Disaster-affected Areas Research Articles

Chlorinated persistent organic pollutants in human breast milk in the Miyagi Prefecture disaster-affected area 1 year after the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011

In the Great East Japan Earthquake of 11 March 2011, an earthquake and accompanying tsunami struck the Tohoku region of northeastern Japan. Buildings collapsed and the tsunami spread waste, including hazardous materials. This study aimed to determine the concentrations of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the breast milk of mothers living in the disaster-affected area of Sendai 1 year after the earthquake. Temporal trends in the POPs concentrations were evaluated by comparison with previous studies. One hundred breast milk samples were obtained from lactating mothers at a hospital in Sendai in 2012. The results were compared with those from other years to examine whether there were changes in the POPs concentrations after the earthquake. We measured polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides, such as chlordanes, using gas chromatography-mass spectrometer (GC-MS) with negative chemical ionization, and dichlorodiphenyl trichloroethane (DDT) and its metabolites using GC-MS with electron impact ionization. The mean total PCBs (11 congeners), total chlordane, and total DDT concentrations were 76.2 ng/g lipid, 39.8 ng/g lipid, and 73.5 ng/g lipid, respectively. For the samples collected in 2012, the concentrations of POPs in breast milk showed minimal changes compared with results from previous years for samples collected at the same hospital in Sendai. Our study demonstrates that 1 year after the earthquake and tsunami, the concentrations of chlorinated POPs in breast milk had not changed substantially.

Low back pain is associated with sleep disturbance: a 3-year longitudinal study after the Great East Japan Earthquake

BackgroundLow back pain and sleep disturbance are common health problems worldwide which are also commonly observed among people after natural disasters. These symptoms are well known to coexist, and recent reports have indicated that sleep disturbance is a risk factor for low back pain. However, the influence of low back pain on sleep disturbance has rarely been assessed; therefore, this study aimed to clarify the association of low back pain with sleep disturbance, especially focusing on the frequency of low back pain, using 3-year cohort data after the Great East Japan Earthquake.MethodsThis study used the data obtained from people living in the disaster-affected areas after the Great East Japan Earthquake (n = 2,097). Low back pain and sleep disturbance were assessed at 4, 5, 6, and 7 years after the disaster. The frequency of low back pain was defined as the number of low back pain episodes at and before the evaluation time point and categorized into five groups such as absence, 1, 2, 3, and 4 at the fourth time point and four groups such as absence, 1, 2, and 3 at the third time point. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to assess the association of low back pain with sleep disturbance.ResultsLow back pain was significantly associated with sleep disturbance, and the association was stronger in participants with more frequent low back pain (adjusted odds ratios [95% confidence intervals],1.46 [1.10–1.95] in “1”; 2.02 [1.49–2.74] in “2”; 2.38 [1.67–3.40] in “3”; and 4.08 [2.74–6.06] in “4” in the frequency of low back pain) (P for trend < 0.001). Furthermore, antecedent low back pain was significantly associated with new-onset sleep disturbance, and the association was robust in more frequent low back pain (adjusted odds ratios [95% confidence intervals],1.60 [1.05–2.44] in “1”; 1.96 [1.20–3.21] in “2”; and 2.17 [1.14–4.14] in “3” in the frequency of low back pain) (P for trend = 0.007).ConclusionOur study showed that low back pain is strongly associated with sleep disturbance. Attention should be paid to low back pain to prevent and treat sleep disturbance, especially focusing on chronicity of low back pain.

