Threat Of Disasters Research Articles

Location problems of vertical evacuation structures for dam-failure floods: Considering shelter-in-place and horizontal evacuation

The increasing threat of unpredictable and no-notice disasters due to climate change, such as tsunamis, wildfires, and dam-failure floods, should call for more attention to disaster management. These disasters leave limited time for the affected population to respond. Hence, Shelter-In-Place (SIP) strategies have been suggested to complement large-scale evacuation, aiming to secure individuals within local communities immediately. In the problem context of dam-failure floods, the priority of SIP is to elevate the individuals above the flooded ground, and Vertical Evacuation Structures/Shelters (VESs) are designed to contain these SIP evacuees. However, a portion of the flood-affected population cannot be accommodated because of the limited capacities of VESs. Accordingly, these evacuees must evacuate outside the flooded area, known as Horizontal Evacuation (HE). This study formulates the VES location problem considering VE and HE: the established VESs will cover as many evacuees as possible and reduce the system evacuation time for HE. The VES locations and the HE evacuee assignment are interdependent, as reflected by factoring individual evacuation time. Therefore, this study develops a bi-level programming model to address the interdependence. Furthermore, a heuristic algorithm is proposed to analyze the evacuation time for evacuees at each node. The bi-level model is verified using the network of Tucheng District, New Taipei City, Taiwan, impacted by dam-failure floods. Results show that the total evacuation time can be reduced significantly after integrating HE into VES planning.

Determining factors affecting preparedness beliefs among Filipinos on Taal volcano eruption in Luzon, Philippines

Volcanic eruption is a known natural disaster threat in the Philippines, and lack of disaster preparedness may lead to immense property damages and human casualties. This study aimed to determine the relevant factors affecting Filipinos’ preparedness beliefs in the risk of the Taal volcano eruption by integrating the Protection Motivation Theory and the extended Theory of Planned Behavior. A total of 653 individuals living in nearby urban and rural areas around the Taal volcano answered the self-administered questionnaire with 61 questions (61 indicators and 11 latent variables). Using structural equation modeling (SEM), results showed that Perceived risk proximity, Media, and Hazard knowledge had substantial effects on Perceived severity and Perceived vulnerability. Perceived severity and Perceived vulnerability consequently have positive direct impact on Perceived behavioral control, Risk avoidance norms, and Attitude toward the behavior, which were found to have a direct significance to Intention to evacuate, Preparedness behaviors and Preparedness beliefs in the threat of Taal volcano eruption. The results will contribute to researchers and policymakers in developing disaster mitigation plans to minimize the effects of volcano-related disasters and build community resilience to natural disasters. Furthermore, the SEM constructs can be extended and modified to analyze the preparedness in other third world countries prone to natural disasters.

Evaluating Seasonal Wildfire Susceptibility and Wildfire Threats to Local Ecosystems in the Largest Forested Area of China

AbstractThe frequent occurrence of wildfires presents a serious threat to human livelihoods and local ecosystems. The use of machine learning (ML) methods to assess wildfire susceptibility can provide decision support for disaster prevention. However, most current ML‐based wildfire susceptibility assessments overly focus on spatially evaluating the disaster threat, while ignoring the potential threats of wildfires to local ecosystems. This situation makes it difficult to determine seasonal variations in wildfire susceptibility and limits the value of assessment results. We present a framework to assess wildfire susceptibility and wildfire threats seasonally to local ecosystems. The ecosystem service value (ESV) was used as a proxy for the economic value of an ecosystem, the random forest algorithm was used to evaluate wildfire susceptibility, and the Daxinganling region, the largest forested area in China, was selected as the study area, and the dynamic equivalent coefficient factor method was used to calculate the ESV of each cell. Our main findings were as follows: (a) wildfire susceptibility exhibited obvious disparities in terms of spatial distribution across the four seasons; (b) each ecosystem in the study area faced a different magnitude of wildfire disturbance; and (c) the expected ESV loss (USD 10.8 billion) due to wildfires was much higher than the region’s total GDP (USD 2 billion) in 2019. This study was repeatable, and all data required were obtained freely. The methodologies used can be applied directly to other regions. Our study will be of particular interest to developing counties where intensive wildfire monitoring is limited.

