Emergency and Disaster Management Commons^™

Impacts Of Atmospheric Rivers On Communities In Northern California: Comparative Analysis Of Sonoma County Hazard Mitigation Plans, Cristina Vance

Master's Projects and Capstones

Climate change increases the frequency of extreme weather events and affects California’s hydroclimate, thereby increasing flood vulnerability of all communities in Sonoma County. An example of extreme weather phenomena is atmospheric rivers (ARs), which are long narrow water vapor transported by winds across the Pacific Ocean. ARs have a history of causing major flood events that have swept through Sonoma County and negatively impacted cities along the lower Russian River, such as the unincorporated town of Guerneville, California. Major floods cause detrimental impacts to the economy. Social inequalities become evident when unincorporated communities located along floodplains are more vulnerable to …

The Impact Of Household Preparedness And Work-Family Conflict On Medic-Firefighter Ability And Willingness To Respond For Duty In A Disaster, Joshua S. Simmons

Dissertations

There is a general assumption in disaster planning that emergency responders will respond for duty in any emergency or disaster. Role abandonment by medic-firefighters could impede an organization’s ability to effectively manage the impact of a disaster. This study investigated household preparedness and work-family conflict levels, identified as primary variables affecting ability and willingness to respond in the literature. The aim was to determine if these factors impacted the ability and willingness of medic-firefighters in a coastal Virginia fire department to respond during disaster scenarios. The results showed that emergency preparedness levels were low, and that there were moderate levels …

Climate Adaptation Plans In Ontario: Small And Medium Municipalities Preparedness For Extreme Weather, Zakary Blomme

Major Papers

Combatting climate change has largely been understood as a matter of federal and provincial jurisdiction and as a result has mostly been executed in a preventative lens. However, the effects of climate change are most significantly felt at the municipal level. As a result, I argue the onus for combatting climate change should switch to the municipalities in order to focus on climate mitigation and adaptation. In fact, many of the larger cities in Ontario such as the City of Windsor have acted on this and created Climate Adaptation Plans to aid in mitigation and adaptation efforts. The larger cities …

Community Cultural Wealth And Its Impact On Pandemic Relief Funding For Small Businesses, Brett Smith

West Chester University Doctoral Projects

This dissertation investigates the impact of social, navigational, familial, aspirational, and resistant capital on the ability of small business owners in Pennsylvania to access relief funding during the COVID-19 pandemic, primarily the period from March 2020 to December 2020. Utilizing Dr. Tara Yosso’s Community Cultural Wealth framework, the study explores systemic barriers within relief initiatives and how they affect marginalized communities.

To meet business owners where they were, and to utilize technologies born as a result of the pandemic, this study utilized Asynchronous Video Interviews (AVI) and online surveys, to capture the lived experiences of these small business owners. Not …

Disaster Preparedness Levels Among Firefighters, Shelby G. Coonts

ATU Theses and Dissertations 2021 - Present

There are numerous studies that focus on household preparedness however, there are few studies that focus on the preparedness levels of first responders. The purpose of this quantitative comparative study was to (a) establish, analyze, and compare the current level of disaster preparedness among Hinesville City Fire Department and Liberty County Fire Services located within the same region of Southeastern, Georgia and (b) analyze any correlation between demographics of the Firefighters and their level of disaster preparedness. This research sought to benchmark the organizational level of disaster preparedness of two critical departments (city and county fire services) by measuring three …

Risk Governance Framework For Recreational Vessels' Safety In Mozambique And South Africa, Yara Hortense Alberto Tembe

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Unseen Vulnerabilities: Emergency Planning For Carless And Vulnerable Populations In Ontario, James Hugh Hamilton Lee

Major Papers

In 2005, Hurricane Katrina made impact on southern Louisiana, devastating the city of New Orleans and surrounding communities. The high death toll of the hurricane revealed problems with public emergency planning, as many carless and vulnerable people were unable to evacuate New Orleans before the arrival of the hurricane, contributing to the high death toll. In recent years, scholarship has developed around emergency planning for carless and vulnerable populations in order to determine the most effective policy recommendations to improve evacuations plans for these populations. As climate change continues to occur around the world, the frequency and severity of severe …

Influences On Participation In The National Flood Insurance Program’S Community Rating System In Coastal Counties In Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, And Florida, Jennifer E. Argote

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The National Flood Insurance Program provides an incentive-based program, the Community Rating System (“CRS”), to encourage communities to improve their hazard mitigation protocols to better protect against and prevent flood-related hazards. This dissertation analyzes factors that influence participation and points scored within the CRS to gain an understanding of the conditions under which communities are willing and able to take advantage of an incentive-based flood hazard mitigation program. It also includes an analysis of survey responses from 41 coastal county floodplain and CRS managers to gauge their opinions on the CRS and how it can be improved to better serve …

