Thought for Food: Suggestions for a systematised approach to emergency food distribution operations

The following paper is a synopsis of a longer report, under the same name, aimed at the people responsible for implementing relief food operations. The report attempts to fill a perceived need for a manual covering the organisation of relief operations from planning to evaluation stages. Following the initial planning phase, the distribution of relief food can be viewed as a logistics operation sandwiched between two phases of data acquisition - one before the distribution of relief to targetted destinations, and the other after the distribution, to assess its efficacy and to identify problems.     

Of timelines and timeliness: lessons from Typhoon Haiyan in early disaster response

Typhoon Haiyan struck the Philippines on 8 November 2013 with maximum sustained winds of 235 kilometres per hour, adversely affecting at least 11 million people and displacing some 673,000 in the central regions of the country. The disaster clearly overwhelmed the Philippine government despite its seemingly well‐crafted disaster management plan. Using timelines of different organisations, this paper identifies gaps in the government's response, mainly due to its failure in coordinating and managing relief operations, which adversely affected its effectiveness and efficiency in the delivery of critical goods and services following the disaster. The paper also demonstrates how non‐governmental organisations (NGOs), the United Nations, foreign governments and other organisations provided assistance, mainly through aid niching, to cover the government's shortcomings. The paper recommends a paradigm shift in the government's disaster response by integrating collaborative arrangements between government agencies and NGOs, and giving local governments the lead role, with the national government as support, in disaster planning and response.     

Unanticipated repercussions of international disaster relief

Following the Peruvian earthquake of May 1970, the devastated provincial town of Huarez received massive amounts of disaster relief aid. The reconstruction process rapidly transformed the economic and social structure of the community by causing a shortlived boom which raised the expectations of the population. Once the relief agencies withdrew, the demand for goods and services fell sharply and the people were forced to readjust to a less prosperous life. It also appeared that their capacity to respond to future disasters had not been significantly unproved. This case study highlights the need for research into the long term consequences of disaster relief.     

Campaign contributions,lobbying and post‐Katrina contracts

This research explores the relationship between political campaign contributions, lobbying and post‐Hurricane Katrina cleanup and reconstruction contracts. Specifically, a case‐control study design is used to determine whether campaign contributions to national candidates in the 2000–04 election cycles and/or the employment of lobbyists and lobbying firms increased a company's probability of receiving a post‐hurricane contract. Results indicate that both a campaign contribution dichotomous variable and the dollar amount of contributions are significantly related to whether a company received a contract, but that lobbying activity was not. These findings are discussed in the context of previous research on the politics of natural disasters, government contracting and governmental and corporate deviance.     

Putting houses in place:1 rebuilding communities in post‐tsunami Sri Lanka

This paper interrogates the social and political geographies of resettlement and reconstruction of temporary and permanent shelters, which are fundamental to rebuilding tsunami‐affected communities. War and ethnic cleavages are an endemic feature of Sri Lanka's social polity, and uneven development processes in the country are clearly visible. This paper draws attention to these spaces of inequality by drawing on in‐depth interviews and participant observation carried out in Eastern and Southern Sri Lanka. It argues that communities' concerns and anxieties regarding displacement and resettlement have tended to be articulated against prevailing fault lines of war and inequality. This is the backdrop against which communities negotiated the recovery process. My fieldwork shows that it is critical to understand that disaster and development relief are ingrained within context specificities. Relief efforts therefore need to recognise that the process of ‘putting houses in place’ should be embedded within local social relations.     

泥石流-堰塞湖灾后应急救援决策研究——以甘肃文县“8·17”泥石流灾害为例

以甘肃文县2020年"8.17"泥石流灾害为例,开展泥石流-堰塞湖灾害灾后应急救援决策研究,探索性将该类灾害前期阶段应急救援决策总结为:灾情盲估预判-先期应急备灾-成因剖析-灾情宏观初判-应急救援决策等。研究结果表明:预判影响人口约10.8万人,预估需求帐篷约2.3万顶、饮用水约240 t/d,文县消防救援大队距离最近,附近有文县第一人民医院等8家医疗防疫力量,石鸡坝初级中学等10所学校可作为临时安置避难场所备选;受影响矿山企业5家,重要水库1座;泥石流淤积物堆积区约7.91×10~4 m~2,堰塞湖面积约1.06 km~2,淹没区约37.4×10~4 m~2,因灾受损民居51处、桥梁3处、电站1处、加油站1处及耕地10处,优选3条灾后救援生命线。     

