Disaster risk from a macroeconomic perspective: a metric for fiscal vulnerability evaluation

The Disaster Deficit Index (DDI) measures macroeconomic and financial risk in a country according to possible catastrophic scenario events. Extreme disasters can generate financial deficit due to sudden and elevated need of resources to restore affected inventories. The DDI captures the relationship between the economic loss that a country could experience when a catastrophic event occurs and the availability of funds to address the situation. The proposed model utilises the procedures of the insurance industry in establishing probable losses, based on critical impacts during a given period of exposure; for economic resilience, the model allows one to calculate the country's financial ability to cope with a critical impact. There are limitations and costs associated with access to resources that one must consider as feasible values according to the country's macroeconomic and financial conditions. This paper presents the DDI model and the results of its application to 19 countries of the Americas and aims to guide governmental decision‐making in disaster risk reduction.     

事故灾难类重大突发事件情景构建概念模型

近期重特大事故灾难频发,表现出我国安全管理水平和应急处置能力依然不足。为引导地区或企业有序地开展应急准备工作,设计了事故灾难类重大突发事件情景构建概念模型,分析了概念模型中的“机会窗”和“准备效益”等重要理念,总结了概念模型在我国当前阶段的重要指导意义。最后,以某化工园区为真实背景,开展了生产安全事故情景构建的原型研究,证明了在事故灾难领域开展情景构建的实际价值。     

The public health system response to the 2008 Sichuan province earthquake: a literature review and interviews

This paper describes and analyses the public health system response to the deadly earthquake in Sichuan province, China, in May 2008. Drawing on an experiential learning project consisting of a literature review and field research, including a series of interviews with medical and public health professionals, policy‐makers and first responders, a conceptual framework was developed to describe the response. This approach emphasises the pre‐existing preparedness level of the medical and public health systems, as well as social, economic and geo‐political factors that had an impact on mitigation efforts. This framework was used to conduct post‐disaster analyses addressing major response issues and examining methods employed during the public health response to the disaster. This framework could be used to describe and analyse the emergency response to other disasters.     

Simulation and application of a disaster spread model in Chemical Disaster Network

In the research field of chemical safety, the computer-aided simulation for occurrence and process of disasters has become a major trend in current research, in which the establishment of evolution system for chemical multi disasters is the key point. In the paper, the study lays emphasis on the simulation and application of a spread model for chemical multi disasters. After establishing a disaster network, we defined microcosmic elements of spread model specifically. Combined with guideline of chemical disaster (e.g. guideline of heat flux for damages or injure, guideline of evaluation for buildings based explosion and overpressure, and guideline of evaluation for human exposure to toxic gases), the weight of impact can be computed using new comprehensive algorithms. Simultaneously, the paper also uses an approach on simulating multiple failure events to describe random factors of triggering disasters. At last, the experimental case of alkyl aluminum leakage in a polypropylene plant shows the result of simulation with table of 5 major series of disasters and distribution diagram of nodes (disasters) in disaster network. This proves the validity and practicability of the simulation system in the establishment and feedback of contingency plan of large-scale petrochemical enterprises.     

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.     

应急准备文化的推进与实践

应急准备文化是应急管理工作中的重要组成部分,应急准备文化包括知识文化、应急意识和观念文化以及行为文化。应急文化最终体现在应急行动上。推进和实践应急准备文化应从理念和意识的形成,抗灾救灾理论研究和应急文化的教育,必要的组织和制度保障,人才队伍建设和培养,抗逆力的培养和形成,政府、社会和公民责任和义务,公共危机教育和认真总结分析巨灾后的应急救援工作得失等多方面进行。     

我国海冰的可能最大厚度

我国的渤海和黄海北部近岸海域，每年冬季都有海冰出现，渤海的辽东湾是我国冰情最严重海区。在渤海，特别是辽东湾，海注作用力是海洋工程设计的控制荷载。海注的厚度是计算海冰作用力的重要参数之一。本文根据渤海辽东湾北部鲅鱼圈和盘锦海洋站的气温和海冰观测资料，建立了计算海冰厚度的经验公式，并据此估算了我国平整海冰的可能最大厚度为８０ｃｍ。     

震灾保险新制式与国内外现行制式的比较研究

本文概括分析了国外震灾保险制式的形成思路、实施准则及其局限性；指出国内大多数研究模式受传统观念的制约，只能是对国外制式的效仿和沿袭；进而介绍了一种能够有效克服一般模式弊病的新型震灾保险制式，并对其实质与科学蕴涵作了简略阐述。     

确立灾害评估标准是我国“国际减灾十年”目标的重要问题

本文通过许多实例.从测、报、抗、防、救等几个方面论述灾害评估标准的重要性,进而说明了灾害评估与减灾管理以及灾情统计的密切关系.文中还根据我国近几年灾害经济损失的情况对90年代的减灾目标提出了看法.     

地方政府地震风险预防与应急准备:实践、挑战及对策——基于广东河源市的分析

地震是广东河源市常见的自然灾害,频发的地震和作为城市重大风险源的新丰江水库可能诱发地震的双重影响对河源市地震应急预防准备工作提出严峻挑战,提升河源市政府和相关部门的地震应急能力尤为重要。根据对河源市地震应急预防准备工作现状的实地调研访谈、问卷调查和分析,阐述了河源市在地震应急预防准备工作进行的实践探索、待改善的方面,在借鉴国内外经验基础上,提出了加强和改进河源市地震预防与应急准备工作的对策建议。