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I and some colleagues are looking at how a number of Canadian airports and communities dealt with diverted flights on September 11. We would welcome any and all information on this subject including any reports and or studies on how the diversion was handled. We have so far not been able to locate any academic or other literature on handling of diverted flights (I am talking about literature published prior to September 11, 2001) or any plans that deal specifically with this concern. We would be very pleased if anyone has any information. There may be persons in Europe and South America as well as North America who have information on this subject since some aircraft turned back while en route to the U.S.
Thanks for your help,
Joe Scanlon
Director, Emergency Communications Research Unit
Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada
E-mail: jscanlon@ccs.carleton.ca
Please take a few minutes to answer a few questions and help further the science of decision-making regarding hazards. The purpose of this on-line study is to gain an understanding regarding responses to suggestions for mitigation of disasters. Such an understanding could be helpful in developing mitigation strategies for many different disaster scenarios. From data collected in interviews with disaster- relevant professionals, a short survey was designed to elicit from a wider range of respondents information about reactions to suggestions that they have encountered. Many questions that disaster professionals wonder about regarding disasters are included in the survey.
The survey should take approximately 10 minutes to complete. The entire study should be completed by the fall of 2002. The survey is part of a masters degree project in Earth and Environmental Sciences Journalism at Columbia University and can be found on the web page of Columbia University's Center for Hazard and Risk Research: http://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/CHRR.
Please visit the site and complete the survey. Thank you.
As mentioned in the last DR, the Partnership for Public Warning (PPW) is seeking advice from public safety and homeland security experts to help develop the first-ever National Strategic Plan for Public Warning.
Public warning systems and procedures have significantly reduced casualties and other consequences of disasters. The continuing threat of terrorism now makes this effort a national imperative.
The PPW has put together a Request for Information (RFI) package that represents the first step in collecting relevant information and experience from people and organizations with public safety and homeland security missions and interests. Persons interested in submitting information can download the RFI from PPW's web site: http://www.partnershipforpublicwarning.org/stratplanintro.html. Information will be most useful if it is returned to the address below by July 15, 2002, or e-mailed to StratPlan@PartnershipForPublicWarning.org.
For more information, contact the Partnership for Public Warning, 7515 Colshire Drive, Mail Stop NO22, McLean, VA 22102-7508; (703) 883-2745; fax: (703) 883-3689; or see the web site above.
Greetings -
I want to call your attention to the availability of support for workshops, linkage grants, and expert visits under the NATO-Russia JSTC (Joint Science and Technology Cooperation) Program (see http://www.nato.int/science/e/russia/info.html).
I myself am chair of the panel that will consider proposals, and I encourage your help in establishing connections between colleagues from NATO countries and Russia to take advantage of this opportunity.
The NATO-Russia panel has prepared Scope Statements for three topic areas - one of greatest interest is Forecast and Prevention of Catastrophes. To apply for support, an application form for one of the activities offered should be prepared jointly by scientists from Russia and one or more NATO countries. A special application form is available for each activity type, and the deadlines for receipt of applications are 15 September and 15 March. The activities offered include:
Applications are on the NATO Web site http://www.nato.int/science.
Thanks, and best regards,
Dr. Priscilla P. Nelson
Director, Division of Civil and Mechanical Systems
Directorate for Engineering
National Science Foundation
4201 Wilson Boulevard, Suite 545
Arlington, VA 22230
Tel: (703) 292-7018 (direct) or 292-8360 (general)
Fax: (703) 292-9053
E-mail: pnelson@nsf.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.ibhs.org/newsroom/view.asp?id=166
http://www.ibhs.org/research_library/view.asp?id=289
It's a question asked often following a natural disaster: "Why did
they let them build here?" "Here" could be on the edge of a fire-
prone forest, upon a barrier island vulnerable to hurricanes, in a
floodplain, or even along an active earthquake fault. All too often
decisions on where to build and live do not consider the natural
hazards of the surrounding environment.
Still, some communities do make smart decisions regarding how they build, and to answer the questions of who is planning for such events and why, the Institute for Building and Home Safety (IBHS) undertook a major survey of planners across the country. Titled Community Land Use Evaluation for Natural Hazards, the study explored the extent to which natural hazards are integrated into local comprehensive or general plans. The responses of the more than 500 planners surveyed varied greatly and showed that many communities fail to identify natural hazard issues in their comprehensive or general plans. At the same time, the survey had a positive effect on participating planners; most said they are interested in putting natural hazards information and loss reduction strategies into their local plans.
The survey also showed that state mandates requiring planning or hazard elements in local plans were effective and constituted one of the best means to ensure local planning for hazards safety.
