and I read some articles from Australia. Can you help me to obtain information from other countries regarding how GPs are organised to offer help by setting up disaster medical assistance teams in case of a major disaster?
Also can you help me obtain copies of disaster plans for islands like my country (Malta) where there is one major hospital and where external help is relied upon due to limited resources and due to being completely surrounded by the sea? Do you have any documents of how such islands, as ours, have dealt with similar disasters?
Being a small island, Malta's resources are limited, and since disasters are not an immediate concern there is little discussion regarding disaster medicine. Hence, I have decided to embark on these studies to try to establish this subject locally. I am doing this at my own personal expense, so I appreciate any help you can offer me.
Thanks and regards,
Dr. Denis Vella Baldacchino
E-mail: denvelb@vol.net.mt
Dear DR Readers,
I am a junior political science major at Brown University in Providence, Rhode Island, conducting a summer research project in fire disaster relief in Ethiopia. I will be traveling to that country and looking at the UN Emergencies Unit for Ethiopia's response to fires that occurred in the spring of 2000. I am trying to get some perspective on my project and to understand how it fits in with existing research and scholarship, as well as the potential for breaking new ground and making some sort of valuable contribution to the field.
Basically, I will look at the intersection of cultural and political factors (in addition to existential philosophical and theoretical questions) in the fires there. I will study the circumstances surrounding their causes, as well as the issues involved in the response. Due to my background in political science and my own research limitations, I will probably focus primarily on how the UN responded to the fires, including the strategy, the national and international institutions in place for handling natural disaster, and the experience of disaster victims - although the scope of my research will almost certainly change once I arrive in Ethiopia and gain a sense of how I can most effectively make a contribution.
Any information you could provide me or direct me toward would be extremely helpful.
Thanks,
Matt Perault
E-mail: Matthew_Perault@brown.edu
The University of Colorado and the Natural Hazards Research and Applications Information Center have launched a major fundraising effort to establish an endowed faculty position at the university dedicated to understanding and reducing loss due to disasters.
Named after the center's founder and long-time mentor, the Gilbert F. White Natural Hazards Mitigation Chair will honor White by reflecting his life-long dedication to furthering knowledge and research regarding ways to alleviate human suffering caused by natural hazards. The post will ensure that hazards mitigation remains at the forefront of scholarship in social science. The chair will be open to any relevant discipline and will reside at the Natural Hazards Center, which is part of the university's Institute of Behavioral Science.
On May 2 of this year, in a ceremony at the Hazards Center, Becky Turner, a representative of the State Farm Fire and Casualty Insurance Company and State Farm General Insurance Company presented a check for $100,000 toward the position. The donation represents the initial step in a University of Colorado Foundation campaign to raise $3 million to endow the chair by White's 90th birthday on November 26.
Persons interested in learning more or donating toward the Gilbert F. White endowed chair, should contact Linda Bachrach, C.U. Foundation, P.O. Box 1140, Boulder, CO 80306-1140; (303) 492-5689; e-mail: Linda.Bachrach@cufund.colorado.edu.
[Below are some new or updated Internet resources we've discovered. For an extended list of Internet sites dealing with hazards, see http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/sites/sites.html]
http://www.fema.gov/mit/tsd
http://www.fema.gov/mit/tsd/DL_tmcfr.htm
http://www.fema.gov/mit/tsd/WN_main.htm
The final report of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
Technical Mapping Advisory Council is now available for download from
FEMA's Flood Hazard Mapping web page above. The report encapsulates five
years of work by the council, which was established by the 1994 National
Flood Insurance Reform Act. The council agreed on four key areas that
FEMA must pursue if the nation's floodplain maps are to be improved:
While we're talking about the FEMA Flood Hazard Mapping site, we should mention the "What's New" page at the third URL and all the attendant new features that the mapping people have added to their site. In particular, there are numerous new on-line tutorials and e-mail lists to which interested persons can subscribe. The lists include a general newsletter for updates on flood mapping activities, a coastal hazard mailing list, and several other e-mail missives regarding mapping programs and technologies. See the final URL above for more information about the many information and education resources available.
http://coastalhazards.wcu.edu
The "Coastal Hazards Information Clearinghouse" is a joint project
of Western Carolina University and the State University of West Georgia.
