Description
The aims of the conference were sharing experiences and knowledge for Integrated Disaster Risk Management (IDRiM) under different socio-economic and cultural contexts.
Integrated Disaster Risk
Management Society
IDRiM Newsletter
Issue 1, January 2011
Page 1
Contents
1. IDRiM News ........................................................................ 2
2. Conference Announcements ............................................... 4
3. Call for Papers ..................................................................... 8
4. Internet List .......................................................................... 9
5. Scientific J ob Announcements .......................................... 10
6. J ournals ............................................................................. 11
7. New Books ........................................................................ 20
8. Ongoing Field Work ........................................................... 28
9. Miscellaneous .................................................................... 30
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1. IDRiM News
IDRIM 2010 successfull y held in Vienna.
By Kazuyoshi NAKANO
The 1st Annual Conference of the International Society for Integrated Disaster Risk
Management ( IDRiM 2010) was successfully held during 1-4 September 2010 at the
University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences (BOKU), in Vienna, Austria.
Photo: Participants to the 1
st
IDRiM Conference at BOKU, Vienna, Austria, during the closing ceremony on 3
October 2010.
This memorable occasion was the 1st meeting of the IDRiM Society after it was officially
launched at the 9th IIASA-DPRI Forum on Integrated Disaster Risk Management
(IDRiM Forum) in Kyoto, last year. The IDRiM Society was established based on a
series of annual meetings on integrated disaster risk management organized since
2001 by the Disaster Prevention Research Institute (DPRI) of Kyoto University, and the
International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA). The conference was
launched with remarks from Professor Martin Gerzabek, Rector of BOKU, and
Professor Norio Okada, Director of DPRI, as well as Professor Hans Peter Nachtnebel,
the local organizer from BOKU.
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Photo: Professor Norio Okada, Director of DPRI, and newly elected President of the IDRiM Society.
The aims of the conference were sharing experiences and knowledge for Integrated
Disaster Risk Management (IDRiM) under different socio-economic and cultural
contexts. In total, more than 80 participants were gathered for the occasion and more
than 50 speakers with different backgrounds and nationalities including J apan, Nepal,
India, China, Colombia, Venezuela, Europe, United States, etc.,- shared their research
findings in the field of IDRiM.
The first day included plenary sessions related to risk assessment of and adaptation to
various types of hazards including earthquakes and tsunamis, floods and droughts, and
landslides. The second day began with a special session regarding NATECHs, which
deals with risk of joint natural and technological disasters. Especially critical
infrastructures like power plants were focused on in the European and African context.
It was followed by a session where information and early warning systems were
intensively discussed. The third day included a special session about the DRH (Disaster
Reduction Hyperbase) project, which develops a database for implementable
technologies for disaster reduction. The outline and current situation as well as future
challenges were discussed. A series of sessions followed where recent research
outcomes on economic impact assessment and financial tools for disaster reduction
were presented.
The General Assembly meeting of the IDRiM Society was held on 2 October during the
conference. The Board of Directors and the President of the IDRiM Society were
elected during the General Assembly. Professor Norio Okada, DPRI, Kyoto University,
was elected as the first president of the Society.
IDRiM Journal gets ISSN number
The IDRiM J ournal is now officially registered with the ISSN Center through
their regional ISSN office in J apan.
ISSN number for the IDRiM J ournal is: ISSN 2185-8322. J ournal type: On
Line (Web). Title: International J ournal for Integrated Disaster Risk
Management. Publisher: IDRiM. Date: March, 2011
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2. Conference Announcements
• March 22-25, 2011
Environment Asia International Conference
The 1st Environment Asia International Conference on “Environmental
Supporting in Food and Energy Security: Crisis and Opportunity” is being
conducted by the Thai Society of Higher Education Institutes on Environment
(TSHE). The Conference aims to address the crisis and challenges we face, and
seize the opportunity in emerging areas of energy, environment, and food
security to achieve sustainable development. The 1st Environment Asia
International Conference shall provide a forum for academicians, technologists,
researchers, students, entrepreneurs, and policy makers worldwide to exchange
ideas and emerging technologies in the fields of food, energy, and the
environment. The Conference will attempt to evolve an agenda for environmental
policies, and the identification of green technologies and their subsequent
implementation for sustainable development. The Conference will take a
multidisciplinary approach across various fields and perspectives through which
the fundamental questions of sustainability can be addressed.
Website:http://www.tshe.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5&
Itemid=26
• May 11-13, 2011
Disaster Management 2011: (including call for papers)
The second International Conference on Disaster Management has been
reconvened following the success of the first meeting held at the Wessex
Institute of Technology in the New Forest. Conference topics include: Emergency
preparedness, Risk mitigation, Natural disasters Man-made disasters, Learning
from disasters, Disaster analysis, Monitoring and mitigation, Global risks and
health, Pandemic and biological threats, Surveillance and early warning systems,
Public health preparedness, Socio-economic issues, Service sustainability.
Website:http://www.wessex.ac.uk/11-conferences/disastermanagement-
2011.html
• May 18-20, 2011
International Conference on Geotechnical Engineering for Disaster Mitigation and
Rehabilitation: (including call for papers)
The objectives of the J WG-DMR are to: (1) share information relevant to
geotechnical engineers on issues pertaining to the mitigation of natural disasters
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(e.g., tsunamis, earthquakes, landslides) and (2) pool our expertise together to
provide technical support on reconstruction and rehabilitation works pertaining to
geotechnical engineering. The basic functions of this J WG-DMR are to plan and
coordinate activities that serve our common objectives and to make better use of
our resources through coordinating and sharing. By joining forces, we will also
have better representation when we deal with governments or other
organizations.
Website:http://reliability.geoengineer.org/GEDMAR2011/
• June 19-22, 2011
World Conference on Disaster Management
The World Conference on Disaster Management (WCDM) is the premier annual
event that addresses issues common to all aspects of disaster/emergency
management. The conference program includes speakers from many parts of the
world and provides excellent opportunities for training and networking with
experts and practitioners in Emergency Management, Business Continuity,
Emergency Communications, Emergency Response, Disaster Management
Research, Risk Management, Security, IT, HR, Environmental, Community
Planning and the organizations which supply and service these professions. This
year we will take an in-depth look at how our professions have evolved over the
past twenty years, the lessons we have (or not) learned as well as looking into
future trends and threats to the safety and well-being of our communities.
Website:http://www.wcdm.org/Toronto/call-for-papers.html
• Jul y 4-6, 2011
International Conference on Safety and Security Engineering (including call for
papers)
The success of the first three International Conferences on Safety and Security
Engineering held in Rome in 2005, Malta in 2007 and Rome in 2009, has
prompted the organisers to reconvene the meeting in 2011. The purpose of the
conference is to provide a forum for the presentation and discussion of the most
recent academic and industrial developments in the theoretical and practical
aspects of safety and security engineering. Safety and security engineering, due
to its special nature, is an interdisciplinary area of research and applications that
brings together in a systematic view many disciplines of science and engineering,
from the traditional to the most technologically advanced. The conference covers
areas such as crisis management, security engineering, natural disasters and
emergencies, terrorism, IT security, man-made hazards, risk management,
control, protection and mitigation issues, and many others.
Website:http://www.wessex.ac.uk/11-conferences/safe-2011.html
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• Jul y 9-12, 2011
36th Annual Natural Hazards Research and Applications Workshop
The Annual Natural Hazards Research and Applications Workshop is designed
to bring hazards researchers and practitioners from many disciplines together for
face-to-face discussions on issues and trends that affect how society deals with
hazards and disasters. It provides a dynamic and challenging forum for the
diverse opinions and perspectives of the hazards community. The International
Research Committee on Disasters (IRCD) Researchers Meeting and a Natural
Hazard Mitigation Association add-on meeting will immediately follow the main
Workshop from Tuesday, J uly 12 through Wednesday, J uly 13. The Annual
Workshop and meeting will be held in Broomfield, Colorado, USA.
Website:http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/workshop/current.html
• Jul y 12-14, 2011
5th International Conference on Sustainable Development and Planning.
The conference addresses the subject of regional development in an integrated
way as well as in accordance with the principles of sustainability. It has become
apparent that planners, environmentalists, architects, engineers, policy makers
and economists have to work together in order to ensure that planning and
development can meet our present needs without compromising the ability of
future generations.
Website:http://www.wessex.ac.uk/11-conferences/sdp-2011.html
• Jul y 14-16, 2011
2nd IDRiM Conference of the International Society for Integrated Disaster Risk
Management (IDRiM Society)
The IDRiM2011 Conference title, “Reframing Disasters and Reflecting on Deficits
in Risk Governance” will be held at the University of Southern California (USC) in
Los Angeles, USA, on 14-16 J uly 2011. A call for session proposals and special
session organizers is now open. Please submit session proposals including
session title, brief description of session objectives and methodology (panel
session, workshop, plenary, research), and the names of the session organizers,
moderator, and proposed speakers. Each session will be allotted 1.5 hours. We
recommend that each session have four or maximum five speakers. Please send
your session proposals to [email protected], or to
[email protected]. Deadline for reception of session proposals: 2
February 2011. Decisions will be sent via e-mail to the main session organizers
by 1 March 2011.
Website:http://www.idrim.org
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• Jul y 19-21, 2011
International Conference on Building Resilience
With growing population and infrastructures, the world’s exposure to hazards – of
natural and man-made origin – is inevitably increasing. This reality reinforces the
need to proactively consider disaster risk as a part of the sustainable
development agenda. The International Conference on Building Resilience will
encourage debate on individual, institutional and societal coping strategies to
address the challenges associated with disaster risk. Central to these strategies
is the concept of resilience, which is becoming a core concept in the social and
physical sciences, and also in matters of public policy. Resilience refers to the
capability and capacity of systems to withstand change. By encouraging
participation from researchers in the social and physical sciences, the conference
will explore inter-disciplinary strategies that develop the capacity of a system,
community or society potentially exposed to disaster related hazards, to adapt,
by resisting or changing, in order to reach and maintain an acceptable level of
functioning and structure. Contributions are welcome from members of the
research community that address disaster risk and the need to develop resilience
from diverse perspectives. The conference outcomes will be used to support the
2010-2011 World Disaster Reduction Campaign ‘Making Cities Resilient’, which
addresses issues of local governance and urban risk while drawing upon
previous ISDR Campaigns on safer schools and hospitals, as well as on the
sustainable urbanizations principles developed in the UN-Habitat World Urban
Campaign 2009-2013. Mayors and their local governments are both the key
targets and drivers of the campaign. The overall target of the Campaign is to get
as many local governments ready as possible, to span a global network of fully
engaged cities of different sizes, characteristics, risk profiles and locations. The
campaign is focusing on raising political commitment to disaster risk reduction
and climate change adaptation among local governments and mayors; including
through high profile media and public awareness activities, and will develop
specific technical tools that cater for capacity development opportunities
Website:http://www.disaster-resilience.salford.ac.uk/resilientcities/
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3. Call for Papers
• International Journal of Integrated Disaster Risk Management: A call for
papers for the IDRiM Society’s new International J ournal of Integrated Disaster
Risk Management is now open. Papers should be submitted electronically via the
online Editorial Management System at
http://idrimjournal.com/index.php/idrim
• Disaster Risk Reduction and Sustainable Development
The following Special Issue will be published in Sustainability
(http://www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability/), ISSN 2071-1050 and is open for
submission of full research papers and comprehensive review articles for peer-
review and possible publication: Special Issue: Disaster Risk Reduction and
Sustainable Development Website:
http://www.mdpi.com/si/sustainability/disaster_prevention/
• Sustainable Development and Planning 2011:
Call for Papers from WIT Papers are published in the Transactions of the
Wessex Institute of Technology and distributed throughout the world. In addition,
they are archived in the Wessex Institute eLibrary where they are permanently
and easily accessible to the international community.
Conference website:
http://www.wessex.ac.uk/sdp2011rem1.html
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4. Internet Resource List
• Disaster Reduction Hyper base: Web based facility to compile appropriate
disaster reduction technologies and knowledge.