Modeling the Potential of Tsunami Hazard in Labuan Bajo Towards A Disaster-Resilient Tourism Area

In 2019, Labuan Bajo was designated a super-priority tourism destination, but this area is prone to earthquakes and tsunamis. The potential threats of disasters need to be considered when developing the tourism sector. Therefore, this study aims to determine the height and arrival time of tsunami waves based on a worst hypothetical scenario on the north coast of Labuan Bajo and its surroundings. The method used was numerical modelling with open source software TUNAMI F1, which calculated the wave propagation based on linear equations in spherical coordinates based on worst scenarios. The results showed that the Flores back-arc thrust earthquake caused a reasonably high tsunami with a fast arrival time at Labuan Bajo. The wave height of the tsunami around Labuan Bajo, Rinca, and Komodo Island is at least 3 m, but it reaches 8-9 m under certain conditions. Furthermore, its arrival time on the coast of Labuan Bajo is less than 2.5 minutes. This is much faster than those in Aceh (2004), Pangandaran (2006), and Palu (2018). Even though the early warning came 5 minutes after the earthquake, a high level of preparation and awareness is required to create a disaster-resilient tourist area in Labuan Bajo.

Encourage resource governance: Responding disaster threats behind environmentally friendly claims at the Tumpang Pitu gold mine

The Indonesian constitution has stated that natural resources must be utilized for the people’s benefit. But the people’s interests are often defeated by the elite. The long-term goal of this research is not to close the mining area and its activities, but to ensure that the exploration and exploitation process that has already started must prioritize ecological balance and disaster resilience. Using a qualitative method and a descriptive approach, this study analyzes the role of the government, corporation, and local communities in the framework of resources governance in order to strengthen the advocacy of civil society who are often marginalized in the existence of extractive industries. The results of the study show that the gold mining activity is contrary to the forestry law where the existing rules have been liberalized by selling state assets to private companies; the lack of added value for local communities such as limited job vacancies; the occurrence of environmental damage around the gold mining area where this area is actually a protected forest and a natural barrier from the threat of a tsunami disaster; and even though mining companies have claimed that their activities are environmentally friendly, in fact disasters are starting to appear.

The stress before the storm: Psychological correlates of hurricane-related evacuation stressors on mothers and children.

Natural disasters, such as hurricanes, can contribute to the development of posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), anxiety, and depression. Furthermore, mothers and children are especially vulnerable postdisasters. Despite the rise in the frequency of climate-related disasters and also the threat of disasters (e.g., storms that threaten but do not make landfall), little is known about how predisaster experiences are associated with mothers' and children's postdisaster psychological functioning. This study examined evacuation-related stressors as predictors of mothers' and youths' psychological functioning 3 months after Hurricane Irma. Mothers (N = 535; 33% ethnic/racial minorities) from South Florida counties most affected by Hurricane Irma completed an online survey that assessed evacuation-related stressors (both pre- and posthurricane), hurricane exposure (i.e., life threat, loss/disruption), and posthurricane social support and mental health symptomatology (i.e., PTSS, anxiety, depression). Mothers of children aged 7-17 years (n = 226) also reported on their child's psychological functioning. Using a risk and resilience model, evacuation stressors significantly predicted mothers' and youths' PTSS and symptoms of anxiety and depression, even after accounting for demographic factors, hurricane exposure, and availability of social support. Mothers of older children also reported significantly higher levels of PTSS, anxiety, and depression than mothers who only had young children (aged 6 or younger) at home. Evacuation experiences represent significant stressors that may put mothers and children at risk for PTSS and psychological distress. Resilience-building efforts should include efforts to better prepare families for prestorm evacuations, thereby reducing risk in mothers and youth and ultimately contributing to better psychosocial functioning. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

