Humanitarian Disaster Relief Research Articles

The Hospital Ship as a Strategic Asset in21st Century Foreign Policy and Global Health Crises.

Current U.S. hospital ships-USNS Mercy and Comfort-are old, slow, cumbersome, and indefensible, and due for retirement. As new challenges and new threats emerge in the 21st century, the U.S. Navy should field new afloat medical platforms to potentially deal with both mass casualty scenarios and humanitarian disaster relief in a rapid and tactical manner. New hospital ships should be able to defend themselves with more modern weapons and to be interconnected with encrypted communications. They must be fast, nimble, tactical, defensible, and forward deployed in the risky global commons of the 21st century. Systematic review of the literature on hospital ships, U.S. Navy policy, the Geneva Conventions, and current global threat conditions. Hospital ships provide medical support for U.S. forces in conflict and promote goodwill and a positive image of the U.S. abroad. Current hospital ships do not fit the operational paradigm of the current needs for forward deployed and rapidly deliverable operational medicine. There is a need for a new and more capable platform to deliver operational health care in the forward deployed setting. Multiple high-speed medical response vessels-whether reconfigured from an existing ship, or an entirely new platform developed for more robust medical delivery-need to be urgently fielded for future combat operations, humanitarian missions, and participation in cooperative security engagements. These medical platforms need to be able to defend themselves and be tactically interconnected with the Fleet and Fleet Forces.

The Development of Swedish Military Healthcare System: Part II-Re-evaluating the Military and Civilian Healthcare Systems in Crises Through a Dialogue and Study Among Practitioners.

ABSTRACTIntroductionHistorical changes have transformed Sweden from being an offensive to a defensive and collaborative nation with national and international engagement, allowing it to finally achieve the ground for the civilian–military collaboration and the concept of a total defense healthcare. At the same time, with the decreasing number of international and interstate conflicts, and the military’s involvement in national emergencies and humanitarian disaster relief, both the need and the role of the military healthcare system within the civilian society have been challenged. The recent impact of the COVID-19 in the USA and the necessity of military involvement have led health practitioners to anticipate and re-evaluate conditions that might exceed the civilian capacity of their own countries and the need to have collaboration with the military healthcare. This study investigated both these challenges and views from practitioners regarding the benefits of such collaboration and the manner in which it would be initiated.Material and MethodA primary study was conducted among responsive countries using a questionnaire created using the Nominal Group Technique. Relevant search subjects and keywords were extracted for a systematic review of the literature, according to the PRISMA model.ResultsThe 14 countries responding to the questionnaire had either a well-developed military healthcare system or units created in collaboration with the civilian healthcare. The results from the questionnaire and the literature review indicated a need for transfer of military medical knowledge and resources in emergencies to the civilian health components, which in return, facilitated training opportunities for the military staff to maintain their skills and competencies.ConclusionsAs the world witnesses a rapid change in the etiology of disasters and various crises, neither the military nor the civilian healthcare systems can address or manage the outcomes independently. There is an opportunity for both systems to develop future healthcare in collaboration. Rethinking education and training in war and conflict is indisputable. Collaborative educational initiatives in disaster medicine, public health and complex humanitarian emergencies, international humanitarian law, and the Geneva Convention, along with advanced training in competency-based skill sets, should be included in the undergraduate education of health professionals for the benefit of humanity.

The NASA Hydrological Forecast System for Food and Water Security Applications

AbstractMany regions in Africa and the Middle East are vulnerable to drought and to water and food insecurity, motivating agency efforts such as the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) to provide early warning of drought events in the region. Each year these warnings guide life-saving assistance that reaches millions of people. A new NASA multimodel, remote sensing–based hydrological forecasting and analysis system, NHyFAS, has been developed to support such efforts by improving the FEWS NET’s current early warning capabilities. NHyFAS derives its skill from two sources: (i) accurate initial conditions, as produced by an offline land modeling system through the application and/or assimilation of various satellite data (precipitation, soil moisture, and terrestrial water storage), and (ii) meteorological forcing data during the forecast period as produced by a state-of-the-art ocean–land–atmosphere forecast system. The land modeling framework used is the Land Information System (LIS), which employs a suite of land surface models, allowing multimodel ensembles and multiple data assimilation strategies to better estimate land surface conditions. An evaluation of NHyFAS shows that its 1–5-month hindcasts successfully capture known historic drought events, and it has improved skill over benchmark-type hindcasts. The system also benefits from strong collaboration with end-user partners in Africa and the Middle East, who provide insights on strategies to formulate and communicate early warning indicators to water and food security communities. The additional lead time provided by this system will increase the speed, accuracy, and efficacy of humanitarian disaster relief, helping to save lives and livelihoods.

