Citation
(2001), "All hazards", Disaster Prevention and Management, Vol. 10 No. 2. https://doi.org/10.1108/dpm.2001.07310bag.001
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2001, MCB UP Limited
All hazards
All hazards
American Red Cross
http://www.redcross.org/disaster/safety/index.htmlhttp://www.redcross.org/disaster/safety/cde.html
The disaster section of the American Red Cross Web site provides extensive individual, family, and business preparedness and recovery information. The site includes a new, continually updated listing at the second URL above of all available Red Cross Community Disaster Education (CDE) resources. Categories of CDE materials include: media, general disaster preparedness, teachers and schools, videos, presenter's materials, materials for children, and materials in Spanish and other languages.
Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences
The Cooperative Extension Service of the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, University of Florida, has published an on-line version of its Disaster Handbook. The handbook's chapters include: "Disaster preparedness," "During the disaster," "After the disaster," "Home recovery," "Farm recovery," "Hurricanes," "Lightning," "Floods," "Tornadoes," "Hazardous materials," "Radiological accidents," "Residential/farm fires," "Wildland fires," "Terrorism," "Extreme heat and drought," "Extreme cold and winter storms," "Earthquakes," "Radio spots," and "Stress and coping." The site also offers a list of resources and numerous links to other useful Web sites.
Property Claim Services (PCS)
http://www.isa.cam/http://www.isa.cam/dacs/news.htm http://www.isa.cam/dacs/studies.htm
Each quarter, via their news service at the second URL above, the Property Claim Services (PCS) Unit of Insurance Services Office, Inc. (ISO) releases estimates of anticipated national insured catastrophe losses for the entire insurance industry. ISO defines a catastrophe as an event that causes $25 million or more in insured property losses and affects a significant number of property/casualty policyholders and insurers. In addition, each year, ISO presents three to five timely studies on important issues facing the insurance industry and society as a whole. The "Studies" section of the ISO Web site includes detailed summaries of the most recent papers as well as information about how to purchase the complete report for a nominal fee. Available summaries include:
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A half century of hurricane experience.
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Financing catastrophe risk: capital market solutions.
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The wWildland/urban fire hazard.
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Managing catastrophe risk.
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Catastrophes: insurance issues surrounding the Northridge earthquake and other natural disasters.
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The impact of catastrophes on property insurance.
"Forces of Nature"
http://library.thinkquest.org /COO360/
This "Forces of Nature" site, put together by an international group of high school students as a contest entry, provides a detailed introduction to avalanches, droughts, earthquakes, flooding, fog and mist, forest fires, hurricanes, landslides, monsoons, severe storms, tornadoes, tsunamis, volcanoes, and windstorms. The information covers descriptions of the phenomena, their impacts, recent occurrences, historical case studies, and interviews, as well as guidelines and tips for prediction, preparation, and prevention. There are also simulations, classroom activities and experiments, resource tools, teacher aids, interactive topic exploration programs, multimedia galleries, games, and quizzes intended to "teach appreciation and understanding of the natural world", with emphasis on avoiding the consequences of Earth's evolution and revolution.
Disaster Research Center
The Disaster Research Center (DRC) at the University of Delaware has announced that effective immediately DRC publications not copyrighted by others will be available for free downloading from its World Wide Web site. This includes all new publications and DRC publications released since 1985; the center will attempt to put all earlier publications on-line during 2001. Persons without Internet access will still be able to purchase paper copies by mail. Anyone with questions about this new policy should contact Susan Castelli, Library Coordinator, Disaster Research Center, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716. Tel: (302) 831-6618; Fax: (302) 831-2091; E-mail: castelli@udel.edu
Pan American Health Organisation
http://www.paho.org/disasters/ http://165.158.1.110/english/ped/pedhome.htm
(in either case, click on "Newsletter") We would like to remind Observer readers that one of the better newsletters on disaster management is available free on the World Wide Web, and specifically note that the latest issue of Disasters: Preparedness and Mitigation in the Americas, published by the Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Relief Coordination Program of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), includes a four-page supplement describing 18 of PAHO's newest publications on disasters, disaster management, and disaster health. All of these documents are offered for sale but are also provided free via the PAHO Web site.
