Natural Disasters Research Articles

Agromet Advisories to Mitigate the Effects of Aberrant Weather in Himachal Pradesh

Weather is a pivotal factor in agricultural production, influencing crop growth, disease and pest occurrences, water and fertilizer needs, and the effectiveness of cultural and preventive measures. Extreme weather events can cause physiological stress, physical damage, soil erosion, and crop quality degradation. In India, agriculture's vulnerability to adverse weather is a significant concern, with natural disasters like floods, droughts, and cyclones leading to crop failure, food insecurity, and economic impacts. To mitigate these challenges, Agrometeorological Advisory Services (AAS) play a crucial role in providing farmers with weather-based advisories to manage agricultural risks. The Integrated Agro-Meteorological Advisory Service (IAAS), run by the Indian Ministry of Earth Sciences and the India Meteorological Department (IMD), offers district-level weather forecasts and agromet advisories to support farmers in adapting to weather fluctuations. These advisories cover various weather-related risks, including cold injury and frost, high temperatures, wind damage, hailstorms, and floods. Sample advisories suggest measures like irrigation for frost protection, mulching to reduce heat stress, and shelter belts to mitigate wind damage. Effective dissemination of advisories involves communication through electronic media, Krishi Vigyan Kendras (Agriculture Science Centres), and Kisan (Farmer) Call Centres. Thrust areas for enhancing AAS include improved scientific understanding, advanced monitoring and prediction of severe weather events, satellite-based communication technologies, and real-time forecasting. By integrating these strategies, farmers can better prepare for extreme weather and mitigate its impact on agriculture.

Changes in mental health stigma among healthcare professionals and community representatives in Northern Sri Lanka during an mhGAP intervention study.

Research indicates that exposure to conflict, natural disasters, and internal displacement can increase mental health conditions. Since the end of the civil conflict within Sri Lanka, the country has worked to increase access to mental health services to meet the needs of conflict-affected populations, however, gaps remain. To address this, integration of mental health services into primary care can reduce the strain on growing specialized care. As part of a larger study primary care practitioners (doctors), public health professionals (nurses, midwives), and community representatives (teachers, social workers) were trained to deliver mental health services in primary care across the heavily impacted Northern Province. The aim was to reduce mental health stigma among enrolled healthcare workers and community representatives by 50%. Stigma was measured across all participant groups at six time points: pre- and post- initial training at baseline, pre- and post- refresher training 3-months after initial training, and pre- and post- refresher training 6-months after initial training. Results indicate a small improvement in average stigma scores at the 6-month refresher point for primary care practitioners, and no meaningful difference in average scores across time points for public health professionals or community representatives. World Health Organization mhGAP training appears to reduce stigma among primary care practitioners and could be an effective strategy to counteract mental health stigma in low resource settings. Future research should investigate underlying mechanisms of stigma reduction to improve delivery of mental health services in primary care and community settings.

Review on Human Detection in Catastrophe Scenarios Using UAV and Deep Learning Techniques

In catastrophe scenarios, such as natural disasters or humanitarian crises, rapid and accurate detection of human presence is critical for effective response and rescue operations. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) equipped with computer vision algorithms have emerged as a promising solution for remote sensing and human detection in such scenarios. This survey paper provides an overview of the state-of-the-art techniques for human detection using UAVs, with a focus on the integration of You Only Look Once (YOLO) object detection and DeepSORT (Deep Simple Online and Realtime Tracking) tracking algorithms.

Designing and Psychometric Evaluation of a Questionnaire for Assessing Society's Perception of Flash Flood Risk

Background: Public perception of risks associated with natural disasters like flash floods significantly influences disaster management effectiveness. Flash floods pose a major threat to life and property, and a lack of tools to evaluate societal risk perception creates a critical gap. Objectives: This study aimed to design and evaluate the psychometric properties of a questionnaire specifically assessing society's perception of flash flood risk. Methods: A two-stage approach was employed. The first stage involved collecting questionnaire items through a systematic literature review and a qualitative study. In the second stage, a comprehensive psychometric evaluation was conducted, including assessments of face validity, content validity, and construct validity. Reliability was established using Cronbach's alpha. Confirmatory factor analysis was further conducted with data collected from 136 community members who had experienced flash floods. Data analysis was performed using SPSS version 20 and AMOS software. Results: A combination of qualitative data and systematic review findings facilitated the development of 36 initial questionnaire items. Applying quantitative and qualitative construct validity measures led to the refinement of the instrument, resulting in 29 final items categorized into three domains: Risk perception (12 items), awareness (10 items), and preparedness (7 items). The internal consistency of the instrument was confirmed by a Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.88. Factor analysis further supported the good fit of the hypothesized model to the data. Conclusions: This study successfully developed and rigorously evaluated a questionnaire to assess society's perception of flash flood risk. This instrument offers valuable insights for informed decision-making and identification of factors influencing risk perception, ultimately contributing to improved disaster preparedness and management.