Website:http://drh.edm.bosai.go.jp/
• MCEER: Collection of disaster management resources, including international,
federal, state, local and non-profit organizations:
Website:http://mceer.buffalo.edu/infoservice/reference_services/disasterManagementRes
ources.asp
• Staffordshire Raynet: Disaster and Emergency Management on the Internet.
Long list of websites for various disasters and databases.
Website:http://www.keele.ac.uk/depts/por/disaster.htm
• Internet Resources for Disaster Studies: University of Delaware Library
Website:http://www2.lib.udel.edu/subj/disasters/internet.htm
• FEMA” Federal Emergency Management Agency: Focus is on the US
Website:http://www.fema.gov/index.shtm
• Disaster Handbook: University of Florida.
Website:http://disaster.ifas.ufl.edu/links.htm
• Disaster Management: Royal Roads University.
Website:http://libguides.royalroads.ca/content.php?pid=64941&sid=480216
• Natural Hazards and Disaster Information Resources: University of Colorado at
Boulder (including newsletter).
Website:http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/resources/
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5. Scientific Job Announcements
- Assistant Professor - Microeconomics
Wellesley College
Website:http://www.inomics.de/node/4158
- Post Graduate Scientist
University Center for Atmospheric Research
Boulder, Colorado
Website:http://www.ucar.edu/educ_outreach/ucar-ugrad&beyond.html
- Emergency Preparedness Director University of Miami
Miami, Florida
Website:http://www.miami.edu/index.php/about_us/emergency_preparedness/
- Postdoctoral Researcher
Wharton Risk Management and Decision Processes Center
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Website:http://opim.wharton.upenn.edu/risk/
- Executive Director
Florida International University International Hurricane Research Center
Miami, Florida
Website:http://www.ihc.fiu.edu/
- Lecturer
University of North Texas
Denton, Texas
Website:http://www.unt.edu/
- Researcher Position
East Tennessee State University
NOAA Tsunami Social Science: Evaluation of NOAA Tsunami Warning Center
(TWC) products and a proposed Tsunami Ready Program Improvement Plan.
Website:https://jobs.etsu.edu
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6. (New) Journals
• Journal of Integrated Disaster Risk Management, IDRIM Journal:
- Objecti ve: The main objective of IDRiM is to provide an integrated and
implementable approach to the growing demand for disaster risk
reduction and management by offering reliable, affordable and
effective solutions for minimizing the loss of life, property damage, and
social and economic disruption. IDRiM also explores implementation
science for disaster reduction. IDRiM intends to provide a set of
solutions for the all types of: environmental and natural hazards
(earthquakes, flood, drought, windstorms, landslides, etc.) and man-
made hazards. It also includes the development of methods and tools
for modeling and assessment of disaster risks, hazard zonation and
hazard mapping; geotechnical zonation, vulnerability analysis,
strengthening design of structures, disaster risk evaluation and
mapping; and various types of risk management methods such as
innovative risk transfer, risk reduction policy; socio-economic studies,
human and economic loss estimation, practical loss-control measures,
catastrophic risk insurance, public awareness, programming; and
solutions for risk reduction in buildings, lifelines, infrastructures,
industry, oil-chemical facilities, offshore structures and urban system.
IDRiM also covers the governance of disaster risks, design of
institutional schemes, participatory approach, etc.
- Website:http://idrimjournal.com/index.php/idrim
• International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and
Management, IJCCSM:
- Objecti ve: IJ CCSM publishes papers dealing with policy-making on
climate change, on methodological approaches to cope with the
problems deriving from climate change and disseminates experiences
from projects and case studies where due consideration to
environmental, economic, social and political aspects is given and
especially the links and leverages that can be attained by this holistic
approach.
- Website:
www.emeraldinsight.com/products/journals/journals.htm?id=ijccsm
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• Journal of Natural Disaster Science
- Objecti ve: The J OURNAL OF NATURAL DISASTER SCIENCE
(J NDS), published since 1979, has provided a unified forum for
scientific research on various problems concerning natural hazards
and the prevention or mitigation of natural disasters. From Volume 20
(1998) J NDS has been restructured as the journal of the Society for
Natural Disaster Science, J apan. Publication is open to those who wish
to contribute results of original research studies, or investigations. All
areas of Natural Disaster Science will be represented through regular
papers, special reports, letters, and discussions. Original papers that
provide new findings on natural hazard phenomena, and papers on
interdisciplinary subjects dealing with the reduction of natural disasters
are highly encouraged. Timely special reports are planned in the event
of large scale disasters.
- Website:http://wwwsoc.nii.ac.jp/jsnds/contents/jnds/about.html
• Disasters
- Objecti ve: Disasters is a major, peer-reviewed quarterly journal
reporting on all aspects of disaster studies, policy and management. It
provides a forum for academics, policymakers and practitioners to
publish high-quality research and practice concerning natural
catastrophes, anthropogenic disasters, complex political emergencies
and protracted crises around the world. The journal promotes the
interchange of ideas and experience, maintaining a balance between
field reports, case study articles of general interest and academic
papers.
- Website:http://www.wiley.com/bw/journal.asp?ref=0361-3666&site=1
• Environmental Hazards
- Objecti ve: The journal addresses the full range of hazards events
from extreme geological, hydrological, atmospheric and biological
events such as earthquakes, floods, storms and epidemics to
technological failures and malfunctions such as industrial
explosions, fires and toxic material releases.
- Website:http://www.earthscan.co.uk/?tabid=37213
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• Natural Hazards
- Objecti ve: Natural Hazards is devoted to original research work on all
aspects of natural hazards, including the forecasting of catastrophic
events, risk management, and the nature of precursors of natural and
technological hazards. Although hazards can originate in different
sources and systems, such as atmospheric, hydrologic,
oceanographic, volcanologic, seismic, neotectonic, the environmental
impacts are equally catastrophic. This warrants a close interaction
between different scientific and operational disciplines, aimed at
enhancing the mitigation of hazards. Coverage includes such
categories of hazard as atmospheric, climatological, oceanographic,
storm surges, tsunamis, floods, snow, avalanches, landslides, erosion,
earthquakes, volcanoes, man-made and technological, as well as risk
assessment.
- Website:
www.springer.com/earth+sciences+and+geography/hydrogeology/jour
nal/11069
• Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Environmental
Change
- Objecti ve: Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change
addresses a wide range of timely environment, economic and energy
topics including global climate change, stratospheric ozone depletion,
acid deposition, eutrophication of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems,
species extinction and loss of biological diversity, deforestation and
forest degradation, desertification, soil resource degradation, land-use
change, sea level rise, destruction of coastal zones, depletion of fresh
water and marine fisheries, loss of wetlands and riparian zones and
hazardous waste management.
The journal provides a forum to review, analyze and stimulate the
development, testing and implementation of mitigation and adaptation
strategies at regional, national and global scales. One primary goal of
this journal is to contribute to real-time policy analysis and
development as national and international policies and agreements are
discussed and promulgated.
- Website:http://www.springer.com/earth+sciences+and+geography/meteorology
+%26+climatology/journal/11027
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• Extremes
- Objecti ve: Extremes publishes original research on all aspects of
statistical extreme value theory and its applications in science,
engineering, economics, and other fields. It also presents authoritative
reviews and case studies of theoretical advances and of extreme value
methods and problems in important applied areas. Previously
scattered across more general probability journals, statistical extremes
research now has a home with this journal. As a result, Extremes
advances and accelerates research and applications by providing a
unified forum for the best papers in the field. Applied scientists find
comprehensive and up-to-date coverage of theoretical developments
and specialists find authoritative discussions of urgent applied
problems. Finally authors find the best medium for the dissemination
and use of their results.
- Website:
http://www.springer.com/statistics/journal/10687
• International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built
Environment
- Objecti ve: The journal aims to further knowledge and understanding
of the link between the built environment and disaster mitigation,
response and reconstruction. The journal seeks to: Develop the skills
and knowledge of the built environment research community and
professions working in disaster prone areas, so that they may
strengthen their capacity in strategic and practical aspects of disaster
prevention, mitigation, response and reconstruction. Provide a unique
forum for novel enquiries into the development and application of new
and emerging practices as a source of innovation to challenge current
practices. Promote the exchange of ideas between researchers,
educators, practitioners and policy makers. Influence disaster
prevention, mitigation, response an reconstruction policies and
practices
- Website:
http://www.disaster-resilience.salford.ac.uk/international-journal-of-
disaster-resilience
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• Journal of Disaster Research
- Objecti ve: The J ournal of Disaster Research provides timely, topical
information on disasters related to information, lifeline infrastructures,
traffic, terror, and similar events not directly due to war. The J ournal's
target audience is those who fight disaster in their capacity as
researchers, engineers, disaster prevention managers, administrators,
diplomats, and disaster-related NGO and NPO personnel. This J ournal
provides valuable knowledge on disaster prevention and mitigation
from a comprehensive, informative viewpoint, with the emphasis on
"wide and comprehensive scope".
- Website:
http://www.fujipress.jp/J DR/J DR_about.html
• Asian Journal of Environment and Disaster Management
(AJEDM)
- Objecti ve: This is the first journal focusing on the environment and
disaster related issues in the Asian region. Asia, being the center of
urban growth in the last few decades, has also created severe
environmental problems, and is prone to different types of natural
disasters. This journal provides a forum to communicate research
findings, not only through academic research, but also incorporating
field based action research.
Goal: Theory of environment and disaster management is complex,
and it becomes even challenging when it is linked to field practice.
There often observed a gap between the theory and practice in the
field of environment and disaster management. The goal of this journal
is to establish academic linkages of field practices with specific
emphasis on environment and disaster management in the Asian
context.
Authors and Readers: The journal will have wider authors and readers,
which will include the research and academic community, non-
government organizations, policy makers and international
organizations. Thus, the journal encourages the field practitioners and
managers to share their thoughts and experiences and to interact with
the academic community so as to fill the gap of research, education
and implementation.
- Website:
http://rpsonline.com.sg/journals/101-ajedm/ajedm.html
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• International Journal of Disaster Risk Science
- Objecti ve: International J ournal of Disaster Risk Science is an
interdisciplinary English language journal that publishes research
papers addressing theoretical and methodological issues in disaster
risk science, emergency response technology, and risk management;
disaster risk governance policies and regulations; and case studies
and comparative research internationally on responses to major
disasters. Its primary aim is to create an exchange platform for
researchers, practitioners, and policy makers in the field of disaster
and risk to communicate, learn, and progress in order to improve the
international, national and regional capacities for disaster risk analysis,
management, and governance. The journal promotes IHDP-IRG
research under the strategic framework of global change research,
including revealing the dynamic processes of disaster risk, especially
catastrophic disaster risk formation based on an adequate
understanding of the global, regional and local socio-ecological system
change; establishing a “transition -in and out” risk governance model
targeting catastrophic disasters exceeding the existing coping
capacities through case studies and comparative analyses; refining the
various models and modeling tools for catastrophic disaster risk
governance; and creating and improving an integrated disaster risk
science that can meet the challenges for sustainable development.
The journal covers a wide range of disaster risks, including natural
disaster risk; environmental and ecological disaster risks related to the
conditions of the natural environment; technological risk and the risk of
infectious diseases; and new risk factors related to global change,
energy and water security, food security, international trade, and so on.
- Website:
http://www.ijdrs.org
• Disaster Advances
- Objecti ve: Disaster Advances publishing regularly from in field of
Natural Disasters, Man-Made Disasters, Earth Sciences, Atmospheric
Sciences, Geo Sciences , Marine Sciences and Engineering.
