The 9/21 earthquake in Taiwan: a local government disaster rescue system1

This paper employs a three‐element model to examine how the disaster rescue system of the government of Nantou County in Middle Taiwan functioned following the earthquake of 21 September 1999. The three elements are information gathering, local government mobilisation, and inter‐organisational cooperation. The paper finds that the Nantou County government needs to address many problems associated with these three elements. Disaster information, for example, was not processed instantly because of the destruction of the electricity and telephone systems in the earthquake. Insufficient information caused ineffectiveness in the realms of mobilisation and inter‐organisational cooperation. As for mobilisation, while the Nantou County magistrate successfully used specific information to encourage flows of huge resources in the county, he did not successfully mobilise human resources there. With regard to inter‐organisational cooperation, myriad voluntary actors and international rescue teams travelled to Nantou County, but the fire and police services experienced cooperation and coordination problems.     

The barriers to environmental sustainability in post‐disaster settings: a case study of transitional shelter implementation in Haiti

Disaster recovery operations that do not account for environmental sustainability (ES) risk exacerbating the impact of the disaster and hindering long‐term recovery efforts. Yet aid agencies do not always consider ES. This research is a case study of the recovery that followed the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. Using timber and concrete procurement as proxies for broader post‐disaster operations, research examined perceptions of ES as well as attempts at and barriers to incorporating it into programming. Identified barriers can be grouped into two categories: (1) prioritisations and perceptions within the disaster response sector that resulted in limited enthusiasm for incorporating ES into programming, and (2) structural and organisational barriers within the disaster response framework that impeded ES attempts and served as a further disincentive to incorporating ES into programming. As a result of those barriers, incorporation of ES was sporadic and inconsistent and often depended on the capacity and motivation of specific implementers.     

The nuclear disaster management system in Taiwan: a case study of the third (Maanshan) nuclear power plant

This paper explores the effectiveness of the nuclear disaster management system in Taiwan via a review of the third (Maanshan) nuclear power plant. In doing so, the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in Japan on 11 March 2011 is reviewed and compared with the situation in Taiwan. The latter's nuclear disaster management system is examined with respect to three key variables: information; mobilisation; and inter‐organisational cooperation. In‐depth interviews with 10 policy stakeholders with different backgrounds serve as the research method. The results point up the need for improvement in all dimensions. In addition, they highlight three principal problems with the nuclear disaster management system: (i) it might not be possible to provide first‐hand nuclear disaster information immediately to the communities surrounding the Maanshan facility in Pingtung County, southern Taiwan; (ii) the availability of medical resources for treating radiation in Hengchun Township is limited; and (iii) the inter‐organisational relationships for addressing nuclear disasters need to be strengthened. Hence, cooperation among related organisations is necessary.     

Role of information in collective action in dynamic disaster environments

This study explores the major issues facing collective response operations after destructive earthquakes. The small-n case study design employs qualitative and quantitative methods to investigate the decision-making process in a context of seismic risk to exemplify how public managers can utilise information and communication systems to ensure collaborative actions in managing an extreme event. Fifty-eight semi-structured interviews with 39 key decision-makers and researchers and content analyses of daily reports from Cumhuriyet comprise the main data sources. The study compares and contrasts the Turkish disaster management system following the Marmara and Duzce earthquakes of 1999. It addresses whether the use of information and communication technologies significantly affected its performance. The study's findings reveal that difficulties in accessing and exchanging timely and accurate disaster-relevant information inhibited coordination during the Marmara response while increased communication functions improved coordination and search-and-rescue activities during the Duzce response.     

Efficacy of insurance for organisational disaster recovery: case study of the 2010 and 2011 Canterbury earthquakes

Insurance is widely acknowledged to be an important component of an organisation's disaster preparedness and resilience. Yet, little analysis exists of how well current commercial insurance policies and practices support organisational recovery in the wake of a major disaster. This exploratory qualitative research, supported by some quantitative survey data, evaluated the efficacy of commercial insurance following the sequence of earthquakes in Canterbury, New Zealand, in 2010 and 2011. The study found that, generally, the commercial insurance sector performed adequately, given the complexity of the events. However, there are a number of ways in which insurers could improve their operations to increase the efficacy of commercial insurance cover and to assist organisational recovery following a disaster. The most notable of these are: (i) better wording of policies; (ii) the availability of sector‐specific policies; (iii) the enhancement of claims assessment systems; and (iv) risk‐based policy pricing to incentivise risk reduction measures.     