Disaster Movies And The Perception Of Human Behavior Myths In Disasters, John Carr

Dissertations

This study explored if disaster movies change the perceptions viewers hold regarding human behavior in disasters, and if so, whether these effects are observable six weeks after watching the disaster movie. The study documented the anticipation of disaster myths in human behavior for 121 respondents, providing data that can better inform the discussion of disaster myths and realities. The study found changes to anticipation of disaster myths in human behavior and realities across multiple categories, with statistically significant results related to the factor of Looting Myth. Limitations for this study include a small sample size, and the external influence of …

Using Industry Sector Entropy To Predict Economic Community Disaster Resilience: Real-World Verification From The Covid-19 Pandemic, Thomas Brindle

Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic has presented an opportunity for disaster science researchers to gain insight into the underlying nature of community resilience through comparing the socioeconomic effects of government action to a common threat across urban population centers of varying economic compositions. For example, the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on employment related to public health mitigation efforts in the leisure and hospitality sector of Las Vegas, NV, during the onset of the pandemic were well publicized. In comparison, other population centers of similar size but with different economic sector composition varied in the degree to which employment were affected, …

Community Space Planning And Design Guide For Enhanced Wildfire Resilience In Heber, Utah, Devin Macfarlane

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

The wildland urban interface (WUI) is the fastest growing land type in the conterminous United States. These areas are prone to catastrophic wildfire events. In response to rapid population growth, Heber City, Utah is planning a significant amount of development within the WUI. This thesis project is aimed at proactively addressing wildfire risk in the WUI of Heber through two main strategies: regional geospatial planning and public space design to create wildfire resilient communities. Researching principles of wildfire adaptive practice and planning for defensible space led to the development of a list of criteria. This list was developed in the …

Measuring Social Vulnerability And Exposure To Potential Risks Induced By Spaceport Operations In South Texas: An Empirical Study Utilizing Gis Methods And Social Vulnerability Indicators, Evan D. Garcia

Theses and Dissertations

The commercialization of space has increased spaceport development and activity across the United States. The magnitude of growth can be witnessed through the spaceport expansion and spacecraft testing at the SpaceX “Starbase” Launch Facility, located along the Texas-Mexico border. Matching the pace of SpaceX’s growth while evaluating levels of risk, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) diligently conducted a comprehensive Programmatic Environmental Assessment (PEA). While this assessment provides significant environmental impact data and risk analysis, much is left to understand regarding hazards and risk exposure to local communities. More specifically, research is needed to understand hazards associated with operational- and anomaly- …

Historical Trauma: Literary And Testimonial Responses To Hiroshima, Mariam Ghonim

Theses and Dissertations

The concept of trauma is controversial in literature. While one may be able to come up with ways to describe trauma in fiction, representing historical trauma is a hard task for writers. Some argue that trauma can not be described through those who did not experience it, while others claim that, provided some elements are added, one can represent trauma to the reader. This thesis focuses on twentieth-century historical traumas related to a nuclear catastrophe and explores the different literary and testimonial responses to the catastrophic man-made event of Hiroshima (1945). In this thesis, Kathleen Burkinshaw’s historical fiction The Last …

The Flow Of Power: Addressing Asymmetric Flood Risk In The Upper Valley, Eric Vr Hryniewicz

Geography Undergraduate Senior Theses

Floods are the most damaging natural disasters in America. Land use change in upland watersheds can increase the probability and severity of floods (Bronstert, Niehoff, & Burger, 2002). When watersheds are divided by political and private property boundaries it leads to a misalignment of incentives in which downstream users lack recourse for upstream land use decisions contributing to flood risk. In this thesis, researchers interrogate the attributes of town officials and towns that determine what motivates town governments to act on flooding and what motivates and enables town officials to collaborate on planning and how do they collaborate in practice. …

Comparative Analysis Of The Water Crisis In Guam And New Delhi: Evaluating Causes And Potential Solutions, Jordina Marshall

Global Honors Theses

The core topic of this paper will be an examination of a comparative study of the water issue in India, with a particular emphasis on New Delhi, and the water crisis on the island of Guam, with a large amount of focus being placed on an assessment of the possible causes as well as potential remedies. Due to the impact the water problem has on the ecosystem, the welfare of the populace, and the security of their food supply, a solution must be found. There are rising concerns that endangers the health of both of these nations as well as …

Gender And Disability: An Exploration Of Reflective Practice For Protection And Access Amid Complex Emergencies, Lindsey A. Mandolini

