Disaster Experience Research Articles

Enhancing Flood Management Plan (FMP) Through Integration Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) in Thailand: The Case of Ayutthaya

Rapid urbanization, deforestation and disaster management system exacerbated the risk of flooding in Thailand. In 2011, Thailand had learned the lessons from its experience of the mega flood disaster that point to the requirement of better solutions to reduce damage to property and human life. This article presents the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) and Flood Management Framework (SEAFMF) in the existing flood management plan. This study aims to investigate how SEA can be integrated into Thailand’s flood management plan using an appropriate flood management framework. The methodology includes content analysis of qualitative and quantitative data based on a review of existing research, interviews with relevant organizations, and focus group discussions. The results show that the strategic environmental assessment approach can be used in decision making regarding the adaptation framework. As the pilot case, is a partially integrated model, more effective SEA should be completely done by establishing the appropriate legal framework and authority to directly responsible. The results could provide example of integration SEA into FMP, adaptation to climate change, and disaster management for other areas.

Actor-network analysis of community-based organisations in health pandemics: evidence from the COVID-19 response in Freetown, Sierra Leone.

Freetown, Sierra Leone, is confronted with health risks that are compounded by rapid unplanned urbanisation and weak capacities of local government institutions. Addressing them implies a shared responsibility between government and non‐state actors. In low‐income areas, the role of community‐based organisations (CBOs) in combating health disasters is well‐recognised. Yet, empirical evidence on how they have utilised their networks and coordinated community‐level strategies in responding to the COVID‐19 pandemic is scant. This paper, based on a qualitative study in two informal settlements in Freetown, employs actor‐network theory to understand how CBOs problematise COVID‐19 as a health risk, interact with other entities, and the subsequent tensions that arise. The findings show that community vulnerabilities and past experiences of health disasters informed CBOs' perception of COVID‐19 as a communal emergency. In response, they coordinated sensitisation and mobilisation programmes by relying on a network of actors to support COVID‐19 risk reduction strategies. Nonetheless, misunderstandings among them caused friction.

Comparison of mortality patterns after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant radiation disaster and during the COVID-19 pandemic

The initial health impact caused by radiation disasters can be broadly classified into direct and indirect effects. Though no direct health hazards caused by radiation, such as acute radiation injury, were observed following the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant accident, indirect deaths have been reported, including those caused by initial emergency evacuation and relocation, medical disruption, and psychological and social health effects. However, these indirect health effects have not been prioritised for addressal. We evaluated the radiation disaster experience with that of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic that emerged while facing the challenges from the radiation disaster. Most of the health effects of COVID-19 are directly associated with infection, but indirect health effects of various scales and entities have been reported. The two disasters have similarities in terms of the strain on community healthcare and the large number of deaths. Adapting the measures implemented in the acute to subacute phases of the COVID-19 disaster to radiation disasters may help improve management following future radiation disasters. Based on the experience and findings during the COVID-19 pandemic, the pattern of deaths in radiation disasters can be divided into five major groups: direct deaths, and four indirect patterns of deaths due to a deteriorating supply-demand balance (a hospital-level problem), collapse of the healthcare system (a community-level problem), death due to neglect alongside underlying disease, and diseases other than direct invasion. From the similarities between the two disasters, three main issues should be prioritised as initial emergency evacuation measures in a radiation disaster: emergency exposure medicine, the establishment of a medical system, and protection of death with dignity. The validity of these priority issues needs to be verified in future research.

