Phase Of Disaster Research Articles

Preparing for Disasters at the Community Level: Prevention and Social Cohesion

Back to table of contents Previous article Next article Climate ChangeFull AccessPreparing for Disasters at the Community Level: Prevention and Social CohesionAndrew J. McLean, M.D., M.P.H.Andrew J. McLeanSearch for more papers by this author, M.D., M.P.H.Published Online:20 Mar 2020https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.pn.2020.3b21AbstractAs I write this commentary, I’ve just used my snow blower for the fourth time this weekend after a massive winter snow that followed a massively wet fall, and now I’m hearing predictions of a potentially massive spring flood. (My wife and I thought this winter might be rough, so we took a work vacation in warmer climes, at a mental health conference in Australia—while bush fires raged. You can’t make this stuff up.)As psychiatrists, we are impacted by disasters in multiple ways. We attempt to mitigate the impact of trauma on our patients (both those with a history of adverse experiences and those without) and prevent further victimization. We strive to buffer our families and communities from the effects of natural, human-caused, and other perils, and yet there are often too many variables that may affect the outcome.How do we help ourselves and others not to catastrophize catastrophes? How do we channel Osler’s “Aequanimitas” to benefit both individual and population health? (Osler defined this term as “coolness and presence of mind under all circumstances.”) Let’s review the common concepts in both prevention and disaster.Physicians are trained in prevention concepts as they pertain to health. Types of prevention include the following: primary, secondary, and tertiary. (I like the oft-noted “quaternary prevention” as well, which essentially is avoiding iatrogenic causes of harm.)Phases of disaster include mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery:Mitigation ties in with primary prevention: foreseeing risk and limiting likelihood of occurrence.Preparedness is linked with the event at hand—evaluating imminent risk and dampening down impact, in a secondary prevention fashion.Response is the management of significant impact, that is, tertiary prevention.Recovery allows not only for review of impact, but of lessons learned; the opportunity to evaluate, grow, and build.Let’s apply these concepts as they relate to disaster mental health work:Mitigation/primary prevention can include assisting our patients and families in disaster planning. It can include managing current illnesses to the best of our abilities. It can also include reminders to reinforce social connections. We know that social isolation is a significant risk factor for many physical and mental health issues. Data from some recent disasters, including our experiences with flooding in the upper Midwest, demonstrate that increased social cohesion may be linked to fewer negative mental health outcomes.Preparedness/secondary prevention can include activities related to both psychological/individual and infrastructure, particularly if one has timely knowledge of potential or slow-moving disasters such as floods, droughts, heat waves, wildfires, rising sea levels, and other climate change consequences. For example: “This is what you might expect during this event; make sure you have refills of your medication and a ‘go kit.’ If our office is closed and you have an emergency, please do the following. ... ”During one flood, our city’s engineering department worked with social and mental health case managers to assist vulnerable populations with housing planning after assessment of infrastructure risk.Response/tertiary prevention can manifest in many ways, depending on severity and type of impact. Mental health professionals may be able to work not only with patients in providing care, but also with city and social communities in assisting populations by providing wellness recommendations via media, social media, and other communication channels.Given the hot topic of burnout, mental health professionals need to be aware of their own needs during the above situations. One of my colleagues, a Red Cross disaster mental health trainer, always taps a colleague to help her track any signs of her own stress and struggles.Let’s not forget that during times of such crises, we have a significant amount of training that can be applied in helping ourselves and others. We are physicians—we have competence. We have cognitive and behavioral tools to identify and reduce stress; we have expertise in problem solving. And after all is said and done and we have tried our best, we are trained scientists. We need to evaluate the process, learn, and grow. Regrettably, there will be increasing opportunities to use our skills as the adverse consequences of climate change accelerate and proliferate. ■Andrew J. McLean, M.D., M.P.H., is a clinical professor and chair of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine and Health Sciences. ISSUES NewArchived

