Natural Disaster Preparedness Research Articles

A disaster prevention programme using virtual schemes: Recommendation of tradition populaire integrated with tendenko as an approach to immersive training

The aim of this technical note is to discuss and propose a community action plan to increase citizen preparedness and readiness for natural disasters. This exploratory study applies a conceptual analysis based on a comprehensive review of relevant literature on evacuation training and preparation for tsunamis, focusing on tendenko behaviour.The results of the study led to the development of a guideline outlining key actions for evacuation programme designers with practical procedures to foster citizens’ motivation to learn and encourage engagement in community-based activities. The proposed steps can provide training designers (e.g. local councils, community NPOs, and evacuation experts) with actionable recommendations for practical activities to enhance citizen preparedness.One of the original contributions of the proposed programme is its inclusion of tradition populaire, according to which communication is held not only with the residents in the disaster area but also with inbound visitors. The proposed disaster prevention training programme based on information and communications technology (ICT) can be supportive to the disaster areas by inbound visitors to enhancing citizens' and visitors’ understanding of disastrous scenarios and the necessity to increase their preparedness for such events.Based on the outcomes of the research, a further analysis is being planned to validate the utility and effectiveness of the proposed action plans, with primary data being used to develop more robust implications for practitioners and researchers.

Improving Humanitarian Relief via Optimizing Shelter Location With Uncertain Covariates

We study the shelter location problems in preparation for natural disasters under uncertain demands. The operators attempt to design an efficient shelter location and casualty allocation plan to carry out relief operations in anticipation of uncertain demands quickly. In practice, the uncertain demands are closely related to disaster intensity, whereas previous studies ignore such correlations when modeling the uncertainties. To this end, we develop a novel scenario-based distributionally robust (SDR) model and optimize the decisions of shelter location, allowing uncertain evacuation demands to be correlated with other uncertain covariates such as disaster severity. Our model also unifies both scenario-based stochastic optimization and distribution-ally robust optimization and utilizes historical demands and covariate information to deliver adequate and robust relief planning. We approximate the non-convex model into a tractable form, the second-order cone programming (SOCP), which can be efficiently solved by an outer approximation (OA) algorithm under the large-scale computation case. The numerical results with real-world data show the advantages of “covariate integration (CVI)” on cost-saving, rescue rate improving compared with traditional distributionally robust optimization, and computational efficiency using the OA algorithm. We find that the advantage still holds with the CVI approach under different spatial distribution and capacity of the candidate shelters, and the establishment of shelters with larger capacity before the disaster has greater rescue efficiency than without covariates (WCV).

Natural Disaster Preparedness Planning: Synchronizing Artificial Intelligence with a New Set of Leadership Skills for Generating an Inclusive Strategy in a Remote Workplace

An increasing number of major hurricanes, flooding, and wildfires has introduced an unusual amount of uncertainty and thus changes in our daily lives. However, one positive outcome is that they have also resulted in new opportunities to re-examine past approaches for planning to survive a natural disaster. A critical behavior practiced by inclusive leaders is to seek new ideas and perspectives from co-workers who have different values, expectations, and goals. Being receptive to different views enables organizational leaders to challenge the way they personally perceive how future practices and policies can be designed when planning to survive a natural disaster. However, particularly in the private sector, one sobering account has been the social cost of not convening face-to-face in our daily working environments whereby a free exchange of ideas is less likely to occur. This purpose of this theoretical paper is to propose a new skill set for those leaders working with remote co-workers when designing a plan for natural disaster preparedness for their organizations.

