Integrated Disaster Risk
Management Society

IDRiM Newsletter
Issue 1, January 2011

Contents
1. IDRiM News ........................................................................ 2
2. Conference Announcements ............................................... 4
3. Call for Papers..................................................................... 8
4. Internet List.......................................................................... 9
5. Scientific Job Announcements .......................................... 10
6. Journals ............................................................................. 11
7. New Books ........................................................................ 20
8. Ongoing Field Work........................................................... 28
9. Miscellaneous.................................................................... 30

Page 1

1. IDRiM NewsIDRIM 2010 successfully held in Vienna.
By Kazuyoshi NAKANO
The 1st Annual Conference of the International Society for Integrated Disaster Risk
Management ( IDRiM 2010) was successfully held during 1-4 September 2010 at the
University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences (BOKU), in Vienna, Austria.

Photo: Participants to the 1st IDRiM Conference at BOKU, Vienna, Austria, during the closing ceremony on 3
October 2010.

This memorable occasion was the 1st meeting of the IDRiM Society after it was officiallylaunched at the 9th IIASA-DPRI Forum on Integrated Disaster Risk Management(IDRiM Forum) in Kyoto, last year. The IDRiM Society was established based on aseries of annual meetings on integrated disaster risk management organized since2001 by the Disaster Prevention Research Institute (DPRI) of Kyoto University, and theInternational Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA). The conference waslaunched with remarks from Professor Martin Gerzabek, Rector of BOKU, andProfessor Norio Okada, Director of DPRI, as well as Professor Hans Peter Nachtnebel,
the local organizer from BOKU.

Page 2

Photo: Professor Norio Okada, Director of DPRI, and newly elected President of the IDRiM Society.

The aims of the conference were sharing experiences and knowledge for Integrated
Disaster Risk Management (IDRiM) under different socio-economic and culturalcontexts. In total, more than 80 participants were gathered for the occasion and morethan 50 speakers with different backgrounds and nationalities including Japan, Nepal,
India, China, Colombia, Venezuela, Europe, United States, etc.,- shared their researchfindings in the field of IDRiM.
The first day included plenary sessions related to risk assessment of and adaptation tovarious types of hazards including earthquakes and tsunamis, floods and droughts, andlandslides. The second day began with a special session regarding NATECHs, which
deals with risk of joint natural and technological disasters. Especially criticalinfrastructures like power plants were focused on in the European and African context.
It was followed by a session where information and early warning systems wereintensively discussed. The third day included a special session about the DRH (Disaster
Reduction Hyperbase) project, which develops a database for implementable
technologies for disaster reduction. The outline and current situation as well as futurechallenges were discussed. A series of sessions followed where recent researchoutcomes on economic impact assessment and financial tools for disaster reduction
were presented.
The General Assembly meeting of the IDRiM Society was held on 2 October during theconference. The Board of Directors and the President of the IDRiM Society were
elected during the General Assembly. Professor Norio Okada, DPRI, Kyoto University,
was elected as the first president of the Society.

IDRiM Journal gets ISSN number
The IDRiM Journal is now officially registered with the ISSN Center throughtheir regional ISSN office in Japan.
ISSN number for the IDRiM Journal is: ISSN 2185-8322. Journal type: On
Line (Web). Title: International Journal for Integrated Disaster Risk
Management. Publisher: IDRiM. Date: March, 2011
Page 3

2. Conference Announcements•

March 22-25, 2011
Environment Asia International Conference
The 1st Environment Asia International Conference on “Environmental
Supporting in Food and Energy Security: Crisis and Opportunity” is being
conducted by the Thai Society of Higher Education Institutes on Environment(TSHE). The Conference aims to address the crisis and challenges we face, andseize the opportunity in emerging areas of energy, environment, and foodsecurity to achieve sustainable development. The 1st Environment Asia
International Conference shall provide a forum for academicians, technologists,
researchers, students, entrepreneurs, and policy makers worldwide to exchange
ideas and emerging technologies in the fields of food, energy, and theenvironment. The Conference will attempt to evolve an agenda for environmental
policies, and the identification of green technologies and their subsequent
implementation for sustainable development. The Conference will take amultidisciplinary approach across various fields and perspectives through which
the fundamental questions of sustainability can be addressed.
Website:http://www.tshe.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5&
Itemid=26•

May 11-13, 2011
Disaster Management 2011: (including call for papers)
The second International Conference on Disaster Management has beenreconvened following the success of the first meeting held at the Wessex
Institute of Technology in the New Forest. Conference topics include: Emergency
preparedness, Risk mitigation, Natural disasters Man-made disasters, Learningfrom disasters, Disaster analysis, Monitoring and mitigation, Global risks andhealth, Pandemic and biological threats, Surveillance and early warning systems,
Public health preparedness, Socio-economic issues, Service sustainability.
Website: http://www.wessex.ac.uk/11-conferences/disastermanagement2011.html•

May 18-20, 2011
International Conference on Geotechnical Engineering for Disaster Mitigation andRehabilitation: (including call for papers)
The objectives of the JWG-DMR are to: (1) share information relevant togeotechnical engineers on issues pertaining to the mitigation of natural disasters
Page 4(e.g., tsunamis, earthquakes, landslides) and (2) pool our expertise together toprovide technical support on reconstruction and rehabilitation works pertaining togeotechnical engineering. The basic functions of this JWG-DMR are to plan andcoordinate activities that serve our common objectives and to make better use of
our resources through coordinating and sharing. By joining forces, we will also
have better representation when we deal with governments or otherorganizations.
Website: http://reliability.geoengineer.org/GEDMAR2011/•

June 19-22, 2011
World Conference on Disaster Management
The World Conference on Disaster Management (WCDM) is the premier annual
event that addresses issues common to all aspects of disaster/emergency
management. The conference program includes speakers from many parts of theworld and provides excellent opportunities for training and networking withexperts and practitioners in Emergency Management, Business Continuity,
Emergency Communications, Emergency Response, Disaster Management
Research, Risk Management, Security, IT, HR, Environmental, Community
Planning and the organizations which supply and service these professions. This
year we will take an in-depth look at how our professions have evolved over the
past twenty years, the lessons we have (or not) learned as well as looking into
future trends and threats to the safety and well-being of our communities.
Website: http://www.wcdm.org/Toronto/call-for-papers.html•