Disaster Management and Government Intervention in PNG: The Case of Lae

This paper describes government intervention in two flood disasters in Lae before and after the establishment of the Papua New Guinea disaster management body. It first describes the objectives behind the establishment of this, and second, it examines the organisational response to the 1983 and 1992 disasters in Lae. Disaster response in terms of relief operations is generally prompt and spontaneous but can at best be described as haphazard, unsystematic and often uncoordinated. Both national and provincial disaster committees are, in many aspects, ill equipped in terms of capabilities, skills and resources. Many disaster operations are unable to ensure an immediate return of the victim's lives to normality – the ultimate objective of any disaster management.     

Sources of organisational resiliency during the Thailand floods of 2011: a test of the bonding and bridging hypotheses

Based on the Institutional Collective Action framework, this research tests the impact of two competing hypotheses—bonding and bridging—on enhancing organisational resiliency. The bonding hypothesis posits that organisational resiliency can be achieved if an organisation works closely with others, whereas the bridging hypothesis argues that such a structure places considerable stress on an organisation and advocates for an organisation to position itself as a central actor to gain access to novel resources from a diverse set of entities to achieve resiliency. The paper analyses data gathered from semi‐structured interviews with 44 public, private, and non‐profit organisations serving communities affected by the Great Floods of 2011 in the Thai capital, Bangkok (urban), and in Pathum Thani (suburban) and Ayutthaya (rural) provinces. The findings suggest that: organisational resiliency was associated with the bridging effect; organisations in the rural province were more resilient than those in the suburban and urban centres; and private and non‐governmental organisations generally were more resilient than public sector organisations. The findings highlight the importance of fostering multi‐sector partnerships to enhance organisational resiliency for disaster response.     

通用震害预测基础数据库管理系统

由于震害预测数据量多面广，以文件格式存取的数据不利于数据的管理与维护，也不利于GIS二次开发，因此建立一套较为完整的震害预测基础数据库管理系统，不仅有助于防震减灾信息管理与地震应急辅助决策系统后台的数据维护和管理，也便于更有效地应用所有数据资源。在广州市部分城区震害预测与防御对策研究中开发的震害预测基础（属性）数据库管理系统，是在我国城市震害预测与防御对策研究中第一次采用SQL Server 2000和基于C／S结构及数据字典管理的震害预测数据库。该系统功能完善，应用方便，实用性和扩充能力强，并可方便地移植到其它应用中。     

马钢公司防震减灾计算机信息管理系统研究

依据中国地震局有关建设防震减灾示范项目大纲的要求,就大型企业如何建立防震减灾计算机信息系统进行了研究,给出了地震危险性分析、地震地质背景及震害预测和对策,为企业防震减灾工艺的信息化管理,提供了经验和借鉴。     

British disaster planning and management: an initial assessment

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.     

日美地震灾害紧急对应对中国灾害应急体制建立的启示

通过对美国1994年洛杉矶北岭地震反1995年日本阪神大地震时日美政府的地震灾害紧急应对过程,尤其是地震后的24小时内政府的初期对应,分析了日美地震灾害应急体制的特征,并就如何建立和完善中国灾害应急体系做了探讨。日美政府之所以在大地震发生时能有效地进行了紧急应对,在于健全的灾害应急体制。中国正处于经济和社会高度发展时期,面对各种各样的灾害和事故,要真正将灾害的损失降低到最低程度,必须尽快建立和健全以灾害应急规划体系、防灾情报系统、应急救灾指挥系统和专业化灾害援助队伍体系等为主的灾害应急管理体制。     

Disasters and the Information Technology Revolution

This paper, the second in a series of state-of-the art reviews, examines the evolution and possible medium-term future of information technology (IT) in disaster management. Until the end of the 1970s, civilian application of IT to disaster management was confined to a few specialised departments of universities, large companies and government. Between the late 1970s and mid-1980s, microprocessor-based devices brought limited, though rapidly improving, computing capacity to a wider range of organisations and individuals. Operational applications included real-time emergency information, management decision support and programme and project planning. Extensive innovation occurred, though operational implementation was often long delayed or limited in scope. During the late 1980s, desktop systems became more powerful, more networked, more portable and generally more mature, with a range of practical emergency-related tools emerging. Computer communications emerged as a practical technology for linking emergency professionals on a global basis. From the early 1990s onwards, powerful and inter-connectable computer equipment has evolved to become an indispensable component of disaster operations worldwide. There are presently major changes under way in emergency-related global information access and networking — the implications of which have yet to be played out. The last part of the paper highlights a set of key technologies which seems likely to shape disaster planning, management and research over the next 10 years, and draws out some operational and organisational implications.     