Association between low back pain and functional disability in the elderly people: a 4-year longitudinal study after the great East Japan earthquake

BackgroundFunctional disability is a major health issue in an aging population. Low back pain (LBP) is a common health concern that can lead to functional disability in the elderly; nonetheless, their association has not yet been clarified. This study aimed to examine the association between LBP and functional disability in the elderly, with a focus on its dose-dependent effects.MethodsThis study used the 4-year longitudinal data of people living in disaster-affected areas after the Great East Japan Earthquake (aged ≥65, n = 914). LBP and physical function were assessed at 2, 4, and 6 years after the disaster. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the association between LBP and low physical function, as well as the effect of preceding LBP on the onset of low physical function.ResultsLBP was significantly associated with low physical function, and the association became stronger as the duration of LBP increased. Adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) were 1.27 (0.79–2.06) in “< 2 years,” 1.95 (1.01–3.77) in “≥2 years and <4 years,” and 2.34 (1.35–4.06) in “≥4 years” (p for trend = 0.009). Additionally, preceding LBP was significantly associated with the onset of low physical function, and the effect became prominent as the duration of LBP increased. Adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) were 2.28 (1.19–4.37) in “< 2 years” and 2.82 (1.35–5.90) in “≥2 years” (p for trend = 0.003).ConclusionsLBP is associated with physical disability among the elderly in a dose-dependent manner. Therefore, prevention and treatment of LBP are important for preventing functional disability.

Assessing Disaster Management Infrastructure and Strategies in South Eastern Nigeria

Natural disasters have continued to attract attention due to increased human, economic and environmental consequences. The study assessed the effects of disasters and the effectiveness of the response infrastructure in communities of South Eastern Nigeria. The questionnaire survey, participatory research method and field measurements were used to generate data from purposively sampled locations in the region. The data were analysed using descriptive and analytical techniques. The result showed that flooding, landslide and windstorm ranked as the most common disasters affecting the area. These disasters have significantly resulted in food scarcity (food insecurity) and property loss, representing 26% and 25% of the study population. Furthermore, the study reveals several infrastructures as mitigation measures, including financial donations, reconstruction of damaged buildings, bridges, provisions of household materials, and food, among others. The One-way Analysis Variance (ANOVA) results showed a significant difference in the effectiveness of stakeholder involvement in natural disaster mitigation (F-value of 7.737, > the table value of 2.17 at a 0.05 level of significance). This analysis implies that the activities of government, communities, and donor agencies were rated differently in terms of their overall performances in infrastructure provision to disaster-affected areas and people. It was recommended that disaster management education, early warning signs and participatory disaster management response be practised in South Eastern Nigeria.

Post-disaster tourism development and scenario planning for the quality of life of residents

Desarrollo del turismo post-catástrofe y planificación de escenarios Para la calidad de vida de los residentesResumenPropósitoEste estudio tiene por objetivo explorar la influencia del desarrollo del turismo post-catástrofe en la calidad de vida (CdV) objetiva de los residentes del condado de Wenchuan, simular la tendencia a largo plazo del desarrollo del turismo tras la catástrofe y la CdV basándose en tres escenarios políticos propuestos, y formular algunas sugerencias prácticas para promover el desarrollo del turismo sostenible.o.Diseño/metodología/enfoqueEste estudio utiliza el enfoque de dinámica de sistemas para desarrollar un modelo de dinámica de sistemas denominado “turismo-economía-medioambiente-vida” (TEMV) utilizando cuatro subsistemas: “el subsistema económico”, “el subsistema turístico”, “el subsistema medioambiental” y “el subsistema de vida”.ConclusionesLos resultados muestran que la influencia del desarrollo del turismo post-catástrofe en la CdV objetiva es compleja. Basándose en la teoría de Butler sobre el ciclo de vida del destino, la influencia del turismo post-catástrofe en la CdV objetiva presenta un cambio no lineal estrechamente vinculado a las etapas de desarrollo de los destinos turísticos. Se demuestra que el índice de CdV aumentó después de una disminución inicial en la primera etapa (2009-2013) y luego disminuyó en la etapa posterior (2013-2019). Las simulaciones de TEMV basadas en tres escenarios diferentes muestran que la actual trayectoria de desarrollo del turismo no es ideal. El escenario de sinergia, que destaca la importancia del desarrollo armonioso del TEMV, es el escenario óptimo.Originalidad/valorEste estudio llena la brecha existente en la literatura sobre la influencia del desarrollo del turismo post-catástrofe en la calidad de vida (CdV) objetiva desde la perspectiva de la dinámica de sistemas. La modelización del desarrollo turístico y la CdV objetiva contribuirá a una comprensión integral de si el desarrollo turístico puede mejorar, y cómo, la CdV de los residentes en las zonas afectadas por catástrofes

