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Introduction: Building community resilience is an important part of disaster preparedness. This study aims to determine the factors that influence the status of community resilience and their relationship with social capital. Methods: Data were collected between August and November 2021 by surveying a group of over 18-year-old females in the Republic of Honduras where hit by two hurricanes and a pandemic in 2020. Cluster sampling was used in this study, and face-to-face interviews were done while visiting their houses. The Conjoint Community Resiliency Assessment Measure (CCRAM) was used to examine community resilience score, while the association between social capital, basic attributes, disaster preparedness, and whether the damages by the two hurricanes in 2020, etc. For statistical analysis, we applied multiple regression analysis. Results: Bonding social capital was a factor that lowered community resilience, and bridging social capital was a factor that raised community resilience. The community resilience for those with an elementary school education was higher than those without education but not different from those with more than an elementary school education. Conclusions: Bridging social capital and completing primary education increased community resilience., Introducción: El fomento de la resiliencia comunitaria es una parte importante de la preparación ante las catástrofes. Este estudio pretende determinar los factores que influyen en el estado de la resiliencia comunitaria y su relación con el capital social. Métodos: Los datos se recopilaron entre agosto y noviembre de 2021 mediante una encuesta a un grupo de mujeres mayores de 18 años en la República de Honduras, donde se produjeron dos huracanes y una pandemia en 2020. En este estudio se utilizó el muestreo por conglomerados y se realizaron entrevistas cara a cara mientras se visitaban sus casas. Se utilizó la Medida Conjunta de Evaluación de Resiliencia Comunitaria (CCRAM, por sus siglas en inglés) para examinar la puntuación de resiliencia comunitaria, mientras que la asociación entre el capital social, los atributos básicos, la preparación para desastres, y si los daños por los dos huracanes en 2020, etc. Para el análisis estadístico, se aplicó el análisis de regresión múltiple. Resultados: El capital social de vinculación fue un factor que disminuyó la resiliencia de la comunidad, y el capital social de vinculación fue un factor que aumentó la resiliencia de la comunidad. La resiliencia comunitaria de las personas con estudios primarios era superior a la de las personas sin estudios, pero no difería de la de las personas con más de estudios primarios. Conclusiones: La formación de puentes de capital social y la finalización de la educación primaria aumentaron la resiliencia de la comunidad.

Improving relationships between tribal nations and federal agencies to improve disaster management outcomes is critical because, as part of the homeland security community, tribal lands form both north and south U.S. borders, employ 4,500 law enforcement personnel, and comprise 100 million acres. However, since the Department of Homeland Security’s creation, tribes’ homeland security preparedness has achieved varying levels of success. This thesis seeks to identify ways to engage and enhance existing relationships between the federal government and tribes and strengthen tribal nations’ disaster preparedness capabilities. It investigates what steps the Department of Homeland Security can take to strengthen tribal–federal relations to improve the homeland security enterprise’s disaster preparedness and best serve the needs of tribal nations. Employing a comparative case study analysis of interviews and open-source research, this thesis presents information from interviews with the leadership of the Inter-Tribal Emergency Management Coalition and public safety leadership from the Choctaw, Otoe-Missouria, and Citizen Pottawatomi Nations. Although multiple successful efforts have been achieved in Indian Country, several tribal response efforts suggest the need for better resourcing. This thesis recommends resources, tribal-specific policies, and cultural awareness training to improve these efforts between tribal and federal governments., Civilian, Department of Homeland Security, Approved for public release. Distribution is unlimited.

Designing effective policy for public hazard risk communication and preparedness education requires the development of qualitative, participatory, and place-based research methodologies. Traditional research approaches alone cannot fully reveal the situated contexts of different communities that inform understandings of and responses to a range of natural hazard risks. In this paper, we present a review of a novel research methodology, Photovoice, and its potential to engage communities as researchers and co-producers of knowledge. Through auto-photography, researcher-participants document issues affecting their lives and through critical reflexive group dialogue they unveil the underlying causes of issues and develop pathways to enact change. This review outlines the method's theoretical origins, practical application, and prior contributions across disciplines and in hazard research. We then present an Aotearoa New Zealand based pilot study that applies the methodology in a natural hazard context. Research participants took photographs to represent how they perceived the risk of earthquakes and how they prepared for such hazards in their local environments. Participants then engaged in critical reflexive dialogue to reveal the meanings embedded within their photographs, the barriers to preparedness, and opportunities to enact change. The paper reflects on the results of the pilot study, providing insights into the use of the Photovoice methodology in future earthquake and wider hazard research. We argue that Photovoice is an effective methodology for research informing public hazard risk communication and preparedness education due to its ability to reveal place-based insights including risk perceptions, barriers to preparedness, and opportunities to build community capacity and resilience.