Listing for change? Exploring the politics of relief lists in Bangladesh after Cyclone Sidr

Ideal notions of efficient aid are challenged continuously by realities on the ground in the wake of major disasters, such as dire needs, limited resources, and opportunism. This paper demonstrates how ‘relief lists’ can be productive entry points for a systematic inquiry into the pervasive politics of disaster assistance. Through an analysis of qualitative data collected during the five years after Cyclone Sidr struck Bangladesh on 15 November 2007, it examines how relief lists featured in both physical and phantom forms and then developed beyond their transparency-making aims, becoming elevated sites of struggle for post-disaster resources. Three list processes, selected to indicate the temporal, material, and spatial dynamics of relief encounters, are assessed in depth. Although recipients of cyclone relief appreciated its value, the paper argues that list politics also stimulated structures of vulnerability, including inequality. Gradually, relief, as governed after Sidr, also served to restore the differential vulnerability of the country's coastal poor.     

Post-seismic allocation of medical staff in the Longmen Shan fault area: case study of the Lushan Earthquake

In April 2013, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck along the Longmen Shan fault in the city of Ya'an, Sichuan province, China, causing 200 deaths, 11,470 injuries and 21 people to go missing. As no scientific disaster management studies have been done on medical staff dynamic behavior in the Longmen Shan fault area, this paper develops a system dynamics (SD) model to simulate the relief activities in the area after the 2008 Sichuan Earthquake shook Wenchuan County. Based on this SD model, the simulation showed that the results regarding the cumulative number of deaths and the final death toll fit the reality well for the 2008 Sichuan Earthquake in the Longmen Shan fault area. Findings from the simulation confirmed the best ratio of medical staff to rescue workers. After implementing the findings for the medical relief work at the 2013 Sichuan Lushan Earthquake, reasonable earthquake rescue policies were developed for the Longmen Shan fault area. The SD model demonstrated that it was possible to predict the optimum number of medical staff and that medical staff need to be trained to improve their treatment abilities. Furthermore, it is suggested that search and rescue workers should also assist in restoring road transport during any medical relief activities in the Longmen Shan fault area. These policies can be generalized to other earthquake relief activities in the Longmen Shan fault area as well as being a valuable reference for similar mountainous earthquake areas.     

Post‐earthquake rehabilitation of the rural water systems in Kashmir's Jehlum Valley

After the devastating earthquake of 8 October 2005 in Kashmir, international organizations provided the Pakistani government with relief and reconstruction assistance. Under the oft‐cited motto ‘rebuild better’, many of these efforts targeted the rural areas. The emergency period was followed by a development phase, during which all actors sought to ensure that their reconstruction projects would have long‐term, sustainable impacts. Based on the authors’ experience during that phase, this paper offers specific guidelines for rehabilitation work on Kashmir's rural water supply system, stressing the need for analysis of the social context to guarantee sustainability of the completed projects.     

Corruption in emergency procurement

Corruption in emergency procurement reduces the resources available for life‐saving operations, lowers the quality of products and services provided, and diverts aid from those who need it most. ¹ 1 The paper is based on a study for a project of the Chr Michelsen Institute (CMI)'s U4 Anti‐Corruption Resource Centre entitled ‘Corruption in Emergencies’ (see http://www.u4.no ).
It also negatively influences public support for humanitarian relief, both in the affected country and abroad. This paper aims to unpack and analyse the following question in order to mitigate risk: how and where does corruption typically occur, and what can be done? Suggested strategies reflect a multi‐layered approach that stresses internal agency control mechanisms, conflict‐sensitive management, and the need for common systems among operators.     

