Showing papers on "Emergency management published in 1998"

The Gendered Terrain of Disaster: Through Women's Eyes

Abstract: Preface Gender? Why Women?: An Introduction to Women and Disaster by Elaine Enarson and Betty Hearn Morrow Perspectives on Gender and Disaster The Neglect of Gender in Disaster Work: An Overview of the Literature by Alice Fothergill Gender Inequality, Vulnerability, and Disaster: Issues in Theory and Research by Robert Bolin, Martina Jackson, and Allison Crist The Perspective of Gender: A Missing Element in Disaster Response by Joe Scanlon Social Construction of Gendered Vulnerability Eve and Adam among the Embers: Gender Pattern after the Oakland Berkeley Firestorm by Susanna M. Hoffman A Comparative Perspective on Household, Gender, and Kinship in Relation to Disaster by Raymond Wiest "Men Must Work and Women Must Weep": Examining Gender Stereotypes in Disasters by Maureen Fordham and Anne-Michelle Ketteridge Women and Post-Disaster Stress by Jane C. Ollenburger and Graham A. Tobin Balancing Vulnerability and Capacity: Women and Children during Philippine Disasters by Zenaida G. Delica Domestic Violence after Disaster by Jennifer Wilson, Brenda D. Phillips, and David M. Neal Case Studies of Women Responding to Disaster Gender, Disaster, and Empowerment: A Case Study from Pakistan by Farzana Bari Women in Bushfire Country by Helen Cox "Floods, They're a Damned Nuisance": Women's Flood Experiences in Rural Australia by C. Christine Finlay Disaster Prone: Reflections of a Female Permanent Disaster Volunteer by Carrie Barnecut Women's Disaster Vulnerability and Response to the Colima Earthquake by Carolina Serrat Vinas Gender Differentiation and Aftershock Warning Response by Paul W. O'Brien and Patricia Atchison Reflections from a Teacher and Survivor by Diane Gail Colina Women Will Rebuild Miami: A Case Study of Feminist Response to Disaster by Elaine Enarson and Betty Hearn Morrow Women in Emergency Management: An Australian Perspective by Doone Robertson Women's Roles in Natural Disaster Preparation and Aid: A Central American View by Letizia Toscani The Role of Women in Health-Related Aspects of Emergency Management: A Caribbean Perspective by Gloria E. Noel Conclusion: New Directions Toward a Gendered Disaster Science--Policy, Practice, and Research by Elaine Enarson and Betty Hearn Morrow References Index

The Tokyo Subway Sarin Attack: Disaster Management, Part 1: Community Emergency Response*

Abstract: The Tokyo subway sarin attack was the second documented incident of nerve gas poisoning in Japan Prior to the Tokyo subway sarin attack, there had never been such a large-scale disaster caused by nerve gas in peacetime history This article provides details related to how the community emergency medical services (EMS) system responded from the viewpoint of disaster management, the problems encountered, and how they were addressed The authors' assessment was that if EMTs, under Japanese law, had been allowed to maintain an airway with an endotracheal tube or use a laryngeal mask airway without physician oversight, more patients might have been saved during this chemical exposure disaster Given current legal restrictions, advanced airway control at the scene will require that doctors become more actively involved in out-of-hospital treatment Other recommendations are: 1) that integration and cooperation of concerned organizations be established through disaster drills; 2) that poison information centers act as regional mediators of all toxicologic information; 3) that a real-time, multidirectional communication system be established; 4) that multiple channels of communication be available for disaster care; 5) that public organizations have access to mobile decontamination facilities; and 6) that respiratory protection and chemical-resistant suits with gloves and boots be available for out-of-hospital providers during chemical disasters

The Tokyo Subway Sarin Attack: Disaster Management, Part 2: Hospital Response*

Abstract: The Tokyo subway sarin attack was the second documented incident of nerve gas poisoning in Japan. The authors report how St. Luke's Hospital dealt with this disaster from the viewpoint of disaster management. Recommendations derived from the experience include the following: Each hospital in Japan should prepare an emergent decontamination area and have available chemical-resistant suits and masks. Ventilation in the ED and main treatment areas should be well planned at the time a hospital is designed. Hospital disaster planning must include guidance in mass casualties, an emergency staff call-up system, and an efficient emergency medical chart system. Hospitals should establish an information network during routine practice so that it can be called upon at the time of a disaster. The long-term effects of sarin should be monitored, with such investigation ideally organized and integrated by the Japanese government.

