DISASTER RESEARCH 354

September 20, 2001

TABLE OF CONTENTS:


  1. A Request from New York City
  2. An On-Line Course for Our Times
  3. Publications on Dealing with Trauma
  4. CRID Seeking Articles on Community Participation
  5. ISDR World Disaster Reduction Campaign Update
  6. WAPMERR: A New Approach to World-Wide Earthquake Risk Reduction
  7. Some New or Newly Discovered Internet Resources
  8. U.N. Offering On-Line Discussion on Gender Equality, Environmental Management, and Natural Disaster Mitigation
  9. Disaster Time Line Now Available Free On-Line
  10. Help Wanted: Oak Ridge - Technical Director, Emergency Management Laboratory
  11. EENET Schedule - October-December 2001
  12. Conferences and Training


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

A Request from New York City

I am in New York City working with the city government. Any suggestions that DR readers could offer regarding large city response and recovery would be great, but specifically, it would be most helpful to learn about any useful/successful situations in U.S. cities in which a private company came to the aid of the city to help bring things back to normal, or situations in which governments offered a particularly useful program, implemented by a private company. We have a couple of crisis response team members from IBM helping us here, but the size of this disaster is overwhelming. It has impacted this city in so many ways, the work to be done to recover is vast, and we need to determine the best ways to direct our efforts.

Hope to hear from you,
Laura Fried
IBM Client Representative, State and Local Government
590 Madison Avenue, 16th Floor
New York, NY 10022
(212) 745-6240
E-mail:
fried1@us.ibm.com


2)----------
A possible resource in our sad times . . .

An On-Line Course for Emergency Managers

Disaster Research readers might be interested in knowing that there is a FEMA Higher Education Project course entitled "Terrorism and Emergency Management" that is available for download from the EMI HiEd web site: http://www.fema.gov/emi/edu. While this 374-page upper division college course was developed for academics to teach in emergency management bachelor degree programs, it can be downloaded and read for its informational content. Topics include the history of terrorism in the U.S., domestic and international terrorism, law enforcement and national security aspects, applying the emergency management framework to terrorism, terrorism hazard analysis and risk assessment, structural and nonstructural terrorism mitigation strategies, preparedness for major and special events, and responding to terrorist-sponsored disasters.

It would be hard to read this material and not think of immediate implications and applications for one's emergency or crisis management program. In addition, there are numerous references to government and academic sources, web sites and publications for additional reading and research.

The course developer is Dr. William Waugh Jr., Department of Public Administration and Urban Studies, Andrew Young School of Policy Studies, Georgia State University in Atlanta. Dr. Waugh has written extensively on emergency management and terrorism.

To access the "Terrorism and Emergency Management" course from the web site noted above, click on "Academic Emergency Management Higher Education Courses" on the left side of the screen (third item down), and then on the course title.

For those who do access this material, we solicit recommendations and comments in that it is our intent to redo the course based on recent events and perhaps bringing to bear a broader multidisciplinary perspective. Comments and suggestions can be addressed to the FEMA Emergency Management Higher Education Project Manager, Dr. Wayne Blanchard, e-mail: wayne.blanchard@fema.gov.


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

Publications on Dealing with Trauma

Because of the nation's national tragedy, the American Academy of Experts in Traumatic Stress has updated its web site and made several documents concerning traumatic stress available for free. The documents include:

  1. Parent Guidelines for Crisis Response
  2. Teacher Guidelines for Crisis Response
  3. The 10 Stages of Acute Traumatic Stress Management
  4. Indicators Suggestive of a Greater Likelihood of Self-Destructive Potential
  5. "High-Risk" Indicators for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
  6. How Do People Respond During Traumatic Exposure?
  7. How Can Emergency Responders Help Grieving Individuals?
  8. What Specific Strategies Can Emergency Responders Utilize to Connect with Particularly Challenging Individuals?
  9. How Can Emergency Responders Manage Their Own Response to a Traumatic Event?
  10. The ATSM Field Pack
To obtain these documents, see http://www.aaets.org.


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

CRID Seeking Articles on Community Participation

The Regional Disaster Information Center (known by its Spanish acronym, CRID) in San Jose, Costa Rica, along with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), and the U.N. International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR), is preparing the next issue of Biblio-des, CRID's series of topical bibliographies on disasters.