Worlds apart? Investigating acceptance and usage demands of carbon-based cosmetics and clothing across European countries

BackgroundGlobal warming and the increasing risk of natural disasters force us all to act. As the reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions has been proven effective but insufficient on its own, Carbon Capture and Utilization (CCU) technologies emerged to fill the gap. Using CCU technologies, CO2 is captured and further processed into valuable products instead of being emitted into the atmosphere.MethodThis study investigates the prevailing public perception of such CCU-based products by the example of clothing and cosmetics. We applied the method of conjoint measurement to experimentally examine context-related factors (= attributes) in different usage settings and explored the consumers’ decision profiles for or against the usage of CCU-based products (cosmetics and clothing). Conjoint measurements were realized as an online experiment, addressing acceptance patterns and preferences in four European countries (Germany, Norway, Spain, and Poland). In addition, we assessed general attitudes and affective assessments of the CCU products. A total of N = 828 participants took part in the study, and the international subsamples were comparable.ResultsResults revealed that health compatibility is the main adoption-driving factor in the decisions for or against the use of the products. Still, attributes like the environmental impact, product quality, and information flow play an important role as well, even though to a lesser extent. Participants from different countries significantly differ in their cognitive and affective evaluations of acceptance-related attributes.ConclusionsThe outcome provides insights into differences in Pan-European comparison and helps to understand the public motives and country-specific terms of use for CCU-based products, effectively establishing recommendations for policy and governance.

The prospects of intercropping of brinjal (Solanum melongena L.) with other vegetables on sorjan system in vulnerable southern coastal saline and non-saline areas of Bangladesh

The demand for food in Bangladesh is increasing due to the increasing population. Land is the primary natural resource that affords habitat and sustenance for living beings. In Bangladesh, the coastal areas cover an area of 47,201 km2 or 32 % of the total land under 19 districts of Bangladesh. The coastal southern saline and non-saline areas are vulnerable to water logging conditions and farmers cannot grow any crops except dry season (rabi). However, in some areas, farmers are trying to use their indigenous technologies to combat natural disasters to ensure food security. For example, floating, sorjan or raised bed systems are potential and farmers are practicing in these areas. Among these techniques, the sorjan bed system is one of the potential techniques that is extensively used in southern Bangladesh, particularly water logging conditions to improve food security. To enhance the production and make land cultivation profitable, the experiments were carried out at the farmers’ fields under the sorjan system in consecutive two growing seasons. The sole crop was brinjal (cv. BARI Begun-12), BARI Lalshak-1 (cv. Red amaranth), BARI Dhania-1 (cv. Coriander leaf), Cauliflower (cv. Cold queen), Cabbage (cv. Equatoria) and Knol Khol were utilized as intercropping with brinjal. The treatments were i) Sole brinjal, ii) Brinjal + Red amaranth, iii) Brinjal + Coriander leaf, iv) Brinjal + Cauliflower, v) Brinjal + Cabbage, and vi) Brinjal +. 24-day-old seedlings of the BARI Begun-12 grown in a nursery bed were transferred to the plots where the seeds of Red amaranth and Coriander leaf were directly sown. However, the seedlings of Cauliflower, Cabbage, and Knol Khol were also transplanted to the field after one week of transplanting brinjal. The results exposed that sole crops had the highest results in terms of days to flowering, days to first fruit set, days to first harvesting, leaf area, fruit length, fruit breadth, single fruit weight, fruits plant−1, fruit yield, TSS %, and dry matter %. In both years, brinjal exhibited the highest yield as the sole crop compared to intercropping. 48.12 t/ha and 46.27 t/ha in the first and second cropping seasons, respectively. In the first cropping season, Red amaranth, Coriander leaf, Cauliflower, Cabbage, and Knol Khol performed with a yield of 10.12, 7.23, 23.14, 22.87, and 9.05 t/ha. During the second cropping season, the same crops exhibited a yield of 10.05, 7.01, 23.09, 22.68, and 9.98 t/ha. The highest land equivalent ratio, gross return, net return, and BCR were obtained from brinjal-cauliflower intercropping, which was 1.74, 1049300 BDT, 553820 BDT, and 2.12, respectively, in the 2021–2022 cropping season and 1.78, 1057900 BDT, 562010 BDT, and 2.13, respectively, in the next season in 2022–2023. This intercropping approach resulted in a higher land equivalent ratio, net return, and benefit-cost ratio of 1.76, 557915 BDT, and 2.125, respectively, over the average of two successive cropping seasons.