The Emerging Area Of Emergency Management And Engineering

Abstract: Successful emergency management requires a better understanding of events with potentially disastrous consequences, a comprehensive, holistic view of managing such events, and the effective use of technology. This guest editorial for this special issue of this TRANSACTIONS provides the raison d'ˆ etre for a new field of emergency management and engineering. It provides a systems view of emergency management, emphasizing the need for both pre- and postevent strategies and policies. The role of advanced communications and computing technologies, coupled with analytic procedures and models, is discussed. This paper concludes with the recognition of the need for emergency managers to be able to utilize these technologies.

Innovative Infrastructure for Agile Manufacturers

Abstract: To remain competitive, manufacturers increasingly need a support system of transportation, telecommunications, services, and knowledge centers. In the United States, some cities and government agencies are building individual components of a supporting infrastructure. But a strategic approach in which public and private sectors cooperate to create a business environment that enhances manufacturing agility is needed. An example of such a system is the Global TransPark in North Carolina, which has fully integrated air, rail, highway, and sea transportation systems, as well as telecommunication and state-of-the-art electronic data interchange technologies to support manufacturers' logistical requirements. It contains the four elements that the authors say are necessary to agile manufacturers: 1. A seamless transportation network, with traffic management, vehicle control and safety systems, electronic toll payment, and emergency management systems. The network integrates air, sea, and land transportation through materials handling systems that accommodate various industries. 2. Telecommunications networks that provide information on markets and orders, track and manage material flows, and pool R&D information. 3. Access to financial institutions, marketing and sales agents and consultants, legal services, exposition centers, and foreign trade zones. Agile manufacturers need commercial and service support, along with community amenities like good schools and cultural facilities. 4. A source of scientists, engineers, and managers. Such knowledge centers provide access to R&D labs, colleges and universities, and a trained workforce. What is needed, according to Kasarda and Rondinelli, is a cooperative approach to create an environment that fills all these requirements. Such an approach needs government and industry to work together to integrate infrastructure components.

The Oklahoma City Bombing: Structure and Mechanisms of the Murrah Building

Abstract: In May 1995, the Federal Emergency Management Agency deployed a building performance assessment team composed of ASCE and federal government engineers to investigate damage caused by the malevolent bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. This paper describes the investigation of damage caused by the blast, the failure mechanism for the building, and engineering details of the building.

Organisational response to a volcanic eruption

Abstract: This paper reports on the findings of a survey of organisational responses to the 1995 eruptions at Ruapehu volcano, New Zealand. The survey identified co‐ordination, communication, training and management issues that had implications for the quality and effectiveness of an integrated organisational response to hazard impacts. This paper explores the implications of organisational structure and social (professional) identity for developing and sustaining integrated emergency management capability. It also discusses the implications of decision‐making processes and group dynamics for response effectiveness. These issues are used to illustrate the nature and origin of the problems observed in the survey and to define strategies for their resolution and for promoting effective inter‐organisational relationships and integrated emergency management capability.

The Use of Simulation in Planning the Transportation of Patients to Hospitals Following a Disaster

Abstract: The characteristics of disaster management are outlined. Planning for the efficient management of a disaster is described. The level of preparedness for disasters can be increased using simulation models in conjunction with drills. With the simulation model, “what-if” analyses are performed to predict the consequences of conceivable scenarios. Emergency medical service personnel will find such computer simulation models a useful supplement to their standard training.

The Tokyo subway sarin attack: disaster management, Part 3: National and international responses.

