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Date:         Wed, 14 Oct 1992 11:25:27 -0600
From:         HAZARDS@COLORADO.BITNET
Subject:      Disaster Research - 101

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Here's the latest from DISASTER RESEARCH  October 14, 1992

**** International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction ****

                DISASTER RESEARCH 101
                 TABLE OF CONTENTS:

1)  An IDNDR Video
2)  Update: Current Research on Hurricane Andrew
3)  A Note from a New Subscriber
4)  And from Another New Subscriber
5)  International Working Group on Earthquake-Related Casualties Formed
6)  EENET to Look at Earthquakes and Buildings
7)  FCC Examines Possible EBS Changes
8)  Another Recently Funded Research Project
9)  Some New Publications from the Hazards Center
10) Cranfield Announces 1993 Training Program
11) Meetings

1)----------
                            An IDNDR Video

In honor of IDNDR Day, we would like to make everyone aware of an excellent,
(relatively) new video available from the U.N. on the Decade. "Up Against
Nature" (27 minutes; available in VHS/PAL/SECAM, 3/4" or 1/2"; English,
Spanish, French, and Arabic), filmed on location in Colombia, Bangladesh,
Japan, and New York, portrays existing, successful national, regional, and
local disaster mitigation programs. The video should be particularly
appropriate for presentation to groups and jurisdictions considering launching
a Decade initiative, since it clearly demonstrates that such efforts *can*
make a difference. To determine cost and/or place an order contact the Audio
Visual Promotion and Distribution Unit, Dissemination Division, Department of
Public Information, United Nations, New York, NY 10017, (212) 963-6939; fax:
(212) 963-6869.

2)----------

                 Update: Current Research on Hurricane Andrew

Here is a brief supplement to the list of Hurricane Andrew research that
appeared in DR #99.

"The Psychiatric and Psychosocial Impacts of Hurricane Andrew on Children and
their Parents," Russell T. Jones, Department of Psychology, Virginia
Polytechnic Institute and State University, 5088 Derring Hall, Blacksburg, VA
24061, (703) 231-3652.

"Search and Rescue Activities and Victim Behavior in the Wake of Hurricane
Andrew," Dennis Wenger, Hazard Reduction and Recovery Center, College of
Architecture, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-3137, (409) 845-
7813; fax: (409) 845-4491.

"The Implementation of the Federal Response Plan," David M. Neal, University
of North Texas, Emergency Administration and Planning, P.O. Box 13438, Denton,
TX 76203, (817) 565-4267; fax: (817) 565-4663.

"Research Activities of the University of Miami Medical School," Bob Tomchik,
University of Miami School of Medicine, Department of Epidemiology and Public
Health, P.O. Box 016069 (R-669), Miami, FL 33101, (305) 547-5912.

"Assessment of Code Adequacy in South Florida," John Gambel and Clifford
Oliver, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Federal Insurance Administration,
500 C Street, S.W., Room 417, Washington, DC 20472, (202) 646-2724; fax: (202)
646-3445.

"Research Activities of the Florida International University," Walter Peacock,
Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Florida International University,
University Park Campus, Miami, FL 33199, (305) 348-2246.

"The Damages, Planned Responses, and Future Needs of Fisheries Impacted by
Hurricane Andrew," James R. McGoodwin, Department of Anthropology, University
of Colorado, Campus Box 233, Boulder, CO 80309-0233, (303) 492-6577.

"Storm Data Collection and Damage Assessment," Ahmad Namini, University of
Miami, College of Engineering, Department of Civil and Architectural
Engineering, Coral Gables, FL 33124, (305) 284-3391.

"Volunteer Activities at the University of Miami," Jorge Hernandez, University
of Miami, School of Architecture, Post Office Box 249178, Coral Gables, FL
33124-5010, (305) 284-5001; fax: (305) 284-2999.

"Help Seeking for Mental Health Problems and Interpersonal Responses to
Hurricanes Andrew and Iniki," David N. Sattler and Charles Kaiser, Department
of Psychology, College of Charleston, 66 George Street, Charleston, SC 29424,
(803) 792-6362; fax: (803) 792-5505.

"Effective Disaster and Emergency Management in Iberia Parish During Hurricane
Andrew," John Pine, Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering,
Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station, Baton Rouge, LA 70803-4505, (504)
388-1075; fax: (504) 388-3492.

