Post-disaster Studies Research Articles

Flood Debris Quantification and Comparison Based on the Removal and Disposal Operation: Postdisaster Study of Beaumont, Texas Following Hurricane Harvey

Accurate forecasts and estimates of disaster debris are critical for effective debris management planning. However, detailed postdisaster waste data to validate and improve debris predictions is often unavailable. In this study, a postdisaster waste dataset collected in Beaumont, Texas, following widespread flooding from Hurricane Harvey that included debris tonnages and coordinate locations of each debris removal in residential areas was investigated. The dataset was utilized to quantify the amount of debris produced, identify the factors that influenced debris generation in different areas of the city, and compare Beaumont debris tonnages to predictive models. The study found that the type of flooding (riverine versus urban) had the highest influence on debris generation. Riverine flooded areas generated twice the debris tonnage as urban flooded areas. Elevation appeared to influence debris generation when considered with the type of flooding. FEMA’s correlation for flooded personal property was within the same magnitude of debris quantities, while other methods significantly overpredicted debris quantities (up to one order of magnitude) due to their generality. However, they can be adapted for flood-generated debris. Urban flooding is an increasingly prevalent issue following a natural hazard and generates considerable amounts of debris, but is not addressed in current disaster management plans. Estimation methods that consider urban flooding should be developed.

Secondary traumatic stress and burnout in health care providers: A post-disaster study.

Secondary traumatic stress and burnout in health care providers: A post-disaster study.

Heritage and the COVID-19 pandemic: the meaning of visitation

The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted global mobility. ‘Lockdowns’ and travel bans have been used as control measures by international governments. Consequently, the ways that we use buildings have also been impacted by these actions. Thus, this paper explores the roles of heritage sites in a post-COVID-19 pandemic society. This research is part of the Urban Heritage and Community Resilience: Conservation, Tourism, and Pandemic project, and it employs methods such as semistructured interviews, participant observations, archival research, and focus group discussions (FGDs). This paper is based on semistructured interviews conducted with one hundred eighteen participants across ten popular heritage sites in Banda Aceh and Aceh Besar, Indonesia. The findings confirm the debated claim in postdisaster studies asserting that some of these Acehnese heritage sites, especially those imbued with religious values, have become places of resilience. Specifically, during the pandemic, these sites have facilitated community resilience by helping people feel closer to God. For practising Acehnese Muslims, prayer at home is culturally acceptable, but praying at the mosque, which is one of the essential heritages of the Acehnese, has contributed to and strengthened the sense of community resilience. Therefore, visitation and participation in heritage sites that include experiencing the sense of place and conducting religious and cultural activities is integral to community resilience.

Post-pandemic tourism strategies: A case of Himachal Pradesh.

Tourism has always been a vulnerable industry. Minimal disturbances can halt or even destroy tourism and its associated economy. There is no dearth of research on vulnerability and resilience of the tourism industry for various tourism destinations,, and on post-disaster studies, but mainly these were limited to a city or tourist destination and focused on the destination image recovery. The primary purpose of this study is to identify different tourism stages and the local community's issues and desires associated with each stage and to propose strategies that can be used during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The district-wise monthly domestic and foreign tourist arrival data from 2008 to 2018 for Himachal Pradesh (HP) were observed. The observations reveal that HP experiences overtourism, balanced tourism, and undertourism. Two hundred seven telephonic interviews were conducted with different stakeholders such as tourism department officers, urban planners, hotel owners and managers, environmentalists, and state residents. Research themes were identified based on the interview responses, and these themes were further validated using a review of newspaper reports and court and local administration order. This study identified nine broad problems and patterns associated with tourism and proposes 17 sustainable tourism strategies that the post-COVID-19 crisis can follow. The proposed strategies give special attention to confidence-building of tourist and residents, image building of the location, and increasing tourism number sustainably and tourism earning of the state. This study investigates problems and suggests sustainable strategies for a state in India for the first time and may be used for policy decision and regional sustainable tourism development plan.