It is difficult to prepare for events with large-scale consequences and low probability. Simulation exercises (SimEx) provide the opportunity to improve preparedness through strengthening capabilities before an actual emergency. Conducting a SimEx could be very expensive and therefore the SimEx should be thoroughly evaluated. Action plans (AP) determine the relevant recommendations to be implemented to address the gaps of the SimEx. However, the action plan is not always fully implemented, and the purpose of this master’s thesis was to better understand the factors supporting and limiting action plan implementation after a SimEx. The purpose was also to better understand how challenges related to action plan implementation could be overcome. To fulfil this purpose, one literature review and one interview study were conducted. This resulted in that 11 key factors could be identified that were categorized into five themes: Planning, Resources, Learning, Realism, and Priority. Failure in one theme could lead to action plan failure and it is recommended to consider all themes to increase the probability of AP implementation. Furthermore, there are many challenges related to action plan implementation and it is recommended to document successful ways to overcome the challenges. Lastly, action plans are connected to capacity development (CD) for disaster risk reduction (DRR) and factors that support and limit CD for DRR could be applicable to AP implementation e.g., clear terminology., Simulation exercises (SimEx) can help different sectors to coordinate by for instance revealing gaps in plans that involved actors did not know existed. To increase the probability that people will be better prepared for a future crisis, gaps in a SimEx must be addressed. Exercises such as simulation exercises can be very helpful for stakeholders involved in emergency/disaster response. To be better prepared for future events with low probability and large-scale consequences, gaps in a SimEx must be addressed. The identified gaps could be more or less complex, and recommendations to address the gaps should be documented in an action plan. The action plan should include recommendations, responsible person for the implementation, and a timeframe. However, action plans are rarely fully implemented even though substantial resources go into the planning and execution of a SimEx. This study looked factors that support and limit action plan implementation and how challenges that hinder action plan implementation can be solved. Two questions were answered in the thesis: what are the key factors that limit and support the implementation of action plans after a SimEx, and what can be done to overcome the challenges related to the implementation of the action plan. To address the questions, I investigated available literature on the subject, and I carried out interviews with people that work with simulation exercises. The people that I interviewed had many years of experience and a clear picture of challenges that hinder action plan implementation. The people represented the health sector, defence sector, public sector, and academic sector, and some of them had worked in Sweden and others had international experience. This study found 11 key factors that are affecting the probability of action plan implementation after a simulation exercise. Some of the factors were similar and could be categorized into themes, and in total five themes were discovered: Planning, Resources, Lea

Purpose: This study describes preparedness of emergency physicians and general practitioners following chemical, radiological and nuclear incidents. Design/methodology/approach: Five emergency physicians and six general practitioners were interviewed individually, and data was analysed using qualitative content analysis. Findings: The study results showed that physicians' preparedness for chemical, radiological and nuclear incidents is linked to one main category: to be an expert and to seek expertise and two categories: preparations before receiving CRN patients, and physical examination and treatment of CRN patients with subcategories. Research limitations/implications: The results have implications for further research on the complexity of generalist vs specialist competence and knowledge when responding to chemical, radiological and nuclear incidents. Originality/value: This study provides insights regarding chemical, radiological and nuclear preparedness among physicians at emergency departments and primary healthcare centres.

The Covid pandemic, the war in Ukraine, the energy crisis and climate change all direct attention to the importance of disaster preparedness, both at an individual and societal level. Disaster preparedness has also received increasing attention internationally, for instance through the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. This global framework as well as the research literature stress the importance of promoting education on disaster preparedness and how schools play a key role in this regard (Johnson et al. 2014; Pfefferbaum et al. 2018; Selby and Kagawa 2012). In our study, a systematic literature review shows that there is extensive international research on the integration of disaster preparedness in school education. However, corresponding research is lacking for the Swedish school. The Swedish Agency for Education emphasises the importance of schools working proactively with disaster preparedness (Skolverket 2022), but there are currently no guidelines regarding teaching in this area. There exists some educational material on disaster preparedness aimed at schoolchildren in the later years of elementary school and in upper secondary school, e.g. from the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) (2022), but it is currently up to the individual teacher to include this in the teaching. In the present study, an investigation of the conditions for integrating disaster preparedness into teaching in elementary school was carried out, as a first step in a larger study that aims to develop a research-based teaching program for the earlier years of elementary school. Based on the international research literature on teaching about disaster preparedness, a text analysis of primary school curricula in the social study subjects and science studies, grade 1-6, was made. Preliminary results show that there are no explicit links to disaster preparedness in the current curricula. However, there is potential to align education on disaster preparedness to the existing c

The importance and influence of female volunteerism Srikandi East Java in disaster relief is widely recognized  to respond disaster preparedness. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) performed by bystanders is an essential treatment for sudden cardiac arrest.  Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation  is an emergency lifesaving procedure performed when the heart stops beating. The aim of community service is to improving knowledge and skills of CPR to female volunteers Srikandi East Java confidence to help their families, communities and people in need during disasters and emergencies.  The method used in this community service activity is to provide training  CPR and councelling cardiac arrest . This activity was carried out may 2023 which was attended by 80  female volunteers  member of Srikandi East Java. The results show that the activity has achieved success according to the success indicators that have been set, namely as many as 80  female volunteers  member of Srikandi East Java attendance is 100%, participants participate in activities enthusiastically, knowledge of CPR after training and counseling increases significantly. CPR drills should be done regularly so that many female bystanders are trained. &nbsp

The aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence and variation in disaster preparedness planning, for particularly vulnerable groups, in Swedish social services at the beginning of the covid-19 pandemic. The aim was also to investigate whether disaster preparedness planning, as measured in this study, had a bearing on the number of deaths from covid-19 in special accommodation and home care for the elderly and disabled during 2020 and 2021. A quantitative method was used with data from the National Board of Health and Welfare's public statistics and both univariate and bivariate analyzes were applied. The survey was conducted with a total sample of Sweden's 290 municipalities. Among the results, it was noticed that less than half of the municipalities had up-to-date disaster preparedness planning at the beginning of 2020 and 2021. Furthermore, there were no demonstrable correlations between disaster preparedness planning and the number of deaths from covid-19. All in all, the relatively low percentage of disaster preparedness planning in the social services did not seem to be particularly decisive for the ability to face the pandemic. This was discussed in relation to the fact that the capacity and ability of human service organizations to build resilience is based on considerably more factors than access to disaster preparedness planning.

This study dealt with the level of implementation of disaster risk reduction and management program in public elementary schools during the S.Y. 2020-2021. This study employed a descriptive-correlational method of research with 45 respondents. Findings revealed that the level of implementation of DRRM program by the school DRRM coordinators obtained an overall weighted mean of 4.37 denoting a transmuted rating of “High”. Moreover, significant differences in the level of implementation of DRRM program by the school DRRM coordinators across profile variables sex and civil status was evident. Likewise, significant relationships between the level of implementation of DRRM program by the school DRRM coordinators and their age was evident. It can be concluded the school DRRM coordinators are performing well their roles in implementing the DRRM program in the schools. It is recommended that a well-planned development program on disaster risk reduction management program shall be crafted by the DepEd. This is essential to improve/sustain the level of implementation of DRRM program in their schools and communities.

