All hazards

Citation

(2003), "All hazards", Disaster Prevention and Management, Vol. 12 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/dpm.2003.07312cae.001

All hazards

Below are summaries of some of the recent, most useful publications on hazards and disasters received by the Natural Hazards Center. All items contain information on how to obtain a copy. A complete bibliography of publications received from 1995 to the present can be found on the Center's Web site: www.colorado.edu/hazards/bib/bib.html

All hazards

Tools and Techniques: An Encyclopedia of Strategies to Mitigate the Impacts of Natural Hazards

2002176pp.Free

Natural hazards are a part of the natural environment, and in the absence of a built environment, they impact a highly regenerative, adaptable, and resilient environment. However, when natural hazards interact with the built environment, the result is often disastrous: expensive, time-consuming, socially damaging, and most importantly, largely avoidable with appropriate community planning. This encyclopaedia, produced by the North Carolina Division of Emergency Management, Hazard Mitigation Section, Risk Assessment and Planning Branch, and the Hazard Mitigation Planning Clinic, Department of City and Regional Planning, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, focuses on mitigating natural hazards through planning. Tools and Techniques is intended to support the creation of mitigation policies that are based on sound vulnerability and hazard assessment processes.

Available from: North Carolina Division of Emergency Management, Hazard Mitigation Section, Risk Assessment and Planning Branch and Hazard Mitigation Planning Clinic, 1830-B Tillery Place, Raleigh, NC 27604, USA. Tel: (919)715-8000; WWW: http://www.ncem.org/mitigation/Library/Encyclopedia2.pdf

Mental Health in Emergencies: Mental and Social Aspects of Health of Populations Exposed to Extreme Stressors

20038pp.Free

This document summarizes the position of the Department of Mental Health and Substance Dependence on assisting populations exposed to extreme stressors, such as refugees, disaster survivors, internally displaced persons, or victims of terrorism. It focuses on strategies that may be useful in resource-poor countries.

Copies of this document can be obtained from the World Health Organization Web site: www5.who.int/mental_health/download.cfm?id=0000000640.

Living with Risk: A Global Review of Disaster Reduction Initiatives (Preliminary Version)

2002387pp.Free

Living with Risk is an effort by the United Nations ISDR to gather and organize information on disaster risk reduction initiatives. The review presents the contexts of sustainable development and disaster risk reduction and is followed by a discussion of risk trends and assessment. Topics include policy and institutional frameworks, knowledge and information management, and the applications of specific risk reduction measures.

Copies can be obtained from the UN Inter-Agency Secretariat for the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR), Palais des Nations CH-1211, Geneva 10, Switzerland. Fax: (41-22) 917-0563; E-mail: GRisdr@un.org

The complete report can also be downloaded from: http://unisdr.org/unisdr/Globalreport.htm

Methods of Disaster Research

Edited by Robert Stallings2002524pp.$22.94

The methods employed in disaster research are indistinguishable from those used throughout the social sciences, yet they are often applied under unique circumstances. Researchers new to this field need to understand how the disaster context affects the application of research. This volume, written by some of the world's leading specialists in disaster research, provides a primer on disaster research methods. Among the topics covered are qualitative field studies and survey research; underutilized approaches such as cross-national studies, simulations, and historical methods; and newer tools utilizing geographic information systems, the Internet, and economic modeling.

To order, contact Xlibris, 436 Walnut Street, 11th Floor, Philadelphia, PA, 19106-3703, USA. Tel: (215) 923-4686; E-mail: orders@xlibris.com; WWW: http://www2.xlibris.com/index.asp

Guide on the Special Needs of People with Disabilities for Emergency Managers, Planners, and Responders

200232pp.

This publication highlights key disability concerns for officials and experts responsible for emergency planning in their communities. It also helps emergency managers, planners, and responders make the best use of resources to include all citizens of the community in emergency preparedness. The Guide describes the experiences of disabled individuals in community disasters, presents the results of a Harris poll on disability and disaster preparedness, discusses community disability disaster preparedness, offers tips for involving disabled communities in disaster planning and preparedness, examines evacuation planning for people with disabilities, and provides pointers for including this community in the recovery phase. A list of tools and resources for special emergency planning needs is also included.