July 4-6, 2011
International Conference on Safety and Security Engineering (including call for
papers)
The success of the first three International Conferences on Safety and Security
Engineering held in Rome in 2005, Malta in 2007 and Rome in 2009, has
prompted the organisers to reconvene the meeting in 2011. The purpose of theconference is to provide a forum for the presentation and discussion of the mostrecent academic and industrial developments in the theoretical and practicalaspects of safety and security engineering. Safety and security engineering, due
to its special nature, is an interdisciplinary area of research and applications thatbrings together in a systematic view many disciplines of science and engineering,from the traditional to the most technologically advanced. The conference covers
areas such as crisis management, security engineering, natural disasters andemergencies, terrorism, IT security, man-made hazards, risk management,
control, protection and mitigation issues, and many others.
Website: http://www.wessex.ac.uk/11-conferences/safe-2011.html

Page 5

•July 9-12, 2011
36th Annual Natural Hazards Research and Applications Workshop
The Annual Natural Hazards Research and Applications Workshop is designed
to bring hazards researchers and practitioners from many disciplines together for
face-to-face discussions on issues and trends that affect how society deals withhazards and disasters. It provides a dynamic and challenging forum for thediverse opinions and perspectives of the hazards community. The International
Research Committee on Disasters (IRCD) Researchers Meeting and a Natural
Hazard Mitigation Association add-on meeting will immediately follow the mainWorkshop from Tuesday, July 12 through Wednesday, July 13. The Annual
Workshop and meeting will be held in Broomfield, Colorado, USA.
Website: http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/workshop/current.html•

July 12-14, 2011
5th International Conference on Sustainable Development and Planning.
The conference addresses the subject of regional development in an integrated
way as well as in accordance with the principles of sustainability. It has become
apparent that planners, environmentalists, architects, engineers, policy makers
and economists have to work together in order to ensure that planning anddevelopment can meet our present needs without compromising the ability of
future generations.
Website: http://www.wessex.ac.uk/11-conferences/sdp-2011.html•

July 14-16, 2011
2nd IDRiM Conference of the International Society for Integrated Disaster Risk
Management (IDRiM Society)
The IDRiM2011 Conference title, “Reframing Disasters and Reflecting on Deficits
in Risk Governance” will be held at the University of Southern California (USC) in
Los Angeles, USA, on 14-16 July 2011. A call for session proposals and special
session organizers is now open. Please submit session proposals including
session title, brief description of session objectives and methodology (panelsession, workshop, plenary, research), and the names of the session organizers,
moderator, and proposed speakers. Each session will be allotted 1.5 hours. We
recommend that each session have four or maximum five speakers. Please send
yoursessionproposalstosociety@idrim.org,
ortocruzanamaria2000@yahoo.com. Deadline for reception of session proposals: 2
February 2011. Decisions will be sent via e-mail to the main session organizers
by 1 March 2011.
Website: http://www.idrim.org

Page 6

•July 19-21, 2011
International Conference on Building Resilience
With growing population and infrastructures, the world’s exposure to hazards – ofnatural and man-made origin – is inevitably increasing. This reality reinforces theneed to proactively consider disaster risk as a part of the sustainable
development agenda. The International Conference on Building Resilience willencourage debate on individual, institutional and societal coping strategies toaddress the challenges associated with disaster risk. Central to these strategies
is the concept of resilience, which is becoming a core concept in the social andphysical sciences, and also in matters of public policy. Resilience refers to thecapability and capacity of systems to withstand change. By encouraging
participation from researchers in the social and physical sciences, the conference
will explore inter-disciplinary strategies that develop the capacity of a system,
community or society potentially exposed to disaster related hazards, to adapt,by resisting or changing, in order to reach and maintain an acceptable level offunctioning and structure. Contributions are welcome from members of theresearch community that address disaster risk and the need to develop resiliencefrom diverse perspectives. The conference outcomes will be used to support the
2010-2011 World Disaster Reduction Campaign ‘Making Cities Resilient’, which
addresses issues of local governance and urban risk while drawing uponprevious ISDR Campaigns on safer schools and hospitals, as well as on thesustainable urbanizations principles developed in the UN-Habitat World Urban
Campaign 2009-2013. Mayors and their local governments are both the key
targets and drivers of the campaign. The overall target of the Campaign is to get
as many local governments ready as possible, to span a global network of fully
engaged cities of different sizes, characteristics, risk profiles and locations. The
campaign is focusing on raising political commitment to disaster risk reduction
and climate change adaptation among local governments and mayors; including
through high profile media and public awareness activities, and will develop
specific technical tools that cater for capacity development opportunities
Website: http://www.disaster-resilience.salford.ac.uk/resilientcities/

Page 7

3. Call for Papers•

International Journal of Integrated Disaster Risk Management: A call for
papers for the IDRiM Society’s new International Journal of Integrated Disaster
Risk Management is now open. Papers should be submitted electronically via theonline Editorial Management System at
http://idrimjournal.com/index.php/idrim•

Disaster Risk Reduction and Sustainable Development
The following Special Issue will be published in Sustainability(http://www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability/), ISSN 2071-1050 and is open for
submission of full research papers and comprehensive review articles for peerreview and possible publication: Special Issue: Disaster Risk Reduction andSustainable Development Website:
http://www.mdpi.com/si/sustainability/disaster_prevention/•

Sustainable Development and Planning 2011:
Call for Papers from WIT Papers are published in the Transactions of theWessex Institute of Technology and distributed throughout the world. In addition,
they are archived in the Wessex Institute eLibrary where they are permanently
and easily accessible to the international community.
Conference website:
http://www.wessex.ac.uk/sdp2011rem1.html

Page 8

4. Internet Resource List•

Disaster Reduction Hyper base: Web based facility to compile appropriate
disaster reduction technologies and knowledge.
Website:http://drh.edm.bosai.go.jp/•