Development of Activity Diagrams for Mitigating Large-Scale Disaster Damage During Construction of Underground Urban Utility Tunnels

In recent years, demand for utility tunnels in urban underground areas, which accommodate various lifelines such as electric power, communication, water supply, heating, gas, and so on, is increasing. However, unlike domestic manuals that are focused on utility tunnelmaintenance, disaster prevention measures implemented during the construction stage have been institutionalized overseas. In view of this, in order to secure safety related to the construction of utility tunnels in Korea, it is necessary to mitigate large-scale construction disasters that reflect the characteristics of underground urban utility tunnels. In this study, activity diagrams based on crisis warning phases of fire, inundation, and earthquake disasters were created to reduce the damage caused by each disaster. The activity diagrams are expected to contribute to the safety assurance in the event of a large-scale construction disaster during the construction of utility tunnels by effectively and promptly responding to each phase of the disaster.

Role of Religious Institutions in Disaster Risk Management: A Systematic Review

The aim of this systematic review is to analyze the relevant research on religious organizations' participation in disasters risk management and to understand the ways in which these organizations impact on disaster management. Today, community-based disaster risk management is emphasized as a very effective approach. Religious organizations are one of the most important components of community. They have access to resources that can be critical to help government agencies to manage disasters successfully. This systematic review was conducted since August 2018 to investigate the role of religious institutions in disasters management and was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. PubMed, Web of Science (WOS), Scopus, Proquest, Embase, and Google scholar were the primary databases used for search of literature. Keywords used in this review were "religious institution," "disaster management," and their equivalents were obtained from Mesh, Emtree, or extracted from related articles. The papers from a broad range of disciplines related to keywords were included, and those articles that focus on response to disaster based on religious beliefs' and religion rather than participation of religious institutions in disaster risk management were excluded. From the 18,071 records identified through database searching in the early stage, 22 articles were selected for this review followed by analysis of the characteristics and content analysis of the included studies to answer the study questions. The findings of this systematic review that emerged from content analysis are summarized in 11 themes: religious institutions' potential for disaster management, preparedness of religious institutions for disasters, response, recovery, the social capital, partnership with all stakeholders, collaboration and communication between mental health professionals and faith-based organization leaders, unity of information and message, religious institution shelters, dealing with disaster in old and new approaches, and barriers and challenges. Religious institutions have a vital role and great potential in disasters management. They often contribute in response and recovery phases of disasters, although these services are valuable but the great potential of these groups should also be recruited to participate in preparedness and mitigation efforts as part of disasters cycle. Coordination and collaboration of all stakeholders is essential in this way.

#4645Boricuas: Twitter reactions to the estimates of deaths by Hurricane María in Puerto Rico.

This study explores the sentiment expressed by Twitter users after the Harvard University report was released, reporting a death estimate of 4,645 Puerto Ricans following Hurricane María. Researchers utilized the NVivo addition NCapture to collect Twitter data including the hashtag #4645Boricuas. Thematic content analyses explored emergent themes within the hashtag. Geographic information systems (GIS) documented the location of Tweets and differences across geographical locations among Twitter users. The themes that emerged in #4645Boricuas included: disaster phases, media, psychological processes, and politics. GIS documented that Tweets from Puerto Rico were more likely to discuss themes of psychological processes, politics, and resilience compared with disaster phases or media. The present data highlights how individuals engage with Twitter to cope following the trauma of natural disasters.

Investigating the experience of local community networks of disaster self-management: A qualitative study in Thailand.

