DISASTER RESEARCH 437

September 16, 2005

TABLE OF CONTENTS

  1. Activated Hurricane Katrina Quick Response Grants
  2. Post-Katrina Legislative Update
  3. Disaster Research Funded by National Institute of Mental Health
  4. 2005 ISDR International Day for Disaster Reduction
  5. Dissertations Initiative for the Advancement of Climate Change
  6. Calls for Papers
  7. Call for Nominations: Engineering Mechanics Awards
  8. Call for Presenters: CSA Katrina Session
  9. MaGrann Research Conference Abstract Deadline Extended
  10. Colorado Stormwater and Floodplain Management Scholarship
  11. Some New Web Resources
  12. Conferences and Training
  13. Jobs, Jobs, Jobs

1) Activated Hurricane Katrina Quick Response Grants

The Natural Hazards Center has activated the following Quick Response proposals to study the impacts of Hurricane Katrina. The Center expects to activate several additional Katrina-related grants in the coming days.

Coordinating the Incident Command Post, Emergency Operations Center, and National Incident Management System during Time of Disaster
David Neal, Oklahoma State University

Narrative Accounts of Displaced Disaster Victims
Gregory Button, Independent Researcher and Consultant

Housing of Evacuees during Relocation: The Use of Familial and Extrafamilial Networks for Sheltering in Disaster
JoAnne Darlington, University of Louisiana at Lafayette

Major Coastal Storms and Family Functioning
Betsy Garrison, Louisiana State University

Media Trends in Reporting Disasters Following Hurricane Katrina
Richard Olson, Florida International University
Vince Gawronski, Birmingham Southern College

Reframing Crime: Race, Gender, Class, Criminality, and Enforcement of Laws in a Natural Disaster
Hillary Potter, University of Colorado

Needs Assessment for the Grand Bayou Residents
Brenda Phillips, Oklahoma State University
Kristine Peterson, World Church Services

Hydro-Meteorological Hazards: How Does Prior Experience Influence Impacts and Adaptation?
Francis Adeola, University of New Orleans

Photographs and Interviews with Children Displaced by the Destruction of Hurricane Katrina
Jennifer Kirschke, University of Colorado

Disaster Realities in the Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina: Revisiting the Looting Myth
Lauren Barsky, University of Delaware

Obstacles and Facilitators to Evacuation from Hurricane Katrina
David Eisenman, RAND Corporation

Providing for Pets During Disasters
Leslie Irvine, University of Colorado

To Rebuild or to Relocate? An Investigation of Postcatastrophe Housing Intentions among Hurricane Katrina Evacuees
John Barnshaw, University of Delaware

For more information on the Quick Response Program, visit the Natural Hazards Center Web site at http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/qr/.

2) Post-Katrina Legislative Update

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, the president has signed three new laws, while both houses of Congress are proposing and considering additional legislation to ease the response and recovery efforts. The three new laws are:

Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act to Meet Immediate Needs Arising From the Consequences of Hurricane Katrina, 2005 (P.L. 109-61). P.L. 109-61 appropriates an additional $10 billion to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for disaster relief and $500 million to the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) to help cover costs resulting from immediate relief efforts.

Second Emergency Supplemental Appropriations Act to Meet Immediate Needs Arising From the Consequences of Hurricane Katrina, 2005 (P.L. 109-62). P.L. 109-62 appropriates an additional $50 billion to DHS, $1.4 billion to the DOD, and $400 million to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for operation and maintenance costs as well as flood control and coastal emergencies. This new law also authorizes the use of the emergency procurement authority of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy Act by executive agencies to make purchases of up to $250,000 without obtaining competitive quotations for procurements of property or services to be used for Hurricane Katrina rescue and relief operations.

