bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Natural Hazard Mitigation: Professionalization of the Policy Making Process
Authors: Petak William J.
Published: January 2023

Liability and increased federal involvement in issues of public safety has resulted in the development of a bewildering array of agencies and entities at all levels of government* In spite of this increased involvement, losses from catastrophic natural hazardous events are continuing to increase at an alarming rate. Although there is an increased federal involvement, primary responsibility and authority for dealing with the problems associated with natural hazard exposure rests with the states and local governments. However, the capacity of state and local governments to deal with these problems is significantly constrained by geophysical, ecological, and sociopolitical factors. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the context in which natural hazard problems are defined and policies adopted in the United States. Further we will examine the barriers to the adoptation and implementation of natural hazard mitigation policies. Professionalization of the policy adoptation and implementation process is presented as a basis for increased success in reducing societal risks to natural hazasrds.
Human Response to Vertical Shelters “An Experimental Note”
Authors: Ruch Carlton
Published: January 2023

As both coastal population and coastal evacuation times increase, there is a need to consider the vertical evacuation option. This research examines the changes a “vertical shelter” option might introduce in decisions to evacuate. It focuses on two possible human behavior problems associated with the use of “vertical shelters.” Problem one is whether the existence of a “vertical shelter” option will inhibit large numbers of people from evacuating horizontally. Problem two is whether the existence of a “vertical shelter” option will encourage people to delay their decisions to evacuate outside the threatened area.

In order to address these problems two experiments were conducted in Galveston, Texas USA. In each experiment the sample was divided into a control and experimental group. All participants were shown videotapes of Hurricane Alicia. They were then requested to select response options based on written hurricane advisories. Only the experimental group had vertical evacuation as one of the response options. The second experiment also examined the effect of the Galveston Seawall on the responses.

The results of these experiments provide no statistically significant evidence that for the participants the presence of a “vertical shelter” would delay or inhibit them from evacuating horizontally. However, because of the small sample, only large differences could have been detected.
Voluntary Labor, Utah, the L.D.S. Church, and the Floods of 1983: A Case Study
Authors: Fisher Albert L.
Published: January 2023

National attention was focussed on Utah in the Spring of 1983 when an abnormally deep snowpack in the mountains combined with abrupt, very warm weather to cause sudden, severe flooding along the state's densely populated Wasatch Front. Public officials were not prepared for what happened and they could not control the crisis generated problems with their own resources. A large, efficient, volunteer labor force was needed immediately to prevent serious flooding from becoming a disaster. The extensive media attention given to Utah during this period looked mostly at the way public officials and the people responded to the crisis.

This is a report of voluntary labor and the floods of 1983 in Utah, The only public, semipublic, or private organization that could provide the number of volunteer workers that were necessary during the crisis period and supervise the workers adequately was the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (L.D.S.).

The traditions, attitudes, and organization of the L.D.S. Church as they are important to the immediate delivery of large numbers of volunteer workers, equipment, and supervisors in an emergency period are investigated in this paper. The relationships between government in Utah and the Church are also examined to explain why the Church is relied on to supply the voluntary labor force for any mass emergency in Utah and how this is accomplished. The question is also addressed of whether or not the Utah experience would be either appropriate or transferable to any other area. There might he something to be learned from Utah that could aid disaster work elsewhere.
Media Coverage of the Bhopal Disaster: A Cultural Myth in the Making
Authors: Wilkins Lee
Published: January 2023

This content analysis of media coverage of the Bhopal disaster examines the way in which twelve media outlets reported the tragedy. Generally, the media–both television and print outlets—covered Bhopal as a discrete event, giving relatively little time and space to the underlying policy issues centering on technological hazards. Individuals tended to be portrayed as victims, and the powerful actors in the reports were institutions or those who represented them. The majority of coverage ranged from mild to severe in thematic depictions of helplessness. In addition, television's visual portrayal of the event included a large number of images focusing on gas. The overall thematic thrust of the coverage is the creation of a new myth of societal extinction through industrial accident resulting from carefully designed political and economics policies. Individuals, even in democracies, are portrayed as having relatively little control in establishing the policy agenda.
Social Influence Perspective on Crowd Behavior
Authors: Mann Leon
Published: January 2023

