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Copyright of Historia: Questoes & Debates is the property of Universidade Federal do Parana and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Critical infrastructures (CI) are designated sectors that if incapacitated or destroyed by natural disasters would have a serious impact on national security and economic and social welfare. Due to the interdependency of critical infrastructures failure of one infrastructure during a natural disaster such as earthquake or flood may cause failure of another and so on through a cascade or escalating effect. Quantification of these types of interdependencies between critical infrastructures is essential for effective response and management of resources for rescue, recovery, and restoration during times of crises. This paper proposes a new mathematical framework based on an asymmetric relation matrix constructed in a bottom-up approach for modeling and analyzing interdependencies of critical infrastructures. Asymmetric dependency matrices can be constructed using the asymmetric incidence coefficient based on node-level relationships defined between nodes for measuring the strength of interdependency between node and node, node and network, and networks and networks. These asymmetric matrices are further analyzed for ranking infrastructures in terms of their relative importance and for identifying nodes and infrastructure networks that play a critical role in chain effects among infrastructures involved in geo-disaster events such as flooding. Examples of interdependency analysis for the identification of vulnerabilities among fifteen national defense-related infrastructure sectors by the Australian government and a simulated example using the newly developed GIS-based network simulator GeoPN are used to validate and demonstrate the implementation and effectiveness of interdependency analysis methods in analyzing infrastructure interdependency during a flooding event. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the economic impact of tsunamis in ancient Greece, Rome and the Mediterranean Sea region. An overview of the archaeological excavations in the Mediterranean Sea region regarding the tsunami of 365 A.D.'s social impact, including in regard to the destruction of buildings and roadways in Sabratha, Libya and the agricultural production in the Alexandria, Egypt region, is provided. The reconstruction and disaster relief efforts following tsunamis in the Graeco-Roman world are discussed.