Federal Judiciary Emergency Special Sessions Act of 2005 (P.L. 109-63). P.L. 109-63, which is not specific to Katrina, allows federal circuit courts of appeals, district courts, bankruptcy courts, and magistrate judges to hold special sessions outside their circuits or districts if, because of emergency conditions, no location within the courts' regular circuits or districts is reasonably available. It also prohibits a criminal trial from being conducted at a special session outside the state in which the crime was committed unless the defendant consents to trial outside the state and restricts criminal jury pools to the district in which a crime was committed unless the defendant consents to be tried by jurors from the district in which the special session is being held.

The full text of these laws is available in any federal repository library and on the Library of Congress Web site at http://thomas.loc.gov/.

3) Disaster Research Funded by the National Institute of Mental Health

Researchers thinking of conducting disaster research in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina may be interested in the following three research education projects funded by the National Institute of Mental Health:

Research Education in Disaster Mental Health trains doctoral-level researchers with long-term interests in research on the psychosocial consequences of disasters. Each “mentee” is paired with a mentor from a nationwide faculty and provided with a small grant to support educational expenses. The project is a collaboration between researchers at Dartmouth College and the National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Visit http://www.redmh.org/ for more information.

The Disaster Research Education and Mentoring Center deals with research that is initiated rapidly and provides practical education, mentoring, and technical assistance to researchers and governmental and nongovernmental agencies interested in research following disasters and terrorism. The project is a collaboration between researchers at the Medical University of South Carolina, the University of Michigan, and New York Academy of Medicine. More information is available at http://www.disasterresearch.org/.

The Disaster Research Training Grant aims to enhance the nation’s capacity to conduct research related to children and families. It does not offer direct assistance to researchers but has information about child trauma research on its Web site. The project is housed at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center in collaboration with the National Center for Child Traumatic Stress. Visit http://www.nctsnet.org/ for more information.

4) 2005 ISDR International Day for Disaster Reduction

This year the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) will celebrate the ISDR International Day for Disaster Reduction on October 12, 2005. Using microfinance and safety nets to increase disaster resilience is the primary theme of the 2005 campaign. The objective is twofold: to sensitize the social and financial communities and institutions on their potential role in reducing disaster risk and to raise awareness in the disaster and risk management community of the utility of existing financial tools and safety nets to reduce the vulnerability of hazard-prone populations. Find out more from the ISDR Web site at http://www.unisdr.org/eng/public_aware/world_camp/2005/2005-press-kit.htm.

5) Dissertations Initiative for the Advancement of Climate Change

Applications are invited from recent PhD graduates doing climate change research for the Spring 2006 DISCCRS II Symposium. DISCCRS (pronounced “discourse”) is the Dissertations Initiative for the Advancement of Climate Change and is funded by the National Science Foundation and NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) to help graduates gain the necessary collegial networks and experience to work effectively in the field of climate change. Recent PhD graduates from all disciplines and countries are invited to join the DISCCRS program and apply to be a DISCCRS Symposium Fellow.

The annual symposia will bring together 36 new scholars from the physical/natural and social sciences to foster understanding across disciplines and catalyze formation of an interdisciplinary, international collegial network. Participants will present their research in plenary sessions. Established interdisciplinary professionals will be on hand to share their perspectives. Consultants will teach participants to communicate across disciplines and with a nonspecialist audience. Representatives of federal agencies will describe programs and funding opportunities.

Graduates completing PhD requirements between October 1, 2002, and September 30, 2005, are eligible to apply. The DISCCRS II Symposium will be held March 26-April 2, 2006 in Pacific Grove, California. The application deadline is October 2, 2005. Support for symposium travel and onsite expenses will be provided for selected applicants. Contact Susan Weiler at weiler@whitman.edu or visit http://www.aslo.org/phd/disccrsposter.pdf for additional information.

6) Calls for Papers

13th Ocean Sciences Meeting: Abstracts are solicited for this meeting to be held February 20-24, 2006, in Honolulu, Hawaii, which will cover all topics in the area of ocean sciences. Abstracts must focus on scientific results or their application and must be submitted online by October 20, 2005. For more information, go to http://www.agu.org/meetings/os06/.

