Showing papers on "Disaster recovery published in 2010"

Resilience to natural hazards: a geographic perspective

Abstract: Resilience is increasingly used as an approach for understanding the dynamics of natural disaster systems. This article presents the origin of resilience and provides an overview of its development to date, which draws on the wide literature on ecological science, social science, social–environmental system and natural hazards. From a geographic perspective, the model of disaster resilience of “Loss–Response” of Location (DRLRL) was created and disaster resilience was defined from three dimensional mode, which focused on the spatial, temporal scale of resilience and attributes of hazard-affected bodies. A geographic approach was put forward to measure the disaster resilience, including two properties of inherent resilience and adaptive resilience and a case study was implemented in order to validate this approach. This perspective would offer greater potential in application of resilience concept, especially in the process of integrated risk management and disaster recovery.

Urban disaster recovery: a measurement framework and its application to the 1995 Kobe earthquake.

Abstract: This paper provides a framework for assessing empirical patterns of urban disaster recovery through the use of statistical indicators. Such a framework is needed to develop systematic knowledge on how cities recover from disasters. The proposed framework addresses such issues as defining recovery, filtering out exogenous influences unrelated to the disaster, and making comparisons across disparate areas or events. It is applied to document how Kobe City, Japan, recovered from the catastrophic 1995 earthquake. Findings indicate that while aggregate population regained pre-disaster levels in ten years, population had shifted away from the older urban core. Economic recovery was characterised by a three to four year temporary boost in reconstruction activities, followed by settlement at a level some ten per cent below pre-disaster levels. Other long-term effects included substantial losses of port activity and sectoral shifts toward services and large businesses. These patterns of change and disparity generally accelerated pre-disaster trends.

Disaster disparities and differential recovery in New Orleans

Abstract: The historical disparities in the socio-demographic structure of New Orleans shaped the social vulnerability of local residents and their responses to Hurricane Katrina and its aftermath. These disparities, derived from race, class, gender, and age differences, have resulted in the uneven impact of the catastrophe on various communities in New Orleans, and importantly, their ability to recover. This article examines how the pre-existing social vulnerabilities within New Orleans interacted with the level of flood exposure to produce inequities in the socio-spatial patterns of recovery. Utilizing a combination of statistical and spatial approaches, we found a distinct geographic pattern to the recovery suggesting that the social burdens and impacts from Hurricane Katrina are uneven—the less flooded and less vulnerable areas are recovering faster than tracts with more vulnerable populations and higher levels of flooding. However, there is a more nuanced story, which suggests that it is neighborhoods in the mid-range of social vulnerability where recovery is lagging. While private resources and government programs help groups in the high and low categories of social vulnerability, the middle group shows the slowest rates of recovery. Further, it appears that the congressionally funded State of Louisiana Road Home Program (designed to provide compensation to Louisiana’s homeowners who suffered impacts by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita for the damage to their home) is not having a significant effect in stimulating recovery within the city.

Disaster recovery as a cloud service: economic benefits & deployment challenges

Abstract: Many businesses rely on Disaster Recovery (DR) services to prevent either manmade or natural disasters from causing expensive service disruptions. Unfortunately, current DR services come either at very high cost, or with only weak guarantees about the amount of data lost or time required to restart operation after a failure. In this work, we argue that cloud computing platforms are well suited for offering DR as a service due to their pay-as-you-go pricing model that can lower costs, and their use of automated virtual platforms that can minimize the recovery time after a failure. To this end, we perform a pricing analysis to estimate the cost of running a public cloud based DR service and show significant cost reductions compared to using privately owned resources. Further, we explore what additional functionality must be exposed by current cloud platforms and describe what challenges remain in order to minimize cost, data loss, and recovery time in cloud based DR services.

The evolution of business continuity management: A historical review of practices and drivers

Abstract: As a form of crisis management, business continuity management (BCM) has evolved since the 1970s in response to the technical and operational risks that threaten an organisation's recovery from hazards and interruptions. This paper examines the development of business practices related to crisis management alongside the emergence of legislation, regulations and standards (drivers) requiring organisations to implement specific business continuity activities. From the resulting historical review, three distinct phases of management practice and four phases in the development of drivers are identified, revealing the influence of events over governance, the internationalisation of influence, and organisational resilience as a meta-institution.

