bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Hurricane Preparedness and Response among Pet Care Providers along the Gulf Coast: An Investigation of Hurricanes Gustav and Ike
Authors: Sherman-Morris Kathleen , Schumacher Andrea , Drobot Sheldon , McNeal Karen S.
Published: January 2023

One hundred-fifteen pet care professionals (veterinarians, boarding kennels, groomers, etc.) from Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas were surveyed following Hurricanes Gustav and Ike regarding their preparedness for and response to these hurricanes. Results indicate this group is similar to the public in some respects including reliance on television for weather information, and evacuation being related to 1) having a plan for evacuation, 2) being in an area ordered to evacuate, and 3) not requiring outside resources to accomplish the evacuation. Respondents’ decisions were uniquely complicated by their role as both residents and also caregivers of animals owned by other residents who also may need to evacuate. Finally, a large percentage of this group had emergency plans, which may have been influenced by state laws or their experiences with Hurricanes Katrina or Rita. Back-up plans are recommended when emergency plans rely on owners claiming animals prior to an evacuation.
Disaster Kit Contents: A Comparison of Published Guidelines for Household Preparedness Supplies
Authors: Perman Joseph , Shoaf Kimberley , Kourouyan Armine , Kelley Melissa
Published: January 2023

This paper discusses the comprehensiveness and specificity of published guidelines for household disaster kits. A search was conducted via the Internet to identify disaster kit lists, which were then analyzed for major themes and types of contents. While the specificity of recommendations and the number of disaster kit items varied widely across the sampled lists, several key categories of contents were found in the majority of them. The immense variability across the sampled lists suggests that a “gold standard” is necessary for disaster kit guidelines in order to best aid the public in their preparedness efforts.
Disaster Financing and Poverty Traps for Poor Households: Realities in Northern India
Authors: Hochrainer-Stigler Stefan , Patnaik Unmesh , Kull Daniel , Singh Praveen , Wajih Shiraz
Published: January 2023

This paper addresses household-level disaster financing strategies of the poor in developing countries within the context of current poverty trap discussions. It presents findings on risk perceptions and loss financing practices in relation to floods and droughts in Uttar Pradesh, India. The study found that, due to financial shocks, the risk of households falling below the subsistence level and into a poverty trap is high. In this context, the paper links current approaches in household welfare-driven disaster risk financing to the survey results and provides policy recommendations.
I Have a Snickers Bar in the Trunk of My Car: Student Narratives of Disaster Risk, Fear, Preparedness, and Reflections on Union University
Authors: Lovekamp William E. , McMahon Sara K.
Published: January 2023

This research examines college students’ experience, risk perceptions, fear of and preparedness for disasters and differences in female and male views. We conducted focus groups with students about their experience, risk perceptions, fear and preparedness, their reactions to the February 6 th, 2008 Union University tornado. We found that students are generally aware of the risks they face, usually have limited experience with disasters, are not well prepared, could not identify how their university was prepared, adopt fatalistic attitudes about the importance of preparedness and believe the university will take care of them. Also, women were much more likely to report being fearful. Many students were shocked about the Union University tornado and began asking more questions about ways their university is prepared.
Reproductive Improvisation and the Virtues of Sameness: The Art of Reestablishing New York City's Emergency Operations Center
Authors: Wachtendorf Tricia , Kendra James M
Published: January 2023

Based on an inductive analysis of qualitative in-depth interviews, extensive field observation, and document material, we introduce the concept of reproductive improvisation, an improvisation form that emphasizes reproducing something valued that is lost. We address how an organization might choose sameness in turbulent and ambiguous environments, and how it achieves that goal. Using the reestablishment of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) following its destruction during the September 1l, 2001 World Trade Center disaster in New York City, we discuss how factors such as system stability, pressures to maintain the status quo, substitution accessibility, and retaining a preexisting mental map that develops into a shared vision all facilitate reproductive improvisation. This research differs from most other work on improvisation (e.g., Weick, 1998) that focuses on improvising to generate something new. Here we focus on improvising to generate something that is, as much as possible, the same as a previous model. We therefore add a new perspective on the usual thinking of improvisation and organizations responding to changing environments.
Unidentified Bodies and Mass-Fatality Management in Haiti: A Case Study of the January 2010 Earthquake with a Cross-Cultural Comparison
Authors: McEntire David , Sadiq Abdul-Akeem , Gupta Kailash
Published: January 2023

