Return to Index of Disaster Research Newsletters
The Partnership for Public Warning needs your help in formulating a Public Warning Plan for the nation. Public warning systems and procedures have significantly reduced the casualties and other consequences of disasters. But the effectiveness of these systems and procedures can be improved further. The continuing threat of terrorism now makes this effort a national imperative.
The Partnership for Public Warning was formed as a nonprofit public/ private partnership to develop consensus among representatives of all warning stakeholders regarding standards and best-practices. The National Emergency Management Association (NEMA) has endorsed this effort.
The partnership is preparing to draft the first ever National Strategic Plan for Public Warning. The first step in this process is to collect all relevant information and experience from people and organizations with public safety and homeland security missions and interests. We are looking for input from representatives of the many different stakeholders in warning systems.
Please download the Request for Information from http://www.PartnershipForPublicWarning.org and return whatever information you feel is appropriate by June 30, 2002.
Thank you very much for helping us address this very important national problem.
Partnership for Public Warning
7515 Colshire Drive
Mail Stop NO22
McLean, VA 22102-7508
(703) 883-2745; fax: (703) 883-3689
E-mail: stratplan@PartnershipForPublicWarning.org
[Adapted from the IAEM Bulletin - the newsletter of the International Association of Emergency Managers]
The Federal Emergency Management Agency's Higher Education Project is interested in establishing a "Practitioner's Corner" on its web site - http://www.training.fema.gov/EMIWeb/edu. This section is intended to provide another means for emergency management professionals to communicate their thoughts and ideas concerning college-level hazard, disaster, and emergency management courses and programs to the educators responsible for those programs.
The organizers envision short papers on such subjects as
[Adapted from the Multidisciplinary Center for Earthquake Engineering Research (MCEER) Information Services Newsletter - see http://mceer.buffalo.edu/infoService/enews/default.asp]
A new international organization focused on landslides was recently established at the 2002 Kyoto International Symposium on "Landslide Risk Mitigation and Protection of Cultural and Natural Heritage." There, experts from international, national, scientific, governmental, nongovernmental, and academic organizations unanimously agreed to launch the International Consortium on Landslides (ICL).
The consortium will promote landslide research and mitigation, including education and international coordination. It will also support the exchange of information on landslides for the benefit of both society and the environment. Any organization that supports the objectives of the consortium - intellectually, practically, and/or financially - is invited to become a member of ICL.
For additional information on ICL membership and other details, contact the Secretariat of the International Consortium on Landslides, Landslide Section, Disaster Prevention Research Institute, Kyoto University, Uji 611-0011, Kyoto, Japan; tel: +81-774-384110; fax: +81-774-325597; e-mail: ICL@landslide.dpri.kyoto-u.ac.jp; WWW: http://landslide.dpri.kyoto-u.ac.jp/ICL.htm.
On April 10, Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman and Interior Secretary Gale Norton announced the creation of a new Interagency Wildland Fire Leadership Council to provide cabinet-level coordination of wildland firefighting and to further implement the National Fire Plan. The new council is comprised of departmental and land management officials from both departments who are responsible for wildland fire management. Staffing of the council will be coordinated by the Department of Agriculture's Office of Fire Aviation Management and Interior's Office of Wildland Fire Coordination.
The council will work with state, local, and tribal officials and other federal partners to refine wildland fire management policies and integrate activities. Among its efforts, the council will coordinate with state partners and local communities to help restore landscapes, rebuild communities, conduct projects to reduce fire risk, and assess economic needs of areas damaged by fire. The new council will help identify, prioritize, monitor, and evaluate projects for communities most at risk, including projects to reduce hazardous fuels and improve forest health.
The council was formed because federal fire efforts have greatly expanded in recent years and new strategies, such as fuels treatment programs, are being developed to prevent catastrophic fire. The two federal agencies currently employ 17,633 firefighters and utilize much heavy equipment.
Further information regarding the new council, as well as the National Fire Plan, can be found on-line at http://www.fireplan.gov.