Evaluation of system based psychological first aid training on the mental health proficiency of emergency medical first responders to natural disasters in China: a cluster randomised controlled trial

ObjectiveTo evaluate the effectiveness of a system based psychological first aid (PFA) training programme for emergency medical first responders in China.DesignParallel-group, assessor-blinded, cluster randomised controlled trial.Setting42 clusters of health workers...

A study on climate‐driven vulnerabilities in the Ranganadi river basin: Sand‐Casting impacts on rural households

AbstractThe Ranganadi river basin, spanning a catchment area of 2335 km2 in the North Lakhimpur region of Assam is one of the worst flood‐affected areas in the North Eastern region of India. The basin is densely populated and the land around this river is extensively used for cultivation. Progressive migration of the banklines leads to the loss of cultivable land. Breach in embankments protecting agricultural fields during the monsoon, as well as the presence of infertile sand in agriculture fields are some of the most dominant facets of riverine hazards directly connected with the loss of livelihood in the study area The objective of this research is to assess the vulnerability of the population residing in these flood plains to the impacts of sand casting, utilizing Livelihood Vulnerability Index (LVI) approach. The research included 377 households, and a comprehensive analysis was carried out. The analysis revealed varying degrees of vulnerability for 0.306 (socio‐demographic profile), 0.489 (livelihood strategies), and 0.413 (social networks). Sensitivity values were 0.495 (health), 0.487 (food security), 0.368 (water availability), and 0.391 (psychological factors). Exposure was rated high at 0.494, indicating vulnerability to natural disasters and climate variability. These values highlighted the most vulnerable components of the population due to the disaster and helped to suggest vulnerability reduction measures. The novelty of the study based on the result is that the LVI was meticulously formulated and adapted specifically for the study area. This localized approach allowed the unique socio‐economic and environmental dynamics of the affected population to be captured very well.

Rescue Relief Agency Management For Disaster Recovery

In the aftermath of a natural or man-made disaster, the swift and coordinated deployment of rescue agencies is critical to minimizing casualties and maximizing the effectiveness of relief efforts. However, the current landscape of disaster response is often hampered by the absence of a centralized platform for communication and collaboration among various rescue agencies. This lack of a unified system often leads to duplication of efforts, inefficient resource allocation, and delays in providing aid to those in dire need. To address these challenges and enhance the efficiency of disaster response, we propose the development of a comprehensive mobile application that would enable rescue agencies to seamlessly register their information, share real-time location updates, and coordinate their operations effectively. This proposed mobile application would serve as a central hub for rescue agencies to register their information, including their location, contact details, areas of expertise, and available resources. This information could be entered manually or automated using GPS or other location tracking technologies. Once the database is populated, the application would provide a user-friendly interface that allows users to visualize the locations of registered rescue agencies on a map. Additionally, users could filter the results based on specific criteria, such as the type of disaster, the resources available, or the time since the last reported activity. Beyond displaying the locations of rescue agencies, the application would also facilitate communication and collaboration among these organizations. Rescue agencies could send alerts or requests for assistance directly through the application, enabling them to coordinate their efforts and optimize resource utilization. Moreover, the application could facilitate the sharing of critical resources such as medical equipment, transportation, and communication infrastructure, ensuring that these resources are deployed where they are most needed. Overall, the proposed mobile application has the potential to revolutionize disaster response by providing a centralized platform for communication, collaboration, and resource management among rescue agencies. By enabling real-time coordination and efficient resource allocation, this application could significantly enhance the effectiveness of disaster relief efforts, saving lives and minimizing the impact of natural and man-made disasters..

Chronic nutritional deficit resulting in multiorgan disease presentations in remote Pakistan: case reviews from natural disaster settings

The aftermath of monsoon rains that fell in Pakistan from June to November 2022 were catastrophic as millions of people were affected, water systems were damaged, and agricultural production was affected. The floods aggravated the already existing nutrition crisis which largely increased children’s vulnerability. Disaster Medicine and Dentistry (DMD), a UK-registered consultancy organization, provided support to the affected households in Dera Ismail Khan through the provision of water pumps, food rations, and climate-resistant houses. It also established a mobile medical unit that provided medical services to affected households. All the children that came for consultation were far below the expected height or weight range for their age, thus showing signs of chronic malnutrition. They also presented with multiorgan diseases as a result of the chronic malnutrition, and DMD’s onsite and remote consultants managed them all. We took a wholistic approach to managing the nutrition crisis and the floods, which significantly improved the health outcomes of the affected individuals and households.