Technology Adoption and Use in the Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans

Abstract: Disasters are threatening and highly dynamic situations, marked by high levels of information need and low levels of information availability. Advances in communication technologies have given people more ways to seek information and communicate—a redundancy that can help people cope with disaster situations and support subsequent recovery. This article presents results from a longitudinal study of New Orleans musicians in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The authors found that in the immediate aftermath, musicians used cell phones and the Internet to locate family and friends and obtain information unavailable in broadcast news reports. Seeking and redistributing information resulted in the creation or discovery of online spaces that became virtual instantiations of the physical environments from which the musicians were barred. For those who had to leave New Orleans, these online spaces helped them maintain connection with their local communities. As recovery continued, many musicians discontinued or...

Advances in multi-agency disaster management: Key elements in disaster research

Abstract: Multi-agency disaster management requires collaboration among geographically distributed public and private organizations to enable a rapid and effective response to an unexpected event. Many disaster management systems often lack the capability to cope with the complexity and uncertainty. In this introduction to the special issues on advances in multi-agency disaster management we discuss the role of information, enterprise architecture, coordination and related human efforts aimed at improving multi-agency disaster management. The paper concludes that although there is a common body of knowledge, disaster management is still an under-developed area. There is a need to relate practice and theory by using human-centered approaches such that disaster management can realize its full potential.

Fixing Recovery: Social Capital in Post-Crisis Resilience

Abstract: Disasters remain among the most critical events which impact residents and their neighborhoods; they have killed far more individuals than high salience issues such as terrorism. Unfortunately, disaster recovery programs run by the United States and foreign governments have not been updated to reflect a new understanding of the essential nature of social capital and networks. I call for a re-orientation of disaster preparedness and recovery programs at all levels away from the standard fixes focused on physical infrastructure towards ones targeting social infrastructure. The reservoirs of social capital and the trust (or lack thereof) between citizens in disaster-affected communities can help us understand why some neighborhoods in cities like Kobe, Japan, Tamil Nadu, India, and New Orleans, Louisiana displayed resilience while others stagnated. Social capital – the engine for recovery - can be deepened both through local initiatives and interventions from foreign agencies.

Enterprise Recovery Following Natural Disasters

Abstract: Using data from surveys of enterprises in Sri Lanka after the December 2004 tsunami, the authors undertake the first microeconomic study of the recovery of the private firms in a developing country following a major natural disaster. Disaster recovery in low-income countries is characterized by the prevalence of relief aid rather than of insurance payments; the data show this distinction has important consequences. The data indicate that aid provided directly to households correlates reasonably well with reported losses of household assets, but is uncorrelated with reported losses of business assets. Business recovery is found to be slower than commonly assumed, with disaster-affected enterprises lagging behind unaffected comparable firms more than three years after the disaster. Using data from random cash grants provided by the project, the paper shows that direct aid is more important in the recovery of enterprises operating in the retail sector than for those operating in the manufacturing and service sectors.

Decision support for disaster management

Abstract: Disaster response and recovery are crucial phases of disaster management. Decision-support systems used in disaster management must cope with the complexity and uncertainty involved with the scheduling and assignment of differentially-skilled personnel and assets to specific tasks. Operational constraints—such as workload and labor requirements, precedence constraints, resource availability, and critical deadlines among others—make timely and appropriate task assignment and sequencing difficult. Failure to assign personnel in an efficient and effective manner may result in unnecessary fatalities and significant additional loss of property as well as damaging the reputation of the disaster management organizations. Therefore, this paper proposes a decision-support system for disaster response and recovery using hybrid meta-heuristics.

Strategic Network Restoration

Abstract: For any networked infrastructure, damage to arcs and/or nodes and associated disruption of network services is inevitable. To reestablish service in a damaged network, affected components must be repaired or reconfigured, a process that can be time consuming and costly, so care must be taken to identify network restoration strategies that reestablish service most efficiently. A strategic goal of service restoration, therefore, is to ensure that facility restoration is prioritized so that system performance is maximized over a planning horizon within budgetary restrictions. To address this problem, this paper proposes a multi-objective optimization approach for network restoration during disaster recovery. The proposed model permits tradeoffs between two objectives, minimization of system cost and maximization of system flow, to be evaluated. A telecommunication application illustrates the significance of the developed approach.

