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.     

The 'who' and 'what' of training far disaster relief

This paper defines the various levels within government, the voluntary agencies and the community which might benefit from training and makes suggestions as to where the emphasis should be placed. It points out that training programmes should be designed to meet the expressed needs of a particular group of trainees as well as be related to the current or potential disaster situation.     

我国防灾救灾物资市场建立过程中的企业行为与对策探讨

在社会主义市场经济条件下,防灾救灾物资也同样需要通过市场配置,而不是通过计划调拔。在目前及今后一段时期迫切需要研究并适应灾害特点,迅速建立适合中国国情的防灾救灾物资市场体系,变政府开发为市场开发,逐步使企业发展成为防灾救灾物资市场开发的主体。     

城市震后救灾系统救灾决策研究

论述了震后救灾系统模型及评估方法,采用Ｍｏｎｔｅ Ｃａｒｌｏ模拟和最优化技术理论,建立了城市震后救灾、救护、运输网络系统的可靠性分析方法和以失效概率为控制参数的最佳路径优化方法,并以某城市网络系统为例通过分析研究,给出了震后救灾决策方法。     

中国救灾物资代储点优化布局研究

优化国家救灾物资代储点布局的目标是要提高我国的自然灾害应急响应能力和救灾时效性.构建了自然灾害发生过程中交通应急响应能力的评价指标和模型,包括陆地综合通行能力指数、空运通达时间和陆地交通通达时间,编制了相应的数字地图.结果表明:全国陆地交通综合通行能力在地域上是不平衡的,东南地区远远大于西北地区,其中以环渤海、长三角、珠三角地区最大;从通达时间来看,要以现有的10个代储点为中心来覆盖全国,空运至少需要7h,陆地交通运输至少需要48h,这使得许多地区的交通应急响应能力因运输时间过长而降低.最后,提出了国家救灾物资代储点的优化布局方案,建议新增6个代储点,以此实现灾中空运3h,全国各地均可送达救灾物资;陆运6h,全国近90%的地区可送达救灾物资.     

灾害救助网络动员模式研究

网络动员作为一种新兴的动员方式,在灾害救助中发挥着重要的作用。深入分析了现阶段我国网络动员模式中公众信息素养提升与政府监管力度不足并存,网络舆论动员与网络行动动员共举的现状,提出建构灾害救助网络动员的理想模式需要培养多元化与权威性的网络动员主体,把握网络动员主体也是监管者的双重身份,建立法律依据、政策监管、公众监督和媒体干预的立体保障。     

Restoring sanitation services after an earthquake: field experience in Bam, Iran

A powerful earthquake hit the city of Bam in southeast Iran on 26 December 2003. In its aftermath, a number of international relief agencies, including Oxfam, assisted in providing emergency sanitation services. Oxfam's programme consisted of constructing and repairing toilets and showers in villages located outside of the city. In contrast with other organisations, Oxfam opted for brick-work structures, using local materials and human resources rather than prefabricated cubicles. The choice illustrates the dilemmas faced by agencies involved in emergency sanitation: responding to needs in a manner consistent with international standards and offering assistance in a timely fashion while involving beneficiaries. Following a preliminary survey, Oxfam concluded that the provision of showers and latrines, in addition to utilisation of local materials and human resources, was essential for ensuring well-being, empowerment and dignity among members of the affected population, thereby maximising the benefits.     

