Showing papers on "Emergency management published in 1991"

Disaster management: A disaster manager's handbook

Abstract: FOCUSrnThe focus of the handbook is primarily on countries of Southeast Asia and the Pacific region. It draws on factual disaster management activities withing this

Coping with Catastrophe: A Handbook of Disaster Management

Abstract: 1. Survival and Bereavement 2. Man-Made Disaster 3. Organising For Disaster 4. Disaster Outreach 5. Consulting and Debriefing 6. Treating Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Abnormal Grief 7. Disaster Helpers

Debriefing red cross disaster personnel: The multiple stressor debriefing model

Abstract: During the 1989 San Francisco earthquake, Red Cross disaster personnel were involved in providing services which put them at risk for developing stress reactions including Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. This article describes the disaster relief effort in San Francisco and Oakland made by Red Cross workers and the debriefing which was provided to these personnel. Mitchell's Model for Critical Incident Stress Debriefing (CISD) was modified to fit the broad spectrum of needs and stresses experienced by disaster relief personnel. The Multiple Stressor Debriefing Model (MSDM) which evolved from this experience is discussed with specific recommendations for mental health workers involved in Debriefing Red Cross and other emergency personnel who face multiple stressors over an extended period of relief operations.

State-dependent queueing models in emergency evacuation networks

Abstract: Planning and design of evacuation networks is both a complex and critically important problem for a number of emergency situations. One particularly critical class of examples concerns the emergency evacuation of chemical plants, high-rise buildings, and naval vessels due to fire, explosion or other emergency. The problem is a highly transient, stochastic, nonlinear, integer programming problem and previous methodologies utilizing queueing network models have proved useful in the design of emergency evacuation plans. We enhance this class of queueing network models by adding state-dependent queueing models to capture the nonlinear effects of increased occupant traffic flow along emergency evacuation routes. A mean value analysis algorithm and computational experience of the methodology illustrates our model's usefulness for this class of network design problems.

Media, Emergency Warnings, And Citizen Response

Abstract: Words of warning media and disaster management danger signs - media in the response phase and in hazard information dissemination who says? - warning sources and citizen behaviour in the response phase tuning in - effective channels for emergency communication programmes some lessons about sources - how media, officials and social networks function within the warning process.

Information technology in real-time for monitoring and managing natural disasters:

Abstract: This paper considers the role of information technology in forecasting, monitoring and managing disasters in real-time (i.e., by analysis of data as soon as they are collected). First, the advantages and pitfalls of a technological approach to natural hazards are discussed, then the general nature of real-time technology is described. There follows a review of the appropriate techniques of monitoring the physical impacts of earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, floods and landslides. Next the role of information technology in disaster management is assessed, with emphasis on telecommunications and simulation modelling. As a cautionary note, two notorious failures of prediction and warning are discussed (the storm of October 1987 in England and the volcanic eruption disaster of November 1985 in Colombia), both of which would have benefited from more careful use of real-time monitoring. It is concluded that microcomputers, earth resources satellites, communications satellites and Geographical Informati...

National medical response to mass disasters in the United States. Are we prepared

Abstract: Preparing for a resuscitation response to mass disasters, such as major earthquakes or industrial disasters, requires revisions of present local, regional, and national disaster plans. These should include the following: (1) life-supporting first aid and basic rescue capability of the lay public; (2) advanced trauma life support and advanced (heavy) rescue capability brought quickly to the scene from local and surrounding (regional) emergency medical services systems; and (3) trauma hospitals sending medical resuscitation teams to, and receiving casualties from, the disaster scene for resuscitative surgery and definitive care. Local and regional everyday emergency medical services systems would respond first. The armed forces should help, at least for transport and security. We propose that the National Disaster Medical System replace its civil defense model with an emergency medical services model, designed to mobilize rapid support for local emergency medical services systems from regional, state, and national resources. Coordination should be by one federal agency, such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which, however, needs to focus more on resuscitation through physician input. ( JAMA . 1991;266:1259-1262)

The south Manchester Accident Rescue Team and the earthquake in Iran, June 1990.