Advanced ICTs for Disaster Management and Threat Detection: Collaborative and Distributed Frameworks

Abstract: Disaster management is a dynamic and fluid area, which requires the involvement of expertise from different authorities and organizations. There is a need to prepare and plan in advance actions in response to disaster related events in order to support sustainable livelihood by protecting lives, property and the environment. Advanced ICTs for Disaster Management and Threat Detection: Collaborative and Distributed Frameworks demonstrates how strategies and state-of-the-art ICT have and/or could be applied to serve as a vehicle to advance disaster management approaches, decisions and practices. This book provides both a conceptual and practical guidance to disaster management while also identifying and developing effective and efficient approaches, mechanisms, and systems using emerging technologies to support an effective operation. This state-of-the-art reference collection attempts to prompt the future direction for disaster managers to identify applicable theories and practices in order to mitigate, prepare for, respond to and recover from various foreseen and/or unforeseen disasters.

Strategic planning for disaster recovery with stochastic last mile distribution

Abstract: This paper considers the single commodity allocation problem (SCAP) for disaster recovery, a fundamental problem faced by all populated areas. SCAPs are complex stochastic optimization problems that combine resource allocation, warehouse routing, and parallel fleet routing. Moreover, these problems must be solved under tight runtime constraints to be practical in real-world disaster situations. This paper formalizes the specification of SCAPs and introduces a novel multi-stage hybrid-optimization algorithm that utilizes the strengths of mixed integer programming, constraint programming, and large neighborhood search. The algorithm was validated on hurricane disaster scenarios generated by Los Alamos National Laboratory using state-of-the-art disaster simulation tools and is deployed to aid federal organizations in the US.

Measuring individual disaster recovery: a socioecological framework.

Abstract: BackgroundDisaster recovery is a complex phenomenon. Too often, recovery is measured in singular fashion, such as quantifying rebuilt infrastructure or lifelines, without taking in to account the affected population's individual and community recovery. A comprehensive framework is needed that encomp

Natural disasters and household welfare : evidence from Vietnam

Abstract: As natural disasters hit with increasing frequency, especially in coastal areas, it is imperative to better understand how much natural disasters affect economies and their people. This requires disaggregated measures of natural disasters that can be reliably linked to households, the first challenge this paper tackles. In particular, a methodology is illustrated to create natural disaster and hazard maps from first hand, geo-referenced meteorological data. In a second step, the repeated cross-sectional national living standard measurement surveys (2002, 2004, and 2006) from Vietnam are augmented with the natural disaster measures derived in the first phase, to estimate the welfare effects associated with natural disasters. The results indicate that short-run losses from natural disasters can be substantial, with riverine floods causing welfare losses of up to 23 percent and hurricanes reducing welfare by up to 52 percent inside cities with a population over 500,000. Households are better able to cope with the short-run effects of droughts, largely due to irrigation. There are also important long-run negative effects, in Vietnam mostly so for droughts, flash floods, and hurricanes. Geographical differentiation in the welfare effects across space and disaster appears partly linked to the functioning of the disaster relief system, which has so far largely eluded households in areas regularly affected by hurricane force winds.

Disaster knowledge factors in managing disasters successfully

Abstract: The number of reported natural disasters has increased steadily over the past century and risen very sharply during the past decade. These bring about the loss of lives, property, employment and damage to the physical infrastructure and the environment. Disaster management efforts aim to reduce or avoid the potential losses from hazards, assure prompt and appropriate assistance to victims of disaster, and achieve rapid and effective recovery. While knowledge management can enhance the process of disaster management, there is a perceived gap in information coordination and sharing within the context of disaster management. Identifying key success factors will be an enabler to manage the disasters successfully. In this context, this study aim to identify and map key knowledge success factors for managing disasters successfully through capturing the good practices and lessons learned. The objective of this paper is to present the literature findings on factors which support successful disaster management. Accordingly the identified factors were classified into eight main categories as technological, social, legal, environmental, economical, functional, institutional and political.