对城市规划中抗震与应急救灾问题的思考

根据国内外震害教训和抗震经验，从震灾防御和应急救灾诸方面讨论了城市规划建设时应注意的问题及应采取的措施。     

手机移动气象防灾减灾服务系统的设计与实现

应用目前先进的KJAVA技术，研究开发了江西省手机移动气象防灾减灾服务系统，简要介绍了该系统的基本原理、使用环境、信息流程、体系结构和主要功能。该系统投入业务运行以来，已得到各级党政领导和森林防火、防汛指挥、人工增雨等部门的好评，在防灾减灾方面取得了明显的社会经济效益。     

中国自然灾害备灾能力评价与地域划分

阐述了自然灾害发生之前,备灾响应能力评价的指标选择、指标模型的建立和地域划分;厘定了救灾物资的分类体系;基于救灾物资救助等级的划分程序,提出了国家主要灾种和救灾物资的救助评价等级及其地域划分.救灾物资的救助地域划分,不仅可以为国家不同自然灾害救灾物资代储类型和数量的地域匹配提供依据,而且可以为灾害救助区划服务,特别是为灾中应急和灾后恢复提供物资保障,从而达到有效减灾的目的.     

日本新澙中越地震简况及抗震救灾的经验教训

介绍了2004年日本新瀉中越地震及其余震的概况、震源机制和地震发生的特点,描述了普通民宅、大型公共设施、生命线工程和农林畜牧业的震害情况及震后日本政府的紧急救援措施,初步总结了抗震救灾工作的经验和教训,为我国今后这方面的工作提供参考.     

一种新型的灾害救助撤离路线分析方法——基于混合空间数据的研究

灾害应急响应业务常面临数据不完备、应急措施适时性强等问题,要求所实现的应急响应方法灵活程度高,易于操作。以灾害救助撤离路线分析为例,探讨了如何通过混合数据的使用达到降低数据准备难度的目的,通过栅格空间分析的使用达到简化分析过程的目的,通过模型的设计实现达到方便业务功能集成更新的目的。设计并实现了路线分析的技术流程;基于重用思想定义业务模型,应用组件对象模型技术对路线分析方法进行了封装。所实现的业务模型证实了技术流程的有效性,具有较高运行效率。     

Nutritional response to the 1998 Bangladesh flood disaster: Sphere minimum standards in disaster response

In this study we use a cross-sectional survey to evaluate the nutritional response to the 1998 Bangladesh Flood Disaster by 15 relief agencies using standards developed by the Sphere Project. The Sphere Project is a recent attempt by agencies around the world to establish universal minimum standards for the purpose of ensuring quality and accountability in disaster response. The main outcomes measured were resources allocated to disaster relief types of relief activities and percentage of agencies meeting selected Sphere food aid and nutrition indicators. Although the process of nutritional response was measured, specific nutritional and health outcomes were not assessed. This review found that self-reported disaster and nutritional resources varied widely between implementing agencies, ranging from US $58,947 to $15,908,712. The percentage of resources these agencies allocated to food aid and nutritional response also varied, ranging from approximately 6 to 99 per cent of total resources. Agencies met between 8 and 83 per cent of the specific Sphere indicators which were assessed Areas in which performance was poor included preliminary nutritional analysis; beneficiary participation and feedback; disaster preparedness during non-emergency times; monitoring of local markets and impact assessment. Agencies were generally successful in areas of core humanitarian response, such as targeting the vulnerable (83 per cent) and monitoring and evaluating the process of disaster response (75 per cent). The results here identify both strengths and gaps in the quality of humanitarian response in developing nations such as Bangladesh. However, they also raise the question of implementing a rights-based approach to disaster response in nations without a commitment to meeting positive human rights in non-disaster times.     

Prospects for disaster management in China and the role of insurance

ABSTRACT

Natural disasters have serious negative consequences for China and it is necessary to build an effective and efficient disaster relief system. This paper aims to provide suggestions for how to restructure and optimise China’s disaster relief system. This paper first discusses the four main channels through which relief funds are currently distributed in China while also examining the relative share of relief funds directed through each channel. Then, the advantages and disadvantages of these relief channels are compared. Finally, suggestions for how China can reduce the negative economic and social impacts of natural disasters by restructuring and optimising its current disaster relief system are provided. The paper presents several main findings. Currently, government-channelled funds are the most important source of disaster relief in China. However, the actual ratio of relief funds from the government to the total amount of losses and the ratio of relief funds from the four channels added together are both very low. This paper argues that the role of commercial insurance in disaster relief is far from sufficient. Importantly, suggestions are also provided on how to restructure the system and on the relative role that each of these channels should play in China’s disaster relief system.     

