Disaster Preparedness Measures Research Articles

Use of Soil Moisture as an Indicator of Climate Change in the SUPer System

Soil moisture can be an important indicator of climate change in humid and semi-arid areas. This indicator can more efficiently propose different public policies related to climate change than just using precipitation and temperature data. Given the above, the objective of this study is to evaluate changes in soil moisture in the state of Pernambuco during the period 1961–2021, using the System of Hydrological Response Units for Pernambuco. In this study, two river basins in the state of Pernambuco that represent the different climatic conditions of the state were chosen. The results show that in the coastal region there is a tendency towards more saturated soils, and in the semi-arid region there is a tendency towards drier soils. With these results, it is possible to conclude that public policy decisions for the economy, environment, and society must consider this vital water balance variable. Leveraging soil moisture and precipitation data makes it possible to differentiate between flood risks and landslide vulnerabilities, particularly in regions characterized by higher levels of rainfall. Monitoring soil water content in humid and semi-arid areas can significantly enhance early warning systems, thereby preventing loss of life and minimizing the socio-economic impacts of such natural events. As such, this study provides a holistic understanding of the relationship between climatic patterns, soil moisture dynamics, and the occurrence of droughts and floods, ultimately contributing to more effective disaster preparedness and response measures in Pernambuco and similar regions.

Evaluating environmental legislation on disaster resilience: Data insights from Nigeria and the USA

This review provides a succinct overview of the research conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of environmental legislation in enhancing disaster resilience, drawing insights from case studies in Nigeria and the United States. Environmental legislation plays a pivotal role in mitigating the impacts of natural disasters, yet its effectiveness in fostering resilience remains a subject of debate. This study employs a comparative analysis approach, examining the legislative frameworks and their implementation in two diverse contexts: Nigeria, representing a developing nation with significant environmental challenges, and the USA, a developed nation with robust regulatory mechanisms. Through comprehensive data collection and analysis, this research scrutinizes the extent to which environmental legislation contributes to disaster resilience in both countries. Key factors such as regulatory compliance, enforcement mechanisms, stakeholder engagement, and institutional capacity are evaluated to gauge the efficacy of the legislative frameworks. Findings reveal disparities in the implementation and effectiveness of environmental legislation between Nigeria and the USA. In Nigeria, despite the existence of relevant laws, challenges persist in enforcement due to institutional weaknesses, corruption, and inadequate resources. Consequently, communities remain vulnerable to recurrent disasters, exacerbating socio-economic disparities and environmental degradation. Conversely, the USA demonstrates a more structured approach to environmental legislation, with robust regulatory mechanisms, efficient enforcement, and proactive risk management strategies. This has led to greater resilience and adaptive capacity, evidenced by effective disaster preparedness, response, and recovery measures. However, despite these disparities, the study identifies common areas for improvement in both contexts. Strengthening institutional capacity, enhancing public awareness and participation, promoting sustainable practices, and fostering international cooperation emerge as crucial strategies to bolster disaster resilience through environmental legislation. This research underscores the significance of evaluating environmental legislation in enhancing disaster resilience, providing valuable insights for policymakers, practitioners, and stakeholders in Nigeria, the USA, and beyond. By addressing the identified challenges and leveraging best practices, nations can foster a more resilient future in the face of escalating environmental risks and uncertainties.

River channel dynamics and flooding: A case of motorable bridge collapse due to abrupt flood in Chhabdi Khola, Tanahun, Nepal

The monsoon season in Nepal brings calamitous events like riverbank erosion, toe cutting, and the structural failure of bridges due to floods. In July 2021, a motorable bridge in Bhadgaun, Tanahun district, Nepal, collapsed during a massive flood in Chhabdi Khola. The study aims to comprehensively document the aftermath, specifically focusing on the causal factors that led to the damage of the Chhabdi Khola Dovan Bridge. The study delves into an in-depth analysis of the stream's channel morphology, with the 5.85 kilometers Chhabdi Khola partitioned into 28 distinct segments, each spanning approximately 200 meters. These segments, sequentially labeled from Site 1 to Site 28, encompass the area extending from the upstream at Chhabdi Barah temple to the downstream at bridge’s location. Rigorous measurements of length, breadth, and depth at each site form the basis for volumetric assessments of the stream. The study revolves around contrasting paleo channel attributes with contemporary alterations within the Chhabdi Khola catchment. The analysis leverages precipitation data sourced from the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (DHM) to discern precipitation trends within the Chhabdi Khola catchment area. The hydrographic data underwent trend analysis utilizing Mann-Kendall and Sen's slope method through R software (version 4.3.2). The collapse of the Chhabdi Khola Dovan Bridge resulted from intense water flow and debris due to heavy rainfall and a narrow outlet near the bridge, impacting the local population and land users facing the enduring aftermath of a catastrophic monsoon event. The study highlights the significance of understanding river dynamics in small streams and advocates for proactive disaster preparedness measures, even in seemingly small river channels.