MCEER: Collection of disaster management resources, including international,
federal, state, local and non-profit organizations:Website:http://mceer.buffalo.edu/infoservice/reference_services/disasterManagementRes
ources.asp•

Staffordshire Raynet: Disaster and Emergency Management on the Internet.
Long list of websites for various disasters and databases.
Website:http://www.keele.ac.uk/depts/por/disaster.htm•

Internet Resources for Disaster Studies: University of Delaware Library
Website:http://www2.lib.udel.edu/subj/disasters/internet.htm•

FEMA” Federal Emergency Management Agency: Focus is on the US
Website:http://www.fema.gov/index.shtm•

Disaster Handbook: University of Florida.
Website:http://disaster.ifas.ufl.edu/links.htm•

Disaster Management: Royal Roads University.
Website:http://libguides.royalroads.ca/content.php?pid=64941&sid=480216•

Natural Hazards and Disaster Information Resources: University of Colorado at
Boulder (including newsletter).
Website:http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/resources/

Page 9

5. Scientific Job Announcements-

Assistant Professor - Microeconomics
Wellesley College
Website: http://www.inomics.de/node/4158-

Post Graduate Scientist
University Center for Atmospheric Research
Boulder, Colorado
Website: http://www.ucar.edu/educ_outreach/ucar-ugrad&beyond.html-

Emergency Preparedness Director University of Miami
Miami, Florida
Website: http://www.miami.edu/index.php/about_us/emergency_preparedness/-

Postdoctoral Researcher
Wharton Risk Management and Decision Processes Center
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Website: http://opim.wharton.upenn.edu/risk/-

Executive Director
Florida International University International Hurricane Research Center
Miami, Florida
Website: http://www.ihc.fiu.edu/-

Lecturer
University of North Texas
Denton, Texas
Website: http://www.unt.edu/-

Researcher Position
East Tennessee State University
NOAA Tsunami Social Science: Evaluation of NOAA Tsunami Warning Center(TWC) products and a proposed Tsunami Ready Program Improvement Plan.
Website: https://jobs.etsu.edu

Page 10

6. (New) Journals• Journal of Integrated Disaster Risk Management, IDRIM Journal:-

Objective: The main objective of IDRiM is to provide an integrated andimplementable approach to the growing demand for disaster risk
reduction and management by offering reliable, affordable andeffective solutions for minimizing the loss of life, property damage, andsocial and economic disruption. IDRiM also explores implementation
science for disaster reduction. IDRiM intends to provide a set ofsolutions for the all types of: environmental and natural hazards(earthquakes, flood, drought, windstorms, landslides, etc.) and manmade hazards. It also includes the development of methods and tools
for modeling and assessment of disaster risks, hazard zonation andhazard mapping; geotechnical zonation, vulnerability analysis,
strengthening design of structures, disaster risk evaluation andmapping; and various types of risk management methods such as
innovative risk transfer, risk reduction policy; socio-economic studies,human and economic loss estimation, practical loss-control measures,catastrophic risk insurance, public awareness, programming; andsolutions for risk reduction in buildings, lifelines, infrastructures,industry, oil-chemical facilities, offshore structures and urban system.
IDRiM also covers the governance of disaster risks, design ofinstitutional schemes, participatory approach, etc.

-

Website: http://idrimjournal.com/index.php/idrim• International Journal of Climate Change Strategies andManagement, IJCCSM:-

Objective: IJCCSM publishes papers dealing with policy-making on
climate change, on methodological approaches to cope with the
problems deriving from climate change and disseminates experiencesfrom projects and case studies where due consideration toenvironmental, economic, social and political aspects is given andespecially the links and leverages that can be attained by this holistic
approach.

-

Website:www.emeraldinsight.com/products/journals/journals.htm?id=ijccsm

Page 11

• Journal of Natural Disaster Science-

Objective: The JOURNAL OF NATURAL DISASTER SCIENCE(JNDS), published since 1979, has provided a unified forum forscientific research on various problems concerning natural hazards
and the prevention or mitigation of natural disasters. From Volume 20(1998) JNDS has been restructured as the journal of the Society for
Natural Disaster Science, Japan. Publication is open to those who wish
to contribute results of original research studies, or investigations. All
areas of Natural Disaster Science will be represented through regularpapers, special reports, letters, and discussions. Original papers thatprovide new findings on natural hazard phenomena, and papers on
interdisciplinary subjects dealing with the reduction of natural disasters
are highly encouraged. Timely special reports are planned in the eventof large scale disasters.

-

Website: http://wwwsoc.nii.ac.jp/jsnds/contents/jnds/about.html• Disasters-

Objective: Disasters is a major, peer-reviewed quarterly journal
reporting on all aspects of disaster studies, policy and management. It
provides a forum for academics, policymakers and practitioners topublish high-quality research and practice concerning natural
catastrophes, anthropogenic disasters, complex political emergencies
and protracted crises around the world. The journal promotes theinterchange of ideas and experience, maintaining a balance between
field reports, case study articles of general interest and academic
papers.

-Website: http://www.wiley.com/bw/journal.asp?ref=0361-3666&site=1• Environmental Hazards-

Objective: The journal addresses the full range of hazards eventsfrom extreme geological, hydrological, atmospheric and biologicalevents such as earthquakes, floods, storms and epidemics totechnological failures and malfunctions such as industrial
explosions, fires and toxic material releases.

-

Website: http://www.earthscan.co.uk/?tabid=37213
Page 12•Natural Hazards-

Objective: Natural Hazards is devoted to original research work on all
aspects of natural hazards, including the forecasting of catastrophic
events, risk management, and the nature of precursors of natural andtechnological hazards. Although hazards can originate in different
sources and systems, such as atmospheric, hydrologic,
oceanographic, volcanologic, seismic, neotectonic, the environmental
impacts are equally catastrophic. This warrants a close interaction
between different scientific and operational disciplines, aimed atenhancing the mitigation of hazards. Coverage includes such
categories of hazard as atmospheric, climatological, oceanographic,storm surges, tsunamis, floods, snow, avalanches, landslides, erosion,
earthquakes, volcanoes, man-made and technological, as well as risk
assessment.