[Below are some new or updated Internet resources we've discovered. For an extensive list of useful Internet sites dealing with hazards, see http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/sites/sites.html]
http://www.quake06.org
In preparation for the 100th anniversary of the Great 1906 San
Francisco Earthquake, the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute
(EERI) Northern California Chapter has launched "Quake '06" - a four-
year campaign to reduce earthquake risk in the San Francisco Bay area
intended for professionals, the media, and the general public. Co-sponsored by many concerned California public and private
organizations, and involving 150 volunteer earthquake professionals,
Quake '06 will be the largest citizen-based campaign ever launched in
the U.S. to mitigate seismic dangers. The primary message of the
campaign is that most potential earthquake losses are manageable or
avoidable, and a key strategy will be to spotlight how specific
communities and other entities have successfully taken steps to reduce
their risk. The campaign will then work with a broad range of groups
to implement "best practices" on a wider scale. For more information
about Quake '06 see the new web site above.
http://quake.abag.ca.gov
http://quake.abag.ca.gov/traffic/index.html
As we've noted before, the Association of Bay Area Governments
(ABAG) in California maintains an excellent web site with information
regarding the many hazards affecting the Bay area. The site focuses on
earthquakes, of course, and includes a facility for generating ground
shaking maps for a given location and given quake. However, the site
also covers other natural hazards.
For an example of a new addition to the earthquake section, see
the second URL above - a page on traffic and automobile problems that
could arise during and following a quake. It includes a PDF file that
can be used as a template for a guide regarding auto earthquake
preparedness; it is available in English, Spanish, and Chinese.
http://www.hazardmaps.gov/
This is the web site of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's
Multi-Hazard Mapping Initiative (MMI). It includes a on-line Multi-Hazard Atlas. Users can zoom in or out, pan right or left to
determine the hazards of a particular location. They can also
specify a state, zip code, or congressional district, as well as
specific hazards to be examined.
http://www.iawfonline.org
This is the new web site of the International Association of
Wildland Fire (IAWF), a nonprofit association representing
professionals in the global wildland fire community. Besides offering
membership information, the site lists upcoming events (see the
meetings list below), and provides documents, reports, Wildfire
magazine, and the Journal of Wildland Fire.
http://www.worldwaterforum.org
In preparation for the Third World Water Forum to be held next
March in Japan (see the previous DR - #366), the organizers have
established a "Virtual Water Forum" at the above URL to initiate
preliminary discussion about the many topics that will be covered at
the meeting. Many issues are addressed, including flood, drought, and
the effects of climate change on these two hazards. To join the
discussion, just go to the site above and follow the directions.
http://www.cidi.org
The Center for International Disaster Information (CIDI),
operated by Volunteers in Technical Assistance (VITA), disseminates
information and guidance regarding appropriate international disaster
relief. The CIDI web site offers guidelines, situation reports, a
register through which commodities and technical assistance can be
offered, general information about international disaster response,
and current news about CIDI and its activities.
http://www.heritagepreservation.org/
Heritage Preservation is an organization that works to ensure the
perpetuation of America's collective history and culture. One of its
programs is the Heritage Emergency National Task Force, which helps
individuals and institutions protect their collections in times of
disaster. Its "Emergency Response and Salvage Wheel," an informational
tool used by archives, museums, and libraries across the country, is
now available in Spanish. For details about the work of the task force
and obtaining an "Emergency Response and Salvage Wheel," see the web
site above, or contact Heritage Preservation, 1730 K Street, N.W.,
Suite 566, Washington, D.C. 20006-3836; (202) 634-1422; fax: (202)
634-1435.
http://www.ssrc.org/sept11
The Social Science Research Council (SSRC) is an independent,
nongovernmental, nonprofit, international organization that supports
social science research, education, and scholarly exchange. The
council has established this web site, entitled "Perspectives from the
Social Sciences," to disseminate a still-expanding collection of
essays by leading social scientists from around the world regarding
the events of September 11, their precursors, and subsequent terrorist
attacks. These essays represent efforts by social scientists to bring
theoretical and empirical knowledge to bear on those tragic events.