Insights and viewpoints from a small-scale survey on current nuclear disaster preparedness measures in Japan after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident

In nuclear disaster prevention, it is essential not only to make daily efforts to prevent accidents from occurring but also to properly apply lessons learnt from actual disasters. Although significant changes have been made to nuclear disaster preparedness in Japan since the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident, there is insufficient information on whether these changes have been evaluated as practical and appropriate for the needs of the Japanese public. In this survey, 20 officials of the Cabinet Office and Japan Atomic Energy Agency, in charge of planning nuclear disaster prevention policy, were asked to evaluate the current nuclear disaster prevention plan through a questionnaire, and compare it with that before the accident, and indicate what elements are lacking in the current plan. The survey results revealed that 30% of the participants (six respondents) had a positive view of the enhancement of resources, including physical and human assets. However, as many as 60% (12 respondents) expressed negative sentiments, primarily due to perceived deficiencies in organisational measures, particularly the coordination of these resources. Moreover, the participants expressed keen interest in obtaining health data during evacuation, along with information on the physical and mental effects on evacuees living in evacuation centres. These crucial insights can inform the formulation of effective future preparedness plans for evacuation and radiation protection.

A Comparison of Machine Learning Models for Predicting Rainfall in Urban Metropolitan Cities

Current research studies offer an investigation of machine learning methods used for forecasting rainfall in urban metropolitan cities. Time series data, distinguished by their temporal complexities, are exploited using a unique data segmentation approach, providing discrete training, validation, and testing sets. Two unique models are created: Model-1, which is based on daily data, and Model-2, which is based on weekly data. A variety of performance criteria are used to rigorously analyze these models. CatBoost, XGBoost, Lasso, Ridge, Linear Regression, and LGBM are among the algorithms under consideration. This research study provides insights into their predictive abilities, revealing significant trends across the training, validation, and testing phases. The results show that ensemble-based algorithms, particularly CatBoost and XGBoost, outperform in both models. CatBoost emerged as the model of choice throughout all assessment stages, including training, validation, and testing. The MAE was 0.00077, the RMSE was 0.0010, the RMSPE was 0.49, and the R2 was 0.99, confirming CatBoost’s unrivaled ability to identify deep temporal intricacies within daily rainfall patterns. Both models had an R2 of 0.99, indicating their remarkable ability to predict weekly rainfall trends. Significant results for XGBoost included an MAE of 0.02 and an RMSE of 0.10, indicating their ability to handle longer time intervals. The predictive performance of Lasso, Ridge, and Linear Regression varies. Scatter plots demonstrate the robustness of CatBoost and XGBoost by demonstrating their capacity to sustain consistently low prediction errors across the dataset. This study emphasizes the potential to transform urban meteorology and planning, improve decision-making through precise rainfall forecasts, and contribute to disaster preparedness measures.

School-Based Disaster Preparedness and Response Measures: Awareness and Assessment

School-Based Disaster Preparedness and Response Measures: Awareness and Assessment

Approach to multi-disaster risk assessment and policy recommendation for disaster resilient urban development: A study of Birgunj–Simara Corridor

This study identified multiple nature of disasters in Tarai in general and Birgunj - Simara Urban Corridor, one of the hotspots of urbanization in Nepal in particular. Using geospatial technology, secondary sources of information, and stakeholder’s consultations, this study evaluated floods, earthquakes, windstorms, and fire impacts, identified factors contributing to vulnerability, and solutions for increasing resilience. Although rivers have limited floodplains, floods have been increased because of floodplain encroachment, improper drainage, land use changes in upper catchment, and climate change. Although the earthquake could have a high impact, the seismicity is low compared to the national context. During pre- and monsoon seasons, windstorms have a high impact over a limited area and are hard to predict. Fires are not widespread in the settlements but common during hot, dry months due to compact rural settlements, nonresilient house designs, and inadequate safety measures. Besides, lack of adaptation capacity as a result of poor awareness, widespread poverty, and poor disaster response have contributed to a high vulnerability to multihazards. Mitigation actions identified include risk-sensitive land use planning, flood control and hydraulic structure design, efficient urban drainage, waste management, resilient housing, and disaster safety plans. Local communities should be involved in developing early warning systems, disaster preparedness, and response measures.

