Search

There are a wide variety of hazards that create disasters and emergencies. These dangers may occur directly in the area of residence or may occur due to the impact of danger in another region. Both scenarios affect the individual's life to different extents. Making preparations to reduce the impact and severity of harm and damage caused by hazard-related risks is an important step for prevention activities. Within the scope of this paper, the perceptions of individual preparedness for disasters and emergencies of faculty members working at universities in Istanbul were examined. Faculty members' perception of individual preparedness for disasters and emergencies is of great importance for the general safety of educational institutions and society. This perception is essential to ensuring the safety of students, staff and other stakeholders. Faculty members' ability to recognize potential dangers and take appropriate precautions increases their ability to react quickly and effectively in times of crisis. In addition, this perception encourages faculty members to contribute to disaster and emergency plans. By being aware of individual security, assuming a stronger protective role for the institution, the perception of individual preparedness is a vital factor for the overall security of educational institutions and society. The findings were analyzed and the results were compared. According to the findings obtained from the study, it was determined that parameters such as age, marital status, working in the private sector, having an administrative position, receiving training on disaster and emergency situations, and being exposed to danger in the institution where one works, have an impact on individual perception in preparation for disasters and emergencies. It has been observed that these topics have an impact on raising awareness. The importance of faculty members' perceptions, awareness and individual readiness regarding preparedness for disasters and emergencies is emphasized in the study and suggestions are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Türkiye experienced the biggest earthquake in its history on February 6, 2023; The earthquake, which affected 11 provinces, caused the death of more than fifty thousand of our people, the crippling or injury of hundreds of thousands of people, the financial loss of more than one hundred and four billion dollars, and the psychological and sociological destruction whose effects will not be erased for many years. However, the Republic of Türkiye has been struggling from the very first moment to overcome the disaster with the least damage and to heal the wounds as soon as possible by mobilizing all its means with the state and nation. Civil administrators, who are one of the leading actors in this struggle, have struggled in and outside the disaster area from the very first moment, especially with their disaster manager roles. In this study, the disaster management role of civil administrators, who are mostly known for their routine civil administration roles, but their roles in emergencies and play a critical role in solving public and social problems, will be discussed on the axis of the 6 February Earthquake. The aim of the study is to raise administrative and academic awareness by demonstrating the importance of civil administrators in terms of crisis management. In the study, literatüre and legislation scanning method will be used. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As Türkiye is affected by various disasters due to its geographical location, steps are being taken for risk reduction policies on an urban scale against these disasters. The phenomenon of urbanization, which started with the Industrial Revolution, has come to include laws and regulations regarding disaster management over the years. The material and moral destruction caused by the 1999 Marmara earthquake and the February 6, 2023, Kahramanmaraş earthquake in Türkiye's history show the need to re-examine disaster management policies that have been going on for years. In this context, the main topic of the study is the analysis of the impact of the studies carried out for disasterresistant cities on the urbanization process over time. The study considers the period starting with the Proclamation of the Republic in 1923. It examines the laws and regulations put into effect until 2023, the disasters experienced, the damages they caused, and the work done after the disaster. The relationship between disaster and studies on disaster and their impact on the urbanization process has been analyzed under four main period headings. As a result of examining the effect of disaster management policies implemented in the last hundred years on the country, it is important to consider the long-term effects of future works within the scope of urbanization to revise the architectural perspective in building design towards disaster and to ensure that the control mechanism operates following the relevant regulations. It is also recommended that the laws that will be put into effect in the future should be sustainable and applicable and provide the potential to become a city resilient to possible disasters together with the relevant stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Kayseri, the ninth biggest city in Turkey, the regions opened to the ongoing construction of residential areas are expanding rapidly parallel to population growth. Soil improvement works are carried out in areas with the poor bearing capacity of foundations and in regions that are not suitable for safe construction. This event causes severe economic losses in urban development. This study proposes a (Geographic Information System) GIS-based approach to comprehensively understand the research area's underground conditions, predetermine the zones opened for construction by considering the parameters affecting the foundation of the buildings, and create an informative geotechnical model with visualization technology. For an exemplary application, a database was created with ArcGIS in the Kayseri Oymaağaç location, and geological and geotechnical data were combined. The soil properties of this one million five hundred thousand square meter area opened for new settlement were analyzed in a GIS environment. The variation of SPT-N values measured in 60 boreholes in the field with depth, soil types, groundwater levels, and Vs data were used to combine the data, and related maps were drawn. Then, maps of the liquefaction of the soil in a possible earthquake and visual maps showing the bearing capacity of the foundations were created. This study will offer the best and most reliable land-use scenarios and in situ soil properties to decision-makers such as engineers, government agencies and disaster management. It will contribute to making accurate and fast decisions in urban planning. In addition, it will also be able to use as a tool for risk management in emergencies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disasters are extraordinary facts that affect the lives of individuals, societies and cause loss of life and property. These events are defined as "natural facts that affect, disrupt the life of local communities, such as earthquakes, fire, flood, landslide, avalanche and rockfall". Turkey is a country that has experienced various disasters due to its geography and geology. Earthquakes have caused lots of damage. The first approach in comprehensive disaster management in Turkey is the Law No. 7269 dated 1959 on "Aids to be Made with Measures to be Taken Due to Disasters Affecting Public Life". In Turkey, five-yeared development plans (9th plan- 7- years) was implemented in a 55-year period (1963-2022) and the 11th Plan (2019-2023) is still being implemented. A limited information is given about the disasters from the first to the sixth plan. In Development Plans, the unplanned growth cities by going beyond the zoning law, the slums around them, the opening of fertile agricultural lands to industry and human settlements are important problems in terms of disasters. In order to reduce disaster damage, should be given importance to education and scientific research, coordination and cooperation between private, local governments, national, international and voluntary organizations should be ensured. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today, as a result of the policies applied in health and humanitarian needs, many integrated health campuses and city hospitals have started to be built in addition to normal hospitals. These health complexes, which have grown and developed both in terms of quantity and quality, have also brought up the question of whether the current regulations and plans on emergency management in the fight against fire are sufficient. The designs of health facilities and hospitals should be done in the safest and most efficient way possible, due to the sensitive and complex units and the profile of users with limited mobility. In the study, no comprehensive emergency management study was found in hospitals specific to fire. In order to fill this gap in the literature, it is aimed to determine the critical success factors related to emergency management in firefighting of hospitals and health institutions by conducting literature research and to weight them with the AHP method. As a result of the study, it was recommended to raise awareness of the need for a separate and special regulation for hospitals, and to plan according to the weights of critical success factors (CSF) in budget studies to be carried out for fire protection in hospitals. When the CSF weights obtained as a result of the AHP method were examined, it was seen that the two most important factors were the deficiencies in the regulations and the architectural design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the study is to determine whether there is a significant difference according to demographic variables by determining the internal communication levels of the Emergency and Disaster Response personnel at the moment of the crisis. With the findings to be obtained, it is aimed to determine the communication problems of Emergency and Disaster Response personnel and to pave the way for more effective work. The main title of the research scale is "Internal Communication During Crisis" and it is divided into 4 subfactors: "Evaluation of Crisis Team Communication", "Evaluation of Crisis Individual Communication Activation", "Evaluation of Accessibility and Awareness of Communicative Crisis Management Plans" and "Evaluating the Functionality of Communicative Crisis Management Plans". The questionnaire includes 6 demographic questions or a total of 23 questions of the Internal Communication Scale of the Moment of Crisis. Frequency, percentage tables and Mann-Whitney U test were used in the study. The universe of the research is the employees working in the State Airports Administration, the Disaster and Emergency Presidency, the Regional Directorate of Forestry and the Fire Department (working in emergency and disaster response), working in Trabzon. A total of 103 personnel were reached and a questionnaire was conducted. The survey was conducted between 28.11.2020-15.12.2020. It has been found that team communication at the time of the crisis varies in terms of different factors and variables. In addition, when the results of the test conducted to determine whether the answers given to the questions differ according to demographic variables, it has been found that 2 questions in terms of gender, 1 question in terms of marital status, 2 questions in terms of seniority, 2 questions in terms of age, 13 questions in terms of the institution employed, and 6 questions according to the title variable differs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to present a comparative analysis of the results of Turkey's 2021 Inform (Risk Management Analysis) risk index and the results of Turkey's bordering countries. These countries are Turkey, Greece, Bulgaria, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Iraq, and Syria. The data analyzed in Inform Risk Index are hazard and exposure, vulnerability, and lack of coping capacity. The data regarding exposure to natural and man-made hazards, socioeconomic vulnerability, and the risk of vulnerability in terms of vulnerable groups within the country under the relevant main titles were analyzed. In addition, the data regarding the lack of coping capacity of the countries in terms of institutions and infrastructure against hazards and harms were also analyzed. According to the Inform Risk Index, these countries were ranked as follows from highest to lowest risk: Syria, Iraq, Iran, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia, Greece, and Bulgaria. The risk groups of these countries vary in different categories. It may be argued that the categories of bordering countries' risk index affect each other. It may also be argued that in the long run, the potential disasters in bordering countries may also pose a risk factor in various aspects in neighboring countries. In this sense, effective execution of long-term strategic risk management plans for efficient use of scarce resources may contribute to increasing the coping capacity of the countries with disasters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resilience was first defined in a dictionary published in 1618. Its use in urban planning literature by associating it with the definition in the 1973 publication of Crawford Stanley Holling, who is interested in the ecology. It was used with the concepts of disaster and risk in the 2000s. One of the main reasons why the concept has started to be used in disaster and risk studies is that disasters cause loss of life and property at local and global level. In this study, the historical development of disaster risks and resilience were mentioned. By doing secondary data and content analysis, national and international studies were examined. Three models, which are widely used in urban resilience studies, have been selected from 25 different resilience studies and methods conducted socially and spatially while dealing with disaster and disaster risks. These three models are; Baseline Resilience Indicators For Communities, Arup & Rockefeller Foundation Resilience City Index, and UNISDR The Disaster Resilience Scorecard For Cities. These selected models have been compared with each other since they differ in terms of the tools and methods used. It is thought that this study will contribute to the development of urban resilience models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Türkiye ölüm, yaralanma ve mal kaybına yol açan afetlerle sık sık karşılaşmıştır. Bu doğal tehlikeler arasında başta depremler olmak üzere, heyelanlar, su baskınları, kaya ve çığ düşmeleri, kuraklık önemli oranda zararlara yol açmıçtır. Afetlerin önlenmesi ve zararlarının azaltılması amacıyla bir afet olayının öncesi, sırası ve sonrasında yapılması gereken çalışmaların, planlanması, yönlendirilmesi, koordine edilmesi, desteklenmesi ve uygulanabilmesi için toplumun tüm kurum ve kuruluşlarıyla, kaynakların bu ortak hedefer doğrultusunda yönetilmesini gerekmektedir. Ayrıca afet zararlarının azaltılması ve afetlerin önlenmesi ancak çok disiplinli bir yaklaşımla uygulanacak afet risk yönetimi ile mümkün olabilir. Bir genel kolluk teşkilatlanması olan jandarma da afetlerde görev alan ve önemli rol ve işlevler üstlenen bir yapılanmadır. Bu bağlamda Türkiye Afet Planı (TAMP)'nda görev ve sorumlulukları bulunan koordinasyon birimlerinin rolleri açısından özellikle toplanma ve barınma süreçlerinde etkisi giderek öne çıkmaktadır.Bu çalışmada afet yönetiminin bir parçası olan Jandarma'nın Elazığ Depremi'nde icra ettiği faaliyetlerdeki çadır kurma birliklerinin etkinliği ile bu hususun kamudaki iletişim ve medya yansımalarına ilişkin olgular analiz edilmektedir. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considering that the education infrastructure and beneficiaries are damaged by disasters and service continuity is not ensured, an effective disaster management scheme is needed for resilient education infrastructure.In this context, it is aimed to evaluate the perspectives of school administrators on disaster preparedness, roles and responsibilities. Within the scope of the study, face-to-face interviews were conducted using semi-structured interview forms with 26 participants working as school administrators in 10 different schools in the center of Gümüşhane province, which were determined by criterion sampling method. The data were collected in the 2019-2020 academic year fall-spring term. As a result of the analysis, the participants who stated that they do not have a role in disaster and emergency situations, revealed a very broad approach when they stated the roles they should have. It is recommended that experts who have completed their training in disaster management are included in the organizational structure, creating professional units, identifying hazards, preparing risk and crisis plans, supporting all phases of disaster management with legislation for units, and clarifying roles for disasters and emergencies. Education infrastructure resistance should be addressed by revealing all its dimensions and examining them in depth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Turkey, which is one of the risky countries in terms of disasters, although the changes in the legislation, the systems established, the training campaigns carried out and the efforts to eliminate the security gap are continuous, the lack of a disaster preparedness created within the framework of its own value judgments in the society shows itself. In this context, the aim of the research is to create a structural model that reveals the relationship between the values, beliefs and attitudes that are assumed to affect disaster preparedness behaviors. The study included 800 people who were determined by using simple random sampling method from individuals aged 18 and over residing in the province of Izmir. As a data collection tool; A questionnaire consisting of 64 questions and 5 parts was used. The research questions were evaluated with a 5-point Likert scale. Within the scope of the research, SPSS 21.0 was used in exploratory factor analysis and reliability analysis, and AMOS 24.0 program was used in creating the measurement model, testing the structural equation model, determining the fit indices and determining the direct-indirect effects. The results of the study showed that disaster preparedness beliefs directly and positively affect disaster preparedness values, disaster preparedness attitudes and disaster preparedness behaviors; disaster preparedness values directly and indirectly affect disaster preparedness behaviors positively; showed that disaster preparedness attitudes do not directly or indirectly affect disaster preparedness behaviors in a positive way. Based on the results of the research, it is recommended to create and disseminate a disaster culture in the society by making radical changes in disaster preparedness behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within the scope of the Provincial Level Disaster Risk Reduction Plan (IRAP) carried