Supplemental Material for Secondary Traumatic Stress and Burnout in Health Care Providers: A Post-Disaster Study

Supplemental Material for Secondary Traumatic Stress and Burnout in Health Care Providers: A Post-Disaster Study

Kajian Kebutuhan Pasca Bencana (Bidang Rehabilitasi Dan Rekonstruksi) Badan Penanggulangan Bencana Daerah (BPBD) Kabupaten Kutai Kartanegara (Kajian Di Desa Tuana Tuha Kenohan)

This research was conducted through a Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) which included assessing the consequences of disasters, disaster impacts, and post-disaster recovery needs. The research method used in this study is descriptive analysis with a quantitative approach, which aims to explain a phenomenon that uses numbers and describes the characteristics of the subject being studied or researched so as to get a picture of a certain event. Damage to infrastructure that occurred in the disaster located in Tuana Tuha Village, Kenohan District due to erosion caused physical losses to the land transportation sub-sector, water resources sub-sector, clean water and lighting sub-sector. Given the damage to roads and bridges that connect several sub-districts in the Sungai Belayan area in Kuti Kartanegara Regency, it has an impact on economic, educational, social, cultural and other aspects, from the results of this study, it is appropriate for the Government to pay attention and accommodate proposals in the form of funds. , procurement of materials or repairs, relocation areas and other relevant recommendations from the results of the post-disaster Needs study that occurred in the Keliran hamlet, Tuana Tuha Village, Kenohan sub-district which was affected by the disaster.

Emergency health in the aftermath of disasters: a post-Hurricane Matthew skin outbreak in rural Haiti

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyze the context of the emergence of a skin infection outbreak in the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew in Haiti and detail the role of community-based participatory research in mobilizing local action in a country with low state capacity.Design/methodology/approachWhile implementing a post-disaster study that combined a survey of 984 households and 69 community leaders with 23 focus groups, 60 ethnographic interviews and community mapping, a skin infection outbreak was detected. Using study results, the research team in partnership with different stakeholders responded to the outbreak with a health intervention.FindingsThe findings illustrate how pre-existing conditions shape local communities' vulnerability to health crises in the aftermath of disasters and the critical role research can play in informing the recovery processes. Community-based approaches to emergency health reinforced by multi-stakeholder partnerships with local government can strengthen post-disaster response and governance structures setting the groundwork for the development of local resilience.Research limitations/implicationsThe health intervention was implemented as a result of the study. Patients served were not derived from the study sample but were self-selected based on their need for skin-related medical treatment.Originality/valueThis article highlights the integral role research can play in identifying the health impacts of disaster events in vulnerable, hard-to-reach communities and strengthening government involvement in disaster governance.

Flood Waste Debris Quantification and Comparison Based on the Removal and Disposal Operation: A Post-Disaster Study of Beaumont, Texas Following Hurricane Harvey

Flood Waste Debris Quantification and Comparison Based on the Removal and Disposal Operation: A Post-Disaster Study of Beaumont, Texas Following Hurricane Harvey

Unmanned Aerial Systems-Aided Post-Flood Peak Discharge Estimation in Ephemeral Streams

The spatial and temporal scale of flash flood occurrence provides limited opportunities for observations and measurements using conventional monitoring networks, turning the focus to event-based, post-disaster studies. Post-flood surveys exploit field evidence to make indirect discharge estimations, aiming to improve our understanding of hydrological response dynamics under extreme meteorological forcing. However, discharge estimations are associated with demanding fieldwork aiming to record in small timeframes delicate data and data prone-to-be-lost and achieve the desired accuracy in measurements to minimize various uncertainties of the process. In this work, we explore the potential of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) technology, in combination with the Structure for Motion (SfM) and optical granulometry techniques in peak discharge estimations. We compare the results of the UAS-aided discharge estimations to estimates derived from differential Global Navigation Satellite System (d-GNSS) surveys and hydrologic modelling. The application in the catchment of the Soures torrent in Greece, after a catastrophic flood, shows that the UAS-aided method determined peak discharge with accuracy, providing very similar values compared to the ones estimated by the established traditional approach. The technique proved to be particularly effective, providing flexibility in terms of resources and timing, although there are certain limitations to its applicability, related mostly to the optical granulometry as well as the condition of the channel. The application highlighted important advantages and certain weaknesses of these emerging tools in indirect discharge estimations, which we discuss in detail.