The archaeological site and the museum(s) of Ancient Olympia attract thousands of visitors in southern Greece every year, as this popular destination encompasses not only extraordinary natural scenery, but also a cultural treasure – it is the cradle of the Olympic Games. In summer 2007, forest fires that swept throughout the Peloponnese, with a devastating impact in the whole region, reached the outskirts of Olympia and seriously threatened the archaeological site and the surrounding museum infrastructures. The current project investigates the impact of a natural disaster on media portrayals of Ancient Olympia. The authors used framing theory to measure how national newspapers reported the natural disaster and assessed media framing choices through which the Olympic site and the museum(s) were described. They conclude that the media covered Olympia because of the disaster but coverage of the museum(s) and their activities during this time was minimal. The organization needs to reconsider its media relations strategy while promoting its unique cultural assets. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Archaeological research of the Early Bronze Age (EBA) in the southern Levant is rich in evidence for the destruction of urban centres: burnt destruction layers during most stages of the EBA and massive fortifications that were repeatedly strengthened and altered testify of a troubled and insecure era. However, until recently direct evidence of actual fighting at fortified EBA settlements was virtually unknown and the destruction layers could as easily be considered as the outcome of natural disasters like earthquakes. Current excavations at Leviah have now provided the first unequivocal evidence for the storming and destruction of an EBA town in the southern Levant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bam residents have lived for years in their city in south-eastern Iran, engaging in palm cultivation and trade. However, a dramatic change occurred on 26 December 2003 - a 6.8 MW earthquake. Five years after the earthquake, six houses were excavated to reconstruct the reaction of people to it and to explore their longer-term life paths. This is our narrative of some Bam families that were victims of the disaster. An archaeological narration looks at that night through its material remains. It is a detailed narration about the last living moments of five families. Our narrative is the story of the everyday lives of dead agents who are revived through an archaeological approach, demonstrating the benefits of archaeology for contemporary Iranian society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Best-fit distributions of floods in Tunisia are determined based on L-moment diagram and statistical tests. GEV and GLO distributions provided the best fit to seven and three regions of Tunisia respectively. In each homogeneous region, hierarchical approaches and regression models were developed for gauged and ungauged watersheds. The first two parameters of the distributions (GEV and GLO) were estimated from measured data while the third parameter was represented by the regional average value weighted by the record length of all stations in the region. The obtained parameters were correlated to the catchment size. Quantiles obtained by the proposed models were compared with those obtained using local conventional models. Statistical tests showed that the proposed models provided a much better agreement with observed floods than any of the conventional methods generally used in Tunisia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The damage caused by snow avalanches to property and human lives is underestimated in many regions around the world, especially where this natural hazard remains poorly documented. One such region is the Argentinean Andes, where numerous settlements are threatened almost every winter by large snow avalanches. On 1 September 2002, the largest tragedy in the history of Argentinean mountaineering took place at Cerro Ventana, Northern Patagonia: nine persons were killed and seven others injured by a snow avalanche. In this paper, we combine both numerical modeling and dendrochronological investigations to reconstruct this event. Using information released by local governmental authorities and compiled in the field, the avalanche event was numerically simulated using the avalanche dynamics programs AVAL-1D and RAMMS. Avalanche characteristics, such as extent and date were determined using dendrochronological techniques. Model simulation results were compared with documentary and tree-ring evidences for the 2002 event. Our results show a good agreement between the simulated projection of the avalanche and its reconstructed extent using tree-ring records. Differences between the observed and the simulated avalanche, principally related to the snow height deposition in the run-out zone, are mostly attributed to the low resolution of the digital elevation model used to represent the valley topography. The main contributions of this study are (1) to provide the first calibration of numerical avalanche models for the Patagonian Andes and (2) to highlight the potential of Nothofagus pumilio tree-ring records to reconstruct past snow-avalanche events in time and space. Future research should focus on testing this combined approach in other forested regions of the Andes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Several deep wells were drilled in the Rhine Graben (Soultz-sous-Forêts, France) to evaluate the geothermal Hot Dry Rock potential of a deep fractured granite reservoir. Three main boreholes, which reached about 5km depth, intersected a crystalline basement overlain by 1.4km of Cenozoic and Mesozoic sediments. Stimulations of these three wells were carried out in 2000 for GPK2, 2003 for GPK3 and 2004, and 2005 for GPK4. During these stimulations and other hydraulic activities a seismological surface network was installed in order to monitor the seismicity induced by the massive fluid injection. Here we analyse the seismicity of magnitude larger than or equal to 1.4, which is the lowest magnitude felt by the population. Based on a spectral analysis of the displacement recorded by a Güralp velocimeter at a depth of 200m, we know that the source dimensions range from tens to hundreds of metres. We analyse several parts of the reservoir where obvious correlation between the fluid path and tectonic features has been pointed out. Based on seismological arguments such as location and focal mechanisms, we show that this activity is linked with tectonic features, or at least with large fractures that control the behaviour of the geothermal reservoir. To constrain the hypothesis, we study 391 events and focal mechanisms to argue in favour of the existence and stability of tectonic features that can be compared to geological data. We show that the largest events recorded on the site occurred after the shut-in. Their spatial distribution appears not to be random within the reservoir, and the focal mechanisms of these events also confirm the non-randomness of their distribution. Given their source dimensions, the largest events can only occur on large structures, such as tectonic ones. Therefore, the behaviour of the reservoir is controlled by these main fractured zones, which either lead the fluid or hinder its path. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This article develops a model for natural disaster administration that illustrates the roles of theory and reality. Theoretical ideals are presented and discussed from planning and management perspectives. This administrative model combines mitigation and planning together and it combines disaster management, response, and recovery in an effort to better name and frame the influence and the potential of public administration theory in national disaster administration. This model is framed with three sets of filters that condition a sequence between theory and disaster management/response. The assessment and portability of these theories will provide a tool to learn from past failures/successes and to build for future challenges and opportunities that confront praxis related to disaster administration. It is speculated that theoretical approaches should play a more prominent role in natural disaster administration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors describe their study of posttraumatic stress symptoms of children and adolescents after the 1999 earthquakes in Turkey. The rate of possible PTSD cases is also presented. The findings are reported as the results of two different studies. Location had a main effect on almost all of the dependent variables for both samples. The posttraumatic stress symptom scores for both groups significantly decreased 3 months after the initial assessment. The best predictors of the perceived posttraumatic stress symptoms for both children and adolescents were found to be perceived negative school performance and exposure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses various topics related to law and inequality in terms of natural disasters. According to the author, it is a truism that mobile homes are storm magnets. These are not dwellings of the affluent. Often they are housing for the poor, and the regulatory standards are weak. Also as a matter of common sense, many disaster prevention and response measures benefit everyone in society. Furthermore, there are several possible responses that the legal system could choose to address this disproportionate impact, including administrative disclosure requirements, liability for actions having disproportionate impact, administrative compensation funds, and reparations legislation.

Mazama ash has long served as an important chronostratigraphic marker for archaeologists working on the northwestern Plains. Despite its thickness and widespread distribution, few archaeologists have examined the potential impact of the ash fall on the plant, animal, and human communities of the area. To some extent, the failure to explore the consequences of this natural disaster reflects the paucity of historical documentation and the lack of current research on the impacts of volcanic eruptions on human communities. The 1980 eruption of Mount St Helens has prompted a renewed interest in the study of volcanoes, including their impacts on climate, plants, animals, and humans. The potential impact of the Mazama ash fall on the climate, ecology, and human populations of the northwestern Plains is explored in light of this current research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Examines the climate records and cultural consequences in holocene El Nino frequencies in Peru. Analysis of mollusks from archaeological sites; Correlation between increase El Nino frequency with the monumental temple abandonment; Consequences of El Nino on modern and colonial inhabitants.

The article cites a study on the threat of climatic changes to the culture and nature based heritage sites in several countries, conducted by researchers from across the world. The study showed that Charles Darwin's favourite barrier reef in Belize, West Coast National Park in South Africa, and archaeological sites in Scotland are under threat from the changes in their local climatic condition. Rising sea-levels, flooding, and other natural calamities are posing as a threat to these historical sites.