The impact of disasters on small business disaster planning: a case study

A major flood in 1997 forced the evacuation of Grand Forks, North Dakota and caused damage of USD 1 billion. Despite this recent disaster there is only marginal evidence of an increase in disaster recovery planning by businesses that experienced the flood. This finding is consistent with the results of other business-related disaster research. Statistical tests of survey results from 2003 indicate that there is a significantly higher rate of disaster recovery planning in businesses started since the 1997 flood than in businesses started before the flood and still in business. Such an outcome indicates a need for public policy actions emphasizing the importance of disaster planning. Improved disaster planning is an aid to business recovery and the results demonstrate the need for more widespread efforts to improve disaster recovery planning on the part of smaller businesses, even in areas that have recently experienced disasters.     

Assessing differences in chemical disaster proneness: The community chemical hazard vulnerability inventory*

The burgeoning number of accidents with dangerous chemicals makes it incumbent upon community and regional planners to systematically deal with this problem. The first step invariably involves the assessment of the likelihood and type of incident which may impact a given area so that disasters may be averted or, at least, their effects mitigated. This paper presents one such assessment scheme, the Community Chemical Hazard Vulnerability Inventory (CCHVI). This instrument, aside from considering the type and volume of substances posing a threat to a designated area, considers the physical and human resources available, as well as the general state of readiness of the area (including such things as the interface of emergency-related organizations). The use of such vulnerability assessment instruments allows local emergency planners to identify particular dangers within their communities and permits regional planners to allocate funds for planning according to relative needs.     

Multiple disasters and policy responses in pre- and post-independence Orissa, India

'Multiple disasters' or disasters that occur in 'one specific place' are regular events in coastal parts of the state of Orissa in eastern India. Yet the policy framework for addressing multiple disasters is weak. This paper aims to show that policy responses in pre- and post-independence Orissa have overlooked the effects of multiple disasters. Evidence based on a review of the literature and onfieldwork indicates that Orissa has a long history of experience of multiple disasters due to its unique geographic location, political dislocation, and ineffective disaster policies that have focused only on single events. One can observe the effects of this even today in Orissa, notably inadequate measures to counteract the consequences of multiple disasters at the household level and to build people's capacity. This study posits, therefore, that multiple disasters deserve good representation in integrated disaster reduction strategies designed to mitigate their impacts.     

自然灾害脆弱性研究进展

近年来,在国际上日益重视防灾减灾的背景下,脆弱性研究已成为灾害学研究的主题并逐渐融入社会可持续发展策略。在回顾国内外灾害脆弱性研究发展的基础上,阐述了脆弱性的基本内涵,探究了自然灾害脆弱性的基本构成,并对灾害研究领域中容易混淆的危险性、脆弱型、风险、易损性与恢复力等概念进行了辨析。研究归纳总结了开展脆弱性评估的5种经典模式,风险-灾害(RH)模式、压力释放(PAR)模式、政治经济模式、基于区域的综合脆弱性模式和恢复力模式。并且指出,自然灾害研究领域的脆弱性评估应主要基于历史数据、指标体系和实际调查的灾损率曲线。从发展趋势来看,脆弱性研究正日益着重多领域合作、多对象细化和除指标体系外多种方法的综合应用,旨在从人类社会本身找出灾难根源,为灾害保险和政府决策提供有效指导。     

The role of microcredit in reducing women's vulnerabilities to multiple disasters

This article explores the relationship between microcredit and vulnerability reduction for women-headed households in'multiple disasters'. Here multiple disasters are understood as disasters that occur in one specific place and cause severe devastation. The case study covers the super-cyclone in 1999, floods in 2001 and 2003, and drought in 2002 in Orissa, India. The study entailed eight months fieldwork and interviews with several governmental and non-governmental officials and 12 women-headed households from different social castes. The findings suggest that microcredit is a useful tool to replace women's livelihood assets that have been lost in multiple disasters. But inefficient microcredit delivery can cause microdebts and exacerbate caste, class and gender inequalities. It is posited that microcredit delivery cannot achieve vulnerability reduction for women in multiple disasters unless it is complemented by effective financial services, integrated policy planning and disaster management between government, non-governmental organisations and the community.     