Abstract: BMJ 1991;302:1521-3 On the night of 20 June 1990 an earthquake struck the northwestern provinces of Iran. The huge scale of the disaster was apparent immediately?it was thought to be at least similar to that of Armenia in December 1988. The South Manchester Accident Rescue Team (SMART) was included as part of the aid package offered by the disaster unit of the Overseas Develop? ment Administration on behalf of the United Kingdom. The dispatch of the team and its equipment was delayed when the Red Cross in Geneva stated that foreign medical aid was not required. Clarification was sought by the disaster unit from the British interests section of the Swedish Embassy in Tehran. The response to a telex from the Fontmell Group on Disaster Relief to the head of the United Nations Disaster Relief Organisation (UNDRO), however, was confirmation that the ministry of foreign affairs in Tehran was ready to receive the team. We made our own travel arrangements, and the account was settled by the Overseas Development Administration. Although we had been ready to go 12 hours after the earthquake, we left for Tehran on Tuesday 26 June. The pooled experience of the team already encom? passed the Bradford fire, the Air India disaster, the Manchester Airport fire, the gas explosion at Chelubynsk in the Soviet Union, the Armenian earth? quake, and the Lockerbie air disaster.13 To meet its local responsibilities the team has identified suitable doctors and nurses and trained them in disaster management. Members are well known to each other, and the social cohesiveness of the group is essential to its success. The team selected for Iran included four women, three of whom were nurses. They wore Islamic dress throughout the stay, starting when we boarded the Iran Air flight in London. The medical specialties represented were accident and emergency medicine, general surgery, plastic and reconstructive surgery, anaesthetics, and intensive care. The experiences of Armenia and Chelubynsk have enabled the team to identify the essential equipment for this work and the quantities required and the whereabouts of the equipment within the South Manchester Health Authority. Requisition numbers have been listed and circulated to relevant departments. One phone call to the duty stores manager activates the mobilisation of our equipment. A similar process secures the personal medical kits and drugs from the pharmacy department. Such a system ensures that our equipment and supplies are part of district supplies and therefore constantly turned over. Products will not expire on the shelf between trips, nor will resources be wasted by lying unused. This is important: there is no budget for this work. If another country asks for help and the foreign office agrees then the cost is refunded in full, but there is no money "up front" for preparation, which must be funded from within existing resources. The same applies to preparing for disasters at home. SMART is a registered charity. We assume the host country has nothing, not even basic dressings, and that international medical aid will not make it to the front line in time?and not at all unless accompanied all the way by doctors who can use it. It was policy at that time for SMART to send a 10 person team to work five days continuously on site, excluding rest and travel, with equipment for treating up to 100 patients. The team is self sufficient in food, water, surgical equipment, dressings, and drugs. The travel to the scene is tiring and the work is stressful. After five days on scene exhaustion, both mental and physical, will be established. This will reduce the effectiveness of the team and increase the risk to the patients who they have come to treat. It is extremely difficult to turn your back on large scale suffering and a strict rule to disengage after five days must be accepted by the team before leaving Britain. After appropriate rest the team is fit to return to its NHS work. A series of

Applications of space communications technology to critical human needs: rescue, disaster relief, and remote medical assistance.

Abstract: The applications of space communications technology to various critical human needs are discussed. Satellite communications, telemetry, and biotelemetry have provided timely and crucial communications capabilities over remote distances. The use of satellite/beacon systems have been used for disaster relief as well as search and rescue operations. The combination of telemetry and electronic medical systems (telemedicine) have augmented existing health care delivery and have provided consultation links between remotely located health care specialists working with patients and physicians at a central location. This has been expanded into networks to respond to victims of disasters in need of critical medical assistance with the hope that with further work, telemedicine may become available to all nations through an international network.

The Zeebrugge ferry disaster

Abstract: On Friday 6 March, 1987, at approximately 19:30 the Herald of Free Enterprise ferry boat capsized just outside the Belgian harbour of Zeebrugge. Almost 200 people died as the ship sank very quickly. This article examines the emergency operations that followed the disaster from the perspective of information and communication dynamics. Five specific aspects are thus analyzed in greater detail and elements of an alternative scenario are suggested for each of them: the initial alert and the subsequent mobilization of the emergency services; the information-handling performance of the crisis center; interorganizational communication between disaster-relief agencies; external communication to survivors, families and next of kin; the management of the mass media. It is concluded that, when examining the crisis management operations more closely, the alleged success of Belgian disaster relief operations at Zeebrugge appears in many respects something of a myth.