Ten Criteria for Evaluating the Management of Community Disasters

The discussion herein concerns important factors in the local management of disasters. We contrast this with the related but distinct process of disaster planning. Our assumption is that what is crucial is not management per se, but good management. Thus, to assess intelligently the management of community disasters requires an answer to the question: What is good management? The results of empirical research carried out by social scientists over the past 40 years are drawn upon in considering this question. The criteria identified entail: (1) correctly recognising differences between response and agent-generated demands; (2) adequately carrying out generic functions; (3) effectively mobilising personnel and resources; (4) generating an appropriate delegation of tasks and division of labour; (5) adequately processing information; (6) properly exercising decision-making; (7) developing overall co-ordination; (8) blending emergent and established organisational behaviours; (9) providing appropriate reports for the news media; and (10) having a well-functioning emergency operations centre. An issue also raised in the paper is how applicable these research findings — derived mostly from developed countries — are to the developing world.     

震害预测空间数据的更新策略

由于震害预测空间数据具有图多面广和二次生产数据的特点,数据更新的问题还没有根本解决。指出我国空间数据封闭式管理方式是导致其数据类型和格式不一致、坐标系统不一致、比例尺不一致的原因,震害预测空间数据更新的困难是没有建立统一的空间数据管理平台、城市电子地图不能共享及标准不统一、与基础属性数据脱节、震害预测分析程序未实现模块化嵌入、防震减灾信息系统的管理跟不上等因素所致。提出了震害预测空间数据的更新策略,包括建立统一的空间数据管理平台、建立城市信息共享、预测结果数据的更新、建立数据编码对照表、建立完善的管理和数据更新机制等,并详细介绍了建立统一的空间数据管理平台的功能。     

Wed GIS的发展与防震减灾信息系统

简要介绍了基于Ｉｎｔｅｒｎｅｔ的ＧＩＳ发展现状,分析了Ｗｅｂ ＧＩＳ的主要优势和开发基于Ｗｅｂ ＧＩＳ防震减灾信息系统的必要性,提出了目前在防震减灾工作中Ｗｅｂ ＧＩＳ应用的主要研究内容,还初步设计了该信息系统的框架及其主页的基本功能模块,并介绍了各模块的主要功能和研制方法。     

充分发挥科技资料在防震减灾事业中的作用

为了充分发挥科技资料在防震减灾事业中的作用,就如何改进地震科技资料的管理方式、提高地震科技资料的管理水平、为防震减灾一线科研人员提供最满意的服务进行了论述.     

地震类突发事件中公共财政应急机制分析

通过对我国地震应急组织体系及财政应对地震类灾害的流程分析,结合国外应对地震类突发事件的成功经验,分析了我国公共财政应对过程中存在的不足,最后建立了5个应对地震类突发事件的财政应急机制,分别是公共财政日常运行机制、震前预警防范机制、震时响应机制、震后恢复重建机制和财政监督检查机制。     

合肥市防震减灾计算机信息管理系统——我国城市防震减灾示范研究与应用介绍

城市防震减灾是当今世界各国政府和地震科学家共同关心的重大课题及重点工作。“九五”期间,我国先后在部分大中城市开展了防震减灾的示范研究,建立了先进的防震减灾计算机信息管理系统。本文全面介绍了该项示范研究的城市之一－合肥市震害预测与防震减灾计算机信息管下系统的主要内容、研究特色和取得的工作成果。该技术系统的完成,对推进我国城市防震减灾的科学化、现代化管理和实现防震减灾十年目标将发挥积极的作用。     

The clearinghouse concept: a model for geospatial data centralization and dissemination in a disaster

The disaster clearinghouse concept originates with the earthquake community as an effort to coordinate research and data collection activities. Though prior earthquake clearinghouses are small in comparison to what was needed in response to Hurricane Katrina, these seminal structures are germane to the establishment of our current model. On 3 September 2005, five days after Katrina wrought cataclysmic destruction along the Gulf Coast, FEMA and Louisiana State University personnel met to establish the LSU GIS Clearinghouse Cooperative (LGCC), a resource for centralization and dissemination of geospatial information related to Hurricane Katrina. Since its inception, the LGCC has developed into a working model for organization, dissemination, archiving and research regarding geospatial information in a disaster. This article outlines the formation of the LGCC, issues of data organization, and methods of data dissemination and archiving with an eye towards implementing the clearinghouse model as a standard resource for addressing geospatial data needs in disaster research and management.     

突发性地震灾害危机的预警和应急管理机制

借鉴SARS事件的经验教训,探讨了如何加快构建突发性地震灾害危机的预测预警、应急处理、信息发布和宣传教育等四个方面的管理机制,并提出了建立地震灾害预警等级及其相应的应急预案和信息发布措施的新思维.