Research guided by a social influence perspective on crowd behavior is considered under three categories: leader to crowd; crowd to members; crowd to outsiders. It is argued that a single model of crowd influence which relies on a single process is inadequate. It is found that several social influene proceases affect the attitudes and actions of crowd members-social facilitation, modelling and imitation, conformity to group norms, group discussion and persuasive appeals. The operation of these social influence processes is examined for a variety of crowd forms including crusade rallies (Newton & Mann, 1980), crazy auctions (Mann, 1975), spectators to a dispute (Mann, Paleg & Hawkins, 1978), baiting crowds (Mann, 1982) and queues (Mann, 1970, 1977). The size of the crowd is shown to be an important factor mediating the probability that people will be drawn to the crowd, induced to join, and become influenced by the leader's persuasive message. It is suggested that cultural differences in such factors as conformity pressures are linked to the incidence of crowd activity and the likelihood of social influence occurring in crowds in various countries. Future research should investigate the comparative vulnerability to influence of strangers and groups of friends in crowds, individual differences in susceptibility to crowd influence and discontinuities in individual behavior associated with changes in crowd size and proportion of crowd members already responding.
Commentary
Authors: Smeleer Neil J.
Published: January 2023

In musing about this commentary, two possible strategies came to mind—first, to indicate the significance of and prepare a critique on each of the contributions to this issue, or, second, to put forward some relections on the dynamics of the development of the field or fields of collective behavior and social movements as these have occurred to me over time and in reading the contributions. (Throughout this essay I will use the term “collective behavior/social movements” to refer to the enterprise under discussion. To use this term does not prejudge either the desirability of considering the field analytically as one or two or more). The first appeared an easier exercise than the second, but the second seemed more interesting and possibly more instructive, So, in an ambitious moment I decided to undertake the second. In doing so, however, I will refer in passing to all of the contributions.
Some Contributions German Katastrophen-Soziologie Can Make to the Sociology of Disaster
Authors: Schorr John K.
Published: January 2023

The purpose of this article is to discuss some of the contributions the new and relatively undeveloped Katastrophensoziologie has been able to make to the sociology of disaster. The paper begins by reviewing the German criticism of some of the major figures in the sociology of disaster. The second section of the paper presents some of the possible contributions to be found in recent work within Katastrophensoziologie. Finally, the conclusion of the paper points to the scientific value of an international dialogue between scholars with different perspectives on the problem of disaster in societies.
Preventing Industrial Crises: The Challenges of Bhopal
Authors: Shrivastava Paul
Published: January 2023

This article analyses the larger policy issues raised by the Bhopal disaster. The concept of industrial crisis is used as the analytical tool for understanding Bhopal type events. Industrial crisis refers to dysfunctional effects of industrial activities that cause large scale damage (or perception of large scale damage) to human life and the natural environment. They also put public at risk of large damage and lead to major social and economic disruptions. Bhopal was the quintessential industrial crisis of this century. Industrial crises involve three primary stakeholders - - governments, corporations and communities. It is argued that joint actions by stakeholders are necessary to prevent industrial crises. Policy issues that each stakeholder must address are examined.
Does the use of Humor as a Coping Strategy Affect Stresses Associated with Emergency Work?
Authors: Moran Carmen
Published: January 2023

The increased concern over the well-being of emergency workers has been demonstrated at an organizational level by the implementation of formal critical incident stress debriefing programs in recent years. As well as recognizing the need for an organizational response to stress management, it is also important to recognise that individuals will have their own patterns of coping strategies that may or may not fit in with organizational expectations. In the emergency context there is relatively little documentation on the nature or effectiveness of these strategies. The present paper examines one coping strategy, humor, which is frequently mentioned by emergency workers and researchers as a common and presumably helpful strategy, but one for which there is very little systematic data. Interviews with emergency workers revealed a common belief that humor helps mitigate stress, but there was no association between quantitative measures of humor and stress in the present data. Emergency organizations may be uncomfortable with the overt acknowledgement of humor in the emergency context, but this paper suggests that it is generally used sensitively and within the emergency group only. It is possible that an alternative research approach is needed to further understand positive coping strategies such as humor.
When Shall We Leave? Factors Affecting the Timing of Evacuation Departures
Authors: Soreasen John H.
Published: January 2023

Very little work has been conducted on the dynamics of human behavior in evacuations. This paper documents what is known about the timing of departures in different emergency events. This is followed by an effort to model individual variations in warning receipt and evacuation departures in the Nanticoke, PA hazardous materials fire. Among the factors which arc significantly related to the lime of warning receipt are the mode of the first warning, the proximity to the site of the emergency and the type of structure inhabited The only significant variable related to mobilization time is the personalization of the warning. Perceived threat, age and family size were not related to mobilization time. The analysis points to the need for additional research to help understand the variability of human behavior in evacuations.
What is a Disaster? An Ecological-Symbolic Approach to Resolving the Definitional Debate
Authors: Kroll-Smith J. Stephen , Couch Stephen R.
Published: January 2023