Evaluation of Public Gardens in Terms of the Relationship Between Climate and Design

National gardens are an important element of green spaces in today's cities, meeting the needs of the community for recreation, sports and interaction. However, environmental and social challenges facing cities are leading to changes in the design and function of these gardens. The concept of resilient cities refers to the resilience of cities against natural disasters, climate change and other risks. National gardens can be designed as an important part of becoming resilient cities. Equipping these gardens with structures resistant to various natural disasters and adopting sustainable practices such as water management can increase the overall resilience of the city. Sustainable city and eco-city concepts are also important elements to consider in the design of community gardens. These concepts include principles such as environmental sustainability, energy efficiency and strengthening green infrastructure. National gardens can be equipped with sustainable practices such as rainwater recycling systems, the use of local plant species and waste management. Nation gardens designed in this way not only provide recreation and relaxation for city residents, but also contribute to the environmental and social sustainability of the city. In addition, these gardens encourage community cohesion and solidarity. As a result, community gardens are important elements of resilient, sustainable and ecologically balanced cities. Adopting the principles of resilient city, sustainable city and eco-city in the design and management of these gardens can help cities meet future challenges and improve their livability.

DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT OF DISASTER ALERTING APPLICATION: SAJAG

The SAJAG application aims to be a crucial tool for disaster warning and management, particularly targeting flood- prone regions like the Republic of India. Its primary objective is to reduce injuries resulting from natural disasters, especially floods, by integrating with local emergency services. SAJAG delivers real- time disaster information, including location, severity, and estimated impact duration, enabling users to make informed decisions about evacuation and safe areas. Additionally, the app facilitates proactive disaster preparedness through self-awareness planning features. Leveraging wireless networking technology and artificial intelligence, SAJAG ensures timely and accurate information dissemination to users, even in adverse conditions such as power outages. Keywords: Disaster alert, Natural disaster, Floods, Real-time information, Artificial intelligence.

STUDY OF FLOOD VULNERABILITY IN HIMALAYAN REGION: A CASE OF UTTRAKHAND

India's Himalayan area is well known for its magnificent scenery and abundant wildlife. However, because of its complicated geology, delicate ecosystems, and unpredictable climate, it is also extremely vulnerable to catastrophic calamities. The causes, effects, and mitigation techniques of the common natural catastrophes that affect India's Himalayan region—such as earthquakes, landslides, floods, and glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs)—are briefly summarised in this summary. Because of the collision of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates, earthquakes are one of the most dangerous natural disasters in the Himalayan region. Major seismic events, like the one that struck Nepal in 2015, demonstrate how vulnerable the region's heavily inhabited areas are to devastating destruction and high fatality rates. Effective disaster preparedness and resilient infrastructure are crucial for minimizing casualties and damage. Another common risk in the Himalayan region is landslides, which can be brought on by unstable slopes, strong rains, and seismic activity. The region's susceptibility is exacerbated by these occurrences, which represent a major threat to natural ecosystems, transportation networks, and towns, particularly during the monsoon season. In the Himalayan region, floods are a common occurrence that are exacerbated by glacial melt, heavy rainfall, and glacier lake outbursts. Flash floods, like the ones that occurred in Uttarakhand in 2013, highlight the terrible effects on infrastructure, communities, and the environment. Reducing flood risks and increasing resilience requires community-based adaptation strategies, early warning systems, and sustainable land use planning. A unique hazard in the Himalayan region, glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs) are caused by the rapid melting of glaciers and the creation of unstable glacial lakes. The communities, infrastructure, and ecosystems downstream are seriously threatened by these catastrophes, which calls for careful observation and risk assessment techniques. One of the worst natural catastrophes to have hit the state in recent memory is the flash floods in Uttarakhand. Because to the state's distinctive geography, which is made up of small valleys and steep hills, heavy rainfall events have a greater effect, especially during the monsoon season. 2013's devastating flash floods, brought on by abnormally high rainfall, caused extensive environmental damage, infrastructure ruin, and a great deal of fatalities. The abrupt influx of water, rubble, and silt caused great destruction to isolated communities, tourist attractions, and places of worship, underscoring the precariousness of human habitation in the foothills of the Himalayas. The incident also brought attention to the relationship between unplanned development, environmental deterioration, and the likelihood of disasters, spurring calls for more land use planning, early warning systems, and sustainable development techniques future flash floods in Uttarakhand. In conclusion, the broad range of natural hazards that the Himalayan area of India faces calls for multifaceted methods to disaster risk reduction and management. In this dynamic and vulnerable setting, scientific research, community participation, and sustainable development practices are critical components of effective resilience-building efforts. Keywords: Hilly areas natural disaster, flash flood, Glacial lake outburst, flash flood in Uttarakhand