13594 A survey of dermatologists’ preparedness for natural and manmade disasters

Natural and manmade disasters cause numerous dermatologic manifestations, such as secondary infections after a flood or irritation from blistering agents used in chemical warfare, requiring diagnostic acumen and management strategies. However, little is documented on the extent of dermatologists’ training on/about disaster situations. Therefore, this study sought to evaluate dermatologists’ preparedness for disasters and perceptions about the importance of disaster training. Of 1677 emailed, 256 completed the survey (n = 14 without, MDs/DOs were excluded; n = 242). Only 28.9% received training in disaster preparedness; based on chi-square tests, the likelihood of training did not significantly vary by practice type, age, or residency status. The majority of trained respondents would be comfortable caring for patients affected by natural events (78.2%), intentional chemical exposures (52.7%), and natural biological events (50.9%), but fewer were comfortable with unintentional chemical exposures (47.3%), intentional biological attacks (34.6%), and nuclear/radiological injuries (16.4%). Encouragingly though, 74.7% reported that disaster preparedness should be part of dermatology training. Among the 25% who felt disaster preparedness should not be included in residency training, the most common reasons were that it is not important and they have other educational priorities. These data show that a large percentage of dermatologists have not received disaster training. Even with training, many still feel ill-prepared to manage patients affected by disasters, especially nuclear/radiologic events, demonstrating that the dermatology community is likely inadequately prepared for a disaster. Yet, 75% reported that disaster preparedness should be part of dermatology training, highlighting the need and desire for a formal disaster training program.

Competency framework, methods, evaluation, and outcomes of natural disaster preparedness and response training: a scoping review protocol.

This systematic scoping review aims to clarify and map the range of natural disaster preparedness and response training for public health personnel around the world. Various preparedness and response training courses, exercises, and drills for public health professionals have been developed for natural disasters. Most of these focus on developing competency. However, there is no overview of the frameworks, methods, evaluation, and outcomes of these disaster preparedness and response training courses, exercises, and drills. This review will consider all studies that focus on the framework, evaluation, and outcome of training in natural disaster preparedness for public health personnel. The databases and sources to be searched will include MEDLINE (PubMed), CINAHL with Full Text Plus, Academic Search Premier, APA PsycINFO, and Ichushi-Web. Searches for gray literature will be conducted using websites that discuss, introduce, or provide competence-based disaster preparedness and response training. These websites will mainly be for public organizations or universities with a focus on public health. The review will consider studies published in both English and Japanese. Retrieval of full-text studies and data extraction will be performed independently by two reviewers. The findings will be summarized in tabular form and accompanied by narrative text.

Tsunami Understanding Media: Android-Physics Mobile Learning to Improve Problem Solving-Skills and Natural Disaster Preparedness

This research aimed to determine the effectiveness of the implementation of tsunami understanding media through Android-based physics mobile learning in improving students' problem-solving skills and natural disaster preparedness. This study employed quasi-experiment research with a non-equivalent control group design. This research subjects were fifty-six students of class XI IPA at SMA N 1 Kretek, Bantul, Yogyakarta. The sampling technique employed in this research was the simple random sampling technique to determine the experimental and control groups. The research data had been obtained through pretest and posttest in the form of essay tests. The data obtained were then analyzed using N-gain. The analysis results were used to determine the effectiveness of the media using the Hotelling's Trace test in MANOVA test analysis. Normally distributed and homogeneous data are required to perform the multivariate analysis. The results showed that the tsunami understanding media through Android-based physics mobile learning improved students' problem-solving skills and natural disaster preparedness compared to the learning using PowerPoint presentation. The research decisions were based on the significant value that was smaller than 0.05 (0.0000.05), and the value of the Partial Eta Squared was 0.359 in the broad category.

Earthquake and its Impacts on Education: Aftermath Nepal Quake 2015

Although earthquakes themselves do not kill people, they highlight the critical importance of physical infrastructure resilience, safety measures and preparedness for natural disasters. Earthquakes are one of several environmental crises that can be categorized as a natural hazard/disaster. This study uses the qualitative method of research. The semi-structured interview with follow up questions among the educational actors like students, head/teachers, officials from the district education office and the local NGO staff working in the field of education before and immediately after the earthquake. The content analyses of curriculum of secondary level and textbooks of grade IX and X as well as field visit/observation were carried out during the study. The result and the conclusion of this study show that following the 2015 earthquake, the preparation of emergency bags helped children and their families gather essential items in a ready-to-go bag specifically designed for disaster situations. Simulation activities in schools helped prepare students for future disasters, and there were also many initiatives to reduce student and teacher trauma following the 2015 quake, including the development of a credited 5-hour teacher professional development (TPD) counselling programme. The inclusion of school disaster risk reduction (DRR) education in the curriculum and textbooks containing information on earthquakes, their cause, effects and preventive measures have now been disseminated in many languages including Nepali and English.

