Natural Hazards Observer
| May 2006 | Volume XXX | Number 5 |
Below are new or updated Internet resources that the Natural Hazards Center staff have found informative and useful. For a more complete list, visit www.colorado.edu/hazards/resources/sites.html.
All Hazards • Hurricanes, Floods, and Severe Weather • Wildfire • Earthquakes • Tsunamis • Climate Change and Drought • Health
http://gdacs.org/
The Global Disaster Alert and Coordination System (GDACS), a joint initiative of the United Nations and the European Commission, provides near real-time disaster alerts and tools to facilitate response coordination. The purpose of GDACS is to provide the international response community with a platform to ensure that alerts and information relevant to a disaster’s response is exchanged interactively in a structured and predictable manner. GDACS will be activated when major natural, technological, or environmental disasters overwhelm a country’s response capacity and international assistance is required.
http://water.usgs.gov/wid/index-hazards.html
The U.S. Geological Survey added the following fact sheets to their series on hazards: Volcano Hazards—A National Threat, Wildfire Hazards—A National Threat, Hurricane Hazards—A National Threat, Tsunami Hazards—A National Threat, Flood Hazards—A National Threat, and Landslide Hazards—A National Threat. Other fact sheets are also available.
www.worldwatch.org/features/disasters/overview/
The Worldwatch Institute has launched a two-year project addressing the intersections between natural disasters, environmental degradation, conflict, and peacemaking. The project will examine a variety of cases, including the situation in Indonesia and Sri Lanka after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, Indo-Pakistani relations following the 2005 South Asia earthquake, and earthquake diplomacy between Turkey and Greece.
www.nap.edu/catalog/11593.html
This workshop summary distills the proceedings of the October 18, 2005, National Academies Disasters Roundtable: Law, Science, and Disaster. The workshop examined recent developments and trends in hazards and disaster law and its implementation and drew on the September 11 experience to discuss the related issue of victim compensation.
www.opencrs.com/rpts/RS22393_20060303.pdf
This Congressional Research Service (CRS) report State and Urban Area Homeland Security Plans and Exercises: Issues for the 109th Congress addresses possible policy questions associated with homeland security plans and exercises, including how states and urban areas use federal funding to prepare for terrorist attacks and natural disasters.
www.christian-aid.org.uk/indepth/512_dispreparedness/disaster%20preparedness.pdf
This briefing paper, “Don’t Be Scared, Be Prepared: How Disaster Preparedness Can Save Lives and Money,” from Christian Aid argues that there are inexpensive and effective ways for poor communities to reduce the impacts of disasters and that local community involvement in disaster risk reduction is necessary for success.
www.brookings.edu/comm/policybriefs/pb150.htm
Preparing for Future “Katrinas” is the title of this policy brief from the Brookings Institute that proposes the establishment of an independent federal office to operate a catastrophic reinsurance program, calling for the federal government to formally acknowledge and implement what it already has become: an insurer of last resort for catastrophes.
www.disasterreductiongateway.org/
An initiative of the Benfield Hazard Research Centre, Disaster Reduction Gateway promotes information sharing and cooperation among individuals with interests in natural disaster reduction. It includes links to Web sites of UK- and European-based organizations and individuals involved in disaster reduction as well as links to courses, conferences, publications, funders, and more.
www.heritage.org/Research/HomelandDefense/bg1923.cfm
The report Learning from Disaster: The Role of Federalism and the Importance of Grassroots Response from The Heritage Foundation discusses the role of the federal government and the role that nongovernmental organizations, private sector initiatives, and individual civic deeds play during extreme emergencies.
www.carma.com/research/CARMA%20Media%20Analysis%20-%20Western%20Media%20Coverage%20of%20Humanitarian%20Disasters.pdf
A new study by U.S.-based media analysts CARMA International surveyed media coverage from a sample of western countries of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami; Hurricane Katrina; the earthquake in Bam, Iran; Hurricane Stan; the ongoing conflict in Darfur, Africa; and the recent South Asia earthquake. It found that it is not human suffering but western self-interest that dictates how disasters are covered in the press.
www.isofr.com/
This new Web site is the online home of the International Society of First Responders (ISOFR). The ISOFR is a trade association and professional resource center dedicated to the issues of training, education, best practices, and shared experiences facing first responders in their support of homeland security. The site features a training center, resource library, and more.