Non-participation and attrition in a longitudinal study of civilians exposed to the January 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris, France

BackgroundNon-participation and attrition are rarely studied despite being important methodological issues when performing post-disaster studies. A longitudinal survey of civilians exposed to the January 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris, France, was conducted 6 (Wave 1) and 18 months (Wave 2) after the attacks. We described non-participation in Wave 1 and determined the factors associated with attrition in Wave 2.MethodsMultivariate logistic regression models were used to compare participants in both waves with those who participated in the first wave only. Analyses were performed taking the following factors into account: socio-demographic characteristics, exposure to terror, peri-traumatic reactions, psychological support, perceived social support, impact on work, social and family life, and mental health disorders. Characteristics of new participants in Wave 2 were compared with participants in both waves using a chi-square test.ResultsOf the 390 persons who were eligible to participate in the survey, 190 participated in Wave 1 (participation rate: 49%). The most frequently reported reason for non-participation was to avoid being reminded of the painful event (32%, n = 34/105). In Wave 2, 67 were lost to follow-up, 141 people participated, of whom 123 participated in Wave 1 (re-participation rate: 65%) and 18 were new. Attrition in Wave 2 was associated with socio-demographic characteristics (age, French origin) and location during the attacks, but not with terror exposure or mental health disorders. Compared with those who participated in both waves, new participants declared less social and psychological support since the attacks.ConclusionsAttrition at 6 months was not associated with exposure to terror or mental health disorders, which indicates that any bias in future analyses on IMPACTS on mental health outcomes will be limited. Our findings suggest the importance of adapting similar surveys for people of foreign origin and of improving strategies to avoid attrition of younger people, for example by using social media, peers, and the educational environment. The present study also revealed that a high level of exposure to terror and a lack of social and psychological support after a terrorist event could impede individuals’ participation in similar surveys in the short term.

Creating an Holistic Emergency Alert Management Platform

ABSTRACTExtreme natural events require effective emergency procedures to minimize adverse effects on a region’s population and economy. Such procedures typically involve the effort of several different teams of first responders (e.g., fire fighters, public administrations, police departments, utility companies), hence coordination is fundamental to the effectiveness of the response to the emergency that must be supported with adequate infrastructures. Nonetheless, first responders often rely on manual processes, in the life cycle of extreme events, which do not change consistently with the type of shock or affected population. The aim of this paper is to present a technology transfer process to improve both the emergency alert process and the knowledge of disaster-type safety procedures through the implementation of a proposed platform. We also highlight a pilot application on a post-disaster case study—the province of L’Aquila (Abruzzi) in Italy.

Post-disaster communalism: land use, ownership, and the shifting ‘publicness’ of urban space in recovery

ABSTRACT Disasters disrupt the functions and meanings of urban spaces, often prompting changes in their ownership, management, and use. This study examines two such disaster events: riverine flooding in Lexington, Kentucky, and Hurricane Katrina in coastal Mississippi. After each event, we observe the emergence of quasi-public spaces during long-term recovery, where residents generally perceive an increase in the ‘publicness’ of formerly exclusive spaces. This trend more closely mirrors public-private hybrid spaces discussed in urban geographic literature rather than strict privatisation as observed in most post-disaster studies. Terming this shift from private to greater public use post-disaster communalism, we employ data from open-ended surveys, photovoice, and resident interviews to describe the phenomenon. Using discourse analysis and grounded theory, we explore residents’ perceptions of access and belonging in these quasi-public urban spaces. Findings show how different policy instruments (public buyouts versus insurance rate changes) contribute to similar land uses and perceptions of access. Building upon previous human geography research, we discuss five broad mechanisms that collectively generate communalism in our study sites. Finally, we consider the competing implications of post-disaster communalism for promoting both ideals of public space and of community resilience to future disasters.

CFD simulation of the wind field around pyramidal roofed single-story buildings

For the structural safety to counter the wind load, the roof shape and the roof slope both the constraints play an important role. The present study demonstrates the pressure distribution on the pyramidal roofs of a pentagonal and hexagonal plan low-rise single-story building due to the wind load through CFD simulation. This type of roofed building may be considered as one of the cyclone shelters as it is shown by post-disaster studies that pyramidal roof is found better than other roof shapes to resist the wind load. The modeling of the building and the meshing of the models have been carried out in ANSYS ICEM CFD, while the simulation process has been performed in ANSYS Fluent. To obtain the results, ANSYS CFD-Post has been utilized. For the simulation of the turbulent wind flow, a realizable k–e turbulent model is used in the present study. In the current study, ten different building models (five with pentagonal plan and five with hexagonal plan) are generated having roof angles 20°, 25°, 30°, 35° and 40°, and all are simulated for 0°–45° wind direction @15° interval. The pressure coefficient contours for different wind directions for varying roof slopes are mapped in the present study. Results show that the hexagonal pyramidal roof surface building has low-pressure coefficients and better chances of survival than the pentagonal pyramidal roof surface building.