out by the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) in provinces with earthquake probability, the risk map of the cities has been started to be prepared. One of the priority titles of risk studies is determining the buffer zones of faults. The deformation and risk caused by the fault in the settlement area cause loss of area and value on the surface. In order to prevent loss of life and property during a possible earthquake, great importance to determine the buffer zone correctly. In this study, the engineering properties of the Pleistocene-Holocene clay deposits in the Van / Bardakçı region, which consists of old lake and stream sediments located in the east of Lake Van, and how the thrust fault cutting these sediments affects the soils properties was investigated. The characteristics of the soils were determined on the clay samples taken from both the hanging and foot walls by drillings along the Van Fault which caused the 23 October 2011 (Mw = 7.1) Van earthquake. In the field, Standard Penetration Test (SPT) and Menard Pressiometer Test (MPT) were performed. At the same time, disturbed and undisturbed (UD) soil samples were taken from the clay deposits and their physical and mechanical properties were determined in the laboratory. When the results were evaluated, it has been determined that the soil properties of the hanging wall show lower strength properties than the footwall in the zone near to the fault. In disaster risk evaluations, it was concluded that the buffer zone on the hanging wall should be wider than on the foot wall in thrust fault zones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disaster operations management is carried out in a chaotic environment under uncertainty and time pressure. Therefore, it is necessary to use information and communication technologies in the decision making processes. In this study, a standalone decision support system is developed for temporary-disaster-response facilities allocation for relief supplies distribution as one of the important problems in disaster operations management. The decision support system consists of three main components as its database, decision engine and user interface. It is noted that the decision support system allows decision makers to allocate temporary-disaster-response facilities under many different disaster situations by utilizing a scenario-based approach. Thus, disaster operations managers are given the opportunity to create different scenarios and analyze the results that will help them make critical decisions before and during the disaster. In the scenario definition process, in addition to taking into account different values of affected population rate and planning period, some model configurations consisting of the combinations of various problem parameters are also defined. Although it is illustrated with a specific example case in this paper, the flexibility of the system allows its users to consider other cases with different scenarios. Due to the user-friendly interface of the decision support system, reports of the results obtained for various disaster scenarios are presented to the user in an understandable way. The proposed system might be a useful tool to help decision makers in allocating temporary-disaster-response facilities for relief supplies distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disasters can damage the safety and well-being of people and communities.A good understanding of the current situation is essential in preventing or mitigating the negative effects of disasters, as well as strengthening the response of at-risk communities to adverse impacts. It is aimed to make a rating by obtaining a resilience score with the resilient city assessment, which reveals the preparedness of cities for disasters. In this context, Safe City Assessment Scorecard in Disasters, which was prepared with 10 factors, 33 sub-factors and 100 indicator values, was applied in order to guide community resilience development activities. According to the data collection technique, it is in the category of documentary research and according to the nature of the data used in the research, it is in the category of research based on secondary data. The criterion sampling method was used in our study, which is a quantitative research type. The data were evaluated for 2 cities with shared metropolitan status and their names were coded as A and B. In order to measure the resilience level of cities, a normalized score was obtained in accordance with objective criteria and the scores were evaluated by leveling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study addresses civil solidarity practices within disaster management - one of many points of discussion points in the literature of the sociology of disaster - in the context of the 6.9 magnitude earthquake at struck Seferihisar, Izmir, Turkey on October 30, 2020. Disaster management demonstrated how civilians responded to those in need after the earthquake took place. It also revealed what measures were taken by relevant state institutions and the units affiliated with these institutions, including their intervention and recovery practices. Unique to this particular disaster were: the use of social media, NGO aid (especially in the districts of Bornova and Bayraklı), quick volunteer search and rescue teams response, as well as hotels and hostels - independent of any NGO or a civil platform - offering free accommodation to those left homeless. Also observed were civilians and volunteer groups handing out various supplies (food, tents, blankets, etc.) to the affected, and offering their own homes upon sharing their contact information on social media. All this data is parallel to civilian response/recovery practices in disaster management literature. All of the above have been examined within the framework of theoretical context as well as certain documented case studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In disasters, the first seventy-two hours is very important in terms of reducing the loss of life. The existence and optimal placement of earthquake containers should be taken into consideration during disaster preparedness. Such containers can be considered as facilities to ensure the survival of people in the event of disasters and to ensure that the first response is performed correctly and in a timely manner. In this study, it is aimed to determine the optimum locations of two containers which are planned to be placed for a limited area. In the analysis of the study, which is modeled as a Multi-Criteria Decision Making Problem (MCDM), there are 5 criteria and 7 alternatives. The data of the study was obtained from the Provincial Directorate of AFAD and the authorities of the relevant region. Critic-Gray Relational Hybrid approach was used in the analysis process of the study. Calculations were made using the Microsoft Excell program. As a result of the conducted analyses; (A1) Bahçelievler was found to be the first place, (A5) Güzelbahçe the second and (A3) Demetevler the third location. The results of the study have been shared with provincial disaster coordination authorities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural disasters cause relatively less damage in developed countries and compensation of these damages is relatively faster and easier. On the other hand, in underdeveloped, less developed, or developing countries, these losses are much higher and the compensation of these damages is very hard. The main reason for this is that the socio-economic level in such countries is low and lack of education and gender inequalities are high. In this study, it is discussed that the damages caused by natural disasters do not show an equal distribution between genders. Biological/physical differences between men and women and socio-economic inequalities arising from gender roles generally cause a situation against women. To examine this adverse situation, the concept of natural disasters and their consequences, disaster management processes, the concept of vulnerability, and gender roles are mentioned in the literature part of the study. Finally, in the last part, the differences between social, economic, and physical vulnerability levels of women and men arising from natural disasters are examined in the context of gender roles and gender inequalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of resilience, which emerged with the literature in the aim of ensuring the sustainability of ecosystems, especially in the last 10 years has been developed and has begun to be addressed many different topics and perspectives. Today's planning approaches are focused on socio-economic development and do not define the risks that may be required in the urban area beyond disasters. However, the concept is an important issue that should be considered in all scale plans. The aim of the study was to develop a viable method for identifying and evaluating risks in order to ensure urban resilience and increase their levels of plans to be produced, and developed the present method of directing spatial contribution plans. The developed method was implemented by integrating Izmit District Disaster Response Plan and Izmit Bay Integrated Coastal Areas Plan on the basis of Kocaeli Province into the construction stages as two plans with different scales and limits. It is aimed to discuss the applicability of the method developed within the scope of the study to other plans and, as a result, whether the realization and sustainability of the solution proposals for existing problems can be achieved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our