The Potential of Mocaf (Modified Cassava Flour) as Disaster Emergency Food

Based on data from the United Nations Agency for International Disaster Risk Reduction Strategy (UN-ISDR), Indonesia is designated as one of the countries most prone to disasters. The threat of disasters in the form of tsunamis, volcanoes, and also floods. Many needs are needed when a disaster occurs, one of which is food for disaster victims. With limited conditions, it is necessary to have food that is easily available and contains sufficient nutritional value and carbohydrates. These criteria can be obtained from processed flour from cassava, namely Mocaf flour (modified cassava flour) which can be processed into various forms of processed food. The purpose of this study was to determine the feasibility and nutritional content of Mocaf flour (modified cassava flour) as disaster emergency food. The methodology of study is a literature review with the keywords “Mocaf”, “Emergency food”, “Disaster Resilience” in several databases such as ProQuest, SAGE, Science Direct, Scopus, Springer link, and Google Scholar. The results of this study indicate that Mocaf flour (modified cassava flour) can be used as an emergency food as well as a source of carbohydrates when a disaster strikes. Mocaf flour (modified cassava flour) can be processed into various preparations such as snack bars, biscuits, and noodles which have high nutritional content, and are suitable as food ingredients during disaster emergencies.

Implementing Disaster Simulation for Undergraduate Nursing Students

Background: Natural disasters are disasters caused by events or a series of events caused by nature, including earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, floods, droughts, hurricanes, and landslides. Earthquakes are the biggest natural disaster threat in Indonesia because they can occur suddenly and can occur in densely populated areas, such as big cities. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of the use of the simulation method in increasing the knowledge of nursing students in disaster preparedness. Method: The respondents were 55 nursing students. This research uses quasi-experimental with a one-group pre-post-test design to measure the level of knowledge of respondents using a questionnaire about disaster emergencies (pre-test). Respondent given intervention with simulation learning method about emergency disaster. They were re-measured using the same questionnaire (post-test). Result: Statistical test results using the Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test showed that the value of p = 0.0001 was smaller than 0.05. It can be concluded that learning activities using the simulation method can increase students ' knowledge in disaster emergencies . Conclusion: The simulation learning method and disaster emergency skills training can improve students' understanding and skills in natural disaster preparedness.

Penguatan Ketangguhan Bencana Melalui Pendidikan Mitigasi Bencana Berbasis Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) dan Optimalisasi Peran Social Capital (SC) bagi Masyarakat Nagari KBKA Pesisir Selatan

Nagari Kampung Baru Korong nan Ampek (KBKA) Koto XI Tarusan District, Pesisir Selatan Regency has a high risk of natural disaster threats, namely earthquakes, tsunamis, landslides and floods. Meanwhile, Nagari KBKA is a potential village as one of the producers of Gambir in West Sumatra. The high threat of disaster risk and the impact of disasters on community activities, including economic activities, need serious attention. Many disaster mitigation education programs have been carried out, but have not touched on the empowerment of the KBKA natural local potential and the KBKA social system. This Community Service activity aims to strengthen community resilience to disasters by optimizing the existing natural resources and human resources in Nagari KBKA. This activity is carried out in 3 stages in the time span of July - November 2021 involving students, teachers, youth groups and housewives. The forms of activity consist of 1) Socialization on the potential, characteristics, symptoms and risks of disasters in coastal, hilly and mountainous areas and the importance of preparedness aspects, 2) Training to identify and utilize various social capital owned by the KBKA community, 3) Training to identify plants/vegetation potential in a disaster emergency period for preventing disasters, medicinal plants and alternative food), 4) Training to understand natural phenomena and changes in animal behavior before a disaster occurs, 5) Workshop on processing waste into ecoenzymes and 6) Planting Bungur Trees to reduce the risk of erosion in watersheds . The results of the activity show 1) an increase in the knowledge of students and teachers about natural phenomena, animal behavior, and potential disaster prevention plants, 2) an increase in the enthusiasm of the community for disaster preparedness, and 3) the acquisition of disaster prevention skills through waste processing into ecoenzymes.

The Prevention of the Sixth Mass Extinction: Socio-Legal Responses to Mitigate the Anthropogenic Crises in Asia and Beyond