Lessons from the frontline: The value of emergency care processes and data to pandemic responses across the Pacific region

BackgroundEmergency care (EC) addresses the needs of patients with acute illness and injury, and has fulfilled a critical function during the COVID-19 pandemic. ‘Processes’ (e.g. triage) and ‘data’ (e.g. surveillance) have been nominated as essential building blocks for EC systems. This qualitative research sought to explore the impact of the pandemic on EC clinicians across the Pacific region, including the contribution of EC building blocks to effective responses.MethodsThe study was conducted in three phases, with data obtained from online support forums, key informant interviews and focus group discussions. There were 116 participants from more than 14 Pacific Island Countries and Territories. A phenomenological approach was adopted, incorporating inductive and deductive methods. The deductive thematic analysis utilised previously identified building blocks for Pacific EC. This paper summarises findings for the building blocks of ‘processes’ and ‘data’.FindingsEstablishing triage and screening capacity, aimed at assessing urgency and transmission risk respectively, were priorities for EC clinicians. Enablers included support from senior hospital leaders, previous disaster experience and consistent guidelines. The introduction of efficient patient flow processes, such as streaming, proved valuable to emergency departments, and checklists and simulation were useful implementation strategies. Some response measures impacted negatively on non-COVID patients, and proactive approaches were required to maintain ‘business as usual’. The pandemic also highlighted the value of surveillance and performance data.InterpretationDeveloping effective processes for triage, screening and streaming, among other areas, was critical to an effective EC response. Beyond the pandemic, strengthening processes and data management capacity will build resilience in EC systems.FundingPhases 1 and 2A of this study were part of an Epidemic Ethics/World Health Organization (WHO) initiative, supported by Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office/Wellcome Grant 214711/Z/18/Z. Co-funding for this research was received from the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine Foundation via an International Development Fund Grant.

Supporting each other: Pacific emergency care clinicians navigate COVID-19 pandemic challenges through collaboration

Supporting each other: Pacific emergency care clinicians navigate COVID-19 pandemic challenges through collaboration

Japan’s Disaster Memorial Museums and framing 3.11: Othering the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in cultural memory

ABSTRACT With the proliferation of several dozen new exhibits and museums dedicated to this specific disaster, the 3.11 Great East Japan Earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster, can be considered a turning point in the preservation of disaster memory in Japan. Although there is limited research on disaster museums, they play a significant role in shaping cultural memory of 3.11, as they are regarded as reliable, objective institutions of memory. Through analysis of 17 government-established 3.11 museums, this research explores the following questions: How do public disaster museums frame their representations of 3.11, and what official narrative is created within the cultural memory of the triple disaster in Japan? Drawing from analysis of the museums’ mission statements and exhibitions, and interviews with curators and museum staff, we argue that most disaster museums support narratives of overcoming hardships to contribute to a better future, showing continuity with narratives typical of other memorial museums such as WWII, or pre-3.11 disaster museums. In contrast to the commemoration of war and its influence on cultural memory, disaster museums have received relatively little scholarly attention. Yet, these forward-looking messages, combined with tendencies of museums to focus on local disaster experiences and emphasize disaster risk reduction with an artificial separation between man-made disasters vs. natural hazards, contributes to an othering of the Fukushima nuclear disaster in cultural memory, as an outlier in Japan’s long history of disasters. Without full representation of the compound disaster, understanding of 3.11 and the effective transmission of the intended lessons is severely limited.

Disaster risk and migration in the west bank of the Malay Peninsula: Will the urban-rural divide improve or widen?

The west coast of the Malay Peninsula is known for its high risk for tsunami disasters. Massive disasters and their risks (e.g., tsunamis) may trigger population movement, which may have a significant impact on the long-term development of the country. It is useful for local and national governments to gain insight into the relationship between disaster risk and population movement. The purpose of this study was to analyze how personal attributes, disaster experiences, and the perceived resilience of an area to disaster risks are linked to disaster risk-related migration behavior. One thousand participants completed a web-based questionnaire survey, which was analyzed to identify how the presence or absence of a place to which people can evacuate and the characteristics of such an area affect migration behavior. The results show that most residents of the western coastal areas of the Malay Peninsula have the option to migrate to areas with characteristics that are similar to their current area of residence, and that their decision to move to one of these places is not related to their assessment of the resilience of the area. Therefore, it is necessary for local and national governments to take urgent measures, such as developing vacant rural areas into disaster prevention centers, to decrease the disparity between urban and rural areas.