http://visz.rsoe.hu/alertmap/woalert.php?lang=eng
The National Association of Radio-Distress Signaling and Infocommunications, Havaria Emergency and Disaster Information Services in Budapest, Hungary, collects data on current natural and human-caused disasters around the world and provides the information on their Web site. A subscription-based e-mail alert and RSS feeds are also available.
http://trb.org/news/blurb_detail.asp?id=5206
“Evacuation Planning, Human Factors, and Traffic Engineering: Developing Systems for Training and Effective Response” is featured in the May-June 2005 issue of the Transportation Research Board’s TR News. The authors suggest that a real-time emergency planning system could generate evacuation routing and traffic management plans in response to accidents, terrorist attacks, or other catastrophic events that change the capacity or the topology of the road network and could serve as a training simulator for emergency planning.
www.protectingamerica.org/pdf/06pre301f.pdf
ProtectingAmerica.org released these findings from a national survey that found that nearly half of all Americans feel personally vulnerable to a major natural catastrophe. The survey also found that 70 percent of respondents say the country is still not prepared to deal with catastrophe and that they support congressional action to reduce the financial and economic consequences of catastrophe.
Hurricanes, Floods, and Severe Weather
www.lra.louisiana.gov/
The Louisiana Recovery Authority (LRA) is the state planning and coordinating body that is implementing the governor’s vision for the recovery of Louisiana following Hurricane Katrina. This Web site provides information on the task forces and recovery teams established by the LRA and the priorities for short- and long-term recovery needs.
www.governorscommission.com/
The Mississippi Governor’s Commission on Recovery, Rebuilding, and Renewal was formed shortly after Hurricane Katrina to develop a broad vision for a better Gulf Coast and South Mississippi. The commission focuses on giving local leaders access to ideas and information that will help them decide what their region will look like in the future. The Web site also features the commission’s report After Katrina: Building Back Better and A Pattern Book for Gulf Coast Neighborhoods.
www.governor.state.tx.us/divisions/press/files/EvacuationTaskForceReport.pdf
“Task Force on Evacuation, Transportation and Logistics: Final Report to the Governor” describes the work of a task force appointed by the Texas governor to document lessons learned from the Hurricane Rita evacuation and to make recommendations on how to improve evacuation plans and execution in future emergencies.
www.nap.edu/catalog/11591.html
“Structural Performance of the New Orleans Hurricane Protection System During Hurricane Katrina: Letter Report” is the first report from the Committee on New Orleans Regional Hurricane Protection Projects, which was formed by the National Academy of Engineering and the National Research Council. It represents the committee’s observations of the efforts of the Interagency Performance Evaluation Task Force to provide credible and objective scientific and engineering answers regarding the performance of the New Orleans metropolitan hurricane protection system during and after Hurricane Katrina.
www.opencrs.com/rpts/RL33264_20060203.pdf
FEMA’s Flood Hazard Map Modernization Initiative , a Congressional Research Service report, provides background information on the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) flood map modernization initiative and discusses recent related concerns, such as the recognition of flood hazard studies needed after Hurricane Katrina, the completion of timely regular updates of digital flood insurance rate maps, and the fate of the initiative under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
www.nws.noaa.gov/om/severeweather/severewxcal.shtml
This calendar from the National Weather Service Office of Climate, Water, and Weather Services lists severe weather awareness events by state for 2006.
http://et.mssl.ucl.ac.uk/
Created by experts on (re)insurance, loss modeling, and extreme weather forecasting and tracking, EuroTempest is an interactive Web-based warning service for European windstorms that offers clear, real-time, advanced forecasts on the timing, route, and localized potential wind damage for windstorms out to five days ahead.
www.landfire.gov/
LANDFIRE is a five-year, multipartner wildland fire, ecosystem, and fuel mapping project designed to generate consistent, comprehensive maps and data describing vegetation, fire, and fuel characteristics across the United States. The primary partners in the project are the Nature Conservancy, U.S. Geological Survey, and U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service Fire Lab.
http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/60721.pdf
Forest Fire/Wildfire Protection from the Congressional Research Service discusses the factors contributing to wildfire risk, methods for fuel treatment, fire control funding and policies, and the roles and responsibilities of homeowners and local, state, and federal governments in reducing wildfire risk.
www.cafirealliance.org/
The California Fire Alliance provides an interagency forum for coordinating member agencies’ efforts to implement wildland fire protection planning. Their Web site features grant resources, communications plans and tools, fire planning and mapping tools, and information on community wildfire protection plans.