From Catastrophe to Recovery: The Impact of Natural Disasters on Economic Growth in Developed and Developing Countries

The study investigates the impact of severe natural disasters on agriculture growth and GDP growth in both developed and developing countries using panel data from 1970 to 2019 with data from the EM-DAT database and the IMF World Economic Outlook database. The results of this study indicate that natural disasters have a detrimental impact on GDP growth and agricultural growth in both developed and developing countries. However, the impact is found to be greater in developing countries, despite having lower total damage costs as a percentage of GDP. The findings suggest that developing countries are more vulnerable to the economic impact of severe natural disasters compared to developed countries and can benefit from disaster risk financing tools. The current research highlights the urgency for governments to prioritize disaster preparedness and risk reduction measures, particularly in developing countries. Findings suggest that a higher proportion of educated individuals in a country can mitigate the impact of natural disasters. Additionally, the impact of population density on the cost of post-disaster reconstruction must also be considered by policymakers when allocating resources for disaster preparedness and recovery.

EFFECTIVENESS OF COMMUNITY CHANGE AGENTS ON ATTITUDE REGARDING DISASTER PREPAREDNESS AMONG WOMEN RESIDING AT SELECTED COASTAL AREAS OF THIRUKAZHUKUNDRAM, KANCHEEPURAM DISTRICT

Aim & Objective: To assess the effectiveness of community change agents on attitude regarding disaster preparedness among women. Methodology: Researcher adopted a quasi experimental research design for the study. 414 (experimental-206 & control-208) who fulfilled inclusion criteria were selected by using non probability convenient sampling technique. Researcher obtained written Informed consent from the community change agents and women. Researcher chosen the community change agents and created a favorable attitude towards coastal disaster readiness package (CDRP). Similar training was given to the women regarding home disaster preparedness through the community change agents. Data was collected using a attitude scale. Results: The study findings showed that the pre test mean attitude score of experimental and control group women was 43.81 with SD of 5.98 and 44.55 with SD of 4.76 respectively. The post test attitude mean score of experimental and control group women was 83.22 with SD of 6.38 and 45.23 with SD of 5.91. Conclusion: The study concluded that the positive attitude and active participation of community change agents and reinforcement of disaster related education and training is extremely essential for the women living in coastal villages, at regular intervals in order to maintain the sustainability of disaster preparedness measures.

Analysis of Spatio-Temporal Pattern, Causes and Consequences of Fire Disaster in Kano Metropolis, Nigeria

The threat of urban fire disaster has been and is still a serious problem in Kano metropolis resulting to increased risk exposure of human and properties, thereby rendering the metropolis unsafe for business, residence and recreational activities. This study examined the spatio-temporal patterns of fire disaster and it causes and consequences. The study adopted a mixed method integrating quantitative and geospatial data from various sources. Fire incidents data (2009-2019) was obtained from the records of the existing fire stations and subjected to Global Positioning System (GPS) surveying for spatial mapping. Three fire incident clusters were identified and selected within which questionnaire survey was conducted. Coefficient of Variance and simple percentages were used for the qualitative data analysis. The result revealed the influence of space-time relationships in fire disaster recurrence throughout the period of study. Annual incident trend indicated general increase in occurrence of fire disaster. Seasonally, the trend revealed the highest incidents during the cool and dry season (32%). Diurnally, there were more fire incidents in the morning (26%) and evening hours (24.7%) than in the early night hours (8.8%) due to low temperatures especially during the cool and dry season. Electric related problems and negligence constituted the dominant causes of fire disaster which is being responsible for about 36% and 73% of the total incidents recorded respectively. Residential and commercial landuses experienced the highest number of fire disaster with about 72% and 14% respectively. It is concluded that recurrence of fire disaster in Kano metropolis is influenced by space-time relationship and landuse. Massive enlightenment campaign on fire disaster prevention and preparedness measures should be embarked on especially within the high population density residential areas, stressing on negligence and electric related faults as the two major causes of fire outbreaks within the metropolis.