-

Website:www.springer.com/earth+sciences+and+geography/hydrogeology/journal/11069• Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Environmental
Change-Objective: Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change
addresses a wide range of timely environment, economic and energy
topics including global climate change, stratospheric ozone depletion,acid deposition, eutrophication of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems,
species extinction and loss of biological diversity, deforestation andforest degradation, desertification, soil resource degradation, land-use
change, sea level rise, destruction of coastal zones, depletion of fresh
water and marine fisheries, loss of wetlands and riparian zones andhazardous
waste
management.
The journal provides a forum to review, analyze and stimulate thedevelopment, testing and implementation of mitigation and adaptation
strategies at regional, national and global scales. One primary goal ofthis journal is to contribute to real-time policy analysis anddevelopment as national and international policies and agreements are
discussed and promulgated.

-

Website:http://www.springer.com/earth+sciences+and+geography/meteorology+%26+climatology/journal/11027
Page 13

• Extremes-

Objective: Extremes publishes original research on all aspects ofstatistical extreme value theory and its applications in science,engineering, economics, and other fields. It also presents authoritative
reviews and case studies of theoretical advances and of extreme value
methods and problems in important applied areas. Previously
scattered across more general probability journals, statistical extremes
research now has a home with this journal. As a result, Extremes
advances and accelerates research and applications by providing aunified forum for the best papers in the field. Applied scientists findcomprehensive and up-to-date coverage of theoretical developments
and specialists find authoritative discussions of urgent applied
problems. Finally authors find the best medium for the dissemination
and use of their results.

-

Website:http://www.springer.com/statistics/journal/10687• International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built
Environment-

Objective: The journal aims to further knowledge and understandingof the link between the built environment and disaster mitigation,
response and reconstruction. The journal seeks to: Develop the skills
and knowledge of the built environment research community andprofessions working in disaster prone areas, so that they may
strengthen their capacity in strategic and practical aspects of disasterprevention, mitigation, response and reconstruction. Provide a uniqueforum for novel enquiries into the development and application of new
and emerging practices as a source of innovation to challenge current
practices. Promote the exchange of ideas between researchers,
educators, practitioners and policy makers. Influence disasterprevention, mitigation, response an reconstruction policies andpractices-

Website:http://www.disaster-resilience.salford.ac.uk/international-journal-ofdisaster-resilience

Page 14

• Journal of Disaster Research-

Objective: The Journal of Disaster Research provides timely, topicalinformation on disasters related to information, lifeline infrastructures,
traffic, terror, and similar events not directly due to war. The Journal's
target audience is those who fight disaster in their capacity as
researchers, engineers, disaster prevention managers, administrators,
diplomats, and disaster-related NGO and NPO personnel. This Journal
provides valuable knowledge on disaster prevention and mitigationfrom a comprehensive, informative viewpoint, with the emphasis on"wide and comprehensive scope".

-

Website:http://www.fujipress.jp/JDR/JDR_about.html• Asian Journal of Environment and Disaster Management(AJEDM)-

Objective: This is the first journal focusing on the environment anddisaster related issues in the Asian region. Asia, being the center ofurban growth in the last few decades, has also created severe
environmental problems, and is prone to different types of natural
disasters. This journal provides a forum to communicate researchfindings, not only through academic research, but also incorporating
field based action research.
Goal: Theory of environment and disaster management is complex,
and it becomes even challenging when it is linked to field practice.
There often observed a gap between the theory and practice in thefield of environment and disaster management. The goal of this journal
is to establish academic linkages of field practices with specificemphasis on environment and disaster management in the Asian
context.
Authors and Readers: The journal will have wider authors and readers,which will include the research and academic community, nongovernment organizations, policy makers and internationalorganizations. Thus, the journal encourages the field practitioners andmanagers to share their thoughts and experiences and to interact withthe academic community so as to fill the gap of research, educationand implementation.

-

Website:http://rpsonline.com.sg/journals/101-ajedm/ajedm.html

Page 15• International Journal of Disaster Risk Science-

Objective: International Journal of Disaster Risk Science is aninterdisciplinary English language journal that publishes research
papers addressing theoretical and methodological issues in disasterrisk science, emergency response technology, and risk management;
disaster risk governance policies and regulations; and case studies
and comparative research internationally on responses to majordisasters. Its primary aim is to create an exchange platform forresearchers, practitioners, and policy makers in the field of disasterand risk to communicate, learn, and progress in order to improve theinternational, national and regional capacities for disaster risk analysis,
management, and governance. The journal promotes IHDP-IRG
research under the strategic framework of global change research,
including revealing the dynamic processes of disaster risk, especiallycatastrophic disaster risk formation based on an adequate
understanding of the global, regional and local socio-ecological systemchange; establishing a “transition -in and out” risk governance modeltargeting catastrophic disasters exceeding the existing coping
capacities through case studies and comparative analyses; refining thevarious models and modeling tools for catastrophic disaster risk
governance; and creating and improving an integrated disaster risk
science that can meet the challenges for sustainable development.
The journal covers a wide range of disaster risks, including natural
disaster risk; environmental and ecological disaster risks related to theconditions of the natural environment; technological risk and the risk ofinfectious diseases; and new risk factors related to global change,energy and water security, food security, international trade, and so on.

-

Website:http://www.ijdrs.org• Disaster Advances-

Objective: Disaster Advances publishing regularly from in field of
Natural Disasters, Man-Made Disasters, Earth Sciences, Atmospheric
Sciences, Geo Sciences , Marine Sciences and Engineering.

