On the Web

Citation

(2002), "On the Web", Disaster Prevention and Management, Vol. 11 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/dpm.2002.07311bag.001

On the Web

Hurricanes and politics in Latin America Redux

In the Natural Hazards Observer (Vol. XXV No. 6, p. 5), they announced the availability of the Hazard Center's Special Publication 38, The Storms of '98: Hurricanes Georges and Mitch – Impacts, Institutional Response, and Disaster Politics in Three Countries, by Richard Olson, Ricardo Alvarez, Bruce Baird, Amelia Estrada, Vincent Gawronski, and Juan Pablo Sarmiento Prieto. That work examines the response and "disaster politics" (including media coverage) associated with Hurricane Georges in the Dominican Republic and Hurricane Mitch in Honduras and Nicaragua. The focus is the "marginalization" of national emergency response agencies. These organizations – typically small national civil defense offices – were quickly shouldered aside when the disasters became major catastrophes demanding international attention and aid. New, temporary offices were established, with consequent duplication of effort, lack of coordination and poor response. To deal with this difficulty, Olson and his colleagues offer their "accordion option", under which a national emergency organization recognizes its probable marginalization and therefore prepares a plan for the head of state that outlines how national-level disaster response can be expanded to include other ministries and organizations, while the emergency management office itself retains an organizing and coordinating role. To make this important work available as widely as possible, The Storms of '98 (67 pp.) is now posted on the Hazard Center's Web site at: www.colorado.edu/hazards/sp/sp.html, where it can be read and/or downloaded free. Persons desiring a printed copy can still purchase The Storms of '98 for $20.00, plus shipping (US $5.00; Canada $8.00; Mexico $12.00; beyond North America $18.00) from the Publications Administrator, Natural Hazards Research and Applications Information Center, University of Colorado, 482 UCB, Boulder, CO 80309-0482, USA. Tel: (303) 492-6819; Fax: (303) 492-2151; E-mail: janet.kroeckel@colorado.edu

EarthScope

EarthScope is an integrated, multi-organisational program to apply modern’observational, analytical and telecommunications technologies to investigate the structure and evolution of the North American continent and the physical processes controlling earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. EarthScope will provide a foundation for fundamental and applied research that will contribute to the mitigation of risk from geological hazards, development of natural resources, and understanding of earth dynamics. The program will address such fundamental questions as "Why do earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur?", "How do continents form and evolve?" EarthScope will combine several sophisticated geophysical monitoring and measurement systems with data and observations from other disciplines. The project is a partnership involving more than 100 universities, the National Science Foundation, US Geological Survey, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Department of Energy, regional seismic networks, and state geological surveys. Detailed information about EarthScope is available on the World Wide Web from www.earthscope.org In particular, program brochures can be downloaded from www.earthscope.org/EarthScope1.pdf and www.earthscope.org/EarthScope2.pdf

New Center for Hazards and Risk Research

By establishing a new Center for Hazards and Risk Research, Columbia University's Earth Institute hopes to revolutionize the ways in which hazards are defined and analysed and to help communities around the world protect themselves against these perils. Drawing on the long history of earth science research at Columbia's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, the new Center will unite basic earth scientists with sociologists, economists, and representatives of other disciplines to produce integrated and effective assessments of hazards risks. The Center will concentrate on natural processes such as earthquakes, floods, landslides, and extreme weather, and on environmental hazards, such as air and water pollution and climate change. Recognizing that "massive investments in scientific research, regulatory mechanisms, and financial risk management tools have failed up until now to substantially reduce losses," the Center intends to expand the range of approaches to hazards mitigation by also addressing such issues as communication and knowledge dissemination, public awareness, economics and wealth distribution, policy formation and political questions, development, land-use planning, and community resilience. One of the first projects on the Center's agenda will be the design of a "multi-hazard vulnerability index" – a composite measure of disaster risk. Center researchers believe that this index will be a useful tool that will help focus attention on slowly developing hazards, such as the massive earthquake scientists now predict will topple Istanbul within 30 years. A "virtual center," the Center for Hazards and Risk Research will combine the talents of several Columbia schools, institutes and centers, such as Columbia's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, School of Engineering, School of International and Public Affairs, Center for Science Policy Outcomes, Center for Decision Sciences, and Center for International Earth Science Information Networks. Whenever possible the Center will also collaborate with other academic, government and international institutions and agencies. More information about Columbia's new Center for Hazards and’Risk’Research can be found at www.ldeo.columbia.edu/CHRR/

Interested persons can also contact the Center for Hazards and Risk Research, Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, 230 Seismology, Route’9W, Palisades, NY 10964, USA. Tel: (845) 365-8909; Fax: (845) 365-8150; Art Lemer-Lam; E-mail: lemer@ldeo.columbia.edu or Kathleen Boyer; E-mail: kb42@columbia.edu