Households’ Earthquake Disaster Preparedness Behavior: The Role of Trust in and Help From Stakeholders

Earthquake is one of the most serious natural disasters. Taking scientific and reasonable earthquake preparedness measures can effectively reduce casualties and economic losses caused by earthquakes. It is important to understand how residents choose such earthquake preparedness measures to guide them accordingly. However, the current research has failed to address rural areas in developing countries and has inconsistency conclusions for two aspects related to stakeholders involved: the assistance the victims can get from stakeholders for applying earthquake preparedness measures and the trust in stakeholders’ disaster relief abilities. In this study, the rural residents affected by Wenchuan earthquake, Ya’an earthquake and Yibin earthquake were taken as the research objects, and 674 valid questionnaires were obtained through field household surveys. A Multinominal Logit Model (MNL) was constructed to explore the influence of villagers’ trust in the disaster relief ability of stakeholders and the help they can get from stakeholders on their preparedness behavior. The results show that the less trust the villagers have on the government and the community, and the more help they can get from the outside while preparing measures, the more inclined they are to take the disaster preparedness measures. Furthermore, the education level of villagers in earthquake-stricken areas has significant positive impacts on people’s earthquake preparedness behavior. People who are not born in rural areas are more likely to take earthquake preparedness measures. In addition, male, young and married villagers are more likely to take earthquake preparedness measures in their daily lives. This study enriches the theory of rural disaster prevention and mitigation, and provides reference for the practice of disaster prevention and mitigation in earthquake-stricken rural areas.

Understanding the Vulnerability, Resilience and Quality of Life of older adults during natural disasters

Globally, disasters constantly challenge the capacity of humans to adapt to its consequences and endure the impact. It comprises a range of impacts including loss of life and properties, risk of mental health issues like post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, grief, anxiety etc. The disaster risk relies upon the individual’s exposure to disaster vulnerability and resilience. It also includes the needs of a vulnerable population including older adults and the presence of secondary stressors within the affected community. Therefore, older adults are found to be a highly vulnerable age group during every disaster. Especially in developing countries, older adults face numerous issues and challenges due to inadequate disaster infrastructure and response, which are often associated with poor quality of life outcomes. The present study tries to conceptualize the significance of disaster vulnerability, resilience as a decisive factor for the quality of life (QoL) of older adults in the natural disaster. Further, the current study highlights the functional relationship between disaster phases, vulnerability, resilience, psychosocial factors and preparedness measures to ensure a better quality of life for older adults.

Investigating the Preparedness of Iranian Families in the Face of Disasters.

Preparedness in different sections of a society can improve the reactions of individuals at the time of disasters and strengthen the cooperation and coordination between people and organizations. The present study aimed to investigate the preparedness of households in Ardabil Province of Iran in the face of disasters in 2020. This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted in Ardabil Province in Iran in 2020. The target population included the households living in Ardabil Province. The study was conducted on 10 502 participants. The data were collected using a questionnaire completed by trained questioners by referring to the participants' houses. It should be noted that the questionnaires were completed by one of the household parents. The questionnaire contained 15 questions related to taking and not taking disaster preparedness measures at specific times. EXCEL 2016 (Microsoft, Redmond, WA) and SPSS 23 software (IBM Corp, Armonk, NY) were used for data analysis. Considering the score of 1 for each action, the mean score of households' disaster preparedness in Ardabil Province was 31.09%. The preparedness level of 51.4%, 42.31%, and 6.29% of the households in the province against disasters was at low, moderate, and good levels, respectively. Among the items of preparedness in the face of disasters, the highest value was related to the familiarity of family members with the initial warnings of significant hazards (5162 households, 49.15%) followed by planning for coping with disasters (43.12%) and assessing the non-structural vulnerability (38.93%). Furthermore, the results showed that the level of household preparedness was higher in the center of the province compared to other cities. Evaluating the level of preparedness of different societies in the face of disasters can be very useful in identifying the challenges to improve preparedness and, consequently, achieving sustainable development. This assessment can be considered a resource for provincial policy-making and planning to achieve the priorities set out in the Sendai framework. However, such assessments should be performed periodically, for example, annually, to reflect the effectiveness of the interventional measures in improving preparedness. Considering the low level of households' preparedness in the present study, there is a gap between what people know and what they do, and comprehensive studies are needed on various factors that encourage people to take preparedness measures.

