Showing papers on "Emergency management published in 1979"

Incentives for Evacuation in Natural Disaster Research Based Community Emergency Planning

Abstract: This paper focuses upon one aspect of the problem of insuring citizen cooperation with emergency planning. Specific attention is given to encouraging a particular type of protective response: namely, evacuation of a threatened area prior to disaster impact. A review of studies of evacuation warning response is conducted and the results are brought to bear upon the problem of designing incentives to evacuate into community emergency plans. It is argued that effective emergency planning must be built around people's known behavior or reaction patterns. In this fashion, one can enhance the utility of emergency plans by increasing the probability of citizen compliance.

An emergency medical system approach to disaster planning.

Abstract: The increasing prevalence of terrorist attacks and natural disasters has mandated that more emphasis be placed on emergency disaster planning The report focuses on the 1976 Courthouse bombing in Boston, which generated 20 casualties Ambulance response by Boston's Emergency Medical Service system was made in 25 minutes and all victims were transported from the scene within 20 minutes Successful management of this incident employed several important principles of disaster planning These include the initial medical response, staging at the scene, and hospital notification Additionally, the concept of triage as an integral part of disaster planning is explained with examples of the on-site medical stabilization and treatment of casualties The importance of these concepts in practice and the necessity of close coordination of ambulance response and the responses of other emergency agencies, ie, Police and Fire, were clearly demonstrated in the disaster which resulted from the Courthouse bombing

The Vulnerable State: An Alternative View

Abstract: International disaster research designed to develop methods to mitigate the social consequences of disaster rests on a key distinction between the proneness and vulnerability to disaster. The former concept refers to the frequency and magnitude of the physical events that constitute natural disasters; the latter describes and measures the impact of disasters by means of statistical and other methods. James Lewis of the United Kingdom urges a more conscientious adherence to impact analysis by the media, researchers, policy makers, and the public. Only then, he suggests, will the elements of programs for preparedness and prevention become clear, and only then will priorities for international disaster aid begin to relate to the actual human effects of disasters.

Update on the national emergency number 911

Abstract: The concept of a universal emergency number originated in Europe and in 1967 subsequently received federal government impetus for adoption in the United States. In 1968 the American Telephone and Telegraph Company agreed to clear the number 911 for any public safety agency and community groups that desired to develop a common public number for entry to local emergency services. Approximately 800 911 systems have been developed in the United States since 1968. In a large urban area a citizen requiring emergency assistance from area public safety agencies can be faced with choosing from over 200 emergency numbers. The choice depends variously on the location and time of day or week of the emergency. The 911 system concept was developed to transfer the agency selection process to the public safety agencies: taking it from a public generally lacking knowledge of emergency operations and telephone numbers. This paper discusses problems of public access and their resolution by 911 systems. Basic and advanced 911 systems are described. The finance, technology, operations, and management of the implementation of 911 are detailed. The description points out the necessary interactions between public support, various levels of government, and the telephone company. The difficulties encountered while resolving intra/interagency and jurisdiction disputes are stressed. Conclusions regarding the future of 911 are presented and center around the need for public support to smooth the way for cooperation among all public and private entities involved in 911.

Studies in Disaster Response and Planning

Abstract: : Under the general rubric of disaster studies and planning, the Disaster Research Center (DRC) of the Ohio State University conducted a series of studies for the Defense Civil Preparedness Agency (formerly the office of Civil Defense) from 1972 through 1978 with most of the actual work being done during 1972-1975. Three major pieces of work were undertaken: (1) a study of the role of local civil defense in disaster planning; (2) a study of the use of local Emergency Operating Centers (EOCs) in disasters; and (3) a study of the implementation of disaster planning. Different sets of data and field operations were used to obtain information for the studies. For the first study most of the data was derived from research in 12 communities around the country. Data for the other two pieces of research was collected from 14 new field studies as well as by reexamining previously collected data in the DRC files. In general, it was found that under appropriate circumstances local civil defense offices can play important roles in local community disaster planning. The value and importance of local EOCs in disasters was also confirmed although there are a number of problems associated with the use of such facilities. Finally, many of the conditions which facilitate the implementation of community disaster planning were ascertained. The first chapter of the report outlines the objectives of the work undertaken. Chapter two summarizes the methodology used and the data obtained for each objective. In the third chapter, the research accomplishments are detailed with particular emphasis on research which had not been previously reported in earlier documents produced by the work.

Disaster Relief Operations In Andhra Pradesh, Southern India, Following The Cyclone In November 1977

Abstract: In August 1978 a seminar was held in Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh, that brought together many of the agencies that had worked in the disaster, so that they could share their experiences and make recommendations for the future. The first part of this article is a brief description and summary of the findings of the seminar, the second describes the evolution of ARTIC and housing provision after the disaster and the last part attempts to place them within the context of current Indian realities. The seminar was organised very efficiently by the Appropriate Re-construction Training and Information Centre (ARTIC), a group financed by OXFAM and formed a few weeks after the cyclone. This is the first time a seminar of this nature has been held after a disaster. The report that ARTIC produced as a result is called the ‘Problems and lessons from the Andhra Pradesh cyclone’, and can be obtained from them at Seshagirirao St, Maruthinigar, Vijayawada 520004, A.P. India, price 20 rupees. For three days 75 delegates from over 40 relief organisations discussed the events that followed the cyclone. They had been invited to submit papers and these were circulated but not discussed as such; instead a list of questions divided under four main headings was compiled by ARTIC. 1. Emergency shelter and housing. 2. Social aspects of relief organisation. 3. Emergency rescue and medical assistance. 4. Agricultural issues.