Touched by Quakes: Mortality Salience and Corporate Philanthropy

ABSTRACT This study examines how natural catastrophes affect corporate philanthropic activities in China. Firms located in areas experiencing severe seismic losses increase charitable donations. The effect is stronger when firms demonstrate stronger social responsibility, operate in higher-mortality regions, and are led by female or elder CEOs, supporting the mortality salience hypothesis. We address endogeneity issues with an instrumental variable and a propensity score matching approaches. Furthermore, firms with higher charitable donations experience a more positive stock market reaction around the 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake. Overall, our findings suggest that natural catastrophes amplify financial market participants’ mortality salience and affect their economic decisions.

Navigating the Aftermath: Exploring Business Decision-Making and Family Recovery in Palu, Sulawesi, Indonesia, After a Natural Disaster

This qualitative case study examines the decision-making process of a family that experienced a natural disaster in Palu. The participants of the study were Mr. FP, the head of the family, and his wife, Mrs. VP. Primary data was collected through in-depth interviews with FP and VP conducted by relatives who witnessed the family’s gradual recovery. Additionally, supporting data was gathered through data mining, including pre -and post-disaster photographs. The family, like many others, faced an unpredictable and devastating event that not only resulted in the loss of their main source of livelihood but also inflicted deep trauma. The study aimed to delve into this family’s experiences when confronted with an unexpected disaster, exploring the impact they faced, the recovery process they undertook, and the factors influencing their decision-making, with particular emphasis on the head of the family. The head of the family played a vital role in family dynamics, making their decision-making process of great importance. The primary objective of this research was to gain a deeper understanding of the experiences of family members, particularly the head of the family, as they navigate the challenges of post-disaster recovery, specifically focusing on decision-making in economics and finances. By comprehending their experiences and decisions, the study sought to shed light on how families can rebuild their lives, particularly in terms of achieving economic and financial stability. Narrative analysis was employed in this study, as it allowed for an exploration of the experiences and decision-making of natural disaster survivors in a subjective and unrestrictive manner. This analysis enabled the capturing of the narratives shared by Mr. FP and Mrs. VP, the main informants, and facilitated the interpretation of supporting documents. Consequently, the collected data yielded rich and in-depth insights, further strengthening the findings of this research. Keywords: resilient decision-making, natural disaster, family economy, recovery process, qualitative case study

Electrical resilience assessment of a building operating at low voltage

Resilience is becoming increasingly important in power systems, microgrids (MG) and buildings. It evaluates their performance against disruptive events. The approaches mainly correspond to high-impact, low-probability events such as natural disasters and intentional attacks affecting the electrical systems infrastructure. However, resilience can encompass medium and low-impact events such as minor civil structural accidents, light faults and supply disturbances. Some resilience assessment advances are in buildings at the low-voltage (LV) level. They include vulnerability to natural disasters, reliability of supply, and service quality. These works usually use approaches independent of each other, leaving a gap between their relationship and interpretation. Therefore, there is a need to consolidate a resilience assessment strategy to guide the analysis of vulnerabilities and strengths in the same direction. This paper proposes a comprehensive approach to evaluate electrical resilience for buildings. It compiles quantitative strategies for studying electrical resilience, focusing on LV systems. It proposes a methodology for integrating the electrical system infrastructure's vulnerability, the supply's continuity and the voltage service's quality. Implementing this approach in a university building equipped with smart metering demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed methodology for assessing electrical resilience. The results show a comprehensive resilience analysis and the possibility of extending the methodology to MG and LV distribution networks.

Briefing: The future of goods movement: envisioning net zero logistics

In recent years, we have seen stark disruptions to global freight and logistics systems, from the Covid-19 pandemic to geopolitical conflict, shipping lanes being blocked by sideways ships, and natural disasters causing devastation in communities across the globe. On top of these challenges, the industry is grappling with the global transition to net zero emissions. It is clear that a fundamental shift in freight and goods movement is underway. What is not clear is what this will look like in practice. How can we, as engineers, make the infrastructure changes necessary to support this net zero transformation?