LIVELIHOOD VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT OF THE INFORMAL FOOD SECTOR IN OCCIDENTAL MINDORO

The informal food sector is a vital part of rural, peri-urban and urban communities sitting alongside formal economic activities and trading procedures for centuries. It largely contributes to the local economy. However, since they source their supplies from agricultural produce in the local markets, they become vulnerable to the uncertainties which could possibly result to livelihood vulnerability. This descriptive study aimed to assess and describe the livelihood vulnerability level of the informal food sector, determine the issues, challenges and opportunities and identify policy implications that could improve the livelihood resiliency of the informal food sector in Occidental Mindoro. The Livelihood Vulnerability framework of Hahn (2009) where seven indicators were used in determining the vulnerability: socio-demographic profile, livelihood strategies, social network, health security, food security, access to utilities, and disaster experience. A random sampling of 200 informal food enterprises was employed to three market areas San Jose, Magsaysay and Rizal in Occidental Mindoro. The livelihood vulnerability index was used to describe the vulnerability level. The study revealed a low to moderate vulnerability level of the informal food enterprises. The issues, challenges and opportunities of the informal food sector include their limited access to formal credits, high dependency ratio, poor educational background, low marketing skills all contribute to their livelihood vulnerability. However their high adaptive capacity specifically in livelihood diversification and their ability to supply the essential needs of the market enhance their resilience They bank on two business strengths: affordability and availability which have become their investment to develop their regular buyers.

A Phenomenological Research on COVID-19 and Disaster Experience of Individuals with Orthopedic Disabled

Günümüzde küresel olarak etki eden COVID-19 pandemisi çok sayıda can kaybına, sakatlıklara, ciddi ekonomik kayıplara, sosyal hayatın durmasına neden olmuş ve olmaktadır. Diğer afetler gibi COVID-19 pandemisi de toplumun her kesiminde aynı etkiyi yaratmamış, kırılgan dirençsiz gruplar bu pandemi sürecinden daha çok etkilenmişlerdir. Normal şartlarda çoğu zaman toplum geneline kıyasla daha kötü yaşam koşullarında yaşayan ve afetler nedeniyle daha zor durumda kalan engelliler COVİD-19 sürecinden de diğer bireylerden daha fazla etkilenmişler ve etkilenmektedirler. COVID-19 pandemisi süresince diğer afet türlerinde olduğu gibi engelli bireylerin rehabilitasyon, tıbbi takip ve tedavi gibi toplumun diğer bireylerinden farklı ihtiyaçları bulunmaktadır ve yapılan kısıtlamalar nedeniyle engelli bireyler bu özel ihtiyaçlarını gidermede sorunlar yaşamaktadırlar. Bu çalışmada COVİD-19 pandemisi süresini deneyimleyen 13 ortopedik engelli bireyle afet algısı ve COVID-19 pandemisinin gündelik yaşamlarındaki değişimlere yönelik nitel araştırma yöntemlerinden fenomenolojik desen kullanılarak derinlemesine görüşmeler yapılarak kişilerin afet algısı ve COVİD-19 deneyimleri hakkında görüşleri analiz edilmiştir. Araştırmanın sonucunda ortopedik engellilerin yaşadığı sorunlarla ilgili çözüm önerileri sunulmaktadır.

An Unfolding Tabletop Simulation Training Exercise on Disaster Planning for Nursing Students.

Disaster planning is an essential component for nursing students to learn. Clinical experiences of disasters are typically unavailable for nursing students. Increasing frequency of disaster events around the globe has made disaster planning knowledge and skills a critical component in nursing education and professional practice. An unfolding tabletop disaster planning exercise was created as a simulation training strategy meant to strengthen essential disaster response skills. The exercise involves 5 realistic scenarios related to a mass casualty event, taking students from the disaster site to the hospital-based disaster response. Implementation of a tabletop disaster planning simulation in one nursing program replaced the traditional lecture-based disaster content. An unfolding tabletop disaster planning simulation is a comprehensive, interactive, sustainable, and low-cost teaching strategy that draws on nursing students' fundamental knowledge. Students had the opportunity to practice clinical skills required during a disaster, such as communication, prioritization, teamwork, and delegation.