Recognizing the importance of community participation in disaster preparedness and prevention, this issue will focus on three broad areas: 1) community participation in planning and building an organized community; 2) community participation in the design and use of local risk maps; and 3) preparing and putting into practice community response guidelines.

Organizations that have prepared articles, publications, or other documents regarding community participation are invited to submit them to CRID, Apartado 3745-1000, San Jose, Costa Rica; fax: (506) 231-5973; e-mail: crid@crid.or.cr; WWW: http://www.crid.or.cr.

The latest issues of Biblio-des are available from http://www.crid.or.cr/crid/eng/services/services.htm.


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

ISDR World Disaster Reduction Campaign Update

The United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) Secretariat is pleased to announce the availability of the information kit for this year's World Disaster Reduction Campaign on "Countering Disasters, Targeting Vulnerability," with its three sub-themes: "The Role of Science and Technology in Disaster Reduction"; "Building Disaster Resistant Infrastructures"; and "Mobilizing Local Communities in Reducing Disasters."

The information kit is made of four parts, including general (including statistical) information on disasters today and current trends, along with practical disaster reduction examples worldwide, and then sections on each of the campaign's sub-themes.

The information kit can be downloaded from the ISDR web site - http://www.unisdr.org - in full layout or text-only versions. It can also be obtained from the ISDR Secretariat by contacting Nicole Appel, Public Awareness Officer, 52 rue des Paquis, Palais Wilson, 1201 Geneva, Switzerland; tel: 41 22 917 97 06; fax: 41 22 917 90 98; e-mail: appeln@un.org.

The campaign information kit in Spanish can be obtained from: http://www.eird.org (option: Paquete de Informacion). Printed copies of the kit will be ready by September 17 and can be obtained by e- mailing margarita.villalobos@eird.org.

The ISDR Secretariat has also prepared a list of suggested activities for the International Day for Disaster Reduction, to be held on October 10 this year. To receive this list, contact Nicole Appel at the address above.


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

WAPMERR: A New Approach to World-Wide Earthquake Risk Reduction

The World Agency of Planetary Monitoring and Earthquake Risk Reduction (WAPMERR) was created in a founding conference attended by approximately 60 scientists, engineers, functionaries, and diplomats in May this year. The purpose of this nonprofit organization, headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, is to reduce natural and anthropogenic risks. The charter, membership of the steering committee, and other information about the agency can be found at http://www.wapmerr.org.

Any person or organization may become a member of the General Assembly by filling out the application form on the web page. Under the guidance of its director, Max Wyss, a seismologist, WAPMERR will at first focus on projects testing hypotheses on earthquake prediction, evaluating regional and local seismic hazards, and estimating the number of casualties that may result from future earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

These latter calculations can be completed immediately after a potentially disastrous earthquake, or they can be based on scenarios of earthquakes likely to occur near a population center. Such estimates can be obtained for any location on the planet, since the WAPMERR database contains the size and seismic fragility of every building in one million settlements. The computer program for these calculations is operational, but its results continue to be tested regionally using disastrous earthquakes of the past. Also, more advanced models of the earthquake source and of attenuation laws are being developed to increase the reliability of the estimates. In addition to deterministic estimates, it is possible to calculate the expected losses on the basis of probabilistic hazard maps.

Based on the same world-wide data set, WAPMERR is developing a method to estimate the number of persons likely to be displaced in case of volcanic eruptions similar to past eruptions, as estimated from mapped ash layers.

Because earthquake prediction research is not conducted on a serious or on a professional level in many countries, WAPMERR seeks to become a focus of quantitative, high-quality investigations into physical processes that may be associated with the initiation of earthquake ruptures. A first target is to test the hypothesis that seismic quiescence may not only follow major earthquakes, but that it may also precede some.

WAPMERR has a branch office in Moscow and plans to open offices in France and the United States. In most projects, WAPMERR wishes to collaborate with research institutions and government agencies to solve local and regional risk problems. Suggestions for projects that could be developed in partnership are welcome. Because WAPMERR has no base funding, its staff must find external support for research and service activities.