The combination mode of forest and SVM for power network disaster response failure identification

The damage to power transmission and distribution equipment in different regions is inseparable from the erosion of natural and artificial disasters, affecting the power grid's regular power supply and users' typical power consumption. Therefore, research on failure risk prediction technology for power transmission and distribution equipment under different disasters has increasingly become critical to power grid reliability. Based on the combination mode of forest and Support Vector Machine (SVM), this study proposes a disaster response failure prediction model that considers the time cumulative effect of disaster elements. Based on this model, the failure degree indicators of different disaster elements are constructed by analyzing the relationship between disaster frequency and time. Then, the historical disaster data is used to calculate the index and form a training set with the monitoring data. The binary decision graph transformation method is combined with the adjacent node priority method to obtain the minimum cut set, and the SVM regression method is used to train to get the prediction model. The experimental results show that the effectiveness and accuracy of the proposed method are verified through the analysis of numerical examples and comparison of various techniques. The model's accuracy is 8.63 % higher than that of the traditional disaster prediction model, and the error rate of disaster failure prediction analysis is not more than 0.01.

Research on carbon dioxide capture materials used for carbon dioxide capture, utilization, and storage technology: a review.

In recent years, climate change has increasingly become one of the major challenges facing mankind today, seriously threatening the survival and sustainable development of mankind. Dramatically increasing carbon dioxide concentrations are thought to cause a severe greenhouse effect, leading to severe and sustained global warming, associated climate instability and unwelcome natural disasters, melting glaciers and extreme weather patterns. The treatment of flue gas from thermal power plants uses carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technology, one of the most promising current methods to accomplish significant CO2 emission reduction. In order to implement the technological and financial system of CO2 capture, which is the key technology of CCUS technology and accounts for 70-80% of the overall cost of CCUS technology, it is crucial to create more effective adsorbents. Nowadays, with the development and application of various carbon dioxide capture materials, it is necessary to review and summarize carbon dioxide capture materials in time. In this paper, the main technologies of CO2 capture are reviewed, with emphasis on the latest research status of CO2 capture materials, such as amines, zeolites, alkali metals, as well as emerging MOFs and carbon nanomaterials. More and more research on CO2 capture materials has used a variety of improved methods, which have achieved high CO2 capture performance. For example, doping of layered double hydroxides (LDH) with metal atoms significantly increases the active site on the surface of the material, which has a significant impact on improving the CO2 capture capacity and performance stability of LDH. Although many carbon capture materials have been developed, high cost and low technology scale remain major obstacles to CO2 capture. Future research should focus on designing low-cost, high-availability carbon capture materials.

Criteria for Deployment of the United States National Guard to Domestic Sudden-Onset Natural Disasters: A Scoping Review.

This study is a scoping review to identify literature pertinent to the question: "What are the criteria for deployment of the United States National Guard (USNG) to domestic sudden-onset natural disasters (SODs)?" As this question relies on factors across many disciplines-legal, medical, technical, cultural-and as there is no foundational body of academic literature or unified governmental or USNG policy addressing this question, a scoping review was designed to identify the body of literature on which further research and policy decisions surrounding this question may be based. On January 23, 2023 a modified PRISMA-ScR search was performed using an online search engine of the following databases: Academic Search Premier, Google Scholar, JSTOR, PubMed, Web of Science, and WorldCat. The inclusion criteria included the involvement of the USNG response to U.S. domestic SOD. Non-SOD results were excluded. Results from all years and of any type of literature were considered and were limited to the English language. First, titles and abstracts were screened by 2 independent reviewers. Then, a full-text review was performed by 2 independent reviewers. Finally, data were extracted from included texts by 2 independent reviewers. A third reviewer resolved any discrepancies at each stage. This study did not require approval of an institutional review board. Out of the 886 results identified by the original search, after the complete review process, 34 sources were relevant to the research question. Fifteen criteria for the deployment of the USNG to SODs were identified. Overwhelmed local responders, utility failure, the need for the provision of security, and the need for logistical coordination were the most commonly identified criteria. Hurricanes were the most common SOD addressed in the included literature, and most results were event reports. This modified PRISMA-ScR identified a foundation on which elected officials, USNG leadership, and the larger disaster response community may develop policies and disaster response plans to optimize available resources through the activation of the USNG when responding to SODs.