Natural Disasters and Changing Risk Preferences: Long-Run Field Evidence from Indonesia

Whilst studies have looked at the impact of one-off exogenous events on risk preferences, few have used longitudinal field data to assess the long-run effects of cumulative exposure to shocks. This paper studies how risk preferences are shaped by the cumulative experience of natural disasters, drawing on longitudinal field data representative of the Indonesian population from 1993 to 2014. Exploiting natural disasters as natural experiments in a difference-in-difference model, this paper provides causal evidence that past disaster experience leads to decreased risk aversion over time. Heterogeneity analysis finds evidence suggestive of a risk familiarisation process, where individuals adjust their risk preference with respect to the difference between ex ante-expected and ex post-experienced disasters.

Environmental risks to humans, the first database of valence and arousal ratings for images of natural hazards

Due to their relevance for the entire society, environmental hazards have largely been investigated in terms of their psychological effects. However, a complete image database comprising different categories of catastrophes has not been proposed yet. We selected 200 photographs of the most frequent natural disasters with the aim to collect the emotional reactions of observers. In particular, 20 stimuli were selected for each of the following 10 categories: earthquake, volcanic activity, lightning, hailstorm, drought, fire, landslide, epidemic, and neutral and positive images as control categories. A sample of 605 participants completed an online survey, in which they were asked to rate either the valence or the arousal of each stimulus, by using a Self-Assessment Manikin. The Environmental Risk to Humans database associates the emotional reactions to these visual stimuli, together with the demographics of the sample (e.g., gender, age, marital status, income, previous experience of natural disasters). The database constitutes a tool to explore human reactions to natural hazards, providing a controlled set of stimuli for different types of catastrophes.

The Impact of early-life Natural Disaster Experiences on the Corporate Innovation by CEOs

ABSTRACT We examine the relationship between CEO early-life natural disaster experience and corporate innovation. As China has a strict household registration system, we measure CEOs’ early-life natural disaster experience via defining CEOs’ birthplaces based on their official ID and linking it to the Chinese natural disaster database. We find that firms with CEOs who were exposed to natural disasters are less innovative. Importantly, we use textual analysis techniques to document two possible channels through which CEO natural disasters experience to stymie corporate innovation: CEO shortsightedness and risk-averse. Our results are robust to the instrumental variable approach, alternative definitions of early-life time windows and innovation, as well as difference-in-differences test based on CEO turnover events. Taken together, this study sheds light on the relationship between natural disasters and management’s myopia behavior.

Challenges Created by the COVID-19 Pandemic: Pediatric Emergency Medicine and Disaster Management Perspectives.

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has presented unique challenges to pediatric emergency medicine (PEM) departments. The purpose of this study was to identify these challenges and ascertain how centers overcame barriers in creating solutions to continue to provide high-quality care and keep their workforce safe during the early pandemic. This is a qualitative study based on semi-structured interviews with physicians in leadership positions who have disaster or emergency management experience. Participants were identified through purposive sampling. Interviews were recorded and transcribed electronically. Themes and codes were extracted from the transcripts by 2 independent coders. Constant comparison analysis was performed until thematic saturation was achieved. Member-checking was completed to ensure trustworthiness. Fourteen PEM-trained physicians participated in this study. Communication, leadership and planning, clinical practice, and personal adaptations were the principal themes identified. Recommendations elicited include improving communication strategies; increasing emergency department (ED) representation within hospital-wide incident command; preparing for a surge and accepting adult patients; personal protective equipment supply and usage; developing testing strategies; and adaptations individuals made to their practice to keep themselves and their families safe. By sharing COVID-19 experiences and offering solutions to commonly encountered problems, pediatric EDs may be better prepared for future pandemics.