WAPMERR is also planning to organize workshops and conferences to focus the attention of the world-wide scientific community on problems of current interest. In its collaboration with research institutions, WAPMERR will host visiting scientists and students for short as well as extended research visits. The WAPMERR staff understands that the goals outlined in its charter are bold, and likely not all of them can be reached. Nevertheless, much good may spring from its activities, even if only a part of the plan can be realized.

Max Wyss
P.O. Box 104
CH-1211 Geneve 17
Switzerland
Tel: +41 (79) 749-4894
E-mail: m_wyss@wapmerr.org
WWW: http://www.wapmerr.org


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

Some New or Newly Discovered Internet Resources

[Below are some new or updated Internet resources we've discovered. For an extensive list of good Internet sites dealing with hazards, see http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/sites/sites.html]

http://www.climatehotmap.org
This site provides a remarkable map that illustrates the local consequences of global warming. Developed by the World Resources Institute, Union of Concerned Scientists, Environmental Defense Fund, Natural Resources Defense Council, Sierra Club, U.S. Public Interest Research Group, and World Wildlife Fund, the map categorizes local events into "fingerprints" and "harbingers." Clicking on any of the indicated local sites provides information about what is happening and what could happen at that location due to global warming.

http://www.fema.gov/emi/edu
http://www.fema.gov/emi/edu/hec2001.htm
On its web site, the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Higher Eduction Project has posted a report on the Emergency Management Higher Education Conference held in early June. Included are copies of slide presentations given as well as an annotated transcript of a presentation by the project's director, Wayne Blanchard.

http://www.paho.org/disasters (Click on "Disaster Management Tools")
http://www.paho.org/english/ped/supplies.htm
The Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) has prepared a new brochure - Humanitarian Assistance in Disaster Situations: A Quick Guide for Effective Donations - available from the first web site above, and a new book - Humanitarian Supply Management and Logistics in the Health Sector - available from the second.

http://geohaz.org/project/gesi/GesiIntro.htm
As the world economy grows, urban areas are rapidly increasing in size, especially in developing nations. These cities are in a unique position to make decisions that can greatly affect their vulnerability to future risk from natural disasters. To implement successful development plans, cities must be able to assess their risk from natural disasters, predict future risk patterns with and without mitigation efforts, and track the long-term success of efforts that have been undertaken. The Global Earthquake Safety Initiative (GESI) was developed to meet these needs, offering cities access to information that is necessary to begin the process of addressing urban earthquake safety. In many ways GESI builds on the highly successful RADIUS (Risk Assessment Tools for the Diagnosis of Urban Areas against Seismic Disasters) Project launched as part of the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR).

http://www.ibhs.org
The Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS) has prepared a Homeowners Guide to Wildfire Retrofit, now available from the institute's web site.

http://www.nap.edu/catalog/10173.html
The Natural Disasters Roundtable (NDR) was established by the U.S. National Academies in 2000 to facilitate and enhance communication and the exchange of ideas among scientists, practitioners, and policy makers concerned with natural disasters. The first roundtable, held in January 2001 in Washington, D.C., examined urban/wildland fire. This topic was selected in response to the outbreak of tens of thousands of fires during the 2000 season that scorched 7.2 million acres and destroyed more than 850 structures across the West and southeastern U.S. The most publicized, though not the largest of these, was the Cerro Grande Fire in Los Alamos, New Mexico, in May and June.

As a one-day meeting, the forum sought to identify a number of key issues for science and policy that may be addressed in more comprehensive studies in the future. A nine-page summary of that roundtable - To Burn or Not to Burn: Summary of the Forum on Urban/Wildland Fire, January 26, 2001, Washington, DC - is now available from the National Academy Press web site above. The summary, available only on-line - provides an overview of the problem, a discussion of the role of government in addressing wildfire problems, a brief summary of mitigation options, a review of the National Fire Plan, and a list of recommendations from roundtable participants concerning policy, insurance, and research options.


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

U.N. Offering On-Line Discussion on Gender Equality, Environmental Management, and Natural Disaster Mitigation

The Division for the Advancement of Women (DESA/DAW) at the United Nations is launching an on-line discussion on the subject "Gender Equality, Environmental Management, and Natural Disaster Mitigation." The discussion will take place September 24 to November 2, 2001, and will cover one topic per week. Gender and disaster researcher Elaine Enarson will moderate the discussion. Santiago Martinez de Orense (DAW) will be the coordinator.