2006 Meeting of the Association of American Geographers: A call for papers and presentations on research, education, accomplishments, and developments in geography is issued for this conference to be held March 7-11, 2006, in Chicago, Illinois. Participants must be registered to submit an abstract, and all abstracts must be submitted online. The deadline is October 13, 2005. Visit http://www.aag.org/annualmeetings/ for more information.

2006 Annual Meeting of the Midwest Sociological Society. This is a call for papers for a session on “Innovations in Disaster Theory, Research, and Practice” to be held at the Midwest Sociological Society annual meeting in Omaha, Nebraska, March 30-April 2, 2006. Papers will be considered that examine any topic concerning the preparedness for, response to, or recovery from natural, technological, or human-induced hazards and disasters. Both U.S. and international cross-cultural researchers are welcome. Submissions must be received by October 31, 2005. Abstracts or papers should be submitted at http://conferencemgt.com/conf/MSS.html. Questions should be directed to the session organizers, William Lovekamp, blovekamp@hotmail.com or Lori Peek, lori.peek@colostate.edu. Find out more from the Midwest Sociological Society Web site at http://www.themss.org/.

GIS and Water Resources IV: Presentations, papers, and abstracts are solicited for this conference in May in Houston, Texas, organized by the American Water Resources Association. Presenters are encouraged to share their freeware and public domain scripts, programs, tips, and tricks with the attendees. Knowledge and experience can also be shared with an oral presentation in front of an audience or a poster presentation in the gallery. Papers will be published on the conference proceedings CD. Deadline for submission is November 6, 2005. Visit http://www.awra.org/meetings/Houston2006.html for more information.

7) Call for Nominations: Engineering Mechanics Awards

The Engineering Mechanics Division of the American Society for Civil Engineers (ASCE) offers six different awards to individuals for contributions to engineering. A complete nomination packet may be submitted by mail to the Honors and Awards Program, EMD/ASCE, 1801 Alexander Bell Drive, Reston, VA 20191, or preferably, by e-mail to awards@asce.org. The deadline for submissions are November 1, 2005. A description of these awards and instructions for nominations may be found at the Web page of the ASCE Engineering Mechanics Division, http://www.ce.jhu.edu/emd/awards.html.

8) Call for Presenters: CSA Katrina Session

The California Sociological Association (CSA) is organizing a session on disasters for its annual meeting in Sacramento, California, November 11-12, 2005. Those interested in presenting a paper on Hurricane Katrina should contact Shoon Lio, Department of Sociology, University of California-Riverside by e-mail, Shoon.Lio@email.ucr.edu.

9) MaGrann Research Conference Abstract Deadline Extended

In light of the enormous interest generated by Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath, as well as the effect that this event is having on public discourse about disasters, the deadline for submission of abstracts for the Third MaGrann Research Conference is extended. New submissions will be accepted up to October 1, 2005. Authors who have already made submissions but wish to revise them should inform the organizers as soon as possible.

The conference will take place April 21-22, 2006, with the theme “The Future of Disasters in a Globalizing World.” Paper proposals are solicited from established scholars as well as recent PhD and advanced graduate students. Limited support will be available to assist invited participants with costs of travel. Final papers (approximately 5,000-6,000 words) will be due by February 1, 2006. Abstracts (less than 250 words) should be sent to the conference organizers on or before October 1, 2005: Department of Geography, Rutgers University, 54 Joyce Kilmer Avenue, Piscataway, NJ 08854. Direct any questions to the conference organizers: Monalisa Chatterjee; (732) 445-4103; e-mail: chaterje@eden.rutgers.edu, Robin Leichenko; (732) 445-4056; e-mail: rleichen@rci.rutgers.edu, and James K. Mitchell; (730) 445-4082; e-mail: jmitchel@rci.rutgers.edu.