- Website:
http://www.disasterjournal.net/
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• International Journal of Mass Emergencies & Disasters
- Objecti ve: The J ournal addresses issues of theory, research,
planning, and policy. The central purpose is publication of results of
scientific research, theoretical and policy studies, and scholarly
accounts of such events as floods and earthquakes, explosions and
massive fires, disorderly crowds and riots, energy cut-offs and power
blackouts, toxic chemical poisonings and nuclear radiation exposures,
and similar types of crisis-generating situations. Its audience inc
specialists within various areas of research and teaching plus people
working in the field who are responsible for mitigative, preparedness,
response, or recovery actions. While each issue of the J ournal typically
deals with a variety of relevant topics, special issues on particular
subjects are published whenever possible to bring together a set of
articles on a specific problem area. Since the J ournal is intended to
provide an international forum, contributions from and about all
sections of the world are encouraged. Priority is given to those writing
with cross-cultural data or implications.
- Website:
http://www.ijmed.org/
• International Journal of Disaster Recovery and Business
Continuity
- Objecti ve: The J ournal provides a chance for academic and industry
professionals to discuss recent progress in the area of disaster
recovery and business continuity. To bridge the gap of users who do
not have access to major databases where one should pay for every
downloaded article; this online publication platform is open to all
readers as part of our commitment to global scientific society. J ournal
Topics. IJ DRBC aims to facilitate and support research related to
disaster recovery and business continuity technology and the
applications.
- Website:
http://www.sersc.org/journals/IJ DRBC/
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• Disaster Prevention and Management:
- Objecti ve: Disaster Prevention and Management, An International
Journal, sets out to advance the available knowledge in the fields of
disaster prevention and management and to act as an integrative
agent for extant methodologies and activities relating to disaster
emergency and crisis management. Publishing high quality, refereed
papers, the journal supports the exchange of ideas, experience and
practice between academics, practitioners and policy-makers.
Natural disasters can wreck communities and natural resources - yet
effective action by emergency services can do much to mitigate
catastrophic effects. In contrast, manmade disasters are often the
result of carelessness or human error, and can be avoided or better
controlled by recognizing the potential for danger and taking
preventative action.
- Website:
http://www.emeraldinsight.com/products/journals/journals.htm?id=dpm
• Risk Anal ysis
- Objecti ve: Risk analysis is the science of evaluating health,
environmental, and engineering risks resulting from past, current, or
anticipated, future activities. The use of these evaluations include
providing information for determining regulatory actions to limit risk,
presenting scientific evidence in legal settings, evaluating products and
potential liabilities--within private organizations, resolving World Trade
disputes amongst nations, and for educating the public concerning
particular risk issues. Risk analysis is an interdisciplinary science that
relies on epidemiology and laboratory studies, collection of exposure
and other field data, computer modeling, and related social and
economic and communication considerations. In addition, social
dimensions of risk are addressed by social scientists. Methods of risk
analysis and the outcome of particular evaluations are regularly
presented in scholarly papers that are published in Risk Analysis: An
International Journal and topics are as diverse as quality of drinking
water, air and land contamination, the safety of foods and drugs,
automobile and infrastructure safety, and risk associated with weapons
of mass destruction.
- Website:
http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0272-4332&site=1
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• Journal of Risk Research
- Objecti ve: The Journal of Risk Research is an international journal
that publishes peer-reviewed theoretical and empirical research
articles within the risk field from the areas of social, physical and health
sciences and engineering, as well as articles related to decision
making, regulation and policy issues in all disciplines. Articles will be
published in English. The main aims of the Journal of Risk Research
are to stimulate intellectual debate, to promote better risk management
practices and to contribute to the development of risk management
methodologies. Journal of Risk Research is the official journal of the
Society for Risk Analysis Europe and the Society for Risk Analysis
J apan.
- Website:
http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/journal.asp?issn=13669877&linktype=1
• International Journal of Risk Assessment and Management
(IJRAM)
- Objective: IJRAM aims to provide an international forum for
researchers and practitioners across the many relevant disciplines and
industries to disseminate information and learn from each other's work.
IJRAM publishes original and review papers, technical reports, case
studies, conference reports, management reports, book reviews, and
notes commentaries and news. Contribution may be by submission or
invitation, and suggestions for special issues and publications are
welcome. The IJRAM is an interdisciplinary and refereed journal that
provides cross learning between: Different business and economics,
as well as scientific and technological, disciplines. Energy industries,
environmental and ecological systems. Safety, public health and
medical services. Software services, reliability and safety
- Website:http://www.inderscience.com/browse/index.php?journalID=24
Page 20
7. New Books
Heavy-Tailed Distributions in Disaster Anal ysis
Authors: V. Pisarenko, M. Rodkin
Year: 2010
Publisher: Springer, New York
ISBN: 978-9048191703
Content: Mathematically, natural disasters of all types are characterized by
heavy tailed distributions. The analysis of such distributions with common
methods, such as averages and dispersions, can therefore lead to erroneous
conclusions. The statistical methods described in this book avoid such pitfalls.
Seismic disasters are studied, primarily thanks to the availability of an ample
statistical database. New approaches are presented to seismic risk estimation
and forecasting the damage caused by earthquakes, ranging from typical,
moderate events to very rare, extreme disasters. Analysis of these latter events
is based on the limit theorems of probability and the duality of the generalized
Pareto distribution and generalized extreme value distribution. It is shown that
the parameter most widely used to estimate seismic risk – Mmax, the maximum
possible earthquake value – is potentially non-robust. Robust analogues of this
parameter are suggested and calculated for some seismic catalogues. Trends in
the costs inferred by damage from natural disasters as related to changing social
and economic situations are examined for different regions. The results obtained
argue for sustainable development, whereas entirely different, incorrect
conclusions can be drawn if the specific properties of the heavy-tailed distribution
and change in completeness of data on natural hazards are neglected. This
pioneering work is directed at risk assessment specialists in general,
seismologists, administrators and all those interested in natural disasters and
their impact on society.
When the Planet Rages: Natural Disasters, Global Warming and the Future of the
Earth
Authors: Charles Offices, J ake Page
Year: 2010
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 978-0195377019
Content: In New England, 1816 was called the Year Without a Summer. Crops
failed throughout America and, in Western Europe, it was even worse, with food
riots and armed groups raiding bakeries and grain markets. All this turmoil
followed a catastrophic volcanic eruption--a year earlier on the other side of the
world--the eruption of Tambora, a blast heard almost a thousand miles away. In
When the Planet Rages, Charles Officer and J ake Page describe some of the
great events of environmental history, from calamities such as the Lisbon
earthquake of 1755 (the greatest in recorded history) and the ice ages, to recent
Page 21
man-made disasters such as Chernobyl, acid rain, and the depletion of the ozone
layer. Officer and Page provide fascinating discussions of meteorites and comets;
of the demise of mammoths, mastodons, and dinosaurs; and of great floods that
have swept the earth. But they also show that human activity can make trouble for
nature, discussing the depletion of natural resources (we burn coal and oil at
millions of times their natural rate of production), air pollution in Los Angeles and
London (where the Killer Smog of 1952 caused the death of some four thousand
people), and the pollution of major waterways, like the Chesapeake Bay and Lake
Erie. For the paperback edition, the authors have included a new preface, have
added material on the recent Sichuan, China earthquake, the Indian Ocean
Tsunami, and Hurricane Katrina, and discuss such topics as of the
(un)predictability of symptoms of global warming. Ranging from the monumental
eruption at Krakatoa to industrial disasters such as the mercury poisoning in
J apan's Minamata Bay, When the Planet Rages will engage anyone concerned
with the environment and the natural world.
Earl y Warning for Geological Disasters
Authors: Friedemann Wenzel, J ochen Zschau (editor)
Year: 2010
Publisher: Springer, Berlin
ISBN: 978-3642122323
Content: Early Warning for geologic disasters became a subject of intensive
research when observational and communication options allowed for dense
sensor installation and real-time dissemination of signals and information. Initially
most efforts focused on doing what seismologists had done before, just faster. In
the current period real new research directions have emerged. Significant
information, for instance on the earthquake process is contained in the first few
seconds of observations and allow empirical extraction of warning messages.
Novel sensors and intercommunication, specifically self-organizing networks,
open new routes for implementing early warning systems. Models for community
based early warning – capitalizing on these networks as well as on Google Earth
popularity - are evolving. Science and tools for performance-based design of
warning systems become available. Multiple-purpose systems for warning and
for instance structural health monitoring have been designed. In short: Science
moved towards the point, where it is translated in technologies.
Natural Hazards, UnNatural Disasters
Authors: World Bank, United Nations
Year: 2010
Publisher: Word Bank
ASIN: 978-0739124161
Content: Earthquakes, droughts, floods, and storms are natural hazards, but
unnatural disasters are the deaths and damages that result from human acts of
omission and commission. Every disaster is unique, but each exposes actions—
by individuals and governments at different levels—that, had they been different,
Page 22
would have resulted in fewer deaths and less damage. Prevention is possible,
and this book examines what it takes to do this cost-effectively.It looks at
disasters primarily through an economic lens. Economists emphasize self-
interest to explain how people choose the amount of prevention, insurance, and
coping. But lenses can distort as well as sharpen images, so the book also draws
from other disciplines: psychology to examine how people may misperceive risks,
political science to understand voting patterns, and nutrition science to see how
stunting in children after a disaster impairs cognitive abilities and productivity as
adults much later. Peering into the future, it shows that while urbanization and
climate change will increase exposure to hazards, vulnerability can be reduced if
cities are better managed. This book will be of interest to government officials,
urban planners, relief agencies, NGOs, donors, and other development
practitioners.
Mitigation of Natural Hazards and Disasters: International Perspectives
Authors: C. Emdad Haque (editor)
Year: 2010
Publisher: Springer
ISBN-10: 9048167965
Content: This book examines the aspects of prevention, mitigation, and
management of environmental hazards and disasters from an international
perspective. In light of the recent debate on climate change and the possible
effects of such a change upon increasing frequency and magnitude of extreme
environmental events, this publication overviews various policy and response
discourse. Several case studies, from various countries and world regions,
depicting recent experience in mitigation policy and program development and
implementation and establishing interlinks between vulnerability and mitigation
are presented to provide further insights. This book is primarily intended for
academics, policy makers, professionals, and practitioners in hazards reduction
activities who look for a better understanding of the complex and dynamic
aspects of nature and society. This topic is a well established issue among most
sectors of our society since the costs, both human and socioeconomic, of
extreme environmental events have been rising astronomically, and significant
vulnerabilities exist throughout the world. Without effective prevention and
mitigation, these costs are likely to continue to increase, enhancing the
uncertainty of societal progress. The knowledge and information embodied in this
volume will be of immense benefit to anyone working in this field.
Page 23
Systems Approach to Management of Disasters: Methods and Applications
Authors: Slobodan P. Simonovi
Year: 2010
Publisher: Wiley
ISBN-10: 978-0739124161
Content: The ultimate reference on managing disasters by implementing a
systems approach. Proper management in the face of a natural or technological
disaster necessitates a transformation of attitude toward integration of economic,
social, and environmental concerns related to disasters, and of the actions
necessary to deal with them. Recent trends in confronting disasters include
consideration of the entire region under threat, explicit consideration of all costs
and benefits, elaboration of a large number of alternatives to reduce the
damages, and the greater participation of all stakeholders in decision-making.
Systems approaches based on simulation, optimization, and multi-objective
analyses have great potential for providing appropriate support for effective
disaster management in this emerging context. This systems approach to
managing disasters is the focus of this book, which outlines proven strategies for
pooling interdisciplinary resources more efficiently to boost emergency
responses. An invaluable reference, Systems Approach to Managing Disasters
illustrates how a systems approach to management of disasters can be the
difference maker in times of crisis.
Extreme Events in Nature and Society
Authors: Sergio Albeverio, Volker J entsch, Holger Kantz
Year: 2010
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3642066798
Content: Significant, and usually unwelcome, surprises, such as floods, financial
crisis, epileptic seizures, or material rupture, are the topics of Extreme Events in
Nature and Society. The book, authored by foremost experts in these fields,
reveals unifying and distinguishing features of extreme events, including
problems of understanding and modelling their origin, spatial and temporal
extension, and potential impact. The chapters converge towards the difficult
problem of anticipation: forecasting the event and proposing measures to
moderate or prevent it. Extreme Events in Nature and Society will interest not
only specialists, but also the general reader eager to learn how the multifaceted
field of extreme events can be viewed as a coherent whole.
