New Quick Response Reports from the Natural Hazards Center

Citation

(2006), "New Quick Response Reports from the Natural Hazards Center", Disaster Prevention and Management, Vol. 15 No. 4. https://doi.org/10.1108/dpm.2006.07315dab.001

New Quick Response Reports from the Natural Hazards Center

The following Quick Response Reports are now available from the Natural Hazards Center. They can be accessed online at: www.colorado.edu/hazards/qr/qrrepts.html

QR179 Examination of the American Red Cross and FEMA following Hurricanes Charley and Ivan, by Robert M. Schwartz, 2005. This research looked at the performance of the American Red Cross and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) after Hurricanes Charley and Ivan in two Florida counties. Local officials cited communications issues as a major challenge and emphasized the importance of mitigation planning and an all-hazards approach. Citizens preferred face-to-face contact with FEMA personnel, were frustrated by policies and procedures they were unfamiliar with, and found disaster resource centers useful. Findings also highlight policy misunderstandings between national and local Red Cross representatives.

QR180 Hurricane Katrina: GIS Response for a Major Metropolitan Area, by Andrew Curtis, Jacqueline W. Mills, Jason K. Blackburn, and John C. Pine, 2005. This report is based on the observations of a research team that helped craft an organizational response to Louisiana's request for geographic information systems (GIS) in support of the Hurricane Katrina emergency response efforts. Findings show that preplanning to accumulate base data, develop standards for organizing and sharing data, designate hardware and software, and direct the early use of volunteers saves money, personnel, and time, contributing to a more effective GIS disaster response.

QR181 The Selendang Ayu Oil Spill: A Study of the Renewable Resource Community of Unalaska/Dutch Harbor, by Liesel Ritchie and Duane Gill, 2005. These researchers examined community responses in Unalaska/Dutch Harbor, Alaska, to the Selendang Ayu shipwreck and oil spill in 2004. They found little to no evidence suggesting long-term negative social impacts from the incident and found some positive outcomes in the increased appreciation for the community's ties to the natural environment and the heightened awareness of risks associated with the high volume of international shipping traffic in the region as well as other environmental risks.

QR182 Hurricane Stan Response in Guatemala, by Robert E. Hinshaw, 2006. This research was conducted one month after Hurricane Stan caused major flooding and mudslides in western Guatemala in October 2005. The levels of interclass and interethnic cooperation and the role of the military in the response and recovery for Hurricane Stan were compared with the aftermath of the 1976 earthquake in the same region. Losses due to Stan were spread much more universally across divisions of wealth and ethnicity, and greater cooperation in evacuation and relief efforts was observed. The political ramification of the military's role in the relief effort was found to require additional time for further analysis.

QR183 Analyzing Tribal Drought Management: A Case Study of the Hualapai Tribe, by Cody Knutson, Mark Svoboda, and Michael Hayes, 2006. This research provides a specific case study of drought impacts and management on the Hualapai reservation in Arizona. The research team conducted interviews on the reservation to assess drought planning measures implemented, including the development of a drought plan; to identify the barriers to implementing drought planning and response; and to develop lessons learned that could be used to improve drought management in the future.

QR184 Disaster Realities in the Aftermath of Hurricane Katrina: Revisiting the Looting Myth, by Lauren Barsky, Joseph Trainor, and Manuel Torres, 2006. Reports of looting were widespread in the days after Katrina swept through the Gulf Coast, conflicting with the sociological literature on disasters that portray looting as a disaster myth. These researchers conducted interviews to examine the scope of the looting and to differentiate criminal behavior from appropriating behavior (taking items necessary for survival). Findings indicate that there is no clear distinction between looting and appropriating behavior, media reports affected operations and citizen responses and were not always accurate, and prosocial behavior was also exhibited.

QR185 Strengthening Resilience of Rural Communities to Wildfire in the Pacific Northwest, by Kathy Lynn and Arleen Hill, 2006. To explore the ways that mitigation programs can integrate place, poverty, and social needs into efforts to address access to information and resources in a rural community, the researchers conducted a survey of residents affected by the 2005 Deer Creek fire in southern Oregon. The survey assessed if response and recovery efforts during and after the wildfire considered the perspectives and needs of the community, whether mitigation programs influenced successes or challenges during the wildfire, and if losses to life, property, natural, or cultural resources resulting from the wildfire event were influenced by poverty or geographic isolation.

QR186 Reconstructing Childhood: An Exploratory Study of Children in Hurricane Katrina, by Lori Peek and Alice Fothergill, 2006. In this study, the researchers examined children's experiences in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Data were gathered through participant observation, focus groups, informal interviews, and in-depth formal interviews with parents, grandparents, day care service providers, school administrators, elementary school teachers, mental health service providers, religious leaders, and evacuee shelter coordinators in Louisiana. This report describes the experiences of children and their families in the days and weeks following the storm, discusses what was done on behalf of children to reduce their vulnerability, and illustrates various things that children did for themselves and for others to lessen the impacts of the disaster.