country is a country where many natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, landslides and rock falls are experienced due to its location. Although the origins of these natural disasters are different, the most important asset they affect is human. Therefore, many measures are taken by Ministry of Interior Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency to protect people from the effects of disasters, to improve the situation during disasters and emergencies, and to act in a planned manner. One of the important works carried out within the scope of these precautions taken before disasters is the determination and announcement of the areas to be gathered during disasters and emergencies. It is extremely important to identify these areas and to inform the relevant citizens before the disaster. The identification of disaster and emergency meeting areas is carried out by both field observations and Geographical Information Systems, (GIS) which has played an important role in decision-making for administrators. The fact that natural disasters appear quite frequently in our country, although their times are different according to their characters, shows the fact that predisaster meeting areas are determined. In this study, the current disaster and emergency meeting areas determined by Gümüşhane Governorship Provincial Disaster and Emergency Directorate in the city of Gümüşhane were mapped, the accuracy of these areas were discussed within the framework of the criteria determined by Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency and the most suitable meeting areas based on spatial basis were analyzed. With the cooperation of Gümüşhane Governorship Provincial Disaster and Emergency Directorate and provincial and district municipalities in Gümüşhane, a total of 134 meeting areas with 626,571 m2 area have been created in Gümüşhane since October 2019. While these areas appeal to a population of 128,330, there is an average of 6 m2 per person. In the city center selected as the study area, there are 24 meeting areas with an area of 107,890 m2, corresponding to an area of 2.65 m2 per person, addressing a population of 40,728. The criteria set by the Ministry of Interior Disaster and Emergency Management include population, slope, land use, geology, elevation, roads, with the approach that these gathering areas are based on a spatial basis and will yield more positive results during disasters and emergencies, the most suitable gathering areas have been determined by taking into account different geographical criteria such as distance to buildings and streams. Considering the most common natural disasters in Gümüşhane, weights have been assigned to the relevant criteria with Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) and the most suitable gathering areas have been determined by weighted overlapping analysis. As a result of the analysis, 26 alternative meeting areas were determined in addition to the 24 available meeting areas in city of Gümüşhane. While only 3 neighborhoods comply with the criteria of meeting space per person before the study, this number has increased to 12 neighborhoods with the proposed alternative areas and the current gathering area per person in the city has increased from 2.65 m2 to 4.6 m2. Thus, it is aimed to gather the population of Gümüşhane in the right places in a short time in case of any disaster and emergency, and to gather the population in safe areas away from chaos until temporary shelters are prepared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Born as a product of Turkey’s modernization efforts, the institute of muhtarlık is an indigenous and unique organization that has been able to protect its presence since 1829 to date. Muhtars (headmen of neighborhood) are elected for a certain period of time by direct votes of local people, mostly from local people. This leads them to build closer ties with the local community, to know closely local problems and needs, and to become a rich source of data on their neighborhoods. With these characteristics, muhtars have the potential to become important actors in community-based disaster governance and in its essential stage of preparedness. But to what extent do muhtars play or are allowed to play this role? Are muhtars natural partners of governance in terms of disaster preparedness? These questions constitute the problematic of this paper. The paper aims to examine special status of community-based disaster management in Turkey within the framework of a case study of Balikesir, which is one of the provinces where of many natural disaster risks are felt intensely. In doing so the study is focused on muhtars whose role in natural disaster governance is generally neglected. The paper uses data obtained from 50 muhtars using an in-depth interview technique with a phenomenological methodology. The most important finding is that due to the tendency of the political elite to ignore and not include local knowledge, the muhtars are excluded from the disaster preparedness processes and their potential contribution is limited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disaster preparedness refers to reduction of risks and dangers caused by disasters by planning, applications, and assessments, starting from households up to national level. This article aims to develop a universal scale for measuring disaster preparedness of households using Balıkesir sample. This article is consists of four main parts. In first part of this article, concept of preparedness is examined and definition of preparedness is given. In addition to this, the scales developed for measuring preparedness are analyzed, compared and presented. In second part the preparing of sampling from universe Balıkesir is explained in numbers (N=1134). Inclusiveness of the research was made by deciding on number of questionnaire and places where they will be applied which are presented through tables. In third part the findings are presented. Confirmatory factor analysis which is made after explanatory factor analysis revealed the goodness of fit indexes. Based on that the processes and decision of making another model for the scale and for removing items are explained in detail. In continuing parts of findings, the new goodness of fit findings and factor table are given again. One of the most important part of developing scale namely path diagram made by LISREL is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

All over the world the effects of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, which has caused one of the biggest global crises of recent years, are felt. The epidemic, which seriously threatens human life, also causes large-scale social changes and transformations. Countries try to control and manage the outbreak through different measures and practices. The studies carried out in this context are increasing day by day and the literature is formed by the existing experiences. Surely, managing the interdependent or related negative effects of the virus that affects all parts of the society requires multidisciplinary analysis. In this study, first, social vulnerability groups were examined within the extent of the existing COVID-19 literature, and then social vulnerability analysis was carried out using the Social Vulnerability Index (SoVI) method, which has been used more in disaster management. Then, social vulnerability analyse was performed based on Turkey provinces. Spatial information on the resilience of societies against the epidemic, their capacity to cope and their position in post-epidemic rehabilitation processes are presented and mapped. As a result of the study, it was observed that 4 of 81 provinces had very high level, 21 high level, 29 medium level, 16 low level and 11 very low level of vulnerability against the Covid-19 pandemic. Thus, in outbreak management, the priority regions have been determined and the evaluations regarding the qualitative needs of social groups have been made possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the site characteristics of 312 strong ground motion recording stations belonging to the National Strong Motion Network of Turkey (TR-KYH) operated by the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) were determined. Active Sourced Surface Wave Method (MASW), passive sourced linear array method (ReMi) and Microtremor methods were used in this study. The S-wave velocity-depth profile and the ground structure at different depths (down to 250 m), which can be avoided from MASW+ReMi combined inversion, are also determined at the station sites, along with the determination of the shear wave velocity to the first 30 m depth (VS30). MASW study results were classified according to Turkey Earthquake Building Regulations TDBY 2018 [1], the NHERP [2] and EUROCODE-8 [3]. According to TDBY 2018, ZA:3, ZB: 33, ZC:178, ZD:98; according to NHERP, A:3, B:37, C:173, D:99; according to EUROCODE-8, A:36, B:174, C:102 points were determined. The natural frequency and seismic amplification coefficients of the microtremor were determined and compared with those of Rodrigez-Marek et al., [4] and DiAlessandro, Carola, et al., [5]. According to Rodrigez-Marek et al.,[4] classification, A:1, B:46, C1:68, C2:34, C3:70, D1:65, D2:19, D3: 4, E2:1 point and according to DiAlessandro, Carola, et al., [5] classification, CL-I:31, CL-II:54, CL-III:55, CL-IV:82, CL-V:27, CL-VI:27, CLVII: 37 point have been identified. It is thought that the site classes and parameters of these stations obtained as a result of the study will contribute to future