The Impact of Local Elites on Disaster Preparedness Planning: The Location of Flood Shelters in Northern Bangladesh

Abstract: Disaster relief and preparedness organisations are concerned with allocating scarce resources in unstable environments, such as those prone to flooding and river erosion. The need to understand the role of powerful elites in such disaster prone environments is illustrated through an analysis of the actual location decisions and biases involved in siting four flood shelters in four communities in northern Bangladesh. The previously unrecognised implications of the location biases for employment, shelter, access and the utilisation of the flood shelter by the powerless people in the target group demonstrate the need for disaster organisations to include an analysis of the local power structure in project preparation and appraisal.

Managing natural disasters and the environment : selected materials from the Colloquium on the Environment and Natural Disaster Management

Abstract: The purpose of this report is to explore the relationship of environmental degradation and vulnerability to disaster and their combined effects on both natural and man-made habitats. The papers gathered in this volume represent the concerns expressed at the colloquium sponsored by the World Bank on June 27-28, 1990, in Washington, D.C. The contributions in this report have been grouped around four main topics: strategic issues, development (from vulnerability to resilience), risk management, and the coordination of efforts to reduce vulnerability to disaster. Papers in the first section examine the implications of strategic global, systematic, and survival issues; in the second section, the continuum of responses to disaster, from vulnerability to resilience, examining diferent approaches to ensuring the sustainability of development; the third section, focuses on risk management and; the fourth and final section, describes local, national, and international efforts to coordinate prevention, mitigation, and recovery efforts.

Understanding Evacuation Behavior: An Editorial Introduction

Abstract: Evacuation behavior has long been an important issue for disaster research. Its importance stems from both its applied role in emergency management and its focus as a phenomenon for social scientific investigation. For emergency managers, evacuation may be seen as a generic protective mechanism. It is effective across a variety of disaster agents: floods, hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, hazardous materials incidents, and nuclear power plant accidents, to name only a few. Furthermore, there is a second dimension to the utility of evacuation in disaster management. When the state of technology permits accurate prediction or detection of the threat, evacuation is an effective preimpact tool for reducing danger to human life. At the same time, when predictions are not feasible -- as in the case of earthquakes -- evacuation still may serve a variety of emergency functions when used as a postimpact measure. This flexibility, combined with its wide applicability and relatively uncomplicated logistical nature, makes evacuation a powerful tool for managing the uncertain environment.

Disaster management with NEGOPLAN

Abstract: This article presents a new decision support framework for a disaster management. This framework is established by NEGOPLAN which is a computer implementation of a rule-based model of sequential decisionmaking. The power and flexibility of NEGOPLAN are illustrated with a simple example. It is demonstrated how an emergency response system can be designed to test correctness of a disaster manager's actions.

The International Law and Practice of Early-Warning and Preventive Diplomacy:The Emerging Global Watch

Abstract: 1. The Changing Character of International Law: The Emerging Law of a Global Watch. 2. Requirements of the Global Watch and Innovations in the Office of the United Nations Secretary-General. 3. Policies and Principles for Early-Warning and Emergency Response in International Organizations. 4. The Development of Institutions for Early-Warning: The Office for Research and the Collection of Information. 5. The Practice of Early-Warning: Political Emergencies. 6. The Practice of Early-Warning: Humanitarian Emergencies. 7. The Practice of Early-Warning: Environment, Basic Needs and Disaster-Preparedness. Conclusion. Bibliography. Index.