Preparing for natural disasters and adapting to climate change can save lives. Yet, minimal research has examined how governments can motivate community members to prepare for disasters (e.g., purchasing flood insurance or installing water barriers in homes for floods and hurricanes). Instead, studies have focused on how to communicate actions individuals should take during disasters, rather than before disasters. This study develops messages targeting social norms, which are promising approaches to motivate community members to adopt disaster risk preparedness and mitigation behaviors. Specifically, we developed a variety of messages integrating descriptive norms (i.e., what others do), injunctive norms (i.e., what others believe should be done), and a social norms-based fear appeal, or social disapproval rationale (i.e., a negative social result of [not] taking behaviors). Then, we tested these messages through two between-subject factorial online experiments in flood- and hurricane-prone U.S. states with adult samples (N = 2,286). In experiment 1 (i.e., purchasing flood insurance), the injunctive norms message using weather forecasters and the social disapproval rationale message significantly increased social norms perceptions, which in turn influenced behavioral intentions. In experiment 2 (i.e., installing water barriers), the injunctive norms message using weather forecasters, the injunctive norms message using neighbors, and the social disapproval rationale message significantly increased social norms perceptions, which in turn influenced mitigation intentions. However, the descriptive social norms message was not effective in increasing social norms perceptions. We provide some of the first empirical evidence on how organizations’ risk communication can empower community members to prepare and mitigate the impact of disasters.

The elderly population is of utmost importance amongst vulnerable populations during disasters because they experience reduced functional abilities, cognitive disturbance, dementia, weak physical conditions and various degenerative diseases. This study aimed to assess the effect of disaster preparedness training on knowledge regarding flood disaster preparedness and management in families with older people. This study was conducted using a quasi-experimental pre-post design with 30 participants in natural hazard preparedness training using purposive sampling. The results of this study showed a significant change in general knowledge on disaster and flood (12.9 and 20 points, respectively). Disaster preparedness practice was good, as reflected in actions performed before, during and after disaster. Before a flood occurs, families prepare a disaster preparedness bag for important documents as well as logistics (e.g. food) for emergencies and equipment for evacuation whilst also storing valuable goods in a safe place. During floods, families prioritise older people’s evacuation whilst seeking information about the flood through neighbours, walkie-talkies, handphones, television and radio as well as ensuring that the necessary logistics are taken care of. After the disaster, families clean their properties, provide clean water and toilet facilities for the family, check the health of family members that may be impacted by the flood and make sure that all electrical panels are safe. It is concluded that disaster training affects the knowledge of flood management in families with older people.

Hospital health care professionals (HCPs) play a vital and crucial role in saving the lives of patients afflicted with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). As the incidence of the disease keeps increasing, health care workers in hospitals face difficulties in discharging their duties. This study aimed to describe the lived experiences of HCPs. Particularly, it determined their challenges, motivations and coping strategies to craft grassroots policies for the enhancement of health care delivery in the Northern Philippines. Employing a phenomenological study design, 24 study participants were purposively selected and their narratives were elicited through focus group discussion. Responses were transcribed verbatim. After data analyses, the challenges, coping strategies and motivations of HCPs were identified. Results revealed that HCPs experienced a lot of challenges. Some of these were brought by the rapid changes in their environment as HCPs. Moreover, there was lack of comprehensive strategies that made them unprepared along with a lack of human and material resources. Furthermore, they experienced physical fatigue because of overwhelming workload, anxiety, fear and discrimination that led to depression. Despite these difficulties, they remain resilient because of religious coping, being true to their duty as HCPs and the support they receive from their fellows. Thus, the study recommends that protocols to ensue should centre on adequate pandemic preparedness and capacitation of HCPs.

This case study research aims to identify the enabling factors and challenges for developing a joint Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for Disaster Response Preparedness between Jordan, Israel and Palestine. Twelve qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with experts either involved in the SOP project, the region and/or with extensive experience in developing cross-border SOPs. Three key factors were identified that enabled the development of the joint SOP. Effective partnership building; the neutrality of the project and actors; and creating a realistic exercise scenario to test the SOP were the critical enabling factors. The nine main identified challenges include political sensitivities and conflict; access restrictions; organisational issues; information exchange; participation of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs; shifting priorities; unequal power relations; adherence and sustainability SOP; and finalising the exercise scenario. The results revealed that developing an SOP between Jordan, Israel, and Palestine is a challenging endeavour; on the one hand, the SOP project faces generic challenges related to the SOP development process, which are often encountered in other Disaster Risk Management projects. On the other hand, a majority of the challenges and enabling factors are directly related to or exacerbated by the conflict dynamics. Nevertheless, this case study suggests that regional disaster collaboration between Jordan, Israel and Palestine is not impossible provided there is sufficient political will, a strong partnership and the project and actors are perceived as accepted and neutral by all three entities., While the Jordan, Israel and Palestine (JIP) region is often characterized by conflict, its vulnerability to earthquakes, floods and other hazards is often overlooked. This thesis looks at a regional collaboration project on disaster preparedness in the JIP region. Because of the complex political situation in the region, this project does not go without its challenges making it a research topic worth exploring. The goal of this thesis is to identify the enabling factors and challenges for creating a common step-by-step plan for when a disaster strikes as part of this regional collaboration project. This step-by-step plan is called a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) and should enable the different disaster responders in JIP to have a common procedure for disaster response. In total, twelve interviews were conducted with people involved in the project and/or region. This thesis found that the enabling factors and challenges this project faces can generally be categorised into two categories. On the one hand, there are procedural factors that have to do with the process of developing an SOP between JIP. On the other hand, there are enabling factors and challenges that have to do with the conflict dynamics in the region. The procedural enabling factors consist of having a strong partnership between the parties and having a realistic exercise scenario to test the SOP, while the procedural challenges consist of issues such as a lack of funding for Disaster Risk Management, a high staff turnover, shifting priorities and regularly updating and adhering to the SOP once it is developed. The enabling factor that is related to the conflict dynamics consists of the need for the project and actors to be perceived as neutral by all three parties of JIP. Finally, challenges related to the conflict dynamics consist of political sensitivities and the conflict and the related access restrictions, issues with agreeing on information exchange, the participation of the United Nations