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Gender and Disability: An Exploration of Reflective Practice for Protection and Access Amid Complex Emergencies is a qualitative research project exploring under what conditions and in what ways disabled persons’ organizations (DPOs) effectively protect and provide access to women and girls with disabilities amid complex emergencies. The study upheld a participatory approach and rights-based framework, emphasizing that authentic inclusion requires centering disabled voices in research. Drawing on extant research, grey literature, and data collected from online practitioner questionnaires and semi-structured interviews, the study conducted a multi-phased reflexive thematic analysis. The research findings culminate in a composite narrative that brings to …

Rattus Norvegicus As A Biological Detector Of Clandestine Remains And The Use Of Ultrasonic Vocalizations As A Locating Mechanism, Gabrielle M. Johnston

Master's Theses

In investigations, locating missing persons and clandestine remains are imperative. One way that first responder and police agencies can search for the remains is by using cadaver dogs as biological detectors. Cadaver dogs are typically used due to their olfactory sensitivity and ability to detect low concentrations of volatile organic compounds produced by biological remains. Cadaver dogs are typically chosen for their stamina, agility, and olfactory sensitivity. However, what is not taken into account often is the size of the animal and the expense of maintaining and training the animal. Cadaver dogs are typically large breeds that cannot fit in …

Analysis Of Fire Safety Preparedness And Risk In University Housing, Sophia House

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

In the growing field of fire safety and preparedness, university dormitories are a prime location to observe unique residential circumstances that contribute to fire risk. This study will utilize survey responses from student housing residents from four universities to analyze if and how certain factors affect fire safety preparedness. Additionally, the results will be compared to existing literature to examine any gaps in research or contributions to current data. This study seeks to confirm that university housing is a higher risk category of residential fires because of student contributions and a lack of direct intervention to improve fire safety preparedness.

Predicting The Pebcak: A Quantitative Analysis Of How Cybersecurity Education, Literacy, And Awareness Affect Individual Preparedness., Annie Goodman

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

This essay explores the relationship between individuals' cybersecurity education, literacy, awareness, and preparedness. While cybersecurity is often associated with complex hacking scenarios, the majority of data breaches and cyber-attacks result from individuals inadvertently falling prey to phishing emails and malware. The lack of standardized education and training in cybersecurity, coupled with the rapid expansion of technology diversity, raises concerns about individuals' cybersecurity preparedness. As individuals are the first line of defense and the weakest link in cybersecurity, understanding the influence of education, literacy, and awareness on their adherence to best practices is crucial. This work aims to survey a diverse …

Opportunities And Challenges From Major Disasters Lessons Learned Of Long-Term Recovery Group Members, Eduardo E. Landaeta

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

Natural hazards caused by the alteration of weather patterns expose populations at risk, with an outcome of economic loss, property damage, personal injury, and loss of life. The unpredictability of disasters is a topic of concern to most governments. Disaster policies need more attention in aligning mitigation opportunities with disaster housing recovery (DHR). The effect of flooding, which primarily impacts housing in coastal areas, is one of the most serious issues associated with natural hazard. Flooding has a variety of causes and implications, especially for vulnerable populations who are exposed to it. DHR is complex, involving the need for effective …

Trace Dna Detection Using Diamond Dye: A Recovery Technique To Yield More Dna, Leah Davis

Master's Theses

This study aspires to find a new screening approach to trace DNA recovery techniques to yield a higher quantity of trace DNA from larger items of evidence. It takes the path of visualizing trace DNA on items of evidence with potential DNA so analysts can swab a more localized area rather than attempting to recover trace DNA through the general swabbing technique currently used for trace DNA recovery. The first and second parts consisted of observing trace DNA interaction with Diamond Dye on porous and non-porous surfaces.

The third part involved applying the Diamond Dye solution by spraying it onto …

Disaster Risk Perception, Climate Change Awareness, And Disaster Preparedness Among University Of Texas Rio Grande Valley Students, Anandita Roy

Theses and Dissertations

University students are usually young and have low-income resources, live in dormitories or low-rent housing near the university, and have little to no disaster experience. Therefore, they are vulnerable to disasters due to a lack of resources for preparation. To better understand the vulnerability of students to disasters, the study aims to assess the perceptions of disaster risk, climate change awareness, and the level of disaster preparedness of students at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV). In this study, we collected data from 320 students who participated in an online survey. The study’s findings provide an understanding of …

Cms Emergency Preparedness Rule: Examining The Relationship Between Nursing Home Facility Characteristics And Regulatory Deficiencies, Tihara Richardson Sommers

School of Public Service Theses & Dissertations

The effects of Hurricane Katrina and other natural disasters have increased the focus on nursing homes, particularly nursing home emergency preparedness. Nursing home administrators and direct care employees have described the challenges faced when responding to an emergency event. Due to numerous emergency preparedness insufficiencies, requirements were implemented to protect the vulnerable population of older adults who reside in nursing homes. In 2016, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) added specific emergency preparedness requirements to the existing fire safety requirements for regulated nursing homes. These deficiency evaluations are the only routinely collected source of information detailing compliance with the …