The definition of disaster remains a contested issue in sociology. Two contrasting definitions vie for attention: the generic and the event-quality. One definition ignores the physical dimension of disaster, focusing exclusively on social consequences. Another definition includes physical dimensions, but proponents of this approach cannot agree on just what physical features to include. This essay evaluates these two definitions, suggesting the strengths and limitations of each. It offers a third definitional strategy that adds an environmental and symbolic dimension to the event-quality definition. We offer this ecological-symbolic approach as a necessary corrective to the limitations of both the generic and the event-quality definitions. A concluding section demonstrates the utility of this third perspective by applying it to an important discussion in disaster research
Half a Century of Natural Disasters in the Pacific Basin: Historical Perspectives on the Future
Authors: Mitchell James K.
Published: January 2023

This paper briefly explores and comments on three interrelated themes: the natural riskiness of the Pacific Basin; recent changes in patterns of disasters; and trends in society and environment that may affect the potential for future disasters. Losses of life due to disasters appear to be declining in recent decades throughout much of the region except in Latin America and Southeast Asia, where they may he increasing. Environmental and societal changes in the Basin are likely to produce new types of disaster potential that may modify historical patterns of disaster.
A Comparison of Research and Practice: A Practitioner's View
Authors: Dawson Gregg
Published: January 2023

This paper compares known research and emergency management practice, and demonstrates the need and success of applying research to dispel common misconceptions about disaster-related behavior. I draw upon the experience of Fort Worth-Tarrant County Emergency Management practitioners to compare to research findings. Specifically, 1 discuss reactions to warnings, evacuation behavior and the use of shelters. Also, I incorporate my experience in planning for the disabled in emergencies to further illustrate my points.
Integrating Disaster and Development Assistance after Natural Disasters: NGO Response in the Third World
Authors: Guarnizo Caroline Clarke
Published: January 2023

This paper examines how one particular aid sector, the nongovernmental development organizations (NGOs), is tackling the institutional issues involved in integrating disaster and development assistance in the Third World. The paper presents where NGOs have encountered the need to integrate the two aid types, their institutional efforts to do so, and the challenges they face in the implementation process. Finally, it outlines important areas for further work to aid NGOs to develop viable mechanisms to manage overlapping responsibilities in disaster response and longer-term reduction efforts.

Despite the new research understanding of disasters-development relationship and program directions, these efforts to integrate the two in practice have faltered. This paper argues that difficulties lie in the fact that the institutional mechanisms necessary for putting these goals into practice have not kept pace. The postwar foreign aid model which separates disaster and development aid into two institutional jurisdiction is still largely in place.

This paper states that new ways for enhancing cooperation among the different actors in disaster reduction must take place. In particular, institutional jurisdictions must be transcended and new arrangements promoted that facilitate development planners/agencies to play their role in the disaster reduction process. Institutional mechanisms need to catch up with current thinking in disaster research in order to meet the emerging policy and program priorities.
Structural Change in Disaster Preparedness Networks
Authors: Gillespie David F. , Colignon Richard A.
Published: January 2023

Structural change in a network of disaster preparedness relations is assessed using a staged two-point repeated measures survey. An earthquake scenario simulates a sudden and dramatic jolt to the network. Measures of horizontal and vertical differentiation are found to be sensitive to structural change in the network We conclude that disaster theory of inter organizational relations is advanced by using network analysis to specify and test hypotheses about different types of change.
Social Location and Self-Protective Behavior: Implications for Earthquake Preparedness
Authors: Edwards Margie L.
Published: January 2023

Participation in household preparedness activities is examined in light of the first highly publicized earthquake prediction issued for the Central United Stales. Drawing on earlier research conducted in California, this paper examines the adoption of self-protective measures in Memphis, Tennessee. Survey data show that while people in this city are generally aware of and concerned about the earthquake hazard in their community, few have adopted the necessary precautions to reduce the negative effects of a damaging earthquake. However, those respondents who were most likely to engage in self-protective behavior are situated in structurally advantageous locations. Thus, future community-wide planning and preparedness efforts must be more attentive to limitations on household resources when advocating individual responsibility for safety.
Making Iconoclasts Credible: The Iben Browning Earthquake Prediction
Authors: Dealing James W. , Kazmlerczak Jeff
Published: January 2023

The present investigation reports the results of a content analysis of U.S. newspaper portrayals of the 1991 earthquake prediction by Dr. Iben Browning. Results suggest that journalists wrote stories which readers may have interpreted as advocating a belief in Browning's prediction. Specifically, news stories were found to be more subjective than objective, and more supportive than critical, of both Iben Browning and his theory.
The Impact of the Browning Prediction on Institutions
Authors: Stevens Jill D.
Published: January 2023