Page 24
Natural and Anthropogenic Disasters: Vulnerability, Preparedness and Mitigation
Authors: M.K. J ha (editor)
Year: 2010
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 9048124972
Content: The major challenges of the 21
st
century faced by human beings are
how to achieve water security, food security, energy security and environmental
security. Owing to enhanced natural/anthropogenic disasters worldwide, these
challenges become much more complicated and daunting especially for
developing countries. Therefore, it is important to highlight the risk of different
disasters as well as the modern tools and techniques for minimizing disaster
incidence and losses. Disaster management being highly multidisciplinary in
nature, a comprehensive book dealing with different aspects of disaster
management, and encompassing important disasters faced by humankind is
presently not available. This book is an attempt to fulfill this gap. It provides clear,
comprehensive, and up-to-date information about different facets of disaster
management along with salient case studies. The book highlights the current
status of disaster management focusing on developing nations, discusses vital
issues such as climate change and sustainable development, modern
approaches and tools/techniques, and the challenges of and future R&D needs
for sustainable disaster management.
Natural Disasters as Interactive Components of Global-Ecodynamics
Authors: Kirill Ya Kondratyev, Vladimir F. Krapivin, Costas A. Varostos
Year: 2010
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3642068448
Content: Large-scale natural catastrophes are environmental phenomena.
Numerous studies in recent years have concluded that the frequency of
occurrence of such natural disasters have been incereasing. leading to an
enhanced risk of very considerable human and economic losses and the
widespread destruction and pollution of habitats, settlements and infrastructure.
In 2001 over 650 natural disasters happened around the globe with economic
losses exceeding $35 billion. 2004 ended with the South East Asian tsunami on
26th December with its huge toll on life and local economics and this
demonstrated that the efffects of such disasters are most keenly felt in poorer or
developing regions. The problem of natural disaster prediction and the
implementation of environmental monitoring systems to receive, store and
process the information necessary for solutions of specific problems in this area ,
have been analysed by the three authors of this book, all of whom are
internationally respected experts in this field.
Page 25
Catalogue of Risks: Natural, Technical, Social and Health Risks
Authors: Dirk Proske
Year: 2010
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3642098487
Content: The term risk has experienced a dramatic growth in usage over the last
few years. This is mainly due to the growing concern about the future of mankind,
but also to a greater awareness of the limited nature of our resources. People
want to know what can go wrong. In the beginning terms such as risk, disaster,
indeterminacy and uncertainty are discussed in detail in this book. Furthermore
disasters and risks are categorized into natural, technical, health and social risks,
and then major disasters in these categories are listed. Risk parameters are
introduced to allow the objective description of risks. The explanation of risk
parameters (such as mortalities, fatal accident rates, the family of F-N curves and
the concept of lost life years) leads to the quality of life parameters as
measurements of risk. In general this parameter permits the comparison of the
efficiency of all safety measures over the entire human society. However,
limitations of this concept are also disclosed. The book clearly shows the
interdependence of risk measures. Safety and risks cannot be discussed only by
looking at specific problems, since increasing safety in individual fields might lead
to a decrease of safety over the entire society.
In Extremis: Disruptive Events and Trends in Climate and Hydrology
Authors: J ürgen Kropp, Hans-J oachim Schellnhuber (editor)
Year: 2010
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 364214862X
Content: The book addresses a weakness of current methodologies used in
extreme value assessment, i.e. the assumption of stationarity, which is not given
in reality. With respect to this issue a lot of new developed technologies are
presented, i.e. influence of trends vs. internal correlations, quantitative
uncertainty assessments, etc. The book not only focuses on artificial time series
data, but has a close link to empirical measurements, in order to make the
suggested methodologies applicable for practitioners in water management and
meteorology.
Natural Disasters and Sustainable Development
Authors : Riccardo Casale, Claudio Margottini (editor)
Year: 2010
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3642075800
Content: Natural disasters are a clear example of people living in conflict with
the environment. Disasters cause human, social and environmental losses and,
sometimes, even threaten geopolitical stability, as in many less developed
countries. They are also a problem of global concern, even when damage is
Page 26
local: the mechanisms are often dependent on global meteoro-climatic
circulation. Losses frequently affect several countries, as could be seen in the
floods in central Europe in 2002. It is obvious that there is a clear need for a new
approach, capable of incorporating the prevention of natural disasters, whilst
mitigating strategies within the cycle of sustainable development. There are no
thematic disciplines or political boundaries limitating initiatives: the integration of
data providers, data users/information providers and information users, in a
global and holistic manner, is the desired outcome of the new frontier. This book
falls into this new category: multidisciplinary interventions and socio-economic
point of views are the basic inputs for a changing science, implementing
sustainable development for the benefit of citizens and society. It is comprised of
studies and investigations which explain natural processes and modelling, as
well as assessing hazards and risks and is rounded of with suggestions for
sustainable development. Thus reflecting the best results of research on this
topic funded by the European Commission.
Assessing Vulnerability to Global Environmental Change: Making Research
Useful for Adaptation Decision Making and Policy [Paperback]
Authors : Anthony G. Patt, Dagmar Schroter, Richard J . T. Klein, Anne Cristina
De La Vega-leinert (editor)
Year: 2010
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 1849711542
Content: Assessing the vulnerability of human populations to global
environmental change, particularly climate change, is now the main imperative of
research and international action. However, much of the research into
vulnerability is not designed to feed directly into decision making and policy,
creating a gap between the knowledge created by researchers and what is
required by decision makers. This book seeks to rectify this problem and bridge
the gap. It discusses vulnerability as the central theme and brings together many
different applications from disaster studies, climate change impact studies and
several other fields and provides the most comprehensive synthesis of
definitions, theories, formalization and applications to date, illustrated with
examples from different disciplines, regions and periods, and from local through
to regional, national and international levels. Case study topics cover sea level
rise, vulnerability to changes in ecosystem services, assessing the vulnerability
of human health and 'double exposure' to climate change and trade liberalization
amongst other issues. Research outcomes stress that science-policy dialogues
must be transparent to be effective and concentrate on a mutual understanding
of the concepts used. A key research finding is that the most useful information
for decision makers is that which shows the separate causes and drivers of
vulnerability, rather than presenting vulnerability in an aggregated form. The book
concludes with a unifying framework for analysing integrated methodologies of
vulnerability assessment and guiding how research and policy can be linked to
reduce vulnerability.
Page 27
Heavy-Tailed Distributions in Disaster Anal ysis (Advances in Natural and
Technological Hazards Research)
Authors : V. Pisarenko, M. Rodkin
Year: 2010
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 904819170X
Content: Mathematically, natural disasters of all types are characterized by
heavy tailed distributions. The analysis of such distributions with common
methods, such as averages and dispersions, can therefore lead to erroneous
conclusions. The statistical methods described in this book avoid such pitfalls.
Seismic disasters are studied, primarily thanks to the availability of an ample
statistical database. New approaches are presented to seismic risk estimation
and forecasting the damage caused by earthquakes, ranging from typical,
moderate events to very rare, extreme disasters. Analysis of these latter events
is based on the limit theorems of probability and the duality of the generalized
Pareto distribution and generalized extreme value distribution. It is shown that
the parameter most widely used to estimate seismic risk – Mmax, the maximum
possible earthquake value – is potentially non-robust. Robust analogues of this
parameter are suggested and calculated for some seismic catalogues. Trends in
the costs inferred by damage from natural disasters as related to changing social
and economic situations are examined for different regions. The results obtained
argue for sustainable development, whereas entirely different, incorrect
conclusions can be drawn if the specific properties of the heavy-tailed distribution
and change in completeness of data on natural hazards are neglected. Audience:
This pioneering work is directed at risk assessment specialists in general,
seismologists, administrators and all those interested in natural disasters and
their impact on society.
Page 28
8. Ongoing Field Work
“Experiencing the Importance of Research in Real Scenarios”
J ong-il Na, Dept. of Urban Management, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto
University
In Indonesia, Yogyakarta from May to August, 2010 a project for “Capacity building on
disaster risk management for sustainable community development” was implemented.
Yogyakarta is known for the world heritage sites of Borobudur Temple and the Pramban
Temple Compounds; but recently also for the active volcano Mount Merapi.
Last year a “Study on Community development at Mt Merapi area” was developed with
the collaboration of the Gadjah Mada Local University for support in the planning and
assessment activities. My participation in the research work was in a pilot project
towards “Sand Mining Management” where the Yonmenkaigi System was introduced to
the Gadjah Mada University team. Yonmenkaigi System is a decision making method
developed from the community vitalization initiative implemented in Tottori,Chizu. After
being improved to fit the real situation in the local area, it was applied jointly in a
community participatory workshop for Mt. Merapi area.
?Research and practice experience?
This time in contrast with last year short term “Sand Mining Management Plan”, the
activities have been expanded further to the community organization development for a
sustainable action plan at a local level. However, in a different situation than last year; it
was necessary to develop the overall action plan, implementation and evaluation
without a research team. Moreover, it was difficult to carry out the project in balance
with the position of researcher and practitioner. Nevertheless, getting the opportunity to
adapt one’s research to a community living along with disasters was with no comparison
a very valuable experience.
Mount Merapi view?2968m? Yonmenkaigi Workshop Group
Page 29
?Implementation Science and Community Contribution?
I think that disaster prevention study is in search of the truth but also is important to be
useful to the society. The Yonmenkaigi System used to community development in Mt.
Merapi Area is the product of the J apanese experience about community participatory
workshop methods for knowledge development. It doesn’t end with the research level
but while doing cooperative work with the community, the importance of the
implementation science can be recognized.
Considering last year activities, this time the participants expressed their necessities
along with the team of the local university to decide together on the highest priorities
towards community development. The participants of the Yonmenkaigi Workshop in
Kemiren Village learned by practice not only about the importance of the collaborative
activities in disasters but also for their daily life activities to demonstrate commitment for
the community benefit.
I would like to thank the people from Mt. Merapi Area in Kemiren Village and the team
from Gadjah Mada University for cooperating in the application of the Yonmenkaigi
Workshop.
On October 27th, 2010, Mt Merapi erupted, however there was no victim at all in
Kemiren Village. I am now planning to go for a survey to examine what an impact this
activity had on their behavior during the emergency.
Presenting the results of the workshop
Page 30
9. Miscellaneous
Other Newsletters:
- Disaster Research: DISASTER RESEARCH (DR) is a moderated newsletter for
creators and users of information about hazards and disasters.
Website:http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/dr/currentdr.html
- Emergency Manager’s Weekl y Report:
Website:http://www.6pinternational.com/news.php?category=Emergency Managers
Weekly%20Report&
- KatNet-Newsletter: (mostly in German language)
Website:http://www.katastrophennetz.de/
- EM-DAT: International Disaster Database Newsletter (CRED)
Website:http://www.emdat.be/publications
- DSCRN: Disaster and Social Crisis Research Network Newsletter
Website:http://www.dscrn.org/cms/index.php?page=newsletter
Page 31
Newsletter Committee:
Head:
Stefan Hochrainer-Stigler
IIASA- International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Laxenburg, Austria
Email: [email protected]
Muneta Yokomatsu
Research Center for Disaster Reduction Systems,
Disaster Prevention Research Institute, Kyoto University
E-mail: [email protected]
Ana Maria Cruz
Consultant, Natech Risk Management
Bordeaux, France
E-mail: [email protected]
Wei Xu
Beijing Normal University ( BNU)
Beijing, China
E-mail: [email protected]
IDRiM Society
Secretariat
Kyoto University
Gokasyo Uji, Kyoto, J apan
Tel: +81-774-38-4043
FAX :+81-774-38-4636
Email: [email protected]
doc_835208594.pdf
The aims of the conference were sharing experiences and knowledge for Integrated Disaster Risk Management (IDRiM) under different socio-economic and cultural contexts.