AbstractThis Special Issue highlights the most recent socio-legal research related to the mitigation, if not the elimination, of the threat of anthropogenic disasters in Asia and beyond. The drafts of these papers were originally presented at the Presidential Session on “The Anthropocene and the Law in Asia” at the Fourth Asian Law and Society Association (ALSA) Conference held in the vibrant city of Osaka, Japan in December 2019. The timing of this particular session, the first of its kind to be held at an ALSA Conference, turned out to be somewhat prophetic, in that two anthropogenic catastrophes—the historic zoonotic pandemic and the cataclysmic wild bushfires—had just begun to strike in December in Wuhan, China and in New South Wales, Australia, respectively. The novel coronavirus pandemic would kill more than 1 million people in the following months, after infecting more than 40 million across the globe. The Australian wild bushfires killed and displaced more than 3 billion animals, becoming the worst wildfire ever recorded in the world. Since that last ALSA Conference in December 2019, multiple anthropogenic disasters have hit various regions in Asia and across the world. The papers in this Special Issue examine various impacts of anthropogenic disasters and propose innovative socio-legal strategies to mitigate them. Included are arguments for the proposal of new legal education curricula and innovative pedagogy on environmental law and the exploration of an international multidisciplinary teaching framework in reconsidering and reshaping human-centric legal education. Also proposed is the development of a robust Earth Jurisprudence based on the adoption of the Rights of Nature principles, while moving away from the Euro-American exploitive view of nature as commodified properties. Additionally proposed is the establishment of a land-based, topological jurisprudence that incorporates the nuanced narratives of indigenous voices in dealing with the threat of human-induced ecological and environmental disasters in the years ahead.

Reconstruction of disaster education: The role of indigenous disaster mitigation for learning in Indonesian elementary schools

Disaster risk reduction is the main focus of sustainable development. One form of disaster risk reduction is disaster mitigation based on indigenous knowledge. Indigenous Disaster Mitigation is a form of accumulated customary knowledge obtained from the activities and experiences of indigenous people in recognizing potential disaster threats. The purpose of this study is to find patterns of customary knowledge in disaster mitigation in Indonesia and forms of disaster learning in Indonesian elementary schools. This research uses a qualitative meta-analysis approach by analyzing articles from studies on indigenous disaster mitigation and the application of learning in elementary schools. The findings in the research are that there are three patterns or forms of disaster mitigation based on customary knowledge, namely belief, knowledge, and engineering technology, while the disaster learning process uses multiple learning methods that are integrated into each subject. The findings of this study recommend the MISSED LINK model in learning disaster mitigation in elementary schools.

Staring at the Abyss: a neurocognitive grounded agent-based model of collective-risk social dilemma under the threat of environmental disaster

Increasingly visible climate change consequences challenge carbon-based economies worldwide. While expert knowledge on climate change percolates through political initiatives and public awareness, its translation into large-scale policy actions appears limited. Climate change consequences unequally target regions, countries and social classes, a vital issue for social cooperation. When facing an imminent ecological collapse, in which conditions can self-interested agents gain environmental awareness and settle on a sustainable path of actions when their knowledge of the imminent collapse is bounded? This cooperation emerges from the interaction between individuals and the interaction of various cognitive processes within individuals. This article develops an agent-based model for this emergence of cooperation enriched with the Agent Zero neurocognitive grounded cognitive architecture. We investigate when agents endowed with deliberative, affective and social modules can settle on actions that safeguard their environment through numerical simulations. Our results show that cooperation on sustainable actions is the strongest when the system is at the edge of collapse. Policy measures that increase the environment’s resilience become internalized by the agents and undermine awareness of the ecological catastrophe. Depending on the cognitive channels activated, agent behaviors and reactions to specific interventions significantly vary. Our analysis suggests that taking different cognitive channels, deliberative, affective, social, and others into account, significantly impact results. The complexity of agent cognition deserves more attention to assess parameter sensitivity in social simulation models.

The Resilient Community: Strengthening People-Centered Disaster Risk Reduction in the Merapi Volcano Community, Java, Indonesia

Local communities generally play a crucial role during a disaster, so their involvement in pre-disaster capacity development may prove beneficial in the face of a disaster threat. Thus, People-Centered Disaster Risk Reduction (PCDRR) programs could enable communities living in disaster-prone areas to become more resilient. This study examines how relationships among individual attributes of the community (and their pre-event Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) context (risk knowledge, information access, and network and stakeholders) could give insight into how communities can be transformed to make them more resilient in the case of the Merapi Volcano community. Based on data collected through online survey platform by non-probability sampling, this study uses non-parametric goodness fit tests and parametric regression to assess the dependencies between various indicators and find the predictor variables. The findings indicate that the individual attributes of the Merapi Volcano community, as perceived through the pre-event DRR context has led to a better understanding of the function of people exposure to prepare more people-centered preparedness and disaster mitigation. However, since the sub-variables did not show any significance for being predictors, this implies that, even though there is a significant reliance between the pre-event DRR context and the individual attributes, the individual attribute could be regarded more as a modifier than a predictor.