陕西省自然灾害的社会易损性分析

应用主成分分析法,选取10个主要社会经济指标,以陕西省的11个地级市作为研究对象,对其自然灾害社会易损性进行分析。确定三个主成分作为评价自然灾害社会易损性的指标,计算得出陕西省各地市相应主成分的得分和排名,在此基础上对相应地区的自然灾害社会易损性进行评价。     

我国主要农业气象灾害机理与监测研究进展

对我国农业气象灾害机理与监测方面的研究进行了深入系统的回顾与评述,阐述了我国主要农业灾害研究的前沿领域和学术问题,探讨了农业灾害研究的发展趋势.灾害性天气只是农业成灾的外部环境条件(环境胁迫),在这种环境胁迫下,农业生产系统是否最终成灾,还要取决于农业生产系统本身对这种环境胁迫的应对和作用.因此农业灾害机理反映了环境胁迫与农业生产系统的相互作用和相互影响.当前,对农业灾害机理研究不足,农业成灾过程和关键因子认识不深入,农业灾害监测理论与方法不完善,已经成为建立有效的农业灾害监测预警系统、开展灾害时空动态监测,以及国家进行重大防灾减灾决策的瓶颈和障碍.对主要农业灾害机理开展研究以及发展农业灾害理论和监测方法,是国家实现农业发展目标的需要,也是多门相关学科理论与方法发展的需要.     

Land tenure,disasters and vulnerability

Although often overlooked, land tenure is an important variable impacting on vulnerability to disaster. Vulnerability can occur either where land tenure is perceived to be insecure, or where insecure tenure results in the loss of land, especially when alternative livelihood and housing options are limited. Disasters often provide the catalyst for such loss. This paper avoids making generalisations about the security of particular types of tenure, but instead explores factors that mediate tenure security, particularly in the wake of a disaster. The paper identifies five mediating factors: (1) the local legal system; (2) government administrative authority; (3) the economy; (4) evidence of tenure, and; (5) custom and dominant social attitudes. It is shown that some mediating factors are more salient for particular types of tenure than others. The paper will highlight the importance of land tenure in any assessment of vulnerability, and conclude with suggestions for further research.     

城市灾害易损性及其评价指标

城市化的加速使城市成为国民经济和社会发展的重要区域,同时灾害给城市发展造成了巨大的损失。通过分析易损性的维度和时空性,并在总结多因子复合函数方法、模糊综合评价方法、数据包络分析方法等易损性研究方法的基础上,结合复杂的城市系统的内部特征,从人口易损性、经济易损性、社会易损性和生态环境易损性4个方面建立适合城市灾害易损性评价的框架;探讨了包括人口迁入率和经济密度等11个城市灾害易损性指标体系。最后指出城市灾害易损性研究对城市可持续发展有重要意义。     

Modelling the elements of country vulnerability to earthquake disasters

Earthquakes have probably been the most deadly form of natural disaster in the past century. Diversity of earthquake specifications in terms of magnitude, intensity and frequency at the semi-continental scale has initiated various kinds of disasters at a regional scale. Additionally, diverse characteristics of countries in terms of population size, disaster preparedness, economic strength and building construction development often causes an earthquake of a certain characteristic to have different impacts on the affected region. This research focuses on the appropriate criteria for identifying the severity of major earthquake disasters based on some key observed symptoms. Accordingly, the article presents a methodology for identification and relative quantification of severity of earthquake disasters. This has led to an earthquake disaster vulnerability model at the country scale. Data analysis based on this model suggested a quantitative, comparative and meaning full interpretation of the vulnerability of concerned countries, and successfully explained which countries are more vulnerable to major disasters.     

京津唐地区地震灾害区域宏观脆弱性变化研究

研究灾害脆弱性的变化有助于深入理解灾害及灾害风险的形成机制。在重新审视承灾体系统灾害脆弱性的分析层次和描述角度之后,深化了对地震灾害区域宏观脆弱性的影响因素和描述指标的再认识,完善了以主成分分析为核心技术的分析该类脆弱性时空变化的数理方法。以此为基础,以1985、1995、2000和2004年为代表时期,对京津唐地区20多年来的地震灾害区域宏观脆弱性的变化做了进一步的分析和总结。主要结论是:研究区地震灾害区域宏观脆弱性20多年来的时空变化可分解为少数几种脆弱性模式的变化;1985年以来,该类脆弱性的空间分异格局整体稳定;但是,各地自身脆弱与否的程度20多年来的变化却很显著——各大中城市市区的脆弱程度显著增强,其他地区整体减弱,且变化幅度前者显著大于后者;研究区地震灾害区域宏观脆弱性的时空变化主要受该地区的人口和经济特别是工商业经济的增长、城市化发展和产业结构的调整等3方面因素所驱动。     

