Emergency Management Authorities Research Articles

A database for fatalities and damages due to the earthquakes in Turkey (1900–2014)

Considering the possibility of the reoccurrence of the earthquakes in which loss of life and property have accrued, the possibility of future losses can be minimized. In Turkey, although the information about the fatalities and damaged buildings might be contrived in the resources, those have limited information and contain substantial differences. Moreover, that information might not be presented in a common database. Some information presented by Turkey Prime Ministry Disaster & Emergency Management Authority, Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute and United States Geological Survey is inconsistent not only in the number of earthquakes, fatalities, damaged buildings, the magnitude and intensity of earthquakes, but also at the date of the same earthquake. In this study, first, the resources providing the data regarding the earthquakes causing fatalities and damage between 1900 and 2014 in Turkey have been analyzed. Then, through examining all the databases, literature and available historical documents, a single updated list of the earthquakes that shows the fatalities and damages between 1900 and 2014 in Turkey has been prepared. Finally, in light of the data rearranged, the statistical facts about the losses in the historical earthquakes are presented.

EMERGENCY RESPONSE SERVICES IN PESHAWAR

EMERGENCY RESPONSE SERVICES IN PESHAWAR

An Integrated Geomechanical Investigation, Multi-Parameter Monitoring and Analyses of Babadağ-Gündoğdu Creep-like Landslide

A creep-like landslide in the Gundogdu district of Babadag town in Denizli (Turkey), where about 2000 people lived within the damaged houses, has been moving with a velocity of 4–14 cm/year since 1940s. Field observations and monitoring together with geomechanical laboratory tests were carried out to investigate the causative factors of the landslide. These studies were conducted as a part of an international research project performed by Turkish and Japanese scientists since 2000. Long-term monitoring stations established involved measurements of meteorological parameters, displacements, acoustic emission counts, variations in groundwater table, borehole strain measurement, in situ permeability and infiltration characteristics of the slope forming materials, and vibrations induced by weaving machines during their operation. Geomechanical properties of the sandstone and marl, which form the unstable slope, were determined from laboratory tests. In addition to the use of conventional 2-D equilibrium method of analyses, a new approach for modelling the long-term creep-like behaviour of the landslide body, based on discrete finite element method, was also proposed and used to analyse the landslide. It was found that the sliding mass has been involving several zones of weakness (interface) between the sandstone and marl layers through in situ monitoring. The monitoring data of pipe strain, groundwater level fluctuation and rainfall, and AE data showed that slope movement accelerated during and after rainy seasons. It was obtained that the proposed numerical method based on discrete finite element method (DFEM), which considers the softening and hardening of stiffness of the weakness zone as a function of rainfall and, is capable of simulating creep-like behaviour of the landslide. Disaster and Emergency Management Authority of Turkey also considered the results of this research and the landslide area was designated as a Natural Disaster Area and the people living in the unstable part of the town were re-settled at a new area.

Clergy views on their role in city resilience: lessons from the Canterbury earthquakes

Successful emergency management requires effective communication between the civil defence agencies and the community to provide and receive timely and accurate information, and identify needs and resources. Religious communities encompass a wide cross-section of social classes, socio-economic indicators, ethnic groups and ages, and have their own internal communication structures. In this study, clergy in different Christian denominations were asked about their roles in the Canterbury earthquake sequence (CES), the needs of their congregations and the possibilities and obstacles to deeper collaboration with Civil Defence and Emergency Management (CDEM) authorities. Results show a lack of communication between CDEM and religious communities prior to and during the CES, and record suggestions from the participants on how links between organised religion and CDEM can be strengthened to build resilience for future disasters.

Comparing four operational SAR-based water and flood detection approaches

In recent years, the German Remote Sensing Data Center (DFD) of the German Aerospace Center (DLR) has gained a lot of experience in water surface extraction from synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data for various application domains. In this context, four approaches have been developed, which jointly form the so-called DFD Water Suite: The Water Mask Processor (WaMaPro) is based on a simple and high-performance algorithm that processes multi-sensor SAR data in order to provide decision-makers with information about the location of water surfaces. The Rapid Mapping of Flooding tool (RaMaFlood) has been developed for flood extent mapping using an interactive object-based classification algorithm. The TerraSAR-X Flood Service (TFS) is used for rapid mapping activities and provides satellite-derived information about the extent of floods in order to support emergency management authorities and decision-makers. It is based on a fully automated processing chain. The last approach is the TanDEM-X Water Indication Mask processor (TDX WAM). It is part of the processing chain for the generation of the seamless, accurate, and high-resolution global digital elevation model (DEM) produced based on data of the TanDEM-X mission. Its purpose is to support the subsequent DEM editing process by the generation of a global reference water mask. In this study, the design of the four approaches and their methodological backgrounds are explained in detail, while simultaneously elaborating on the preferred application domains for the different algorithms. The advantages and disadvantages of the four approaches are identified by qualitatively as well as quantitatively evaluating the water masks derived from data of the TanDEM-X mission for five test sites located in Vietnam, China, Germany, Mali, and the Netherlands.