Home fires are the most prevalent and preventable disaster in the United States. It is notoriously difficult to teach disaster preparedness skills to adults. But, when their children are taught this material, households are more likely to make changes. The purpose of this thesis is to examine the impact of the American Red Cross’s “Prepare with Pedro!” youth disaster preparedness program on students’ and their families’ knowledge of and attitudes toward fire safety material. The thesis examines three research questions which focus on students’ overall knowledge, topic-specific knowledge and attitudes, and the knowledge of their adults. This thesis used an evaluation study methodology, examining the results of a pre- presentation test and post-presentation test for 12 classes in four U.S. states, as well as a 1-week post-presentation test and a family survey for three of the classes. Overall, students did significantly better answering questions after the presentation, and all but one question achieved higher scores that were statistically significant. While results were limited, the family survey found that most households had discussed the Prepare with Pedro material and made some changes at home. The American Red Cross’s Prepare with Pedro program had a generally positive impact on the students who participated and their households’ knowledge of fire safety and attitudes toward feeling prepared for a home fire. However, further research, particularly longitudinal studies and work focused on the spread of knowledge to households, is needed to expand knowledge on this topic., Children have long been regarded solely as victims and dependents in disaster situations. However, new research places children in a position of power to help their families prepare for and respond to disasters, particularly ones that are preventable, such as home fires. The purpose of this thesis is to examine the impact of the American Red Cross’s “Prepare with Pedro!” youth disaster preparedness program on students’ and their families’ knowledge of and attitudes toward fire safety material. Using a storybook presentation, the program teaches children aged 5-8 how to practice fire drills with their families. This thesis examines the impact the “Prepare with Pedro!” program had on students’ overall knowledge, and topic-specific knowledge and attitudes through tests before and after the presentation. This thesis used an evaluation study methodology to examine the results of these tests for 12 classes in four U.S. states (California, New York, New Hampshire, and Maryland). The three classes in Maryland also participated in a 1-week post-presentation test and a survey that was sent to the students’ families. The tests had five basic comprehension questions covering what the students learned about home fire preparedness and if they felt more prepared for a home fire after the presentation. Home fires are the most prevalent and preventable disasters in the U.S. Preparedness actions, such as installing working smoke alarms, practicing a fire drill, and having a pre-determined meeting place, drastically lower the risk of dying during a home fire. It is notoriously difficult to teach adults disaster preparedness skills, but when their children bring home information from school, preparedness actions are more likely to be implemented. This makes programs such as “Prepare with Pedro!” key to improving fire preparedness in the home. Overall, the results of this thesis show that students did significantly better answering questions after the presentation. The average total inc

So far, it has been recorded that the earthquake in Indonesia has damaged many public facilities and claimed many victims. Most cases of casualties were not caused directly by the earthquake, but the result of falling debris that could not properly respond to earthquake vibrations. To avoid similar incidents in the future, all buildings in Indonesia need to be inspected and confirmed that they are safe from the threat of an earthquake, including school buildings. The absence of a specific assessment tool for earthquake-resistant school buildings underlies this research. The assessment tool was developed based on the results of a literature review of several building inspection standards in various countries due to the absence of it in Indonesia. Several research variables that were successfully identified were then validated and processed using the Analytical Hierarchy Process method. Some experts in related fields were involved in the process to formulate the significant variables, and the respective weights and scoring systems. This research produced a preliminary assessment tool consisting of two parts. The first part, which emphasizes examination by visual method, is translated into four new categories: Building Slope Inspection, Sub-structure Component Inspection, Upper Structure Component Inspection, and Document Inspection, with 12 sub-categories and 28 indicators. Meanwhile, the second part emphasizes non-destructive testing as an additional score (in percentage) in the assessment of structural components preparedness. It includes three types of tests for concrete and two tests for steel materials. The level of preparedness for the structural components of a good school building needs to meet a minimum score of 70%.   National Disaster Management Agency (National Disaster Management Agency - BNPB) &nbsp

The world was recently shocked by an outbreak of a deadly virus. The recent emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic has increased societal stress levels through disruptions in daily work routines, adoption of new norms, low viral predictability, loss of source of income, death of loved ones, long-covid symptom, and subsequently being pushed to cope with a global economic crisis. It is believed that an endemic crisis will have a grave impact on everyone. Therefore, preparedness for disasters at individual, community and organisational levels are important to reduce disaster risk and minimising their impacts. The existing evidence on the application of behavioural coping models on disaster and emergency preparedness is predominantly from developed countries. The purpose of this study is to provide an overview of the existing behavioural models on the subject, and also to present cross cultural issues that may contribute to ways of understanding the community’s coping behaviour during a disaster. Following a discussion of their utility in developing countries such as Malaysia, this paper first discusses how cultural characteristics influence a community’s behaviour to cope with the unprecedented events. It then reviews how behavioural model can be applied to reduce risk- or to cope with the stress of a natural disaster. Future research on behavioural model addressing preparedness needs to focused on developing countries where there is a high probability of lacked coping capacity.

Disasters can and do occur on a regular basis. These events, which range from earthquakes to wildfires and other natural and human-made disasters, can happen at any time and often do so with little or no warning. When emergencies occur, they have the potential to affect every facet of life.In this project, members will learn how to effectively prepare for an emergency how emergencies are handled by government agencies and other organizations to respond quickly and appropriately in an emergency or disasterThis sheet outlines activity ideas at beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels of skill; also gives suggestions on how to tie the activity to STEM, healthy living, civic engagement, leadership and college and career readiness goals.