Predicting the Demand for Medical Care in Disaster-Affected Areas using the Minimum Data Set and Machine Learning

Background/Introduction:The Minimum Data Set (MDS) has allowed governments of disaster-affected countries to collect, examine, and evaluate standardized medical data from Emergency Medical Teams in real-time. However, little study has been conducted on the use of MDS data to predict health care needs.Objectives:This research proposes an outlook on the use of machine learning and MDS data to predict the need for medical care in disaster-affected areas.Method/Description:The characteristics of the data collected by MDS and the optimal machine learning model were discussed.Results/Outcomes:The primary causes of disease after disasters are trauma (MDS Nos. 4–8), which frequently occurs immediately after a disaster, and infectious diseases (MDS Nos. 9–18), which can increase due to decreasing hygiene conditions. Furthermore, certain infectious diseases can spread quickly because of living in congested evacuation centers, and early detection is crucial.Therefore, predicting the need for medical care in a disaster area is complicated and requires a combination of many machine-learning models. Data-driven methods are mostly linear approaches and cannot capture the dynamics of infectious disease transmission. Additionally, statistical models depend heavily on assumptions, making real-time infection prediction challenging. Thus, deep learning is employed to model without losing the temporal component.Conclusion:Real-time prediction of health care needs using machine learning and MDS can be useful to policymakers by enabling them to better deploy and allocate health care resources, which is useful to patients and front-line health care providers. More detailed predictions for regions and diseases are also anticipated.

Voronoi-Based UAV Flight Method for Non-Uniform User Distribution in Delay-Tolerant Aerial Networks

This paper considers an emergency communication system controlling multiple unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the sky over a large-scale disaster-affected area. This system is based on delay-tolerant networking, and information from ground users is relayed by the UAVs through wireless transmission and the movement of UAVs in a store-and-forward manner. Each UAV moves autonomously according to a predetermined flight method, which uses the positions of other UAVs through communication. In this paper, we propose a new method for UAV flight considering the non-uniformity of user distributions. The method is based on the Voronoi cell using the predicted locations of other UAVs. We evaluate the performance of the proposed method through computer simulations with a non-uniform user distribution generated by a general cluster point process. The simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Performance Analysis of Raspberry Pi 3 IP PBX Based on Asterisk

IP-PBX have grown considerably in the telecoms and IT industries in recent times due to their low cost, high customizability, open source and hardware-independent nature. Unlike traditional PBX systems that are TDM-based and require a separate wired infrastructure to operate, an IP PBX can be attached to the local LAN and uses SIP with RTP over Internet Protocol (IP) for signaling and data transport, respectively. Asterisk-based IP PBX has become a de facto standard for open-source low-to-medium calling capacity requirements. Single Board Computers (SBCs) are attracting considerable attention from academics, hobbyists and the industry, due to their compact size, low cost, low power, portability and fair processing ability. Raspberry Pi series SBCs are the pioneer in the field, having Pi, Pi2, Pi3 and Pi Zero in production, supporting different processing and storage capabilities. An IP PBX embedded on the raspberry Pi SBC can serve an adequate number of users and provide a tiny platform that can fit in a pocket and be transported anywhere while preserving the functionality of a complete IP PBX. Such systems can be phenomenally successful in situations where large infrastructures cannot be taken, for instance, in warzones or disaster-affected areas where communication networks are damaged, necessitating an immediate requirement for an ad hoc-based communication system. In this paper, we aim to explore the performance of an Asterisk®-based IP PBX installed on a Raspberry Pi 3 (model B) platform in terms of concurrent call handling using different codecs.