The survey concludes with several recommendations to help local planners address hazards. A brief article and the full report on the results of this national survey of community planners are available from the URLs above.
http://www.training.fema.gov/emiweb/ctrt.htm
The current federal terrorism training effort is frequently
fractionalized, redundant and wasteful and leaves many of the needs of
states and local communities unmet, according to a report by the
Federal Emergency Management Agency's Office of National Preparedness
(ONP). FEMA was asked by Congress in January to conduct this
assessment for the Office of Homeland Security and Congress. The
report includes a comprehensive accounting of federal terrorism
preparedness training, an assessment of the effectiveness of the
training, and recommendations on how to improve the system. Its
conclusions focus primarily on the emergency response aspect of
federal terrorism training.
Communities involved in the assessment indicated that training is needed that focuses on interoperability among various response communities and in other key areas, including terrorism response operations. Local officials said that there is considerable confusion regarding operational requirements for dealing with a terrorist incident, and that there is a definite need for an agreed upon set of standards and competencies regarding what personnel need to be able to do to respond effectively. The cities that participated in the study also said that there is a need for large-scale disaster training focusing on command and logistics, special training for command personnel, and training courses on public information outreach in emergency and crisis situations. They recommended that training be made available in multiple formats to meet the varying needs of different audiences.
The report, Assessment of Federal Terrorism Preparedness Training for State and Local Audiences, concludes that a single federal entity should be designated to lead federal terrorism training and that this entity must have the necessary authority to ensure that terrorism training is consistent and avoids duplication and redundancy.
Besides this report, FEMA's "Terrorism Training and Resources" web page provides information on how to access other training materials and web sites, with the information organized by audience: state, tribal, and local government; businesses; schools; hospitals; public; and emergency responders.
http://www.tallytown.com/redcross
In March 2002 the White House issued Homeland Security Directive
# 3, which established five threat conditions for possible terrorist
attack:
The question of what a condition "Yellow" means to a family, business, school or local government remained. To address this dilemma, the (Florida) Capital Area Red Cross has developed a comprehensive set of preparedness recommendations for each of these sectors and made them available at their web site above. Interested persons can also download, print, and display a Homeland Security Advisory System Preparedness Recommendations poster from: http://www.tallytown.com/redcross/hsas/HomelandSecurityAdvisorySystemPreparednessRecommendations.pdf.
http://www.firstgov.gov
http://www.emergencyemail.org/
The U.S. federal government web site - http://www.firstgov.gov -
has added a link to the Emergency E-mail Network, which can now be
accessed through firstgov's "America Responds to Terrorism" section.
The link gives participating state and local Emergency Email
Network government agency members greater access to the citizens
they serve and makes critical information more accessible to millions
of U.S. citizens. The service enables member emergency management
agencies to reach citizens and first responders via wireless devices
and e-mail.
http://muweb.millersville.edu/~isarcdue/
Unscheduled Events - the quarterly newsletter of the
International Research Committee on Disasters of the International
Sociological Association is now available on-line. Besides news
regarding what's going on in disaster sociology, the newsletter
contains interesting editorials, articles, abstracts, and links to
other recent sociological studies, books, and papers available on the
web.
With funds provided by the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Geological Survey, the Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC) has establish an "Information Technology Research Program" to create an on-line collaborative system that will organize information about earthquakes and allow scientists to conduct their research interactively and more efficiently. The $2 million grant is part of the SCEC base funding of $36 million per year for the next five years.
SCEC was created in 1991 as a research partnership between the state of California and the earthquake scientific community. The center consists of 14 core academic institutions that contribute to SCEC's research objectives. SCEC works both to understand earthquakes in southern California and to improve public awareness and preparedness for quakes. For more information about SCEC and its recent funding, contact the center at the University of Southern California, 3651 Trousdale Parkway, Suite 119, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0742; (213) 740-5842; fax: (213) 740-0011; e-mail: SCECinfo@usc.edu; WWW: http://www.scec.org.
Each year, the Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) jointly publish Mitigation Success Stories - a compendium showcasing the best hazard mitigation programs from around the nation that includes all the information a location might need to replicate such efforts. The fourth edition of Mitigation Success Stories has just been released and can be purchased for $20 (printed copy), $10 (CD), plus shipping an handling, from the ASFPM Executive Office, 2809 Fish Hatchery Road, Madison, WI 53713; (608) 274-0123; e-mail: asfpm@floods.org. The text is also available on the ASFPM web site: http://www.floods.org.
Meanwhile, the ASFPM has begun accepting stories for the next edition of the series. Submissions should be prepared in Microsoft Word and include project background, description, benefits, cost and funding sources, contact information, and two graphics. More details can be obtained by contacting ASFPM at the address above.
The National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program has announced a new award - The Richard H. Hagemeyer Tsunami Mitigation Award - and is seeking nominations of individuals or groups concerned with tsunami mitigation. Each year the Richard H. Hagemeyer Award will recognize the project or program that best exemplifies the establishment of tsunami-resistance in U.S. coastal communities. Nominations are encouraged for projects and programs that address one or more of the following areas:
For information on the award and how to apply, see: http://www.pmel.noaa.gov/tsunami-hazard/Hagemeyer_main.html. Nominations must be received by September 1, 2002.