10) Colorado Stormwater and Floodplain Management Scholarship

The purpose of this scholarship is to promote interest among students and the engineering community in the Colorado Association of Stormwater and Floodplain Managers (CASFM) and to promote the goals of the CASFM. Applicants must be U.S. citizens enrolled in a graduate program closely related to CASFM’s goals at a college or university in Colorado and be registered to take at least three credit hours of coursework per semester. Eligible programs of study include, but are not limited to, the following: hydrology, hydraulics, watershed management, floodplain management, stormwater management, stormwater quality, emergency response, meteorology, and climatology. The scholarship recipient will also have the option to make a 20-minute presentation on their research project at the 2006 annual CASFM conference held in September. Registration and lodging at the conference is included if the recipient commits to make a presentation by the call for papers deadline (typically late March).

The successful candidate will be notified on or about October 7, 2005. The funds will be awarded as either a full-year, $2,000 scholarship to a single student or separately as a $1,000 fall scholarship and $1,000 spring scholarship to two students. For more information, contact Jeremy Franz, Ayres Associates, 3665 JFK Parkway, Building 2, Suite 200, Fort Collins, CO 80525; (970) 223-5556; http://www.casfm.org/scholarship.htm.

11) Some New Web Resources

[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/resources/.]

Congressional Research Service Reports Related to Hurricane Katrina
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/homesec/index.html
http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/misc.html
http://fpc.state.gov/fpc/c15783.htm
The Congressional Research Service has produced several reports in the wake of Hurricane Katrina that may be of interest to readers. These Web pages include lists of links to the reports.

NASA Hurricane Web Page
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has created a new resource for hurricane data. The site includes a wide range of hurricane related topics, such as hurricane basics, classroom activities investigating hurricanes, satellite images, multimedia gallery, and updates and links to other hurricane resources.

Interim Guidelines for Firefighting Operations in Katrina Response
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has released interim guidelines for firefighting operations in the Hurricane Katrina response. NIOSH urges fire departments to share this information with their members prior to deployment to the Gulf Coast region and with those members already on assignment.

Association of State Floodplain Managers Katrina Recommendations
This white paper prepared by the Association of State Floodplain Managers focuses on the issues the nation needs to consider and the mitigation approaches that must be incorporated as the Gulf Coast is rebuilt.

Legal Resources for the Emergency System for Registration of Volunteer Health Professionals
The Center for Law and the Public’s Health at Georgetown and Johns Hopkins Universities has developed several resources that provide states and territories with information, contacts, and resources to assist in the assessment of the legal issues that will arise in the implementation of the Emergency System for the Advance Registration of Volunteer Health Professionals.

Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report Natural Disasters Compilation
A new compilation, “Natural Disasters,” has been added to the Web site of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR). The compilation includes links to previously published MMWR reports regarding the assessment of health needs and surveillance of morbidity and mortality after hurricanes, floods, and other natural disasters.

CDC Hurricane Katrina Guidelines
To protect public health and safety during recovery operations, the CDC has provided multiple sets of guidelines of particular interest to health care providers, relief workers, and shelter operators.

Hurricane Katrina: Environmental Health and Toxicology Links
The Specialized Information Services Division of the National Library of Medicine has compiled potentially useful information for emergency response teams who are dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Hurricane Response
This Web site includes news releases, articles, images, and help hotlines related to the response of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to Hurricane Katrina.

Environmental Atlas of Lake Pontchartrain
The U.S. Geological Survey report Environmental Atlas of the Lake Pontchartrain Basin can be found here.

NOAA IncidentNews
The IncidentNews Web page hosted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA) contains news, photos, and other information that may be of interest to involved public, journalists, academics, nongovernmental organizations, and others about spill response actions.

Katrina Perspectives from the Social Sciences
The Social Science Research Council organized this Web forum addressing the underlying political, social, and economic issues laid bare by the events surrounding Hurricane Katrina.

NIEHS Response to Hurricane Katrina
The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) created this Web site to provide up-to-date data to public health and safety workers on contaminants in flood waters, infrastructure, and industry maps, as well as demographic information for local populations. The site includes a link to a new geographic information system (GIS) that will contain layers of data, including the locations of refineries, oil pipelines, industrial facilities, Superfund sites, Toxic Release Inventory Data, and agricultural operations. The GIS maps also will include the locations and satellite images of schools, neighborhoods, and medical facilities to help assess the short and long-term effects of Katrina on the Gulf Coast region.

