Emerald | Disaster Prevention and Management

Disaster Management from the Perspective of Governance: Case Study of the Hebei Spirit Oil Spill

Joon-Young Hur — 2012-06-22 00:00:00.0

Abstract

Purpose - This exploring research attempts from the perspective of governance to approach and analyze the cooperation mechanisms as were shown in the case of Hebei Spirit oil spill disaster management.Design/methodology/approach - The structure of that governance was described and the relations between actors were examined. On the basis of this information the inner dynamics within their interactions were investigated and key factors for and hindrances to the success were identified.Findings - Solidarity culture, personal communication media and a wide participation of private actors turned out to be helpful to cooperative mechanisms, whereas the lack of responsiveness of government and the unclear boundary of responsibilities between public organizations stood in the way of harmonious and effective governance.Practical implications - It is a requisite to have a comprehensive approach and pragmatic policies as well as their implementation mechanisms. There is also a requirement for effective consultation, collaboration and coordination, progress monitoring and above all, the will. Originality/value - The founding of this research leads to the conclusion that the cooperation between public and private sectors in the case of that oil spill disaster shows a possibility of a new paradigm of interactive dialog within the society and thus can be interpreted as governance.

Strategic Health Care Logistics Planning in Emergency Management

Jerry D. VanVactor — 2012-06-22 00:00:00.0

Abstract

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to provide first an explication of the interconnectivity of logistics as an element of health care disaster posturing and second, using a context of strategic-level planning, supplies chain management’s inclusion in health care emergency management planning.Design/methodology/approach - Using a review of existent literature, this work examines and expounds upon the impact of effective supply chain management processes in disaster mitigation and planning.Findings - This paper presents a discourse in health care supply chain management’s involvement in disaster mitigation by clarifying the role of logistics in strategic-level planning.Practical implications - Optimally, for a health care organization to be truly prepared for disaster, leaders must first have a sound logistics platform from whence support and sustainment is received. For an organization to be truly prepared logistically, however, there must exist a basic understanding of principles related to emergency management and health care operations.Originality/value - A key recurring problem is that little research is available or related specifically to health care logistics management. Few works can be found concerning health care supply chain management’s involvement in disaster posturing. In an applied sense, this manuscript provides health care managers with concepts related to effective crisis mitigation.

Mental Health Implications of Volunteer Fire Service Membership

Shannon L. Wagner, Melanie O'Neill — 2012-06-22 00:00:00.0

Abstract

Purpose - Purpose: the current study was intended to add to the overall body of literature regarding mental health implications related to fire service membership; in particular, our intent for this study was to look specifically at the implications of volunteer membership and to compare our results with previous research looking at paid-professional members.Design/methodology/approach - Methodology: Responses to the IES-R, the NEO-PI and the SCL-90R were collected from a sample of volunteer firefighters (n = 64) as well as a similar comparison sample (n = 103).Findings - Findings: Volunteer fire service members reported significantly higher rates of posttraumatic stress symptomatology when compared to a similar group of comparison participants. In contrast, we found no differences in other types of mental health symptomatology between the volunteer fire fighters and comparison group. In addition, there appeared to be few differences in the patterns regarding prediction of mental health symptomatology from individual personality characteristics for the two groups. Generally, our results suggested that, regardless of group, neuroticism was a predictor of mental health symptomatology in many domains.Originality/value - Originality/Value: To our knowledge, this is only available study to have as its primary intent to describe the mental health implications of volunteer fire service membership as opposed to a similar comparison sample. In addition, our data provides some meaningful comparison with previously published results found in a paid-professional sample; such comparisons, to this point, have been unavailable.

Black Swans to Grey Swans- Revealing the Uncertainty

Anthony J Masys — 2012-06-22 00:00:00.0

Abstract

Purpose - The emergence of ‘Black Swans’ represent ‘…our misunderstanding of the likelihood of surprises’ (Taleb, 2007:2). What emerges from this study of accidents and disasters is the inherent misunderstanding and absence of awareness associated with the existence of black swans and their complex aetiology. Red teaming provides a methodology to explore the uncertainties and challenge the mental models associated with accident and disaster aetiology. Design/methodology/approach - The argument draws upon the successful application of red teaming in various domains noted in the literature and lessons learned from the failure to recognize black swans. An analysis of the literature illustrates how the salient characteristics of red teaming and scenario planning can be applied to the illumination of black swans to support risk, crisis and disaster management. Findings - Recognizing the uncertainty resident within the safety and security problem space opens up the notion that more than one future is potentially open. It is argued that the inherent properties of red teaming within the context of scenario planning facilitates an effective approach to bring risk, crisis and disaster planners/ managers together to discuss their concerns and explore the factors creating uncertainty and the emergence of black swans. Originality/value - The value of red teaming (scenario planning) to challenge linear thinking and recognize the inherent uncertainty in the space of possibilities is well supported. Applied to the risk, crisis and disaster management domain, red teaming and scenario planning can provide insights into the emergence of black swans and thereby shape mitigation strategies.