The Center for Earthquake Research and Information (CERI) has been conducting earthquake research in the central U.S. since 1978. In addition, it has been actively involved in educating the public about earthquake risk for nine years. Through a three-year grant funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), an earthquake education program was developed and successfully implemented from August 1983 to August 1986. Since 1986, CERI has continued to administer the earthquake education program through internal funding—becoming an important source of scientific information about earthquakes and earthquake preparedness in the New Madrid seismic zone. In this aspect, CERI is a unique institution, combining both an active seismologicall earthquake engineering research component and public education/information component in one facility.
Safety Officer Accounts of Earthquake Preparedness at Riverside Industrial Sites
Authors: Barlow Hugh D.
Published: January 2023

The Iben Browning pseudoscientific forecast of a major earthquake in the New Madrid seismic zone around December 3, 1990, provoked considerable talk and some concern around the midwest, and especially in the St. Louis area. Much local media attention focused on the state of earthquake preparedness in the area, and a proactive approach to preparedness was advocated for residents and businesses alike. This paper describes the state of earthquake preparedness among twenty older industrial plants located along the banks of the Mississippi River as reported by plant safety officers. While most safety officers were skeptical of Browning's forecast, most also believed that a major earthquake would hit the St. Louis area in the not too distant future. Nevertheless, earthquake preparedness was minimal or nonexistent at most of the plants, and a follow-up survey two years later showed little change in this state of affairs. Also unchanged was the striking lack of communication between these businesses and emergency management officials. These and other findings are discussed in light of proactive earthquake mitigation efforts.
Disaster Studies: The Consequences of the Historical Use of a Sociological Approach in the Development of Research
Authors: Quarantelli E. L.
Published: January 2023

An earlier article discussing the initial days of disaster studies, noted that the roots of the area in the applied concerns of research funders led to a pattern of how research was done and what was studied that still prevails today. However, this paper stresses that a certain sociological orientation and particular sociological ideas implicitly came to permeate much of the early work and many of the observations and findings made, We also indicate that the research approach, initiated with a mixture of applied concerns and basic sociological questions, has had up to now primarily functional consequences on the development of the field of study of disasters. But the paper concludes with a statement that the field currently needs a fundamental reconceptualization of disaster. It is argued that the impetus for that is more likely to come out of a questioning of basic ideas as well as the growing internationalization of disaster studies than from practical concerns.
Trapped in Politics: The Life, Death, and Afterlife of the Utah Seismic Safety Advisory Council
Authors: Olson Richard Stuart , Olson Robert A.
Published: January 2023

Utah faces serious earthquake risk from the alignment of its major population centers with the historically active Wasatch fault. This paper identifies the origins and traces the life history of the Utah Seismic Safety Advisory Council, paying special attention to the partisan political shift which contributed to its 1981 legislative failures and organizational demise.
The Effects of Personal Network and Local Community Contexts on the Receipt of Formal Aid during Disaster Recovery
Authors: Beggs John J. , Haines Valerie A. , Hurlbert Jeanne S.
Published: January 2023

Studies of the response of individuals to disasters have relied primarily upon individual factors for explanation. Using data collected in telephone interviews with 594 residents of southwestern Louisiana, we examine the effects of local community and personal network contexts, as well as individual factors on individuals’ use of aid from formal organizations. We find that our measures of personal network context significantly affect five of our seven measures of the utilization of formal aid, and that network form affects these outcomes more consistently than network composition does. These effects are generally consistent with our predictions. We also find significant effects of our measure of local community context, the level of owner-occupancy in an area. Living in areas with higher rates of owner-occupancy has a positive effect on three of our measures of formal aid Based upon these findings we conclude that contextual factors exert important effects on individuals’ use of formal aid. We suggest that studies of the provision of aid to individuals by organizations should be supplemented with more detailed studies of the effects of personal network and local community contexts on individuals’ receipt of specific sources of aid from formal organizations.
Residential Ambiguity and Relocation Decisions: Population and Areas at Risk
Authors: Kirschenbaum Alan
Published: January 2023

Residential relocation is one means of coping with living in a perceived high risk area. An analysis of a sample of household members who live in such an area showed the extent to which fear of a recurring emergency event affects attitudes toward seeking an alternative safer area to reside. Intent to relocate is linked to specific sub-groups of families on the basis of how they comprehend the risks of remaining (educational level) and extent of possible economic damage (level of assets). A series of independent variables reflecting affective-emotive behavior during the disaster. Post-crisis trauma related attitudes and pre/post disaster neighborhood bonds were likewise linked with an intention to move to a safer neighborhood. A regression model focused the analysis on the degree to which concern of psychological damage to children played a decisive role in determining a relocation decision.
Riding out the Storm: Public Evaluations of News Coverage of Hurricane Andrew
Authors: Driscoll Paul , Salwen Michael B.
Published: January 2023