"Social Resources Activated in Response to a Natural Disaster," Jack Beggs,
Jeanne Hulbert, and Scot Field, Sociology Department, Louisiana State
University, 126 Stubbs Hall, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, (504) 388-1645; fax: (504)
388-5102.

3)----------
                        A Note from a New Subscriber

I am interested in how planners go about identifying risks (hazards),
assessing the severity of risks, prioritizing them, and specific methods and
techniques that are used to compose contingency plans. It is the process I am
interested in, not so much the specific application area. (My research area is
software development risk management, but the processes used by planners
should be similar to those used in disaster planning.)

[Readers with any insights or suggestions are urged to contact the sender:]

--
Walter Lamia                Voice: 412-268-3443  Software Engineering Institute
Internet: wml@sei.cmu.edu     FAX: 412-268-5758  Carnegie Mellon University
Usenet: ...uunet!sei.cmu.edu!wml                 Pittsburgh, PA 15213-3890

4)----------
                      And from Another New Subscriber

Since January 1992 I have been studying interaction between insurance company
representatives and persons who lost property in the Oakland/Berkeley
firestorm of October 1991. My observations, so far, have been from the side of
the policyholders, though I hope later to be able to get the views of
insurance company personnel as well. Whether or not that works out, the
interaction has been fascinating and possibly unique: hundreds of
policyholders have organized into company-specific groups to demand
reformation and upgrading of their policies, revision of company settlement
procedures, etc. They have been notably successful, the California Department
of Insurance (CDI) estimating that, to date, the companies have paid out $151
million that would not have been paid out without such organization. CDI has
played an important role in this, also perhaps unique for this department in
this state. CDI's most recent action has been to bring an administrative
action against Allstate charging it and eight of its agents with a variety of
violations of the insurance code.

I have not begun to write any of this stuff up. I should like to learn [who
else] is interested in this sort of material. . . .

It might help communication to say who I am: I retired in October 1991 but I
keep an office on campus (Law & Society Center, University of California,
Berkeley 94720 (Phone:510/642-4038 FAX:510/642-2951)). I am a sociologist but
my appointments were, sequentially, to the Law and Society Center, the School
of Criminology and the School of Law. My interests run to large scale
organizations and social control in a variety of contexts. My work on
insurance is a function of sheer curiosity and what appears to me to be an
absence of sociological work on the subject.

Sheldon L. Messinger
JEBSLM@UCBCMSA.BITNET

5)----------

   International Working Group on Earthquake-Related Casualties Formed
           [Adapted from the September 1992 EERI Newsletter]

In July of this year, the First International Forum on Earthquake-Related
Caualties was held in Madrid in conjunction with the 10th World Conference on
Earthquake Engineering. The meeting resulted in the formation of an
International Working Group, under the umbrella of the IDNDR, to promote the
interdisciplinary study of natural disaster casualties. The group will serve
as a resource to foster sharing of research results and provision of technical
advice to the international community. The first and primary role of the
working group will be the identificaiton of, and communication with, relevant
personnnel in individual countries or regions, to encourage, support, and
assist in the formation of national and regional working group on
earthquake-related casualties. A U.S. group has already been formed,
recently met in Washington, DC, and developed a charter.

Other goals for the International Working Group will be: publishing a summary
of the proposed activities of the group in the IDNDR "Stop Disasters"
newsletter; development of a compendium of research results and procedures;
and development of a chapter for a postearthquake investigations handbook
specifically addressing the gathering of data relevant to earthquake injuries.

A second International Forum on Natural Disaster-Related Casualties is
tentatively planned for early 1993. For more information, contact Eric K.
Noji, U.S. Centers for Disease Control, Mail Stop F28, 1600 Clifton Road, NE,
Atlanta, GA 30333, (404) 488-4682; fax: (404) 488-4308; e-mail:
exn1@CEHDEH1.EM.CDC.GOV

6)----------
                   EENET to Look at Earthquakes and Buildings

On December 2, 1992, FEMA's Emergency Education Network (EENET) will broadcast
a two-hour call-in program entitled "Earthquakes and Buildings." The program
will address how earthquakes affect buildings and how buildings can be
designed to protect occupants and minimize damage. The telecast will run from
2 p.m. to 4 p.m. eastern time. It will be broadcast nationwide via satellite
on ASC I (located at 128 degrees west), transponder 6, channel 11, at 3920 mhz
downlink frequency, and on Galaxy 6 (located at 99 degrees west), transponder
9. To obtain the videocast resource materials, contact Marilyn MacCabe,
FEMA-Earthquake Programs, 500 C Street, S.W., Washington, DC 20472, (202)
646-2812; (202) 646-3104. For EENET information and the location of a
reception site in your area, contact the Emergency Education Network, National
Emergency Training Center, Room K-009, Emmitsburg, MD, (301) 447-1068.