Design Framework: Coordination in Complex and Dynamic Environment

Liaquat Hossain, Shahadat Uddin — 2012-06-22 00:00:00.0

Abstract

Purpose - In this paper we provide a conceptual foundation and empirical basis for exploring issues related to the design framework for modeling coordination in complex and dynamic environment. Design/methodology/approach - Previous research suggests that interactions among actors in a complex and dynamic environment tend to be more elastic offering higher degree of adaptability. Actions of actors in such an environment need to be coordinated for achieving the desired goal. With that purpose, we suggest a social network-based (SN-based) framework to model coordination in complex and dynamic environments. Findings - We successfully apply our proposed SN-based framework to model coordination in the context of soft-target organization (STO) and emergency response preparedness (ERP). Originality/value - It is apparent that much work is done in existing studies on modeling coordination considering specific domain situation in a complex and dynamic environment. In this study, we propose a unique framework to model coordination in complex and dynamic environment.

Local Wisdom-Based Disaster Recovery Model in Indonesia

Bevaola Kusumasari, Quamrul Alam — 2012-06-22 00:00:00.0

Abstract

Purpose - This paper aims to discuss the local wisdom-based recovery model that has been applied in the Bantul district, Yogyakarta, Indonesia following the 2006 earthquake. This recovery model might appropriate to be implemented in any type of local government in developing countries with have strong local culture characteristics.Design/methodology/approach - This research is an exploratory case study which is concentrating on Bantul district. Data was gathered in two categories: primary data and secondary data. Primary data were collected through in-depth interviews while secondary data were collected from related document such as articles, books, websites or even government and NGOs reports. Findings - Bantul is a small district in the province of Yogyakarta Special region, Indonesia and known as a highly urbanized area, poor, lacked of fund and has a limited capability to manage a disaster. However, the two years of recovery process has been reimaging this district becoming a well-planned area and a rightly-targeted development strategy. The result of recovery phase was satisfactory. The recovery efforts paid due respect to existing local cultures excellence and wisdom. Principally, it is the people themselves who should decide how to rebuild their houses. Local government has only provided assistance for earthquake-resistant houses and has supported basic housing needs. Originality/value - This paper presents lesson learnt from local government in developing country in dealing with the recovery process based on the local community wisdom.

Spatio-temporal behaviour after an earthquake A case study of Kawaguchi town, Japan.

Matteo Gismondi, Otto Huisman — 2012-06-22 00:00:00.0

Abstract

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to provide a method to examine the differences in behaviour during a post-quake period.Design/methodology/approach - Fieldwork and questionnaires were used to collect the households members' movement behaviours after the 2004 Chuetsu Earthquake. Three study areas are selected in Kawaguchi town (Niigata Prefecture) in order to enhance how the visualisation process can provide support in better understanding the behaviour during evacuation and recovery process. For this purpose the Space-Time-Cube (STC) used to represent and analyse residents' movement paths over time.Findings - Differences appear in the spatio-temporal paths of the three study areas implying a connection between the geographical location and movement patterns. The city centre shows disorganized Spatio-Temporal-Patters (STPs) during the first week of the recovery process, eventually becoming organized after the rescuers arrival. Moving towards the isolated areas of the town a progressive STP organisation can be observed, explaining the faster response after the seismic event.Research limitations/implications - Spatio-temporal data are difficult and costly to collect especially if long period of time passes between the seismic event and the survey.Practical implications - The STC can be used as tool to enhance the disaster management techniques and provide support in situation of crisis.Originality/value - This paper provides a practical approach in investigating the reactions after a seismic event and can be used in larger study areas to develop better strategies in disaster management.

Exceedance probability of extensive damage limit for general buildings in Taiwan

Jeng-Hsiang Lin — 2012-06-22 00:00:00.0

Abstract

Purpose - The purpose of this study is to examine the effectiveness of building codes in earthquake risk mitigation in Taiwan.Design/methodology/approach - Using probabilistic risk analysis tools with available data, this study assesses the exceedance probability of extensive damage limit for general buildings in their 50-year useful lives. The buildings were classified into 15 categories according to their construction materials and building height. Then, the effects of construction materials, building height and construction years are detected.Findings - The exceedance probabilities of extensive damage limit for all of the investigated buildings in their 50-year useful lives are on the order of 10**(-2). The effect of construction materials and building height on seismic risk of buildings is decreasing with the development of seismic design code. Significant discrepancy of seismic risk still exists among some buildings.Research limitations/implications - Seismic risk analysis requires quite restrictive statistical idealizations for the relevant probabilistic terms in the mathematical formulation. The problem of imperfect simplification and lack of sufficient empirical data has shown the research needs for improvements of seismic risk assessment. The questions of what constitutes acceptable risk for various performance levels and how safe is safe enough remain context-specific.Originality/value - Although probabilistic risk analysis provides a tool for quantifying the probability of structural failure, current earthquake-resistant design procedures do not relate performance levels to probability. This study explores some probability information for current earthquake-resistant design for general buildings during their 50-year useful lives. The information may provide some valuable information for future code calibration.