The pieces are intended as resources for teachers - especially college
and university instructors - who want to address the unfolding events
in their courses. However, they are also intended "for all of us who
seek deeper understanding in these troubling times."
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/odp/docs/cip.pdf
The U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Domestic Preparedness
(ODP) now offers several publications via
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/odp/docs, including Critical Incident
Protocol: A Public and Private Partnership developed by Michigan
State University's School of Criminal Justice for the ODP. The
document discusses how public and private institutions can (indeed,
must) work together to assess risks, plan, and practice for
emergencies, as well as develop mitigation measures to reduce impacts.
http://www.redcross.org/services/disaster/beprepared/hsas.html
This site offers the American Red Cross's "Homeland Security
Advisory System Recommendations for Individuals, Families,
Neighborhoods, Schools, and Businesses." The page includes numerous
links to other Red Cross web information that could help the American
public prepare not only for terrorist attacks but also for other
calamities - human-caused and natural.
http://www.twotigersonline.com/resources.html
The Two Tigers Radiological company has compiled this "definitive
homeland security information resource," which includes hundreds of
links, which are divided into sections entitled:
The United Nations Sasakawa Award for Disaster Reduction was established in 1986 by the Sasakawa Foundation - recently renamed the Nippon Foundation - with the aim of promoting humanitarian efforts that assist vulnerable communities to become more resilient to natural disasters. The prize is administered by the U.N.'s International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) Secretariat, the successor organization established to carry on the work and goals of the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR). The secretariat is now accepting nominations for the 2002 award, which will be presented the second Wednesday of October in conjunction with World Disaster Reduction Day.
Individuals or institutions may be nominated. For a nomination form, see http://www.unisdr.org. Nominations are due July 15, and should be submitted to the U.N./ISDR Secretariat, Administrator of the U.N. Sasakawa Award for Disaster Reduction, Palais Wilson, 52 rue des Paquis, CH-1201, Geneva, Switzerland.
The Earthquake Engineering Research Laboratory (EERL) at the California Institute of Technology is pleased to announce the availability of scanned (PDF) images of all of its numbered reports, at no cost, on the web at http://caltecheerl.library.caltech.edu/.
The caltechEERL archive currently includes more than 200 technical reports published from 1970 to the present, including all of the Strong Motion Earthquake Accelerogram reports published after the San Fernando earthquake of February 9, 1971. In addition to numbered EERL reports, the archive also includes publications of the Center for Research on the Prevention of Natural Disasters, Dynamics Laboratory, and Soil Mechanics Laboratory - all research groups closely tied to EERL. Addition of other, unnumbered reports from all four laboratories will continue for some time. Reports may be retrieved using author name(s), title words, and report numbers.
As part of a concerted effort to make its research available to the widest audience, the EERL is participating in the Caltech Library System's Digital Collections project, which facilitates the indexing of EERL material by web search services such as Google and Yahoo. Thus results of a Google search for "accelerogram" will include many EERL reports.
For further information, contact Jim O'Donnell, e-mail: jimodo@caltech.edu, or call (626) 395-4227.
[Adapted from Coastal Services - a newsletter of the NOAA Coastal Services Center]
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Coastal Services Center (CSC) offers a number of training programs for coastal resource managers. Some classes are taught at the center's Charleston, South Carolina, training facility; others are offered off-site; and a few are available via the Internet.
Specifically, the CSC offers a course entitled "Hazards Training" - a region-specific workshop that focuses on risk and vulnerability assessments to be used by local and state managers. Other programs fall into one of three tracks: coastal management training, geospatial technology, and building process skills.
For more information see http://www.csc.noaa.gov/training, or (for the hazards course) contact Lynne Hinkey, CSC, 2234 South Hobson Avenue, Charleston, SC 29405-2413; (843) 740-1200; e-mail: lynne.hinkey@noaa.gov.
[Adapted from Emergency Preparedness Digest, January-March 2002]
The Canadian Emergency Preparedness College (CEPC) recently published its Training and Education Program 2002-2003 calendar. These programs, delivered by Canada's Office of Critical Infrastructure Protection and Emergency Preparedness (OCIPEP), focus on the management of multi-service/agency response to an emergency, as well as other aspects of emergency planning and management. The programs include courses, seminars, and workshops.