The following paper examines the January 2010 earthquake in Haiti as a case study to understand what happens to unidentified bodies in mass-fatality management. The paper explores the literature on mass-fatality management, discusses the context of Haiti and the impact of the earthquake in this country, mentions the methods undertaken for this study, and then outlines the key findings from this particular disaster. The paper compares preliminary conclusions in Haiti to other incidents in India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka, and concludes with a discussion of implications for research and practice.
Resilience of Small Scale Enterprises to Natural Disasters: A Study of a Flood Prone Area in Bangladesh
Authors: Khan Mohammad Aftab Uddin , Sayem Amir Mohammad
Published: January 2023

The study investigated the level of resilience of, and identified factors affecting resilience in, small scale enterprises. A cross sectional survey was carried out with a sample of 254 micro entrepreneurs in a subdistrict of the Sirajganj district in Bangladesh. To investigate different sorts of business resilience, we developed several items for each scale. Results indicate that the items in each of the capital-based resiliences are reliable and valid, suggesting that the capital-based approach developed by Mayunga (2007) can be used to further test validity and reliability. Multivariate regression analysis revealed that several factors had significant impact on different sorts of capital-based resilience. Although there was variation in capital specific resilience, education, monthly income, number of years of engagement in the current profession, number of employees, type of market, monthly income through revenue or disposal before disaster, loan received prior to disaster, and perception of recovery dynamics all had significant impact. The study concluded with theoretical and applied implications of the findings.
Livestock Evacuation Planning for Natural and Man-made Emergencies
Authors: Vogiatzis Chrysafis , Yoshida Ruriko , Aviles-Spadoni Ines , Imamoto Shigeki , Pardalos Panos M.
Published: January 2023

On March 11, 2011, Japan was struck by the Great East Japan earthquake followed by a 23-foot tsunami, which crippled the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. Because of a lack of plans for livestock evacuation in the case of a nuclear power plant accident, local farmers in the Fukushima exclusion zone had significant losses. Development of a rigorous and mathematical formulation of an evacuation plan for livestock in a case of disasters is essential for producers to lessen the financial and emotional impacts. Thus, we propose two mathematical models for evacuation plan for livestock in the area around a nuclear power plant using integer programming over networks. Since solving an evacuation problem on a time dynamic network is NP-hard, we propose algorithms to estimate an optimal solution for our problem. The methods and models discussed herein apply not only to nuclear plant related disasters, but also to a variety of other emergencies.
Disaster Policy Change in Indonesia 1930–2010: From Government to Governance?
Authors: Lassa Jonatan A.
Published: January 2023

Scientific study on what actually drives disaster policy reform in the developing world is extremely limited. As pioneering research for Indonesia, this paper questions what are the forms of disaster risk governance in Indonesia through time and what are the main reasons for such changes over time. Disaster reduction policy reform in Indonesia today takes place amid global disaster risk governance initiatives under the auspicious Hyogo Framework for Action. The author observes that changes in disaster reduction policy in Indonesia over the last 80 years have been less attributed to domestic responses to the large scale natural catastrophes than to co-production of and interaction of local and disaster reduction actors and institutions. The paper highlights how new forms of risk governance have emerged from government as a dominant actor during the 20 th century to more polycentric governance in first decade of the 21 st century in Indonesia.
Utilising Participatory Research Techniques for Community-Based Disaster Risk Assessment
Authors: Niekerk Dewald Van , Annandale Elrista
Published: January 2023

Community-based disaster risk assessment yields the best results and most trustworthy primary data in understanding the disaster risk that communities face. Yet, most of the disaster risk assessments undertaken within South Africa exhibit very little evidence of community-based and participatory approaches. Participatory research techniques and capacity development interventions were used in a community-based disaster risk assessment project covering 22 communities in the North-West Province of South Africa. This article describes the methodology developed, as well as the resulting findings of one of these at-risk communities. The robust research approach proved to be reliable, valid, and trustworthy—and, at the same time, ensured direct community participation. A number of participatory research techniques such as transect walks, community workshops, and participatory GIS were employed. The research found that the knowledge in local communities is extremely reliable in the development of their disaster risk profile, and can mostly be unlocked through participatory methods.
Citizen Journalism as Data for Disaster Research
Authors: Watson Hayley
Published: January 2023

The “story” of a disaster is no longer simply told by the traditional media. Along with developments in communication technology, we are witnessing the desire of active citizens, via acts of citizen journalism, to be involved in telling the story of a “disaster”. Accordingly, from the perspective of disaster researchers seeking to understand how others perceive response to disaster, material created by citizen journalists provides a unique insight into the activities of members of the public following a disaster. The article begins by providing illustrations of acts of citizen journalism following acts of terrorism include the 2007 Glasgow airport attacks and the 2008 Mumbai attacks. The article then goes on to provide researchers with a methodological tool known as qualitative media analysis for the study of citizen journalism data. It will provide evidence of this methodology in action by presenting a case study of the 7th July 2005 London bombings.
Negotiations of Acknowledgement among Middle Class Residents: An Analysis of Post Disaster Interactions and Performance in a Danish Context
Authors: Andersen Nina Blom
Published: January 2023