Impacts of the storm Hercules in Portugal

The aim of this study is to analyse the impacts of the Hercules storm in Portugal.The storm occurred from January 5th to 7th, 2014. A brief characterization of the storm wasconducted and the witnesses’ accounts were compiled, complemented with field survey beforeand after the storm. The results show that this event had origin in a strong system of low pressurethat hit Portugal. The system triggered strong sea waves with long periods, run-ups between 6 to9 m, and inundation depths mostly under 1 m. The effects on the Portuguese coastline showedsome weaknesses in the spatial planning management: (i) the fact that a wave train restrictedtothe beaches, front streets, ports and marinas caused significant damage; (ii) some people ignoredthe emergency management authorities, putting themselves in a risk situation.

Heuristic Approach for Optimizing Emergency Medical Services in Road Safety within Large Urban Networks

Emergency medical service (EMS) providers participating in vehicle crash-induced incident management aim to offer as wide and efficient coverage as possible to meet the demand for incident responses effectively; however, the design and provision of efficient and cost-effective services are tough issues faced by emergency management authorities. This paper introduces a double standard model (DSM), along with a genetic algorithm (GA) for assigning EMS fleet from vehicle locations to intersection vehicle crash sites such that crash demand sites can be covered in accordance with two service coverage standards. Specifically, all demand sites are required to receive single coverage according to the secondary coverage standard and at least a portion (α) of demand sites need to maintain single coverage as per the primary coverage standard. The proposed model is applied for top 200 intersections in the City of Chicago selected using intersection crash records for 2004–2010 according to crash frequency-based and severity-based scenarios. The top 200 intersections are split into high and low severity sites for model application. Using the EMS vehicle fleet size currently maintained by the Chicago Fire Department as 15 basic life support (BLS) and 60 advanced life support (ALS) ambulances, almost 100% of double vehicle coverage can be achieved. Extended model application is conducted by keeping 15 BLS ambulances unchanged and reducing the 60 ALS ambulances by 50% to 30. Results show that nearly 90% of double coverage according to the primary standard can still be reached.

Perception and Communication of Seismic Risk: The 6 April 2009 L'Aquila Earthquake Case Study

On Monday, 6 April 2009 at 3:32 a.m. (local time), a moment magnitude 6.3 earthquake with an epicenter located near the city of L'Aquila, in central Italy, killed 308 people, injured 1,500, left 22,000 homeless, and temporarily displaced another 65,000. This study examines a sample of the affected population and finds that despite the long list of historical earthquakes that struck the region and the swarm of foreshocks occurring up to four months before the main shock of 6 April, the residents of L'Aquila had a rather low earthquake risk perception and an unjustified confidence in the seismic safety of their houses. This low perception of earthquake risk and ignorance of the real structural resistance of buildings appear to have inhibited the individual and collective propensity to develop emergency plans. This situation was further exacerbated by the lack of clear and forthright communication from the emergency management authorities about the impossibility of precisely predicting earthquakes and about the risks posed by many of the city's old buildings.

(P2-27) Simulation of Transport During a Major Incident

Transportation capacities belong to the key factors of the response to a major incident. Available resources, both in terms of personnel and equipment, must be transported, usually by ambulances, to the incident location. In the other direction, casualties must be transported to hospitals and other health care facilities for further treatment. For this reason, the efficiency of the response is greatly determined by ambulance travel times and the ability of health care facilities to absorb large numbers of patients. We propose methods to compute the travel times to and from the incident location based on a classified road network. The methods take into account different attributes that depend on ambulance type and capacity, road quality, time of day, weather or actual traffic density. Correctly computed travel times are crucial not only for optimal deployment of all resources within the analyzed region, but also for the evaluation of the readiness of the emergency health care system for a major incident. We have included the methods in an agent-based simulation of transport during the response. From the simulation outputs and with the help of geographical information systems and information visualization methods we have synthesized maps that represent the capability of a region to absorb a major incident defined by a scenario. When combined with risk maps and maps of population density the synthesized maps allow emergency management authorities to find critical points and gaps in the emergency health care service.

Structure and components for the emergency response and warning system on Turtle Mountain, Alberta, Canada

Since 2003, a series of over eighty sensors has been installed at Turtle Mountain, site of the 1903 Frank Slide. The purpose of these instruments is to both characterize and provide warning for a second large rock avalanche from the eastern face of the mountain, where various unstable masses have been identified. Although studies continue on the mountain to better understand the deformation patterns and interpretations of the slope kinematics, significant effort has been expended to develop a structure for the warning and emergency response that clearly outlines not only responsibilities and communications protocols during an emergency, but also day-to-day operational responses and procedures to ensure that the system remains operational. From a day-to-day operational perspective, a systematic and repeatable set of procedures is required in order to ensure that not only are data trends reviewed and reported on, but scheduled checks of system functionality are undertaken. An internal Roles and Responsibilities Manual has been developed to clearly outline responsibilities for geoengineering, information technology (IT), and management staff to ensure that system checks are completed and that support is in place on a 24/7 basis should components of the system cease to operate properly or should unacceptable deformations require review. In addition to that, a clear and concise troubleshooting manual has been developed. This document provides simple diagnoses of problems within the system and a clear roadmap of how to fix each component. From a warning and emergency response perspective, a series of color-coded alert conditions has been developed should unacceptable deformations be observed. At each alert level, clear responsibilities for actions and communications have been identified for geoengineering staff, provincial emergency management authorities, municipal officials, and first responders. This has been documented in the emergency response protocol. All documents described here are “living” documents that are updated on a regular basis as changes to the system are made. An annual mock warning exercise has been developed and run in order to test responses to a hypothetical emergency and generate updates to the system documentation.