Comparative study of convolutional neural network (CNN) and support vector machine (SVM) for flood susceptibility mapping: a case study at Ras Gharib, Red Sea, Egypt

Geohazard risk is high in Arab countries due to ineffective disaster preparedness measures, mismanagement, lack of public awareness, inadequate funding and lack of stakeholder support. One such country is Egypt, which is hit by floods every year that cost lives and bring the economy to a standstill. Moreover, not much has been done to map flood-prone areas. In this paper, flood susceptibility modelling was evaluated in the Ras Gharib region of Egypt using two effective techniques machine learning technique-MLT (Support Vector Machine (SVM)) and deep learning method-DL (Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN)). Thirteen flood related factors and flood inventory layer were prepared to construct these models. Validation was performed with 30% of the flood locations where receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves showed that the deep learning technique (CNN) gave a prediction accuracy of 86.5% (high performance), while the MLTs (SVM) gave 71.6% (medium performance). The results show that CNN provides 17% better than SVM which indicates a powerful and accurate model in flood susceptibility mapping. Results were confirmed using the Astro Digital images shortly after the 2016 flood, in which the CNN model provides a good agreement.

Knowledge, attitude, practice and perceived barriers of natural disaster preparedness among Nepalese immigrants residing in Japan

BackgroundNatural disasters have increased during the last several decades all over the world. Due to its geographical and climate conditions, Japan has long been vulnerable to several natural disasters. Coping with disasters is a major challenge overall and even harder for foreigners residing in Japan. Thus, the objective of this study was to examine the perceived knowledge, attitude, practice and perceived barriers of disaster preparedness among Nepalese immigrants in Japan.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted among Nepalese immigrants residing in Japan with an online survey questionnaire. The questionnaire was validated and then administered. The participants were recruited via Facebook for this survey. Bivariable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the factors associated with the perceived knowledge, attitude and practice of Nepalese immigrants regarding disaster preparedness.ResultsA total of 404 respondents were analyzed in this study and among them two-third were male. We found that the mean score of disaster preparedness practice was lowest than the knowledge and attitude (mean pm SD = 15.86 pm 5.52) as evidenced by the majority of the participants not being prepared for disaster situations and a limited proportion had ever taken necessary natural disaster preparedness measures. Japanese language was identified as the major barrier in assessing the knowledge, attitude and practice regarding disaster preparedness and was significantly associated with the knowledge level of disaster preparedness after adjusting for some socio-demographic covariates. (aOR: 1.84, 95% CI: (1.04 – 3.25)).ConclusionsThis study observed that the perceived knowledge and practices regarding natural disasters are very poor while barriers to access these are substantial among Nepalese immigrants in Japan. As Japanese language was identified as a major barrier, the availability of language translation services in every health care sector also in the government offices of Japan might encourage people to learn more about disaster preparedness.

Whoever Controls the Past, Controls the Future: Archives and Records Management Practitioners’ Response to COVID-19 Pandemic in South Africa

The World Health Organisation (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic in 2020. Most countries around the world, including South Africa, have imposed national lockdowns. COVID-19 was declared a national disaster in South Africa in March 2020, in accordance with the Disaster Management Act, 2002. The Act, among other things, recognises the importance of having access to reliable disaster information, as well as information management and communication systems for storing, disseminating, and exchanging information. Additionally, in April 2020, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) issued a declaration calling for shared responsibility in preserving the documentary heritage that provides a historical perspective on how pandemics have been addressed in the past for future research. The declaration was supported by heritage organisations such as the International Council on Archives. This quantitative study used The UNESCO 2015 Recommendation Concerning the Preservation of, and Access to, Documentary Heritage Including in Digital Form to investigate how members of the South African Society of Archivists responded to the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of preserving and providing access to documentary heritage. A structured web questionnaire was used to collect data. The study revealed that while some archives and records management practitioners’ institutions had preservation, access, and disaster preparedness measures in place, others did not. From the findings, policy directions and a framework for records and archives management are proposed.

Emergency capacity analysis in Ethiopia: Results of a baseline emergency facility assessment.