South Florida residents who experienced Hurricane Andrew evaluated the credibility of the hurricane-related information from television as more trustworthy than other sources. Contrary to what was hypothesized, the broadcast medium of television (but not radio) was evaluated on the dimension of expertise as being higher than newspapers. As predicted, interpersonal sources were judged high on trustworthiness, but much lower on expertise than any of the mass media sources. The findings indicated that when people wanted factual information and self-help information, they expressed reservations about the credibility of other people (friends, neighbors or relatives). In such cases, there was a marked tendency to place emphasis (or faith) in television.
Factors Related to Earthquake Preparedness among Child Care Professionals: Theory and Policy Implications
Authors: Junn Ellen N. , Guerin Diana Wright
Published: January 2023

With increasing numbers of children enrolled in child core, the safety of the child care environment and the preparedness of personnel to prevent injuries and fatalities in the event of natural disasters becomes an important public policy issue. In this study, earthquake preparedness and its correlates were examined in 25 child care centers located in a southern California community adjacent to the San Andreas Fault. Extensive survey, interview, and on-site, observational data were collected. Findings indicated a wide range of preparedness in child care centers. Half of the child care centers lacked basic essentials required to cope in the aftermath of a major quake. Several hazards were also common: unsecured bookcases, open shelves. rolling furniture, large and unprotected windows, and heavy objects stored on high shelves. In addition, many directors had misconceptions about the role of local agencies (e.g., fire department, police. Red Cross) following an earthquake. Findings are considered in terms of risk assessment theory and implications; public policy and legislative courses of action are discussed.
Following Some Dreams: Recognizing Opportunities, Posing Interesting Questions, and Implementing Alternative Methods
Authors: Drabek Thomas E.
Published: January 2023

For over three decades I have implemented alternative methodologies so as to pursue interesting research questions. My work has been guided by three goals: (1) test and extend sociological theory related to human response to disaster; (2) identify insights relevant to emergency management practitioners; and (3) communicate the results to both the academic and practitioner communities. In this essay three themes are developed: (1) a survey of the alternative methods I used in numerous disaster studies; (2) an evaluation of the state of disaster research; and (3) speculative thoughts regarding future directions, needs, and potentials.
Media Studies
Authors: Lombard Marco
Published: January 2023

The arrival on the scene of the study of mass emergencies and risk analysis has represented an important step forward in the world of communication, not only because of its theoretical aspects, but also because of its ability to influence policy formulation. Many researchers and scholars of mass emergencies and risk analysis today agree on focusing their research activities on communication. Communication is seen as a social process, something which is fundamental to the understanding of both crisis management and of the various activities which precede and follow crises themselves. On the other hand, information, as a product of communication, is merchandise which has great importance in many of our relationships, both on a micro and macro level. This brief account aims to stimulate the debate that is already active in the scientific community and also to provide food for thought as to the working tools used in research that is constantly face-to-face with empirical reality.
Rewriting a Living Legend: Researching the 1917 Halifax Explosion
Authors: Scanlon T. Joseph
Published: January 2023

At the 1994 World Congress of Sociology in Bielefeld (Germany), Henry Quarantelli suggested that sociologists studying disasters ought to pay more attention to documents and to historical research. Research done on Canada's worst catastrophe, the 1917 Halifax, Nova Scotia munitions ship explosion—1,963 dead 9,000 injured—shows that there can be scores of documents available about such incidents. These include media accounts, articles in academic journals and professional publications, and books, both nonfiction and fiction, inspired by personal experience. There are also archival records. Material on the Halifax explosion was found in Boston, Washington, D.C., Paris, London, and Oslo as well as in Canadian centers at Charlottetown, Sydney, Truro, St. John's, Ottawa, Toronto, and Halifax. While some documents were easy to locate, others required using contacts and advertising one's interest. Networking led to new live sources (there are still hundreds of survivors from 1917) and to documents in private hands including diaries and letters. The results provide both new insights into historical events and a test of current theories using historical data.
Qualitative Methods and Disaster Research
Authors: Phillips Brenda
Published: January 2023

This paper discusses the existing and potential linkages between qualitative research and disaster research. It begins by considering recent trends in qualitative research relevant to disaster studies and lists misconceptions which readers should peruse before passing judgment on qualitative research. The recent trends will likely influence qualitative disaster research, especially in the areas of data analysis and writing. The paper also identifies strong linkages between qualitative and disaster research, and the unusual opportunities qualitative researchers have enjoyed within disaster research. Beyond these linkages, this essay also identifies both problems and the potential of qualitative disaster research, including expanding data collection methods, nurturing the next generation of qualitative disaster researchers, and latching onto rapidly developing computing technologies for qualitative research. The author concludes with a “wish list” for future qualitative disaster research.
Determinants of Business-Disaster Preparedness in Two U.S. Metropolitan Areas
Authors: Dahlhamer James M. , D'Souza Melvin J.
Published: January 2023