The complexity of technological disaster management: technical, sociopolitical and scientific issues:

Abstract: Technological disaster management is a complex activity. This paper will at tempt to explain the dynamics of this complexity. A case study on a PCB fire in Saint-Basile-le-Grand, Quebec, Canada, was based on strategical analysis and action theory. Three points emerged from the research. First, there is a new category of issues raised by some technological disasters, apart from the two traditional categories of technical and sociopolitical problems that face disaster managers; this is the category of scientific issues. Second, the uncertainty in each category of issues, as well as the interdependence of the various categories, increases the complexity of disaster management. Third, the number of participants involved (individuals, groups and organizations), their various frames of reference, the lack of coordinating mechanisms, and the relationships be tween these three elements all contribute to the complexity of disaster management.

British disaster planning and management: an initial assessment.

Abstract: The unprecedented series of damaging events experienced by Britain since the early 1980s has focussed attention on the country's arrangements for disaster prevention, planning and management. Until very recently the focus had been on planning for wartime emergencies, with events of the kind responsible for the current anxiety receiving much less attention. This is now changing and, following a wide ranging review, the government has appointed a Civil Emergencies Advisor to assist the national effort. The paper reviews these changes and makes an initial assessment of British disaster planning and management. This is not done at the operational level; rather it proceeds in terms of key issues emerging from the literature and the government review: organisational structure; information flow; national policy or guidelines; and learning from disasters.

Community Analysis: Some Considerations for Disaster Preparedness and Response

Abstract: Disaster preparedness and response to hazards are greatly facilitated by an understanding of the community on whose behalf preparation and response are undertaken. But in some emergency service organisations, understanding of communities and the relevance of comprehension of community characteristics to disaster management are ignored. The cultures which have developed in these organisations tend to be hands-on and crisis-focussed in their stances. The consequences are numerous. In particular, there is little consideration of the nature of vulnerability in society and the identification of the most disaster-vulnerable groups in the community-at least in advance of hazards actually occurring-with the result that emergency managers are unable to optimally target assistance to those most liable to hazards.

Adopting Integrated Emergency Management in The United States: Political and Organizational Challenges

Abstract: U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) officials have promoted the Integrated Emergency Management System (IEMS) since 1981. IEMS has many components intended to serve all levels of government in developing, maintaining, and managing an efficient and cost-effective emergency management capability. This study analyzes the implementation of IEMS, and based upon interviews and primary and secondary source information, reports what U.S. local emergency managers think of FEMA's IEMS initiative and how far local governments have gone in adopting IEMS. The author concludes that a variety of factors, which are separate from the IEMS concept itself, have impeded FEMA's ability to successfully promote local government implementation of the IEMS approach to emergency management but that IEMS remains an important move away from narrow purpose, single hazard program orientations of the past to a broader, functional, and multi-hazard method of emergency management.

Medical Aspects of Urban Heavy Rescue

Abstract: The concept of Urban Heavy Rescue is gaining increasing recognition within the emergency response community. Urban Heavy Rescue has come to denote the unique demands for special equipment and personnel as the result of structural collapse. Recent earthquakes in California, the Philippines, and Soviet Armenia as well as the building collapses in Brownsville, Texas, and New York City provided excellent demonstrations of the concept of specialized structural collapse teams. These events even have prompted the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to establish a National Urban Search and Rescue System of special task forces trained in victim location and extrication from collapsed structures. This system will comprise an immediate federal response mechanism for assisting first responders in such activities. The National Search and Rescue System was based on post-event evaluations that pointed out a need not only for more applicable equipment and trained personnel, but also for the timely placement of the these resources.

Disaster rescue work: The consequences for the family

Abstract: This paper reports on the findings of a pilot study investigating the impact of disaster relief work on the wives and family members of the relief workers. The study revealed that the wives did experience stress, although the nature of the problems identifed changed with each phase of disaster involvement. Children may also be affected. The age of the child may be an important determinant of the nature and severity of their problems. Interventions that could be adopted to deal with these concerns are outlined.

Uncertainties in Planning Inter-Agency Water Supply Transfers

Abstract: San Francisco Water Department, facing a possible fifth year of drought, purchased surplus water from the Placer County Water Agency and arranged for wheeling of the water through State Water Project facilities to an emergency turnout on the State's South Bay Aqueduct. Planning for construction of the emergency turnout and the inter-agency transfer of water included many operational pitfalls and environmental uncertainties.