Showing papers by "Abdul-Akeem Sadiq published in 2020"

Managing Mass Fatalities during COVID-19: Lessons for Promoting Community Resilience During Global Pandemics.

Abstract: In the United States and around the world, COVID-19 represents a mass fatality incident, as there are more bodies than can be handled using existing resources. Although the management and disposition of bodies is distressing and heartrending, it is a task that local, state, and federal governments must plan for and respond to collaboratively with the private sector and faith-based community. When mass fatalities are mismanaged, there are grave emotional and mental health consequences that can delay recovery and undermine community resilience. Using insights from one of the author's mass fatality management research during the 2010 Haiti earthquake, this article explores how mass fatalities are being managed in response to COVID-19. Based on the researcher's findings a decade ago, it is apparent that many lessons have not been learnt. This article concludes by providing governments with practical lessons on how to manage mass fatalities to facilitate and promote community resilience.

Review of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Community Rating System Program

Abstract: This study presents the first systematic literature review of academic research on the FEMA Community Rating System (CRS) program. The CRS is a voluntary program created in 1990 as a means ...

U.S. Procurement in the Age of COVID-19: Challenges, Intergovernmental Collaboration, and Recommendations for Improvement

Abstract: This article discusses U.S. government’s procurement of medical supplies and equipment during COVID-19 pandemic and the challenges posed by COVID-19 to U.S procurement system. The article also exam...

Variations in employees' perceptions of organizational disaster preparedness

Abstract: Few studies have sought to understand the different kinds of preparedness measures public, private and nonprofit organizations adopt and the factors motivating these organizations to adopt different kinds of preparedness measures. The present study addresses these gaps in research using perceptions from 1,960 public, private and nonprofit employees. Results indicate significant variations in public, private and nonprofit employees' perceptions of the kinds of preparedness measures their organizations adopt. Findings also suggest there are variations in the factors motivating public, private and nonprofit organizations to adopt different kinds of preparedness measures. The results provide important insights to emergency managers aiming to increase the levels of disaster preparedness among organizations within their communities.

The need for innovation in deathcare leadership

Abstract: Purpose The purpose of this viewpoint essay is to examine deathcare leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic and recommend innovations to employ a more human-centric approach Design/methodology/approach This viewpoint essay uses scholarly and popular literature to explore deathcare practices during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and to identify limitations of existing mass fatality management policies Findings Deathcare leadership in the USA lacks a human-centric approach Rationalistic mass fatality management during COVID-19 left families struggling with grief and mourning because many burial rituals could not take place This essay suggests a humanistic approach to death management through leadership innovations as a remedy to this problem Such leadership innovations can improve responses to deathcare during this ongoing pandemic and future public health emergencies Originality/value This essay offers practical improvements to make deathcare more human-centric

Participation and non-participation in FEMA's Community Rating System (CRS) program: Insights from CRS coordinators and floodplain managers

Abstract: Given that floods cause the greatest economic impact and affect more communities annually than any other natural hazard, there is a compelling need to better understand how communities can enhance their resilience to future flood disasters. One mechanism for enhancing communities' resilience to future flood disasters is through participation in the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Community Rating System (CRS). The CRS is a federal voluntary program that incentivizes communities in the United States to implement floodplain management activities that exceed those required under the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). In exchange for engaging in additional floodplain management activities, policyholders residing in CRS-participating communities receive discounts in their flood insurance premiums. To better understand the factors driving CRS participation, this study uses propensity score matching to match 100 randomly selected CRS participating communities with 100 non-CRS participating communities. Data gathered from CRS coordinators and floodplain managers indicate several factors are responsible for why communities participate, continue to participate, or do not participate the CRS. The main reason for participating in the CRS and continuing to participate is the reduction in flood insurance premiums, while the main reason for not joining the CRS is lack of resources (staff, funding, and time).

What drives community flood risk management? Policy diffusion or free-riding

Abstract: This study explores whether participation in the US Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Community Rating System (CRS), a voluntary community flood risk management program, is a function of policy diffusion or an act of free-riding. Policy diffusion would suggest that, all else being equal, once a community has joined the CRS, neighboring communities will be more likely to follow their lead and participate in the CRS. Free-riding would imply that neighboring communities might choose not to participate in the CRS because they perceive that their community benefits from surrounding communities’ participation. Results indicate that a community’s decision to participate in the CRS is not influenced by the characteristics of or the behavior of their neighbors. The results of this study do, however, show that population density, aggregate housing values, rentership rate, and flat topography are significant predictors of CRS participation.