This article presents an analysis of communication processes between residents, between residents and people in the broader societal context, as well as of media coverage of a fireworks disaster in a Danish suburb. It demonstrates how residents (all members of the Danish middle class) were able to have their situation—their affectedness— acknowledged in interactions with others and gain considerable attention immediately after the accident. In addition, it demonstrates how the initial acknowledgement decreased over time. In this case, the axes of differentiation did not relate to questions of gender, ethnicity, class or other social categories normally recognized as influential in case of disasters. Since the population in the area was very homogenous, the axis of differentiation was instead linked to the social category of affectedness, and a hierarchy of affectedness was identified within the population.
Preparing for Danger: On the Impact of Tornado Watches on Tornado Casualties
Authors: Sutter Daniel , Simmons Kevin M.
Published: January 2023

We explore the impact of tornado watches on tornado casualties. The time needed to take shelter for a tornado can be as little as a few minutes, but because warning lead times averaged less than 15 minutes in 2004, a watch could alert residents to be ready to receive and respond to a later warning. We find that casualties per tornado are greater for tornadoes occurring within a tornado watch, although this difference vanishes when controlling for tornado, warning, and path characteristics in a regression analysis. We find no evidence that watches reduce casualties, either directly or by increasing the effectiveness of tornado warnings. Tornadoes occurring within watches are more often warned for and warnings reduce casualties, so watches do contribute to lives saved through the warning process.
Beyond the IRB: An Ethical Toolkit for Long-Term Disaster Research
Authors: Browne Katherine E. , Peek Lori
Published: January 2023

This article argues for expanding the ethical frame of concern in disaster research from the early phases of site access to longer-term issues that may arise in the field. Drawing on ethical theory, these arguments are developed in five sections. First, we identify the philosophical roots of ethical principles used in social science research. Second, we discuss how ethical concerns span the entire lifecycle of disaster-related research projects but are not fully addressed in the initial protocols for gaining Institutional Research Board (IRB) approval. Third, we introduce the idea of the philosophically informed “ethical toolkit,” established to help build awareness of moral obligations and to provide ways to navigate ethical confusion to reach sound research decisions. Specifically, we use the work of W. D. Ross to introduce a template of moral considerations that include fidelity, reparation, gratitude, justice, beneficence, self-improvement, and non-maleficence. We suggest that in the absence of a clear framework that researchers can use to think through ethical dilemmas as they arise, Ross’ pluralist approach to ethical problem solving offers flexibility and clarity and, at the same time, leaves space to apply our own understanding of the context in question. Fourth, we draw on six examples from our research studies conducted following Hurricane Katrina. Using these examples, we discuss how, in retrospect, we can apply Ross’ moral considerations to the ethical issues raised including: (1) shifting vulnerability among disaster survivors, (2) the expectations of participants, and (3) concerns about reciprocity in long-term fieldwork. Fifth, we consider how the ethical toolkit we are proposing may improve the quality of research and research relationships.
Searching, Sharing, Acting: How Audiences Assess and Respond to Social Media Messages about Hazards
Authors: Vultee Fred , Ali Sadaf R. , Stover Christine M. , Vultee Denise M.
Published: January 2023

This study uses a controlled experiment to examine the decisions social media users make in large- and small-scale emergencies. Drawing on a diverse sample from an urban research university, it finds that hazard message features such as proximity and authority affect social media users’ perceptions about the salience and sufficiency of the information they receive, as well as the computer-mediated communication choices they make after their exposure to such messages. Results suggest that layering messages across new and old media platforms can offer promising results for emergency communicators using social media tools as well as for traditional mass media positioning themselves in the new media environment.
The Private and Social Benefits of Preparing for Natural Disasters
Authors: Stein Robert , Buzcu-Guven Birnur , Dueñas-Osorio Leonardo , Subramanian Devika
Published: January 2023

In this paper we inquire about the consequences of preparing for hurricanes for individuals and the larger community. Are there collective action benefits from individual-level preparation activities; do the actions individuals take to prepare themselves for a pending hurricane have social benefits for the entire community? We identify shadow evacuations – persons evacuating from areas not designated for evacuation–as a significant social cost that might be mitigated by individual preparation for severe weather. We test our hypotheses with data from a survey conducted with residents of Harris County, Texas, after Hurricane Ike in 2008. We find that preparation has a negative effect on personal injury and property damage and that preparation has a significant and negative effect on the likelihood individuals evacuate, especially residents of non-evacuation areas (low risk areas). Our findings have strong implications on how emergency planners and local officials should prepare for and communicate with the public before severe weather episodes.
Modeling Psychosocial Decision Making in Emergency Operations Centres
Authors: Javor Andrea J. , Pearce Laurie D. R. , Thompson Alanna J. , Moran Ciara B.
Published: January 2023