A post-disaster study of a women-led handicraft industry in rural Philippines

Purpose The tikog handicraft industry in Basey, province of Samar in the Philippines, was heavily devastated by super typhoon Haiyan in November 2013. More than five years after the disaster, very few studies have been published regarding the status of this industry. Thus, this paper aims to examine the roles of men and women farmers, weavers, converters and other chain actors of the Tikog Value Chain Industry in Basey and presents the status of the industry in terms of (a) operations, (b) performance and contribution to the economy, (c) capacity (materials, product and people), (d) market and (e) its current challenges in a post-disaster context. Design/methodology/approach For this case study, data were gathered through desk research and field works. The data were thematically analyzed using elements of a value chain analysis to provide insights and to help develop strategies to improve women’s contributions in developing the tikog handicraft industry. Findings Among the structures in the industry are associations comprising of formal and informal groups of tikog farmers, weavers, converters and traders. About 2,000 families in Basey are engaged in the tikog industry. This generates an estimated additional family income from PHP 4,200.00 (USD84.00) – PHP 18,000.00 (USD360.00)/year. Supply of raw materials is not only hampered by the depleting natural resources but also by the availability of drying facilities. Weavers continue to buy from Leyte suppliers due to challenges in drying tikog grasses. The author strongly argues that there is a need to increase capacity building opportunities for those involved in tikog to avoid stunted growth of the industry. Originality/value Aside from being a survivor himself, the author directly worked with the men, women and communities involved in this study. This highlights the ability of this research to realistically reflect the current knowledge, practices and attitudes of actors involved in the tikog handicraft industry in Basey, Philippines.

‘Come Back at Us’: Reflections on Researcher-Community Partnerships during a Post-Oil Spill Gulf Coast Resilience Study

This paper presents findings from eight post-hoc interviews with individuals representing the key community partner organizations that facilitated and hosted data collection for an in-person mixed-methods survey about disaster resilience and preparedness in three communities on the Gulf Coast (U.S.) impacted by the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and numerous disasters from natural hazards. We submit our analysis of these follow-up interviews with community partners as a case study to provide a set of recommendations for future community-engaged research practices, particularly in the field of environmental and disaster resilience. Input from community partners stressed the importance of engaging with local community brokers to enhance trust in research; researcher-partner communication; and researcher interaction with community residents that respects local knowledge and culture. The partners indicated that even communities that have often been the subjects of post-disaster studies are receptive to research participation, especially when the effects of disasters are long-term and ongoing. Recommendations include using research methodologies that are congruent with post-disaster community characteristics such as educational attainment; collaborating with community partners to disseminate research findings; and incorporating theories and practices that center critical reflection and consider power dynamics when working with communities that have experienced disaster and trauma.

Postdisaster Politics: New Lessons from New Orleans

How do disasters affect voting? A series of postdisaster studies have sought to answer this question using a retrospective framework through which voters deviate from normal patterns of political support (measured by votes or attitudes) to punish or reward officials for their performance, or lack thereof. Here, we argue that the political effects of disasters can last longer than and be qualitatively different from reactions to the original disaster because postdisaster recoveries generate their own issues, to which voters may respond prospectively, and retrospectively. Local communities affected by disasters are likely sites for this effect because their citizens experience the consequences of a disaster more directly and for longer periods than do national audiences. The case of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina demonstrates this point. Where most studies of postdisaster politics use partisanship as the baseline against which to measure change, we use race because that has been the overriding division in New Orleans. We show that local political effects of Katrina were much more complex and longer lasting than have been found in prior research based on the retrospective model. In the years following the storm, voters changed the pattern of race-based voting for mayoral candidates, approved major governmental reforms, and responded to prospective issues in their evaluation of the incumbent mayor.

Seismic resistance of traditional timber-frame hımış structures in Turkey: a brief overview

Hımış structures have hardly ever found as extensive a role as other traditional timber housing, such as those originating from Japan or Central Europe, within the wide discourse on the seismic performance of timber-frame architecture that has gained significant momentum in the last few decades owing to advancing testing technologies. While the hımış construction technique was perhaps not born as a result of a conscious search for a seismically resistant building form, it was soon widely appreciated for its structural features advantageous under seismic loading - especially from the sixteenth century when it has become a well-established construction technique in part of the Balkans and in today’s Turkey. Despite widely available anecdotal information based on post-disaster studies regarding its performance under earthquakes, robust quantitative data on the seismic behaviour of these structures were practically non-existent until quite recently, and are still somewhat limited. However, we are now able to confirm that hımış constructions do have intrinsic qualities that are very beneficial under seismic action. This paper aims to make a brief review of the current state of our knowledge on structural performance of hımış buildings under earthquake loading, with specific emphasis on infill/cladding techniques, connection details and energy dissipation characteristics.