Although there has been a proliferation of “how-to “ planning guides in recent years, there has been very little documentation of the variation in and determinants of business-disaster preparedness. The few studies that have been conducted have focused on specific firms or industrial sectors, such as the chemical or tourist industry, or have been plagued by too few cases. These problems clearly limit the generalizability of the research findings. This paper attempts to fill a void in the literature by exploring the determinants and variations of planning within the private sector utilizing two stratified, random samples of businesses from Memphis/Shelby County, Tennessee (N=737), and Des Moines/Polk County, Iowa (N=1,079). Findings show that business size, whether the business property is owned or leased, and prior disaster experience are all related to business-disaster preparedness in both study areas. Type of business was related to preparedness among businesses in Memphis/Shelby County. Policy implications of the findings are discussed.
Coordinating Intergovernmental Policies on Emergency Management in a Multi-Centered Metropolis
Authors: Kory Delores N.
Published: January 2023

In the intervening years since Hurricane Andrew in August 1992, there have been studies by federal agencies and the Academy of Public Administration, changes in Florida statutes, assessments of the affected counties, a strengthened directive of the Federal Emergency Management Agency in training activities, and legislative and executive orders to link the levels of government. The emerging problem is how to effect cooperation in a multi-centered county with multiple municipalities, more communities seeking incorporation, and only unincorporated areas under direct county control. The problem is not for the threat of hurricanes alone. It is for the many potential disasters, natural and man-made, which may be addressed with incident command systems at the local level, but may also need mechanisms to coordinate county, regional, state, or national responses. The counties in southeast Florida are a true megalopolis and officials are slowly recognizing that intergovernmental cooperation is imperative. This article examines the issue and provides data on local support for regional efforts in southeast Florida.
Internet and Emergency Management: Prospects for the Future
Authors: Gruntfest Eve , Weber Marc
Published: January 2023

This article reports on the growing value of Internet resources for the emergency management profession. The analysis has six components: (1) a brief history of the field prior to the introduction of the Internet; (2) an overview of the changes in emergency management since the introduction of the Internet and a summary of the characteristics of Internet communications; (3) some descriptions of how the Internet is currently used in flood, earthquake, and volcano research; (4) examples of Internet use as a tool for education; (5) federal and state employment of the Internet in emergency management during disasters and for public education and awareness between disasters; and. (6) conclusions and suggestions for further research.
Flood Evacuation in Two Communities in Scotland: Lessons from European Research
Authors: Ketteridge Anne-Michelle , Fordham Maureen
Published: January 2023

In January 1993 and December 1994, two areas of Scotland experienced extensive flooding and large-scale evacuation of a spontaneous and unstructured nature. Both the flooding and the evacuation left their traumatic mark on the householders. The research reported here was qualitative, with the objective of investigating the evacuation process inductively—how it operated on the ground, what were the problems, and how the process could be enhanced to maximize effectiveness for those who have to experience the consequences. This long-term or extended process of evacuation is described and discussed in detail in this paper, where it is emphasised that evacuation is not complete until everyone has returned home. The elderly, children, and women are also identified by the research as groups which suffered particularly as a result of the poorly executed evacuations and which require special attention. Policy and practical recommendations are drawn from the research, which may be equally applicable to future floods in the U.K., Europe, and elsewhere.
The Intersection of Gender and Social Class in Disaster: Balancing Resilience and Vulnerability
Authors: Fordham Maureen
Published: January 2023

Those who experience disaster are widely regarded as an undifferentiated group, labeled “victims.” In the immediate crisis period, it is difficult for professionals to differentiate, except crudely, between varying levels of need and still carry out urgent duties and responsibilities. However, it soon becomes apparent that some are hit harder than others and that disasters are not the great levelers they are sometimes considered to be. Close examination reveals complex variations within, and not just between, social groups broadly understood as middle- and working-class. This paper examines the intersection of gender and social class in two major flood events and argues for a more nuanced appreciation of these factors, at both the conceptual and the practical level, to be incorporated throughout the disaster process.
Women, Aging, and Post-Disaster Stress: Risk Factors
Authors: Ollenburger Jane C. , Tobin Graham A.
Published: January 2023