探索发展与减灾协调之路——从2006年达沃斯国际减灾会议看中国发展与减灾协调对策

介绍了于2006年8月28日至9月1日在瑞士达沃斯举行的国际减灾会议的主要内容。在阅读本次会议有关论文扩展摘要集内容。以及会议上散发的大量文件、研究报告的基础上,综述了当前国际减灾研究与实践工作中,学术界、政界与企业界等在探索协调发展与减灾进程中的主要进展和发展趋向。国际减灾界当前关注的主要领域为：建立灾害与风险科学,善待与重建生态系统,关注全球环境变化与灾害的密切关系,重视利用金融、保险和再保险手段转移风险,关注女性在灾害风险管理中的作用,关注恐怖主义对社会风险的强化作用,发展灾害风险管理的信息支撑平台,重视建设高风险地区综合减灾范式。在此基础上,针对中国可持续发展战略实施过程中存在的主要问题,提出中国协调发展与减灾对策为：建立国家协调发展与减轻灾害风险的管理体制与运行机制,加强控制综合灾害风险水平的生态系统等减灾基础设施建设,发挥女性在农村地区综合灾害风险管理中的作用,建立区域综合灾害风险管理与减灾范式和加强区域综合灾害风险防范关键技术的开发,促进灾害与风险学科体系的形成。     

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.     

大气化学灾害应急气象保障系统的设计与开发

大气化学灾害应急气象保障系统是针对危险化学品的泄漏、爆炸和光化学烟雾等大气化学灾害应急处置专门设计开发的技术支持系统，该系统由大气化学灾害事故信息接警、现场气象监测、气象资料综合显示、社会经济环境背景查询、危险大气成分预报、决策服务产品制作、应急指挥、预警信息发布等若干子系统组成，可以为各级政府指挥大气化学灾害的应急工作提供科技支撑平台。     

城市综合承灾能力与经济发展协调性研究

构成城市综合承灾能力的防灾能力、抗灾能力、救灾能力和灾后恢复能力是相互联系的。城市综合承灾能力与城市经济发展水平紧密相连。利用灰关联熵方法,分析了某城市各种承灾能力的关联性大小,以及综合承灾能力与城市经济发展水平的关联强度。但关联性强,却不能说明协调得就好。因此,又利用灰色系统理论的思想,分析了城市综合承灾能力与城市经济发展水平的协调关系,发现城市综合承灾能力对城市经济发展水平有明显的滞后性。分析得出该滞后性存在的原因后,通过对序列进行时间平移,证实了对滞后性原因的判断,并提出了加快加强城市综合承灾能力建设的建议,为后续发展奠定坚实基础。     

Capacity development for participatory disaster risk assessment

In this paper a large-scale community-based disaster risk-assessment project, undertaken in the Dr Kenneth Kaunda District Municipality in the North-West Province of South Africa, is evaluated. In contrast to other disaster risk management consultancy projects in South Africa, this project included a significant skills transfer component to the at-risk communities and local government officials. In this evaluation, the authors draw on their own experiences in implementing this and similar projects, a review of the project management documents is undertaken, and a focus group interview with facilitators involved in the project is used as a primary source. The discussion is further contextualised in terms of community-based disaster risk assessment theory and the existing literature on disaster risk assessment in South Africa. Logistical and data quality issues as well as staff turnover were found to be concerns during the project. From the findings, it is argued that the common practice of outsourcing disaster risk-management projects is not conducive to effective disaster risk management. Local government entities should take responsibility for disaster risk assessment as a continual activity. This is in contrast to the view currently manifesting in South Africa as a set of bureaucratic actions undertaken by consultants to achieve ‘legislative compliance’ for municipalities.     

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.