Damage To Houses Research Articles

Post-disaster Informal Risk Sharing Against Illness

Summary Using original household survey data collected in rural Fiji, this paper demonstrates how informal risk-sharing institutions upon which poor people heavily rely in times of illness are vulnerable to natural disasters. Household private cash and inkind transfers do not serve as insurance against illness in the relief phase; they do so only after pooled resources are recovered in the reconstruction phase (i.e., resource effect). Risk-sharing arrangements are dependent on the history of labor-time transfers corresponding to housing damage (i.e., reciprocity effect): only disaster non-victims are insured against illness, because victims have already received labor help for their rehabilitation from non-victims.

“A man's home is his castle and fortress”: Effect of age on the psychological distress associated with house damage following super typhoon Haiyan

The devastating impact of losing one's home as a consequence of a disaster is a well-known fact. Nevertheless this impact have not been examined in different age groups. The present study aimed at examining the psychological distress following the aftermath of super Typhoon Haiyan among 1001 adults in their 20's and 40's. Psychological distress was affected by house-damage among adults in their 40's only, namely, one's house remaining intact provided a buffer against experiencing high levels of psychological distress. Adults in their 20's reported the same high level of distress regardless of house-damage. Results are interpreted in light of developmental models focusing on Burden and Resources perspectives.

The Built Environment and Birth Outcomes: A Systematic Review.

The purpose of this systematic review is to report findings of published studies of the relationships between poor-quality built environments and negative birth outcomes. Quantitative studies measuring various aspects of the built environment including property damage, housing damage, physical disorder, physical incivilities, nuisance, vacancy, tenure, occupancy, and structural deterioration and their effects on birth outcomes such as preterm birth, low birthweight, and small for gestational age were identified using Scopus, PubMed, Medline, and PsycINFO databases. A total of 2,059 abstracts were reviewed based on the search criteria. After excluding 2,051 studies that did not measure the relationship between the physical built environment and negative birth outcomes, eight studies were reviewed. Seven of the eight studies identified reported significant positive relationships between poor-quality built environment and negative birth outcomes. A poor-quality built environment is related to negative birth outcomes, particularly for African American women. Nurses should assess conditions of the built environment of pregnant women. Women who experience psychological stress and/or depressive symptoms due to their built environment should be referred for mental health evaluation and treatment with the goal of improving maternal mental health and birth outcomes.

被災市街地における住宅ストックおよび土地利用の長期的経年変化と不動産移管・再生プログラムの効果

This study clarifies the long-term change of post-disaster built environment of three neighborhoods in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina (2005).Three neighborhoods experienced almost same housing damage by disaster, but have different attribution in terms of population and housing such as household income, race and homeownership etc. The selection of neighborhoods are determined in order to analyze what kind of factors given influence for built environment regeneration. The goal of the research is to examine the neighborhood-scale mechanism of built environment regeneration after mega disaster. The methodology is housing stock regeneration and land use field survey counting five times during 2009 and 2015. This research examines not only the recovery process of neighborhood-scale built environment but also the impact of property transfer and regeneration programs by local government which are Auction and the Lot Next Door program both of which aims to bring back buyout properties into real estate market. It is demonstrated that housing stock regeneration in Lakeview, the middle-high income and white neighborhood is achieved not only by middle-high income survivors' housing reconstruction but also third-party's property purchase who might have motivation in land speculation and for development benefit through local government's property transfer and regeneration programs. High property value which is affected by race and household income is one of factors which given influence for positive built environment regeneration. It is proved that property transfer programs are effective methods for this neighborhood which is achieved by encouraging multiple stakeholders to construct housing and manage properties, not adhering to housing "re"construction by pre-disaster homeowners. In Gentilly Woods, mixed race and low-middle income neighborhood, the percentage of buyout programs are relatively high, but the properties transfer and regeneration program only functions as decrease of blight properties but not increase of new housing stock. The absence of third-party housing construction stakeholder leads to the "empty lot immobilization" that is more apparent than other neighborhoods. Finally, Holy Cross, low-income and African-American neighborhood, number of blighted properties have been visible even after ten years after disaster. However, the percentage of empty lots are smaller than that of Gentilly after ten years and the incremental housing renovation remain ongoing process by survivors' housing reconstruction actions. The percentage of buyout properties are approxitemtly 3 % smaller, more people decided in-situ housing reconstruction, than Lakeview and Gentilly Woods which implies that residents' strong attachment for neighborhood might affect the built environment regeneration situation in the long-term process for the future. This research has not clarify the motivation of the property transfer and regeneration program and also the attribution of non pre-disaster homeowners who construct housing in neighborhood which is one of the factors that might give influence for built environment regeneration. These have to be proved in order to examine the mechanism and structure of built environment regeneration. It is possible to analyze the data of real estate transaction and the attribution of stakeholders by using the Assessors'' office of Orleans Parish. This is next research issue to be examined.

