Showing papers on "Emergency management published in 1977"

Italy, Japan, And The United States Effects Of Centralization On Disaster Responses 1964-1969

Abstract: Three natural disasters are studied in each of three countries Italy, Japan, and the United States, in this effort to understand the effect of societal context on the manner in which natural disaster response functions are performed. The study of these nations is approached from an institutional/structural perspective in which demographic, economic, political, communication, family, and religious variables are examined as they affect the warning, emergency preparedness, evacuation, inventory, victim care, security, welfare, and emergency restoration of services functions of disaster response. The general nature of the study is exploratory, and, while some attention is given to all the institutional/structural variables listed, there is particular emphasis placed on the degree of political centralization as an independent variable. In terms of the relationships between institutional/structural variables and the performance of disaster functions, the following questions were asked: How were the functions carried out? Where did the functions take place, i.e., the geographical location of the activity? Who were the individuals, groups, and organizations involved in the activities? What difficulties were encountered? The following questions about the impact of political centralization on disaster response, guided the research: At what levels of government are key decisions made? Does the level of decision making vary according to normal times versus disaster periods and/or the area, subject and content of matters being decided, and/or policy decisions versus operational decisions? Is there a different pattern of decision making in disaster response functions in a decentralized nation as contrasted to a centralized nation?

Smokeeremoving apparatus for disaster prevention

Abstract: PURPOSE:To preponderantly remove smokes from the building which is hardly on fire to provide a refuge passage from the smokes.

Book Review: Emergency and Disaster Management: A Mental Health Sourcebook:

Abstract: This sourcebook, edited by Howard J. Parad, H.L.P. Resnik, and Libbie G. Parad, contains thirty-eight chapters, some of which were papers presented at the National Institute of Mental Health seminar on emergency mental health in Washington, D.C., June 1973. The contents are arranged in four sections with the following foci: emergency program designs and perspectives, crisis intervention techniques and issues, disaster aid phenomena, and preventive programming. The third section, \"Disaster Aid Phenomena and Mental Health Emergencies,\" is the most notable, with many of the papers presenting case studies of specific natural disasters. A basic theme concerns the shortand long-term emotional consequences of widespread loss and trauma. Repeatedly advocated are the development of more mental health disaster services, such as specialized preparedness teams in regions prone to natural disasters and the use of local, informal support systems as vehicles for coping. Several chapters explore the \"survival syndrome\"; especially interesting is one by Robert J. Lifton, who is noted for his earlier work on Hiroshima. This section also examines the negative emotional impact that exposure to profound suffering can have on the mental health intervenors themselves. Some disasters are recounted so vividly that it is difficult to question the underlying hypothesis that extreme social stress in natural disasters markedly increases psychopathology among the survivors. Although a few papers offer rather convincing clinical arguments to this effect, the research findings are less conclusive. Russell R. Dynes and E. L. Quarantelli, for example, summarize research findings which they interpret to suggest that individuals in disaster situations exhibit more adaptive than maladaptive behavior. They argue that the disaster syndrome does not occur on a large scale and is confined to a brief post-impact period. In marked contrast to the other authors in this sec-

The United nations and disaster relief in the sahel, 1973-75.

Abstract: This research is part of an extensive study entitled ‘International Disaster Response: The Sahelian Experience’, which was made possible by a grant number 1711–520147 of the U.S. Agency for International Development and the U.S. Department of State. The opinions expressed are solely the responsibility of the researcher and do not necessarily represent the views of the organizations studied or the sponsoring institutions.

The role of the designer in disaster relief

Abstract: Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the role of a designer in disaster relief by analyzing past design effort and by attempting to define principles in the light of previous experience. Relief agencies are heavily dependent upon public response to appeals for funding of disaster relief. They are, therefore, very aware of their public image and the fact that this is largely determined by the press: adverse reporting of an operation can be fatal to an agency's credibility. Commercial and industrial concerns, in contrast, have very simple kinds of information, stemming from a very proper belief in their ability to contribute to relief operations, and it must be said now that many concerns involved in disaster relief have altruistic motives. The role of the designer in disaster relief, therefore, is to use his/her training, experience, and creative imagination to guide a project through each stage, from initial investigation to evaluation, without compromising the interests of the recipient.

Federal aid to energy impacted communities: a review of related programs and legislative proposals

Abstract: Energy impact assistance programs are reviewed along with four other federal impact assistance programs: the Trident Community Impact Assistance program, the Economic Adjustment Program for Defense Impacted Communities, the Relocation Assistance Act and Disaster Relief. Each employs a somewhat different approach to federal assistance. The purpose of this analysis is three-fold: (i) to examine the underlying objectives of federal impact assistance; (ii) to explore the consequences of pursuing these objectives; and (iii) to identify principles that might be applied to the design or redesign of energy impact assistance programs. By carefully examining the objectives, legislative histories, and administrative strategies behind these programs, we hope to pinpoint the advantages and disadvantages of various approaches to channeling federal assistance to energy-impacted communities.