Variations in public and private employees’ perceptions of organizational preparedness for natural disasters

Studies have demonstrated that public and private organizations differ in many respects (e.g. funding mechanisms and risk-taking capabilities). Based on this scholarship, we expect to see differences in their disaster preparedness levels. Hence, we propose the following research question: Are there variations in public and private employees’ perceptions of organizational preparedness for natural disasters? We answer this question by employing the theories of publicness and social identity. We define publicness through the core approach arguing that public and private organizations are uniquely different based on their legal status or ownership and social identity as an individual’s feeling of oneness or belongingness to a particular group or organization. Using data gathered in 2014 from a nationally representative sample of 1634 public and private employees in the United States, we posit that employees of private organizations will report higher preparedness levels in comparison to employees of public organizations. Our proposition is based on scholarship that found a negative relationship between publicness and organizational identification and a positive relationship between organizational identification and organizational performance. Contrary to our proposition, but in line with the disaster literature, the results showed that in general, employees of public organizations reported a higher preparedness level than employees of private organizations.     

Recovery following the Gediz earthquake: a study of four villages of western Turkey

This paper is the result of a social and economic survey of four villages in the Gediz region of South West Anatolia, Turkey, which was undertaken in two phases, October/November 1982 and March/April 1984. The specific aims of this survey were to define what was perceived as recovery in the local social, cultural and economic context and to measure recovery in communities which had suffered different degrees of distress and loss following the earthquake and, consequently, had received different amounts and kinds of assistance from the government. Essentially, therefore, the survey sought to answer the question – how far did the government programme of assistance promote recovery and over what period of time? The implications of such an inquiry concern what constitutes appropriate assistance following earthquake in rural communities. It is hoped that studies of this kind can help to guide decision making of both national governments and international humanitarian organizations on the role of material aid in the process of recovery. This is particularly urgent in view of the fact that preliminary investigations of other small rural and under-developed communities struck by earthquake suggest that material aid may actually preclude recovery in the longer term.     

Should all disaster risks be reduced? A perspective from the systems concept of the edge of chaos

The field of disaster risk reduction (DRR) has risen to prominence since the declaration of the International Decade of Disaster Risk Reduction between 1990 and 2000. This decade provided the impetus for a change from the predominant paradigm of disaster response to that of disaster risk reduction as a means of addressing the underlying drivers that lead to disasters. In an effort to promote risk reduction, the UNISDR (the principal agency for disaster risk reduction within the UN structure) formulated policies and strategies to provide both conceptual and practical guidance as to how risk should be reduced. However noble the efforts, this paper contends that the current approach to and understanding of risk within the international community might not be cognisant of complex adaptive systems (CAS) concepts such as the edge of chaos. Specifically, this concept argues that risk (or chaos) within a system is actually a fundamental requirement to the functioning of all resilient socio-ecological systems. Therefore, the reduction of risk without an understanding of the role of that risk within the larger socio-ecological system might actually end up reducing the system’s overall level of disaster resilience. This paper aims to explore the concept of edge of chaos through a literature review of key theoretical works on the topic, followed by a discussion on its implications for the predominant paradigm of risk reduction within disaster risk management policy and practice.     

灾后企业选址问题的模型研究

建立了灾后企业选址的一种决策模型。对遭受自然或人为灾害打击中，不得不进行迁移的企业，如何实施有效的选址决策进行了研究，在给定假设的基础上，构造了一个非线性规划问题，提出了进行区位决策的迭代算法，并对如何解决已有多个企业及顾客有偏好的复杂情况进行了讨论，研究表明，在以市场竞争为导向的动态选址过程中，企业从最大程度地占有市场的目标出发，倾向于定位在一个特定的市场吸引点上。     

Co-ordination for disasters

This paper was prepared in 1978 on the basis of a review of sociological and anthropological fieldwork conducted up to that time. Although theoretical in presentation its conclusions are formulated in accordance with the author's own extensive observations of organizational response to natural disasters in developing countries, especially those having sudden onset. Practical implications for co-ordination agencies and pre-disaster training are drawn.     

Disaster response preparedness coordination through social networks

Studies of coordination in human networks have typically presented models that require stable working relationships. These models cannot be applied to emergency response management, which demands distributed coordination in volatile situations. This paper argues that changes to interconnectedness of nodes in a network may have implications for the potential to coordinate. A social network‐based coordination model is proposed to explore an organizational actor's state of readiness in extreme conditions. To test this hypothesis, the study investigates survey data from state law enforcement, state emergency services and local law enforcement, presenting agency‐based (macro) and cross‐agency (micro) analysis on 224 completed questionnaires. The main findings are: (i) there is a positive correlation between network connectedness and the potential to coordinate; (ii) the concept of tiers within an emergency response network may exist and be characterized by the sub‐network with which an organization associates; (iii) a range or threshold characterizes how interconnected an organization at a given tier should be.     

有偿救灾初探

从人们的救灾心理和救灾行为的经济学特点入手，探讨了有偿救灾对于保证救灾工作的顺利进行、使防灾减灾最终成为大家的自觉行动，从而逐步减少灾害的现实意义。指出在我国现有生产力发展水平下，积极发展有偿救灾，使之逐步成为主要的灾害救助形式，并且提出了建立政府救灾基金，建立救灾公积金，以及鼓励企业以联合经营形式对受灾企业进行救助等有偿救灾设想。     

Food aid and relief-development strategies*

This paper begins by setting out the main arguments on which a proposal for "relief-development strategies" rest. The second part of the paper is concerned with a discussion of the way the objectives of a "relief-development strategy" might be achieved and the roles emergency food aid might have. In the third part of the paper, a number of strategic issues are discussed. A stylized account is presented of how a broad "relief development strategy" might be mounted. The last part of the paper draws together the discussion by considering how emergency projects should be assessed. If the principles on which this paper are based are accepted, then the evaluation of emergency projects should extend well beyond convention.     