-

Website:http://www.disasterjournal.net/

Page 16• International Journal of Mass Emergencies & Disasters-

Objective: The Journal addresses issues of theory, research,planning, and policy. The central purpose is publication of results ofscientific research, theoretical and policy studies, and scholarly
accounts of such events as floods and earthquakes, explosions andmassive fires, disorderly crowds and riots, energy cut-offs and power
blackouts, toxic chemical poisonings and nuclear radiation exposures,and similar types of crisis-generating situations. Its audience incspecialists within various areas of research and teaching plus people
working in the field who are responsible for mitigative, preparedness,
response, or recovery actions. While each issue of the Journal typicallydeals with a variety of relevant topics, special issues on particularsubjects are published whenever possible to bring together a set ofarticles on a specific problem area. Since the Journal is intended toprovide an international forum, contributions from and about all
sections of the world are encouraged. Priority is given to those writing
with cross-cultural data or implications.

-Website:http://www.ijmed.org/• International Journal of Disaster Recovery and BusinessContinuity-

Objective: The Journal provides a chance for academic and industry
professionals to discuss recent progress in the area of disasterrecovery and business continuity. To bridge the gap of users who do
not have access to major databases where one should pay for every
downloaded article; this online publication platform is open to allreaders as part of our commitment to global scientific society. Journal
Topics. IJDRBC aims to facilitate and support research related todisaster recovery and business continuity technology and theapplications.

-Website:http://www.sersc.org/journals/IJDRBC/

Page 17• Disaster Prevention and Management:-

Objective: Disaster Prevention and Management, An International
Journal, sets out to advance the available knowledge in the fields ofdisaster prevention and management and to act as an integrative
agent for extant methodologies and activities relating to disasteremergency and crisis management. Publishing high quality, refereed
papers, the journal supports the exchange of ideas, experience andpractice between academics, practitioners and policy-makers.
Natural disasters can wreck communities and natural resources - yeteffective action by emergency services can do much to mitigate
catastrophic effects. In contrast, manmade disasters are often the
result of carelessness or human error, and can be avoided or better
controlled by recognizing the potential for danger and taking
preventative action.

-

Website:http://www.emeraldinsight.com/products/journals/journals.htm?id=dpm• Risk Analysis-

Objective: Risk analysis is the science of evaluating health,environmental, and engineering risks resulting from past, current, or
anticipated, future activities. The use of these evaluations include
providing information for determining regulatory actions to limit risk,presenting scientific evidence in legal settings, evaluating products andpotential liabilities--within private organizations, resolving World Tradedisputes amongst nations, and for educating the public concerning
particular risk issues. Risk analysis is an interdisciplinary science that
relies on epidemiology and laboratory studies, collection of exposure
and other field data, computer modeling, and related social andeconomic and communication considerations. In addition, social
dimensions of risk are addressed by social scientists. Methods of risk
analysis and the outcome of particular evaluations are regularlypresented in scholarly papers that are published in Risk Analysis: An
International Journal and topics are as diverse as quality of drinking
water, air and land contamination, the safety of foods and drugs,
automobile and infrastructure safety, and risk associated with weaponsof mass destruction.

-

Website:http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0272-4332&site=1

Page 18

• Journal of Risk Research-

Objective: The Journal of Risk Research is an international journalthat publishes peer-reviewed theoretical and empirical research
articles within the risk field from the areas of social, physical and healthsciences and engineering, as well as articles related to decision
making, regulation and policy issues in all disciplines. Articles will be
published in English. The main aims of the Journal of Risk Research
are to stimulate intellectual debate, to promote better risk management
practices and to contribute to the development of risk management
methodologies. Journal of Risk Research is the official journal of theSociety for Risk Analysis Europe and the Society for Risk Analysis
Japan.

-

Website:http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/journal.asp?issn=13669877&linktype=1• International Journal of Risk Assessment and Management(IJRAM)-

Objective: IJRAM aims to provide an international forum forresearchers and practitioners across the many relevant disciplines andindustries to disseminate information and learn from each other's work.
IJRAM publishes original and review papers, technical reports, casestudies, conference reports, management reports, book reviews, andnotes commentaries and news. Contribution may be by submission or
invitation, and suggestions for special issues and publications arewelcome. The IJRAM is an interdisciplinary and refereed journal thatprovides cross learning between: Different business and economics,
as well as scientific and technological, disciplines. Energy industries,
environmental and ecological systems. Safety, public health andmedical services. Software services, reliability and safety-

Website:http://www.inderscience.com/browse/index.php?journalID=24

Page 19

7. New Books
Heavy-Tailed Distributions in Disaster Analysis
Authors: V. Pisarenko, M. Rodkin
Year: 2010
Publisher: Springer, New York
ISBN: 978-9048191703
Content: Mathematically, natural disasters of all types are characterized byheavy tailed distributions. The analysis of such distributions with common
methods, such as averages and dispersions, can therefore lead to erroneous
conclusions. The statistical methods described in this book avoid such pitfalls.
Seismic disasters are studied, primarily thanks to the availability of an ample
statistical database. New approaches are presented to seismic risk estimationand forecasting the damage caused by earthquakes, ranging from typical,
moderate events to very rare, extreme disasters. Analysis of these latter events
is based on the limit theorems of probability and the duality of the generalized
Pareto distribution and generalized extreme value distribution. It is shown thatthe parameter most widely used to estimate seismic risk – Mmax, the maximum
possible earthquake value – is potentially non-robust. Robust analogues of thisparameter are suggested and calculated for some seismic catalogues. Trends inthe costs inferred by damage from natural disasters as related to changing socialand economic situations are examined for different regions. The results obtained
argue for sustainable development, whereas entirely different, incorrectconclusions can be drawn if the specific properties of the heavy-tailed distribution
and change in completeness of data on natural hazards are neglected. This
pioneering work is directed at risk assessment specialists in general,
seismologists, administrators and all those interested in natural disasters andtheir impact on society.
When the Planet Rages: Natural Disasters, Global Warming and the Future of the
Earth
Authors: Charles Offices, Jake Page
Year: 2010
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 978-0195377019
Content: In New England, 1816 was called the Year Without a Summer. Crops
failed throughout America and, in Western Europe, it was even worse, with foodriots and armed groups raiding bakeries and grain markets. All this turmoil
followed a catastrophic volcanic eruption--a year earlier on the other side of theworld--the eruption of Tambora, a blast heard almost a thousand miles away. In
When the Planet Rages, Charles Officer and Jake Page describe some of thegreat events of environmental history, from calamities such as the Lisbon
earthquake of 1755 (the greatest in recorded history) and the ice ages, to recent
Page 20man-made disasters such as Chernobyl, acid rain, and the depletion of the ozone
layer. Officer and Page provide fascinating discussions of meteorites and comets;of the demise of mammoths, mastodons, and dinosaurs; and of great floods thathave swept the earth. But they also show that human activity can make trouble fornature, discussing the depletion of natural resources (we burn coal and oil at
millions of times their natural rate of production), air pollution in Los Angeles andLondon (where the Killer Smog of 1952 caused the death of some four thousandpeople), and the pollution of major waterways, like the Chesapeake Bay and Lake
Erie. For the paperback edition, the authors have included a new preface, haveadded material on the recent Sichuan, China earthquake, the Indian Ocean
Tsunami, and Hurricane Katrina, and discuss such topics as of the(un)predictability of symptoms of global warming. Ranging from the monumental
eruption at Krakatoa to industrial disasters such as the mercury poisoning inJapan's Minamata Bay, When the Planet Rages will engage anyone concernedwith the environment and the natural world.