Prevalence and risk factors of complicated grief among Sichuan earthquake survivors

BackgroundDisasters usually involves massive casualties, yet few post-disaster studies explore the prevalence of complicated grief (CG) among survivors. Complicated grief is a distinct psychological disorder, and is associated with impaired physical and psychological functions. Given such gap in the literature and the significance of this topic, this study is hoped to offer more information of complicated grief among survivors who lost their loved ones in disaster. Adopting a large scale survey, the prevalence and risk factors of CG among bereaved survivors one year after the Sichuan earthquake in China were explored. MethodsIn total 803 bereaved survivors participated the study by filling a questionnaire on measuring CG symptoms, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, intrapersonal factors, earthquake related factors, bereavement related factors, and an interpersonal factor. ResultsThere were 71.1% of the participants scored higher than the cutoff point of CG symptoms. Close relationship with the deceased, PTSD symptoms, losing means of livelihood, physical injury, and terrifying experience in the earthquake, were identified to be risk factors for CG. LimitationsThe study was cross-sectional and the data was collected through a self-reported questionnaire. The sample was recruited from one of the most severely affected counties, thus the generalizability of the results should be interpreted with caution. ConclusionsA large portion of bereaved earthquake survivors suffered from CG symptoms one year after the disaster. Risk factors found in this study can be used to identify high risk groups, who need special care, support, and bereavement interventions.

Engineering Risk and Disaster: Disaster-STS and the American History of Technology

For a long time the historiographies of engineering and technology focused on technological intensification and progress across society, the economy, and government. Little specific attention was reserved in these narratives for risk, disaster, failure, and blame. However, more recently a vibrant, interdisciplinary synthesis of science and technology-focused disaster research has emerged in the form of a definable Disaster-STS, a subfield with close connections to engineering studies. This revisionist project inserts the contingencies of risk and the prevalence of disaster into the more traditional episodes of modern American technology history, such as urban industrialization and systems development, the rise of technical professions, postwar nuclear and other high-risk systems, and the history of postwar metropolitan growth. By expanding our view to include risk and disaster we explain the emergence of key engineering tools such as risk and cost–benefit analysis – and we chart the rise and elaboration of previously obscured technical artifacts like standards, codes, and techniques of risk management fostered by engineers working in risky environments. We come to a fuller understanding of failure as a “designed in” aspect of systems building. We note the push and pull of societal expectations of technological safety. Disasters have also created unique spaces of technical inquiry – post-disaster studies, investigations, and hearings–which have also strongly influenced codes of ethics, liability calculations, engineering education, and professionalization more generally.

Combining neural network with fuzzy, certainty factor and likelihood ratio concepts for spatial prediction of landslides

The landslide studies can be categorized as pre- and postdisaster studies. The predisaster studies include spatial prediction of potential landslide zones known as landslide susceptibility zonation (LSZ) mapping to identify the areas/locales susceptible to landslide hazard. The LSZ maps provide an assessment of the safety of existing habitations and infrastructural/functional elements and help plan further developmental activities in the hilly regions. Landslides are one of the natural geohazards that affect at least 15% of land area of India. Different types of landslides occur frequently in geodynamical active domains of the Himalayas. In India, various techniques have been developed and adopted for LSZ mapping of different regions. However, the technique for LSZ mapping is not yet standardized. The present research is an attempt in this direction only. In our earlier work (Kanungo et al. 2006), a detailed study on conventional, artificial neural network (ANN)- black box-, fuzzy set-based and combined neural and fuzzy weighting techniques for LSZ mapping in Darjeeling Himalayas has been documented. In this paper, other techniques such as combined neural and certainty factor concept along with combined neural and likelihood ratio techniques have been assessed in comparison with combined neural and fuzzy technique for the preparation of LSZ maps of the same study area in parts of Darjeeling Himalayas. It is observed from the present study that the LSZ map produced using combined neural and fuzzy approach appears to be the most accurate one as in this case only 2.3% of the total area is found to be categorized as very high susceptibility zone and contains 30.1% of the existing landslide area. This approach can serve as one of the key objective approaches for spatial prediction of landslide hazards in hilly terrain.