researches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At present, earthquakes cannot be known in advance, but preliminary planning of measures against earthquakes is the most effective method that can be done to minimize the loss of life and property. This planning is possible by conducting "risk management" activities that are components of the disaster management system at all levels. This research aims to identify the path taken in this regard by comparing studies conducted in the name of reducing the risk of natural disasters in the cities of Istanbul and Antakya affected by the devastating earthquakes in Turkish history for this purpose, various catalogs of historical and instrumental period earthquakes of Antakya, which is located on the East Anatolian fault line, and Istanbul, which is not far from the North Anatolia fault line, were scanned, received from the Disasters and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD), Kandilli Observatory and Earthquake Research Institute (KRDAE). The studies conducted at the risk management stage were interviewed with institutions in the cities of Istanbul and Antakya, as well as with the people who participated in these studies, the information obtained, and studies were evaluated by comparison. As a result of the study, comparing studies to reduce the risk of earthquakes in these two cities, which were analyzed as equivalent to earthquake hazard levels, it was found that risk reduction studies conducted in a large metropolis such as Istanbul were not conducted in Antakya, a city with high earthquake potential. In Antakya, where devastating earthquakes occurred in the past, and the settlements along the fault lines grew day by day, the fact that in the recent past there was not a single earthquake that would cause any kind of fracture gap shows that the accumulated energy in the region is all not yet appeared. This conclusion shows that the city of Antakya is at great risk. Therefore, it was concluded that risk reduction studies should be conducted immediately against disasters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Balıkesir and its environs, which are located in the first degree earthquake zone, have been exposed to many earthquakes in previous periods as they do today. In the light of the information obtained from the archival documents and newspapers of the period, 34 main shake in the second half of the 19th century. Some of these have been very severe and have led to loss of life and large amounts of damage. Disaster management, which was exhibited after the earthquakes that caused destruction, was of great importance in terms of wounding the earthquake victims. The aim of this article is to contribute to the literature of the history of Balıkesir and the history of Ottoman natural disasters. In addition, numerical data on historical earthquakes identified by using first-hand sources are important in terms of seismicity of the region and are expected to be a source for earthquake scientists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We aimed to compile the effects of the preparations on the new coronavirus outbreak (Covid-19) in the largest pandemic, which is still visible in the world. Pandemics have caused millions of people to become ill, disabled and death for centuries. Thanks to past pandemics that deeply affect the society health, socially and economically, preparations have been made again against possible pandemics. Preparations may not go as planned. Desperation may occur for unforeseen situations. Despite these despair, the tool that can contribute in practice besides the basic principles in combating pandemics can be obtained from the past. Like every pandemic, the pandemic will end one day. Those applied and not implemented after the outbreak will be evaluated and will remain a lesson from the past for future outbreaks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Water-related diseases continue to cause problems of various extent in a big part of the world. With this study, it is aimed to determine the person, place and time characteristics of cholera outbreaks that occurred worldwide in the ten-year period between 2009 and 2018, to conduct epidemiological mapping and to draw attention to cholera which is water-related disease and an important public health problem. Methods: The research is descriptive. The data used in the research are obtained by scanning the data of cholera outbreaks between the years 2009-2018 through World Health Organization (WHO) Emergencies Preparedness Response System, and the socioeconomic status of countries through WHO Non-Communicable Diseases Report, 2014. During screening, a data collection form is used, including information on month, year, name of country, socioeconomic status of country, the number of people affected by the outbreak, the number of deaths due to outbreak, and fatality rate. The form is consisted of a total of seven questions. Data related to the study are collected between May 01 - July 01 2019. During the analysis, frequency distributions and percentages are used to summarize the categorical data, and median (min-max) is used to summarize the numerical data. Results: A total of 42 cholera outbreak news reports were included in WHO Emergencies preparedness response system between 2009 and 2018. When these 42 reports were evaluated, it was determined that there were 25 cholera outbreaks reported to the WHO within the tenyear period under review. The 25 outbreaks mentioned had occurred in 18 different countries. The most frequent years of outbreaks were 2010 (n=6), 2017 (n=6) and 2018 (n=4). January (n=5) and August (n=4) were the two months in which outbreaks occurred most frequently. The median number of people affected by cholera outbreaks were 2508 (3-98424) and the median number of people who lost their lives during outbreaks were 56 (0-4276). The fatality rate (%) of cholera was 0.018 (0.000-0.070). Conclusion: As a result of the research, it is determined that cholera mainly affects the countries of South Africa. Affected countries generally have low socioeconomic levels. Outbreaks are most commonly seen in 2010, 2017 and 2018, most frequently in January. Fatality rates of cholera are calculated as less than 1% for 25 outbreaks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Monastery province is one of the riskiest of Ottoman Macedonia and Balkan Peninsula in terms of seismicity. It is observed that earthquakes happening in the Monastery province are concentrated on the Struga-Ohri-Korça line. It is detected that frequent earthquakes with various magnitudes happened on the Monastery-Ohri- Korça line between examined dates. In this study, earthquakes happened on the Struga-Ohrid-Korça line in the Monastery province between the years of 1893-1912 will be evaluated and recorded with data obtained from archival documents. On the other hand, reducing the effects of disaster management and earthquake on the society, which is considered one of the most crucial topic titles of earthquakes was one of the priorities for Ottoman Empire at a time when the Macedonia issue became an international problem. Disaster management efforts of the Ottoman Empire for reducing the effects of earthquake on the society will be discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The avalanche events are often occurring in the mountainous areas of the middle and upper latitudes, where snowfall is high. Snow accumulates in areas above the elevation, high in the slope and above the upper limit of the forest, they are displaced by natural factors or man-made vibrations and rapidly move along the slope down the valley. Rapidly flowing down the snow along these valleys, many live, lifeless elements are dragged along with them. For this reason, when the avalanches affecting the settlement areas in particular cause loss of life and property from time to time. Turkey's the Eastern Anatolia and the Black Sea regions are the areas where the avalanches events are mostly occur. In this study, the avalanche sensitive of the Karaçam Creek Basin is located in the Eastern Black Sea Section of the Black Sea Region was investigated. The main part of the basin is located within the Trabzon province, and the other parts of it are located within the Gümüşhane and Bayburt provinces. In the study, 1/25000 scale topography maps were used as a base, the data collected by remote sensing and field studies were evaluated by using GIS methods. Scoring criteria of the Disaster and Emergency Management Authority generating integrated risk maps were used to make of the avalanche sensitive map of the basin, and the avalanche impact level map. According to produced map, areas with very high and high avalanche sensitive are concentrated in the central part of the basin and cover 37% of the basin area. Despite more snowfall in the upper part of the basin, the lower sensitive of an avalanche was associated with the high levels of abrasion that were noticeable with slope values below 25 degrees. İn the field, it is understood that they are concerned about the formation of avalanches at the interviews with local residents and that they are trying to take some measures, such as an avalanche prevention fence, to reduce the formation of avalanches. Besides, in some residential units such as Köknar, Seyrantepe, Şekersu and Yeşilkaya, many houses were still found on avalanches; it has been assessed that it is vital for them to be transported to safe places as soon as possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In life, hazards and threats related to natural, technological or human-made