Thailand is exposed to multiple climate-related hazards. Those cause disaster, instability and destruction to human life and property. People affected by disasters need self-help capabilities. Therefore, local administration organizations (LAOs) and local community networks are critical. They act as social capital in communities who can contribute meaningfully to disaster management systems. The study aimed to assess procedures and activities of community networks focusing on disaster management and how social capitals are utilized. The qualitative study was conducted with 65 informants recruited through purposive sampling and snowball techniques from six outstanding LAOs. We analyzed data from in-depth interviews, observations, and focus group discussions with key informants. An inductive thematic analysis was performed to identify themes on procedures and activities related to social capital. Content analysis was used to analyze the data. We identified three main outcomes. The social capital involved and collaborated with LAOs included civil groups, community organizations, community leaders, and other public and private organizations. Procedures and activities related to social capital working in disaster management in communities included predisaster phase, disaster phase, and postdisaster and recovery phase. The overall local community network was key to help disaster affected people in communities effectively. The findings suggest that social capital participation builds up a sustainable community self-management. The potential enhancement of the local community self-management is strongly based on relationships within the community structure. Community disaster self-management and is likely reducing risk factors and mitigate vulnerability.

Current Situation of Triage Methods for Exposed Patients in the Acute Phase of a Nuclear Disaster

Current Situation of Triage Methods for Exposed Patients in the Acute Phase of a Nuclear Disaster

Analyzing the formation mechanism of the Xuyong landslide, Sichuan province, China, and emergency monitoring based on multiple remote sensing platform techniques

In this study, multitemporal satellite images, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) photogrammetry and ground-based radar were utilized to investigate the formation mechanism and disaster features of different phases of the Xuyong landslide disaster that occurred in Sichuan Province on December 9, 2018. Field survey indicates that the estimated landslide volume is approximately 35000 m3. The landslide is a typical dualistic soil-rock structural landslide with bedding planes. The sliding surface is located in a thin layer of limestone which is characterized by the X-shaped conjugate joint planes. The steep slope has been cut and transformed by human disturbances, which have influenced the slope stability and the drainage of precipitation along the slope. Many factors, including the regional geological structure, stratum lithology, slope topography, landform morphology, and precipitation, have contributed to the Xuyong landslide during the pre-disaster phase. Post-disaster emergency observation revealed that subsequent deformation was located mainly along the back edge of the landslide, where the maximum surficial deformation reached only 18 mm/day over a small area, reflecting the low probability of a secondary landslide hazard. Our research provides significant guidelines for investigating potential landslide dangers in similar environments and for post-disaster emergency response using multiple remote sensing (RS) platforms.

Mental health framework: coronavirus pandemic in post-Katrina New Orleans.

The United Nations Office of Disaster Risk Reduction defines disaster risk as the "likelihood of loss of life, injury or destruction and damage from a disaster in a given period, and a product of the complex interactions that generate conditions of exposure, vulnerability and hazard". Racial and ethnic minorities in the United States have been shown to have increased vulnerability and risk to disasters due to links between racism, vulnerability, and economic power, based on disadvantage related to different disaster stages: 1) reduced perception of personal disaster risk; 2) lack of preparedness; 3) reduced access and response to warning systems; 4) increased physical impacts due to substandard housing; 5) likelihood of poorer psychological outcomes; 6) cultural insensitivity on the part of emergency workers; 7) marginalization, lower socio-economic status, and less familiarity with support resources leading to protracted recovery; and 8) diminished standard of living, job loss, and exacerbated poverty during reconstruction and community rebuilding. Moreover, given that psychiatric morbidity is predictable in populations exposed to disasters, mental health and psychosocial support programs should increasingly become a standard part of a humanitarian response. In the crisis and immediate recovery phase of disasters, the focus should be on making survivors feel safe and giving them assistance in decreasing their anxiety by addressing their basic needs and welfare. So, it is critical that governmental institutions, business, and non-profit organizations proactively find mechanisms to work collaboratively and share resources. Special attention and extra resources must be directed towards vulnerable and marginalized populations. In this editorial we share lessons learned from experiencing disproportionate impact of health crisis and advocate for the notion that recovery efforts must address trauma at individual, interpersonal and community levels, and be based in a healing justice framework.