With support from the Public Entity Risk Institute and FEMA, these two
schools have created a web site that contains a 10-chapter monograph on
coastal hazards, detailed coastal hazard maps for all coastal states,
photos of property damage from several recent hurricanes, and a list of
coastal hazard links for each state.
http://greenwood.cr.usgs.gov/pub/i-maps/i-2737/
http://greenwood.cr.usgs.gov/pub/fact-sheets/fs-0006-01/
Over 1,000 earthquakes have hit the Northeast over the last 360
years - some of them causing significant damage. These events are
documented in a new earthquake map and fact sheet entitled Earthquakes
In and Near the Northeastern United States, 1638-1998 recently released
by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and the Northeast States Emergency
Consortium. These documents can be downloaded from the URLs above.
http://www.paho.org/disasters/
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has published three new
volumes on disaster medicine and mental health:
PAHO has also just released the latest version of its Virtual Health Library for Disasters, which is also available at the web site above and on CD-ROM. This new, expanded version of the Virtual Disaster Library incorporates the works of many new partners and collaborators and consequently offers a broad variety of information on disaster prepared- ness, mitigation, management, and response. This global collection contains more than 300 scientific and technical documents including the most important works on disasters and emergencies published by the many cooperating agencies. It also incorporates a powerful and improved search engine and offers all documents in HTML, and many in PDF, format.
To order the CD-ROM, contact the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Disaster Publications, 525, Twenty-third Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20037; e-mail: disaster-publications@paho.org; or the World Health Organization (WHO); e-mail: eha@who.ch.
http://www.iadb.org/sds/env/site_2493_e.htm
http://www.iadb.org/sds/env/publication_2530_e.htm
http://www.iadb.org/idbamerica/english/mar01e/mar01e8.html
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has made a major
commitment to addressing natural disasters as an integral part of its
overall mission to promote development and reduce poverty in the
Americas. The IDB Natural Disaster Management web site at the first URL
describes the bank's mission, strategy, and work program in this area
and, at the second address, offers three publications for download from
the site:
At the third URL, the bank recently announced the publication of a new volume - Social Protection for Equity and Growth (2000, 238 pp., $22.50, plus shipping), edited by Ann Moline. The book focuses on the extreme vulnerability of the poor in Latin America and discusses how governments in the region can plan for (rather than simply respond to) disasters and severe economic fluctuations. The authors argue that the impact of disasters in Latin America can be mitigated by instituting financial and land-use reforms, developing social systems, encouraging entrepreneurship, and creating disaster reserve funds. They hold that a coherent social protection strategy will improve a nation's overall economic status after a crisis by reducing the exposure of the poor to risk and boosting their participation in economic activities with higher returns, thus, ultimately, preparing a country to deal with inevitable future disasters. More information, excerpts, and an order form are available from the site. Orders should be directed to the IDB Bookstore, 1300 New York Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20577.
http://www.redcross.org/services/disaster/keepsafe/blackout.html
The American Red Cross recently developed a fact sheet on rolling
energy blackouts that is posted on the ARC Web site at the address above.
This information was created using input from the electrical utility
community and Red Cross public educators, primarily in California.
The Board of Directors of the Insurance Legislators Foundation (ILF), a research and educational arm of the National Conference of Insurance Legislators (NCOIL), will hold a hearing on issues that should be addressed in a state legislators' guide on flood risk and insurance. The ILF will hold the hearing in Chicago, Illinois, on the morning of Friday, July 13, 2001.
The foundation will use the hearing testimony in preparing a study that it is conducting under an agreement with the Flood Insurance Administration (FIA) of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). It will specifically seek testimony on ways in which state legislators can improve awareness of flood risks and flood insurance protection, promote sound floodplain management, and assist victims of floods.
The hearing is being held because the ILF recognizes that, despite the successes of the National Flood Insurance Program, many individuals, businesses, and governmental agencies, as well as health care, educational, and transportation facilities and structures, have inadequate flood insurance coverage or no coverage at all. At the same time, the foundation recognizes that state legislators can help develop strategies to promote sound land-use management and building practices to prevent flood damage and protect constituents, as well as to assist state and local governments and victims in flood disasters. Hence, the organization welcomes comments on:
Persons testifying must submit an electronic copy of their written testimony to the ILF by June 20, 2001, and bring 50 copies with them on the day of the hearing. The ILF will accept written testimony from persons unable to testify at the hearing until August 15.
[The following information is condensed from an announcement that appears on the NOAA/OGP web site: http://www.ogp.noaa.gov.]
Summary: The Climate and Global Change Program represents a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) contribution to evolving national and international programs designed to improve our ability to observe, understand, predict, and respond to changes in the global environment. This program builds on NOAA's mission requirements and long-standing capabilities in global change research and prediction. The NOAA Program is a key contributing element of the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP), which is coordinated by the Interagency Committee on Environmental and Natural Resources. NOAA's program is designed to complement other agencies' contributions to that national effort.