Gamifying Community Education for Enhanced Disaster Resilience: An Effectiveness Testing Study from Australia

Providing convenient and effective online education is important for the public to be better prepared for disaster events. Nonetheless, the effectiveness of such education is questionable due to the limited use of online tools and platforms, which also results in narrow community outreach. Correspondingly, understanding public perceptions of disaster education methods and experiences for the adoption of novel methods is critical, but this is an understudied area of research. The aim of this study is to understand public perceptions towards online disaster education practices for disaster preparedness and evaluate the effectiveness of the gamification method in increasing public awareness. This study utilizes social media analytics and conducts a gamification exercise. The analysis involved Twitter posts (n = 13,683) related to the 2019–2020 Australian bushfires, and surveyed participants (n = 52) before and after experiencing a gamified application—i.e., STOP Disasters! The results revealed that: (a) The public satisfaction level is relatively low for traditional bushfire disaster education methods; (b) The study participants’ satisfaction level is relatively high for an online gamified application used for disaster education; and (c) The use of virtual and augmented reality was found to be promising for increasing the appeal of gamified applications, along with using a blended traditional and gamified approach.

A study of the shelter environment based on the experiences of the Kumamoto earthquake disaster

A study of the shelter environment based on the experiences of the Kumamoto earthquake disaster

Making Meaning of Disaster Experience in Highly Trauma-exposed Survivors of the Oklahoma City Bombing.

Survivors of disasters can be expected to form meaningful perspectives on their experiences that shape their trajectories of recovery; thus, these perspectives are important to study. If humans are naturally compelled to create meaning from traumatic experiences, the creation of meaning should be evident in survivors' discussion of the effects of the disaster in their lives. Therefore, the purpose of this study of highly trauma-exposed disaster survivors was to identify meaningful aspects or outcomes of their disaster experiences in their perspectives. This study examined a random sample (N=182) of survivors of the Oklahoma City bombing six months after the disaster using open-ended questions. Text responses (N=650) were compiled, themes identified by multiple coders, responses coded into the themes, interrater reliability established, and the themes were then interpreted. Six themes were identified and grouped into three general categories: personal aspirations (reprioritizing life and altruism and self-improvement), connection with others (a freestanding category/theme), and making meaning (appreciation for life, religion and spirituality, and contemplating life, death, and humanity), which contained the majority of the responses. The findings from this study affirm the human need to make meaning from the experience of a traumatic disaster and suggest the potential relevance to survivors' recovery of therapies based on the creation of meaning and the promotion of positive growth.

Disaster Nursing Competency of Intensive Care Nurses in Jinan, China: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study.

Patients in disaster areas require the most urgent assistance. In recent large-scale natural disasters, intensive care nurses have served as an important reserve component of disaster response teams. In disaster nursing, ability and attitude directly affect the quality and effectiveness of disaster rescues. However, few studies have examined the disaster nursing competency of intensive care nurses in China. This study was designed to describe the current status of disaster nursing competency among intensive care nurses, analyze the related factors affecting the disaster response effectiveness, and evaluate the values of disaster nursing continuing education and training in cultivating professional personnel with disaster emergency rescue competence. This cross-sectional study was conducted at six tertiary general government hospitals in Jinan, Shandong Province, China. A convenience sampling method was adopted, and the Wenjuanxing website was used to compile the network questionnaire, which participants completed via a WeChat group. Descriptive, correlation, and regression analyses were performed using SPSS software. The participants in this study included 285 registered intensive care nurses employed at six hospitals in Jinan. Most were female (77.9%), and the mean age was 29.9 years. The mean total disaster nursing ability score was 122.98 (SD = 31.70), and the average scores for each item ranged from 2.78 to 3.70. The incident command system item earned the highest mean score (3.70, SD = 1.22), followed by triage (3.24, SD = 0.93). The biological preparedness item earned the lowest mean score (2.78, SD = 1.04). Being male, being < 30 years old, having an understanding of disaster nursing, having previously participated in disaster emergency simulation drills or training, and having a higher self-evaluation of rescue competence were all associated with higher disaster-nursing knowledge scores. Multiple linear regression analyses indicated that understanding of disaster nursing and experience participating in disaster emergency rescue drills or training had the most significant influence on the disaster nursing emergency knowledge score, followed by positive self-evaluation of disaster nursing ability and demand for training. The findings of this study indicate that the participants had a moderate disaster-nursing competency and that this competency may be improved through disaster-related continuing education and training. The cognitive attitude of disaster nursing was found to correlate positively with self-efficacy. Simulated emergency drills may effectively improve the disaster nursing competency of critical care nurses. The findings emphasize that experiences other than direct clinical practice such as specialized simulated emergency drills and training as well as willingness for such training are stronger factors for identifying and developing overall disaster nursing competency.