Protection of the elderly in disaster situations in Indonesia

The territory of Indonesia is an area that is prone to disasters, both natural, non-natural and social disasters. Thus, the elderly in Indonesia live in a situation of threat of disaster. This study uses a secondary data research method with locus is focused on areas of Indonesia where disasters have occurred in the last five years from 2016 to 2020, namely; earthquake in Pidie Jaya, earthquake and tsunami in Lombok, earthquake and tsunami in Palu, social disaster in Mempawah-West Kalimantan, flash floods in Garut, and the Covid-19 disaster. The data collected was then analyzed using document analysis techniques.Our analysis result concluded that the absence of caregiver who specifically provide programmed assistance, makes the elderly feel lonely, stressed and traumatized. Social workers contribute to the handling of the elderly in disaster locations focused on psychosocial support, and advocacy of legislative policies.

Interrelated of food safety, food security and sustainable food production

Food security and food safety are key aspects of healthy and sustainable food production. However, threats of natural disasters and diseases are grave concerns that serious precautions need to be taken as the threats may be harmful to the agricultural industry. Currently, food insecurity has become a significant big challenge in food chain supply, and there is an urgency for the government to address the issue. The aim of this review paper was to understand the relationship of food safety, food security and sustainable food production to ensure a sustainable food system to maintain adequate nourishment for the growing world population. The collaboration between governments, academicians, producers, and consumers is fundamental to raising awareness about the importance of food security. Nutrition educators can help at the grassroots level to identify the problems and help to find possible solutions. Modern technology such as RFID tags and blockchain could offer possible solutions to improve food security and sustainability. This will ensure that food products become safer and consumers can have access to precise information before consuming the products. Multidisciplinary teams must create many initiatives to ensure sustainable food systems, food safety, and food security. Reprocessing food will be the best way to eliminate food loss and food waste to sustain the food supply chain.

PERCONTOHAN PAGAR PENGAMAN RUANG TERBUKA DI KELURAHAN KALIANYAR

Kalianyar settlement has the highest density in Indonesia. These conditions make this settlement vulnerable to fire hazards. The need for open space, the dense environmental conditions, as well as the possibility of fire hazards require residents to prepare for the disaster threat. Understanding and skills regarding the disaster mitigation development and maintenance of open space is necessary to maximize the use of space, to improve the quality of the environment, as well as the skills of citizens. Community action plan is very important to improve the environment quality. The aim of this program is to provide a safety fence based on community action plan. The method used in this program is assisting the development process. This program can optimize the use of space while improving the environment quality. Participants were neighborhood officers and residents at RT 02 RW 07. The result showed that the sense of belonging to the open space can be improved through the fence construction pilot project. The sense of belonging is shown by painting the safety fence independently by residents.

FIELD STUDIES OF TEMPERATURE DISTRIBUTION IN A STRAW BUILDING WALL

It is proven that human construction activities affect the environment negatively. The threat of global ecological disaster is one of the most important factors, appearing due to unbalanced human activities and insufficient use of natural resources. In Lithuania there are building materials (bricks, concrete, reinforced concrete and other materials) used for construction of buildings that require a lot of energy. Prices of energy grew up several times in recent years, so the prices of construction materials significantly increased. It is suggested to use more local building materials produced with low energy consumption. The usage of local, renewable raw building materials can reduce CO2 emissions, ambient air pollution. The use of straw bales as construction material has many advantages. Pressed straw can be used as a natural heat insulating material in the construction of buildings in Lithuania, as it does not contradict the essential requirements of the construction of buildings specified in the Law on Construction and other normative documents. The aim of this study is to evaluate the temperature distribution of the wall of a built building made of straw bales during the cold period of the year. Temperature data loggers with thermocouple sensors were used to record the outdoor air, indoor and wall temperatures. Measurements of the temperature of the wall frame of the building filled with straw showed that the temperature field of the wall is in a constant dynamic state. It was found that the temperature of the individual layers of the walls of the building filled with straw varies tendentiously depending on the outdoor air temperature.