Early Warning for Geological Disasters
Authors: Friedemann Wenzel, Jochen Zschau (editor)
Year: 2010
Publisher: Springer, Berlin
ISBN: 978-3642122323
Content: Early Warning for geologic disasters became a subject of intensive
research when observational and communication options allowed for dense
sensor installation and real-time dissemination of signals and information. Initiallymost efforts focused on doing what seismologists had done before, just faster. In
the current period real new research directions have emerged. Significant
information, for instance on the earthquake process is contained in the first few
seconds of observations and allow empirical extraction of warning messages.
Novel sensors and intercommunication, specifically self-organizing networks,
open new routes for implementing early warning systems. Models for community
based early warning – capitalizing on these networks as well as on Google Earthpopularity - are evolving. Science and tools for performance-based design of
warning systems become available. Multiple-purpose systems for warning andfor instance structural health monitoring have been designed. In short: Science
moved towards the point, where it is translated in technologies.
Natural Hazards, UnNatural Disasters
Authors: World Bank, United Nations
Year: 2010
Publisher: Word Bank
ASIN: 978-0739124161
Content: Earthquakes, droughts, floods, and storms are natural hazards, but
unnatural disasters are the deaths and damages that result from human acts ofomission and commission. Every disaster is unique, but each exposes actions—by individuals and governments at different levels—that, had they been different,
Page 21

would have resulted in fewer deaths and less damage. Prevention is possible,
and this book examines what it takes to do this cost-effectively.It looks at
disasters primarily through an economic lens. Economists emphasize selfinterest to explain how people choose the amount of prevention, insurance, andcoping. But lenses can distort as well as sharpen images, so the book also draws
from other disciplines: psychology to examine how people may misperceive risks,
political science to understand voting patterns, and nutrition science to see how
stunting in children after a disaster impairs cognitive abilities and productivity as
adults much later. Peering into the future, it shows that while urbanization andclimate change will increase exposure to hazards, vulnerability can be reduced if
cities are better managed. This book will be of interest to government officials,
urban planners, relief agencies, NGOs, donors, and other development
practitioners.

Mitigation of Natural Hazards and Disasters: International Perspectives
Authors: C. Emdad Haque (editor)
Year: 2010
Publisher: Springer
ISBN-10: 9048167965
Content: This book examines the aspects of prevention, mitigation, andmanagement of environmental hazards and disasters from an international
perspective. In light of the recent debate on climate change and the possible
effects of such a change upon increasing frequency and magnitude of extreme
environmental events, this publication overviews various policy and response
discourse. Several case studies, from various countries and world regions,depicting recent experience in mitigation policy and program development andimplementation and establishing interlinks between vulnerability and mitigation
are presented to provide further insights. This book is primarily intended foracademics, policy makers, professionals, and practitioners in hazards reduction
activities who look for a better understanding of the complex and dynamic
aspects of nature and society. This topic is a well established issue among most
sectors of our society since the costs, both human and socioeconomic, ofextreme environmental events have been rising astronomically, and significant
vulnerabilities exist throughout the world. Without effective prevention andmitigation, these costs are likely to continue to increase, enhancing theuncertainty of societal progress. The knowledge and information embodied in thisvolume will be of immense benefit to anyone working in this field.

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Systems Approach to Management of Disasters: Methods and Applications
Authors: Slobodan P. Simonovi
Year: 2010
Publisher: Wiley
ISBN-10: 978-0739124161
Content: The ultimate reference on managing disasters by implementing asystems approach. Proper management in the face of a natural or technologicaldisaster necessitates a transformation of attitude toward integration of economic,
social, and environmental concerns related to disasters, and of the actions
necessary to deal with them. Recent trends in confronting disasters include
consideration of the entire region under threat, explicit consideration of all costs
and benefits, elaboration of a large number of alternatives to reduce thedamages, and the greater participation of all stakeholders in decision-making.
Systems approaches based on simulation, optimization, and multi-objective
analyses have great potential for providing appropriate support for effective
disaster management in this emerging context. This systems approach to
managing disasters is the focus of this book, which outlines proven strategies forpooling interdisciplinary resources more efficiently to boost emergency
responses. An invaluable reference, Systems Approach to Managing Disasters
illustrates how a systems approach to management of disasters can be thedifference maker in times of crisis.

Extreme Events in Nature and Society
Authors: Sergio Albeverio, Volker Jentsch, Holger Kantz
Year: 2010
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3642066798
Content: Significant, and usually unwelcome, surprises, such as floods, financial
crisis, epileptic seizures, or material rupture, are the topics of Extreme Events in
Nature and Society. The book, authored by foremost experts in these fields,
reveals unifying and distinguishing features of extreme events, including
problems of understanding and modelling their origin, spatial and temporalextension, and potential impact. The chapters converge towards the difficult
problem of anticipation: forecasting the event and proposing measures tomoderate or prevent it. Extreme Events in Nature and Society will interest not
only specialists, but also the general reader eager to learn how the multifaceted
field of extreme events can be viewed as a coherent whole.