Collaborative Leadership Skills And Competencies In Emergency Management And Resilience: Lessons And Implications From The Response To The Covid-19 Pandemic, Norah Abdullah A Alshayhan

School of Public Service Theses & Dissertations

Collaborative leadership is a critical component in emergency management and resilience. Although cross-sector leadership is considered compulsory in the management of many disasters, the skills and competencies for successful execution of collaborative leadership approaches in emergency management and resilience are still largely unknown, especially as it pertains to the COVID-19 pandemic response. The perspectives of emergency management and resilience leaders may fill in this research gap.

This qualitative study relies on semi-structured interviews to explore the needed skills and competencies for collaborative leadership in emergency management and resilience during the response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the South-Atlantic states. The …

Exploring The Information-Seeking Behaviors And Decision-Making Processes Of Couples In Response To Unfamiliar Tornado Threats, Chih-Chun Rosie Lin

Dissertations

The unique disaster, tornado, causes significant damage and casualties in the US every year, and tornado warnings are crucial to helping people take protective action and reduce the negative impact, especially in an unfamiliar situation. It is important for authorities to better understand how households in low-risk areas rely on information, perceive risk, and make protective action decisions because tornadoes can occur in many geographic locations and might cause significant damage. However, tornado information search behavior and the dynamic decision-making process are not well understood in the existing literature. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the effect of the interaction …

Impact Of Social Media  On Public Perception Of Government Covid-19 Response Efforts, Taher Taher

Theses and Dissertations

This research aims to understand this phenomenon to provide insights into how governments can perform better in times of crisis regarding social media and its impact on public opinion. This research aims to understand how social media impacts public perception of government COVID-19 response efforts by studying Facebook comments, likes, and reactions (emoticons).

The study was based on data gathered from Facebook comments on the daily infographic COVID-19 statistics from the official site of the Ministry of Health and Population. The sampling frame is the 52 weeks of 2020, January to December, through random sampling resulting in 546 comments. The …

Social Equity Through Vaccinations During Covid-19: A Study Of Equitable Utilization Of Resources During Emergencies And Crises, Rebecca Entress

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-

Governments provide resources that enable people and neighborhoods to return to normalcy after emergencies, which enhances community resilience. Past research found that such resources are not always equitably utilized by communities, where oftentimes communities with high social vulnerability receive fewer resources. COVID-19 was one of the largest and most widespread public health emergencies. In response to the emergency, the United States (U.S.) government sponsored the creation and administration of COVID-19 vaccines. COVID-19 vaccines reduce the probability of severe illness and death, making them an important resource for community resilience. This study uses an explanatory sequential mixed methods research design to …

Network Structure And Network Effectiveness In Thailand's Provincial Covid-19 Response Networks, Ruechagorn Trairatananusorn

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-

Health and well-being are key focuses for international organizations and governments around the world as one of the United Nations' (UN) Sustainable Developmental Goals (SDGs). The emergence of COVID-19 pandemic since late 2019 has led to not only substantial life losses, but also negative social and economic impacts that are relatively comparable to the "Spanish Flu" pandemic. The insights from public administration literature suggested that emergency and crisis management require collaborative efforts from various stakeholders across sectors and levels. However, the existing literature that studied the COVID-19 pandemic response under network perspective is still scarce in developing countries, especially in …

Social Media-Based Crisis Communication: Analysis Of Twitter Data From Local Agencies During Hurricane Irma, Naiyara Noor

Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2020-

As social media platforms have become vital means of communications, it has become imperative for emergency managers and policy makers to understand how people are interacting with different agencies on these platforms for enhancing community response coordination during disasters. Although many public agencies have already adopted social media platforms for crisis communication purposes, empirical evidence on whether and how these agencies are effectively engaged on these platforms is lacking. This research aims to examine crisis communication activities of a variety of agencies on Twitter in response to Hurricane Irma in 2017. In this study, we analyzed 13,353 hurricane-related tweets posted …

Understanding Delays And Improving Emergency Response With Gis - Evergreen Fire Department In Evergreen, Colorado, Adrien Hoff

Geography and the Environment: Graduate Student Capstones

It is expected that both the PSAP and the responders in the field react quickly and arrive on the scene to emergency events as soon as possible. Fire agencies have been held to standards set in place reflective of where the emergency occurs and how quickly responders are expected to reach that location. Calls that experience delays in meeting these standards should be carefully examined and learned from for future events. Utilizing National Fire Protection (NFPA) population zone recommendations, population zones previously established with 2010 census data and unknown methods were recreated for Evergreen Fire Protection District. Then, utilizing SQL …