In Ethiopia, the specialty of Emergency Medicine is a relatively new discipline. In the last few decades, policymakers have made Emergency Medicine a priority for improving population health. This study aims to contribute to this strengthening of Emergency Medicine, by conducting the country's first baseline gap analysis of Emergency Medicine Capacity at the pre-hospital and hospital level in order to help identify needs and areas for intervention. This is a cross sectional investigation that utilized a convenience sampling of 22 primary, general and tertiary hospitals. Trained personnel visited the hospitals and conducted 4-hour interviews with hospital administrators and emergency care area personnel. The tool used in the interview was the Columbia University sidHARTe Program Emergency Services Resource Assessment Tool (ESRAT) to evaluate both emergency and trauma capacity in different regions of Ethiopia. The findings of this survey were then compared against two established standards: the World Health Organization's Essential Package of Emergency Care (EPEC), as well as those set by Ethiopia's Federal Ministry of Health. The tool assessed the services provided at each hospital and evaluated the infrastructure of emergency care at the facility. Triage systems differed amongst the hospitals surveyed though triaging and emergency unit infrastructures were relatively similar amongst the hospitals. There was a marked variability in the level of training, guidelines, staffing, disaster preparedness, drug availability, procedures performed, and quality assurance measures from hospital to hospital. Most regional and district hospitals did not have nurses or doctors trained in Emergency Medicine and over 70% of the hospitals did not have written guidelines for standardized emergency care. This gap analysis has revealed numerous inconsistencies in health care practice, resources, and infrastructure within the scope of Emergency Medicine in Ethiopia. Major gaps were identified, and the results of this assessment were used to devise action priorities for the Ministry of Health. Much remains to be done to strengthen Emergency Medicine in Ethiopia, and numerous opportunities exist to make additional short and long-term improvements.

Hospital disaster preparedness in Iranian province: A cross-sectional study using a standard tool.

Hospitals are the first place to refer the victims of emergencies and disasters. Hamadan province, as one of the provinces in western Iran, like other parts of this country is exposed to various emergencies and disasters. This study was conducted to evaluate the level of hospital disaster preparedness in the Hamadan province of Iran using a standard tool. This study was conducted in Hamadan province's hospitals in Iran. The Persian version of the World Health Organization Hospital Emergency Response Checklist was used as an evaluation tool. It consists of nine key components: command and control, triage, human resources, communications, surge capacity, logistics/supply management, safety and security, continuity of essential services, and post-disaster recovery. Data entry and analysis were performed using IBM® SPSS® software (version 18). Fifteen hospitals participated in this study (response rate 83 percent). Most hospitals (53.33 percent) were in moderate preparedness level, 26.66 percent are in good, and 13.33 percent are at a poor level. There was no significant relationship between "the hospital type" and "the hospital size" (number of beds) and preparedness score (p > 0.05). This study showed that most of the hospitals in the Hamadan province regarding the components of "logistics" and "essential services" are at a poor disaster preparedness level. Accordingly, the hospital authorities and managers must adopt a comprehensive strategy for strengthening the hospital disaster preparedness measures, especially in these components.

Improving flood disaster preparedness of hospitals in Central Thailand: Hospital personnel perspectives

To improve hospitals disaster preparedness during floods. The Thai flood disaster in 2011 struck several sectors, including hospitals. It is necessary to build a disaster preparedness system that ensures that hospitals have the capacity to respond effectively to any kind of disaster. This qualitative study was conducted using content analysis. Purposive sampling was used to select 15 participants, including doctors, nurses and other staff involved in disaster preparedness, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with them. The study was reported according to COREQ guidelines. Healthcare personnel identified several ways in which flood disaster preparedness of hospitals may be enhanced. Three themes and eight subthemes were identified during the data analysis. The three themes were as follows: 1) ongoing efforts for flood prevention and mitigation at a national level; 2) developing operational guidelines to effectively prevent and resolve flood problems at provincial levels; and 3) increasing the levels of flood readiness at the hospital level. The results of this study indicate strategies to help policymakers and health personnel enhance flood disaster preparedness measures at hospitals based on the experiences of hospital personnel involved in one of the worst flood disasters worldwide. Hospitals alone cannot deal with unpredictable events; they need additional assistance in disaster preparedness. There are three levels at which improving hospital flood disaster preparedness can take place: national, provincial and hospital levels. Nursing professionals participate in hospital disaster preparedness and work with multidisciplinary teams to provide services. Nurses should be prepared for such participation, as their involvement, through tailored services for hospital disaster preparedness, can expand the literature on nursing knowledge to improve clinical outcomes.

A Preliminary Study of Indonesian Academic Libraries Digital Disaster Preparedness

Academic libraries are one of the vital institutions that collect and manage the intellectual and cultural output of human beings, both in print and digital forms. Along with the growth of digital collections, the threats to or vulnerability of those collections are also increasing. This paper aims to describe the digital disaster preparedness measures implemented by respondent academic libraries in Indonesia that participated in the study. The study was conducted in Jakarta, Indonesia. The finding shows that even though libraries have taken steps to protect their digital data and collections, most of the libraries that participated in this study do not have a written digital disaster preparedness policy and had never conducted a risk analysis of the potential for digital disasters in their institutions. This research recommends that the libraries need to do a risk assessment first to prevent and manage any potential disaster.