Integrated Disaster Risk
Management Society
IDRiM Newsletter
Issue 1, January 2011
Page 1
Contents
1. IDRiM News ........................................................................ 2
2. Conference Announcements ............................................... 4
3. Call for Papers ..................................................................... 8
4. Internet List .......................................................................... 9
5. Scientific J ob Announcements .......................................... 10
6. J ournals ............................................................................. 11
7. New Books ........................................................................ 20
8. Ongoing Field Work ........................................................... 28
9. Miscellaneous .................................................................... 30
Page 2
1. IDRiM News
IDRIM 2010 successfull y held in Vienna.
By Kazuyoshi NAKANO
The 1st Annual Conference of the International Society for Integrated Disaster Risk
Management ( IDRiM 2010) was successfully held during 1-4 September 2010 at the
University of Natural Resources and Applied Life Sciences (BOKU), in Vienna, Austria.
Photo: Participants to the 1
st
IDRiM Conference at BOKU, Vienna, Austria, during the closing ceremony on 3
October 2010.
This memorable occasion was the 1st meeting of the IDRiM Society after it was officially
launched at the 9th IIASA-DPRI Forum on Integrated Disaster Risk Management
(IDRiM Forum) in Kyoto, last year. The IDRiM Society was established based on a
series of annual meetings on integrated disaster risk management organized since
2001 by the Disaster Prevention Research Institute (DPRI) of Kyoto University, and the
International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA). The conference was
launched with remarks from Professor Martin Gerzabek, Rector of BOKU, and
Professor Norio Okada, Director of DPRI, as well as Professor Hans Peter Nachtnebel,
the local organizer from BOKU.
Page 3
Photo: Professor Norio Okada, Director of DPRI, and newly elected President of the IDRiM Society.
The aims of the conference were sharing experiences and knowledge for Integrated
Disaster Risk Management (IDRiM) under different socio-economic and cultural
contexts. In total, more than 80 participants were gathered for the occasion and more
than 50 speakers with different backgrounds and nationalities including J apan, Nepal,
India, China, Colombia, Venezuela, Europe, United States, etc.,- shared their research
findings in the field of IDRiM.
The first day included plenary sessions related to risk assessment of and adaptation to
various types of hazards including earthquakes and tsunamis, floods and droughts, and
landslides. The second day began with a special session regarding NATECHs, which
deals with risk of joint natural and technological disasters. Especially critical
infrastructures like power plants were focused on in the European and African context.
It was followed by a session where information and early warning systems were
intensively discussed. The third day included a special session about the DRH (Disaster
Reduction Hyperbase) project, which develops a database for implementable
technologies for disaster reduction. The outline and current situation as well as future
challenges were discussed. A series of sessions followed where recent research
outcomes on economic impact assessment and financial tools for disaster reduction
were presented.
The General Assembly meeting of the IDRiM Society was held on 2 October during the
conference. The Board of Directors and the President of the IDRiM Society were
elected during the General Assembly. Professor Norio Okada, DPRI, Kyoto University,
was elected as the first president of the Society.
IDRiM Journal gets ISSN number
The IDRiM J ournal is now officially registered with the ISSN Center through
their regional ISSN office in J apan.
ISSN number for the IDRiM J ournal is: ISSN 2185-8322. J ournal type: On
Line (Web). Title: International J ournal for Integrated Disaster Risk
Management. Publisher: IDRiM. Date: March, 2011
Page 4
2. Conference Announcements
• March 22-25, 2011
Environment Asia International Conference
The 1st Environment Asia International Conference on “Environmental
Supporting in Food and Energy Security: Crisis and Opportunity” is being
conducted by the Thai Society of Higher Education Institutes on Environment
(TSHE). The Conference aims to address the crisis and challenges we face, and
seize the opportunity in emerging areas of energy, environment, and food
security to achieve sustainable development. The 1st Environment Asia
International Conference shall provide a forum for academicians, technologists,
researchers, students, entrepreneurs, and policy makers worldwide to exchange
ideas and emerging technologies in the fields of food, energy, and the
environment. The Conference will attempt to evolve an agenda for environmental
policies, and the identification of green technologies and their subsequent
implementation for sustainable development. The Conference will take a
multidisciplinary approach across various fields and perspectives through which
the fundamental questions of sustainability can be addressed.
Website:http://www.tshe.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5&
Itemid=26
• May 11-13, 2011
Disaster Management 2011: (including call for papers)
The second International Conference on Disaster Management has been
reconvened following the success of the first meeting held at the Wessex
Institute of Technology in the New Forest. Conference topics include: Emergency
preparedness, Risk mitigation, Natural disasters Man-made disasters, Learning
from disasters, Disaster analysis, Monitoring and mitigation, Global risks and
health, Pandemic and biological threats, Surveillance and early warning systems,
Public health preparedness, Socio-economic issues, Service sustainability.
Website:http://www.wessex.ac.uk/11-conferences/disastermanagement-
2011.html
• May 18-20, 2011
International Conference on Geotechnical Engineering for Disaster Mitigation and
Rehabilitation: (including call for papers)
The objectives of the J WG-DMR are to: (1) share information relevant to
geotechnical engineers on issues pertaining to the mitigation of natural disasters
Page 5
(e.g., tsunamis, earthquakes, landslides) and (2) pool our expertise together to
provide technical support on reconstruction and rehabilitation works pertaining to
geotechnical engineering. The basic functions of this J WG-DMR are to plan and
coordinate activities that serve our common objectives and to make better use of
our resources through coordinating and sharing. By joining forces, we will also
have better representation when we deal with governments or other
organizations.
Website:http://reliability.geoengineer.org/GEDMAR2011/
• June 19-22, 2011
World Conference on Disaster Management
The World Conference on Disaster Management (WCDM) is the premier annual
event that addresses issues common to all aspects of disaster/emergency
management. The conference program includes speakers from many parts of the
world and provides excellent opportunities for training and networking with
experts and practitioners in Emergency Management, Business Continuity,
Emergency Communications, Emergency Response, Disaster Management
Research, Risk Management, Security, IT, HR, Environmental, Community
Planning and the organizations which supply and service these professions. This
year we will take an in-depth look at how our professions have evolved over the
past twenty years, the lessons we have (or not) learned as well as looking into
future trends and threats to the safety and well-being of our communities.
Website:http://www.wcdm.org/Toronto/call-for-papers.html
• Jul y 4-6, 2011
International Conference on Safety and Security Engineering (including call for
papers)
The success of the first three International Conferences on Safety and Security
Engineering held in Rome in 2005, Malta in 2007 and Rome in 2009, has
prompted the organisers to reconvene the meeting in 2011. The purpose of the
conference is to provide a forum for the presentation and discussion of the most
recent academic and industrial developments in the theoretical and practical
aspects of safety and security engineering. Safety and security engineering, due
to its special nature, is an interdisciplinary area of research and applications that
brings together in a systematic view many disciplines of science and engineering,
from the traditional to the most technologically advanced. The conference covers
areas such as crisis management, security engineering, natural disasters and
emergencies, terrorism, IT security, man-made hazards, risk management,
control, protection and mitigation issues, and many others.
Website:http://www.wessex.ac.uk/11-conferences/safe-2011.html
Page 6
• Jul y 9-12, 2011
36th Annual Natural Hazards Research and Applications Workshop
The Annual Natural Hazards Research and Applications Workshop is designed
to bring hazards researchers and practitioners from many disciplines together for
face-to-face discussions on issues and trends that affect how society deals with
hazards and disasters. It provides a dynamic and challenging forum for the
diverse opinions and perspectives of the hazards community. The International
Research Committee on Disasters (IRCD) Researchers Meeting and a Natural
Hazard Mitigation Association add-on meeting will immediately follow the main
Workshop from Tuesday, J uly 12 through Wednesday, J uly 13. The Annual
Workshop and meeting will be held in Broomfield, Colorado, USA.
Website:http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/workshop/current.html
• Jul y 12-14, 2011
5th International Conference on Sustainable Development and Planning.
The conference addresses the subject of regional development in an integrated
way as well as in accordance with the principles of sustainability. It has become
apparent that planners, environmentalists, architects, engineers, policy makers
and economists have to work together in order to ensure that planning and
development can meet our present needs without compromising the ability of
future generations.
Website:http://www.wessex.ac.uk/11-conferences/sdp-2011.html
• Jul y 14-16, 2011
2nd IDRiM Conference of the International Society for Integrated Disaster Risk
Management (IDRiM Society)
The IDRiM2011 Conference title, “Reframing Disasters and Reflecting on Deficits
in Risk Governance” will be held at the University of Southern California (USC) in
Los Angeles, USA, on 14-16 J uly 2011. A call for session proposals and special
session organizers is now open. Please submit session proposals including
session title, brief description of session objectives and methodology (panel
session, workshop, plenary, research), and the names of the session organizers,
moderator, and proposed speakers. Each session will be allotted 1.5 hours. We
recommend that each session have four or maximum five speakers. Please send
your session proposals to [email protected], or to
[email protected]. Deadline for reception of session proposals: 2
February 2011. Decisions will be sent via e-mail to the main session organizers
by 1 March 2011.
Website:http://www.idrim.org
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• Jul y 19-21, 2011
International Conference on Building Resilience
With growing population and infrastructures, the world’s exposure to hazards – of
natural and man-made origin – is inevitably increasing. This reality reinforces the
need to proactively consider disaster risk as a part of the sustainable
development agenda. The International Conference on Building Resilience will
encourage debate on individual, institutional and societal coping strategies to
address the challenges associated with disaster risk. Central to these strategies
is the concept of resilience, which is becoming a core concept in the social and
physical sciences, and also in matters of public policy. Resilience refers to the
capability and capacity of systems to withstand change. By encouraging
participation from researchers in the social and physical sciences, the conference
will explore inter-disciplinary strategies that develop the capacity of a system,
community or society potentially exposed to disaster related hazards, to adapt,
by resisting or changing, in order to reach and maintain an acceptable level of
functioning and structure. Contributions are welcome from members of the
research community that address disaster risk and the need to develop resilience
from diverse perspectives. The conference outcomes will be used to support the
2010-2011 World Disaster Reduction Campaign ‘Making Cities Resilient’, which
addresses issues of local governance and urban risk while drawing upon
previous ISDR Campaigns on safer schools and hospitals, as well as on the
sustainable urbanizations principles developed in the UN-Habitat World Urban
Campaign 2009-2013. Mayors and their local governments are both the key
targets and drivers of the campaign. The overall target of the Campaign is to get
as many local governments ready as possible, to span a global network of fully
engaged cities of different sizes, characteristics, risk profiles and locations. The
campaign is focusing on raising political commitment to disaster risk reduction
and climate change adaptation among local governments and mayors; including
through high profile media and public awareness activities, and will develop
specific technical tools that cater for capacity development opportunities
Website:http://www.disaster-resilience.salford.ac.uk/resilientcities/
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3. Call for Papers
• International Journal of Integrated Disaster Risk Management: A call for
papers for the IDRiM Society’s new International J ournal of Integrated Disaster
Risk Management is now open. Papers should be submitted electronically via the
online Editorial Management System at
http://idrimjournal.com/index.php/idrim
• Disaster Risk Reduction and Sustainable Development
The following Special Issue will be published in Sustainability
(http://www.mdpi.com/journal/sustainability/), ISSN 2071-1050 and is open for
submission of full research papers and comprehensive review articles for peer-
review and possible publication: Special Issue: Disaster Risk Reduction and
Sustainable Development Website:
http://www.mdpi.com/si/sustainability/disaster_prevention/
• Sustainable Development and Planning 2011:
Call for Papers from WIT Papers are published in the Transactions of the
Wessex Institute of Technology and distributed throughout the world. In addition,
they are archived in the Wessex Institute eLibrary where they are permanently
and easily accessible to the international community.
Conference website:
http://www.wessex.ac.uk/sdp2011rem1.html
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4. Internet Resource List
• Disaster Reduction Hyper base: Web based facility to compile appropriate
disaster reduction technologies and knowledge.