The course calendar is available on-line at http://www.ocipep-bpiepc.gc.ca/publicinfo/college/cepc_e.html. It can also be ordered by contacting OCIPEP Communications at (613) 991-7035 or 1-800-830-3118; e-mail: communications@ocipep-bpiepc.gc.ca.
[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]
Lessons Learned form the World Trade Center Terrorist Attack of September 11, 2001: "Management of Complex Civil Emergencies and Terrorism-Resistant Civil Engineering Design." Organizers: Multidisciplinary Center for Earthquake Engineering Research (MCEER), in collaboration with the National Research Council and the City University of New York's Institute for Civil Infrastructure Systems. New York City: June 24-25, 2002. For more information or to register, see: http://mceer.buffalo.edu.
Disaster Management Western Australia Conference. Perth, Australia: July 5, 2002. Host: JAGWA International. "This conference aims to introduce the concept of co-operation and foresight in the matter of disaster preparedness and management and shape the way forward." See: http://www.jagwa.biz.
National Information Officers Association (NIOA) Annual Conference. Reno, Nevada: August 25-28, 2002. Conference topics include: 9/11 and other terrorist attacks, the development of coordinated homeland security communications, and other emergency/disaster issues. A registration form is available from http://www.nioa.org; for more information, contact: Lisa McNeal, (865) 670-6120, e-mail: info@nioa.org.
First NATO Medical Symposium. Ljubljana, Slovenia: September 1-5, 2002. Includes sessions on disaster medicine. To be held in English, French, and Russian. Abstracts due May 31, 2002. For details, see: http://www.gov.si/mz/dmm; or contact: Edita Stok, M.D., Ministry of Health, Stefanova5, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia; tel: +386 1 4786044; fax: +386 1 4786058; e-mail: dmm@gov.si -or- edita.stok@gov.si.
SARSCENE 2002 - Search and Rescue Workshop. Host: Canadian National Search and Rescue Secretariat. Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada: September 11-14, 2002. Contact: Lynn Tremblay, SARSCENE 2002, Registrar, National Search and Rescue Secretariat, 275 Slater Street, Fourth Floor, Ottawa, ON K1A 0K2, Canada; tel: 1-800-727-9414 or (613) 996- 4737; fax: (613) 996-3746; e-mail: ltremblay@nss.gc.ca; WWW: http://www.nss.gc.ca.
Disaster Management Workshops. Offered by: University of Wisconsin- Madison, Department of Engineering Professional Development. Madison, Wisconsin: September 23-27, 2002, and March 12-21, 2003. Contact: Don Schramm, e-mail: schramm@epd.engr.wisc.edu; or Jennifer Oster, Department of Engineering Professional Development, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 432 Lake Street, Madison, WI 53706; 1-800-462-0876 or (608) 262-4468; fax: (608) 263-3160; e-mail: oster@epd.engr.wisc.edu. Or see http://epdweb.engr.wisc.edu/courses (click on "Disaster Management").
Regional Workshop on Best Practices in Urban Disaster Mitigation: Lessons Learned from the Asian Urban Disaster Mitigation Program and Other Initiatives. Host: Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC). Bali, Indonesia: September 24-26, 2002. See: http://www.adpc.ait.ac.th/audmp/rllw/default.html; or contact ADPC, P.O. Box 4, Klong Luang, Pathumthani, 12120 Thailand; tel: (66) 02 524 5354 or (66) 02 524 5355; fax: (66) 02-524-5350 or (66) 02-524-5360; e-mail: audmp@ait.ac.th.
Academy of Certified Hazardous Materials Managers (ACHMM) 2002 National Conference. Louisville, Kentucky: September 29-October 2, 2002. Contact: ACHMM, P.O. Box 1216, Rockville, MD 20849-1216; 1-800- 437-0137, (301) 916-3306; fax: (301) 916-3308; e-mail: academy@achmm.org; WWW: http://www.achmm.org.