Coopetition in temporary contexts: examining swift trust and swift distrust in humanitarian operations

PurposeBy drawing on commitment-trust theory, we examine the role of swift trust and distrust in supporting coopetition under conditions of uncertainty and interdependence in the setting of humanitarian disaster relief organisations.Design/methodology/approachThis paper presents findings from case studies of 18 international humanitarian relief organisations based on 48 interviews and the analysis of publicly available documents.FindingsWe find that both swift trust and swift distrust support coopetition. As coopetition is simultaneous cooperation and competition, in this study we show how swift trust and swift distrust also occur simultaneously in coopetitive contexts.Research limitations/implicationsCoopetition as a strategic choice is well-researched in the private sector, yet has received less attention in the nonprofit sector, particularly in contexts that are shaped by interdependence and uncertainty. We show the importance of swift trust and swift distrust in coopetitive relationships by drawing on commitment-trust theory.Practical implicationsIn focusing on a competitive environment in which cooperation is essential, we find limited choice of coopetitive partners. Humanitarian relief organisations must often simply work with whichever other organisations are available. We highlight how trust and distrust are not opposite ends of a spectrum and detail how both contribute to coopetitive relationships.Originality/valueOur findings contribute to commitment-trust theory by explaining the important role of distrust in forging coopetitive relationships. Furthermore, we contribute to prior work on coopetition by focusing on an uncertain and interdependent nonprofit environment.

Disaster responsive planning: the role of societal forces in implementing software applications

Open source software development is frequently used to serve human society, especially in finding solutions for managing and planning disaster situations such as floods, droughts and tsunami incidents. Careful consideration of the technical accuracy as well as social acceptance is essential to guarantee the sustainability of software development. Understanding the interaction between technology and human behaviour is vital in open source software development in terms of minimizing the negativities after the implementation. The social aspects of software development often being neglected or not being considered well enough in practical filed. The paper discusses the societal factors that can attribute when implementing open source disaster relief management platforms. Humanitarian disaster relief coordination involves some actors with different levels of power and authority. By using theories of multilevel governance and power relations, this paper focuses on understanding the consequences that may arise when implementing common open source platforms, especially in disaster management sector in developing counties. Finally, the article provides recommendations to minimize such obstacles for better functionality and the sustainability of the platform.

A Natural Response to a Natural Disaster: The Art of Crisis in Nepal (Une réponse naturelle à une catastrophe naturelle : art de crise au Népal)

ABSTRACTThis article explores the implementation and use of art therapy in the context of emergency and immediate post-emergency phases after a natural disaster. Skill sharing and support sessions were delivered to national and international mental health and well-being professionals living in Nepal both during and immediately after the devastating earthquakes in 2015. A range of sessions for children were offered within United Nations humanitarian disaster relief agencies, Child Friendly Spaces and other community-led initiatives. Through consultation with the local community, natural materials were incorporated into the therapeutic response to this natural disaster. There was an interest in whether working with natural media would support recovery and resilience, particularly through regaining control and reconnecting with the earth, the place we naturally call home. Potential benefits are discussed, drawing on wider art therapy literature and contemporary literature around working with the arts outdoors and working with natural media.

Collaborative relationships between logistics service providers and humanitarian organizations during disaster relief operations