Fiji's worst natural disaster: the 1931 hurricane and flood

At least 225 people in the Fiji Islands died as a result of the 1931 hurricane and flood, representing the largest loss of life from a natural disaster in Fiji's recent history. This paper explores the causes of disaster and the potential for recurrence. The disaster occurred because a rare event surprised hundreds of people—especially recently settled Indian farmers—occupying highly exposed floodplains in north‐west Viti Levu island. The likelihood of a flood disaster of such proportions occurring today has been diminished by changed settlement patterns and building materials; however, a trend towards re‐occupancy of floodplains, sometimes in fragile dwellings, is exposing new generations to flood risks. The contribution of this paper to the global hazards literature is set out in three sections: the ethnicity, gender and age of flood fatalities; the naturalness of disasters; and the merit of choice and constraint as explanations for patterns of vulnerability.     

Public orders and personal opinions: household strategies for hurricane risk assessment

Abstract

This paper examines the relationship between household evacuation decisions and official emergency management practices in light of recent increases in the availability and diversity of hurricane-related information. While we focus on Hurricane Floyd in South Carolina, we incorporate findings of our longitudinal research effort covering the last four years and six post-1995 hurricane threats to the state. While only 64% of residents in the mandatory evacuation zone complied with the Hurricane Floyd evacuation order, over 80% agreed that calling an evacuation was an appropriate precautionary response given the uncertainties of the storm. Longitudinal surveys indicate that Horry County residents have developed a fairly robust strategy in making evacuation decisions. This “hurricane savvy” population depends more heavily on individuals' assessments of risks than on official orders. Individual assessment practices differ from official orders in that greater weight is given to household circumstances and preferences, the diligent monitoring of a variety of information sources, and the incorporation of past experiences into the decision-making process. Surveys indicate differences between the general public and officials in terms of priorities and preferences about hurricane evacuations. The public demands more information about the hurricane threat. Officials place more emphasis on planning evacuation routes and public safety measures.     

Heading for higher ground: factors affecting real and hypothetical hurricane evacuation behavior

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to assess the determinants of hurricane evacuation behavior of North Carolina coastal households during Hurricane Bonnie and a future hypothetical hurricane. We use the data from a telephone survey of North Carolina coastal residents. Hypothetical questions are used to assess whether respondents will evacuate and where in the case of a future hurricane with varying intensities. We examine the social, economic, and risk factors that affect the decisions to evacuate and whether to go to a shelter or motel/hotel relative to other destinations. The most important predictor of evacuation is storm intensity. Households are more likely to evacuate when given evacuation orders, when they perceive a flood risk, and when they live in mobile homes. Households who own pets are less likely to evacuate. Non-white households, pet owners and those with more education are less likely to go to either a motel/hotel or shelter, preferring instead to stay with friends or family.     

Special needs hurricane shelters and the ageing population: development of a methodology and a case study application

Recent experience of hurricanes, particularly in the southeast United States, has heightened awareness of the multifaceted nature of and the challenges to effective disaster relief planning. One key element of this planning is providing adequate shelter at secure locations for people who evacuate. Some of these individuals will have ‘special needs’, yet there is little research on the relationship with shelter space. This study designed a geographic information systems‐based network optimisation methodology for the siting of special needs hurricane relief shelters, with a focus on the transportation component. It sought to find new locations for shelters that maximise accessibility by vulnerable populations, given capacity constraints, concentrating on the ageing population. The framework was implemented in a medium‐sized metropolitan statistical area in the state of Florida where data suggest a possible deficit in special needs shelter space. The study analysed options for increasing special needs shelter capacity, while considering potential uncertainties in transportation network availability.     

Transitional coordination in Sudan (2006–08): lessons from the United Nations Resident Coordinator's Office

With the increase in internal conflicts following the end of the Cold War, the scale and scope of the United Nations' work in conflict and post‐conflict environments grew markedly. As a result, the coordination of programming and policy in the transition from relief to recovery has been a central preoccupation of academics and practitioners alike. Intergovernmental bodies such as the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) have made these topics a subject of regular discussion, while some countries have altered their bureaucratic structures to respond more effectively in post‐crisis settings, particularly in cases involving the deployment of national troops. The United Nations Resident Coordinator's Office in Sudan provides a model for other transitional countries and is a useful case study of the broader challenges of post‐crisis programming. Effective coordination structures and planning/programming processes are identified as interdependent prerequisites for ensuring a successful transition from relief to recovery.     