Report of the emergency preparedness and response task force

Abstract: The accident at Three Mile Island (TMI) marked the first time in the US when traditional planning for emergencies was applied to a possible radiological emergency. This report examines the planning that existed in the counties surrounding the plant and at the state and federal levels. It also examines the responses of the various governmental units following the initial accident.

The Relevance of International Law in the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Disasters

Abstract: The legal system for ensuring that disaster assistance is provided when needed is the oldest and, yet, the most elusive, of the ideal systems considered by advocates of reform. J. W. Samuels argues for the relevance of this model, but he is realistic and explicit about its limitations as well. The disintegration of the International Relief Union (IRU), formed as it was on the basis of a treaty signed under the auspices of the League of Nations, is a sobering reminder of the frailty of law in the regulation of relations between states. Professor Samuels sees reason for optimism in the gradual progress toward codifying disaster relief practices made by UNDRO and the International Red Cross Movement. However, the functional approach to the development of international rules leaves untouched basic matters of principle — that is, the obligation of some governments to provide relief assistance and the obligation of other governments to receive it. It is here, he argues, that the greatest area of misunderstanding exists and that agreement as to matters of principle is required.

Application of Technology to Disaster Relief

Abstract: The fact that the international community is very far away from Secretary-General Thant’s goal of bringing the technical resources available in modern society to bear on the problems asssociated with disaster relief is openly confronted by Bert Cowlan and Lee Love. Their survey of information and communications technology is a dash of cold water in the faces of those who would be content because they have donated their old clothes to a worthy cause. Technology is the coin of the industrial democracies. Accordingly, while it may be lent, it is not given away, particularly in its more advanced forms. The value conflict implicit in this situation for Westerners committed to both capitalism and responsible government is obvious and deeply disturbing to experts like Cowlan and Love, who know that the means to alleviate many of the problems are available, and must inevitably question why the will to make those means available is not.

Satellite communications for disaster relief operations

Abstract: The use of existing and planned communication satellite systems to provide assistance in the implementation of disaster relief operations on a global basis was discussed along with satellite communications system implications and their potential impact on field operations in disaster situations. Consideration are given to the utilization of both INTELSAT and MARISAT systems operating at frequencies ranging from 1.5 to 4 GHz and to the size and type of ground terminals necessary for satellite access. Estimates of communication requirements for a global system are given. Some discussion of cost estimates for satellite services to support operations are included. Studies of communication satellites for both pre and post disaster applications conducted for NOAA are included as well as recent experiments conducted in conjunction with the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance of the Agency for International Development.

The Funding of International Relief Assistance in Disaster Situations

Abstract: The key to the decentralization of the international disaster relief system is the voluntary nature of funding for relief assistance. In Richard Pordes’ description of the fund-raising process at UNICEF, it becomes clear why this organization, although officially concerned primarily with long-term development, is nevertheless the United Nations organization that most readily comes to most people’s minds in the context of disaster relief. Success in generating voluntary contributions hinges on organizational identity; to preserve that identity requires a certain amount of rigidity that belies the need for cooperation in assistance programs where the principal requirements are flexibility and speed of response. It is unlikely that governments will dismantle the complex bureaucracy that has its home in the United States at Turtle Bay, but the fact Richard Pordes works for UNICEF, but the views expressed in this paper are those of the author alone and in no way represent the official point of view of the United Nations, UNICEF or any of the UN’s Specialized Agencies.

Administrative approach to disaster preparedness in the pharmacy

Abstract: Disaster planning for a hospital pharmacy department is discussed. During a crisis, the type of behavior exhibited by hospital personnel and the community can be used to predict the situation's severity and to prepare a response. During disasters, it is important to focus on accomplishing tasks by defining employees' roles, establishing chains of communication, delegating authority to competent persons, limiting decision-making by persons other than those in command and defining the boundaries of pharmacy's involvement in the disaster. A case study of pharmacy operations during a crisis is presented, with guidelines for assessing the situation, establishing priorities, identifying resources and executing a response. Hospital pharmacy administrators must display a high degree of creativeness and responsibility during disasters, but training in the principles of disaster management can be helpful.

Cultivating Disaster: Local and International Contexts Affecting the Provision of Food in Natural Disasters

Abstract: Michael Doyle steps away from the organizational fracas that so frequently accompanies analyses of international disaster relief, and views the issue of preparedness from the perspective of one particular problem: the availability of food. Food has its own technical requirements as well as its own politics, a fact that was forcefully brought home during the major periods of shortage in the first half of the 1970s. Professor Doyle argues for a new look at relief and development priorities at both the national and international levels. However, consistent with the emphases of the New International Economic Order, the focus of his argument is upon a form of self-sufficiency that reaches more deeply into the economic fabrics of the developing countries than does an infrastructure adequate to manage imported relief commodities.

Conclusion: Progress, Problems and Predictions

Abstract: Between 1972 and 1978 the international disaster relief system took a long, hard look at itself, and with a little outside assistance, decided that some fundamental reforms were in order. The United Nations General Assembly began the process in 1972, with a report to the UN Secretary-General which proposed the creation of a new focal point for UN disaster relief activities, UNDRO. The Red Cross followed with a reappraisal of every aspect of its activities. The final report of this study was a remarkable document, a truly candid and critical self-examination by an international organization.1

Planning for regional medical control communications

Abstract: The passage of the Emergency Medical Services Systems Act of 1973 by Congress provided the mechanism and funds for communities to develop regional emergency medical service (EMS) delivery systems across the nation. The communications system which was to support the regional EMS system was quickly recognized as a vital link in assuring delivery of emergency medical care under the immediate control and direction of a physician at an appropriate medical facility. Failure by communications system designers to understand the complexities of system development in the environment of a totally new concept has resulted in deleterious effects in a number of regional EMS system development programs. Planning strategies and problem-solving approaches in the implementation of the regional medical control communications subsystem are discussed.