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to explore barriers and benefits of establishing relationships between humanitarian organizations (HOs) and logistics service providers (LSPs) in order to improve humanitarian disaster relief operations (DROs). The perceptions of a variety of actors are explored to determine key factors which influence collaboration.Design/methodology/approach– This study comprises of qualitative and quantitative methodological approaches. A comprehensive literature review was undertaken alongside an online survey with a variety of respondents. Descriptive statistics, data visualization and qualitative data analysis were implemented to analyse survey results. A follow-up survey and interviews with LSPs validated the results.Findings– The research presents the opinions of a variety of actors involved in DROs and reveals barriers which affect HO/LSP collaboration. Explanations for these barriers and possible solutions to mitigate them are disclosed. The findings also uncover gaps between research and practice; providing new insights into behaviour in the humanitarian field.Practical implications– The authors provide an in-depth understanding of the barriers and challenges faced in this field and suggest a reevaluation of corporate decision making in order to increase trust between LSPs and HOs. The authors identify future research topics including the impact of donors and military organizations on HO decision making, and analysis of variables which may affect the formation of collaborative partnerships.Originality/value– The authors introduce a unique empirical insight into the perspectives of HOs, LSPs and academics and offers suggestions for mitigating the numerous barriers associated with successful collaborative partnerships between HOs and LSPs.

Operation PATWIN: HMS DARING’s experience of providing humanitarian disaster relief following super-Typhoon Haiyan.

Super-Typhoon Haiyan struck the Philippines on 7 November 2013. The initial reports estimated 10 000 fatalities and four million displaced persons. As the United Kingdom's initial response to this disaster, HMS DARING was diverted from her deployment to take part in humanitarian aid, named Operation PATWIN. This article will outline the medical aspects of the relief effort undertaken and aim to identify any lessons that may inform future operations.

Relief inventory modelling with stochastic lead-time and demand

The irregular demand and communication network disruption that are characteristics of situations demanding humanitarian logistics, particularly after large-scale earthquakes, present a unique challenge for relief inventory modelling. However, there are few quantitative inventory models in humanitarian logistics, and assumptions inherent in commercial logistics naturally have little applicability to humanitarian logistics. This paper develops a humanitarian disaster relief inventory model that assumes a uniformly distributed function in both lead-time and demand parameters, which is appropriate considering the limited historical data on relief operation. Furthermore, this paper presents different combinations of lead-time and demand scenarios to demonstrate the variability of the model. This is followed by the discussion of a case study wherein the decision variables are evaluated and sensitivity analysis is performed. The results reveal the presence of a unique reorder level in the inventory wherever the order quantity is insensitive to some lead-time demand values, providing valuable direction for humanitarian relief planning efforts and future research.

Conceptualizing Climate Change-Related Movement

INTRODUCTION In the media and in policy debates, there has been a considerable, and understandable, degree of alarmism about the havoc that may wreak on human society, to the extent that it may waves of climate refugees and result in the disappearance of certain small island states. This has generated a natural impulse to something, which in a number of quarters has translated into calls for a new climate treaty. Aside from the lack of political appetite to create a new international protection treaty, which should not be underestimated, I argue that treaty proposals are premised on certain assumptions about and human movement that are not borne out in the empirical studies that are starting to emerge. The purpose of my remarks is to highlight some of the thinking we need to do, as international lawyers, when contributing to the development of appropriate legal and policy strategies in this area. Certainly, is already having an impact on people's ability to remain in their homes in certain parts of the world. But rather than jumping to the traditional tools of international law in responding to this, I want to provoke thinking about what a human rights approach would really look like in this context. How do we ensure that what works in theory actually works in practice? EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE ON MOVEMENT First, one of the biggest shortcomings of much of the scholarship being generated on climate is a tendency to treat climate-related movement as a single phenomenon that can be addressed in a universal way. But a one-size-fits-all approach will not adequately respond to the variety of movement types encapsulated within the climate framework. Many different kinds of scenarios are captured within this rubric, and it is only through examining them separately, with attention to their distinctive and common features, that any meaningful policy or normative frameworks can be developed. For instance, whereas a sudden disaster, such as a cyclone, may precipitate very fast flight, it may only be temporary, and assistance in the form of humanitarian disaster relief may be a sufficient response. By contrast, impacts that take place over a much longer period, through erosion, salinity, and so on, may ultimately necessitate permanent relocation elsewhere, or may be able to be withstood through early intervention of adaptation measures. Second, there is considerable evidence to show that most climate-related movement will be internal rather than cross-border in nature. This is particularly so in the case of disasters, but is also borne out for longer-term migration as well. For example, in Bangladesh, where people are often displaced multiple times, their poor socio-economic circumstances generally preclude them from undertaking cross-border journeys. Temporary and circular migration is a more common longer-term survival strategy. (1) Similarly, in Kiribati and Tuvalu, people living on the outer islands will initially move internally to the main atoll, not directly overseas. Since those displaced internally remain citizens of their country and therefore entitled to the protections that flow from that status, they will likely be treated as a domestic concern and not within the purview of international attention. MULTICAUSALITY Third, it is inherently fraught to speak of climate change as the cause of human movement, even though its impacts may exacerbate existing socio-economic or environmental vulnerabilities. Rather, will have an incremental impact, overlaying preexisting pressures--overcrowding, unemployment, and environmental and development concerns. The nature of movement will therefore vary greatly depending upon a range of variables which may interact in different ways at different times. Furthermore, consistent with patterns of refugee movement, the poorest or most vulnerable may not have any choice but to stay put, because they may not have the economic ability, social networks, health, or skills to move. …