Abstract: The authors report the national and international responses to the disaster produced by the Tokyo subway sarin attack. From a worldwide historical perspective, there had never been such a large-scale disaster caused by nerve gas during peacetime. Therefore, this event should be studied from various viewpoints in cooperation with members of the international community. To this end, the Japanese government should help coordinate a large-scale and detailed investigation of the Tokyo subway sarin attack, including the long-term effects of sarin. The authors also recommend that the Japanese Self Defense Forces should be used more effectively in large-scale disasters. The system of direct control of disaster management by the Japanese government could be useful in a large-scale disaster.

The role of the new information technologies in emergency mitigation, planning, response and recovery

Abstract: Multimedia, CD‐ROM, DVD, Internet, Web Sites and e‐mail are all part of a constantly changing, emerging array of the new information technologies which are being utilized in public education and are increasingly being applied to emergency planning and training activities to enhance emergency preparedness. Illustrations are presented which demonstrate the utility of multimedia, CD‐ROM, and Internet applications to this process. These technologies will be applied to demonstrate how emergency planners may more effectively accomplish their mission to educate the larger community on a variety of issues such as the need to adopt proposed mitigation strategies, to respond to disaster warnings and evacuation suggestions. These technologies will also be applied to demonstrate how response and recovery information can be readily disseminated to an impacted area. Applications will also be provided which demonstrate the utility of these technologies in enhancing training activities for emergency personnel as well as extending the opportunity for such training beyond the time and place of the original trainer.

Coping With Catastrophe: A Handbook of Post-disaster Psychological Aftercare

Abstract: Disasters strike with sudden violence tearing bodies, lives and families apart. Coping with Catastrophe is a practical handbook for people who provide psychosocial aftercare for victims of disasters. Peter E. Hodgkinson and Michael Stewart are leading experts in the field of disaster aftercare, and this book is based on their unique and extensive experience, which includes the Bradford fire, the Zeebruger disaster, the Lockerbie plane crash and the Hillsborough disaster. Trauma has become the subject of much research since the first edition of this book; both its nature and treatment are now better understood. This is reflected in the second edition, which includes the latest findings on the nature and effects of trauma, the psychological debriefing process and the effects of emergency work, and the latest treatment models for post-traumatic stress and abnormal grief. Using the survivor's own words, the authors provide a vivid and moving account of the experiences of survival and bereavement under different types of conditions. They summarise the most up-to-date thinking about the psychological effects of disaster, and describe the therapeutic strategies available for treating victims with persistent problems, emphasising the welfare needs of staff involved in rescue and support. They also discuss in detail the practical aspects of co-ordinating disaster relief, such as the organisation and planning of specific services like outreach facilities and crisis helplines after the event. Eminently practical and easy to read, Coping with Catastrophe provides readers with information and skills to respond effectively and confidently to the needs of disaster survivors. It will be of immense value to a wide variety of helping professionals and carers, including social workers, psychologists, doctors, voluntary counsellors, and all those whose work brings them into contact with disaster victims.

Comprehensive disaster prevention and belief system

Abstract: (57) [Summary] [Problem] To provide an optimal evacuation route to evacuees by predicting the spread of disasters during evacuation, and provide optimal route information to countermeasures specialists who rushed to fire extinguishing and rescue. SOLUTION: The inside of a building is divided into three-dimensional blocks of a predetermined size, and a disaster is generated by disaster prevention detection equipment installed for each three-dimensional block or three-dimensional block group for each three-dimensional block or three-dimensional block group. A disaster occurrence monitoring means for monitoring the presence / absence of a disaster, and, when a disaster occurs in one of the three-dimensional blocks or three-dimensional block groups, a disaster is generated based on the output of the disaster prevention detection equipment in all three-dimensional blocks or three-dimensional block groups Prediction means for judging the current state of disaster and further estimating the state of expansion or contraction of disaster, and based on the prediction result, searching for an evacuation route to evacuate the danger area and evacuate to the safety area or outside the building according to a predetermined route search algorithm And a route searching means for performing a route instruction for leading to the searched route.