The Effect Of Family Support On The Recovery Of Postpartum Mothers Based On Matrilineal Culture In Disaster Risk Areas

Backgrounds: The incidence of maternal death during pregnancy and the puerperium is high and has not been resolved. Many factors affect the recovery of postpartum mothers, among which the main factor is family support. The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of family support on the recovery of postpartum mothers based on the matrilineal culture in disaster-affected high-risk areas.&#x0D; Methods: This type of research is quantitative with a cross-sectional study design. This research was conducted in the independent practice of midwives in Padang City and Pesisir Selatan Regency. The population of this study was postpartum mothers whose samples were taken by consecutive sampling, totaling 140 people. Univariate analysis was conducted in the form of frequency distribution and mean, while bivariate analysis used the Chi-square test.&#x0D; Results: The results of the study found that 61.4% received good support from their husbands, 63.6% received good support from their parents, 73.6% had normal physical recovery and 2.4% had risky physical recovery. There is an influence of the husband's support and family support on the recovery of postpartum mothers both physically and psychologically (p-value = 0,000).&#x0D; Conclusion: The support of the husband and parents has a positive effect on the recovery of postpartum mothers, both physically and psychologically. There is a need for counseling and providing knowledge to families about the importance of family support in the recovery process during the postpartum period.

Economics of natural disasters and technological innovations in Africa: an empirical evidence.

This study provides an empirical analysis of the impact of the disaster on technological innovation by employing the instrumental variable (2SLS) method and instrumental variable fixed-effect method in a panel of 45 African economies from 1990 to 2019. The empirical results confirm disaster’s negative and significant impact on innovation. A 1% increase in a disaster will lead to about − 13.750% decrease in scientific journals, − 3.302% decrease in R&D, and − 3.644% decrease in the TFP, respectively. These findings are supported by panel quantile regression. The study identifies four possible channels through which disaster lowers innovation in African economies: (i) reducing trade, (ii) total investment opportunities, and (iii) human capital. Various robustness tests support our findings. Finally, the study bolsters historical capital models for the adoption of cutting-edge technology in the building, provides critical policy recommendations on environmental laws, and advocates for disaster-response policies; decentralization of the energy industry away from disaster-affected areas for greater private sector participation; financial incentives for start-ups to facilitate trade and investment; creating a culture of prevention, preparation, and resilience at all levels via knowledge and innovation; and reconstruction as a method of establishing disaster-resistant structures and habitat to offer a safer living environment.

Analysis of the Vulnerability of Pilgrims in Imam Reza's Shrine during the Emergency Evacuation Due to the Crisis using Fuzzy Logic and Interpolation Method

INTRODUCTION: The need to carry out the emergency evacuation of people from disaster-affected areas and their transfer to safe areas, in the shortest possible time and with the least number of injured, has made the issue of urban emergency evacuation a complex one in the real world. The complexity of the spatial layout of the courtyards and the presence of a large population within the Shrine, among which vulnerable groups also have a significant share, increase the probability of the population's vulnerability to natural and human disasters. Based on this, the current research was conducted to investigate the vulnerability of the pilgrims of Imam Reza's Shrine during the emergency evacuation caused by the crisis and what measures could reduce the vulnerability. METHODS: The present applied study was conducted based on a descriptive-analytical method. The required data were collected through documentary-library and field studies methods. The gathered data were analyzed using the Analytic Hierarchy Process model, fuzzy logic, and the Inverse Distance Weighting interpolation method in Arc GIS and Expert Choice software. FINDINGS: The findings of this study indicated that based on the presented integrated model, which included 7 variables of the length of the route, the number of nodes along the route, the number of nodes in the surrounding space of the settlement, fixed and passing population density, the ratio of the population to the width of the exit door, and distance from buildings, the highest level of a possible vulnerability in the Shrine was related to Rozeh Monavvareh, Goharshad Courtyard, Sheikh Bahaie Sanctuary, the western part of the Great Prophet Courtyard, and Bab-Al-Javad in descending order. The north and northeast parts of the Shrine had a low level of vulnerability for people's exit. CONCLUSION: The results of this research showed that the presented model could be used as a suitable model in other religious places. In addition, some measures can be adopted to reduce the vulnerability of pilgrims, including increasing the number and width of the doors, removing obstacles in the place of the doors, and paying attention to the type of activities assigned to different parts of the Shrine

Daily stressors and mental health following disaster: A school-based assessment of adolescent disaster survivors in China and Nepal.