Emergency management professionals may receive up to three free copies of the Guide. Other requests may include charges for shipping and handling. Requests should be made to the National Organization on Disability (NOD), 910 Sixteenth Street, N.W., Suite 600, Washington, DC 20006, USA. Tel: (202) 293-5960; Fax: (202) 530-0727; E-mail: epi@nod.org

The Guide can also be downloaded from the NOD Web site: http://www.nod.org/pdffiles.epi2002.pdf.

Children in Disasters: After the Cameras Have Gone

Edited by Amer Jabry200251pp.Free

An estimated 77 million children under 15 had their lives severely disrupted by a natural disaster or an armed conflict each year between 1991 and 2000. Over the same period, an estimated 115,000 children under 15 were killed annually as a result of these events. These figures are conservative, as children generally make up the largest segment of populations affected by disaster. This report uses case studies that illustrate Plan International's experience with working with children in disasters and points to recommended actions for organizations that are involved with disaster relief, recovery, and preparedness.

Plan International United Kingdom, 5-6 Underhill Street, London NW1 7HS, UK. Tel: 020 7482 9777; WWW: http://www.plan-uk.org/action/childrenindisasters

A Nation Prepared: Federal Emergency Management Agency Strategic Plan, Fiscal Years 2003-2008

200367pp.Free

The terrorist attacks in September 2001 caused FEMA to re-evaluate and refocus its priorities to address all hazards, natural and human-caused, including weapons of mass destruction. As a result, FEMA developed a new strategic plan to guide its mission in the upcoming years, particularly with the creation of the Department of Homeland Security. This report describes FEMA's core values, the goals of the agency, themes of the plan, challenges to implementation, and the strategic plan.

Copies can be requested from the FEMA Distribution Center, P.O. Box 2013, Jessup, MD 20794-2012, USA. Tel: (800) 480-2520; Fax: (301) 362-5335.

The report can also be found on the FEMA Web site: http://www.fema.gov/pdf/library/fema_strat_plan_fy03-08(append).pdf

Challenging Disasters: Natural Disaster Reduction in the Context of Intergovernmental Relations

Timo Hellenberg2002262pp.36 (Euros) plus 8 percent VAT

This publication identifies those intergovernmental organizations that deal with natural disaster mitigation and prevention, as well as the methods and procedures they use to accomplish their mission. It also identifies the functional overlap of many of these institutions. The author has undertaken an exhaustive cross-sectoral organizational analysis to catalogue all of the essential United Nations agencies and related military structures that deal with natural disaster reduction.

To order, contact Elina Kahla, KiKimora Publications, c/o the Aleksanteri Institute, P.O. Box 4, University of Helskinki, Finland. Tel: +358-9-191 23 824; E-mail: Elina.Kahla@helsinki.fi; WWW: http://www.helsinki.fi/aleksanteri or http://www.kikimora-publications.com

Is Your Home Protected from Water Damage? A Homeowner's Guide to Water Damage Prevention

200327pp.Free

To view the guide, see: http://www.ibhs.org/research_library/view.asp?id=342

You Can Go Home Again: Returning Home after a Natural Disaster

20032pp.Free

This brochure can be downloaded from: http://www.ibhs.org/research_library/downloads/323.pdf

For information on obtaining printed copies of both publications, contact the Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS), 4775 East Fowler Avenue, Tampa, FL 33617, USA. Tel: (813) 286-3400; Fax: (813) 286-9960; WWW: http://www.ibhs.org

Evacuating High-Rise Buildings. OSHA Fact Sheet

20032 pp.Free

For single copies, contact the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Publications Office, 200 Constitution Avenue, N.W., N-3101, Washington, DC 20210, USA. Tel: (800) 321-6742; Fax: (202) 693-2498; WWW: http://www.osha.gov/OshDoc/data_General_Facts/evacuating-highrise-factsheet.pdf