Preliminary Damage Reports for Engineered Structures Following Katrina
A team from the Multidisciplinary Center for Earthquake Engineering Research investigated damage to engineered structures following Hurricane Katrina. Preliminary damage reports and preliminary VIEWS (Visualizing Impacts of Earthquakes with Satellites) deployment images can be found here.

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 Web site: http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/conf.html.]

The locations of the following two conferences have been changed from New Orleans, Louisiana, due to Hurricane Katrina:

* The 2005 Annual Conference of the Association of State Dam Safety Officials is changed to September 23-27, 2005, in Orlando, Florida. For more information, contact Susan Sorrell at the Association of State Dam Safety Officials at (859) 257-5146; e-mail: info@damsafety.org; http://www.damsafety.org/.

* The American Public Health Association (APHA) 133rd Annual Meeting and Exposition has been changed to December 10-14, 2005, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Updates will be posted to the APHA Web site at http://www.apha.org/meetings/new_orleans_update.htm.

2005 International Code Council Annual Conference. Detroit, Michigan: September 25-October 2, 2005. This conference will feature the Final Action Hearings, the Education Program, the Annual Business Meeting, the International Code Council Expo, as well as networking opportunities for those in the building safety and fire prevention fields. Preregistration is closed but registration is still available on-site. For more information, contact the International Code Council; 4051 West Flossmoor Road, Country Club Hills, IL 60478; http://www.iccsafe.org/news/annual/2005Conference/.

77th Annual Meeting of the Eastern Section of the Seismological Society of America. Memphis, Tennessee: October 2-4, 2005. Special sessions include Eastern North America Seismic Hazard Mapping Issues and Urban Seismic Hazard Mapping in Eastern North America. Contact Chuck Langston; (901) 678-4869; clangstn@memphis.edu; http://www.ceri.memphis.edu/ESSSA/ for more information.

National Conference for Hospital-Based First Receivers. Sponsors: Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Washington, DC: October 6-7, 2005. Hospital-based first receivers will gain useful information about responding to victims of mass casualty incidents that involve hazardous substances. The conference will focus on the selection of appropriate personal protective equipment, the development of emergency management plans, guidelines for ensuring worker safety, and best practices for the overall protection and training of first receivers. Conference participants will include hospital emergency staff, safety officers, medical directors, disaster planning professionals, occupational health physicians and nurses, bioterrorism coordinators, and emergency response planners, as well as emergency department and infectious disease physicians and nurses. Information is available from the Joint Commission Resources, One Renaissance Boulevard, Oakbrook Terrace, IL 60181;(877) 223-6866; http://www.jcrinc.com/education.asp?durki=9267.

30th Annual Meeting of the National Weather Association (NWA). St. Louis, Missouri: October 15-20, 2005. This meeting will include a mix of formal presentations, poster sessions, panel discussions, and exhibits on a wide variety of topics relating to operational meteorology, hydrology, weather broadcasting, new research applications, and related activities. For more information, contact the NWA office at (434) 296-9966; NatWeaAsoc@aol.com; http://www.nwas.org/meetings/05info.html.

Fire Department Integrated Risk Analysis and Management. Organizer: Public Entity Risk Institute (PERI). Virtual Symposium: November 7-11, 2005. The symposium will bring together authors and experts from the U.S. and U.K. national fire service programs and from local departments in both the United States and the United Kingdom that are employing the integrated risk management approach. The symposium will provide participants with guidance and resources needed to begin planning and implementing an integrated risk management approach within a community and a fire department. The symposium will be conducted online and via e-mail. Additional information is available from Dennis Kouba, dkouba@riskinstitute.org and at PERI’s Web site, http://www.riskinstitute.org/test.php?pid=page&tid=10.