Research on the effective mutual support during the initial phase of disasters

Research on the effective mutual support during the initial phase of disasters

Use of high-fidelity simulation technology in disasters: an integrative literature review.

New innovative high-fidelity simulation (HFS) technologies, including augmented reality and virtual reality, have begun being used for disaster response and preparedness. However, few studies have assessed the merit of these technologies in disaster simulation. This integrative literature review of 21 studies assesses the role of HFS technology in disaster. Most studies used a quantitative methodology (71.4%), followed by mixed (19%) or qualitative methods (9.6%). Nearly 60% covered only disaster preparedness phase, whereas 10% addressed disasters in middle-income countries without including low-income nations. The four most frequently mentioned technologies were immersive virtual reality simulation, computerized virtual reality simulation, full-scale simulation, and augmented reality wearable smart glasses simulation. Nearly 50% of the studies used technology for purposes other than disaster simulation education, including telemedicine (14.3%), risk planning (14.3%), high-risk map generation for preparedness purposes (9.5%), or rehabilitation medicine (4.8%). HFS technologies must be further evaluated outside of high-income countries and in different disaster phases to better understand their full potential in disaster simulation. Future research should consider different health professions and more robust protocols to assist disaster response professionals and agencies in the adoption of HFS technologies.

A Systematic Analysis of Flood Ontologies: A Parametric Approach

The article identifies the core literature available on flood ontologies and presents a review on these ontologies from various perspectives like its purpose, type, design methodologies, ontologies (re)used, and also their focus on specific flood disaster phases. The study was conducted in two stages: i) literature identification, where the systematic literature review methodology was employed; and, ii) ontological review, where the parametric approach was applied. The study resulted in a set of fourteen papers discussing the flood ontology (FO). The ontological review revealed that most of the flood ontologies were task ontologies, formal, modular, and used web ontology language (OWL) for their representation. The most (re)used ontologies were SWEET, SSN, Time, and Space. METHONTOLOGY was the preferred design methodology, and for evaluation, application-based or data-based approaches were preferred. The majority of the ontologies were built around the response phase of the disaster. The unavailability of the full ontologies somewhat restricted the current study as the structural ontology metrics are missing. But the scientific community, the developers, of flood disaster management systems can refer to this work for their research to see what is available in the literature on flood ontology and the other major domains essential in building the FO.

Japanese public health nurses’ culturally sensitive disaster nursing for small island communities

Objective: To clarify the tacit knowledge of Japanese public-health nurses who administer culturally sensitive disaster nursing for small island communities. Design: Qualitative and inductive study. Sample: Eleven public-health nurses who provided disaster aid on one of six affected islands. Measurements: Semi-structured interviews, with qualitative analysis of data. Nursing actions that were based on consideration for islanders’ culture were categorized in terms of similarity. Results: Categories of culturally sensitive disaster nursing were identified for each disaster phase of the recovery process. These included confirming islanders’ safety and using existing interpersonal bonds to notify others (acute phase); assisting shelter management by facilitating the application of local rules and bonds (semi-acute phase); compensating for weakened neighbour-based relationships through public services (mid-term phase); and supporting the completion of necessary procedures by utilizing/adjusting islanders’ existing relationships with local government personnel (long-term phase). Cultural elements included interpersonal bonds and relationship, which emerged across phases. Conclusion: Public-health nurses should utilize culture not only to comfort islanders, but also to strengthen their sense of coherence and resilience as islander. They should also remember the nursing principle of compensating for a lack of self-care. To provide effective aid, the changes in cultural influences with recovery phases should be considered.

Defining pharmacists' roles in disasters: A Delphi study.