平成28年 (2016年) 熊本地震における墓石転倒率と木造家屋被害調査

平成28年 (2016年) 熊本地震における墓石転倒率と木造家屋被害調査

2011年東北地方太平洋沖地震で液状化被害を受けた浦安市の地盤特性

2011年東北地方太平洋沖地震で液状化被害を受けた浦安市の地盤特性

Probabilistic prediction of wildfire economic losses to housing in Cyprus using Bayesian network analysis

Loss prediction models are an important part of wildfire risk assessment, but have received only limited attention in the scientific literature. Such models can support decision-making on preventive measures targeting fuels or potential ignition sources, on fire suppression, on mitigation of consequences and on effective allocation of funds. This paper presents a probabilistic model for predicting wildfire housing loss at the mesoscale (1 km2) using Bayesian network (BN) analysis. The BN enables the construction of an integrated model based on causal relationships among the influencing parameters jointly with the associated uncertainties. Input data and models are gathered from literature and expert knowledge to overcome the lack of housing loss data in the study area. Numerical investigations are carried out with spatiotemporal datasets for the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. The BN is coupled with a geographic information system (GIS) and the resulting estimated house damages for a given fire hazard are shown in maps. The BN model can be attached to a wildfire hazard model to determine wildfire risk in a spatially explicit manner. The developed model is specific to areas with house characteristics similar to those found in Cyprus, but the general methodology is transferable to any other area, as well as other damages.

How do land‐use practices affect human—elephant conflict in nepal?

Asian elephants Elephas maximus are an endangered species and human—elephant conflict (HEC) is the major threat to their survival. HEC causes crop and property loss and occasionally results in the death of both humans and elephants in Nepal. Elephants are responsible for more than 40% of the human—wildlife conflict, 70% of the wildlife‐caused human casualties, and a 25% loss in crop production in Nepal. Identification of the factors associated with elephant invasion can help mitigate conflict by allowing residents and representatives to address those factors. This study used face‐to‐face interviews in 1182 households in villages affected by elephants in southern Nepal using a structured questionnaire to understand how land‐use practices are related to HEC regionally. Almost all (99%) of the surveyed houses had some damage from elephants within the past five years. A stepwise binary logistic regression showed that practices such as the growing of traditional crops (rice and large maize fields), maintaining bananas, and home alcohol production increase the chances of elephant attacks. Our data also revealed that HEC is most intense in winter months, when rice is harvested. People residing near protected areas had positive attitudes towards elephants, as they received economic benefits from ecotourism and improved mitigation practices such as electric fences. Changing some land‐use practices could reduce HEC in the region. Therefore, alternative crops should be explored to reduce HEC in southern Nepal. Other management recommendations include moving fruit trees away from homes or fencing community orchards. Although home alcohol production is illegal in Nepal, those engaging in the practice should not ferment alcohol in their homes. Finally, growing bamboo on the edge of settlements would engage elephants and allow for a response to repel them before severe crop or house damage occurs.

Impact of social capital on psychological distress and interaction with house destruction and displacement after the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011.

Social capital has been considered an important factor affecting mental-health outcomes, such as psychological distress in post-disaster settings. Although disaster-related house condition and displacement could affect both social capital and psychological distress, limited studies have investigated interactions. This study aimed to examine the association between social capital and psychological distress, taking into consideration the interaction of disaster-related house condition after the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011. Using data from 3793 adults living in Shichigahama, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan, we examined the association between social capital measured by generalized trust and psychological distress measured by the Kessler 6 scale. We conducted stratified analysis to investigate an interaction of house destruction and displacement. Multivariate analyses taking into consideration the interaction were performed. In the crude analysis, low social capital (odds ratio [OR] 4.46; 95% confidence interval [CI], 3.27-6.07) and large-scale house destruction (OR 1.96; 95%CI, 1.47-2.62) were significantly associated with psychological distress. Stratified analyses detected an interaction with house destruction and displacement (P for interaction = 0.04). Multivariate analysis with interaction term revealed that individuals with low social capital, large-scale house damage, and displacement were at greater risk of psychological distress, corresponding to adjusted OR of 5.78 (95%CI, 3.48-9.60). In the post-disaster setting, low social capital increased the risk of psychological distress, especially among individuals who had large-scale house destruction. Among the participants with severe disaster damage, high social capital would play an important role in protecting mental health.