Website:http://drh.edm.bosai.go.jp/
• MCEER: Collection of disaster management resources, including international,
federal, state, local and non-profit organizations:
Website:http://mceer.buffalo.edu/infoservice/reference_services/disasterManagementRes
ources.asp
• Staffordshire Raynet: Disaster and Emergency Management on the Internet.
Long list of websites for various disasters and databases.
Website:http://www.keele.ac.uk/depts/por/disaster.htm
• Internet Resources for Disaster Studies: University of Delaware Library
Website:http://www2.lib.udel.edu/subj/disasters/internet.htm
• FEMA” Federal Emergency Management Agency: Focus is on the US
Website:http://www.fema.gov/index.shtm
• Disaster Handbook: University of Florida.
Website:http://disaster.ifas.ufl.edu/links.htm
• Disaster Management: Royal Roads University.
Website:http://libguides.royalroads.ca/content.php?pid=64941&sid=480216
• Natural Hazards and Disaster Information Resources: University of Colorado at
Boulder (including newsletter).
Website:http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/resources/
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5. Scientific Job Announcements
- Assistant Professor - Microeconomics
Wellesley College
Website:http://www.inomics.de/node/4158
- Post Graduate Scientist
University Center for Atmospheric Research
Boulder, Colorado
Website:http://www.ucar.edu/educ_outreach/ucar-ugrad&beyond.html
- Emergency Preparedness Director University of Miami
Miami, Florida
Website:http://www.miami.edu/index.php/about_us/emergency_preparedness/
- Postdoctoral Researcher
Wharton Risk Management and Decision Processes Center
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Website:http://opim.wharton.upenn.edu/risk/
- Executive Director
Florida International University International Hurricane Research Center
Miami, Florida
Website:http://www.ihc.fiu.edu/
- Lecturer
University of North Texas
Denton, Texas
Website:http://www.unt.edu/
- Researcher Position
East Tennessee State University
NOAA Tsunami Social Science: Evaluation of NOAA Tsunami Warning Center
(TWC) products and a proposed Tsunami Ready Program Improvement Plan.
Website:https://jobs.etsu.edu
Page 11
6. (New) Journals
• Journal of Integrated Disaster Risk Management, IDRIM Journal:
- Objecti ve: The main objective of IDRiM is to provide an integrated and
implementable approach to the growing demand for disaster risk
reduction and management by offering reliable, affordable and
effective solutions for minimizing the loss of life, property damage, and
social and economic disruption. IDRiM also explores implementation
science for disaster reduction. IDRiM intends to provide a set of
solutions for the all types of: environmental and natural hazards
(earthquakes, flood, drought, windstorms, landslides, etc.) and man-
made hazards. It also includes the development of methods and tools
for modeling and assessment of disaster risks, hazard zonation and
hazard mapping; geotechnical zonation, vulnerability analysis,
strengthening design of structures, disaster risk evaluation and
mapping; and various types of risk management methods such as
innovative risk transfer, risk reduction policy; socio-economic studies,
human and economic loss estimation, practical loss-control measures,
catastrophic risk insurance, public awareness, programming; and
solutions for risk reduction in buildings, lifelines, infrastructures,
industry, oil-chemical facilities, offshore structures and urban system.
IDRiM also covers the governance of disaster risks, design of
institutional schemes, participatory approach, etc.
- Website:http://idrimjournal.com/index.php/idrim
• International Journal of Climate Change Strategies and
Management, IJCCSM:
- Objecti ve: IJ CCSM publishes papers dealing with policy-making on
climate change, on methodological approaches to cope with the
problems deriving from climate change and disseminates experiences
from projects and case studies where due consideration to
environmental, economic, social and political aspects is given and
especially the links and leverages that can be attained by this holistic
approach.
- Website:
www.emeraldinsight.com/products/journals/journals.htm?id=ijccsm
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• Journal of Natural Disaster Science
- Objecti ve: The J OURNAL OF NATURAL DISASTER SCIENCE
(J NDS), published since 1979, has provided a unified forum for
scientific research on various problems concerning natural hazards
and the prevention or mitigation of natural disasters. From Volume 20
(1998) J NDS has been restructured as the journal of the Society for
Natural Disaster Science, J apan. Publication is open to those who wish
to contribute results of original research studies, or investigations. All
areas of Natural Disaster Science will be represented through regular
papers, special reports, letters, and discussions. Original papers that
provide new findings on natural hazard phenomena, and papers on
interdisciplinary subjects dealing with the reduction of natural disasters
are highly encouraged. Timely special reports are planned in the event
of large scale disasters.
- Website:http://wwwsoc.nii.ac.jp/jsnds/contents/jnds/about.html
• Disasters
- Objecti ve: Disasters is a major, peer-reviewed quarterly journal
reporting on all aspects of disaster studies, policy and management. It
provides a forum for academics, policymakers and practitioners to
publish high-quality research and practice concerning natural
catastrophes, anthropogenic disasters, complex political emergencies
and protracted crises around the world. The journal promotes the
interchange of ideas and experience, maintaining a balance between
field reports, case study articles of general interest and academic
papers.
- Website:http://www.wiley.com/bw/journal.asp?ref=0361-3666&site=1
• Environmental Hazards
- Objecti ve: The journal addresses the full range of hazards events
from extreme geological, hydrological, atmospheric and biological
events such as earthquakes, floods, storms and epidemics to
technological failures and malfunctions such as industrial
explosions, fires and toxic material releases.
- Website:http://www.earthscan.co.uk/?tabid=37213
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• Natural Hazards
- Objecti ve: Natural Hazards is devoted to original research work on all
aspects of natural hazards, including the forecasting of catastrophic
events, risk management, and the nature of precursors of natural and
technological hazards. Although hazards can originate in different
sources and systems, such as atmospheric, hydrologic,
oceanographic, volcanologic, seismic, neotectonic, the environmental
impacts are equally catastrophic. This warrants a close interaction
between different scientific and operational disciplines, aimed at
enhancing the mitigation of hazards. Coverage includes such
categories of hazard as atmospheric, climatological, oceanographic,
storm surges, tsunamis, floods, snow, avalanches, landslides, erosion,
earthquakes, volcanoes, man-made and technological, as well as risk
assessment.
- Website:
www.springer.com/earth+sciences+and+geography/hydrogeology/jour
nal/11069
• Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Environmental
Change
- Objecti ve: Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change
addresses a wide range of timely environment, economic and energy
topics including global climate change, stratospheric ozone depletion,
acid deposition, eutrophication of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems,
species extinction and loss of biological diversity, deforestation and
forest degradation, desertification, soil resource degradation, land-use
change, sea level rise, destruction of coastal zones, depletion of fresh
water and marine fisheries, loss of wetlands and riparian zones and
hazardous waste management.
The journal provides a forum to review, analyze and stimulate the
development, testing and implementation of mitigation and adaptation
strategies at regional, national and global scales. One primary goal of
this journal is to contribute to real-time policy analysis and
development as national and international policies and agreements are
discussed and promulgated.
- Website:http://www.springer.com/earth+sciences+and+geography/meteorology
+%26+climatology/journal/11027
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• Extremes
- Objecti ve: Extremes publishes original research on all aspects of
statistical extreme value theory and its applications in science,
engineering, economics, and other fields. It also presents authoritative
reviews and case studies of theoretical advances and of extreme value
methods and problems in important applied areas. Previously
scattered across more general probability journals, statistical extremes
research now has a home with this journal. As a result, Extremes
advances and accelerates research and applications by providing a
unified forum for the best papers in the field. Applied scientists find
comprehensive and up-to-date coverage of theoretical developments
and specialists find authoritative discussions of urgent applied
problems. Finally authors find the best medium for the dissemination
and use of their results.
- Website:
http://www.springer.com/statistics/journal/10687
• International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built
Environment
- Objecti ve: The journal aims to further knowledge and understanding
of the link between the built environment and disaster mitigation,
response and reconstruction. The journal seeks to: Develop the skills
and knowledge of the built environment research community and
professions working in disaster prone areas, so that they may
strengthen their capacity in strategic and practical aspects of disaster
prevention, mitigation, response and reconstruction. Provide a unique
forum for novel enquiries into the development and application of new
and emerging practices as a source of innovation to challenge current
practices. Promote the exchange of ideas between researchers,
educators, practitioners and policy makers. Influence disaster
prevention, mitigation, response an reconstruction policies and
practices
- Website:
http://www.disaster-resilience.salford.ac.uk/international-journal-of-
disaster-resilience
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• Journal of Disaster Research
- Objecti ve: The J ournal of Disaster Research provides timely, topical
information on disasters related to information, lifeline infrastructures,
traffic, terror, and similar events not directly due to war. The J ournal's
target audience is those who fight disaster in their capacity as
researchers, engineers, disaster prevention managers, administrators,
diplomats, and disaster-related NGO and NPO personnel. This J ournal
provides valuable knowledge on disaster prevention and mitigation
from a comprehensive, informative viewpoint, with the emphasis on
"wide and comprehensive scope".
- Website:
http://www.fujipress.jp/J DR/J DR_about.html
• Asian Journal of Environment and Disaster Management
(AJEDM)
- Objecti ve: This is the first journal focusing on the environment and
disaster related issues in the Asian region. Asia, being the center of
urban growth in the last few decades, has also created severe
environmental problems, and is prone to different types of natural
disasters. This journal provides a forum to communicate research
findings, not only through academic research, but also incorporating
field based action research.
Goal: Theory of environment and disaster management is complex,
and it becomes even challenging when it is linked to field practice.
There often observed a gap between the theory and practice in the
field of environment and disaster management. The goal of this journal
is to establish academic linkages of field practices with specific
emphasis on environment and disaster management in the Asian
context.
Authors and Readers: The journal will have wider authors and readers,
which will include the research and academic community, non-
government organizations, policy makers and international
organizations. Thus, the journal encourages the field practitioners and
managers to share their thoughts and experiences and to interact with
the academic community so as to fill the gap of research, education
and implementation.
- Website:
http://rpsonline.com.sg/journals/101-ajedm/ajedm.html
Page 16
• International Journal of Disaster Risk Science
- Objecti ve: International J ournal of Disaster Risk Science is an
interdisciplinary English language journal that publishes research
papers addressing theoretical and methodological issues in disaster
risk science, emergency response technology, and risk management;
disaster risk governance policies and regulations; and case studies
and comparative research internationally on responses to major
disasters. Its primary aim is to create an exchange platform for
researchers, practitioners, and policy makers in the field of disaster
and risk to communicate, learn, and progress in order to improve the
international, national and regional capacities for disaster risk analysis,
management, and governance. The journal promotes IHDP-IRG
research under the strategic framework of global change research,
including revealing the dynamic processes of disaster risk, especially
catastrophic disaster risk formation based on an adequate
understanding of the global, regional and local socio-ecological system
change; establishing a “transition -in and out” risk governance model
targeting catastrophic disasters exceeding the existing coping
capacities through case studies and comparative analyses; refining the
various models and modeling tools for catastrophic disaster risk
governance; and creating and improving an integrated disaster risk
science that can meet the challenges for sustainable development.
The journal covers a wide range of disaster risks, including natural
disaster risk; environmental and ecological disaster risks related to the
conditions of the natural environment; technological risk and the risk of
infectious diseases; and new risk factors related to global change,
energy and water security, food security, international trade, and so on.
- Website:
http://www.ijdrs.org
• Disaster Advances
- Objecti ve: Disaster Advances publishing regularly from in field of
Natural Disasters, Man-Made Disasters, Earth Sciences, Atmospheric
Sciences, Geo Sciences , Marine Sciences and Engineering.