International Training Workshop on Numerical Modeling of Tsunami For Developing Countries in the Southeast Asia, the Pacific, and the Indian Ocean. Organizers: International Association of Seismology and Physics of the Earth's Interior; International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior; Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology; United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization; and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission. Quezon City, Philippines: November 7-19, 2005. In order to address the immediate need to develop the capability for conducting tsunami modeling, a training workshop in tsunami numerical modeling has been organized. During the 10-day workshop, each participant will be taught how to model tsunami propagation, run up, and inundation. The learning format will involve a series of lectures and hands-on computer exercises under the supervision of experts on tsunami modeling. Find out more at http://ioc.unesco.org/indotsunami/capacitybuilding/modeling0511/modelin0511_intro.htm.

Climate Science in Support of Decision Making. Organizer: U.S. Climate Change Science Program (CCSP). Arlington, Virginia: November 7-19, 2005. CCSP is holding a workshop addressing the capability of climate science to inform decision making. The workshop will serve as a forum to address the program’s progress and future plans. The workshop will include discussion of decision maker needs for scientific information on climate variability and change, as well as expected outcomes of CCSP’s research and assessment activities that are necessary for sound resource management, adaptive planning, and policy formulation. Contact the U.S. Climate Change Science Program, Suite 250, 1717 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20006; (202) 223-6262; http://www.climatescience.gov/workshop2005/.

American Geophysical Union (AGU) 2005 Annual Fall Meeting. San Francisco, California: December 5-9, 2005. The fall meeting provides an opportunity for researchers, teachers, students, and consultants to present and review the latest issues affecting the Earth, the planets, and their environments in space. This meeting will cover topics in all areas of Earth and space sciences. To find out more, contact the AGU Meetings Department, 2000 Florida Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009; (800) 966–2481; e–mail: fm-help@agu.org; http://www.agu.org/meetings/fm05/.

2006 Meeting of the Association of American Geographers. Chicago, Illinois: March 7-11, 2006. Geographers and related professionals from the United States, Canada, and abroad are invited to this annual meeting to discuss research, education, accomplishments, and developments in geography and related specialities. For more information, contact the Association of American Geographers, 1710 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009; (202) 234-1450; e-mail: meeting@aag.org; http://www.aag.org/annualmeetings/.

2nd Asia Conference on Earthquake Engineering. Organizer: Asia Council for Earthquake Engineering (ACEE). Manila, Philippines: March 10-11, 2006. The theme of the conference is “Seismic Hazards and Damage Mitigation in the Asian Region.” The conference will provide a forum to bring together researchers, professionals, engineers, scientists, and academicians to promote and exchange new ideas and experiences in the broad fields of seismology, earthquake engineering, seismic risk, and disaster mitigation. Additional information is available from the Association of Structural Engineers of the Philippines Secretariat;(+632) 411-8603; e-mail: aseponline61@yahoo.com; http://www.aseponline.org/.

13) Jobs, Jobs, Jobs

_________________________________
Assistant/Associate/Full Professor in Emergency Management
North Dakota State University: Fargo, North Dakota

North Dakota State University (NDSU) has a full-time, tenure-track position open in emergency management to begin in fall 2006. A PhD is required in sociology, anthropology, or a closely related field. Minimum qualifications include demonstrated expertise in emergency management and the ability to teach undergraduate- and graduate-level courses. NDSU expects faculty members to demonstrate excellence in teaching, research, and service in an open and collaborative environment. The candidate also must demonstrate effective oral and written communication skills. Preference will be given to those with a strong academic background and research expertise in disaster preparedness, mitigation/prevention, response, and recovery. Preferred qualifications include a graduate or undergraduate degree or significant concentration in sociology or anthropology, teaching and/or research expertise, grant writing experience, and the demonstrated ability to obtain external grants and to manage personnel, programs, and budget.