Postdisaster daily stressors, the economic and social challenges caused or exacerbated by disasters, have significant consequences for mental health but are rarely investigated in child and adolescent populations. We assessed posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), depression, and anxiety among adolescents affected by disasters in China and Nepal and examined the specific contributions of disaster-related trauma exposure and daily stressors across mental health outcomes. A school-based, cross-sectional study was conducted with a stratified random sampling design. Adolescents living in disaster-affected areas of southern China and Nepal (N = 4,215, 52.7% female, age range: 15-19 years) completed translated, validated measures. Mixed effects logistic regression analyses were conducted using a priori risk factors. PTSS were reported by 22.7% of participants and were higher among Nepali adolescents but did not differ between genders. Depressive symptoms were reported by 45.2% of the sample and were higher among Nepali adolescents and girls in both countries. Across all settings, disaster-related trauma exposure was a significant risk factor for PTSS, depressive, and anxiety symptoms, China: odds ratios (ORs) = 1.44-2.06, Nepal, ORs = 1.21-2.53. High levels of household and interpersonal daily stressors further improved the models and contributed significantly to all mental health difficulties, China: ORs = 1.77-1.98, Nepal: ORs = 1.49-1.90. Postdisaster economic insecurity and interpersonal stressors are thus, likely to worsen adolescent mental health outcomes. Programs that identify and address structural inequalities for adolescents in disaster-affected settings will have cascading effects for mental health.

Evaluation of Settlement Relocation Due to the 2018 Palu Earthquake

The earthquake followed by the Tsunami and Liquefaction in Palu City, Donggala Regency and Sigi Regency, Central Sulawesi Province on Friday, September 28, 2018 with a magnitude of 7.4 on the Richter Scale has resulted in hundreds of people missing, more than two thousands of people injured and thousands of people dying. BNPB informed that there was quite a lot of physical damage to facilities and infrastructure, including several houses and public facilities in residential locations. The steps taken in response to the incident were the relocation of settlements in disaster-affected areas, one of which was in the Sidera Transmigration settlement area. This article aims to analyze and evaluate the relocation of settlements, especially in the Sidera Transmigration settlement area. The method used is thematic mapping of the factors that determine land suitability for settlements, and spatial analysis using map overlay techniques complemented by quantitative descriptive analysis. The results of the analysis and evaluation indicate that the transmigration area used as a residential relocation area for disaster victims is quite appropriate and meets the requirements for living, feasible for business, suitable for development, and environmental friendly.

Analysis of Socio-Economic Factors That Influence Loss of Life in Sediment-Related Disasters

Non-structural measures, including relocation from a hazard zone, land development regulations, and evacuation, are important sediment-related countermeasures. Such measures depend on the behaviour of residents and are affected by socio-economic conditions. In Japan, the declining birth rate and ageing population are expected to result in rapid changes in socio-economic conditions; accordingly, there is a need to evaluate the impact of such changes. However, there is no established methodology for the establishment of non-structural measures that considers the socio-economic conditions of all areas. Therefore, this study analysed the regional characteristics of disaster-affected areas with high numbers of casualties to elucidate the impact of socio-economic conditions. The results imply that severe losses occurred under various topographical and socio-economic conditions, such as in urban areas with high population densities and in mountainous areas with increasing depopulation. More data are needed, especially regarding socio-economic conditions. Importantly, the community-based analytical method used in this study enables a comparative analysis of disasters in different regions at different times.