研究ノート, Research Article

This research is motivated by the awareness of the importance of community preparedness against disasters, especially for island communities whose locations are in disaster-prone areas. Maringkik Island, East Lombok Regency was chosen as the research location because the island is included in the southern part of Lombok Island which has the potential for megathrust with earthquakes above 8 SR. The objectives of this study were to determine: (1) the level of community education in Maringkik Island and its effect on community readiness in dealing with current disasters, (2) the level of understanding of disaster preparedness in the community in patron-client relationships, and (3) the level of disaster preparedness in the local social system of community in Maringkik Island, East Lombok Regency. The method used in this research is mixed methods, a combination of quantitative and qualitative research. The data were collected using in-depth interviews and surveys using a questionnaire that had been prepared. The results obtained from this study are that community preparedness in facing disasters is influenced by several factors, namely the level of education and knowledge as well as existing socio-cultural values. In addition, the existing patron-client pattern actually contributes to the community's low understanding of disaster preparedness. Community behavior and preparedness in the event of a disaster are still traditional, instinctive and natural, not based on modern science. Therefore, this study recommends the importance of disaster-specific subjects in schools and routine disaster mitigation-related training from related institutions.

In recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) is being increasingly utilised in disaster management activities. The public is engaged with AI in various ways in these activities. For instance, crowdsourcing applications developed for disaster management to handle the tasks of collecting data through social media platforms, and increasing disaster awareness through serious gaming applications. Nonetheless, there are limited empirical investigations and understanding on public perceptions concerning AI for disaster management. Bridging this knowledge gap is the justification for this paper. The methodological approach adopted involved: Initially, collecting data through an online survey from residents (n=605) of three major Australian cities; Then, analysis of the data using statistical modelling. The analysis results revealed that: (a) Younger generations have a greater appreciation of opportunities created by AI-driven applications for disaster management; (b) People with tertiary education have a greater understanding of the benefits of AI in managing the pre- and post-disaster phases, and; (c) Public sector administrative and safety workers, who play a vital role in managing disasters, place a greater value on the contributions by AI in disaster management. The study advocates relevant authorities to consider public perceptions in their efforts in integrating AI in disaster management.

Objectives: In the aftermath of a disaster, the services provided by pharmacists are essential to ensure the continued health and well-being of the local population. To continue pharmacy services, it is critical that pharmacists are prepared for disasters. A systematic literature review was conducted to explore pharmacists’ and pharmacy students’ preparedness for disasters and the factors that affect preparedness. Methods: This review was conducted in April 2020 through electronic databases CINAHL, MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, Scopus and PsycINFO, and two disaster journals. Search terms such as ‘pharmacist*’, ‘disaster*’ and ‘prepared*’ were used. The search yielded an initial 1781 titles. Articles were included if they measured pharmacists or pharmacy students’ disaster preparedness. After screening and quality appraisal by two researchers, four articles were included in final analysis and review. Data were extracted using a data collection tool formulated by the researchers. Meta-analysis was not possible; instead, results were compared across key areas including preparedness ratings and factors that influenced preparedness. Key findings: Three articles focused on pharmacy students’ preparedness for disasters, and one on registered pharmacists’ preparedness. Preparedness across both groups was poor to moderate with <18% of registered pharmacists found to be prepared to respond to a disaster. Factors that potentially influenced preparedness included disaster competency, disaster interventions and demographic factors. Conclusion: For pharmacists, the lack of research around their preparedness speaks volumes about their current involvement and expectations within disaster management. Without a prepared pharmacy workforce and pharmacy involvement in disaster management, critical skill and service gaps in disasters may negatively impact patients.

The study was conducted to assess the post 2010 flood risk management and resilience-building practices in District Layyah, Pakistan. Exploratory research was applied to gain knowledge of flood risk management to embed the disaster risk reduction, mitigation, and adaptation strategies at the local government and community level. Around 200 questionnaires were collected from the four devastated areas/union councils. Primary data from the field uncovered flood risk management practices by organizations, local government, and the community. It highlights resilience-building practices undertaken by the community through rehabilitation, community participation, and local indigenous practices. The role of the District Layyah’s local government and organizations to mitigate the 2010 flood and their contribution towards flood resilience in affected communities was investigated, as no comparable studies were carried out in the riverine belt of District Layyah previously. Moreover, the tangible and non-tangible measures to lessen the vulnerability to floods and improve flood risk governance at a local level were identified. This study makes a valuable contribution in strengthening the resilience building of vulnerable communities by recommending few changes in existing practices concerning flood risk at a local level.

A study on the Kamrangirchar slum of Dhaka, Bangladesh has been completed by analyzing literature involving qualitative data, as well as quantitative data using a mixed method research design. The quantitative data from the World Bank (2020) and the UNDP (2020) is provided as background for the research. A series of relevant case studies and state documents are analyzed by using a qualitative ‘onion-peel’ approach to gather data. The theoretical framework is guided by access, adaptation, and vulnerability theories, exploring the effect of flooding events on economies and livelihoods. The study examines the duty of the state to prevent damage from disasters, as well as in creating a plan for resiliency and future innovation. Projects to build the Kamrangirchar slum of Dhaka, Bangladesh sustainably to increase disaster resilience are analyzed, including the involvement of institutions in these development projects. The lack of infrastructure in the Kamrangirchar slum area has been analyzed and connections are made between infrastructure and disaster response. The GIS mapping resource is utilized by seeing how sewage and water systems have been implemented in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The Kamrangirchar slum is in focus, specifically observing whether this area has been neglected by urban planning and infrastructural development. The analysis and discussion of this information could potentially give some indication that the slum area lacks the infrastructure needed to be better prepared for future flooding events.