The researchers compared the effectiveness of two decision models for modeling decision making in Emergency Operations Centers (EOCs): Klein's Recognition Primed Decision (RPD) model and Gladwin's Ethnographic Decision Tree Model (EDTM). The focus was on decisions that affect the psychological and social well-being of responders and community members. Communities of EOC personnel participated in a simulated emergency event, followed by an interview and/or focus group. Analysis of the decision-making processes during the simulation revealed that most operational decisions were made intuitively, with expertise, and best modeled by RPD. When the decisions involved issues for which EOC personnel had less experience (e.g., psychosocial issues), the decision-making approach shifted from a fast intuitive style to a more deliberative style. In some cases, EOC staff requested additional information before making a decision. With no formalized feedback loops, decisions were delayed or not made at all, leaving community residents and EOC personnel without psychosocial services for unnecessary lengths of time. The researchers found the RPD model to be most useful in its potential for identifying areas where future training (i.e., simulated exercises) and education (i.e., knowledge transfer) could be offered to EOC personnel to improve the provision of psychosocial services.
Vietnamese Refugees’ Perspectives on their Community's Resilience in the Event of a Natural Disaster
Authors: Xin Huaibo , Aronson Robert E. , Lovelace Kay A. , Strack Robert W. , Villalba José A.
Published: January 2023

Researchers have urged that community resilience be integrated in preparing for public emergencies to improve individuals’ resilience. This study explored Vietnamese refugees’ shared perspectives on their community resilience in the face of a natural disaster and factors that either facilitated or impeded their community resilience. Using ethnographic approach, 20 ethnic Vietnamese and Montagnard adult refugees living in North Carolina were interviewed, using a semi-structured interview guide. Three themes emerged from the data: (1) Greensboro is a good place to live, with many resources to draw on during a natural disaster; (2) The City can be trusted to respond effectively during a natural disaster especially because of the city government; and (3) The refugee community will face significant challenges. Future efforts should be directed to developing effective channels for refugees to access information, make connections with existing community resources, and facilitate collaboration among multiethnic groups when encountering a natural disaster.
Religious Actors in Disaster Relief: An Introduction
Authors: Bush Robin , Fountain Philip , Feener R. Michael
Published: January 2023

The neglected intersection between religion and disaster relief should be given much greater attention. This emerging field is an intellectually compelling area for study, though much work stills needs to be done to explore the processes that take place on the ground in different settings. It is also important for practitioners and policy makers involved in disaster response to have a nuanced understanding of the work that religious actors undertake. This special issue begins with an interview with representatives of prominent humanitarian organizations, all of whom call for greater attention to the work of religious actors in disaster relief. The following case studies provide a textured empirical analysis of religious responses to disasters in contemporary Asia. By attending to particular contexts it is shown that religious actors can and do play important yet complex roles in relief processes. This special issue – edited by Philip Fountain, Robin Bush, and R. Michael Feener – aims to critically examine these diverse intersections and also help set future research agendas on the subject.
Religion in Spaces of Social Disruption: Re-Reading the Public Transcript of Disaster Relief in Pakistan
Authors: Aijazi Omer , Panjwani Dilnoor
Published: January 2023

This paper explores how everyday religious narratives in post-disaster contexts can be interpreted as key sites of agency articulated in resistance to dominant discourses of disaster relief. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork among affected communities after the 2010 floods in Pakistan, we argue that religious discourses code everyday actions with political meaning and significance. Deploying Scott's (1990) theorization of hidden transcripts and everyday acts of resistance, as well as Mahmood's (2005) more recent framing of agency as a capacity for action, we argue that local communities are dynamic political actors capable of transformative interventions even in the wake of major disasters and the relief efforts that ensue in their wake. By exploring how religious narratives are mobilized by local communities we seek to better understand how the post -disaster arena is used to rework concepts of ‘beneficiaries’, ‘relief provision,’ and ‘religion.’
Waves of Conversion? the Tsunami, ‘Unethical Conversions,’ and Political Buddhism in Sri Lanka
Authors: Hertzberg Michael
Published: January 2023