On the importance of building evacuation system components

Abstract: How can building occupants be safely evacuated in the case of an emergency? To address this question, this paper presents several measures of the criticality of evacuation system components, inspired by reliability theory. The escapeways in a building are modeled as a network, with links and nodes. This paper discusses how it is possible to identify the importance of different network components. The evacuees are modeled as discrete flow objects with certain attributes. This paper discusses the importance of different personal attributes. Also, management decisions are important, e.g., establishing emergency plans and strategies.

Public education and disaster management: Is there any guiding theory?

Abstract: The most crucial strategies available to disaster managers are public education as a means to disaster mitigation. Public education comprises of educational activities designed to increase awareness and understanding by citizens of important issues on the public policy agenda in fields as health, environment, and civics.

Major Criteria For Judging Disaster Planning And Managing Their Applicability In Developing Countries

Abstract: This was prepared as a background paper for the International Seminar on the Quality of Life and Environmental Risks held in Rio di Janeiro, Brazil, October 10-11, 1996. It is a slightly revised version of Disaster Research Center Preliminary Paper # 199 which was the expanded written version of the oral remarks made at the 2nd National Congress of Universities on Civil Protection held at the University of Colima in Colima City, Mexico on June 27-29, 1994. Some of the material also appeared in earlier publications (Quarantelli 1988; 1991; 1992; 1993; 1994). There are plans in Brazil to publish this paper in Portuguese in 1999.

National its architecture

Abstract: The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has launched a major effort to inform the transportation community about the National Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) Architecture, a framework designed to help ensure that ITS systems operate as efficiently as possible through integration and interconnection. The goal is to encourage the development of solutions that are good investments now and that will continue to pay dividends well into the future. Simply described, the architecture is a master blueprint for the development of an integrated, multimodal ITS to be used by all transportation agencies that develop and operate federally funded ITS projects. The Transportation Equity Act for the 21st Century (TEA-21) requires such projects to be consistent with the architecture. DOT has identified nine ITS infrastructure components that can currently be integrated to become a platform for managing travel in metropolitan areas: traffic control, freeway management, transit management, regional multimodal traveler information, emergency management, electronic fare payment, electronic toll collection, incident management, and railroad grade-crossing warning. The architecture does not tell transportation planners what technology to select, only what functions to consider in making their own design decisions. It thus preserves planners' flexibility to respond to local needs and circumstances, but can save time when defining requirements for a project. By planning for interfaces with other ITS components ahead of time, the risk of adding incompatible systems at a later date is reduced.

Internet and Emergency Management: Prospects for the Future

Abstract: This article reports on the growing value of Internet resources for the emergency management profession. The analysis has six components: (1) a brief history of the field prior to the introduction of the Internet; (2) an overview of the changes in emergency management since the introduction of the Internet and a summary of the characteristics of Internet communications; (3) some descriptions of how the Internet is currently used in flood, earthquake, and volcano research; (4) examples of Internet use as a tool for education; (5) federal and state employment of the Internet in emergency management during disasters and for public education and awareness between disasters; and (6) conclusions and suggestions for future research.

Disaster Planning, Emergency Management, And Civil Protection: The Historical Development And Current Characteristics Of Organized Efforts To Prevent And To Respond To Disasters

Abstract: This article discusses how societies and their subdivisions (particularly at the community level) organize themselves for protection against and response to disasters and related collective crises of a peacetime nature. Complicating our presentation is that there is not much agreement even on the label designating these social arrangements. While "civil protection" is a term widely used in Europe, in many other countries around the world, the organized efforts to cope with collective threats are called "emergency management" or "disaster planning." There is a substantial but not complete overlap in referent among these three terms. Also, we will specifically examine the relationship between the phenomena called "civil protection" and "civil defense," the last being a term first applied to nonmilitary preparations for civilian involvement in wartime situations.