In the past few years, the frequency of onset natural disaster has been rising, causing significant damage to communities and infrastructure around the world. When it happens, airports in the region affected have to rapidly adjust and evolve from serving regular passengers to becoming a humanitarian hub, that handles a massive surge in both passenger, but especially cargo handling. A number of regions are especially vulnerable and prone to experience such a devastating event, and while there are existing initiatives aiming to raise awareness and improve airports’ preparedness, authorities are often isolated in their efforts to become more resilient. This research is an exploration of how data science and novel machine learning algorithms could help in establishing a base for forming collaborations between airports that might face similar challenges when it comes to disaster preparedness efforts. The goal was to build a comprehensive data set describing airports from the perspective of their disaster preparedness and find similarities between them, based on their intrinsic sociotechnical features, so that perhaps an airport in Indonesia could be matched with its ’sibling’ airport in the Caribbeans. The research involved a number of programming operations starting with collecting data, through data processing up till applying the Self Organising Maps (SOM) algorithm and visualising results., https://gitlab.com/maria.browarska/OSM­SOM Online repository of the programming part of the research, Complex Systems Engineering and Management (CoSEM)

The paper examines the extent of disaster preparedness in libraries of three South-western Nigerian universities. The survey research method was adopted, randomly administering on a ratio of 1:1:2:3, eighty (80) copies of the questionnaire to staff members of four university libraries. A 73% response rate was recorded and simple frequency tables, Likert Scale aided with summative indexing and Chi square test were used for analyzing the collated data. Four research questions were answered with three universities selected for the population study. There were fifty-eight respondents, made up of 30 males (51.7%) and 28 (48.3%) females.Disaster Likelihood Index (DLI) was used to measure propensity to disaster and of the seven indicators, water leakages (3.89) and faulty power supply (3.15) having the highest index scores, are the most probable sources of disaster. In addition, results reveal that the most available disaster management utilities are fire extinguishers, emergency exits and smoke detectors in the libraries with 90%, 75.9% and 72.4% respectively. The availability of smoke detectors however varies significantly across the libraries and is most available in the Kenneth Dike Library. The level of preparedness was also measured with three main indices, namely: maintenance (MI), adequacy (AdI) and awareness (AwI) of disaster management measures, each with its checklist of indicators. With the mean MI, AdW and AwI being 3.17, 3.03 and 2.82 respectively, awareness on disaster management measures is the lowest scoring index of preparedness, and knowledge of emergency numbers has the least AwI (2.31) among its indicators. The study recommends among others, the installation of utilities like smoke detector, emergency exit doors conspicuously indicated,awareness campaign as well as regular staff training on disaster management, to increase the level of preparedness in all the university libraries.

The aim of this study was to examine the level of emergency preparedness at the Bloemfontein Campus of the University of the Free State. The research examined the measures put in place by the university to prepare for any kind of emergencies that face many universities in the world, as well as a sense of obligation and hurdles hindering further preparedness. Data was collected from 80 participants in different areas of the Bloemfontein campus. The study found that the major incidents that the university experience were civil unrests, theft and assaults, but the university was prepared to handle all these emergency incidents. The Occupational Health and Safety guide or checklist was used to assess the safety of the Bloemfontein Campus facilities, and it was found that the lecture halls and areas within the campus met the standards. In addition, the study found that the students were of the impression that the university was able and prepared to deal with emergencies; however, the majority of the female students had a perception that they were not safe. The results showed that the students’ level of preparedness was limited by perception and lack of interest. The main recommendation was information management, which may be facilitated by increased communication and other innovative and strategic preparedness campaigns supported by the university.

This dissertation contains an essay on the effects of earthquake exposure on household preparedness in the short and long term and two essays on the predictors of public attention to earthquakes around the world. In Chapter I, I use a difference-in-differences method to estimate the causal effects of the 2010 and 2011 Canterbury earthquakes on people’s preparedness in the short-term (one month after the second earthquake) and long-term (up to 25 months after the second earthquake). I find that people who experienced the earthquakes increase their preparedness by 0.67 standard deviations in the short term. This impact stays positive but declines to 0.42 standard deviations in the long term. In chapter II, I investigate whether people from Western countries pay more attention to earthquakes in Western countries. I use Google Trends data and examine the proportion of Google searches from the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand for 610 earthquakes across the world over the period of 2006-2016. I find that people in these countries pay on average around 50 percent more attention to earthquakes in Western countries. My results are significant and consistent after controlling for geographical and social characteristics but becomes small and insignificant once I control for GDP per capita of the countries where the earthquake struck. There seems to be a developed country bias rather than a Western country bias. In the final chapter, I measure public attention – using the volume of Google searches – from 18 countries and investigate which factors predict public attention to earthquakes at international level. I focus on 372 earthquakes registered as disasters in The Emergency Events Database (EM-DAT) over the period 2004-2018. I find that people pay more attention to earthquakes in richer countries, in more democratic countries, and in countries with which they have more social and cultural similarities. I also find that social and cultural

Geologically, Indonesia is a country prone to disasters, particularly volcanic eruptions. One of the steps that can be taken to minimize the impact of volcanic eruptions is through the education sector as foundation the knowledge, attitudes, and skills of students. Therefore, this study aims to determine the preparedness of students in dealing with volcanic eruptions based on aspects of knowledge about volcanic eruptions, responsiveness in dealing with volcanic eruptions, and evacuation skills in dealing with volcanic eruptions. The subjects of the study were 26 students from 8th grade at Junior High School of 1 Ngancar. Research method in this study is by interviews and tests. Samples of respondents were taken randomly based on suggestions from science teachers at Junior High School of 1 Ngancar. The results of the research that have been carried out are as follows: Student preparedness is still in the poor category, seen from the aspect of knowledge and skills in evacuation, while the aspect of disaster response attitudes shows conflicting results, where based on the test of disaster response attitudes, 83.3% is in the good category. However, based on interviews with science teachers, it shows that the facilities, and there has never been any socialization related to disaster mitigation in the school environment. Therefore, it is necessary to do an application test to find out whether disaster response attitudes are truly embedded in students.