自然灾害社会易损性评价指标体系框架的构建

按照我们对社会易损性构成的认识,从区域人口易损系统、区域社会结构易损系统和区域社会文化易损系统三方面构建了自然灾害社会易损性评价指标体系。这个指标体系是由一个内部层次分明、逻辑结构清晰的9个指数和39个指标要素构成的框架。该评价体系可以作为政府管理部门和社会公众认识自然灾害的社会属性的科学依据,也是减灾防灾的重要工具。     

大兴安岭野生浆果开发中的生态灾害

以大兴安岭塔河林业局为例,在对研究区野生浆果分布进行调查的基础上,根据该地区的环境特点和野生浆果的生物学特征,估算了该区野生浆果的自然产量,并以此为依据对野生浆果开发可能产生的生态环境灾害进行了影响分析.针对该区自然条件严酷、生态系统比较脆弱、环境容量较小等特点,提出了保护该区生物资源可持续利用的替代方案和切实可行的建议.     

灾后恢复重建理论研究

灾后恢复重建投资对消除灾害对经济带来的负面影响,恢复受灾地区的经济具有重大的意义.分两个层面对灾害恢复重建理论进行了论述.第一个层面在分析灾害对经济影响的基础上,得出了资本损失不会对区域经济造成重大影响,较小的补偿投资可以弥补潜在灾害预期损失的结论;第二个层面应用索洛模型分析了灾害经济恢复的基本过程.     

雷电灾害潜在与现实易损性分析及区划研究——以黑龙江省为例

提出雷电灾害的潜在易损性和现实易损性概念,利用黑龙江省1959-2008年的雷暴日资料及1999-2008年的雷电灾害资料,结合黑龙江省的经济和人口密度特征,提出了雷暴日数、雷电灾害频度、生命易损模数及经济易损模数作为雷电灾害易损性评估指标。在此基础上,采用4级区分法对各指标进行了分级,并赋予各等级如下定值:极高级为1.0,高级为0.8,中级为0.5,低级为0.2。对黑龙江省各地市4个评估指标的等级值进行加权平均,得到权重平均值作为雷电灾害易损性评估的综合评价指数。最后通过对黑龙江省各地市雷电灾害易损性进行综合评估,形成黑龙江省雷电灾害易损度区划。结果表明:哈尔滨、齐齐哈尔和绥化潜在易损度和现实易损度皆高,综合易损度为极高易损区。伊春、大兴安岭、黑河潜在易损度很高,而现实易损度最低,故综合易损度为高易损区。鹤岗、鸡西潜在易损度较低,现实易损度较高,综合易损度为中易损区;七台河潜在易损度最低,但现实易损度高,综合易损度同样为中易损区。佳木斯、双鸭山、牡丹江潜在易损度和现实易损度皆低,综合易损度为低易损区。     

防灾减灾规划与灾后重建规划的反思——由舟曲泥石流灾害想到的

通过对灾后重建规划的反思,强调坚持安全第一的灾后重建选址原则,强化灾害评估机制的程序,提倡坚持科学发展观,树立与自然和谐共生的规划理念;针对我国人地矛盾突出的特点,提出了城镇发展要规模适度及实施迁村并点的具体措施等预防和减轻灾害的规划途径;并提出了建设高效的应急体系,以应对超标准自然灾害的建议。     

近50年来湖南省旱洪灾害及其时空分布

利用 194 9年以来湖南省 9个代表站的降水资料 ,提出了湖南省旱洪灾害的等级标准 ,分析了湖南省旱洪灾害及其时空分布和旱洪重灾区的形成原因     

经常性暴雨内涝区域房屋财(资)产脆弱性研究——以温州市为例

基于洪涝灾害脆弱性研究基本思路,选择经常性暴雨内涝区域——温州市麻步镇和水头镇,就0908号台风"莫拉克"影响开展"暴雨内涝灾后房屋财产和商业资产损失"抽样问卷调查。结果表明:淹没区域平均水深1.7m,平均淹没时间超过2 d,房屋财(资)产损失较大;经常性暴雨内涝区域30%住户和商铺灾害损失值和灾损率接近0,房屋财产和商业资产灾损率呈现乘幂函数曲线。     

渤海西岸盐业气象灾害灾损评估方法研究

针对渤海西岸盐业生产中所遭受的暴雨、突发性的雷阵雨、大风(短时)、风暴潮、低温等气象灾害,阐述了其灾损评估的理论依据,全面分析了影响原盐生产的主要气象灾害的各种因素,选取了其合适的气象灾害指标,并进行分级,确定了灾害的评估方法,并建立了灾损评估模型,通过检验,说明其效果良好。