- Website:
http://www.disasterjournal.net/
Page 17
• International Journal of Mass Emergencies & Disasters
- Objecti ve: The J ournal addresses issues of theory, research,
planning, and policy. The central purpose is publication of results of
scientific research, theoretical and policy studies, and scholarly
accounts of such events as floods and earthquakes, explosions and
massive fires, disorderly crowds and riots, energy cut-offs and power
blackouts, toxic chemical poisonings and nuclear radiation exposures,
and similar types of crisis-generating situations. Its audience inc
specialists within various areas of research and teaching plus people
working in the field who are responsible for mitigative, preparedness,
response, or recovery actions. While each issue of the J ournal typically
deals with a variety of relevant topics, special issues on particular
subjects are published whenever possible to bring together a set of
articles on a specific problem area. Since the J ournal is intended to
provide an international forum, contributions from and about all
sections of the world are encouraged. Priority is given to those writing
with cross-cultural data or implications.
- Website:
http://www.ijmed.org/
• International Journal of Disaster Recovery and Business
Continuity
- Objecti ve: The J ournal provides a chance for academic and industry
professionals to discuss recent progress in the area of disaster
recovery and business continuity. To bridge the gap of users who do
not have access to major databases where one should pay for every
downloaded article; this online publication platform is open to all
readers as part of our commitment to global scientific society. J ournal
Topics. IJ DRBC aims to facilitate and support research related to
disaster recovery and business continuity technology and the
applications.
- Website:
http://www.sersc.org/journals/IJ DRBC/
Page 18
• Disaster Prevention and Management:
- Objecti ve: Disaster Prevention and Management, An International
Journal, sets out to advance the available knowledge in the fields of
disaster prevention and management and to act as an integrative
agent for extant methodologies and activities relating to disaster
emergency and crisis management. Publishing high quality, refereed
papers, the journal supports the exchange of ideas, experience and
practice between academics, practitioners and policy-makers.
Natural disasters can wreck communities and natural resources - yet
effective action by emergency services can do much to mitigate
catastrophic effects. In contrast, manmade disasters are often the
result of carelessness or human error, and can be avoided or better
controlled by recognizing the potential for danger and taking
preventative action.
- Website:
http://www.emeraldinsight.com/products/journals/journals.htm?id=dpm
• Risk Anal ysis
- Objecti ve: Risk analysis is the science of evaluating health,
environmental, and engineering risks resulting from past, current, or
anticipated, future activities. The use of these evaluations include
providing information for determining regulatory actions to limit risk,
presenting scientific evidence in legal settings, evaluating products and
potential liabilities--within private organizations, resolving World Trade
disputes amongst nations, and for educating the public concerning
particular risk issues. Risk analysis is an interdisciplinary science that
relies on epidemiology and laboratory studies, collection of exposure
and other field data, computer modeling, and related social and
economic and communication considerations. In addition, social
dimensions of risk are addressed by social scientists. Methods of risk
analysis and the outcome of particular evaluations are regularly
presented in scholarly papers that are published in Risk Analysis: An
International Journal and topics are as diverse as quality of drinking
water, air and land contamination, the safety of foods and drugs,
automobile and infrastructure safety, and risk associated with weapons
of mass destruction.
- Website:
http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0272-4332&site=1
Page 19
• Journal of Risk Research
- Objecti ve: The Journal of Risk Research is an international journal
that publishes peer-reviewed theoretical and empirical research
articles within the risk field from the areas of social, physical and health
sciences and engineering, as well as articles related to decision
making, regulation and policy issues in all disciplines. Articles will be
published in English. The main aims of the Journal of Risk Research
are to stimulate intellectual debate, to promote better risk management
practices and to contribute to the development of risk management
methodologies. Journal of Risk Research is the official journal of the
Society for Risk Analysis Europe and the Society for Risk Analysis
J apan.
- Website:
http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals/journal.asp?issn=13669877&linktype=1
• International Journal of Risk Assessment and Management
(IJRAM)
- Objective: IJRAM aims to provide an international forum for
researchers and practitioners across the many relevant disciplines and
industries to disseminate information and learn from each other's work.
IJRAM publishes original and review papers, technical reports, case
studies, conference reports, management reports, book reviews, and
notes commentaries and news. Contribution may be by submission or
invitation, and suggestions for special issues and publications are
welcome. The IJRAM is an interdisciplinary and refereed journal that
provides cross learning between: Different business and economics,
as well as scientific and technological, disciplines. Energy industries,
environmental and ecological systems. Safety, public health and
medical services. Software services, reliability and safety
- Website:http://www.inderscience.com/browse/index.php?journalID=24
Page 20
7. New Books
Heavy-Tailed Distributions in Disaster Anal ysis
Authors: V. Pisarenko, M. Rodkin
Year: 2010
Publisher: Springer, New York
ISBN: 978-9048191703
Content: Mathematically, natural disasters of all types are characterized by
heavy tailed distributions. The analysis of such distributions with common
methods, such as averages and dispersions, can therefore lead to erroneous
conclusions. The statistical methods described in this book avoid such pitfalls.
Seismic disasters are studied, primarily thanks to the availability of an ample
statistical database. New approaches are presented to seismic risk estimation
and forecasting the damage caused by earthquakes, ranging from typical,
moderate events to very rare, extreme disasters. Analysis of these latter events
is based on the limit theorems of probability and the duality of the generalized
Pareto distribution and generalized extreme value distribution. It is shown that
the parameter most widely used to estimate seismic risk – Mmax, the maximum
possible earthquake value – is potentially non-robust. Robust analogues of this
parameter are suggested and calculated for some seismic catalogues. Trends in
the costs inferred by damage from natural disasters as related to changing social
and economic situations are examined for different regions. The results obtained
argue for sustainable development, whereas entirely different, incorrect
conclusions can be drawn if the specific properties of the heavy-tailed distribution
and change in completeness of data on natural hazards are neglected. This
pioneering work is directed at risk assessment specialists in general,
seismologists, administrators and all those interested in natural disasters and
their impact on society.
When the Planet Rages: Natural Disasters, Global Warming and the Future of the
Earth
Authors: Charles Offices, J ake Page
Year: 2010
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 978-0195377019
Content: In New England, 1816 was called the Year Without a Summer. Crops
failed throughout America and, in Western Europe, it was even worse, with food
riots and armed groups raiding bakeries and grain markets. All this turmoil
followed a catastrophic volcanic eruption--a year earlier on the other side of the
world--the eruption of Tambora, a blast heard almost a thousand miles away. In
When the Planet Rages, Charles Officer and J ake Page describe some of the
great events of environmental history, from calamities such as the Lisbon
earthquake of 1755 (the greatest in recorded history) and the ice ages, to recent
Page 21
man-made disasters such as Chernobyl, acid rain, and the depletion of the ozone
layer. Officer and Page provide fascinating discussions of meteorites and comets;
of the demise of mammoths, mastodons, and dinosaurs; and of great floods that
have swept the earth. But they also show that human activity can make trouble for
nature, discussing the depletion of natural resources (we burn coal and oil at
millions of times their natural rate of production), air pollution in Los Angeles and
London (where the Killer Smog of 1952 caused the death of some four thousand
people), and the pollution of major waterways, like the Chesapeake Bay and Lake
Erie. For the paperback edition, the authors have included a new preface, have
added material on the recent Sichuan, China earthquake, the Indian Ocean
Tsunami, and Hurricane Katrina, and discuss such topics as of the
(un)predictability of symptoms of global warming. Ranging from the monumental
eruption at Krakatoa to industrial disasters such as the mercury poisoning in
J apan's Minamata Bay, When the Planet Rages will engage anyone concerned
with the environment and the natural world.
Earl y Warning for Geological Disasters
Authors: Friedemann Wenzel, J ochen Zschau (editor)
Year: 2010
Publisher: Springer, Berlin
ISBN: 978-3642122323
Content: Early Warning for geologic disasters became a subject of intensive
research when observational and communication options allowed for dense
sensor installation and real-time dissemination of signals and information. Initially
most efforts focused on doing what seismologists had done before, just faster. In
the current period real new research directions have emerged. Significant
information, for instance on the earthquake process is contained in the first few
seconds of observations and allow empirical extraction of warning messages.
Novel sensors and intercommunication, specifically self-organizing networks,
open new routes for implementing early warning systems. Models for community
based early warning – capitalizing on these networks as well as on Google Earth
popularity - are evolving. Science and tools for performance-based design of
warning systems become available. Multiple-purpose systems for warning and
for instance structural health monitoring have been designed. In short: Science
moved towards the point, where it is translated in technologies.
Natural Hazards, UnNatural Disasters
Authors: World Bank, United Nations
Year: 2010
Publisher: Word Bank
ASIN: 978-0739124161
Content: Earthquakes, droughts, floods, and storms are natural hazards, but
unnatural disasters are the deaths and damages that result from human acts of
omission and commission. Every disaster is unique, but each exposes actions—
by individuals and governments at different levels—that, had they been different,
Page 22
would have resulted in fewer deaths and less damage. Prevention is possible,
and this book examines what it takes to do this cost-effectively.It looks at
disasters primarily through an economic lens. Economists emphasize self-
interest to explain how people choose the amount of prevention, insurance, and
coping. But lenses can distort as well as sharpen images, so the book also draws
from other disciplines: psychology to examine how people may misperceive risks,
political science to understand voting patterns, and nutrition science to see how
stunting in children after a disaster impairs cognitive abilities and productivity as
adults much later. Peering into the future, it shows that while urbanization and
climate change will increase exposure to hazards, vulnerability can be reduced if
cities are better managed. This book will be of interest to government officials,
urban planners, relief agencies, NGOs, donors, and other development
practitioners.
Mitigation of Natural Hazards and Disasters: International Perspectives
Authors: C. Emdad Haque (editor)
Year: 2010
Publisher: Springer
ISBN-10: 9048167965
Content: This book examines the aspects of prevention, mitigation, and
management of environmental hazards and disasters from an international
perspective. In light of the recent debate on climate change and the possible
effects of such a change upon increasing frequency and magnitude of extreme
environmental events, this publication overviews various policy and response
discourse. Several case studies, from various countries and world regions,
depicting recent experience in mitigation policy and program development and
implementation and establishing interlinks between vulnerability and mitigation
are presented to provide further insights. This book is primarily intended for
academics, policy makers, professionals, and practitioners in hazards reduction
activities who look for a better understanding of the complex and dynamic
aspects of nature and society. This topic is a well established issue among most
sectors of our society since the costs, both human and socioeconomic, of
extreme environmental events have been rising astronomically, and significant
vulnerabilities exist throughout the world. Without effective prevention and
mitigation, these costs are likely to continue to increase, enhancing the
uncertainty of societal progress. The knowledge and information embodied in this
volume will be of immense benefit to anyone working in this field.
Page 23
Systems Approach to Management of Disasters: Methods and Applications
Authors: Slobodan P. Simonovi
Year: 2010
Publisher: Wiley
ISBN-10: 978-0739124161
Content: The ultimate reference on managing disasters by implementing a
systems approach. Proper management in the face of a natural or technological
disaster necessitates a transformation of attitude toward integration of economic,
social, and environmental concerns related to disasters, and of the actions
necessary to deal with them. Recent trends in confronting disasters include
consideration of the entire region under threat, explicit consideration of all costs
and benefits, elaboration of a large number of alternatives to reduce the
damages, and the greater participation of all stakeholders in decision-making.
Systems approaches based on simulation, optimization, and multi-objective
analyses have great potential for providing appropriate support for effective
disaster management in this emerging context. This systems approach to
managing disasters is the focus of this book, which outlines proven strategies for
pooling interdisciplinary resources more efficiently to boost emergency
responses. An invaluable reference, Systems Approach to Managing Disasters
illustrates how a systems approach to management of disasters can be the
difference maker in times of crisis.
Extreme Events in Nature and Society
Authors: Sergio Albeverio, Volker J entsch, Holger Kantz
Year: 2010
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3642066798
Content: Significant, and usually unwelcome, surprises, such as floods, financial
crisis, epileptic seizures, or material rupture, are the topics of Extreme Events in
Nature and Society. The book, authored by foremost experts in these fields,
reveals unifying and distinguishing features of extreme events, including
problems of understanding and modelling their origin, spatial and temporal
extension, and potential impact. The chapters converge towards the difficult
problem of anticipation: forecasting the event and proposing measures to
moderate or prevent it. Extreme Events in Nature and Society will interest not
only specialists, but also the general reader eager to learn how the multifaceted
field of extreme events can be viewed as a coherent whole.