Kleinfeld (2007) argues that humanitarian space should not be thought of as distinct from the political space, and that the repertoire of humanitarian actions always takes place within this pre-existing political space. This article explores this proposition within the context of the public debates on ‘unethical conversions’ in Sri Lanka following the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami. While, for my Buddhist informants, the tsunami was seen as enabling a sudden influx of numerous foreign NGOs to Sri Lanka, some of whom were suspected of proselytizing intentions, my Christian informants related to the post-tsunami period as involving a “suspension of hostilities”, which opened new opportunities to prove their worth to Sri Lankan society through their tsunami rehabilitation work. Indeed, some Christian relief organizations were able to temporarily negotiate a humanitarian space for themselves in local particularities. Nevertheless, allegations of ‘unethical conversions’ and the general mistrust of NGOs, which came to dominate Sri Lankan political discourse, were vital issues in the creation of a ‘nationalist’ political discourse which has had extensive and long-term effects.
Disaster ‘Caliphatization’: Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia, Islamic Aceh, and the Indian Ocean Tsunami
Authors: Nurdin Muhammad Riza
Published: January 2023

The devastation caused by the December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami opened access for many different organizations to enter Aceh to conduct disaster relief operations. This paper examines the role of one such actor, the Islamic organization Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI). Through its humanitarian work, including the provision of relief aid, medical care, and trauma healing, HTI pursued its political-religious vision of ‘caliphatization’, the restoration of a global Caliphate and the implementation of Islamic law. Because Islam was already a dominant feature of the Acehnese context with the vast majority of Acehnese declaring a Muslim identity, the case of HTI's disaster relief work was one of intra-religious proselytization to proximate others. Even so, HTI's project was intended to be transformative. However, while the disaster clearly provided an opening for HTI to expand its work in Aceh, and while HTI experienced significant growth in the region as a consequence, its wider project of ‘caliphatization’ failed to resonate with political elites and has had little impact on political processes. This paper analyses HTI's disaster relief work and assesses the reasons for both its rapid growth and limited political impact.
Breaking Rules to be Compassionate: The ‘Skillful Means’ of Buddhist Relief after the Wenchuan Earthquake Disaster
Authors: Chengzhong Pu
Published: January 2023

In the aftermath of the 2008 Great Wenchuan Earthquake, China, the ancient Buddhist Luohan Monastery became an important locus for disaster relief services. This included becoming a temporary maternity ward as the nearby hospital was badly damaged. This paper examines the monastery's relief efforts as a case of socially engaged Buddhism. It pays particular attention to the ways in which the head monk of the monastery, Shi Suquan, negotiated tensions between responding to the desperate needs of nearby residents and long-standing religious rules and taboos which, on the surface at least, stood in opposition to certain forms of relief practices. The paper argues that he used Buddhist doctrines, particularly the Mahāyāna concept of ‘skillful means,’ to renegotiate the taboos by privileging the ethical imperative of compassionate action.
Impacts of Wildfires on School Children: A Case Study of Slave Lake, Alberta, Canada
Authors: Townshend Ivan , Awosoga Olu , Kulig Judith , Botey Anna Pujadas , Shepard Blythe , McFarlane Bonita
Published: January 2023

Wildfires are becoming increasingly common, but there is limited understanding of their effects on children. This article reports on a study of wildfire impacts on children in a Canadian community. Self-reported measures of posttraumatic stress and coping and behavioral difficulties were obtained from a school-based survey of children in grades three to 12 carried out six months (T1) and 12 months (T2) after the fires. Students completed two screening instruments: the University of California at Los Angeles Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Reaction Index for Children and Adolescents – DSM-IV-TR, and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, and provided information about demographic details and loss of their home. Paired data (n = 140) revealed that a substantial number of children met certain PTSD criteria symptoms at T1 but the number declined by T2. Differences in symptoms by age, gender, and house loss were examined. Age and house loss were important differentiators of impact, but these waned through time, and house loss was not a defining trait of those most at risk of severe psychopathology. Future research examining children's responses to a variety of disasters would add to our knowledge about stress reactions while determining whether there are commonalities in responses across types of disasters.
Rural Community Disaster Resiliency: Self-Organizing Collective Action among Farmworkers in Central Florida
Authors: Rivera Fernando I. , Kapucu Naim , Hawkins Christopher
Published: January 2023

In this article we examined how voluntary and self-organizing efforts contributed to disaster resiliency in a rural community in Central Florida. We analyzed data from a focus group with farmworkers in Central Florida to investigate how self-organizing collective action can help develop more resilient communities in socially vulnerable populations. We identified three major themes within our coding scheme: past disaster experiences, self-organizing collective action, and challenges to self-organizing collective action and resilience. The results indicated that past disaster experiences provided an opportunity for these farmworkers to mobilize their social capital and network partnerships to self-organize and develop disaster resilience. The findings indicated that self-organizing collective action could be effective in creating disaster resilience, even in socially vulnerable populations. Nonetheless, the results also indicated certain challenges to self-organizing collective action and resilience such as: language barriers, an anti-immigrant sentiment, poor relations with law enforcement, and lack of work. These challenges are constant reminders that the goal of creating truly disaster resilient communities cannot be reached if these conditions are not lessen or eradicated.
Hindrance or Help? A Model for the Involvement of Politicians in Communicating with Publics during Disasters
Authors: McLean Hamish , Ewart Jacqui
Published: January 2023