Program Objectives: The long-term objective of the Climate and Global Change Program is to provide reliable predictions of climate variability and change with associated regional implications on time scales ranging from seasons to a century or more. NOAA believes that climate variability across these time scales can be modeled with an acceptable probability of success and are the most relevant for fundamental social concerns. Predicting the behavior of the coupled ocean-atmosphere-land surface system will be NOAA's primary contribution to a successful national effort to deal with observed or anticipated changes in the global environment. NOAA has a range of unique facilities and capabilities that can be applied to climate and global change investigations. Proposals that seek to exploit these resources in collaborative efforts between NOAA and extramural investigators are encouraged.
Program Priorities: In FY 2002, NOAA will give priority attention to individual proposals in the Main Program Elements. (A complete list is provided on the web page listed below; of interest to social scientists are the following elements: Climate and Societal Interactions, Human Dimensions of Global Change Research, Health and Climate Variability, Regional Integrated Sciences and Assessments.)
Schedule and Proposal Submission: All submissions should be directed to the Office of Global Programs (OGP), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 1100 Wayne Avenue, Suite 1210, Silver Spring, MD 20910-5603. For further information, contact: Irma duPree at this address, or call: (301) 427-2089, ext. 107; fax: (301) 427-2222; e-mail: irma.duPree@noaa.gov.
Letters of intent must be received at OGP no later than July 2, 2001. Full proposals must be received no later than August 27, 2001.
Detailed information is available from http://www.ogp.noaa.gov/c&gc/ao/2002/fy2002.htm. A complete "Application Kit" is now available on-line from this Web page (click on the link provided at the bottom of the page).
The United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) Secretariat has announced that it is accepting nominations for the 2001 United Nations Sasakawa Award for Disaster Reduction. This year the secretariat has produced translated versions of the nomination booklets in French, Spanish, and Russian, in order to reach more communities at risk from disasters and to facilitate applications from a broader range of disciplines. The disaster reduction community as a whole is invited to nominate suitable candidates who have made outstanding contributions to the cause of disaster prevention and vulnerability reduction worldwide. The Sasakawa Award will be presented in Geneva on the International Day for Disaster Reduction, Wednesday October 10, 2001. Nomination booklets or additional information can be obtained from the ISDR web site: http://www.unisdr.org; or from Ms. C. Rose, United Nations, ISDR Secretariat, Palais des Nations, CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland; tel: 41.22.917.97.17; fax: 41.22.917. 90.98/99; e-mail: rosec@un.org.
The United Nations 2001 World Disaster Reduction Campaign announcement on Countering Disasters; Targeting Vulnerability with the three sub-themes: "The Role of Science and Technology in Disaster Reduction," "Building Disaster Resistant Infrastructures," and "Mobilizing Local Communities in Reducing Disasters" (see DR #340) has been translated into French, Spanish, Russian, Arabic, and Chinese. The information can be viewed on the ISDR web page - http://www.unisdr.org - or obtained from the secretariat at the address above. The secretariat is preparing supporting material for the campaign, and contributions can still be submitted to the secretariat; the preferred deadline is June 15. The campaign is intended to maximize awareness of disaster reduction and disaster-related issues through the dissemination of sound information and the promotion of interactive activities.
The Multihazard Building Design Summer Institute offered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Emergency Management Institute, will be held in Emmitsburg, Maryland, July 23-27, 2001 (flood and wind mitigation design), and July 30-August 3, 2001 (earthquake and dam safety design). This institute is designed to provide instructional tools to support engineering and architectural professors in conducting building design courses. Sessions will address state-of-the-art design research and applications to protect buildings against various hazards. There is no charge for registration, tuition, or text books, and partial funding for travel expenses is available to most participants. Also, campus housing will be provided at no cost to most participants; however, participants will be responsible for paying for their own meals in the campus dining hall. For details, contact Joe Bills, National Emergency Training Center, 16825 South Seton Avenue, Emmitsburg, MD 21727; e-mail: joseph.bills@fema.gov; WWW: http://www.fema.gov/emi/mbdsi3.htm.
[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]
MSc Course in Earthquake Engineering Risk Management. Offered by: Engineering Seismology and Earthquake Engineering Section; Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering; Imperial College of Science, Technology, and Medicine; London, U.K. This is an eleven-month course (October-September); however it may be taken on a part-time basis over several years. In addition, practicing engineers may attend individual modules. More information is available on the World Wide Web: http://www.esee.cv.ic.ac.uk/eerm.htm; or by contacting Professor A.S. Elnashai, ESEE Section, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Imperial College of Science, Technology, and Medicine, Imperial College Road, South Kensington, London SW7 2AZ, U.K.; tel: +44 (0)20 75946058; fax: +40 (0)20 72252716; e-mail: a.elnashai@ic.ac.uk.