Page 23Natural and Anthropogenic Disasters: Vulnerability, Preparedness and Mitigation
Authors: M.K. Jha (editor)
Year: 2010
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 9048124972
stContent: The major challenges of the 21 century faced by human beings are
how to achieve water security, food security, energy security and environmental
security. Owing to enhanced natural/anthropogenic disasters worldwide, thesechallenges become much more complicated and daunting especially fordeveloping countries. Therefore, it is important to highlight the risk of different
disasters as well as the modern tools and techniques for minimizing disaster
incidence and losses. Disaster management being highly multidisciplinary innature, a comprehensive book dealing with different aspects of disastermanagement, and encompassing important disasters faced by humankind ispresently not available. This book is an attempt to fulfill this gap. It provides clear,comprehensive, and up-to-date information about different facets of disastermanagement along with salient case studies. The book highlights the current
status of disaster management focusing on developing nations, discusses vital
issues such as climate change and sustainable development, modern
approaches and tools/techniques, and the challenges of and future R&D needs
for sustainable disaster management.
Natural Disasters as Interactive Components of Global-Ecodynamics
Authors: Kirill Ya Kondratyev, Vladimir F. Krapivin, Costas A. Varostos
Year: 2010
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3642068448
Content: Large-scale natural catastrophes are environmental phenomena.
Numerous studies in recent years have concluded that the frequency ofoccurrence of such natural disasters have been incereasing. leading to an
enhanced risk of very considerable human and economic losses and thewidespread destruction and pollution of habitats, settlements and infrastructure.
In 2001 over 650 natural disasters happened around the globe with economic
losses exceeding $35 billion. 2004 ended with the South East Asian tsunami on
26th December with its huge toll on life and local economics and thisdemonstrated that the efffects of such disasters are most keenly felt in poorer ordeveloping regions. The problem of natural disaster prediction and theimplementation of environmental monitoring systems to receive, store andprocess the information necessary for solutions of specific problems in this area ,have been analysed by the three authors of this book, all of whom areinternationally respected experts in this field.

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Catalogue of Risks: Natural, Technical, Social and Health Risks
Authors: Dirk Proske
Year: 2010
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3642098487
Content: The term risk has experienced a dramatic growth in usage over the last
few years. This is mainly due to the growing concern about the future of mankind,but also to a greater awareness of the limited nature of our resources. People
want to know what can go wrong. In the beginning terms such as risk, disaster,
indeterminacy and uncertainty are discussed in detail in this book. Furthermore
disasters and risks are categorized into natural, technical, health and social risks,
and then major disasters in these categories are listed. Risk parameters are
introduced to allow the objective description of risks. The explanation of risk
parameters (such as mortalities, fatal accident rates, the family of F-N curves andthe concept of lost life years) leads to the quality of life parameters as
measurements of risk. In general this parameter permits the comparison of theefficiency of all safety measures over the entire human society. However,limitations of this concept are also disclosed. The book clearly shows theinterdependence of risk measures. Safety and risks cannot be discussed only bylooking at specific problems, since increasing safety in individual fields might leadto a decrease of safety over the entire society.
In Extremis: Disruptive Events and Trends in Climate and Hydrology
Authors: Jürgen Kropp, Hans-Joachim Schellnhuber (editor)
Year: 2010
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 364214862X
Content: The book addresses a weakness of current methodologies used in
extreme value assessment, i.e. the assumption of stationarity, which is not given
in reality. With respect to this issue a lot of new developed technologies arepresented, i.e. influence of trends vs. internal correlations, quantitative
uncertainty assessments, etc. The book not only focuses on artificial time series
data, but has a close link to empirical measurements, in order to make thesuggested methodologies applicable for practitioners in water management andmeteorology.
Natural Disasters and Sustainable Development
Authors : Riccardo Casale, Claudio Margottini (editor)
Year: 2010
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3642075800
Content: Natural disasters are a clear example of people living in conflict withthe environment. Disasters cause human, social and environmental losses and,sometimes, even threaten geopolitical stability, as in many less developed
countries. They are also a problem of global concern, even when damage isPage 25