Australia has experienced a number of significant natural disasters during the past few years with politicians increasingly involved in the provision of information to publics before, during and after disasters. Drawing on data from interviews with senior executives of Australian emergency management agencies we explore how these organisations manage the involvement of political actors in the public communication of disasters. We also investigate how emergency agencies manage their relationships with their political leaders in the recovery phase. We identify that improvements can be made to the ways politicians communicate with publics about disasters and we outline a preliminary best practice model for the involvement of politicians in delivering disaster warnings and information in the lead up to and during a disaster, and in the recovery process.
Outsourced Responsibilities and New Public Management: The Context of Swedish Crisis Management as Seen from County Administration Boards
Authors: Engberg Jan , Wimelius Malin E.
Published: January 2023

In this article, a storm named Hilde is the entry point for an exploration and analysis of the consequences of public sector reforms on the crisis management system in Sweden. We are particularly interested in reforms of decentralization, privatization, and the adoption of New Public Management (NPM) mechanisms. Empirically, we study the views of Civil Defence Directors at County Administration Boards (CABs). The 21 CABs represent the central government at the regional level and are required by law to coordinate crisis management between national agencies, municipalities, and private interests. Our empirical investigations indicate that the Defence Directors perceive and adapt to reforms differently depending on the size of CABs, thereby bringing to the fore critical matters of equivalence. It also appears as if the discretion that the reforms were supposed to provide for crisis management actors is severely hampered by NPM inspired regulations, competitive features, and instruments of control.
Essential Household Capabilities for Community Resilience during a Post-Tornado Blackout
Authors: O'Brien Marita A. , Shreeves Michael
Published: January 2023

This paper aims to improve residential preparation for natural disasters and their aftermath by identifying the critical capabilities for adaptation in one highly resilient U.S. county during an extended power blackout after a tornado. We present findings from a survey and structured interviews of residents of Madison County, Alabama who remained in their homes during a blackout following a tornado on April 27, 2011. In particular, we examined the technical capabilities of these individuals that were used to respond to expected needs and to adapt to unexpected issues. We found that even without intentional preparation, participants had technologies to support critical functions but lacked consumables and resources for emerging needs. Nonetheless, participants adapted well because critical items were mostly easy to use, additional resources were available in the community, and their technical knowledge and skills facilitated effective problem-solving and innovation. Critical functions identified for home habitability are listed with examples of versatile ways these functions were accommodated during the blackout. Additional research is needed to validate the proposed list of critical functions and to develop measures that can be used to assess technical capabilities that foster community resilience. Research is also needed to validate the proposed activities that governmental and non-governmental organizations could undertake to foster resilience such as encouraging lay community members to reflect on lessons learned and the usefulness of relevant household items during disaster training and practice drills.
Central Social Media Actors in Disaster Information Networks
Authors: Steinberg Alan , Wukich Clayton , Wu Hao-Che
Published: January 2023

Government agencies and media outlets traditionally have played central roles in disaster information networks. However, their hub status has slightly diminished as social media empowers others to communicate more easily. Little systemic research has identified the key actors in these new information networks. This paper examines Twitter hashtag networks during four disasters, the Boston Marathon bombing; the West, Texas fertilizer plant explosion; the Midwest spring flooding in Peoria, Illinois; and the Moore, Oklahoma tornado. Findings indicate minimal government and nonprofit involvement. While traditional media outlets still played an important role in some networks, others were more heavily shaped by influential private citizens. We examine those networks by identifying key actors and evaluating their message content and conclude by offering an initial typology for hashtag information networks and discuss directions for future research.
Responding to a Campus Emergency: The Effect of Alert Sources on Learning, Message Speed, and Perceptions of Campus Safety
Authors: Lachlan Kenneth A. , Spence Patric R. , McIntyre J.J.
Published: January 2023