Systems Approach to Management of Disasters: Methods and Applications

Abstract: List of Figures and Tables. About the Author. Foreword. Preface. List of Acronyms and Abbreviations. I MANAGEMENT OF DISASTERS. 1 Introduction. 1.1 Issues in Management of Disasters Personal Experience. 1.1.1 Red River Flooding. 1.1.2 "Red River Flood of the Century," Manitoba, Canada. 1.2 Tools for Management of Disasters Two New Paradigms. 1.2.1 The Complexity Paradigm. 1.2.2 The Uncertainty Paradigm. 1.3 Conclusions. References. Exercises. 2 Integrated Disaster Management. 2.1 Definition. 2.2 Integrated Disaster Management Activities. 2.2.1 Mitigation. 2.2.2 Preparedness. 2.2.3 Response. 2.2.4 Recovery. 2.3 Disaster Management in Canada Brief Overview. 2.3.1 Emergency Management Act. 2.3.2 National Disaster Mitigation Strategy. 2.3.3 Joint Emergency Preparedness Program. 2.3.4 Emergency Response. 2.3.5 The Role of Federal Government in Disaster Recovery. 2.4 Decision Making and Integrated Disaster Management. 2.4.1 Individual Decision Making. 2.4.2 Decision Making in Organizations. 2.4.3 Decision Making in Government. 2.5 Systems View of Integrated Disaster Management. References. Exercises. II SYSTEMS ANALYSIS FOR INTEGRATED MANAGEMENT OF DISASTERS. 3 Systems Thinking and Integrated Disaster Management. 3.1 System Definitions. 3.1.1 What is a System? 3.1.2 Systems Thinking. 3.1.3 Systems Analysis. 3.1.4 The Systems Approach. 3.1.5 Systems "Engineering". 3.1.6 Feedback. 3.1.7 Mathematical Modeling. 3.1.8 A Classification of Systems. 3.1.9 A Classification of Mathematical Models. 3.2 Systems View of Integrated Disaster Management. 3.2.1 A Systems Typology in Integrated Disaster Management. 3.2.2 Systems View of Disaster Management. 3.2.3 Systems View of Disaster Management Activities. 3.3 System Formulation Examples. 3.3.1 Dynamics of Epidemics. 3.3.2 Shortest Supply Route. 3.3.3 Resources Allocation. References. Exercises. 4 Introduction to Methods and Tools for a Systems Approach to Management of Disaster. 4.1 Simulation. 4.2 System Dynamics Simulation. 4.3 Optimization. 4.4 Multiobjective Analysis. 4.5 Disaster Risk Management. 4.5.1 Sources of Uncertainty. 4.5.2 Conceptual Risk Definitions. 4.5.3 Probabilistic Approach. 4.5.4 A Fuzzy Set Approach. 4.6 Computer Support: Decision Support Systems. References. Exercises. III IMPLEMENTATION OF SYSTEMS ANALYSIS TO MANAGEMENT OF DISASTERS. 5 Simulation. 5.1 Definitions. 5.2 System Dynamics Simulation. 5.2.1 Introduction. 5.2.2 System Structure and Patterns of Behavior. 5.3 System Dynamics Simulation Modeling Process. 5.3.1 Causal Loop Diagram. 5.3.2 Stock and Flow Diagram. 5.3.3 Generic Principles of System Dynamics Simulation Modeling. 5.3.4 Numerical Simulation. 5.3.5 Policy Design and Evaluation Model Use. 5.4 System Dynamics Simulation Modeling Examples. 5.4.1 A Simple Flu Epidemic Model. 5.4.2 A More Complex Flu Epidemic Model with Recovery. 5.5 An Example of Disaster Management Simulation Flood Evacuation Simulation Model. 5.5.1 Introduction. 5.5.2 Human Behavior During Disasters. 5.5.3 A System Dynamics Simulation Model. 5.5.4 Application of the Evacuation Model to the Analyses of Flood Emergency Procedures in the Red River Basin, Manitoba, Canada. 5.5.5 Conclusions. References. Exercises. 6 Optimization. 6.1 Linear Programming. 6.1.1 Formulation of Linear Optimization Models. 6.1.2 Algebraic Representations of Linear Optimization Models. 6.2 The Simplex Method for Solving Linear Programs. 6.2.1 Completeness of the Simplex Algorithm. 6.2.2 The Big M Method. 6.3 Duality in LP. 6.3.1 Sensitivity Analysis. 6.4 Special Types of LP Problems Transportation Problem. 6.4.1 Formulation of the Transportation Problem. 6.4.2 Solution of the Transportation Problem. 6.5 Special Types of LP Problems Network Problems. 6.5.1 The Shortest Path Problem. 6.5.2 The Minimum Spanning Tree Problem. 6.5.3 The Maximum Flow Problem. 6.6 An Example of Disaster Management Optimization The Optimal Placement of Casualty Evacuation Assets. 6.6.1 Introduction. 6.6.2 The OPTEVAC Model. 6.6.3 A Casualty Evacuation Example. 6.6.4 Summary. References. Exercises. 7 Multiobjective Analysis. 7.1 Introduction. 7.1.1 Toward Operational Framework for Multiobjective Analysis. 7.1.2 An Illustrative Example. 7.2 Multiobjective Analysis Methodology. 7.2.1 Change of Concept. 7.2.2 Nondominated Solutions. 7.2.3 Participation of Decision Makers. 7.2.4 Classification of Multiobjective Techniques. 7.2.5 Disaster Management Applications. 7.3 The Weighting Method. 7.4 The Compromise Programming Method. 7.4.1 Compromise Programming. 7.4.2 Some Practical Recommendations. 7.4.3 The COMPRO Computer Program. 7.5 An Example of Disaster Management Multiobjective Analysis Selection of Flood Management Alternative. 7.5.1 Preparation of Input Data. 7.5.2 Solution of Flood Management Problem Using Compromise Programming. 7.5.3 Summary. References. Exercises. IV BE PREPARED. 8 A View Ahead. 8.1 Issues in Future Disaster Management. 8.1.1 Climate Change. 8.1.2 Population Growth and Migrations. 8.2 A Systems View. References. Index.