Increased risk of dementia in the aftermath of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami

No previous study has been able to examine the association by taking account of risk factors for dementia before and after the disaster. We prospectively examined whether experiences of a disaster were associated with cognitive decline in the aftermath of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. The baseline for our natural experiment was established in a survey of older community-dwelling adults who lived 80 km west of the epicenter 7 mo before the earthquake and tsunami. Approximately 2.5 y after the disaster, the follow-up survey gathered information about personal experiences of disaster as well as incidence of dementia from 3,594 survivors (82.1% follow-up rate). Our primary outcome was dementia diagnosis ascertained by in-home assessment during the follow-up period. Among our analytic sample (n = 3,566), 38.0% reported losing relatives or friends in the disaster, and 58.9% reported property damage. Fixed-effects regression indicated that major housing damage and home destroyed were associated with cognitive decline: regression coefficient for levels of dementia symptoms = 0.12, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.01 to 0.23 and coefficient = 0.29, 95% CI: 0.17 to 0.40, respectively. The effect size of destroyed home is comparable to the impact of incident stroke (coefficient = 0.24, 95% CI: 0.11 to 0.36). The association between housing damage and cognitive decline remained statistically significant in the instrumental variable analysis. Housing damage appears to be an important risk factor for cognitive decline among older survivors in natural disasters.

Designing the Invention House Assessment form for Kuala Krai, Malaysia

Abstract Floods can cause damage to homes. Some houses which have been significantly damaged, destroyed, or inhabitable. Inherently, victims should be given temporary or permanent houses depending on the degree of damage to their houses. Therefore, an assessment of the degree of house damage must be carried out as a direction for the recovery effort. Thus, this research seeks to design a House Damage Assessment Form. This form has been established by having an in-depth interview with experts involved in MERCY Malaysia and a literature review of the evaluation forms used by other countries to assess the degree of house damage post-disaster.

Targeting Vulnerable People with a Social Safety Net: Lessons from the CFW Program for the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami Disaster

The Emergency Job Creation (EJC) program in which unemployed people are hired for recovery works funded by the government was introduced after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster in Japan. The program is very similar to Cash for Work (CFW) programs that are often implemented as social safety nets (SSNs). This paper evaluates how the EJC program targeted those most in need. From four projects, 938 participants were sampled and simple selection bias tests were conducted among job applicants in the region where the project was undertaken. Participants of the EJC program included more single females and irregular workers than the population group, thus demonstrating the EJC’s self-targeting function. Around 80% of participants were without dependent family members implying that there are two types of potential participants: those who prefer limited responsibilities with relatively low wages, and those who prefer a larger burden of responsibility with relatively higher wages. Because the wages provided by the EJC program may be high enough for the former, but too low for the latter, the program eventually excluded the second group. Similar programs in future should provide other types of jobs corresponding to people’s preferences. Previously unemployed participants were likely to be those who lost their houses; that damage had pushed them into the labor market. Because of the relatively minor existing SSN for housing damage, the EJC program served as an important safety net for disaster-affected people without a private safety net such as insurance.

Semen quality in adult male survivors 5years after the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake.

The influence of the Wenchuan earthquake on semen quality of adult male survivors is unclear. We investigated the semen quality included 673 male survivors from the worse-affected counties in the earthquake between Aug 2008 and July 2013. Semen parameters including pH, volume, concentration, motility and morphology were measured according to the World Health Organization (WHO) criteria. Kruskal-Wallis analysis of variance was used to examine the statistical differences between years, and a logistic regression was used to analyse the impacts caused by earthquake on the changes of semen quality. We found the medians (5th and 95th) were 2.5ml (0.6-5.5) for semen volume, 59.0×106 ml-1 [(13.0-133.0)]×106 ml-1 for semen concentration, 46% (13-64%) for sperm progressive motility and 3.0% (0-17.5%) for normal morphology for adult male survivors. Semen concentration, the percentage of sperm progressive motility, total motility and sperm normal morphology were all decreased in the first 3years, and the differences among years 1, 2 and 3 were significant except the percentage of sperm progressive motility (P<0.05). The casualties and heavy housing damage caused by earthquake had a negative effect on semen quality. The main findings will provide further diagnosis andtherapy basis of male fertility by data, for affected populations in the earthquake.