University campuses present unique challenges for crisis communication practitioners, especially in the aftermath of violent crimes and other major safety and public relations incidents. In the aftermath of a recent campus shooting, students were surveyed to determine the speed of information dissemination, the relationship between primary information sources and message speed, and the impact that message speed had on subsequent perceptions of campus safety and the university as a whole. Those informed by personalized media learned of the shooting sooner and formed more favorable opinions about the university. The findings have implications for emergency planners and crisis communication practitioners.
Disaster Recovery Planning after Two Catastrophes: The 1976 Tangshan Earthquake and the 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake
Authors: Zhang Yang , Drake William , Xiao Yu , Olshansky Robert , Johnson Laurie , Song Yan
Published: January 2023

The 1976 Tangshan earthquake and the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake rank among the deadliest natural disasters in the world. We argue that China's weak planning capacity and its inexperience with disaster recovery in the 1970s were important contributing factors to the slow recovery after the Tangshan earthquake. The recovery planning struggled to present a blueprint that balanced the time sensitive nature of disaster recovery against the government's ideologically-driven desire to reinvent Tangshan into a model socialist city. The recovery planning after the Wenchuan earthquake was heavily influenced by the lessons that the Chinese government drew from its own handling of the Tangshan earthquake recovery. The national government put great emphasis on the speed of recovery planning and progress – with great attention directed towards the housing sector. China's strong planning institutions and the existence of prior development visions for the disaster region enabled the government to achieve its goals of speedy planning and fast physical reconstruction. However, future research is needed to investigate how this form of rapid physical planning and reconstruction relates to the overall socio-economic recovery in the earthquake-impacted area.
Stop Disasters 2.0: Video Games as Tools for Disaster Risk Reduction
Authors: Gampell Anthony Viennaminovich , Gaillard JC
Published: January 2023

Increasingly, international organisations (e.g. UNESCO, UNISDR), governments (e.g. Canada), and non-government organisations (NGOs) (e.g. Save the Children, Christian Aid) and researchers use video games to raise disaster and disaster risk reduction (DRR) awareness. Yet, there is a paucity of studies on these games in the disaster literature. This article presents a typology specifically designed to deconstruct both disaster awareness building and mainstream disaster orientated video games, identifying how games like Stop Disasters, Disaster Watch, Inside Haiti, Earthquake Response, Fallout and SimCity instil disaster awareness, portray hazards, vulnerabilities, capacities, disasters and DRR. The article also touches upon ideas of game content, player motivation, skill building and social interaction in the context of disaster themed video games. The findings suggest video games have the potential to be positive tools to reinforce messages surrounding DRR, though further research is necessary. This article sets an agenda for future research.
“It's Not Where I'd be Running like an Idiot for a Small One:” Hurricane Perceptions and Evacuation Decision Making among Florida Mobile Home Residents
Authors: Kusenbach Margarethe
Published: January 2023

In the eyes of experts, Florida mobile home residents near the Central Gulf coast experience high levels of disaster risk and physical vulnerability, mandating special warnings and protections during hazards. However, this view is not typically shared by mobile home residents themselves who generally consider the risk of hurricanes to be low or acceptable, and who often believe their homes are safe enough, at least up to a certain point. These mundane perceptions, in combination with other factors, rather than “objective” risk and vulnerability, significantly influence how mobile home residents make evacuation decisions. Contributing to the issues of social vulnerability and marginality in disaster research, this paper offers a qualitative analysis of 103 interviews with Florida mobile home households conducted between 2008 and 2010. Besides demonstrating patterns of risk and (physical) vulnerability perception among study participants, and evaluating their impact on evacuation decisions, the analysis highlights the need to account for human agency and interpretation in scholarly disaster discourse, proposing symbolic interactionism as a relevant theoretical framework.
Understanding Divergent Constructions of Vulnerability and Resilience: Climate Change Discourses in the German Cities of Lübeck and Rostock
Authors: Christmann Gabriela B. , Heimann Thorsten
Published: January 2023

In social-science based research, it is still an open question how cities cope with the multi-faceted challenges of climate change. Via the example of the German coastal cities of Lübeck and Rostock and on the basis of a discourse analysis (of news articles and expert interviews), this paper contributes to this research question by asking how cities actually perceive their vulnerability and resilience related to climate impacts. The study reveals that perceptions in the two cities differ considerably and are idiosyncratic when compared to each other. This is remarkable because both cities share similar geographic conditions as well as climate forecasts. Furthermore, they both have in common a long history as Hanseatic cities. What makes Rostock special, however, is that it was part of the former German Democratic Republic and that, after the German reunification in 1990, it suffered from socio-economic problems and marginalization. The paper's findings raise the question of how divergent local knowledge about climate-related vulnerability and resilience can be conceptualized. It is also imperative to consider how local experiences of economic problems and social marginalization influence local knowledge regarding climate change. Consequently, the authors suggest a theoretical approach which is mainly based on social constructionism. Furthermore, they highlight the role that locally shared experiences— such as of social marginalization—play in the emergence of climate change constructions.
Bridging the Participatory Gap: Children with Disabilities and Disaster Risk Reduction
Authors: Ronoh Steve , Gaillard J.C. , Marlowe Jay
Published: January 2023