disasters may occur at any time and size in any place. Lack of protective and preventive activities leaves communities vulnerable to dangers. The countries that are effective and successful in the disaster management use their green places and playgrounds as assembly points and the related institutions support disaster victims for their basic needs within critical hours of post-disaster. One of the most important issues of disaster management is determining the size, distribution, and infrastructure of assembly points considering its use during disaster and post-disaster. The Provincial Directorates of the Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD) determines the assembly points that provide basic needs of victims in neighbourhood / district level. In this study, we examined the location and qualification of assembly points that are important in disaster and emergency planning in Kocaeli/Izmit district which is on the northern branch of the North Anatolian fault. The first criterion in determining the assembly points is to be far enough from not to be affected from hazards and close enough to get access/service easily. The results of this study show that more than 80% of the assembly points designated in İzmit have electricity and water infrastructure. In addition, it is found that 6 neighbourhoods and 14 designated assembly points appear as proper assembly points in terms of square meters. We expect that our research outcomes may enhance the efficiency of planning studies, facilitate decision-makers' duties in case of a crisis situation and contribute to the development of the region's capacity for disaster response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disasters are defined as sudden disruptions to the functioning of a community or a society at any scale that cannot be overcome by the local capacity. Disasters are also classified as natural or technological/human-made or as slow onset and rapid onset disasters. Climate change, drought, desertification and famine disaster due to these processes can be considered slow onset disasters. In many parts of the World since the existence of humanity, the famine has been effective. Scarcity emerges as a result of long-term food shortages. With the lack of rainfall, water resources begin to decrease and the effects of drought starts to increase. Famine, hunger and thirst can cause serious consequences. Throughout history, Anatolia was exposed to famine disasters, particularly due to the lack of precipitation and grasshopper infestation. In fact, legends and important famines that became subjects to epics have brought the phenomenon of migration. Human migration is realized by factors such as religion, culture, economy, war, terror and disaster. Generally, migrations are caused by searching for food in the past. drought and the increased famine with the acceleration of climate change. In this study, the concept of famine disaster, its types and the measures that can be taken against it are discussed along with the risk management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Law Code No. 6331, which is the first independent OHS Law of Turkey, obliges employers to take preventive measures such as training and informing of employees, health surveillance, emergency preparedness, risk assessment, establishing of OHS committee, employing OHS professionals. On the other hand, the law stipulated the coordination of OHS in workplaces where there is more than one employer or share the same work area. The study was conducted to examined the effects of the occupational health and safety (OHS) coordination services on the preventive OHS activities of Sakarya University in compliance with OHS law code no. 6331. For this purpose, the survey technique was used. The data, which was collected from 220 employees of Sakarya University, were analysed through the exploratory factor analysis, the confirmatory factor analysis and inferential statistical method. The results showed that the satisfaction of OHS coordination services has a significant positive direct effect on the satisfaction of preventive OHS activities. Also, the results indicate that there is a statistically significant relationship between the perception of the administrative staff and the academician in the scope of preventive OHS activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many of countries are faced with disasters produced by nature. Earthquake, flood, landslide, hurricane, drought, fire etc. events are among the most common natural disasters. On the other hand, there are some disasters which are caused by people. For example, the terrorist attack on twin towers in 2001 in New York, called 9/11, in the United States, has killed thousands of people. Such attacks are disasters created by human beings. Disaster and Emergency Management courses are offered under the Departments of Public Administration at undergraduate and graduate levels in some universities in the United States. Sam Houston State University, for example, has established a Master's program in Public Administration at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences. Disaster and Emergency Management Program is a sub branch of this program. Under this program, courses such as Global Disaster Policy, Emergency Management, Disaster Resilience, Decision Making Uncertainty and Community Policies are given. In this study, some activities related to disaster management and education in the United States was discussed and they were compared with activities in the same fields done at Turkish universities. Under this investigation, some interviews were done with people of the relevant institutions and organizations both in the USA and in Turkey, and the collected data were analyzed and evaluated using inferential statistical methods. Some suggestions were developed in the light of the obtained findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the propaganda made towards women in the Ottoman State during the years of The First World War. Besides being the victims in those years, women also had increasing responsibilities and duties. Hence, they had to take the responsibilities of men in several areas since most of them were enrolled in military services during the war. Furthermore, they had to perform all other duties which were brought by the state of emergency. This need of women during the war made them one of the most important targets of the propaganda activities. Propaganda activities towards women in the Ottoman State during The First World War years were shaped on certain themes. In fact, the main reason why men went to war was to defend the honourable life of their mothers, wives and children. For this reason, the possibility of women's and children's being under pressure was one of the most important themes of voluntary military service. In this sense, what women were asked to do for the propaganda activities was to support men who would join the army. Another propaganda element towards women was to remind their duties for the state of emergency. In other words, they also had to work for the war. As a matter of fact, health services for injured soldiers or providing clothing and financial support for them were only possible through the assistance of women. For this reason, some women unions and the women office of The Ottoman Red Crescent Society encouraged women with their propaganda. Another propaganda element towards women in the Ottoman society was their motherhood. It was regarded in those years that the most important duty of a woman was to grow a patriotic generation based on the necessities of war because mobilization of a generation around national and moral values was only possible with the support of women. That would make it possible to have young and voluntary soldiers who would join the army when needed. When all these situations are taken into consideration, the importance of propaganda towards women during the years of war becomes clearer. This study was prepared based on the Ottoman Archive of the Prime Ministry, Archive of The Turkish Red Crescent, and periodicals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When the ones who heal to people the places for healing had begun to occur. Though history of healthcare institutions is going long way back it is known that in today's context healthcare institutions started to service from 14th and 15th centuries. Healthcare institutions have been changed fastly with technological advancements. But did this change occure nonstop and just positively? Is there any difference between pozitions and missions of healthcare institutions in today and past? If there is, which consequences have been borned because of this differences? In that study is aimed to find answers to these questions, it is compared a foundation certificate-charter belongs to a darush-shifa and some provisions of regulation of inpatient treatment institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disasters are the events that seriously disturb the function of the society, causing deaths, environmental and economic loss and usually cannot be overcome by using local sources of the affected region. Earthquakes are responsible %70 percent of the total loss caused by disasters in Turkey. Preparation phase of disaster management covers the taking preventative measures towards an upcoming disaster and creating required systems. One of the activities during the preparation phase of the disaster management is supplying and storing required materials, tools, vehicles, work vehicles, machines etc. before the disaster for rescue, help and restoring activities during the disasters. In this article locating logistic center for earthquake help stations that can be established for earthquakes in Turkey is considered. The problem of selecting logistic center for earthquake help stations is modeled as P-Median and Maximum Covering Location Problem. The position of a city on the earthquake zone defines the frequency and the magnitude of the earthquakes faced by that city. The population of the city, the number of the buildings and the number of residences/houses define vulnerability and the size of possible losses during earthquakes and these numbers are accepted as leading factors. Therefore these factors are used as weights in our model. By solving the research problem according to different scenarios the geographic location for the logistics centers for earthquake help stations is determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: This study was performed to determine the satisfaction levels of health care workers who work in emergency department of Izzet Baysal Bolu State Hospital and to investigate whether this survey is adequate to demonstrate employee satisfaction levels. Material and Methods: Forty seven individuals included to the study who has worked in emergency department of Bolu Izzet baysal state hospital between 6th-15th of August in 2009. Results: Most of the study group were consisted of nurses. (%34). 