Modeling the Desire to have Children Post-Disaster Palu – Indonesian 2018

The impact of a family death, especially on children, causes demographic changes, one of which is the mother's desire to have children. This research problem is how to model with a logistic regression approach and spatial modeling with overlay technique on the desire to have children. The purpose of this study is to model desire to have children with a logistic regression and overlay modeling approach. This research was conducted in Palu City. Participants in this study amounted to 382 mothers with proportional stratified random sampling method as the sampling technique, the data were analyzed using logistic regression modeling and spatial modeling with overlay techniques. In general, the results of logistic regression modeling show a significant effect between the type of disaster and geographical location on the desire to have children after the disaster in Palu City. Mothers who experience disasters (earthquake, tsunami, liquefaction) and live in disaster-prone zones have the opportunity to have children. The results of spatial modeling using the overlay technique show that the parameters of the disaster-affected area have a high priority, indicating that the zone/area of these parameters tends to have children.

Rural social-ecological systems vulnerability evolution and spatial-temporal heterogeneity in arid environmental change region: A case study of Minqin Oasis, northwestern China

Theoretical and methodological approaches of social-ecological system's vulnerability provide a new perspective for the sustainable development of arid areas. However, the spatial distribution heterogeneity of internal elements of vulnerability has always been ignored in current academic research and policy practice. Especially in low-exposure but high-vulnerability areas, it is more urgent to explore the vulnerability-causing factors and construct the response capacity. Therefore, according to the concept of vulnerability and its internal element relationship, this study proposes an analysis method for the spatial-temporal heterogeneity of exposure risk and vulnerability. With the aid of GIS, while assessing the spatial-temporal evolution of the overall vulnerability of the Minqin Oasis since the comprehensive management of Shiyang River Basin, we pay more attention to the spatial-temporal heterogeneity of the internal elements of vulnerability. Then applying the stepwise regression and geographically weighted regression, the article further analyzed the intrinsic reasons for spatial-temporal heterogeneity of SES's vulnerability and exposure risk. The results are as follows. 1) The vulnerability in Minqin County from 2008 to 2016 was relatively low and showed an evolutionary trend of increased and then decreased. In addition, the vulnerability area was high in the Quanshan and Dam Districts and low in the Lake District; 2) the spatial-temporal heterogeneity of system exposure risk and vulnerability was significant and gradually reduced; and 3) the five main factors affecting spatial-temporal heterogeneity of the vulnerability of SES in Minqin Oasis include: per capita cultivated area, disaster-affected area, domestic water consumption, financial savings, and afforestation area. Finally, we proposed targeted recommendations for effective adaptive management and sustainable development for exposure-vulnerability heterogeneous regions.

Dynamic collaborative optimization for disaster relief supply chains under information ambiguity.

Large-scale disasters occur worldwide, with a continuing surge in the frequency and severity of disruptive events. Researchers have developed several optimization models to address the critical challenges of disaster relief supply chains (e.g., emergency material reserving and scheduling inefficiencies). However, most developed algorithms are proven to have low fault tolerance, which makes it difficult for disaster relief supply chain managers to obtain optimal solutions and meet the emergency distribution requirements within a limited time frame. Considering the uncertainty and ambiguity of disaster relief information and using Interval Type-2 Fuzzy Set (IT2TFS), this paper presents a collaborative optimization model based on an integrative emergency material supplier evaluation framework. The optimal emergency material suppliers are first selected using a multi-attribute group decision-making ranking method. Multi-objective fuzzy optimization is then run in three emergency phases: early -, mid-, and late-disaster relief stages. Focusing on a massive flash flood disaster event in Yunnan Province as a case study, a comprehensive numerical analysis tests and validates the developed model. The results revealed that the proposed optimization method can optimize emergency material planning while ensuring that reserve material safety inventory is always maintained at a reasonable level. The presented method suggests a fuzzy interval to prevent emergency materials’ safety inventory shortage and minimize continuous life/property losses in disaster-affected areas.