Possession of an Ag Pass during a wildfire or similar disaster allows farmers and ranchers access to areas that may otherwise be restricted to the public so that they can protect or care for agricultural assets (such as by irrigating crops or feeding, watering, and transporting livestock) or provide auxiliary support to emergency personnel (such as identification of access roads and water points). It is crucial that those who may seek access to an evacuation zone establish communication—before a crisis—with all relevant local agencies so that authorities understand and support the process. This publication describes how communities across California might approach such a program, recognizing that the structure and organization of any such program will ultimately depend upon the specific resources, politics, and relationships within any one community.

Full Text, Thesis (PhD Doctorate), Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), School of Medicine, Griffith Health, Globally, disasters cause tremendous impacts on humans, economies and the environment. In the past 20 years, the world has focused on how to best reduce these impacts through a series of global policy frameworks. The disaster risk reduction and management concept adopted by the Sendai Framework for DRR (SFDRR 2015-2030) in the third United Nations World Conference on DRR (WCDRR) promotes the reduction of hazards against people and the environment. The framework also encourages member countries to enhance their disaster preparedness capacities for effective responses. An Early Warning System (EWS) is an essential component of disaster preparedness and includes four elements (risk knowledge; monitoring and warning; dissemination and communication; and response capability) in order to provide effective and timely information to people at risk. The International Network for Multi-Hazard EWSs was a major agenda of the session on the Early Warning System in the third UN WCDRR. This network was established to strengthen Multi-Hazard EWSs (MHEWSs) as an integral part of national strategies for disaster risk reduction and building resilience in order to support the implementation of the SFDRR and it recognises the importance of involving the community within the system. Considering multi-hazards EWS and explicitly identifying the role of community engagement (CE) approaches is crucial to achieve the effectiveness of EWS design and operation, so as to prevent loss of lives, injuries and to protect the environment. However, the research suggests that EWSs in many settings still heavily focus on a single hazard using technology without comprehensively including all elements or involving the community in the system, leading to ineffective preparedness to disaster response. Aceh, the westernmost province in Indonesia, is vulnerable to multiple disasters. Although since the catastrophic 2004 tsunami much progress has been achieved in infrastructure, legislation and capacity buildi

Knowledge and interpretation of local risks are essential in disaster mitigation. Auckland’s exposure to multiple hazards is a source of national concern. Considering the multiplicity of natural hazards in Auckland, investigations on how communities can enhance their resilience to possible disasters have become imperative. Convincing individuals to embark on activities that would reduce their vulnerability to natural hazards is difficult, especially in communities that have not recently experienced the impact of natural hazards. This research investigated risk knowledge and interpretation in the South African community in Auckland. Data for this study were collected from both primary and secondary sources. A questionnaire was distributed amongst the South African population, and follow-up interviews with participants constituted the primary sources of data collection. Other sources were materials in the public domain. Regarding data analysis, an independent-sample t-test and Spearman’s correlation analysis were used to analyse the quantitative research data. A general inductive approach for qualitative data was used to analyse the research interviews. The research confirmed the subjectivity in risk perception and also revealed a high-risk perception, especially for earthquake, flood and tsunami. Whilst this study agreed that there is a relationship between risk perception and preparedness, such relationship is often contextual. The research concludes that risk perception could contribute to disaster resilience if communities appreciate the impact of a natural hazard irrespective of disaster experience or otherwise.

Volcanic eruptions disturb vegetation at a time it is needed for preventing mudflows. A resilient indigenous non-legume nitrogen-fixing tree that is adapted to the ash and spreads rapidly protects areas downstream in a volcanic landscape in Indonesia. Within the volcanic ring of fire both the long-term benefits (including densely populated, fertile agricultural soils) and short-term ecological disturbance of volcanic ash deposition are clear. Mount Kelud in East Java has erupted on a 15–37-years cycle for the past centuries, most recently in 2014, causing damage to settlements, agricultural land, agroforestry, and watershed protection forests, as the ash deposits caused tree mortality, restricted infiltration, and led to ash flows. Rapid “restoration” or recovery of tree-based vegetation with planted Legume trees (such as Calliandra spp.) has been attempted but is not very effective. However, the non-legume nitrogen-fixing Parasponia rigida, symbiotic with rhizobium bacteria, contrasted to its non-symbiotic sibling (Trema orientalis) has been studied in laboratory conditions, but not in its native environment. We mapped and sampled P. rigida in various locations (upper, middle, and lower elevation positions in ridge-slope-valley toposequences) on the Kelud complex starting 1 year after the latest eruption, estimated biomass development, and quantified P. rigida root nodules in relation to N availability in the ash/soil mixtures in these locations. P. rigida was found as a pioneer tree at elevations between 600 and 1,700 m a.s.l. (above sea level) along ridges, in slope, and valley positions. At lower elevations T. orientalis dominated. Within 3 years of the eruption, stem diameters were 3–10 cm. Up to 93% of P. rigida root nodules were found to be effective, based on the hemoglobin color on cross-sections. Rhizobium bacteria were found in root nodule tissue at densities of two to a hundred times higher than in rhizosphere soil. Between a total soil N content from 0.