68% of participants think that employers are out of number, %53,2 of them think that they work more than weekly working time, and 72,3% of them stated that human resources are efficiently used in the hospital. 59,6% of the workers said that they have not been rewarded by the hospital administration. 89.4% of them stated that they have not been physically assaulted in last six months and 85.1% complaint of inadequate safety measures in working place. Conclusion: It would be useful making surveys among emergency department staff at regular intervals to make early interventions. This will also contribute to increased patient satisfaction and corporate success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the selection of the casualty collection points that can be accessible for the wounded residents who have been damaged from the possible İstanbul earthquake is aimed to find the most appropriate location. In the four scenarios of earthquakes which take place in the İstanbul earthquake disaster plan, the most possible scenario earthquake plan and the number of estimated wounded people are used in the study. The problem is modelled as a maximum coverage problem using the appropriate coverage distances (1, 2, 3 km) and solved with SITATION software. The each of casualty collection points are considered to be a facility to supply a health care for wounded people reached/transported this point, while the center of districts are accepted as demand points where wounded people demanding health care. The results of the analysis for each of the appropriate coverage distances are shown in tables composed of being covered and uncovered demand for seriously injured. According to these compared results, when the coverage distance increases, the percentage of covering demands increase which is expected. In addition to this, the center of districts are determined as demand points since the number of estimated wounded people are attainable only for districts in the study. In addition to the efficieny of the wounded collection points which ministry of health has offered for İstanbul has been assessed and advised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The objective of this study is to educate Ege University Medical Faculty Hospital disaster management team about the preparedness for the disaster and to evaluate the training provided to them. Methods: The training was given and a pro-test was applied to Ege University Medical Faculty Hospital team of disaster preparedness in disaster management. After two weeks following the training, the test was repeated to evaluate its effectiveness. Reviews identifier (arithmetic mean, standard deviation) and analytical (two-sample t-test. Wilcoxon test, ManrvWhitney U test, and Kruska|-Wa||is analysis of variance) were carried out statistical methods, Results: After the training, the level of knowledge of all the study participants increased irrespective of genders, and the post - test scores also increased in both groups with respect to membership. However, the principle members showed increases at a high level, Education of the team on the disaster preparedness training was found to be effective (mean = 4.1 ±0507). Conclusions: After training, Ege University Medical Faculty Hospital Disaster Management team evaluated in terms of training their knowledge increased. Therefore it is of utmost importance to perform the distribution of duty prepared according to standard disaster plan, and to teach it to all the staff through training, and to test it by applying. Thus, the team members will be successful in the processes of disaster preparedness, response, and return to normal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: In this study, we have examined the ambulance working order in the 3 years period between the years 2006-2008 in Gaziantep city. Materials and Methods: In this study, the number of personel working in 112 ambulances, daily number of emergency exit patients, period of time of arrival of patients and arrival at the nearest medical institution, transfer of patients according to their illness, range of cases according to sex and age, population per station and automatisation between 112 emergency command centers and hospitals have been examined. Results: According to gender, the number of male cases were found to be more than female cases. Female case number above 65 years old has been found greater than the male cases. The highest case number has been found in the 6-25 years old group for males and above 65 years old for females. It was determined that the case number is increasing every year. The reason for calls was determined as 54.6% medical cases and 16.3% traffic cases. According to pre-diagnosis, it was determined that trauma cases decreased and the cases concerning cardiovascular system increased gradually. It was seen that a great majority of the cases were reached within the first 20 minutes. It was seen that ambulance emergency exits comprised 62.5% hospital transfer, 13.5% timely intervention and 9.5% transfer inter-hospitals. It has been determined that ambulance exit numbers were increasing every passing year. Conclusion: With this study it is concluded that planning should be done to prevent delay in reaching emergency cases due to the increase in ambulance usage and also it was determined that the communication between command centers and inter-hospitals should be at the maximum level in order to minimize the delay period during transfer to hospitals, and frequent updates of used and empty bed lists of hospitals should be made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, the fire occurring in the Balıkesir Bazaar has been reviewed and studied. On the one hand; the reasons of fire and the helps done by the State for the victims both during and after the fire, have been studied. On the other hand; the attitudes of the State administrators againstthe fire and the reconstruction of the bazaar have been evaluated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the early 1980s Geographical Information Systems (GIS) software emerged as a new information processing technology offering unique capabilities of automating, managing, and analysing a variety of spatial data. Many applications of GIS developed over the last decade provided information necessary for the decision-making in diverse areas including natural resource management, regional planning, and disaster management. Two perspectives on developing better decision support capabilities of GIS can be identified, one based on analytical problem solving as a centrepiece of Spatial Decision Support Systems (SDSS) and another based on integration of GIS and specialized analytical models. According to first perspective, SDSS should offer modelling, optimization, and simulation functions required to generate, evaluate, recommend, and test the sensitivity or problem solution strategies. These capabilities are essential to solving semi-structured spatial decision-making problems. The second perspective on improving the decision support capabilities focuses on the expansion of GIS descriptive, prescriptive, and predictive capabilities by integrating GIS software with other statistical software and analytical models. According to this view, mapping, query, and spatial modelling functions of GIS can provide data display at different scales, preprocessing, and data input for environmental and statistical models. The general objective of Multi-criteria Decision Making (MCDM) is to assist the decision-maker (DM) in selecting the “best” alternative from the number of feasible choice-alternatives under the presence of multiple choice criteria and diverse criterion priorities. The problem of multicriterion choice in decision making is the paramount challenge faced by individiuals, public and private corporations. The nature of challenge is two-fold: How to identify choice alternatives satisfying the objectives of parties involved in the decision-making process? How to order the set of feasible choice alternatives to identify the most preferred alternative? The challenge of multicriterion choice can be attributed to many spatial decision-making problems involving search and location/allocation of resources. These