IntroductionPharmacists are uniquely placed in the community to be of assistance to disaster-affected patients. However, the roles undertaken by pharmacists in disasters are identified based on their own experiences and networks. There is currently no definition or acknowledgment of pharmacists’ roles in disasters.ObjectiveTo acquire consensus from an expert panel of key opinion leaders within the field of disaster health on pharmacists’ roles in disasters throughout the four disaster phases—prevention, preparedness, response, and recovery.MethodsA Delphi study consisting of three rounds of online surveys was utilised. Twenty-four key opinion leaders were contacted, with 15 completing all three rounds. The 15 expert panellists were presented with 46 roles identified in the literature and asked to rank their opinions on a 5-point Likert scale. This study used an international, all-hazard, and multijurisdictional approach. Consensus was benchmarked at 80% and any role which did not reach consensus was re-queried in the subsequent round. The third round provided the results of the Delphi study and sought commentary on the acceptance or rejection of the roles.ResultsOf the 46 roles provided to the expert panel, 43 roles were accepted as roles pharmacists are capable of undertaking in a disaster. There were five roles for the prevention phase, nine for the preparedness phase, 21 for the response phase, and eight for the recovery phase. The experts were asked to prioritise the top five roles for each of the disaster phases. The three roles which did not make consensus were deemed to be specialised roles for disaster pharmacists and not generalisable to the broader pharmacy profession.ConclusionThis study identifies pharmacists’ roles in disasters which have been accepted by the international disaster health community. The international key opinion leaders recommended that pharmacists could be undertaking 43 roles in a disaster, however, this is dependent on individual jurisdiction considerations. Pharmacy professional associations need to advocate to policymakers for legislative support and to ensure pharmacists are equipped with the training and education required to undertake these roles within specific jurisdictions.

Assessment of Emergency Nurses Response Toward Caring of Victims During Disasters

Background: Emergency nurses play a vital role in the response phase of disaster including immediate and acute care offered to victims during disasters, such as conducting triage. Aim of the study: To assess emergency nurses response toward caring of victims during disasters. Subject and Method: Purposive sample of 200 nurses working in the emergency departments at Assiut University Hospital and The ministry of Health Hospitals within 6 months period. The tool of data collection was the disaster response questionnaire. Results: Finding of the study revealed that less than half of studied nurses (45,5%) had a poor level of knowledge regarding the disaster, response, education and training. Conclusion: Emergency nurses had poor level of knowledge regarding disaster, response, education and training. There was a statistical significant difference between knowledge of studied nurses in both hospital nurses group with (P. value = <0.001).While the third of studied nurses had a diploma in nursing and had a poor level of knowledge regarding care of victims during disasters. Recommendations: In-service training and education related to disaster management is required for all nurses' especially emergency nurses and should be tailored to the local needs and their actual competences.

A Smart Sustainable approach for waste management in post-natural disaster phase

As an archipelago country, Indonesia is lied on the Pacific ring of fire - the center of active volcano and earthquake, located in tsunami-prone regions and several tectonic plates and had intense tropical rain, that places Indonesia at regular risk of earthquake, volcano eruption, tsunami, flood, and other natural disasters. Instead of nature and severity destructions, these natural disasters create a large volume of debris and waste, about 5 to 10 times of the solid waste generated usually, that have negative impacts on environmental, social and public health if not managed carefully. This study proposes a smart, sustainable approach for waste management in post-natural disaster. Some natural disaster happened in Indonesia was collected from Indonesia’s National Disaster Mitigation Agency to identify the global waste and debris potential from the disaster. Smart, sustainable municipal waste management framework based on four priority areas of governance, economy, social and environment, from the previous study, is adopted to develop a post-disaster smart, sustainable waste management framework and a pre-design system. The proposed framework is focused on the technical mechanism for collecting and converting generated waste and debris into valuable materials that are integrated into the waste management system.