城市防灾救灾组织机构设置的研究

本文首先阐明了合理的组织机构在城市防灾工作中的作用，然后通过对典型城市防灾救灾组织机构现状和问题的分析，提出防灾救灾组织机构设置的原则，构造了城市防灾救灾组织机构的改进型矩阵模式，并分析了该模式的特点和实施步骤。     

支持灾害管理决策的咨询信息系统

为减少中国大城市灾害造成的损失，运用信息科学、系统科学的方法和计算机技术，建立支持灾害管理决策的咨询信息系统（ＤＭＤＳＣＩＳ）。灾害文献数据库管理系统（ＤＬＤＢＭＳ）是这一咨询信息系统的知识基础和信息来源。本文论述了“ＤＬＤＢＭＳ”和三个主要的子系统“灾害文献数据库管理系统”、“灾害事实数据库管理系统”、“中外减灾法规超文本检索系统”的作用、设计思想、构成、功能和实现方法。     

Friends and family vs. government: who does the public rely on more to prepare for natural disasters?

This paper examines what organizations and groups individuals rely on to help prepare for natural disasters and how reliance differs vis-à-vis demographic characteristics. Using data gathered from 2,008 individuals employed in the United States, the results revealed that individuals are significantly more likely to rely on friends and family than government organizations at the local, state, and federal level. The findings also suggest that this reliance varies across demographic groups. For example, data from the present study suggest that women and minority groups as well as individuals who are older and less educated are significantly more likely to rely on organizations to help prepare for natural disasters. This study contributes to the disaster management and risk communication literatures by offering key insights into the organizations and groups the American public in general, and certain demographic groups in particular, rely on when it comes to preparing for natural disasters. Knowledge about the organizations and groups that individuals rely on to help prepare for natural disasters can help policymakers and practitioners target those organizations as conduits to deliver critical preparedness information, as well as other information related to disaster mitigation, response, and recovery.     

地震灾害损失预测（综述）

地震危害性评定和损失预测是一个富有挑战性的科学问题，对于减轻地震灾害具有十分重要的意义。本文对近年来地震危害性的研究的现状、问题、困难和发展的趋势进行了简要的综述。     

基于微粒群算法的供水管网抗震优化设计

以管网年费用折算值为优化目标、管网拓扑结构与管径为优化参数、管网节点最低可靠度为约束条件,建立了供水管网抗震优化设计模型。利用微粒群算法对这一模型进行了求解,该算法以管网作为微粒个体,通过不断地更新微粒的位置来搜索最优的管网结构,直到最后给出优化的管网结构。利用上述方法对一典型供水管网进行了抗震优化设计分析,给出了3种不同节点最低可靠度约束条件下的优化改造方案。     

Disaster preparedness and regional training on nine Caribbean islands: A longterm evaluation

This paper presents an analysis and evaluation of emergency preparedness and regionalized training on nine Caribbean islands during the period of 1980 to 1985. Preparedness on the islands is measured in numerous ways, including the existence and comprehensiveness of the disaster plan; existence and adequacy of district organizations; existence of an emergency operations centre; frequency of drills; adequacy of communications; and various other indicators. The regionalized training, which was provided out of a small, internationally-funded unit in Antigua, is evaluated in terms of the contribution it made to Caribbean preparedness during the period. Various management difficulties are analyzed and recommendations made for future, similar programs.     

Reflections: Resolving conflicting demands within disaster risk and recovery

This ‘reflection’ describes conflicting experiences, drawn from the author’s career in varied aspects of disaster risk management and recovery (1973–2016) delving into his memory, Ian Davis explores conflicts he has felt in four parallel roles he has adopted as architect, NGO board member, academic and the personal challenges he has faced working within the humanitarian sector. After describing these encounters, some practical solutions are suggested. The reflection concludes with a suggestion that at the root of these conflicts there is a need for people working in the humanitarian field to become more accountable in a downward direction towards those they seek to serve, who often lack power and influence. These include an architect’s clients, the beneficiaries of an NGO’s concern, an academic’s students or trainees and more broadly an ethical challenge that the author strives after, to regard his work as a vocation, highlighting the need for service to others rather than self-promotion.     

浅析救灾行为及其经济学特点

分析了救灾行为的经济学特性，提出救灾应包括两方面的内容，一方面它是一种人道主义救助，另一方面，它又是一种投资活动。指出帮助灾区恢复生产是整个社会扩大再生产的组成部分．并通过分析阐明摆脱以往单纯将救灾看成是人道主义救助的旧观点，充分考虑到在经济社会里救灾行为的经济学特点，用经济学原理指导救灾工作．     

用泥石流灾害信息网络减轻泥石流对列车的威胁

提出建立铁路泥石流灾害信息网络的设想，以便在泥石流形成和发生的各个阶段，较准确地作出是否让列车过桥的决定。文中对网络的背景、组成、工作原理及开发中应注意的问题进行了探讨。     

大型社会活动安全事故成因分析及预警组织模型构建

分析了我国大型社会活动安全事故的成因，研究了组织、环境、设备、人等因素在大型社会活动安全事故中的作用，得出了大型社会活动安全事故成因机理，在此基础上，介绍了大型社会活动安全事故预警模型的组织、监控系统，并规范了各组织的职责，最终设计了大型社会活动安全事故预警系统的工作流程。     

灾难危急时刻的管理

灾难危急时刻的管理往往是出乎于原有的抗灾计划的。研究发现,成功的灾害管理主要来源于应急组织的作用,特别是当管理中存在着信息交流、职权行使和协调发展等方面的问题时更是如此。事先的救灾计划可以减少但却不能完全消除这些管理上的问题。