Flood response and crisis management in Western Europe : a comparative analysis

Abstract: 1 Flood response and disaster management: a comparative perspective.- 1 The 1993 and 1995 floods in Western Europe.- 2 Risk communication and warning.- 3 The organization of disaster response.- 4 Recovery and damage compensation.- 5 Study design.- Notes.- 2 Flood management in France.- 1 Introduction.- 2 Warning process and risk information.- 3 Disaster response.- 4 Recovery and damage compensation.- 5 Concluding observations.- Notes.- 3 Flood management in Belgium.- 1 Introduction.- 2 The 1993 and 1995 riverine floods: an overview of events.- 3 Disaster management in Belgium.- 4 Risk communication.- 5 Disaster response.- 6 Recovery and damage compensation.- Notes.- 4 Flood management in the Netherlands.- 1 Introduction.- 2 The 1993 and 1995 riverine floods: an overview of events.- 3 Risk communication.- 4 Disaster response.- 5 Damage compensation.- Notes.- 5 Flood management in Germany.- 1 Introduction.- 2 The 1993 and 1995 riverine floods: an overview of events.- 3 Water management and disaster response in Germany.- 4 Risk communication.- 5 Disaster response.- 6 Recovery and compensation.- Notes.- 6 Flood response dynamics: Local resilience and administrative flexibility.- 1 Introduction: a constrained comparison.- 2 Risk communication: flood forecasting and warning.- 3 The organization and implementation of disaster response.- 4 Managing evacuations.- 5 The politics of damage compensation.- 6 Organizational learning.- Notes.- Appendix 1 Sources.- Appendix 2 Floods in Western Europe.- List of contributors.

Business continuity : awareness and training programmes

Abstract: States that business survival depends on the assured continuity of core business activities and supporting services. Business continuity (BC) plans are therefore developed to provide this assurance, but the best laid plans of mice and men can and often do go astray because the details of the plans are not effectively communicated to the people responsible for implementing them. There is no doubting the power of communication as a vital ingredient to success in all endeavours. This article draws on KPMG’s long involvement in BC consulting and sets out a template for a BC awareness, training and testing programme.

Assessing Requirements for Peacekeeping, Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief

Abstract: The purpose of the study is to assess requirements for peace operations, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, then to develop options for conducting such contingencies more effectively without detracting from the nation's capability to conduct major theater warfare.

The effect of time pressure on expert system based training for emergency management

Abstract: In many emergency situations, human operators are required to derive countermeasures based on contingency rules whilst under time pressure. In order to contribute to the human success in playing such a role, the present study intends to examine the effectiveness of using expert systems to train for the time-constrained decision domain. Emergency management of chemical spills was selected to exemplify the rule-based decision task. An Expert System in this domain was developed to serve as the training tool. Forty subjects participated in an experiment in which a computerized information board was used to capture subjects' rule-based performance under the manipulation of time pressure and training. The experiment results indicate that people adapt to time pressure by accelerating their processing of rules where the heuristic of cognitive availability was employed. The simplifying strategy was found to be the source of human error that resulted in undesired decision performance. The results also show that the...

Public Education and Disaster Management: Is There Any Guiding Theory?

Abstract: The most crucial strategies available to disaster managers are public education as a means to disaster mitigation. Public education comprises of educational activities designed to increase awareness and understanding by citizens of important issues on the public policy agenda in fields as health, environment, and civics.

Disaster recovery planning in an automated manufacturing environment

Abstract: Disasters may strike at any moment in any location. When they do, no distinction is made about the type of firm that is being affected, whether it is a bank or a manufacturing plant. Most firms do not plan for possible disasters, and those that do have typically focused on computer and data contingency planning. In this paper, the focus is shifted to incorporate disaster recovery planning for manufacturing enterprises, especially those that are automated. Automated manufacturing enterprises have characteristics that put them at an increased risk to disasters. The methodological framework proposed in this paper will aid manufacturing organizations and their managers in reducing the risks associated with unanticipated disasters. The framework is termed the "Manufacturing Operations Recovery and Resumption" model. Recommended activities and tools for effective management of this methodology are identified.