Enhancing community preparedness: an inventory and analysis of disaster citizen science activities

BackgroundDisaster citizen science, or the use of scientific principles and methods by “non-professional” scientists or volunteers, may be a promising way to enhance public health emergency preparedness (PHEP) and build community resilience. However, little research has focused on understanding this emerging field and its implications for PHEP. To address research gaps, this paper: (1) assesses the state of disaster citizen science by developing an inventory of disaster citizen science projects; (2) identifies different models of disaster citizen science; and (3) assesses their relevance for PHEP.MethodsWe searched the English-language peer-reviewed and grey literature for disaster citizen science projects with no time period specified. Following searches, a team of three reviewers applied inclusion/exclusion criteria that defined eligible disasters and citizen science activities. Reviewers extracted the following elements from each project: project name and description; lead and partner entities; geographic setting; start and end dates; type of disaster; disaster phase; citizen science model; and technologies used.ResultsA final set of 209 projects, covering the time period 1953–2017, were included in the inventory. Projects were classified across five citizen science models: distributed or volunteer sensing (n = 19; 9%); contributory (n = 98; 47%); distributed intelligence (n = 52; 25%); collaborative research (n = 32; 15%); and collegial research (n = 8; 4%). Overall, projects were conducted across all disaster phases and most frequently for earthquakes, floods, and hurricanes. Although activities occurred globally, 40% of projects were set in the U.S. Academic, government, technology, and advocacy organizations were the most prevalent lead entities. Although a range of technologies were used, 77% of projects (n = 161) required an internet-connected device. These characteristics varied across citizen science models revealing important implications for applications of disaster citizen science, enhancement of disaster response capabilities, and sustainability of activities over time.ConclusionsBy increasing engagement in research, disaster citizen science may empower communities to take collective action, improve system response capabilities, and generate relevant data to mitigate adverse health impacts. The project inventory established a baseline for future research to capitalize on opportunities, address limitations, and help disaster citizen science achieve its potential.

The Dictatorship of Appearance or Simulation in Present-Day "Democracies" against the Background of the Market Ecocide of the Foundations of Human Life on Earth

It is proved that the current era is characterized by many governments around the world as dictatorship of "appearance" or "simulation" of the most activities transforming politics, even the tragic events like local ecological catastrophes, local wars, "colour revolutions", the elections in a "theatre", "acting", on the background of market ecocide – really accelerating processes of the first phase of a Global Environmental Disaster, which, at the transition "point of no return" in the near future, may turn into a process of irreversible environmental destruction of all mankind. This dictatorship of "appearance" or simulation as a "curtain" market democracy, hiding the capitalism-led, process of dehumanization of man, is an indicator of the inadequacy of states and political "elites" imperative of survival of mankind, as the imperative out of the ecological impasse of history in market-capitalist format. There comes a reckoning for this departure into the " market-capitalist illusion of apparent prosperity. The societies of the world, including Rossiya, have faced a dilemma:either environmental destruction, or the Noosphere Breakthrough, which, in its essence, is a change in the social organization of social life and its reproduction – the transition from the dominance of capitalism and the market to the Noosphere Ecological Spiritual Socialism on the basis of scientific and educational society and the management of socionatural evolution.

The Humanitarian Supply Chain Assessment Tool (HumSCAT)

PurposeAn understanding of the “AS-IS” stage of a relief operation is the basis for further action in humanitarian supply chain management. The purpose of this paper is to develop a toolbox called the Humanitarian Supply Chain Assessment Tool (HumSCAT). This toolbox is comprised of a set of basic tools which can be classified into each phase of disaster relief.Design/methodology/approachThe HumSCAT is proposed by paralleling frequently used tools in commercial supply chains with the objectives and characteristics of relief phases. A case study was used to validate the HumSCAT along with six tools provided in the preparation phase.FindingsThe HumSCAT consists of seven tools in the preparation phase, nine tools in the response phase and ten tools in the recovery phase. The case study illustrates how to use the HumSCAT and the six tools. The latter were found to be useful for improving the relief chain.Research limitations/implicationsThe list of tools is not exclusive. Other tools might be applicable as long as they meet the objectives and characteristics of the phase. A tool should be adjusted accordingly to the contexts. Tools in other phases should be validated in future research.Practical implicationsThe HumSCAT may serve as a reference toolbox for practitioners. Its output can be used for further designing of the “TO-BE” status of humanitarian relief chains.Originality/valueThe HumSCAT is proposed as a toolbox for academics and practitioners involved in humanitarian supply chains.