Drone logistics for uncertain demand of disaster-impacted populations

The paper introduces a stochastic optimization-based approach to address the logistics for the timely delivery of aid packages to disaster-affected areas utilizing a fleet of drones when the set of demand points is unknown. The major problem addressed is to locate a set of drone take-off platforms so that with a specified probability α, the maximum total disutility (or cost) under all realizations of the demand locations is minimized. A set of discrete scenarios defines the uncertainty set of the demand points. A Chance Constrained Programming (CCP) formulation is developed to select a set of platform locations whose disutility distribution produces minimum α percentile. For each platform location set, and each demand scenario, the total disutility is defined as the total delivery time for serving the demand points plus a penalty for unvisited demand points. For every set of drone platform locations, referred to as a candidate combination of platforms, the resultant disutility distribution is obtained by solving a space-time drone scheduling subproblem for all possible demand scenarios. The drone scheduling subproblem optimally schedules and sequences a set of trips for each drone so that the total disutility is minimized. Owing to the computational complexity of the proposed approach, an approximation method is developed that decomposes the problem into three tractable stages. The first stage identifies a set of most preferable platform combinations. The second stage develops an approximation algorithm based on a greedy approach to mitigate the extensive computational requirements for solving the large number of drone scheduling subproblems. The last stage builds upon the properties of a Sample Average Approximation (SAA) method and of the CCP formulation to select the optimum set of platforms. Finally, the performance of the proposed stochastic approach is evaluated through a series of computational experiments and a case study of Central Florida. The results reveal interesting insights and demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed logistics system for drone delivery of humanitarian aid packages.

The potential of disaster digital archives in disaster education: The case of the Japan disasters digital archive (JDA) and its geo-location functions

Using the Japan Disasters Digital Archive (JDA) as an example, the present study examines how geo-location functions in disaster digital archives may contribute to disaster risk awareness. It focuses on the sites affected by or representing lessons learned from the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake (GEJE), such as the tsunami inundated coastal areas or museums. The study tests the thesis that geo-located data in digital archives can enhance disaster risk awareness by allowing its users to discover novel location-specific information. The Covid-19 pandemic drastically influenced the research design and the results. The research methods had to be changed from group-based field trips and in-person interviews to virtual research methods that participants could follow on their own. Although there is room for improvements in the JDA design and function, the research results suggest that options for visitors to retrieve information through digital archives on their own while visiting sites of their interest can contribute to their understanding of the history of these specific places and local risks. Promoting self-guided tours by giving access to disaster digital archives with a geolocation-function could also be used as a cost saving option for museums and visitors alike to explore disaster-affected areas, especially in times of a pandemic when visitors are discouraged from joining crowded tours. As a whole, this research aims to not only improve (disaster) digital archives but also to contribute to disaster education in general and offer a widened learning experience for visitors of disaster affected areas in particular.

Sleep disturbance is associated with neck pain: a 3-year longitudinal study after the Great East Japan Earthquake

BackgroundNeck pain is a common health problem in the general population as well as in people after natural disasters. Sleep disturbances are gaining attention as risk factors for musculoskeletal pain; however, the association between sleep disturbance and neck pain has not been clarified. The present study aimed to clarify the association between sleep disturbance and neck pain, especially focusing on the effect of the duration of sleep disturbance, after the Great East Japan Earthquake.MethodsThis study used 3-year longitudinal data obtained from individuals (n = 2,059) living in disaster-affected areas after the Great East Japan Earthquake. Sleep disturbance and neck pain were investigated at 4, 5, 6, and 7 years after the disaster. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used for the assessment.ResultsSleep disturbance was significantly associated with neck pain, and the association was stronger as the duration of sleep disturbance increased (adjusted odds ratios [95% confidence intervals]: 1.84 [1.23–2.75] for “ < 1 year”; 2.41 [1.53–3.81] for “ ≥ 1 year and < 2 years”; 2.80 [2.09–3.76] for “ ≥ 2 years”). Furthermore, preceding sleep disturbance was significantly associated with the onset of neck pain, and the association was stronger as the duration of sleep disturbance increased (adjusted odds ratios [95% confidence intervals]: 1.86 [1.08–3.20] for “ < 1 year”; 2.39 [1.22–4.70] for “ ≥ 1 year and < 2 years”; 3.00 [1.94–4.65] for “ ≥ 2 years”).ConclusionsSleep disturbance is associated with neck pain, and long-lasting sleep disturbance strengthens the association. Clinicians should consider this association to effectively treat patients with neck pain, especially those affected by natural disasters.