Building community resilience to prevent and mitigate community impact of gun violence: conceptual framework and intervention design

IntroductionThe USA has the highest rate of community gun violence of any developed democracy. There is an urgent need to develop feasible, scalable and community-led interventions that mitigate incident gun...

Individual preparedness for natural disasters: a cross-sectional study from Portugal

Abstract Background Individual preparedness is critical in mitigating the adverse effect of natural disasters (ND). Factors influencing preparedness are complex and multifaceted, with certain groups having different needs and vulnerabilities. We aimed to explore the factors associated with individual ND preparedness in residents from Vila Nova Gaia (VNG), Portugal. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in VNG, Portugal, in January 2020 (N = 192; ≥18 years). Data on sociodemographic characteristics, risk perception, and preparedness were collected using a structured questionnaire, in parishes randomly selected. Crude and adjusted odds ratio (OR) and respective 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated using logistic regression models. Results About 33% of participants aged ≥65 years and 66% had low education. Results show that 20% had a survival kit. In univariate comparisons, older (11% vs. 24%, p=.029) and lower educated participants (≤12th grade: 13% vs. >12th grade: 32%, p=.002) were less likely to have a survival kit; only education remained associated after adjustment for age (OR = 2.61, 95%CI:1.22-5.58). About 21% had a family plan for disaster and only education level is associated (≤12th grade: 17% vs. >12th grade: 29%, p=.040). Almost 35% had a family member with basic life support training; older age, lower education and higher risk perception were negatively associated and these remained after adjustment (≥65 vs. <65 years OR = 0.36, 95%CI:0.16-0.77; ≤12th vs. >12th grade OR = 0.40, 95%CI:0.21-0.78; risk perception OR = 0.66, 95%CI:0.45-0.95). Only 22% participated in community drills; older people (6% vs. 31%, p<.001) and less educated (14% vs. 39%, p<.001) were less likely to have ever participated, which persisted in multivariate model. Conclusions Our findings revealed a low-level of ND preparedness, and older and less educated people seem to present worse preparedness. This highlights the need to design specific public health interventions among these groups. Key messages We found a low-level of individual preparedness for natural disasters in VNG, Portugal. Community-based public health interventions are needed to improve individual preparedness for natural disasters. Specific interventions targeting older and less educated people should be designed to decrease their vulnerability facing a natural disaster.

Policy and Guide for Dealing with Nuclear Disaster Threat in Indonesia

The research analyzed policies and guidelines for dealing with nuclear disaster threat in Indonesia within a collaborative approach. A case study qualitative method was used to explore and analyze the nuclear disaster threat policy and guidelines in Indonesia. The research was based on LIPI-UNESCO/ ISDR indicators on natural disaster preparedness and IAEA parameters on nuclear emergency preparedness requirements). Results showed that policies and guidelines on dealing with nuclear disaster threat in Indonesia are still deficient (34.1%); and there is no synergy and integration of policies and guidelines on preventing nuclear emergency between nuclear technology users and nuclear energy regulators on one hand and disaster management policies and guidelines at the local and national government level. Thus, enhancing policies and guidelines on dealing with nuclear disaster threats, there is need for National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) to undertake collaborative governance policies with related ministries/ agencies, facilitate the integration of nuclear hazard regulations into disaster management regulations, and facilitate the establishment of national nuclear disaster management organizations.

Fostering disaster preparedness through community radio in cyclone-prone coastal Bangladesh