Rank and salary based on experience and merit are competitive. A letter of application, curriculum vitae, PhD and master’s transcripts, and names, addresses, and phone numbers of three references should be addressed to Daniel J. Klenow, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND 58105. Applications should be received by December 1, 2005, for full consideration. Inquiries can be directed to Klenow at (701) 231-8925; e-mail: daniel.klenow@ndsu.edu.

_________________________________
Emergency Management Director
City of Portland: Portland, Oregon

The City of Portland is accepting applications for the position of emergency management director, a management position overseeing the Office of Emergency Management. This position is responsible for developing and articulating the city’s key policies, positions, and strategies for dealing with all hazards and emergencies, including natural and human-induced incidents; interpreting and applying state and federal legal requirements; and implementing, coordinating, and enforcing policies across multiple city bureaus. To have an application mailed to you, call Gail Thompson at (503) 823-3515 or to apply online, visit http://www.ci.portland.or.us/jobs/.

_________________________________
Graduate Research Assistantship
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign: Urbana, Illinois

Funding is available to PhD or MS candidates in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Science to work in a multidisciplinary environment in several possible research areas, which include but are not limited to, the following: natural resources social science; rural sociology; human dimensions of ecosystem disturbance; and community aspects of risk, hazards, and disasters.

The financial support package includes an 11-month stipend (approximately $16,000 and $15,000 for Ph.D. and M.S. candidates, respectively) and a tuition and fee waiver. The position is available as early as January 2006 or until filled. If interested, contact Courtney Flint, Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, 1023 Plant Sciences Laboratory, 1201 S. Dorner Drive, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois 61801; (217) 244-1840; e-mail: cflint@uiuc.edu. For more information on applying, visit www.nres.uiuc.edu/graduate/application-info.html.

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Hurricane Recovery Mitigation Employment Opportunities
Federal Emergency Management Agency: Field Offices

The recent hurricanes and flooding in Louisiana and the southeastern states have generated the need for additional staff to support the federal recovery efforts. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is looking for qualified individuals to add to its disaster assistance reservists mitigation cadre. Disaster hazard mitigation provides information, guidance, and technical assistance to individuals, businesses, and communities to identify resources and techniques to rebuild safer and stronger. Reservists are intermittent, on-call employees who provide support during presidentially declared disasters. They require knowledge and experience in a variety of disciplines: building science and architecture, public education, planning, environmental and historic preservation, property and casualty insurance, floodplain management, and grants management.

Candidates must be immediately able to work in Louisiana and other southeastern states for an extended period of time. The work environment will be stressful and the hours long. Do not expect air conditioning or a room with a view. Do expect a rewarding job experience in public service to the communities and citizens rebuilding their lives.

FEMA is looking for highly motivated and flexible individuals with the following qualities:

  • Customer service oriented and able and willing to work within culturally diverse audiences, communities, and groups;
  • Sensitivity in assisting people who have been through traumatic events;
  • A technical background with the ability to explain technical matters to nontechnical audiences and individuals; and
  • Ability to perform consistently at a highly functioning level in a stressed and ever changing environment.

Salary will be based on demonstrated experience and the technical difficulty of the position. Travel and per diem are paid at the government rate. Before personnel processing can be completed, applicants will undergo security and credit card background checks. Job specific training will be provided.

To apply for one of the positions, fax resume and cover letter describing qualifications for the position as soon as possible to (540) 542-2484 or (540) 542-2482. Adherence to the following four items will expedite the application:

  1. Write in big letters MITIGATION across the top of the application and include any experience in emergency management, specifically hazards risk reduction activities.
  2. Note level of bilingual, multilingual, multicultural, and American with Disabilities Act skills, particularly French and Cajun/Creole language skills.
  3. Include social security number, citizenship (applicants must be U.S. citizens), date of birth, and place of birth.
  4. Provide documentation on any professional licenses or certifications related to the positions posted.

More information and descriptions of the positions are available on the Web at http://www.fema.gov/fima/recoveryemployment.shtm.

Questions for the readership and contributions to this e-newsletter are encouraged. Questions and messages should be indicated as such and sent to hazctr@colorado.edu.

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