Page 24
Natural and Anthropogenic Disasters: Vulnerability, Preparedness and Mitigation
Authors: M.K. J ha (editor)
Year: 2010
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 9048124972
Content: The major challenges of the 21
st
century faced by human beings are
how to achieve water security, food security, energy security and environmental
security. Owing to enhanced natural/anthropogenic disasters worldwide, these
challenges become much more complicated and daunting especially for
developing countries. Therefore, it is important to highlight the risk of different
disasters as well as the modern tools and techniques for minimizing disaster
incidence and losses. Disaster management being highly multidisciplinary in
nature, a comprehensive book dealing with different aspects of disaster
management, and encompassing important disasters faced by humankind is
presently not available. This book is an attempt to fulfill this gap. It provides clear,
comprehensive, and up-to-date information about different facets of disaster
management along with salient case studies. The book highlights the current
status of disaster management focusing on developing nations, discusses vital
issues such as climate change and sustainable development, modern
approaches and tools/techniques, and the challenges of and future R&D needs
for sustainable disaster management.
Natural Disasters as Interactive Components of Global-Ecodynamics
Authors: Kirill Ya Kondratyev, Vladimir F. Krapivin, Costas A. Varostos
Year: 2010
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3642068448
Content: Large-scale natural catastrophes are environmental phenomena.
Numerous studies in recent years have concluded that the frequency of
occurrence of such natural disasters have been incereasing. leading to an
enhanced risk of very considerable human and economic losses and the
widespread destruction and pollution of habitats, settlements and infrastructure.
In 2001 over 650 natural disasters happened around the globe with economic
losses exceeding $35 billion. 2004 ended with the South East Asian tsunami on
26th December with its huge toll on life and local economics and this
demonstrated that the efffects of such disasters are most keenly felt in poorer or
developing regions. The problem of natural disaster prediction and the
implementation of environmental monitoring systems to receive, store and
process the information necessary for solutions of specific problems in this area ,
have been analysed by the three authors of this book, all of whom are
internationally respected experts in this field.
Page 25
Catalogue of Risks: Natural, Technical, Social and Health Risks
Authors: Dirk Proske
Year: 2010
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3642098487
Content: The term risk has experienced a dramatic growth in usage over the last
few years. This is mainly due to the growing concern about the future of mankind,
but also to a greater awareness of the limited nature of our resources. People
want to know what can go wrong. In the beginning terms such as risk, disaster,
indeterminacy and uncertainty are discussed in detail in this book. Furthermore
disasters and risks are categorized into natural, technical, health and social risks,
and then major disasters in these categories are listed. Risk parameters are
introduced to allow the objective description of risks. The explanation of risk
parameters (such as mortalities, fatal accident rates, the family of F-N curves and
the concept of lost life years) leads to the quality of life parameters as
measurements of risk. In general this parameter permits the comparison of the
efficiency of all safety measures over the entire human society. However,
limitations of this concept are also disclosed. The book clearly shows the
interdependence of risk measures. Safety and risks cannot be discussed only by
looking at specific problems, since increasing safety in individual fields might lead
to a decrease of safety over the entire society.
In Extremis: Disruptive Events and Trends in Climate and Hydrology
Authors: J ürgen Kropp, Hans-J oachim Schellnhuber (editor)
Year: 2010
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 364214862X
Content: The book addresses a weakness of current methodologies used in
extreme value assessment, i.e. the assumption of stationarity, which is not given
in reality. With respect to this issue a lot of new developed technologies are
presented, i.e. influence of trends vs. internal correlations, quantitative
uncertainty assessments, etc. The book not only focuses on artificial time series
data, but has a close link to empirical measurements, in order to make the
suggested methodologies applicable for practitioners in water management and
meteorology.
Natural Disasters and Sustainable Development
Authors : Riccardo Casale, Claudio Margottini (editor)
Year: 2010
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3642075800
Content: Natural disasters are a clear example of people living in conflict with
the environment. Disasters cause human, social and environmental losses and,
sometimes, even threaten geopolitical stability, as in many less developed
countries. They are also a problem of global concern, even when damage is
Page 26
local: the mechanisms are often dependent on global meteoro-climatic
circulation. Losses frequently affect several countries, as could be seen in the
floods in central Europe in 2002. It is obvious that there is a clear need for a new
approach, capable of incorporating the prevention of natural disasters, whilst
mitigating strategies within the cycle of sustainable development. There are no
thematic disciplines or political boundaries limitating initiatives: the integration of
data providers, data users/information providers and information users, in a
global and holistic manner, is the desired outcome of the new frontier. This book
falls into this new category: multidisciplinary interventions and socio-economic
point of views are the basic inputs for a changing science, implementing
sustainable development for the benefit of citizens and society. It is comprised of
studies and investigations which explain natural processes and modelling, as
well as assessing hazards and risks and is rounded of with suggestions for
sustainable development. Thus reflecting the best results of research on this
topic funded by the European Commission.
Assessing Vulnerability to Global Environmental Change: Making Research
Useful for Adaptation Decision Making and Policy [Paperback]
Authors : Anthony G. Patt, Dagmar Schroter, Richard J . T. Klein, Anne Cristina
De La Vega-leinert (editor)
Year: 2010
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 1849711542
Content: Assessing the vulnerability of human populations to global
environmental change, particularly climate change, is now the main imperative of
research and international action. However, much of the research into
vulnerability is not designed to feed directly into decision making and policy,
creating a gap between the knowledge created by researchers and what is
required by decision makers. This book seeks to rectify this problem and bridge
the gap. It discusses vulnerability as the central theme and brings together many
different applications from disaster studies, climate change impact studies and
several other fields and provides the most comprehensive synthesis of
definitions, theories, formalization and applications to date, illustrated with
examples from different disciplines, regions and periods, and from local through
to regional, national and international levels. Case study topics cover sea level
rise, vulnerability to changes in ecosystem services, assessing the vulnerability
of human health and 'double exposure' to climate change and trade liberalization
amongst other issues. Research outcomes stress that science-policy dialogues
must be transparent to be effective and concentrate on a mutual understanding
of the concepts used. A key research finding is that the most useful information
for decision makers is that which shows the separate causes and drivers of
vulnerability, rather than presenting vulnerability in an aggregated form. The book
concludes with a unifying framework for analysing integrated methodologies of
vulnerability assessment and guiding how research and policy can be linked to
reduce vulnerability.
Page 27
Heavy-Tailed Distributions in Disaster Anal ysis (Advances in Natural and
Technological Hazards Research)
Authors : V. Pisarenko, M. Rodkin
Year: 2010
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 904819170X
Content: Mathematically, natural disasters of all types are characterized by
heavy tailed distributions. The analysis of such distributions with common
methods, such as averages and dispersions, can therefore lead to erroneous
conclusions. The statistical methods described in this book avoid such pitfalls.
Seismic disasters are studied, primarily thanks to the availability of an ample
statistical database. New approaches are presented to seismic risk estimation
and forecasting the damage caused by earthquakes, ranging from typical,
moderate events to very rare, extreme disasters. Analysis of these latter events
is based on the limit theorems of probability and the duality of the generalized
Pareto distribution and generalized extreme value distribution. It is shown that
the parameter most widely used to estimate seismic risk – Mmax, the maximum
possible earthquake value – is potentially non-robust. Robust analogues of this
parameter are suggested and calculated for some seismic catalogues. Trends in
the costs inferred by damage from natural disasters as related to changing social
and economic situations are examined for different regions. The results obtained
argue for sustainable development, whereas entirely different, incorrect
conclusions can be drawn if the specific properties of the heavy-tailed distribution
and change in completeness of data on natural hazards are neglected. Audience:
This pioneering work is directed at risk assessment specialists in general,
seismologists, administrators and all those interested in natural disasters and
their impact on society.
Page 28
8. Ongoing Field Work
“Experiencing the Importance of Research in Real Scenarios”
J ong-il Na, Dept. of Urban Management, Graduate School of Engineering, Kyoto
University
In Indonesia, Yogyakarta from May to August, 2010 a project for “Capacity building on
disaster risk management for sustainable community development” was implemented.
Yogyakarta is known for the world heritage sites of Borobudur Temple and the Pramban
Temple Compounds; but recently also for the active volcano Mount Merapi.
Last year a “Study on Community development at Mt Merapi area” was developed with
the collaboration of the Gadjah Mada Local University for support in the planning and
assessment activities. My participation in the research work was in a pilot project
towards “Sand Mining Management” where the Yonmenkaigi System was introduced to
the Gadjah Mada University team. Yonmenkaigi System is a decision making method
developed from the community vitalization initiative implemented in Tottori,Chizu. After
being improved to fit the real situation in the local area, it was applied jointly in a
community participatory workshop for Mt. Merapi area.
?Research and practice experience?
This time in contrast with last year short term “Sand Mining Management Plan”, the
activities have been expanded further to the community organization development for a
sustainable action plan at a local level. However, in a different situation than last year; it
was necessary to develop the overall action plan, implementation and evaluation
without a research team. Moreover, it was difficult to carry out the project in balance
with the position of researcher and practitioner. Nevertheless, getting the opportunity to
adapt one’s research to a community living along with disasters was with no comparison
a very valuable experience.
Mount Merapi view?2968m? Yonmenkaigi Workshop Group
Page 29
?Implementation Science and Community Contribution?
I think that disaster prevention study is in search of the truth but also is important to be
useful to the society. The Yonmenkaigi System used to community development in Mt.
Merapi Area is the product of the J apanese experience about community participatory
workshop methods for knowledge development. It doesn’t end with the research level
but while doing cooperative work with the community, the importance of the
implementation science can be recognized.
Considering last year activities, this time the participants expressed their necessities
along with the team of the local university to decide together on the highest priorities
towards community development. The participants of the Yonmenkaigi Workshop in
Kemiren Village learned by practice not only about the importance of the collaborative
activities in disasters but also for their daily life activities to demonstrate commitment for
the community benefit.
I would like to thank the people from Mt. Merapi Area in Kemiren Village and the team
from Gadjah Mada University for cooperating in the application of the Yonmenkaigi
Workshop.
On October 27th, 2010, Mt Merapi erupted, however there was no victim at all in
Kemiren Village. I am now planning to go for a survey to examine what an impact this
activity had on their behavior during the emergency.
Presenting the results of the workshop
Page 30
9. Miscellaneous
Other Newsletters:
- Disaster Research: DISASTER RESEARCH (DR) is a moderated newsletter for
creators and users of information about hazards and disasters.
Website:http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/dr/currentdr.html
- Emergency Manager’s Weekl y Report:
Website:http://www.6pinternational.com/news.php?category=Emergency Managers
Weekly%20Report&
- KatNet-Newsletter: (mostly in German language)
Website:http://www.katastrophennetz.de/
- EM-DAT: International Disaster Database Newsletter (CRED)
Website:http://www.emdat.be/publications
- DSCRN: Disaster and Social Crisis Research Network Newsletter
Website:http://www.dscrn.org/cms/index.php?page=newsletter
Page 31
Newsletter Committee:
Head:
Stefan Hochrainer-Stigler
IIASA- International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, Laxenburg, Austria
Email: [email protected]
Muneta Yokomatsu
Research Center for Disaster Reduction Systems,
Disaster Prevention Research Institute, Kyoto University
E-mail: [email protected]
Ana Maria Cruz
Consultant, Natech Risk Management
Bordeaux, France
E-mail: [email protected]
Wei Xu
Beijing Normal University ( BNU)
Beijing, China
E-mail: [email protected]
IDRiM Society
Secretariat
Kyoto University
Gokasyo Uji, Kyoto, J apan
Tel: +81-774-38-4043
FAX :+81-774-38-4636
Email: [email protected]
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