Media plays an important role during hazard emergency communication. Community radio, as a part of media, has emerged as a management tool for influencing at-risk people's preparedness for natural disasters. In Bangladesh, the concept of community radio is relatively new in terms of combating cyclone risk in coastal areas, and so far, no study applying mixed-method on role of radio in disaster preparedness has been performed. This study presents an empirical analysis of the role of community radio in disaster preparedness for people at risk in cyclone-prone south and southwestern coastal Bangladesh, where we use economic loss as a proxy of disaster preparedness. Using a multi-stage sampling, 430 households were selected for a questionnaire survey. For the quantitative approach, Ordinary Least Square (OLS) and Binary Logistic regression models were used, along with other parametric and non-parametric tools. For qualitative approach, FGD findings and individual statements were used. The main results of this study suggest that listening to hazard-related programs on both state-operated and community radio has played a significant role in cyclone-related disaster preparedness in terms of minimizing cyclone-induced economic loss. Nevertheless, the distinct feature of broadcasting early warnings in local dialects on a local basis has increased the comprehensibility, information clarity, and reliability of the warning messages delivered by community radio, and this has helped at-risk people to make proper preparations for cyclone risks. Furthermore, this radio appears to help the people at risk to enhance their knowledge and awareness on hazard preparedness, which has made them more experienced to lessen disaster loss over last decade. These issues together appear to have helped community radio listeners to incur a significantly lower degree of economic loss than that of non-listeners (z=3.11,p<0.003), implying better disaster preparedness by the listeners.

Household Preparedness for Natural Disasters

Numerous literature reviews have been carried out in the area of household preparedness activities for natural disasters. The present study aims to summarize the latest findings of natural disaster preparedness levels and aims to address the following research questions: What evidence is there for natural disaster preparedness levels? What are the demographic characteristics and potential variables that influence natural disaster preparedness? What has been reported in major bibliographic databases? The first step involved a systematic search to identify relevant studies published between 1995 and 2019 in the following electronic databases EBSCOhost, Scopus, ScienceDirect, and Web of Science. Nineteen studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in the final review. By analysing the available literature, it has been observed that the in the area of preparedness activities for natural disasters most households do not have a rapid development plan for preparation. Although little research has been done on the preparedness of the older population, it will be necessary to analyse which communication methods would be used in case of a natural disaster, as well as look into the benefits of their use for networking and rapid communication of information before and during the natural disaster.

Factors Related to Coastal Communities’ Water-Related Natural Disaster Awareness, Preparedness, Resilience and Recovery in Three Cyclone Nargis Affected Areas in the Ayeyarwaddy Delta Region, Myanmar

Natural disasters have a negative impact on the socio-economy of a country. This cross-sectional analytical study determined the factors that influence coastal communities’ water-related disaster awareness, preparedness, resilience and recovery in Cyclone Nargis affected areas in Myanmar. A total of 390 respondents from the three townships most affected by Cyclone Nargis in the Ayeyarwaddy Delta Region were purposively selected. Data were analyzed using SPSS Version 22.0. Associations between variables were analyzed by using binary logistic regression with p&lt;0.05. Multivariate analysis was performed for the final model and interpreted with adjusted odds ratio and 95% confidence interval. Among respondents, more than 75% were not only aware and prepared before the disaster but had recovered and demonstrated resilience following the disaster. The respondents who had problems recovering on the “financial” index were 0.5 times less likely to exhibit recovery (OR=0.558, 95% CI=0.346-0.899, p=0.016) in binary analysis. The respondents who had problems recovering on the “health” index were 0.3 times less likely to demonstrate recovery (OR=0.387, 95% CI=0.194-0.772, p=0.007) in multivariate analysis. It is recommended that awareness and disaster management education programs that shape behavioral change are initiated which target both rural and urban areas in Myanmar.

The Impact of Hurricane Irma on Our Community and the Collier Mosquito Control District's Mission.

The Collier Mosquito Control District, located in southwest Florida, is uniquely positioned in a subtropical environment between the Gulf of Mexico and Everglades National Park. The District's mission is focused on the control of disease vector and nuisance mosquitoes in Collier County, which is accomplished through integrated mosquito management. Hurricane Irma made landfall in the county on September 10, 2017, leaving in its wake tremendous property and infrastructure damage, and it also disrupted communications and airport operations. These factors greatly affected the District's operations and its ability to meet its mission. In addition, the lengthy loss of electrical power forced most residents outdoors, increasing their exposure to mosquitoes. From challenges in completing poststorm treatments to outdated policies that caught us off-guard, the event prompted a new hurricane policy and plan to ensure improved preparedness for the next natural disaster. The poststorm environment also provided a rich foundation for research into mosquito populations after tropical disturbances of this scale. Here we report the impact on the District's aerial mosquito control operations, changes to internal policies, and mosquito population abundance following Hurricane Irma.