Teleconference on "How Does a Structural [Fire] Department Handle a Wildland Response." Host: International Association of Fire Chiefs (ICHIEFS). The Internet: June 18, 2001. To register, on the World Wide Web go to: https://www.krm.com/regonline/ifcvcregs.nsf/ifc6260-0. For more information, contact: ICHIEFS, 4025 Fair Ridge Drive, Suite 300, Fairfax, VA 22033-2868; (703) 273-0911; fax: (703) 273-9363; e-mail: pdasst@ichiefs.org; WWW: http://www.ichiefs.org.
Regional LIDERES 2001 Course on Disaster Management. Hosted by: Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). San Jose, Costa Rica: July 2-19, 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)." Course conducted in Spanish. 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://www.disaster.info.desastres.net/LIDERES.
Second Regional Training Course on Urban Flood Mitigation (under the Asian Urban Disaster Mitigation Program [AUDMP]). Offered by: Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC)/AUDMP. Quezon City, Philippines: September 3-14, 2001. Contact: Training and Education, ADPC, Asian Institute of Technology, P.O. Box 4, Klongluang, Pathumthani 12120, Thailand; tel: 66-2-524-5363; fax: 66-2-524-5350; e-mail: adpc@ait.ac.th; WWW: http://www.adpc.ait.ac.th.
Disaster Management Workshops. Offered by: University of Wisconsin- Madison, Department of Engineering Professional Development, Disaster Management Center. Madison, Wisconsin: September 17-21, 2001. Contact: Amy Lensing, Department of Engineering Professional Development, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 432 North Lake Street, Madison, WI 53706; 1-800-462-0876; fax: (608) 263-3160; e-mail: custserv@epd.engr.wisc.edu; WWW: http://epdweb.engr.wisc.edu/.
"Bullwhip" (Building Unified Leadership Levels With Hazard Incident Planning) 2001. Sponsors: Wyoming Emergency Management Agency and the Wyoming State Emergency Response Commission. Lander, Wyoming: September 17-21, 2001. Contact Clyde Young, (307) 332-2216, e-mail: cyoung@rmisp.com; WWW: http://wema.state.wy.us/bullwhip.htm.
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.
EDITS 2001 Emergency Disaster Incident Training Symposium. Host: Eastern Montgomery County [Pennsylvania] Regional Emergency Management Group. Fort Washington, Pennsylvania: September 28-29, 2001. See: http://www.maxpages.com/edits; or contact: EDITS 2001 Registration, c/o Upper Moreland Township Emergency Services, 117 Park Avenue, Willow Grove, PA 19090; e-mail: tsullivan@edits.every1.net.
Arkansas Floodplain Management Association Fall Conference. Somewhere in Arkansas, we'd bet: October 2-4, 2001. Contact: Jason Donham, (501) 682- 3907; e-mail: jason.donham@aswcc.state.ar.us.
Disaster 2002. Sponsor: Florida Emergency Medicine Foundation, in collaboration with the Florida College of Emergency Physicians. Orlando, Florida: January 31-February 3, 2002. The organizers of this annual international disaster management conference are currently seeking presentation proposals. Details and a proposal form are available from http://www.fcep.org and http://www.fcep.org/callforpreframe.htm. Additional information can be obtained from: John Todaro, Director of Education, Florida Emergency Medicine Foundation, Florida College of Emergency Physicians, 3717 South Conway Road, Orlando, FL 32812-7607; (800) 766-6335 or (407) 281-7396; fax: (407) 281-4407; e-mail: jtodaro@fcep.org.
North American Snow Conference. Host: American Public Works Association (APWA). Columbus, Ohio: April 14-16, 2002. The organizers are currently soliciting session proposals; deadline is September 6, 2001. For details, see: http://www.apwa.net/Meetings/snow/2002; or contact: Karen Wilson, APWA, 2345 Grand Boulevard, Suite 500, Kansas City, MO 64108-2641; (816) 472-6100; fax: (816) 472-1610; e-mail: kwilson@apwa.net.
Hurricane Andrew 10-Year Anniversary Conference. Host: International Hurricane Center, Florida International University. Miami, Florida: May 30-31, 2002. Contact: Ricardo Alvarez, Deputy Director, National Hurricane Center, Florida International University - CEAS 2710; Miami, FL 33199; (305) 348-1607; fax: (305) 348-1605; e-mail: alvarez@fiu.edu or hurricane@fiu.edu; WWW: http://www.ihc.fiu.edu.
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