The goal of this research was to model the relationship between stress and natural disasters, with a view to explaining levels of stress among women. Following flooding in Iowa, in 1993, two in-depth questionnaire surveys were administered, one to residents in high flood exposure areas, and another to the general population as a control. Results indicated that gender plays a significant role in interpreting stress responses to natural hazards, with women consistently exhibiting greater stress than men. However, it was evident that a complex web of factors influenced stress levels including marital status, structure of the family unit, age, socio-economic status, health, levels of social involvement, and degree of hazard experience. These findings suggest that more research should focus on determining structural constraints that exacerbate stress levels for women.
An Exploratory Study of Woman Battering in the Grand Forks Flood Disaster: Implications for Community Responses and Policies
Authors: Fothergill Alice
Published: January 2023

This paper presents an exploratory study of woman battering in the Grand Forks, North Dakota flood of April 1997. Based on my qualitative research of women's experiences in this flood, I present two case studies of battered women to enhance understanding of what intimate partner violence means to women in the face of a natural disaster. The case studies illustrate how battered women make sense of their situations and how factors such as class and disability play a role in how women experience domestic violence. The case studies also show why services for battered women, such as emergency shelters and crisis counseling, are crucial during a disaster period. Even though we do not know if domestic violence rates increase in a. disaster, we do have evidence that the demand for domestic violence services increases during disaster times. In light of this, I argue that there is a need to prepare for that situation.
Pre- and Post-Disaster Political Instability and Contentious Supporters: A Case Study of Political Ferment
Authors: Shefner Jon
Published: January 2023

Recent statistical confirmation of the link between disasters and political instability has increased interest in exactly how disasters impact political regimes. This case study of the 1992 Guadalajara sewer explosions contributes to this discussion by analyzing political and economic pressures which predisposed a militant response to the 1992 disaster. A new set of political activists aided the disaster victims in their political struggle by contributing resources and by helping to construct the disaster as a political event.
Facing Catastrophe: Mad Cows and Emergency Policy-Making
Authors: Granot Hayim
Published: January 2023

Discovery of an apparent link between eating infected beef and a rare human degenerative brain condition, Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease, has necessitated life and death decisions by agriculture and health authorities in Britain, where the problem has thus far been concentrated. This slow developing health emergency shares many features in common with emergencies generally. The way in which this health crisis has been handled appears to have contributed to the apprehension and confusion of the British public, undermining confidence in those who must-provide leadership in a stressful and costly crisis. After reviewing the development of the crisis, the author examines a number of features in policy-making in this case which could prove instructive with regard to hazard management and risk communication generally
Revisiting the Disaster Encyclopedia
Authors: Drabek Thomas E.
Published: January 2023

Over a decade has passed since the publication of Human System Responses to Disaster (Drabek 1986) in which findings from nearly 1,000 sociological studies were inventoried. This work, referred to by some as “the disaster encyclopedia, “ is revisited in this essay through the exploration of three topics: (1) discussion of the origins of this essay and its structuring influences; (2) aspects of the inventory that should be retained; and (3) recommended areas of change.
Neighborhood Availability and Use of Food, Physical Activity, and Social Services Facilities in Relation to Overweight and Obesity in Children and Adolescents
Authors: Rossi Camila Elizandra , Pinho Maria Gabriela M. , Corrêa Elizabeth Nappi , de Abreu Ângelo Horta , Rech Cassiano Ricardo , da Costa Ferreira Jorge Ricardo , Guedes de Vasconcelos Francisco de Assis
Published: January 2023

Objective:

To evaluate the association of a combined measure of availability and use of facilities from the food environment and overweight (including obesity) among schoolchildren, while taking into account the physical activity and social-assistance environments.

Methods:

Cross-sectional study with a probabilistic sample of schoolchildren aged 7 to 14 years living in a southern Brazilian city (n = 2026). Multilevel analyses were performed with overweight as outcome and the food environment as main exposure. Models were adjusted for the physical activity and social-assistance environments, as well as individual and other residential neighborhood characteristics.

Results:

Greater availability of restaurants around the home was associated with higher odds of overweight (odds ratio [OR] = 1.40; 95% CI = 1.06-1.85). Stronger associations were found for schoolchildren reporting to use restaurants (OR = 1.48; 95% CI = 1.15-1.90). This association remained significant after adjusting for the presence of other food retailers. Schoolchildren who had social-assistance facilities around their homes, but reported not to use them, showed consistently higher odds of being overweight (OR = 1.34; 95% CI = 1.01-1.78) as compared to schoolchildren who had these facilities near home and used them. The physical activity environment was not associated with the outcome.