http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/2006/21/
Earthquake Science Explained is a series of 10 short articles for students, teachers, and parents that were originally published as weekly features in the San Francisco Chronicle. The U.S. Geological Survey created the series to present new understandings gained and scientific advances made in the century since the 1906 San Francisco earthquake.
www.celebratingeqsafety.com/
The Structural Engineers Association of Northern California developed this site to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. The site contains information on why earthquakes happen, why some buildings fail during an earthquake while others do not, how structural engineers study earthquakes and develop new building codes and standards, and what individuals can do to protect themselves and their environment before, during, and after an earthquake.
http://bancroft.berkeley.edu/collections/earthquakeandfire/
This site is the portal for the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and Fire Project organized by the Bancroft Library at the University of California, Berkeley. In preparation for the disaster’s 100th anniversary, various California libraries and archives collaborated to digitize thousands of images and documents related to the event. Major features of the Web site include an online exhibit, an interactive map of San Francisco, and a 360-degree panoramic view of the devastated city.
www.alnap.org/tec/
The Tsunami Evaluation Coalition (TEC) is an effort by aid agencies to improve humanitarian systems by learning from the response to the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. The TEC is working on five thematic evaluations: coordination; needs assessment; impact on local and national capacities; linking relief, rehabilitation, and development; and the international community’s funding response, including an assessment of the role of the media. An initial report is available here.
www.undp.org/tsunami/UNDP-Tsunamireport-final.pdf
Survivors of the Tsunami: One Year Later provides a snapshot of the United Nations Development Programme’s (UNDP) assistance to the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami recovery and reconstruction efforts during the past year and provides examples of how the UNDP is helping survivors of the tsunami rebuild their lives.
www.cityofseaside.us/tsunamiinfo/
The City of Seaside, Oregon, has developed this tsunami education and information Web site to educate community members about the city’s tsunami preparedness activities and to provide educational information, community and business resources, and other useful tools.
http://drought.mssl.ucl.ac.uk/drought.html
The Global Drought Monitor, an interactive site from the Benfield Hazard Research Centre, monitors drought intensity worldwide. It can be used to forewarn potential food, water, and heath problems and improve awareness of droughts and their impacts.
www.pewclimate.org/global-warming-in-depth/all_reports/agenda_for_climate_action/
Agenda for Climate Action is the culmination of a two-year effort by the Pew Center on Global Climate Change to articulate a pragmatic course of action across all areas of the economy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. It identifies broad and specific policies that combine recommendations on economy-wide mandatory emissions cuts, technology development, scientific research, energy supply, and adaptation with critical steps to be taken in key sectors.
www.linkingclimateadaptation.org/
The goal of the Linking Climate Adaptation Network is to provide an accessible, useful, and vibrant forum for the exchange of research, policy, and experiences related to climate adaptation. This Web site includes a climate adaptation topic guide, news and events, and moderated online discussions.
www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/naturaldisasters.html
www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/copingwithdisasters.html
www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/disasterpreparationandrecovery.html
These Web pages from MedlinePlus, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health, provide links to information on health-related issues pertaining to natural disasters, coping with disasters, and disaster preparation and recovery.
www.cdc.gov/phlp/
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Public Health Law Program has redesigned their Web site to improve its organization and make it easier to use. Some older materials have been deleted and many new ones, especially ones related to emergency legal preparedness, will continue to be added over the next few months.
www.bt.cdc.gov/disasters/hurricanes/satellitebroadcast.asp
Public Health Grand Rounds, a partnership project sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in collaboration with the University of North Carolina School of Public Health, aired “Learning from Katrina: Tough Lessons in Preparedness and Emergency Response,” a program focused on the public health implications and vulnerabilities of disaster preparedness. The archived webcast is available here.
www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm5504a1.htm
The February 3, 2006, issue of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report featured “Assessment of Health-Related Needs After Tsunami and Earthquake—Three Districts, Aceh Province, Indonesia, July-August 2005.” The report summarizes survey results of the health and nutrition status of tsunami-affected populations and evaluates the effectiveness of relief interventions seven months after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.
www.cdc.gov/mmwr/PDF/wk/mm5509.pdf
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report highlighted the public health response to Hurricanes Katrina and Rita with two special issues. While the first issue focused on public health activities in Louisiana, the March 10, 2006, issue focuses on activities in other states, including Mississippi, Alabama, Texas, Florida, and Colorado, directly or indirectly affected by the two hurricanes.