Financial protection of the state against natural disasters : a primer

Abstract: This paper has been prepared for policy makers interested in establishing or strengthening financial strategies to increase the financial response capacity of governments of developing countries in the aftermath of natural disasters, while protecting their long-term fiscal balances. It analyzes various aspects of emergency financing, including the types of instruments available, their relative costs and disbursement speeds, and how these can be combined to provide cost-effective financing for the different phases that follow a disaster. The paper explains why governments are usually better served by retaining most of their natural disaster risk while using risk transfer mechanisms to manage the excess volatility of their budgets or access immediate liquidity after a disaster. Finally, it discusses innovative approaches to disaster risk financing and provides examples of strategies that developing countries have implemented in recent years.

Fixing Recovery: Social Capital in Post-Crisis Resilience

Abstract: Disasters remain among the most critical events which impact residents and their neighborhoods; they have killed far more individuals than high salience issues such as terrorism. Unfortunately, disaster recovery programs run by the United States and foreign governments have not been updated to reflect a new understanding of the essential nature of social capital and networks. I call for a re-orientation of disaster preparedness and recovery programs at all levels away from the standard fixes focused on physical infrastructure towards ones targeting social infrastructure. The reservoirs of social capital and the trust (or lack thereof) between citizens in disaster-affected communities can help us understand why some neighborhoods in cities like Kobe, Japan, Tamil Nadu, India, and New Orleans, Louisiana displayed resilience while others stagnated. Social capital – the engine for recovery can be deepened both through local initiatives and interventions from foreign agencies.

Vehicle routing for the last mile of power system restoration

Abstract: This paper studied a novel problem in power system restoration: the Power Restoration Vehicle Routing Problem (PRVRP). The goal of PRVRPs is to decide how coordinate repair crews effectively in order to recover from blackouts as fast as possible after a disaster has occurred. PRVRPs are complex problems that combine vehicle routing and power restoration scheduling problems. The paper proposed a multi-stage optimization algorithm based on the idea of constraint injection that meets the aggressive runtime constraints necessary for disaster recovery. The algorithms were validated on benchmarks produced by the Los Alamos National Laboratory, using the infrastructure of the United States. The disaster scenarios were generated by state-of-the-art hurricane simulation tools similar to those used by the National Hurricane Center. Experimental results show that the constraint-injection algorithms can reduce the blackouts by 50% or more over field practices. Moreover, the results show that the constraint-injection algorithm using large neighborhood search over a blackbox simulator provide competitive quality and scales better than using a MIP solver on the subproblems.

Disaster monitoring and management by the unmanned aerial vehicle technology

Abstract: In the local small densely populated Taiwan, the recent spates of serious natural disasters have caused loss of lives and property. In view of above, there is important to how to depend on a high flexibility remote sensing technology for disaster monitoring and management operations. According to the Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) technology advantages such as great mobility, real-time rapid and more flexible weather conditions, and this study used the UAV technology to get the real-time aerial photos. These photos can record and analyze the overall environmental change caused by the MORAKOT typhoon. And also after the process of Image Rectification, we could get the estimated data of new collapsed lands to become the useful references of emergency rescue. On the other hand, digital photogrammetry can apply on the camera inside and outside position parameters to produce the Digital Elevation Model (DEM) data of 5m resolution. The DEM data can simulate the latest terrain environment and provide reference for disaster recovery in the future.