Emergency preparedness for those who care for infants in developed country contexts.

Emergency management organisations recognise the vulnerability of infants in emergencies, even in developed countries. However, thus far, those who care for infants have not been provided with detailed information on what emergency preparedness entails. Emergency management authorities should provide those who care for infants with accurate and detailed information on the supplies necessary to care for them in an emergency, distinguishing between the needs of breastfed infants and the needs of formula fed infants. Those who care for formula fed infants should be provided with detailed information on the supplies necessary for an emergency preparedness kit and with information on how to prepare formula feeds in an emergency. An emergency preparedness kit for exclusively breastfed infants should include 100 nappies and 200 nappy wipes. The contents of an emergency preparedness for formula fed infants will vary depending upon whether ready-to-use liquid infant formula or powdered infant formula is used. If ready-to-use liquid infant formula is used, an emergency kit should include: 56 serves of ready-to-use liquid infant formula, 84 L water, storage container, metal knife, small bowl, 56 feeding bottles and teats/cups, 56 zip-lock plastic bags, 220 paper towels, detergent, 120 antiseptic wipes, 100 nappies and 200 nappy wipes. If powdered infant formula is used, an emergency preparedness kit should include: two 900 g tins powdered infant formula, 170 L drinking water, storage container, large cooking pot with lid, kettle, gas stove, box of matches/lighter, 14 kg liquid petroleum gas, measuring container, metal knife, metal tongs, feeding cup, 300 large sheets paper towel, detergent, 100 nappies and 200 nappy wipes. Great care with regards hygiene should be taken in the preparation of formula feeds. Child protection organisations should ensure that foster carers responsible for infants have the resources necessary to formula feed in the event of an emergency. Exclusive and continued breastfeeding should be promoted as an emergency preparedness activity by emergency management organisations as well as health authorities. The greater the proportion of infants exclusively breastfed when an emergency occurs, the more resilient the community, and the easier it will be to provide effective aid to the caregivers of formula fed infants.

A Middle Class Response to Disaster

ABSTRACT Specific Federal Emergency Management Authority (FEMA) policies and procedures impacted vulnerable populations both positively and negatively after Hurricane Andrew. Findings from 130 structured interviews with a randomized sample of victims suggest that in many cases FEMA policies were unclear, poorly explained, too rigid, and required a high level of middle-class financial management skills to comply with eligibility requirements. These problems resulted in multi-generational families living together in one dwelling, and applicants from different cultural and ethnic backgrounds obtaining fewer services than they were entitled to receive. The outcome of the legal action (in which this study was used as evidence) that resulted in reparations to 21,000 Hurricane Andrew applicants and changes made in FEMA policies and procedures are discussed.

Principles for Managing Community Relocation as a Hazard Mitigation Measure

Permanent relocation of communities away from hazard‐prone areas is becoming an important mitigation option for emergency management authorities throughout the world. By moving citizens permanently, one realizes two special benefits. First, relocation prevents death or injury from hazards that are minimally subject to human control ‐‐ that is, where structural mitigation measures are ineffective and forewarning is insufficient for simple evacuation. Secondly, relocation provides monetary saving so that government hazard insurance programs need not pay for repeated restorations of the same residences in the same hazard areas over a period of years.Simultaneously, there are two inherent problems with the use of a relocation policy: it constitutes a serious intrusion into citizens' lives; and non‐hazard related relocations (such as for dam construction or urban redevelopment) have a long history of negative outcomes. This paper traces the history of a community relocation in the southwestern United States, documenting citizen needs and responses to the event. Then, based on the hazards research literature and the case data, a series of principles are elaborated for creating `positive' relocation experiences. In closing, the paper looks at the international use of relocation and the potential for applying the principles.

System Study of Urban Response and Reconstruction due to Earthquake

The functioning of lifeline systems after a major earthquake is critical to the modern urban center. A system study of lifeline response to catastrophic earthquakes is the essential prerequisite for the emergency management authority to form a mitigation and reconstruction plan to minimize the total loss caused by the earthquake. This paper develops an applied formulation of lifeline-restoration processes in the post-earthquake period, on the basis of a discrete-state, discrete-time Markov process. There are a finite number of damaged lifelines that each require a resource for reconstruction. The lifelines have values associated with their functioning capacity. We wish to assign limited resources to lifelines so as to minimize the total loss caused by malfunction of damaged lifelines. Dynamic programming is used to optimize the distribution of limited reconstruction resources. By computer simulation, various scenarios are examined, and useful information that is important to the emergency management authority is obtained.