Risk and Resilience in Trajectories of Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms among First Responders after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake: a 7-year prospective cohort study

IntroductionFirst responders to disasters are at risk of developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The trajectories of post-traumatic stress symptom severity differ among individuals, even if they are exposed to similar events. These trajectories have not yet been reported in non-Western first responders.ObjectivesWe aimed to explore post-traumatic stress symptom severity trajectories and their risk factors in first responders to the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake (GEJE)— a historically large earthquake that resulted in a tsunami and a nuclear disaster.Methods56 388 Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF) personnel dispatched to the GEJE were enrolled in this seven-year longitudinal cohort study. PTSD symptom severity was measured using the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R). Trajectories were identified using latent growth mixture models (LGMM). Nine potential risk factors for the symptom severity trajectories were analyzed using multinomial logistic regression.ResultsFive symptom severity trajectories were identified: “resilient” (54.7%), “recovery” (24.5%), “incomplete recovery” (10.7%), “late-onset” (5.7%), and “chronic” (4.3%). The main risk factors for the four non-resilient trajectories were older age, personal disaster experiences, and working conditions. These working conditions included duties involving body recovery or radiation exposure risk, longer deployment length, later or no post-deployment leave, and longer post-deployment overtime.ConclusionsThe majority of first responders to GEJE were resilient and developed few or no PTSD symptoms. A substantial minority experienced late-onset and chronic symptom severity trajectories. The identified risk factors can inform policies for prevention, early detection, and intervention in individuals at risk of developing symptomatic trajectories.DisclosureNo significant relationships.

Association of Disaster Perception, Disaster Attitudes, and Communication Skills with Disaster Nursing Competence among Nurse Officers at Armed Forces Hospitals

Purpose: This study aimed to examine the effects of disaster perception, disaster attitude, and communication skills on disaster nursing competence among nurse officers at armed forces hospitals. Methods: In this descriptive study, data were collected from 191 nurse officers at armed forces hospitals in Korea, using convenience sampling. Data were analyzed by conducting descriptive statistics, the independent sample t-test, one-way analysis of variance, the Scheffé test, Pearson correlation coefficients, and multiple regression analysis. Results: The mean scores for disaster perception, disaster attitude, communication skills, and disaster nursing competency were 73.02±7.66, 36.86±3.96, 57.97±6.39, and 52.88±7.66, respectively. Disaster perception was correlated with disaster attitude (r=.32, p=.002), communication skills (r=.46, p&lt;.001) and disaster nursing competence (r=.40, p&lt;.001). Disaster attitude was correlated with communication skills(r=.28, p&lt;.001) and disaster nursing competence (r=.19, p=.008). Communication skills were correlated with disaster nursing competence (r=.50, p&lt;.001). The factors influencing nurse officers’ disaster nursing competence were communication skills (β=.34, p&lt;.001), disaster perception (β=.20, p=.003), experience in disaster education (β=-.20, p=.001), experience in disaster nursing work (β=-.14, p=.022) and working experience (β=.14, p=.033). Conclusion: Disaster nursing competence had a positive correlation with recognition of communication skills, disaster perception, experience of disaster education, and experience of disaster nursing work.