All Hazards

Citation

(2002), "All Hazards", Disaster Prevention and Management, Vol. 11 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/dpm.2002.07311aag.001

All Hazards

Croner.CCH's new "safety net"http://www.healthandsafety-centre.net

Health and safety professionals can now access a free online information service from Croner.CCH. This is a new Web centre geared towards providing health and safety professionals with focussed, topical information. This new Web centre incorporates a dynamic registration and personalisation service that enables users to choose their own information preferences. This means that each time a user logs on, the home page is personalised to his or her needs and interests. www.healthandsafety-centre.net is constantly changing to remain topical and up to the minute. It features information "zones" covering hazards and hazardous activities, fire safety, hazardous substances and dangerous goods, risk assessment, and risk control and management. There are also pages dedicated to legislation and training. Constantly updated with daily news and topical articles, the Web centre also offers a regularly updated legislation tracker, an events diary, health and safety questions and answers, and searchable archives. Users can also reach their peers using the discussion forum and search for health and safety products in the guyers' guide. Subscribers can even consult experts for advice on health and safety issues. Croner.CCH customers with online subscriptions can access these by logging in with a special user code, available by e-mailing HS@Croner.cch.co.uk

The health and safety service is one of five Web centres launched by Croner.CCH, designed to provide users with high-quality information from an organisation they already trust and respect. By registering once, users can access free information at all five sites:

1. 1.

   www.humanresources-centre.net;

2. 2.

   www.environment-centre.net;

3. 3.

   www.tradeintemational-centre.net;

4. 4.

   www.fd-centre.net; and

5. 5.

   www.healthandsafety-centre.net

Croner.CCH is the UK's leading provider of subscription management information. Fifty years on from the launch of its first reference book, Croner.CCH has launched its free Web site, www.centre-healthandsafety-centre.net

For Croner.CCH, providing information to support the needs of employers etc. is nothing new as it has been publishing information on health and safety law and good practice since 1979, when it first published Croner's Health and Safety at Work.

American Red Crosshttp://www.tallytown.com/redcross

The industrious folks at the Florida Capital Area Chapter of the American Red Cross (who put out a lot of disaster preparedness, response, and mitigation information on the Web) have added several new resources to their site

First, the site now includes the new Building Disaster Resistant Neighbourhoods Handbook, available via the Disaster Resistant Neighbourhood link. This handbook outlines a step-by-step action plan, with examples, to assist neighbourhood associations to prepare for disasters. Posted along with the handbook are a variety of marketing tools to promote the program. Also posted are the applications for three successfully funded Disaster Resistant Neighbourhood initiatives. With the discovery of West Nile Virus in North Florida during early July, the Capital Area Chapter has also established a West Nile Virus information Web section. This site contains fact sheets, maps, and reporting and surveillance information on the virus; educational information such as Mosquitoes: How to Control Them; educational programs for children; and links to related Web sites.

North Carolina Division of Emergency Managementhttp://www.ncem.org/mitigation

Reflecting the increasing emphasis on hazard mitigation among government agencies involved in disaster management, the North Carolina Division of Emergency Management has created this comprehensive "Hazard mitigation in North Carolina" Web page for citizens of the state. It includes current information on home protection measures, mitigation funding, the National Flood Insurance Program, mitigation planning, legal services, publications, presentations, and upcoming events, as well as a section entitled "What is your risk?", contact information, and related Web links.

Healthcare Association of Hawaii (HAH)http://www.hah-emergency.net/

Early in May, the Healthcare Association of Hawaii (HAH) launched this emergency management program Web site to aid hospitals and other health-care organizations in that state. The site includes information for the general public and restricted content available only to health-care emergency managers in Hawaii. It also provides a brief description of the program, which could serve as a model for other health-care organizations and associations across the nation. Comments and suggestions are welcome.

Humane Society of the United Stateshttp://www.hsus.org/disaster http://www.hsus.org/disaster/disastennonthmain.html

In June, in support of National Disaster Preparedness Month for Animals, the Humane Society of the United States published three downloadable brochures to help animal owners prepare for emergencies:

1. 1.

   Disaster Preparedness for Pets.

2. 2.

   Disaster Preparedness for Horses.

3. 3.

   Disaster Preparedness for Livestock

These pamphlets are available from the second URL above; at the first is additional information (including on-line brochures in HTML format) on protecting animals from various hazards.

World Institute for Disaster Risk Management (DRM)http://www.drmonline.net

The World Institute for Disaster Risk Management (DRM) is a joint initiative of the Board of the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology and Virginia Tech University in conjunction with the World Bank's ProVention Consortium. It was created to promote applied research, implementation and dissemination in the field of disaster risk management. DRM's objective is to enable people to anticipate disasters and take action to protect life and property while ensuring sustainable social and economic development. The new DRM Web site describes the institute, the DRM network and current projects, and also offers several online DRM publications.

To obtain further information about DRM, contact the World Institute for Disaster Risk Management, Alexandria Research Institute, 206 North Washington Street, Suite 400, Alexandria, VA 22314. Tel: (703) 518-8080; Fax: (703) 518-8085; E-mail: widrm@vt.edu or DRM, c/oETH Board, Haldelwig 15, ETH Centre, CH-8092 Zurich, Switzerland. Tel: +4116322002; Fax: + 41163211 90; E-mail: DRM@ethrat.ch .

United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR)http://www.eird.org

The United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) Unit for Latin America and the Caribbean has launched this new Web site to promote disaster mitigation in the region and to help the unit better respond to the many information requests it receives daily. The site provides information about the goals and man related events. It also provides online documents, such as the ISDR Informs magazine and the monthly ISDR Highlights, and an educational section for children. The site is in both Spanish and English, and the developers welcome comments and contributions.

WorldBank DFMhttp://www.worldbank.org/dmf http://www.worldbank.org/html/fpd/dmf/conceptual-articles.html

The Worldbank's Disaster Management Facility (DFM) Web site includes a series of succinct "conceptual articles" at the second URL above:

• •

  "Megacities, megarisk" describes how proper planning by local governments can reduce the human and financial losses incurred by large cities.

• •

  "Using microfinance for disaster mitigation" discusses how small, individual finance programs have helped the poor in developing countries maintain income and consumption levels in the face of accidents, deaths or illness.

• •

  "Myths and realities" explains how the impact of disasters on populations can be much less severe when certain widely held beliefs and broadly circulated myths are abandoned.

• •

  "Innovations in disaster management: mobilising private financing" discusses the increasing importance of private finance as the capacity of international lenders to provide assistance falls short.

• •

  "What emerged from the rubble" examines how enforcement of building code laws could have minimised the devastation and massive loss of life caused by the earthquake that hit Turkey last year.

• •

  "Hedging your bets" describes research into new insurance mechanisms to help rural poor deal with disaster.