Implications of construction method and spatial scale on measures of the built environment.

BackgroundResearch surrounding the built environment (BE) and health has resulted in inconsistent findings. Experts have identified the need to examine methodological choices, such as development and testing of BE indices at varying spatial scales. We sought to examine the impact of construction method and spatial scale on seven measures of the BE using data collected at two time points.MethodsThe Children’s Environmental Health Initiative conducted parcel-level assessments of 57 BE variables in Durham, NC (parcel N = 30,319). Based on a priori defined variable groupings, we constructed seven mutually exclusive BE domains (housing damage, property disorder, territoriality, vacancy, public nuisances, crime, and tenancy). Domain-based indices were developed according to four different index construction methods that differentially account for number of parcels and parcel area. Indices were constructed at the census block level and two alternative spatial scales that better depict the larger neighborhood context experienced by local residents: the primary adjacency community and secondary adjacency community. Spearman’s rank correlation was used to assess if indices and relationships among indices were preserved across methods.ResultsTerritoriality, public nuisances, and tenancy were weakly to moderately preserved across methods at the block level while all other indices were well preserved. Except for the relationships between public nuisances and crime or tenancy, and crime and housing damage or territoriality, relationships among indices were poorly preserved across methods. The number of indices affected by construction method increased as spatial scale increased, while the impact of construction method on relationships among indices varied according to spatial scale.ConclusionsWe found that the impact of construction method on BE measures was index and spatial scale specific. Operationalizing and developing BE measures using alternative methods at varying spatial scales before connecting to health outcomes allows researchers to better understand how methodological decisions may affect associations between health outcomes and BE measures. To ensure that associations between the BE and health outcomes are not artifacts of methodological decisions, researchers would be well-advised to conduct sensitivity analysis using different construction methods. This approach may lead to more robust results regarding the BE and health outcomes.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12942-016-0044-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Can Community Social Cohesion Prevent Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in the Aftermath of a Disaster? A Natural Experiment From the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake and Tsunami.

In the aftermath of a disaster, the risk of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is high. We sought to examine whether the predisaster level of community social cohesion was associated with a lower risk of PTSD after the earthquake and tsunami in Tohoku, Japan, on March 11, 2011. The baseline for our natural experiment was established in a survey of older community-dwelling adults who lived 80 kilometers west of the epicenter 7 months before the earthquake and tsunami. A follow-up survey was conducted approximately 2.5 years after the disaster. We used a spatial Durbin model to examine the association of community-level social cohesion with the individual risk of PTSD. Among our analytic sample (n = 3,567), 11.4% of respondents reported severe PTSD symptoms. In the spatial Durbin model, individual- and community-level social cohesion before the disaster were significantly associated with lower risks of PTSD symptoms (odds ratio = 0.87, 95% confidence interval: 0.77, 0.98 and odds ratio = 0.75, 95% confidence interval: 0.63, 0.90, respectively), even after adjustment for depression symptoms at baseline and experiences during the disaster (including loss of loved ones, housing damage, and interruption of access to health care). Community-level social cohesion strengthens the resilience of community residents in the aftermath of a disaster.

High Prevalence of Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms in Relation to Social Factors in Affected Population One Year after the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster.

ObjectiveThis study investigated post-traumatic stress symptoms in relation to the population affected by the Fukushima Nuclear Disaster, one year after the disaster. Additionally, we investigated social factors, such as forced displacement, which we hypothesize contributed to the high prevalence of post-traumatic stress. Finally, we report of written narratives that were collected from the impacted population.Design and SettingsUsing the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R), questionnaires were sent to 2,011 households of those displaced from Fukushima prefecture living temporarily in Saitama prefecture. Of the 490 replies; 350 met the criteria for inclusion in the study. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to examine several characteristics and variables of social factors as predictors of probable post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD.ResultsThe mean score of IES-R was 36.15±21.55, with 59.4% having scores of 30 or higher, thus indicating a probable PTSD. No significant differences in percentages of high-risk subjects were found among sex, age, evacuation area, housing damages, tsunami affected, family split-up, and acquaintance support. By the result of multiple logistic regression analysis, the significant predictors of probable PTSD were chronic physical diseases (OR = 1.97), chronic mental diseases (OR = 6.25), worries about livelihood (OR = 2.27), lost jobs (OR = 1.71), lost social ties (OR = 2.27), and concerns about compensation (OR = 3.74).ConclusionAlthough there are limitations in assuming a diagnosis of PTSD based on self-report IES-R, our findings indicate that there was a high-risk of PTSD strongly related to the nuclear disaster and its consequent evacuation and displacement. Therefore, recovery efforts must focus not only on medical and psychological treatment alone, but also on social and economic issues related to the displacement, as well.