Preparation, roles, and responsibilities of Filipino occupational therapists in disaster preparedness, response, and recovery

Purpose Despite the increasing number of literature that identifies the roles of various rehabilitation professionals in disaster-related work, there is still limited evidence that examines how these professionals prepare for and function in the various phases of disasters. This study describes the roles and responsibilities practiced by Filipino occupational therapists in disaster preparedness, response, and recovery. The study also describes the preparations undertaken for the therapists to assume these roles. Materials and methods A survey was conducted among licensed occupational therapists with prior experiences in disaster response. The survey consisted of 23 items - seven were related to preparedness, ten to disaster response, and six to the recovery phase. The participants were asked to indicate their degree of involvement in specific roles and responsibilities using a 5-point Likert scale. The questionnaire also explored their personal preparation for disaster-related work. Results The participants were mostly engaged in roles related to the recovery phase, followed by the response phase, and were least engaged in the preparedness phase. The roles most frequently performed include: encourage connectedness and social interactions among survivors (recovery); provide supportive mental health services to survivors and their families (response); and attend trainings in disaster response to be part of a response team (preparedness). The majority of the participants received training in mental health responses and orientation prior to deployment. They identified the need to gain additional knowledge on emergency response and the effects of human displacement in disaster situations. Conclusions Given additional training and orientation, occupational therapists are able to perform various roles and responsibilities in the different phases of disasters. They can serve as additional resources for government and non-government organizations to address the needs of vulnerable populations in disasters. The study results could inform professional organizations on how rehabilitation professionals could be further trained to address disaster-related concerns. IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATION With additional orientation and training, occupational therapists could serve as an important health human resource especially in providing mental health services to people with special needs in disasters. There is a need to intentionally integrate disaster preparedness in the scope of practice of rehabilitation professionals to prepare people with special needs for disasters. Additional knowledge and skills in humanitarian action need to be integrated with clinical expertise to benefit government and non-government disaster management activities.

Tourism and natural disaster management process: perception of tourism stakeholders in the case of Kumamoto earthquake in Japan

ABSTRACT Tourism has a reciprocal relationship with natural disasters. The study aims to investigate the role of tourism as a strategy in the disaster phases based on (2001. Towards a framework for tourism disaster management. Tourism Management, 22, 135–147) and Ritchie (2004. Chaos, crises and disasters: A strategic approach to crisis management in the tourism industry. Tourism Management, 25 , 669–683)’s disaster management frameworks in the case of the earthquake occurred in Kumamoto Prefecture in Japan in April 2016. The analysis was based on interviews with twelve informants and stakeholders in tourism development collected in Kumamoto in summer 2018. The results suggest that the tourism industry contributes differently across the phases of a disaster but is mainly significant in terms of information provisions, communications and emergency accommodations for tourists. More fundamental changes may be observed in the long-term recovery and resolution phases, whereby tourism is most important in information collection, experience learning in disaster, institutional reform and strategy of sustainable tourism development and poster-disaster destination marketing. The study further advances the existing disaster management framework through the enrichment of knowledge from tourism stakeholder perspective. Empirically, the research findings inform tourism development and sustainability strategy of Kumamoto area after a rarely occurred earthquake disaster. Highlights The significance of tourism’s contributions to all phases of the disaster process is different. The tourism industry mainly contributes to information provisions, communications, and preparation targeting at tourists. Tourism can function in an emergency to provide tourists with news about safety, immediate evacuation and emergency accommodation. In long-term recovery, tourism contributes to more fundamental changes in initiating strategy of sustainable tourism development.