problems, often analysed in (GIS), include location/site selection for: service facilities, retail outlets, critical areas for specific resource management, and emergency service locations where are key locations for effective emergency management. In this study, the criteria and its priorities/weights that should be considered for finding optimal locations of fire stations are determined; and multicriteria site analysis is conducted based on mentioned criteria weights in (GIS) environment. Moreover, in order to test the sensitivity and robustness of the model developed, a sensitivity analysis is performed based on the combination of the criterion weights by using (GIS) capabilities. With these analyses performed, it is focused on the creating themodel that supports decision makers in decisionmaking for finding theoptimal locations of fire stations. In this study, these steps are followed: Definition of the problem/objective (determining the optimal locations of fire stations); determining the potential criteria in finding the optimal locations of fire stations; data collection and preparation and transfer to (GIS) environment; creation of raster data sets representing the regionalised criteria; classification of raster data sets; establishment of preference matrix, assigning preference values to the relevant criteria by using the pairwise comparison feature of Analytic Hiyerarchy Process (AHP); determination of criteria weights by calculating eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the preference matrix which evaluated by two decision maker group; determining the criteria priorities/weights values by using the synthesis of priorities and calculating the overall composite weights; calculating the result raster (suitability map for potential fire stations) as a weighted summation of all criteria raster data sets; conducting the sensitivity analyses in (GIS) environment in order to test the sensitiveness and robustness of the model developed; offering a system that supports decision makers in determining the optimal locations of fire stations. The integration of the (AHP) and (GIS) combines decision support methodology with powerful visualisation and analysing capabilities which should considerably facilitate finding optimal locations of fire stations and this process improves the decision making in emergency management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chemical and biologcal emergencies increasingly threaten the health and safety of people worldwide and are designed to create fear and cause harm to the general population. By the increase of biological and chemical agents and by becoming more aware of effects of its, nurses should be more informed to provide better healthcare to the affected patients during a threat and after a threat and to translate, to react quickly in all levels of threat situations. Children and pregnant women are particularly vulnerable to the effects of these agents because of their specific physiologic, immunologic and physiological characteristics. Because of these unique vulnerabilities of children and pregnant women, it is vital that their special needs are addressed in every stage of disaster planningprevention, preparation, response and recovery. Nurses have multiple roles in dealing the threat of biochemical. It is essential that nurses who care for children and pregnant women know how to recognize the effects of this type of weapon and how to alleviate or mitigate their impact. Therefore, it is important that nurses should be informed about biochemical threats and do exercises, also during school education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: In this study, the times and rates of the application of forensic cases admitted to our emergency department have been investigated, and an attempt made to obtain data on cases grouped according to causes of these issues Materials and Methods: Forensic patient reports and hospital files of patients who applied to the emergency department of Pamukkale University Medical Faculty during a two year period were searched retrospectively. Hospital application times were examined. Results: During the study, 47.758 patients applied to our emergency department and 2018 (4.2%) patients of these were diagnosed as forensic cases. In 34.1% of forensic cases, in-vehicle traffic accidents were determined. These cases were followed by cutting-penetrating tool injuries, vehicle off traffic accidents and poisoning, respectively The forensic patients were found to apply most frequently in the months of July and August, on Saturdays and Mondays and between 22:00-23:59 hrs. Conclusions: During the holiday season,weekends and evening hours, patients in emergency departments increase in density and the proportion of forensic patients is high. Considering the necessary manpower, planning should be carried out and measures should be taken to prevent disruption of the emergency department. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Meningitis and acute appendicitis are both well defined clinical conditions. Early symptoms are usually non-specific and there can be atypical presentations in each state. In this study, it is aimed that the case of acute meningitis presented with acute appendicitis was described with detailed clinical and laboratory findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The post-disaster housing practices in Turkey are to be evaluated in two different phases, as before and after earthquakes in 1999, due to improvements in housing quality. Consideration of permanent houses with their surroundings and delivery of houses to the user for the first time with appliances such as kitchen cabinets and wardrobes are some of these major improvements. However, there is a still basic problem about post disaster houses. This problem is inflexibility which is related to the architectural and structural characteristics of the house that is not compatible with the users' needs and cannot be converted into a compatible condition. Inflexibility which causes inadaptability between the user and house negatively affects physical, social, cultural and economical sustainability of locations. The aim of this paper is to question housing construction in Turkey in terms of inflexibility problem and to emphasize that flexibility is a concept which is to be considered in the entire structure of housing, which comprises architectural concept, structural components and production period. The study on this paper manifests user preferences regarding flexibility and the factors influential upon such preferences. For this purpose, a research was carried out on two different types of permanent houses in centre of Düzce province and Gölyaka district. 89 persons were subject to an interview during the research. Four plans were derived from both types of permanent houses in order to identify users' preferences about flexibility in architectural terms. Three of these plans are partially flexible, and only one of them provide total space flexibility. Users' approaches towards structural flexibility were assessed upon their preferences in respect of four different construction systems, consisting of timber, masonry, steel and reinforced concrete. Architectural and structural options offered to the user were illustrated via a three-dimensional drawing program. The research revealed that the user preferred specified, guiding and partially flexible types of plans, rather than a wider and indefinable flexibility option. On the other hand, the user preference of systems and even materials different from reinforced concrete is evaluated as a significant result in terms of structural flexibility. This result is regarded as an indicator of the fact that differences to be created in material and system for ensuring flexibility of house might be adopted by the user. 'Steel construction system' is preferred rather than concrete in Gölyaka, while 'timber system' is preferred in Düzce. The research also reveals the factors having an impact on user preferences. These include user approaches observed during selection process, their demographic structures, assessments about house sizes, primary needs in terms of house, and previous housing experiences. It was observed that the user was not confident about their preferences on the issue of how and to what extent they could arrange the house. Therefore, they preferred ready-made plans which included identified and guiding flexibilities.… [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crisis may rise due to a conflict in the product, event, administration or a personal issue and may deepen creating a crisis psychology in related corporations when it is released in the media. The crisis both in and out of the corporation and especially the news in the media may gradually increase the negative effect by several folds. In order to manage this chaos appearing with the crisis and to answer the crisis in a calm manner; the diligence in the management as well as in the communication is needed. "The efforts in the crises communication'' is consisted of the management of the perception in the diligence for briefing in order to get the public support, positive attitude and to gain sympathy. This paper contains several communication issues as; how to answer the crisis, to establish the team according to the answer, how and to what extend the representative of the corporation will declare the issue and the relation with the media. The paper, also discuss that electronic media procure communication opportunity at pre and post crisis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]