The outcome of this on-line discussion will be presented to the U.N. Expert Group Meeting on "Environmental Management and Mitigation of Natural Disasters: A Gender Perspective" that will be held in Ankara, Turkey, November 6-9, 2001 (see: http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/news/ndam.htm).

Persons interested in participating in the discussion should e-mail Santiago Martinez de Orense at martinez-orense@un.org requesting registration. Subsequently, you will receive a log-in name and password to join the discussion.

We look forward to receiving your contributions!
Santiago Martinez de Orense
Division for the Advancement of Women
United Nations
E-mail: martinez-orense@un.org


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

Disaster Time Line Now Available Free On-Line

The newly revised version of the Disaster Time Line: Selected Milestone Events and U.S. Outcomes (1965-2001) provides a unique, graphic depiction of major disasters, both natural and technological, that have affected emergency management policies in the U.S. Using colorful computer graphics, the Disaster Time Line chart (roughly 11" x 32") shows not only milestone events and the year each occurred, but also the influences each event has had on federal statutes, regulations, and executive orders; federal response plans; and major federal organizational changes. By portraying the major disaster events and their ramifications in U.S. emergency management history, the time line shows how certain political and policy outcomes and trends were obvious consequences. The time line is an excellent tool for teaching emergency management and/or conducting briefings.

The Disaster Time Line should be of interest to:

Thanks to ICF Consulting (http://www.icfconsulting.com/em), copies of the Disaster Time Line are now free. Just go to the download section of the Time Line web site - http://www.disaster-timeline.com. If you cannot manage the file download, use the contact information at the web site to obtain a copy; there is a nominal charge for postage and handling.


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

Help Wanted: Oak Ridge
Technical Director, Emergency Management Laboratory

The Emergency Management Laboratory (EML) of the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, operated by Oak Ridge Associated Universities under contract with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), is seeking a Technical Director. The Emergency Management Laboratory was established in 1988 to "assist Federal agencies in developing and implementing comprehensive, integrated emergency management systems." Duties include directing a diverse program of emergency preparedness services and technical staff; maintaining EML's leadership and national reputation by participating in federal task forces and committees; and business development in providing contractual services to federal agencies.

Requirements: Master's degree in an environmental, safety, or health field, an engineering discipline, or a relevant scientific field, and ten years or more of relevant job experience in emergency management and technical content areas - nuclear operations, health physics, crisis management and consequence management. Mastery of knowledge, skills, and abilities in all phases of government agency emergency management programs is necessary, especially DOE and FEMA emergency management systems. Must possess demonstrated experience in leadership of a diverse technical staff, emergency management operations, and business development.

To apply, send resume (include reference # 2001-068, salary requirements, and references) via e-mail to: empdept@orau.gov
or by mail to:
Employment Dept., MS-31
Oak Ridge Associated Universities
P.O. Box 117
Oak Ridge, TN 37831-0117


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

EENET Schedule - October-December 2001

Below is a calendar of satellite broadcasts scheduled by the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Emergency Education Network (EENET). (All times are Eastern time.)

October 3          Highlights from "Picking up the Pieces: Responding
2:00-3:00 p.m.     to School Crises" Conference - Part II

October 10         FEMA/ASCE - "Floodplain Mapping
2:00-3:15 p.m. 

October 17         National Alert Broadcast -
2:00-3:00 p.m.     FEMA's monthly video magazine on emergency
                   management activities and issues. Watch the
                   EENET web page for topics. 

October 24         Consequence Management News, Equipment, and
2:00-3:00 p.m.     Training (CoMNET) Magazine -
                   CoMNET is a recurring broadcast offering
                   information related to weapons of mass
                   destruction consequence management. Watch the
                   EENET web page for specific topics.

October 31         The International Critical Incident Stress
2:00-3:00 p.m      Foundation Presents: Highlights from the Sixth
                   World Congress - Part II

November 7         The International Critical Incident Stress
2:00-3:00 p.m      Foundation Presents: Highlights from the Sixth
                   World Congress - Part III

November 14        FEMA/ASCE - "Design and Guidance for Community
2:00-3:15 p.m.     Shelters"

November 21        National Alert Broadcast
2:00-3:00 p.m.