试论国家救灾资金的精准风险控制方法

传统救灾资金风险控制方法存在控制精准度较低的问题,为了解决这一问题该文提出基于多因素分析的救灾资金精准风险控制方法。首先通过对自然灾害区域的经济损失率进行计算,确定该受灾区域的经济损失情况;引入模糊集运算方法,计算出救灾资金分配的上下限值,实现救灾资金的精准分配。然后通过熵权法对救灾资金的风险进行预测,如果救灾资金的风险过高,则运用最小二乘法对预测矩阵进行修正,以降低救灾资金的风险。最后以地震规模预测和救灾资金分配的准确性为对比指标,通过实验验证本文方法的有效性。     

Moderating effects of empathic concern and personal distress on the emotional reactions of disaster volunteers

This study examines stress and mood outcomes in community volunteers who undertook one week's worth of post‐disaster relief work in L'Aquila, Italy, which had been hit by an earthquake four months earlier. The study team obtained pre‐ and post‐relief work data from 130 volunteers involved in activities such as preparing food for the displaced, cleaning the camps and distributing clean linen. The Perceived Stress Scale, the State‐Trait Anxiety Inventory and the Profile of Mood States were administered at the start and at the end of the aid activities. Psychopathological symptoms and empathy were assessed in the beginning, using the Symptom Checklist 90 Revised and the Interpersonal Reactivity Index, respectively. The results show that, following the assistance work, volunteers displayed decreases in perceived stress, general distress, anxiety and anger, as well as increases in positive emotions. The empathy facets empathic concern and personal distress showed different patterns in modulating the post‐disaster relief work adaptation for some of the mood outcomes.     

灾害救助评估理论方法研究与展望

灾害救助评估是一种辅助决策工具,收集和分析灾害及灾害救助信息,为灾害救助活动的决策、规划和控制提供有效的信息支持,其内涵主要包括4个方面:①评估灾害对社会产生的影响;②灾害应急抢险需求与方案优化;③救助资源可获得性;④促进和加速灾后恢复与区域发展的可行性。灾害救助过程包括规划、数据收集与调查、分析与解读、趋势预测、辅助决策、灾害监测等6个环节。灾害救助评估内容按照灾害救助阶段总体分为应急快速评估和灾后详细评估两大类。其中,应急快速评估主要侧重于灾情和应急救助需求,是灾害救助评估的传统研究领域,为应急抢险和受灾人口基本生活保障提供信息支持;灾后详细评估则主要用于全面分析灾害对社会、经济、生态环境系统造成的损失和影响,为灾后恢复与重建提供辅助决策支持。     

我国多元化巨灾保险模式初探∗

为健全完善我国多元化巨灾保险模式,在研究我国巨灾风险和巨灾保险现状,分析国外巨灾保险制度的基础上,提出 4 个方面的途径：（1）坚持政府主导,为城乡居民提供基本普惠保险;（2）发挥市场作用,为不同群体提供更加丰富的保险产品;（3）运用金融工具,建立多元协同的风险分散机制;（4）注重“以防为主”,提高我国防灾减灾救灾能力。建议统筹政府、保险行业、减灾部门和社会资本的资源和力量,构建基本保障能“兜底”、保险产品多元化、 风险分散有支撑的运行模式和工作机制,构筑巨灾风险共同体,提高全社会的抗灾韧性,为人民群众安居乐业提供可靠的安全保障。     

Lessons from the 2006 Louisiana health and population survey

The 2005 hurricane season caused extensive damage and induced a mass migration of approximately 1.1 million people from southern Louisiana in the United States. Current and accurate estimates of population size and demographics and an assessment of the critical needs for public services were required to guide recovery efforts. Since forecasts using pre-hurricane data may produce inaccurate estimates of the post-hurricane population, a household survey in 18 hurricane-affected parishes was conducted to provide timely and credible information on the size of these populations, their demographics and their condition. This paper describes the methods used, the challenges encountered, and the key factors for successful implementation. This post-disaster survey was unique because it identified the needs of the people in the affected parishes and quantified the number of people with these needs. Consequently, this survey established new population and health indicator baselines that otherwise would have not been available to guide the relief and recovery efforts in southern Louisiana.