Disaster risk reduction (DRR) needs to be inclusive. However, potentially vulnerable groups such as children with disabilities are often excluded. Their perceptions and views are overlooked due to existing structural forms of exclusion and lack of inclusive methods that enable children to effectively contribute to DRR. This paper provides an insight into understanding the complexities of DRR participation among twenty-seven children with disabilities from three case study schools in New Zealand. It explores the notion of ‘participation’ through flexible participatory tools. It involved mapping of safe and unsafe areas of their class and the school during a disaster, and proportional piling activities representing identified potential natural hazards in their region. The approach was able to accommodate and permit a sustained continuum of engagement among children with diverse disabilities, capacities and experiences. Crucially, it offers a bridge that recognizes communication as a two-way process between adults and children, where adults learn how children express their views, thus according them a voice in DRR.
Perceived Stakeholder Characteristics and Protective Action for Influenza Emergencies: A Comparative Study of Respondents in the United States and China
Authors: Wei Hung-Lung , Lindell Michael K. , Prater Carla S. , Wei Jiuchang , Wang Fei , Ge Yue Gurt
Published: January 2023

This study was designed to determine if respondents in the United States (Texas State) and China (Anhui province) differed in their perceptions of three stakeholder types (authorities, news media, and peers) with respect to three stakeholder characteristics (expertise, trustworthiness, and protection responsibility) and if these stakeholder perceptions were significantly correlated with protective actions for influenza. Both Texas and Anhui respondents rated expertise, trustworthiness, and protection responsibility as highest for public health authorities and lowest for Internet/social media. However, the differences between ratings for authorities and peers were greater in Texas than in Anhui and the correlations of stakeholder characteristics with protective action were quite different between Texas and Anhui. These results suggest that public health authorities should recognize that there are differences across countries in people's perceptions of authorities, news media and peers. These differences are important because people's perceptions of different stakeholders are significantly correlated with their protective actions in response to pandemic influenza.
Command and Control: Challenging Fallacies of the ‘Military Model’ in Research and Practice
Authors: Burke Ryan P.
Published: January 2023

Disaster researchers advocate for a flexible problem-solving approach emphasizing creativity, initiative, and improvisation in disaster response. Researchers decry the rigid approach widely referred as the “military model,” or command and control. Yet practitioners often support this “command post” approach to response. Researchers and practitioners, however, fail to recognize that the model they either reject or support, respectively, is an inaccurate representation of actual military command and control in both doctrine and practice. This article compares military and disaster literature command and control archetypes and presents them as remarkably similar. In so doing, it challenges existing command and control paradigms and argues that the research view is quite similar to the true military approach. The central aim of this paper seeks to dismiss inaccurate assumptions of the command and control model while persuading critics to adopt a new and more informed assessment of the military model in its modern form.
That's a Myth! Teaching about Disaster Myths through Experiential Learning
Authors: Sutton Jeannette , Kaufmann Renee
Published: January 2023

Experiential learning theory suggests that students learn best when they experience, reflect, conceptualize, and apply newfound knowledge. In this series of exercises, students will learn about disaster myths by observing concrete examples, reflecting on them critically, and applying concepts to real world examples. By doing so, they obtain skills to assess and analyze myths about public behavior in the aftermath of a disaster.
Interdisciplinary Citizen Science and Design Projects for Hazard and Disaster Education
Authors: Masterson Jaimie Hicks , Meyer Michelle Annette , Ghariabeh Nasir , Hendricks Marccus , Lee Ryun Jung , Musharrat Saima , Newman Galen , Sansom Garett , Zandt Shannon Van
Published: January 2023

Disaster science is increasingly incorporating interdisciplinary methods and participatory research techniques. Yet, traditional higher education programs remain focused on lecture. More examples of educational efforts that meet the needs of future researchers and practitioners to foster collaboration across disciplines and with communities are needed. This paper describes one such effort that included three projects co-designed and co-led by university students, faculty, and community residents to address flooding challenges in socially vulnerable neighborhoods. This paper provides an overview of the educational programs, the three projects, and the feedback from graduate and undergraduate students who helped initiate these efforts, and discusses the benefits and challenges for similar interdisciplinary and participatory educational programs. Benefits for students include increased interdisciplinary dialogue, improved science communication, increased research participation, real-world research experience, and awareness of resident perspectives and knowledge. Challenges include a lack of cultural competency among students, time needed to earn resident trust, and mismatched community, academic, and student schedules.