Retrospectives and Prospectives on Hurricane Katrina: Five Years and Counting

Abstract: New Orleans’ recovery from the damage caused by Hurricane Katrina in 2005 reflects a long, complex, contentious process that still is not complete. In this article, the authors explore the key factors that have supported and hindered recovery so far. Initial conditions within the city, the web of policy demands, as well as recent changes in law and procedures for the region are explored using a new model that may be applicable to other severe disasters. Any recovery, the authors conclude, must be anchored within a local context, but only with necessary administrative backing from the wider region and society. Recovery from disaster offers a rare opportunity to rebuild damaged communities into more resilient ones when energy and investment are immediately channeled into the stricken region and focused in a constructive redesign that acknowledges environmental risk. The recovery process then shifts to mitigation and reduction of risk. Hence, cities will be better prepared for the next extreme event, which will surely come.

Using Building Permits to Monitor Disaster Recovery: A Spatio-Temporal Case Study of Coastal Mississippi Following Hurricane Katrina

Abstract: The pace of disaster recovery varies considerably from one place to another. Even when places suffer impacts from the same event, recovery studies often lack the spatial and temporal resolution to ...

Enhanced solid-state drive management in high availability and virtualization contexts

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a virtualization system using a solid-state drive for disaster recovery.

Emergency and traffic alert system

Abstract: Systems and methods are disclosed for providing event notification to navigational applications and devices. An event notification system determines whether to send application information to a navigation application or device based upon the proximity of the device to the event. In other embodiments, the event notification system sends all event information to the device and the device determines whether or not to display the information based upon the proximity of the event to the device. User interfaces for displaying event information to a user are also disclosed. Finally, system and methods are disclosed for providing disaster related information to service providers who, in turn, send the disaster information to users of personal navigation devices. For example, information provided may include evacuation routes, shelter locations, disaster recovery centers, hospitals, points of distribution, economic recovery locations, etc.

Disaster Recovery for System Architecture Using Cloud Computing

Abstract: A System Architecture [SA] plays the leading role in ICT based organization. It covers the entire organization and helps to achieve the mission of organization. As other architectures, it also has set of components and the relationship (connectors) among the components. It has pre-defined life cycle that determines the duration of the system in which it should provide the services continuously. It means system should survive throughout its defined life time. Unfortunately, a system comes across to many hurdles during its life time. In this paper, we propose the reliable approach in recovering from disaster. We analysis the current state of art in disaster recovery and propose the new approach on it. We use cloud computing as a tool in managing the disaster in the system of organization. We analysis our proposed approach with Markov Model. The required attributes for a system to address disaster recovery like availability, survivability, unavailability and downtime are calculated at the end of this paper.

Optimizing Resource Utilization during the Recovery of Civil Infrastructure Systems

Abstract: Postdisaster recovery efforts of damaged civil infrastructure systems need to be optimized in order to alleviate the adverse impacts of natural disasters on local societies and economies. This paper presents an innovative framework that integrates two newly developed models for resource utilization and multiobjective optimization that are designed to optimize these recovery efforts. The developed models provide new and unique capabilities, including (1) allocating limited reconstruction resources to competing recovery projects, (2) estimating the reconstruction duration and cost associated with implementing specific recovery plans, and (3) generating optimal trade-offs between minimizing the reconstruction duration and cost. An application example is analyzed to evaluate the performance of the developed models and demonstrate their capabilities in identifying a wide spectrum of optimal reconstruction plans, where each provides a unique and nondominated trade-off between minimizing the recovery duration and cost. This allows decision makers in emergency management agencies to select and implement reconstruction plans that address various societal and economical needs in the aftermath of natural disasters.

Evaluating china’s national post-disaster plans: The 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake’s recovery and reconstruction planning

Abstract: The 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake caused tremendous casualties and property losses as well as a substantial need for rebuilding the affected localities in order to address housing and urban development issues for the future. China’s central government applied a national planning approach in both the emergency response and the disaster recovery phases that aims at facilitating the flow of technological assistance and financial aid from the whole country to the earthquake-stricken areas. This study reviews disaster management practices in China with an interdisciplinary analysis to see how disaster planning and management can be fit into the top-down government administration system. The Overall Plan for Post-Wenchuan Earthquake Recovery and Reconstruction and the City/Town System Plan for Post-Wenchuan Earthquake Recovery and Reconstruction, two overarching plans initiated by the central government, are evaluated by reviewing the underlying facts, goals, and actions. The plans’ merits are to be found in their incorporating hazard mitigation into disaster recovery plans and taking into account different strategies of relocation and reconstruction. The article also identifies the gap between making plans and meeting local needs, the insufficiency of public engagement in plan-making, and the negative planning impacts of competition for resources and funds. Suggestions for disaster planning and policy-making are provided with a focus on building a local disaster management system in China.