Included are such publications as:
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Principles of Disaster Mitigation in Health Facilities (2000, 130 pp., $22.00);
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Hurricanes Georges and Mitch (1999, 400 pp., $20.00);
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Natural Disasters: Protecting the Public's Health (2000, 131 pp. , $22.00 in the US$18.00 in Latin America and the Caribbean);
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Humanitarian Assistance in Disaster Situations: A Guide to Effective Aid (1999, 20pp., $6.00);
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The Consequences of Disasters on Public Health (2000, 461 pp., $25.00 [Spanish only]);
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Virtual Disaster Library (1999, CD-ROM, $40.00).
Many other useful books in both English and Spanish are available. See the on-line newsletter for ordering or downloading information, or contact PAHO, Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Relief Coordination Program, 525 Twenty-third Street, NW, Washington, DC 20037. Tel: (202) 974-3527; Fax: (202) 775-4578; E-mail: disaster-publications@paho.org
Natural Disaster Information Systems
http://www.nnic.no00.gov/CENR/cenr.html http://www.lema.gov/nwzOO/effectivedoc.htm
In November 2000, the Working Group on Natural Disaster Information Systems, Subcommittee on Natural Disaster Reduction, Committee on Environment and Natural Resources of the National Science and Technology Council released a 56-page report on Effective Disaster Warnings.
The report "compiles … a wealth of information on public and private sector R&D capability to provide early warning of natural or technological hazards … It is designed to assist scientists, engineers, and emergency managers in developing more accurate … warnings … The goal of this Report is to provide a broad overview of major issues related to warning the right people at the right time."
The report focuses on emerging opportunities in technology that can focus warnings on particular populations and thus improve public safety.
It notes that a major priority is to address concerns regarding data/information standards and dissemination systems to be used, and recommends close collaboration among federal, state, local, and private-sector organizations.
International Telecommunications Union
http://www.itu.inti/TU-D-StGrpsISGP_1998-2002/SG21Documents/Doclist.htm
The Disaster Communications Handbook, a publication of the International Telecommunication Union, is now available in English, Spanish, and French from this Web site.
CBS News
This site is just what its name implies. Dozens of links to disaster Web sites arranged in approximately 30 categories – from "Satellite images" to "Icebergs" – brought to you by CBS News.
United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC)
http://www.eclacpos.org/sustdev/CALINKS/dislink.htm
If you are just looking for links to disaster information about the Caribbean, try this recently revised site prepared by the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).
Emergency Management Australia
Emergency Management Australia (EMA) has spiced up its Web site with a new look and new information The site includes a section describing the agency's programs and structure as well as pages covering current EMA activities, EMA media releases, and emergency management generally. It provides a virtual library, community information, a summary of available education and training, and a list of conferences. The site also incorporates an extensive new section on "Disaster education for schools," with pages for teachers, students, and school communities, as well as a news section and an index of school disaster education resources – from Web sites to books and videos.
Cal-EPI List
Interested persons are invited to join a new mailing list for discussion of Emergency Public Information (EPI) tasks, tools, and techniques in California and beyond. The "Cal-EPI" list is not only a new forum for discussion of technology issues, it is also a community in which emergency managers, journalists, and others with shared interests can discuss the larger challenges of alerting, informing, and reassuring the public during emergencies. Anyone can join this conversation by sending E-mail to: Cal-EPI-request@incident.com with the word "subscribe" in the body of their message.
Animal Management in Disasters
http://www.animaldisasters.com
The purpose of the Animal Management in Disasters Web site is to provide "a resource to professional emergency managers and animal care providers who have an interest in improving the care of animals and their owners in disasters" and to provide "an opportunity for [users] to contribute to the development of training material to help the livestock industry mitigate the impact of disasters." Material relevant to the first goal is provided on the information and publications pages; material relevant to the second is provided through the meetings, discussion, and discussion summary pages. The newly revised site not only offers information about animal management in disasters for pet owners, livestock owners, and farmers, it also provides business continuity information for veterinarians and humane shelter managers.