local: the mechanisms are often dependent on global meteoro-climatic
circulation. Losses frequently affect several countries, as could be seen in thefloods in central Europe in 2002. It is obvious that there is a clear need for a new
approach, capable of incorporating the prevention of natural disasters, whilst
mitigating strategies within the cycle of sustainable development. There are nothematic disciplines or political boundaries limitating initiatives: the integration ofdata providers, data users/information providers and information users, in a
global and holistic manner, is the desired outcome of the new frontier. This bookfalls into this new category: multidisciplinary interventions and socio-economic
point of views are the basic inputs for a changing science, implementing
sustainable development for the benefit of citizens and society. It is comprised ofstudies and investigations which explain natural processes and modelling, as
well as assessing hazards and risks and is rounded of with suggestions forsustainable development. Thus reflecting the best results of research on this
topic funded by the European Commission.
Assessing Vulnerability to Global Environmental Change: Making Research
Useful for Adaptation Decision Making and Policy [Paperback]Authors : Anthony G. Patt, Dagmar Schroter, Richard J. T. Klein, Anne Cristina
De La Vega-leinert (editor)
Year: 2010
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 1849711542
Content: Assessing the vulnerability of human populations to global
environmental change, particularly climate change, is now the main imperative ofresearch and international action. However, much of the research into
vulnerability is not designed to feed directly into decision making and policy,
creating a gap between the knowledge created by researchers and what isrequired by decision makers. This book seeks to rectify this problem and bridge
the gap. It discusses vulnerability as the central theme and brings together manydifferent applications from disaster studies, climate change impact studies andseveral other fields and provides the most comprehensive synthesis ofdefinitions, theories, formalization and applications to date, illustrated with
examples from different disciplines, regions and periods, and from local throughto regional, national and international levels. Case study topics cover sea levelrise, vulnerability to changes in ecosystem services, assessing the vulnerabilityof human health and 'double exposure' to climate change and trade liberalization
amongst other issues. Research outcomes stress that science-policy dialogues
must be transparent to be effective and concentrate on a mutual understandingof the concepts used. A key research finding is that the most useful information
for decision makers is that which shows the separate causes and drivers ofvulnerability, rather than presenting vulnerability in an aggregated form. The bookconcludes with a unifying framework for analysing integrated methodologies ofvulnerability assessment and guiding how research and policy can be linked toreduce vulnerability.
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Heavy-Tailed Distributions in Disaster Analysis (Advances in Natural andTechnological Hazards Research)
Authors : V. Pisarenko, M. Rodkin
Year: 2010
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 904819170X
Content: Mathematically, natural disasters of all types are characterized byheavy tailed distributions. The analysis of such distributions with common
methods, such as averages and dispersions, can therefore lead to erroneous
conclusions. The statistical methods described in this book avoid such pitfalls.
Seismic disasters are studied, primarily thanks to the availability of an ample
statistical database. New approaches are presented to seismic risk estimationand forecasting the damage caused by earthquakes, ranging from typical,
moderate events to very rare, extreme disasters. Analysis of these latter events
is based on the limit theorems of probability and the duality of the generalized
Pareto distribution and generalized extreme value distribution. It is shown thatthe parameter most widely used to estimate seismic risk – Mmax, the maximum
possible earthquake value – is potentially non-robust. Robust analogues of thisparameter are suggested and calculated for some seismic catalogues. Trends inthe costs inferred by damage from natural disasters as related to changing socialand economic situations are examined for different regions. The results obtained
argue for sustainable development, whereas entirely different, incorrectconclusions can be drawn if the specific properties of the heavy-tailed distribution
and change in completeness of data on natural hazards are neglected. Audience:
This pioneering work is directed at risk assessment specialists in general,
seismologists, administrators and all those interested in natural disasters andtheir impact on society.

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8. Ongoing Field Work
“Experiencing the Importance of Research in Real Scenarios”
Jong-il Na, Dept. of Urban Management, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto
University
In Indonesia, Yogyakarta from May to August, 2010 a project for “Capacity building on
disaster risk management for sustainable community development” was implemented.
Yogyakarta is known for the world heritage sites of Borobudur Temple and the Pramban
Temple Compounds; but recently also for the active volcano Mount Merapi.
Last year a “Study on Community development at Mt Merapi area” was developed withthe collaboration of the Gadjah Mada Local University for support in the planning andassessment activities. My participation in the research work was in a pilot project
towards “Sand Mining Management” where the Yonmenkaigi System was introduced to
the Gadjah Mada University team. Yonmenkaigi System is a decision making method
developed from the community vitalization initiative implemented in Tottori,Chizu. Afterbeing improved to fit the real situation in the local area, it was applied jointly in acommunity participatory workshop for Mt. Merapi area.

Mount Merapi view（2968m）

Yonmenkaigi Workshop Group―Research and practice experience―
This time in contrast with last year short term “Sand Mining Management Plan”, theactivities have been expanded further to the community organization development for asustainable action plan at a local level. However, in a different situation than last year; it
was necessary to develop the overall action plan, implementation and evaluation
without a research team. Moreover, it was difficult to carry out the project in balancewith the position of researcher and practitioner. Nevertheless, getting the opportunity toadapt one’s research to a community living along with disasters was with no comparisona very valuable experience.

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―Implementation Science and Community Contribution―
I think that disaster prevention study is in search of the truth but also is important to be
useful to the society. The Yonmenkaigi System used to community development in Mt.
Merapi Area is the product of the Japanese experience about community participatory
workshop methods for knowledge development. It doesn’t end with the research level
but while doing cooperative work with the community, the importance of theimplementation science can be recognized.
Considering last year activities, this time the participants expressed their necessities
along with the team of the local university to decide together on the highest priorities
towards community development. The participants of the Yonmenkaigi Workshop in
Kemiren Village learned by practice not only about the importance of the collaborative
activities in disasters but also for their daily life activities to demonstrate commitment forthe community benefit.
I would like to thank the people from Mt. Merapi Area in Kemiren Village and the teamfrom Gadjah Mada University for cooperating in the application of the Yonmenkaigi
Workshop.
On October 27th, 2010, Mt Merapi erupted, however there was no victim at all in
Kemiren Village. I am now planning to go for a survey to examine what an impact thisactivity had on their behavior during the emergency.

Presenting the results of the workshop

Page 29

9. Miscellaneous
Other Newsletters:-

Disaster Research: DISASTER RESEARCH (DR) is a moderated newsletter for
creators and users of information about hazards and disasters.
Website: http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/dr/currentdr.html-

Emergency Manager’s Weekly Report:
Website:http://www.6pinternational.com/news.php?category=Emergency%20Managers%20
Weekly%20Report&-

KatNet-Newsletter: (mostly in German language)
Website: http://www.katastrophennetz.de/-

EM-DAT: International Disaster Database Newsletter (CRED)
Website: http://www.emdat.be/publications-

DSCRN: Disaster and Social Crisis Research Network Newsletter
Website: http://www.dscrn.org/cms/index.php?page=newsletter

Page 30

Newsletter Committee:
Head:
Stefan Hochrainer-Stigler
IIASA- International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Laxenburg, Austria
Email: hochrain@iiasa.ac.at
Muneta Yokomatsu
Research Center for Disaster Reduction Systems,
Disaster Prevention Research Institute, Kyoto University
E-mail: yoko@drs.dpri.kyoto-u.ac.jp
Ana Maria Cruz
Consultant, Natech Risk Management
Bordeaux, France
E-mail: cruzanamaria2000@yahoo.com
Wei XuBeijing Normal University ( BNU)
Beijing, China
E-mail: xuwei@bnu.edu.cn

IDRiM Society
Secretariat
Kyoto University
Gokasyo Uji, Kyoto, Japan
Tel: +81-774-38-4043
FAX :+81-774-38-4636
Email: society@idrim.org

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