7)----------
                 FCC Examines Possible EBS Changes

Realizing that the Emergency Broadcast System (EBS), originally established
primarily to ensure national security during the cold war, is now
predominately used to alert listeners and viewers of imminent natural
disasters, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has proposed
establishing a new system that upgrades existing EBS equipment with modern
automated digital equipment. Further, the FCC has proposed that cable services
be included in the system, that methods for testing the system be changed,
that some of the EBS rules and regulations be amended, and that new equipment
standards be mandated. The commission is now seeking comments on these and a
number of related proposals: 1) renaming the EBS to reflect its modernization;
2) promoting the use of Public Service Announcements (PSAs) to heighten
awareness of EBS; 3) revitalizing state and local EBS plans to include amateur
radio participation; and 4) including wireless cable systems, direct broadcast
satellites, cellular communication, and other new technologies in the system.
The proposals of the FCC are not final, and the commission encourages
interested groups and individuals to submit additional proposals and comments,
including ways in which the benefits as well as costs of EBS changes could be
more accurately assessed. For more information, contact Helena Mitchell,
Federal Communications Commission, 1919 M Street, N.W., Washington, DC 20554,
(202) 632-3906; fax: (202) 632-1148.

8)----------
                Another Recently Funded Research Project

"Comparative Study of Cooperative Hazards Policies: Lessons for the United
States from Australia and New Zealand," National Science Foundation, $291,578,
24 months. For information on this project, contact the Principal
Investigator: Peter J. May, University of Washington, Seattle, WA  98195,
(206) 543-9842; e-mail: pmay@u.washington.edu.

9)----------
               Some New Publications from the Hazards Center

_Coastal Erosion: Has Retreat Sounded?_ by Rutherford H. Platt, H. Crane
Miller, Timothy Beatley, Jennifer Melville, and Brenda G. Mathenia. Monograph
#53, 1992, 210 pp., $10.00.

_Multiobjective Approaches to Floodplain Management: Proceedings of the 1992
Association of State Floodplain Managers Annual Conference_. Special
Publication #26, 1992, 340 pp., $10.00.

"Public Perception of Disaster Preparedness Presentations Using Disaster
Damage Images," by Rocky Lopes of the American Red Cross National Headquarters
Disaster Services Office. Working Paper #79, 1992, 34 pp., $4.50.

"Living in the Aftermath: Blaming Processes in the Loma Prieta Earthquake," by
Brenda Phillips of the Department of Sociology and Social Work, Texas Woman's
University, with Mindy Ephraim, University of North Texas. Working Paper #80,
1992, 20 pp., $4.50.

Please note that all publications sent beyond North America cost an additional
$1.00 each.

These publications can be ordered from the Publications Clerk, Natural Hazards
Research and Applications Information Center, IBS #6, Campus Box 482,
University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0482, (303) 492-6819; fax: (303)
492-2151; e-mail: hazards@vaxf.colorado.edu.

A complete list of Hazard Center publications is available from the same
address.

10)----------
               Cranfield Announces 1993 Training Program

The Cranfield Disaster Preparedness Centre in England has announced its sixth
annual counter-disaster training program to be held July 13-19, 1993. This
course is designed for senior and middle management in government, public
services, armed forces, and nongovernmental organizations who are responsible
for disaster planning and response. For details, contact the Director,
Cranfield Disaster Preparedness Centre, RMCS (Cranfield), Shrivenham, Swindon
SN6 8LA, U.K.; tel: 0793 785287 or 785313; fax: 0793 782179 or 783878; telex:
9312111378 HM G Ref WJJ110.

11)----------
                               Meetings

[These are the most recent conferences of which we have become aware. Other
announcements appear in most previous issues of Disaster Research.]