A qualitative study exploring the challenges of humanitarian organisations

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to identify the underlying issues of humanitarian disaster relief logistics in order to provide an understanding of the challenges facing humanitarian organisations in a wider context.Design/methodology/approachThe paper takes a qualitative approach, adopting a two‐dimensional multi‐strategy research design, culminating in a model of theoretical understanding.FindingsThe results suggest that operational issues encountered in humanitarian logistics are symptomatic of wider issues affecting humanitarian organisations. In understanding this, challenges were identified that, if overcome, could make for more effective relief missions.Research limitations/implicationsIn terms of implications, this paper provides an opportunity for further research, including the testing of the suggested model against an extended sample size which could include senior managers of humanitarian organisations (involved in strategising), and United Nations representative(s).Practical implicationsThe research raises an awareness of the characteristics of humanitarian organisations that may well be acting as barriers to greater effectiveness and efficiency.Originality/valueRather than maintaining an operational focus throughout, the scope and nature of this study provide an insight into humanitarian organisations that allows for a deeper level of understanding to be gained in terms of their characteristics, which broadens the context against which the ensuing discussions/arguments can prevail. The resultant model provides a catalyst for further research and discussion.

Wor(l)ds of grief: Traumatic memory and literary witnessing in cross-cultural perspective

Considering the work of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), the criticisms levelled against it, and the literary response it has evoked in terms of a struggle over definitions of trauma and recovery can help the debate over the perceived monocultural bias of trauma theory in its ‘classical’, mid-1990s formulation and the fraught relationship between such tendencies and the commitment to social justice on which the field prides itself. Insofar as the TRC mapped Euro-American concepts of trauma and recovery onto an apartheid-colonial situation, it was subject to the same problems and limitations faced by trauma theory—problems and limitations which post-apartheid literature has not been slow to confront. Sindiwe Magona’s truth-and-reconciliation novel Mother to Mother, for example, can be seen to supplement the work of the TRC by critically revisiting its limits, exclusions, and elisions—and thus also to suggest a possible way for ‘traditional’ trauma theory to reinvent and renew itself.

Refugee participation in health relief services during the post-emergency phase in Tanzania

Introduction. While community participation in health activities has been examined extensively after Alma-Ata, few studies have focused on beneficiary participation in health services in a humanitarian disaster relief programme. This research scrutinized refugee participation in encamped health services, explored its achievement, and identified the further needs of refugees in pursuit of enhanced health services in the camp. Methods. The study was performed at Lugufu Camp, Tanzania, where a health information team (HIT) of Congolese refugees actively participated in health services. Structured questionnaires were used for this cross-sectional observational study, covering three types of respondents: i.e. (1) systematically selected refugee community members ( n=576); (2) all HIT members ( n=48); and all Tanzanian health staff in charge of preventive health ( n=17). Additional information was also collected through focus group discussions. Results. HIT refugees used their own health initiatives, which resulted in a growth of self-confidence. There was an evidence of benefits, especially in promoting health education, affirmed by an almost established consensus among the refugee community, Tanzanian health staff and HIT members themselves. However, refugee community members who did not know any HIT members had less positive health-seeking behaviours than those who knew one or more HIT members, thus showing a need for further dissemination of HIT services. Conclusions. Participation in the health services led the HIT refugees to regain the sense that they could contribute to solving peers' health problems with their own knowledge and services, and by working together as a team. Beneficiary participation is a dynamic process that heightened responsibility and health consciousness, along with a concomitant gain in power over their destiny.