Understanding the culture of natural disaster preparedness: exploring the effect of experience and sociodemographic predictors

Understanding the culture of preparedness is essential to improve public policies and programs aimed to promote population preparedness to cope with natural hazards. The present study seeks to explore the influence of experience and sociodemographic variables in different levels of natural disaster preparedness among inhabitants of the Chilean coast. Three domains of preparedness were studied: household, community, and work. Participants were 1504 adults interviewed from representative samples of the coastal cities of Iquique and Concepcion. Our main results suggest that direct prior experience and higher frequency of exposure to earthquakes and tsunamis generate a highest level of preparedness. In the same way, middle-aged adults (30–59 years), who live with a partner and those who have higher education and income level, declare having the highest levels of preparedness. On the other hand, our results denote that for each domain of preparedness, different sociodemographic characteristics influence the level of preparedness. Years living in the city and living with a partner represents the most decisive variable for preparedness at the household unit level. As for community preparedness, gender emerges as the most relevant variable. Educational level and income are variables with the greatest impact in workplace preparedness. These results demonstrate the importance of studying and implementing preparedness activities in other contexts such as community and work. Also, strategies should focus on less prepared groups that may be more vulnerable to the effects of natural disasters.

Evaluation of the use of the “Natural Disaster Preparedness Scale for Hospital Nursing Departments” tool in Japan

Evaluation of the use of the “Natural Disaster Preparedness Scale for Hospital Nursing Departments” tool in Japan

Natural disaster preparedness and continuity planning of Greek enterprises

Natural disaster preparedness and continuity planning of Greek enterprises

Perceived Arrival Time of Disaster Relief Supplies Matters for Household Preparedness for Natural Disasters

This paper addresses whether and to what extent individual subjective perception of the time it takes for disaster relief supplies to arrive (i.e., perceived arrival time) affects households’ emergency drinking water (EDW) preparedness behavior for natural disasters, based on household data originally collected through an internet survey in Japan in 2013. Our estimation results show that perceived arrival time significantly matters for household stocks of EDW and that the amount of EDW could be greatly enhanced as perceived arrival time increases. Moreover, households in risk-prone areas stock more EDW compared with households in less risk-prone areas. Perceived arrival time can be interpreted as a kind of risk perception, and our results illustrate the counterexample of the so-called risk perception paradox.

After the Fire: An Assessment of Small Business Preparedness and Recovery in Gatlinburg, Tennessee

ABSTRACT For tourism-dependent communities, disaster recovery preparedness is essential for the retail and hospitality industries because they are often under the greatest threat of natural disasters. Using the National Disaster Recovery Framework, this study focuses on understanding natural disaster preparedness and recovery for small businesses within the tourism community of Gatlinburg, Tennessee. Researchers utilized an exploratory qualitative approach and conducted interviews via referrals with small business owners/managers (n = 11). Findings revealed a general, yet critical, lack of disaster preparedness that inhibited a swift and timely business recovery. Fundamental issues point to the need to prepare for unexpected disasters to aid recovery.

Conceptualising and measuring psychological preparedness for disaster: The Psychological Preparedness for Disaster Threat Scale

Most research on household disaster preparedness has focussed on physical, or material, preparation. Recently, researchers have turned attention to investigating psychological, or mental, preparedness for disasters. Reviews suggest that psychological preparedness comprises two broad mental dimensions or domains: a mostly cognitive aspect directed at the threat, involving knowledge of the threat environment and adaptive responses; and a mostly affective aspect involving self-awareness and emotional self-control. We located eight self-report measures of psychological preparedness, of which only three evidenced good psychometric properties. Of these, only the Psychological Preparedness for Disaster Threat Scale (PPDTS) developed by Zulch et al. (Psychological preparedness for natural disasters, 2012) seemed suitable for investigating psychological preparedness for disaster events in general in English-speaking contexts. A confirmatory factor analysis of data from a survey of 1253 Australian residents replicated the findings reported by Zulch et al. that the measure comprised two sub-scales: a 10-item Knowledge and Management sub-scale, and an 8-item Anticipation, Awareness and Management sub-scale. Evidence of both concurrent convergent and discriminant validity of the measure was found. The PPDTS appears to be a psychometrically sound self-report measure of householder psychological preparedness for a disaster event.