The evaluation of Disaster Resilient Village Program to support National Security matters

Disaster Resilient Village is a village with capability to independently adapt and deal with disaster threat, and quickly recover from the adverse effect of disaster. This research employed Context, Input, Process, and Product (CIPP) evaluation model to evaluate the Disaster Resilient Village program in Tanjung Benoa Village. As the result, the Context aspect of the Disaster Resilient Village program in Tanjung Benoa Village is appropriate in accordance with the Regulation of the Head of the National Disaster Management Agency of the Republic of Indonesia Number 1 of 2012. On the Input aspect, Tanjung Benoa village has established a Disaster Risk Reduction Forum that consists of the local community representatives. On the Process aspect, the village has developed Disaster-Safe School and Communities that routinely conduct simulations on monthly basis and collaborate with the hospitality sector to develop evacuation sites in the event of a tsunami disaster. On Product aspect, namely community capacity building and community participation, the program resulted in the increasing trust among domestic and foreign tourists and the improvement of Tanjung Benoa people’s welfare. In conclusion, Disaster Resilient Village program in Tanjung Benoa Village has been going well.

Multinational enterprises and natural disasters: Challenges and opportunities for IB research.

The purpose of this paper is to encourage and to extend research on natural disasters and international business (IB). More specifically, we review the characteristics of natural disasters and the unique challenges they pose to the business environment and examine how they differ from other types of disasters/crises often researched in the IB literature. Next, we investigate the applicability and challenges of core IB theories to the study of natural disasters. By extending new internalization theory (NIT) to overcome challenges of bounded rationality and reliability, we identify effective strategies for managing the threat of natural disasters through establishing multi-sector partnerships and alternative supply chains. Integrating research on the characteristics of natural disasters and the insights from NIT, we propose natural disaster management strategies for multinational enterprises (MNEs) based on varying degrees of geographic scope of natural disasters and MNEs. This paper concludes with proposing new research opportunities for IB scholars in disaster preparedness, cross-organizational collaborations, and supply chain management.

УДОСКОНАЛЕННЯ ЗАКОНОДАВСТВА УКРАЇНИ ЩОДО ЗАХИСТУ АЕС ЯК ОБ'ЄКТІВ КРИТИЧНОЇ ІНФРАСТРУКТУРИ У ВІЙСЬКОВИЙ ЧАС

Peculiarities of the legal regime of protection of nuclear power plants as objects of critical infrastructure in emergency situations, state of emergency and while martial law are studied. The actual transformation of nuclear power plants captured by the Russian Federation into a military base contradicts the ideological issue and worldview of security and thus can be defined as nuclear terrorism. Any nuclear installations are not designed for operation in combat conditions, and their damage can lead to serious consequences connected with radiation contamination of the surrounding territories not only at the level of countries, but also at the level of continents. It is stipulated that until now the concept of nuclear terrorism was defined as the illegal handling, manufacture, acquisition, storage and use of nuclear or other radioactive materials by persons who do not have legal rights to the specified actions, with the intention of causing harm to human life and health, property or environment. However, for the first time in world practice, the subject of the crime of seizing, disabling and destroying nuclear facilities is the state. And as it turns out, the international community still lacks effective mechanisms to prevent such actions and punish such entities. Until recently, the IAEA and other international organizations were actually limited to "deep concern" and only the real threat of a nuclear disaster at the Zaporizhzhia NPP forced them to become somewhat more active, but drastic changes in their activities regarding the safety of the use of peaceful atoms are needed to protect the world from the global nuclear threat. This provoked incredible challenges and led to the need, in addition to the political solution of the mentioned issue, to review the existing Ukrainian and international legislation on ensuring nuclear and radiation safety. Based on the results of the research, the author's specification of the legislative definition of the concepts: "nuclear terrorism," "threat of nuclear terrorism," and "prevention of nuclear terrorism" were formulated. The necessity of introducing demilitarized zones around nuclear-dangerous objects and the development (on Ukraine's initiative) of the international Convention on ensuring the safety of their functioning in conditions of armed conflicts is substantiated in the paper. The research used the following methods: the general dialectical method, the method of scientific knowledge, the method of interpreting legal norms, the formal legal method, the comparative legal method, and the method of systemic analysis.