Resident participation in post-Lushan earthquake housing reconstruction: a multi-stage field research method-based inquiry

ABSTRACTIn April 2013, a 7.0 Mw earthquake struck in Lushan County, Sichuan Province, China, causing serious housing damage. Housing reconstruction is a crucial part of disaster recovery, and resident participation has been recognized as a key part of reconstruction success. This paper examined housing reconstruction resident participation in the post-Lushan earthquake period as a multi-stage problem based on multi-stakeholder collaborative perspectives, which covered emergency shelter, temporary housing and permanent housing stages. Multi-stage field research was conducted in the affected areas, and the residents were found to be fully involved in the reconstruction with a ‘high – medium – high' distribution across the three stages. Resident participation experiences were summarized in terms of previous earthquake education, NGO participation and community-based organization functions, and the reasons discussed, such as civic awareness and civic rights. Problems regarding improper reconstruction and cultural conflicts were also examined and valuable suggestions given.

Long-Term Fluctuations in Traumatic Symptoms of High School Girls Who Survived from the 2011 Japan Tsunami: Series of Questionnaire-Based Cross-Sectional Surveys.

On March 11, 2011, Japan was struck by a massive earthquake and tsunami. The tsunami caused tremendous damage and traumatized children. We aimed to evaluate and compare the changes in the traumatic symptoms of high school girls 8, 20, 30, and 42months after the 2011 tsunami. The Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms for Children 15 items (PTSSC-15), a self-rating questionnaire on traumatic symptoms, was administered to 811 high school girls at the above-mentioned intervals. We calculated the total score, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) subscale, and depression subscale of PTSSC-15. The total score was correlated with house damage, evacuation experience, and bereavement experience. The PTSSC-15 total scores of high school girls with traumatic experience were significantly higher than the scores of children without these experiences (all p<0.0001). The PTSSC-15 total score did not decrease significantly over time. Furthermore, the PTSD subscale of the PTSSC-15 did not significantly improved over the study duration. However, the depression subscale of the PTSSC-15 significantly improved at 30months, but significantly worsened at 42months (both p<0.0001). This study demonstrates that the traumatic symptoms of high school girls who survived the massive tsunami fluctuated unpredictably with time. Nonetheless, high school girls continued to suffer depressive symptoms (insomnia, withdrawal, appetite loss, inattention, and physical symptoms) after 42months.

The degree of housing damage model for a flood affected area

Floods can cause damage like slightly damaged, significantly damaged or destroyed to homes and possessions as well as disruption to communications. Inherently, victims should be given temporary or permanent houses depending on the degree of damage to their houses. Therefore, an assessment on the levels of damage must be carried out in the aftermath of a flood as a direction for recovery effort, for example housing resettlement. The fact is, in Malaysia, there is still no standardized damage assessment used by the relevant authorities in assessing the degree of housing damage after a disaster. As a result, errors in assessing the degree of housing damage and providing inaccurate type of assistance might occur. Thus, this research emphasis on the understanding the degree of house damage and recommend the significant input in developing the damage assessment model in Malaysia. To achieve the objective, this research applies a self-developed model that is derived from the literature review (framework or model of the degrees of housing damage after flood) and the observation at the case study area to see the actual conditions of the affected houses. After that, questionnaires were distributed to 50 respondents consist of engineers (n=10), architects (n=10), quantity surveyors (n=10), real estate valuers (n=10) and building surveyor (n=10) by using purposive sampling to gauge their perceptions on attributes of degree of housing damage and eventually conducting a focus group consist of ten (10) technical experts involved in MERCY Malaysia in assessing the housing damage for model validation. The findings indicate that the degree of damage can be classified as ‘minor’, ‘major’ and ‘destroyed’. Research findings will give input in the form of a Housing Damage Assessment Framework for the government, NGOs, MERCY, insurers or other appropriate bodies involve in assessing or evaluating the condition of houses affected by floods.

Fundamental Study on Flood Waste Estimation in the Anticipated Inundation Area of the Kinugawa River: Housing and Building Flood Damages

Fundamental Study on Flood Waste Estimation in the Anticipated Inundation Area of the Kinugawa River: Housing and Building Flood Damages