2002 Wildland Fire Safety Summit. Coimbra, Portugal: November 18-23, 2002. See: http://www.iawfonline.org; or contact: International Association of Wildland Fire, 4025 Fair Ridge Drive, Suite 300, Fairfax, VA 22033-2868; (804) 833-2955; fax: (804) 326-0838; e-mail: meetingplanner@ichiefs.org.
Interface 2002: Surviving the Danger Zone - a Conference Focusing on Wildland Urban Interface Fire. Kansas City, Missouri: December 4-6, 2002. See: http://www.iawfonline.org; or contact: International Association of Wildland Fire, 4025 Fair Ridge Drive, Suite 300, Fairfax, VA 22033-2868; (804) 833-2955; fax: (804) 326-0838; e-mail: meetingplanner@ichiefs.org.
12th Symposium on Earthquake Engineering. Host: India Institute of Technology-Roorkee. Roorkee, India: December 16-18, 2002. Abstracts of 250 words or less are due August 1. For details, e-mail the conference organizers: 12see@rurkiu.ernet.in.
2003 International Disaster Management Conference: "Disaster 2003." Sponsor: Florida Emergency Medicine Foundation. Orlando, Florida: February 6-9, 2003. The organizers have issued a call for presentations; for details, contact John Todaro, Director of Education, Florida Emergency Medicine Foundation, Florida College of Emergency Physicians, 3717 South Conway Road, Orlando, FL 32812-7607; (407) 281-7396, ext. 17; fax: (407) 281-4407; e-mail: jtodaro@femf.org.
Pacific Public Safety and Risk Management Conference, 2003. Outrigger Reef Resort, Fiji: May 5-7, 2003. Abstracts due September 30, 2002. For submission details and conference themes (which include disaster reduction) see: http://www.sopac.org/Secretariat/Units/Dmu/Conference.html; or contact: Ms. Vive Vuruya, Disaster Management Unit, SOPAC Secretariat, Private Mail Bag, GPO, Suva, Fiji; tel: +679 338 1377; fax: +679 337 0040; e-mail: vive@sopac.org.
International Conference on "Community Safety and Sustainability in the Pacific" in conjunction with the 11th Pacific Regional Disaster Management Meeting. Sponsors: South Pacific Applied Geoscience Commission and others. Nandi, Fiji: May 6-7, 2003. Contact: Jack Rynn, e-mail: sally.brown@uq.net.au; or, Atu Kaloumaira, e-mail: atu@sopac.org.fj.
Fourth International Conference on Seismology and Earthquake Engineering (SEE4). Organizer: International Institute of Earthquake Engineering and Seismology. Tehran, Iran: May 12-14, 2003. Abstracts due June 1, 2002. See: http://www.iiees.ac.ir, http://www.iiees.ac.ir/test/abs.html; or contact: Professor Mohsen Ghafory-Ashtiany, tel: 98-21-229-4932; fax: 98-21-229-9479; e-mail: ashtiany@dena.iiees.ac.ir.
Fundamentals of Disaster Communications. Offered by: University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Engineering Professional Development. Madison, Wisconsin: May 14-16, 2003. Contact: Don Schramm, e-mail: schramm@epd.engr.wisc.edu; or Jennifer Oster, Department of Engineering Professional Development, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 432 Lake Street, Madison, WI 53706; 1-800-462-0876 or (608) 262-4468; fax: (608) 263-3160; e-mail: oster@epd.engr.wisc.edu. Or see http://epdweb.engr.wisc.edu/courses (click on "Disaster Management").
36th World Congress of the International Institute of Sociology. Beijing, China: July 7-11, 2003. Includes a session currently being organized on "The Sociology of Disasters: Theory and Research." One- page abstracts are due December 31, 2002, and should be sent to Professor Henry Quarantelli, Disaster Research Center, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, USA; e-mail: ; fax: (302) 831-2091. For conference information, see: http://www.IIS2003beijing.com.cn.
Return to Index of Disaster Research Newsletters
Return to Hazards
Center Home Page
hazctr@colorado.edu