Two new quick response reports from the Hazards Center

Citation

(2004), "Two new quick response reports from the Hazards Center", Disaster Prevention and Management, Vol. 13 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/dpm.2004.07313bab.004

Two new quick response reports from the Hazards Center

Ann Patton, from Tulsa Partners, a grassroots organization in Oklahoma, explores the impacts of a 2003 tornado on the town of Moore, Oklahoma, in a recent Natural Hazards Center Quick Response (QR) report, QR 163: Surviving the Storm: Sheltering in the May 2003 Tornadoes, Moore, Oklahoma (2003, p. 34). Moore has repeatedly sustained tornado damage, most recently in October 1998, May 1999, and May 2003. Despite widespread damage from the 2003 F3 tornado, no one was killed and injuries were scattered. Patton's research focuses on how residents took shelter from the storm, how their sheltering behaviour has changed in recent years, and the lessons that they are learning and sharing.

QR 164: Flood damage assessment and survey of mitigation efforts at Stump Lake, North Dakota: a study of a Closed-basin lake flood (2003, p. 28), by Paul E. Todhunter and Bradley C. Rundquist, documents the flood history of Stump Lake and rural Nelson County, assesses the flood damage that resulted from the rise of Stump Lake and the growth of rural wetlands in the county, and surveys flood mitigation efforts associated with this closed- basin flood hazard. Remote sensing image interpretation; field work; personal interview; and compilation of data from private, county, state, and federal agencies are used to quantify the direct, indirect, and secondary damage associated with terminal lake and rural wetland flooding in Nelson County. The study provides a case history of a pervasive, chronic flood hazard not routinely addressed by federal flood mitigation programs.

QR reports are the result of the Natural Hazards Center's Quick Response research program, which allows researchers to examine the effects of disasters immediately after they happen. These QR reports (and many others) can be downloaded for free from the Natural Hazards Center Web site: www.colorado.edu/hazards/qr/qr.html. Reports can also be purchased for $5.00, plus $4.50 shipping, from the Publications Administrator, Natural Hazards Center, University of Colorado, 482 UCB, Boulder, CO 80309-0482. Tel: (303) 492-6819; Fax: (303) 492-2151; E-mail: janet.kroeckel@colorado.edu

Introducing DR+CC infolink: Linking Disaster Reduction and Climate Change

DR+CC infolink, the first edition of which was distributed in late August is “an initiative to stimulate linkages and information exchange between the disaster reduction and climate change communities.” Coordinated by the International Red Cross/Red Crescent Centre on Climate Change and Disaster Preparedness, the UNDP, and the Inter-Agency Secretariat of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN/ISDR), DR+CC infolink provides timely information via e-mail from both communities to promote adaptation, risk reduction, and preparedness, particularly among vulnerable populations.

As the first issue points out, two thirds of all disasters are climate or weather related, and projections indicate that lower-income countries are likely to experience the more negative and severe impacts of climate change, with the poor often the most vulnerable. Hence, disaster reduction and climate change adaptation are inherently linked to one another and to efforts toward sustainable development; and each requires a multidisciplinary and multisectoral perspective, with the consequent sharing of information and knowledge. While there has been significant scientific progress in delineating the potential impacts of climate change, the vulnerability of individual locations and populations remains to be determined, as do practical adaptation and response measures.

DR+CC infolink provides information on key issues, upcoming events, publications, programs, organizations, and individuals dealing with this problem. The first issue particularly examines assessments recently conducted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the incorporation (or lack of incorporation) of disaster issues in those assessments. It also surveys other recent initiatives in this area.

The sponsoring organizations intend to publish this newsletter every 3-4 months and are soliciting contributions and comments regarding the content as well as suggestions for new readers who are not yet included in the mailing list.

To subscribe, receive more information, or provide comments, contact: Mary Otto-Chang, UN/ISDR, Palais des Nations, CH 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland. Tel: 41 22 91 72103; E-mail: DRCCinfolink@un.org

(Extracted from the Natural Hazards Observer, November 2003)