November 28        Weapons of Mass Destruction - "Live Response."
2:00-3:00 p.m.     Watch the EENET web site for specific topics.

December 5         "Meet the USA" - This program will profile the 
2:00-3:00 p.m.     emergency management agency in Clark County,
                   Nevada.

December 12        Consequence Management News, Equipment, and
2:00-3:00 p.m.     Training (CoMNET) Magazine.

December 19        National Alert Broadcast
2:00-3:00 p.m      

December 26        Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) for
2:00-3:00 p.m      Schools - Part I

Additional broadcasts are frequently added to the schedule. For the most current listing of programs and satellite broadcast information, check EENET's Web Page: http://www.fema.gov/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]

East Bay Hills 10-Year Anniversary Fire Conference. Oakland, California: October 10-12, 2001. Further information is available from: http://www.ucfpl.ucop.edu/FM2001Conf.htm.

26th Annual National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Climate Diagnostics and Prediction Workshop. La Jolla, California: October 22-26, 2001. Contact: NOAA Climate Prediction Center, World Weather Building, 5200 Auth Road, Camp Springs, MD 20746; (301) 763- 8000; WWW: http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/outreach/CDW26.html.

"The Business of Earthquakes - The Effects of the Nisqually Earthquake." Sponsors: Cascadia Regional Earthquake Workgroup (CREW), Federal Emergency Management Agency, and U.S. Geological Survey. Seattle, Washington: November 27-28, 2001. For additional information and registration, see: http://www.crew.org.

Southwest Regional Metropolitan Medical Response System/National Disaster Medical System Conference. Tucson, Arizona: November 30- December 1, 2001. Hosts: Southeast Arizona Emergency Medical Council, MMRS, NDMS, Tucson Firefighters Local 479. Contact: Battalion Chief Les Caid, Tucson Fire Department, 265 South Church Avenue, Tucson, AZ 85701; (520) 791-4512; e-mail: LCaid1@mail.ci.tucson.az.us.

International Diploma in Humanitarian Assistance (IDHA 9). Offered by: Center for International Health and Cooperation (CIHC); Fordham University; University of Geneva; and Royal College of Surgeons, Ireland. Geneva, Switzerland: January 27-February 22, 2002. See: http://www.idha.ch. Applications should be submitted to Michel Veuthey, Academic Director, CIHC, e-mail: michel.veuthey@ties.itu.int.

National Floodproofing Conference II. Sponsors: Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM) and others. Tampa, Florida: March 25-28, 2002. A call for presentation proposals is posted on the ASFPM web site: http://www.floods.org/PDF%20files/nfpc-cp.pdf. Proposals are due October 15, 2001, Contact Diane Brown Watson, ASFPM, 2809 Fish Hatchery Road, Suite 204, Madison, WI 53713; (608) 274-0123; fax: (608) 274-0696; e-mail: asfpm@floods.org; WWW: http://www.floods.org.

Improving Post-Disaster Reconstruction in Developing Countries. Sponsor: IF Research Group, University of Montreal. Montreal, Canada: May 25-27, 2002. Abstracts due December 1, 2001. Contact: Prof. Colin H. Davidson; e-mail: dav0528@attglobal.net; tel: (514) 343-7420.

Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM) Annual Conference: "Breaking the Cycle of Repetitive Flood Loss." Phoenix, Arizona: June 23-28, 2002. A call for abstracts, due October 26, 2001, is posted on the ASFPM web site: http://www.floods.org/PDF%20files/phx_call.pdf. Contact: Diane Brown Watson, ASFPM, 2809 Fish Hatchery Road, Suite 204, Madison, WI 53713; (608) 274-0123; fax: (608) 274-0696; e-mail: asfpm@floods.org; WWW: http://www.floods.org.

2002 American Public Works Association (APWA) International Congress and Exposition. Kansas City, Missouri: September 22-25, 2002. The APWA congress typically includes several sessions on disaster preparedness, response, and recovery. Presentation proposals are due September 30, 2001. Contact: APWA, 2345 Grand Boulevard, Suite 500, Kansas City, MO 64108-2641; (816) 472-6100; fax: (816) 472-1610; e-mail: congress@apwa.net; WWW: http://www.apwa.net/Meetings.


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