Conclusions:

Availability and use of the food and social-assistance environments were significantly associated with overweight (including obesity) among the schoolchildren. Future research should consider the use of environmental facilities in combination to their geographical availability. Our results highlight the need for policies that limit the access to obesogenic food outlets by children and adolescents.
Boswellic acid coated zinc nanoparticles attenuate NF-κB-mediated inflammation in DSS-induced ulcerative colitis in rats
Authors: Abou Zaid Eman S , Mansour Somya Z , El-Sonbaty Sawsan M , Moawed Fatma SM , Kandil Eman I , Haroun Riham Abdel-Hamid
Published: January 2023

Introduction

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a chronic non-specific inflammatory bowel disease, and until now therapeutic agents for UC still cannot exert satisfied effects. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the ameliorative effect of boswellic acid coated zinc nanoparticles (BAs-ZnNPs) on dextran sodium sulphate (DSS) induced-UC in rats.

Methods

Rats were divided into five groups; control, BAs-ZnNPs, DSS, DSS+BAs, and DSS + BAs-ZnNPs. The activity of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) was determined colorimetrically, while the concentration of IgM, IgG, TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-8 were measured by ELISA. Levels of gene expression of NF-κB and COX-2 genes were evaluated by RT-qPCR, while the expression of protein levels of PI3K and STAT-3 were done by western blotting. Finally, histopathological examination of colon tissues of different groups of rats was done.

Results

The depicted ball-like structure of the BAs-ZnNPs in the TEM images ranging in size from 50 to 100 nm in diameter while their formation was confirmed by UV–visible spectroscopy with a sharp peak of maximum absorbance at 266 nm. Our results revealed that BAs-ZnNPs exerted an anti-inflammatory effect in the experimental model of colitis, demonstrated histologically and biochemically as shown by the improvement of ALP, IgM, IgG, and the gene expression levels of NF-κB and COX-2. Also, this beneficial effect was associated with the reduction in the expression of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-8, PI3K, and STAT-3. Thus, this effect improves the altered immune response associated with the colonic inflammation.

Conclusion

BAs-ZnNPs can be proposed as a therapeutic candidate to attenuate UC. The potential underlying mechanism includes suppression of ALP, IgM, IgG, IL-1β, and IL-8 levels via regulation of NF-κB and COX-2 gene expression and STAT-3 and PI3K protein expression in a UC rat model.
Self-Talk Monitoring and Goal-Oriented Thinking: Effects on Middle Schoolers’ Behavior During Academics
Authors: Feeney Danielle M. , Morgan Joseph J. , Rodgers Wendy J. , Brown Monica R. , Relles Stefani R.
Published: January 2023

A self-talk monitoring and goal-oriented thinking (STM+GOT) intervention package was used to teach four U.S. middle school students with high-incidence disabilities to develop and track progress toward self-determined behavioral goals. A multiple baseline across participants design was used to determine the effects of STM+GOT on both behavior and academics during independent academic work. The intervention consisted of four phases including baseline, student training of STM+GOT, intervention in a self-contained classroom, and generalization in an inclusive classroom. Data on students’ target behavior were collected using momentary time sampling with 1-min intervals over a period of 15 consecutive minutes. Permanent product recording was used to collect data on the work tasks of each student. Results indicated that all four students decreased their occurrences of their target behavior across both intervention and generalization; three of the four students increased work completion rates but with less consistency than the change in target behaviors. Implications for practice and future research are discussed.
Brain DNA damaging effects of volatile anesthetics and 1 and 2 Gy gamma irradiation in vivo: Preliminary results
Authors: Benković Vesna , Milić Mirta , Oršolić Nada , Horvat Knežević Anica , Brozović Gordana , Borojević Nikola
Published: January 2023

Although both can cause DNA damage, the combined impact of volatile anesthetics halothane/sevoflurane/isoflurane and radiotherapeutic exposure on sensitive brain cells in vivo has not been previously analyzed. Healthy Swiss albino male mice (240 in total, 48 groups) were exposed to either halothane/sevoflurane/isoflurane therapeutic doses alone (2 h); 1 or 2 gray of gamma radiation alone; or combined exposure. Frontal lobe brain samples from five animals were taken immediately and 2, 6, and 24 h after exposure. DNA damage and cellular repair index were analyzed using the alkaline comet assay and the tail intensity parameter. Elevated tail intensity levels for sevoflurane/halothane were the highest at 6 h and returned to baseline within 24 h for sevoflurane, but not for halothane, while isoflurane treatment caused lower tail intensity than control values. Combined exposure demonstrated a slightly halothane/sevoflurane protective and isoflurane protective effect, which was stronger for 2 than for 1 gray. Cellular repair indices and tail intensity histograms indicated different modes of action in DNA damage creation. Isoflurane/sevoflurane/halothane preconditioning demonstrated protective effects in sensitive brain cells in vivo. Owing to the constant increases in the combined use of radiotherapy and volatile anesthetics, further studies should explore the mechanisms behind these effects, including longer and multiple exposure treatments and in vivo brain tumor models.