Climate-related extreme geophysical events are among critical global challenges, and Sri Lanka is the second most-affected nation. To minimize disaster impacts and enhance the livability of human settlements, the concept of building community resilience has become crucial in disaster management and preparedness. This paper presents key results and recommendations from an integrated approach to post-disaster recovery interventions and improvements in preparedness activities, to reduce the impact of future disasters and associated risks. We tackled this goal by undertaking a reflective assessment using a case of post-disaster recovery interventions after the floods and landslides of May 2017 in three districts of Sri Lanka. This study emphasizes the need for capitalizing the immediate post-disaster response period to integrate risk reduction and resilience-building activities from the early stages of the recovery timeline.  Preparedness and resilience enhancement activities need to align with the Sri Lanka Community Resilience Framework as it can help optimally utilize time and resources to enhance resilience in resources-limited contexts.           ARK: https://n2t.net/ark:/88439/x059916 Permalink: https://geophysicsjournal.com/article/301 Reprints & Permissions &nbsp

In many countries of the world the dream of achieving education, free and compulsory for all, remains elusive for large parts of the population. Bangladesh is a case in point. Drawing on field research conducted in Bangladesh in 2008, 2011 and 2012, including in conjunction with the international development organisation World Vision, this chapter discusses some of the linkages between education, extreme levels of poverty, forced human migration, environmental change, and disaster readiness. The study identifies protracted poverty as the predominant impediment to schooling in Bangladesh. It extends previous research by expressly inviting the participation of respondents in coastal villages in the Bhola and Satkhira districts, as well as in urban slum communities in the country’s two largest cities Dhaka and Chittagong. The findings show that severe poverty forces school age children to work in low-paid jobs as garbage collectors, recyclers, domestic workers, servants, street vendors, hotel boys, burden bearers, couriers, etc., thereby thwarting their education and perpetuating the cycle of poverty. The research recommends a holistic portfolio of educational strategies comprising formal, non-formal and informal learning approaches that are integrated at the community level. Multi-stakeholder strategies seem to be best suited to Bangladesh’s dynamic environmental, geodemographic and socioeconomic context. Disaster risk education offers auspicious benefits for resilience and disaster preparedness. [A background video documentary on aspects of this research was published by UNSW, Sydney on 18 February 2015 and is publicly available at https://youtu.be/PBJeelgnadU.]

Modern societies are increasingly a melting pot of people from different cultural and linguistic backgrounds which needs to be taken into consideration in disaster planning. People from different ethnic and language backgrounds are sometimes more vulnerable in a disaster due to a number of challenges including language barriers, cultural perceptions, social isolation, poor assimilation with the local community and distrust of authorities. The level of disaster preparedness differs significantly at a household level, yet there is little understanding of how an individual's attributes such as age, ethnicity, language skills and gender, influences and sustains the level of disaster preparedness. Past research has explored one or more of these attributes, but the relationship between ‘ethnicity’, ‘language skills’ and disaster preparedness is least understood. To address this gap, this paper investigates how an individual's ethnicity and language skills influence their levels of disaster preparedness. A questionnaire survey was conducted with 180 residents from a variety of ethnic and language backgrounds in Logan City, a local government area in Australia. The survey results were analyzed using hierarchical regression analysis, and suggest that ‘ethnicity’ and ‘English Language skills’, accounted for significant variations in levels of disaster preparedness in the case study location. The findings suggest that policy makers need to give due consideration to how different ethnic groups understand and prepare for disasters, and to design disaster management and communication plans that cater for different language ability.

In 2008 the Red Cross Red Crescent (RCRC) started with Forecast-based Financing pilots to improve existing Early-Warning Early Action systems. Forecast-based financing is a new methodology to prepare, deliver and respond in a more effective and efficient manner, based on hazard forecasts. Actions are triggered when a forecast exceeds a danger level in a vulnerable intervention area. Forecast-based financing consists of several implementation steps, of which the first three aim at impact-based forecasting. Therefore, In this study we investigate how forecast skill of agricultural drought forecasts can be achieved. More specifically, the aim is to identify the contribution of machine learning and satellite-derived products in early warning early action systems improving the forecast skill of agricultural drought forecasts. We explore this through a machine learning model for a case-study area of the Lower Shire River Basin in Malawi. Several experiments with different sets of predictors and predictands are conducted to test which data adds to the skill and at what spatial detail. As predictors, the following agro-climatic indices are used: cumulative precipitation, soil moisture anomalies,mland surface temperature anomalies, El Niño Southern Oscillation in July and four different dry spell categories within the growing season (0-2 days dry spell, 3-4 day dry spell, 5-10 day dry spell and larger than 10 day dry spell). As drought predictand, the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and the vegetation optical depth (VOD) in March are used, the latter obtained from satellite data company VanderSat. The final set of predictors and predictands is narrowed down based on which data is available and with which quality (timeliness, reliability, accuracy). Initial results, show higher accuracy and weighted accuracy values for the models including soil moisture data compared to the ones without soil moisture, expect for the last month in the growing season, where it, IPACE-Malawi, NERC-SHEAR, Water Management | Hydrology

Introduction: Natural disasters often damage or destroy the protective public health service infrastructure (PHI) required to maintain the health and well-being of people with noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). This interruption increases the risk of an acute exacerbation or complication, potentially leading to a worse long-term prognosis or even death. Disaster-related exacerbations of NCDs will continue, if not increase, due to an increasing prevalence and sustained rise in the frequency and intensity of disasters, along with rapid unsustainable urbanization in flood plains and storm-prone coastal zones. Despite this, the focus of disaster and health systems preparedness and response remains on communicable diseases, even when the actual risk of disease outbreaks post-disaster is low, particularly in developed countries. There is now an urgent need to expand preparedness and response beyond communicable diseases to include people with NCDs.Hypothesis/Problem: The developing evidence-base describing the risk of disaster-related exacerbation of NCDs does not incorporate the perspectives, concerns, and challenges of people actually living with the conditions. To help address this gap, this research explored the key influences on patient ability to successfully manage their NCD after a natural disaster.Methods: A survey of people with NCDs in Queensland, Australia collected data on demographics, disease, disaster experience, and primary concern post-disaster. Descriptive statistics and chi-square tests with a Bonferroni-adjustment were used to analyze data.Results: There were 118 responses to the survey. Key influences on the ability to self-manage post-disaster were access to medication, medical services, water, treatment and care, power, and food. Managing disease-specific symptoms associated with cardiovascular disease, diabetes, mental health, and respiratory diseases were primary concerns following a disaster. Stress and anxiety, loss of sleep, weakness or fatig