The Consortium for Environment and Sustainability (CES) invites papers, state-of-the-art discussions, and case studies, for an edited international volume on Natural Disaster Management (for Developing Countries) to be issued by an international publisher in 2003. The book will be based on papers selected after a peer review of proposals; it will be edited by a group of academicians led by an internationally known author/editor.
Proposals indicating contents and tentative size of the proposed article, a 100-word abstract, along with a half-page bio of each author should be submitted via e-mail (with a copy via postal mail). Articles may concern (but are not limited to): Identification and Assessment, Loss Analysis, Status Overview, Cause-Consequence, Ecological Aspects and Environmental Impacts, Science and Technology Applications, Natural Hazard-Induced Industrial Disasters, Planning, Organization, Preparedness, Administration and Governance, International Cooperation, Community Participation, Awareness, Media, Gender Issues, Training, and Education.
E-mailed proposals are due June 30, 2002. Peer review and invitation of full-text papers should be complete by July 20, 2002. Manuscripts (hard copy and diskette version in Microsoft Word) will be due September 30. The book is likely to be published February-March 2003.
Please forward proposals to: Dr. Anil K. Gupta, Faculty and Coordinator, Department of Environmental Sciences, (Secretary, Consortium for Environment and Sustainability), Bundelkhand University, Jhansi, U.P., 284, 218 India; e-mail: environ_disaster@hotmail.com, anilbadal@hotmail.com, div_news@yahoo.co.in.
[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]
- Emergency Planning and Management Self-Study Course
- Emergency Response to Terrorism Quick-Study Course
Both of these self-study courses are available from Government
Institutes/ABS Consulting. See: http://www.govinst.com; or contact ABS
Consulting, Government Institutes Division, 4 Research Place,
Rockville, MD 20850; (301) 921-2300; fax: (301) 921-0373.
Recommended Procedures for Implementation of DMG Special Publication 117: Guidelines for Analyzing and Mitigating Landslide Hazards in California. Presented by: Southern California Earthquake Center (SCEC), Association of Engineering Geologists, and American Society of Civil Engineers. Los Angeles, California: June 20-21, 2002. Contact: SCEC, University of Southern California, 3651 Trousdale Parkway, Suite 169, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0742; (213) 740-5843; fax: (213) 740-0011.
Fifth Natural Disasters Roundtable: "From Climate to Weather: Impacts on Society, Economy, and You." Washington, D.C.: June 28, 2002. See: http://national-academies.org/naturaldisasters (go to "events," select "Roundtable #5," and click on the "register online" link at the bottom of the page); or RSVP to: Patricia Jones Kershaw, Natural Disasters Roundtable, The National Academies, 2101 Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20418; (202) 334-1964; fax: (202) 334-1961; e-mail: pkershaw@nas.edu.
Innovative Approaches to Earthquake Engineering. Host: Wessex Institute of Technology. London, U.K.: July 12, 2002. See: http://www.wessex.ac.uk/programmes/earthquake.html, or contact: Institution of Civil Engineers, One Great George Street, London SW1P 3AA, U.K.
Critical Incident Stress Management. Offered by: International Critical Incident Stress Foundation (ICISF). Denver, Colorado: August 22-25, 2002. Contact: ICISF, 10176 Baltimore National Pike, Unit 201, Ellicott City, MD 21042; (410) 750-9600; fax: (410) 750-9601; WWW: http://www.icisf.org.
Mountains: Sources of Water, Sources of Knowledge. Organized by the Alps, Environment and Society Group at the University Institute Kurt Bosch. Sion, Switzerland: October 8-10, 2002. Includes sessions covering "Water-related Natural Disasters in Mountain Regions: Prediction, Mitigation, Adaptation," and "Linking Climate Change and Mountain Hydrology." Those interested in making a presentation or preparing a poster are requested to submit a short abstract, preferably in electronic form, by *June 15, 2002*. Abstracts should be sent to: Institut Universitaire Kurt Bosch , Conference on "Mountains: Sources of Water; Sources of Knowledge," Case postale 4176, CH 1950 Sion 4, Switzerland; tel: (+41) 027-205.73.00; fax : (+41) 027- 205.73.01; e-mail: mery.bornet@iukb.ch.
Women and Disaster Management. Organizer: Indian Environmental Society. New Delhi, India: October 10-11, 2002. Contact: Indian Environmental Society, U-112, Vidhata House, Third Floor, Shakar Pur, Vikas Marg, Delhi-110092, India: tel: (911) 2046823/24; fax: (911) 2223311; e-mail: iesenro@del2.vsnl.net.in; WWW: http://iesglobal.org.
First Annual TISP (The Infrastructure Security Partnership) Congress on Infrastructure Security in the Built Environment. Washington, D.C.: November 5-7, 2000. See: http://www.tisp.org.
International Congress on Large Dams (ICOLD) 21st Congress. Montreal, Quebec, Canada: June 16-20, 2003. See: http://www.cigb-icold.org.
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