Taking Care of Business: San Francisco Bay Area Business, Government, and Red
Cross Disaster Conference. San Francisco, California: November 3, 1992.
Contact: American Red Cross Bay Area, Golden Gate Disaster Services, 1550
Sutter Street, San Francisco, CA 94109, (415) 202-0626.

1992 Association of State Floodplain Managers Arid West Flood Conference. Las
Vegas, Nevada: December 2-4, 1992. Contact: Leslie A. Bond, Director, Arid
West Conference 1992, 10601 East Calle Serenidad, Hereford, AZ 85615, (602)
366-5255.

American Geophsyical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting. San Francisco, California:
December 7-11, 1992. Includes a special session on hurricanes Andrew and Iniki
and Typhoon Omar. Session conveners: Dean Churchill and Chris Harrison,
Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, 4600
Rickenbacker Causeway, Miami, FL 33149, (305) 361-4610; fax: (305) 361-4632.

Disaster '93 - The International Disaster Management Conference. Sponsors:
Florida Emergency Medicine Foundation and Florida College of Emergency
Physicians. Orlando, Florida: February 25-28, 1993. Contact the Registrar,
Florida Emergency Medicine Foundation, 3717 South Conway Road, Orlando, FL
32812-7607, (800) 766-6335, (407) 281-7396; fax: (407) 281-4407.

Society for Applied Anthropology 1993 Annual Meeting. San Antonio, Texas:
March 10-14, 1993. Includes sessions on disasters. Contact Tony Oliver-Smith,
Department of Anthropology, 1350  Turlington Hall, University of Florida,
Gainesville, FL 32611-2036, (904) 392- 2290; fax: (904) 392-6929.

Watershed '93: A National Conference on Watershed Management. Sponsors: U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers and numerous other federal agencies. Alexandria,
Virginia: March 21-24, 1993. Contact: Jennifer Paugh, Terrene Institute,
1000 Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20036, (202) 833-8317; fax:
(202) 466-8554.

11th Annual EMS Today Conference and Exposition. Sponsor: Jems Communications.
Phoenix, Arizona: March 24-27, 1993. Contact: The Conference Corporation, P.O.
Box 2400, Carlsbad, CA 92018-2400, (619) 431-8088.

Seismological Society of America (SSA) 1993 Annual Meeting. Ixtapa-
Zihuatanejo, Mexico: April 14-16, 1993. A call for papers has been issued.
Contact the Program Chair, SSA Headquarters, 201 Plaza Professional Building,
El Cerrito, CA 94530, (510) 525-5474.

Development Approaches to Disaster. Sponsor: Disaster Research Unit,
University of Manitoba. Winnipeg, Manitoba: June 27-29, 1993. Contact Ben
Rempel, Conference Secretary, Disaster Research Unit, Isbister Building 229,
University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba R3T 2N2, Canada, (204) 474-8391;
fax: (204) 275-5781; telex: 07-587721; e-mail: brempel@ccm.umanitoba.ca.

Eighth Latin American Seminar on Earthquake Engineering. Merida, Venezuela;
July 5-9, 1993. Abstracts due December 15. Contact: Eighth Latin American
Seminar on Earthquake Engineering, CEAPRIS, Apartado Postal 110, Merida 5101,
Edo. Merida, Venezuela.

Fire-Rescue International. Sponsor: International Association of Fire Chiefs
(IAFC). Dallas, Texas: August 28-September 1, 1993. Contact: IAFC Conference
Department, 4025 Fair Ridge Drive, Fairfax, VA 22033-2868, (703) 273-0911;
fax: (703) 273-9363.

----------
DISASTER RESEARCH is a moderated bulletin for creators and users of hazards
research information. Queries, conversations, and contributions are
encouraged. Items received will be posted unless otherwise indicated. Send
messages to:

        David Butler
        Natural Hazards Research and Applications Information Center
        Institute of Behavioral Science #6
        Campus Box 482
        University of Colorado
        Boulder, Colorado  80309-0482
        USA

        Telephone: (303) 492-6818
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        (Do **NOT** send messages to: hazards-list@vaxf.colorado.edu)

Subscriptions, cancellations, and other distribution requests can be directed
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A bimonthly printed newsletter, the Natural Hazards Observer, is available
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subscribers within the U.S. Overseas subscriptions are $15.00.
----------