Emergency and Disaster Management Commons^™

The United Nations: The Syrian Refugee Crisis, Zahra R. Syed

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The main objective of this research paper is to analyze the international effects the Syrian Conflict has had to the global community. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has declared this conflict to be the worst humanitarian crisis of our time. Millions of Syrians have fled their home country to avoid unjust persecution and are looking to not only neighboring countries, but the European Union for assistance in resettlement.

Since the outbreak of the conflict in Syria in 2011, more than 220,000 people have been massacred, leaving fifty percent of the population in unrest due to home displacement. According …

Adaptation On A Budget: How Vietnamese Innovators Are Trying To Design Their Way Out Of Climate Change, Shanti R. Johnson

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

In the rapidly developing Mekong Delta of Vietnam, young innovators are facing a challenge far greater than simply trying to catch up with the wealthier world. In a growing trend, the next generation of Vietnamese is acting under a common understanding: climate change is real, it’s here and the time to respond is growing short.

For over a decade, Southern Vietnam has consistently been ranked by international organizations like the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change as one of the most vulnerable places in the world to the impacts of climate change. That vulnerability is heightened by the fact that the …

Of Minds, Morals, And Methods: Combining Moral Meteorology And Disaster Relief In Historiography Of China’S Disaster Management, Wee-Kiat Lim

CCX Research

In this working paper, I argue that disaster management in high Qing period can be better understood by simultaneously considering the historiographies of how governing elites understood disasters at the metaphysical level and the administration of disaster relief. During High Qing late imperial China, the regime encountered rapid changes in population, economy, and environment. Following how environmental historian Mark Elvin describes the prevalent ideology that guided Chinese governing elites on implicating human conduct with the manifestation of disasters as “moral meteorology”, I link it to the granary system so as to underscore how these two related but separate streams of …

Rapport De La Mission D'Evaluation Cameroun, Henrik Nilsson, Adama Sy, Amadou Ndiaye, El Hadji Mar Gueye, Dramane Cissokho, Justin Kom, Marisa FernáNdez

MARENDA

Rapport d'évaluation et besoins en formation pour la technologie de l'information portuaire et la préparation au déversement d'hydrocarbures au Cameroun pour le projet MARENDA.

Rapport De La Mission D'ÉValuation Senegal, Henrik Nilsson, Adama Sy, Amadou Ndiaye, El Hadji Mar Gueye, Dramane Cissokho, Marisa FernáNdez

MARENDA

Rapport d'évaluation et besoins en formation pour la technologie de l'information portuaire et la préparation au déversement d'hydrocarbures au Senegal pour le projet MARENDA.

Rapport De La Mission D'ÉValuation Côte D'Ivoire, Henrik Nilsson, Adama Sy, Amadou Ndiaye, El Hadji Mar Gueye, Dramane Cissokho, Marisa FernáNdez

MARENDA

Rapport d'évaluation et besoins en formation pour la technologie de l'information portuaire et la préparation au déversement d'hydrocarbures au Côte d'Ivoire pour le projet MARENDA.

Assessment Mission Report Nigeria, Henrik Nilsson, Adama Sy, Amadou Ndiaye, El Hadji Mar Gueye, Dramane Cissokho, Marisa FernáNdez

MARENDA

Assessment report and training needs for port information technology and oil spill preparedness in Nigeria for the MARENDA project.

Assessment Mission Report Ghana, Henrik Nilsson, Adama Sy, Amadou Ndiaye, El Hadji Mar Gueye, Dramane Cissokho, Marisa FernáNdez

MARENDA

Assessment report and training needs for port information technology and oil spill preparedness in Ghana for the MARENDA project.

Assessment Mission Report Cameroon, Henrik Nilsson, Adama Sy, Amadou Ndiaye, El Hadji Mar Gueye, Dramane Cissokho, Justin Kom, Marisa FernáNdez

MARENDA

Assessment report and training needs for port information technology and oil spill preparedness in Cameroon for the MARENDA project.

Children And Disaster Education: An Analysis Of Disaster Risk Reduction Within The School Curricula Of Oregon, Texas, And The Philippines, Ashley Merchant

MA IDS Thesis Projects

For the past few decades, there has been a significant increase in the intensity and frequency of disasters. This has created a growing interest in the issue of disaster risk reduction among the global population. Past research has shown that proper planning and the use of protective measures can reduce the effects of a disastrous event. Preparedness is not only the responsibility of a nation’s government or relief agencies, but also of every member of the community, including the vulnerable population of children. The United Nations has called for disaster risk reduction education to be implemented in schools around the …

Disaster Preparedness Plan For The Study Abroad Student: How To Engage Students In Hazard Preparedness, Kimberly Ligon

MA IDS Thesis Projects

In today’s world, hazard preparedness is vital for creating disaster resilient communities across the globe. This is needed now more than ever, due to the increasing number of disasters occurring worldwide (Chafe, 2007; Nakagawa & Shaw, 2004). This culminating project researches individual and community disaster preparedness, especially preparedness in the higher education community, and specifically study abroad individuals. There is a void in the current literature on disaster preparedness for study abroad students; a community of students that is growing and could encounter more hazards than on-campus students. Through case studies of disaster resistant universities and a proposed intervention, this …

Oljeskyddsberedskap Bland Sveriges Kommuner 2013, Jonas Pålsson, Hans Wåhlander

BMSP Oil Spill Forum

The Baltic Sea is one of the world’s busiest waterways. An estimated 9% of the world trade and 11% of the world oil is transported through Baltic waters. Data show a 20% increase between 2005 and 2011 through the Skaw. However, shallows and narrow passages make parts of the Baltic Sea difficult to navigate. There are around 130 accidents each year, with 10 of these leading to pollution. The brackish water of the Baltic Sea coupled with long water retention, makes the ecosystem particularly sensitive to pollution. Sweden has a 11 500 km coastline, which makes it vulnerable to oil …

The Fukushima Disaster And Japan’S Occupy Movement, Hiro Saito

Research Collection School of Social Sciences

On October 15, 2011, OccupyTokyo protests took place in three different districts: Hibiya,Shinjuku, and Roppongi. Before the rallies began, protesters gathered in parkswhere organizers and participants gave speeches. They expressed solidarity withthe worldwide Occupy movement, criticized a widening economic gap in Japan, anddemanded a more just world. Protesters then took to the streets with theirplacards, drums, and megaphones to shout slogans to reclaim society for “the99%.”

Oil Spill Preparedness In The Baltic Sea Countries, Jonas Pålsson

Baltic Master II

The Baltic Sea is one of the world’s busiest waterways. An estimated 9 % of the world’s trade and 11 % of the world’s oil transportation passes through Baltic waters. It is estimated that this will increase by 64 % between 2003 and 2020. For example, the oil transportation has increased by 133 % between 1997 and 2008 and is now over 250 million tonnes per year. Plenty of shallows and narrow passages make parts of the Baltic Sea difficult to navigate. There are around 130 accidents each year, with 10 of these leading to pollution, mostly of oil. The …

Oljeskyddsberedskap I Sverige, Jonas Pålsson

Baltic Master II

The Baltic Sea is one of the world’s busiest waterways. An estimated 9 % of the world’s trade and 11 % of the world’s oil transportation passes through Baltic waters. It is estimated that this will increase by 64 % between 2003 and 2020. For example, the oil transportation has increased by 133 % between 1997 and 2008 and is now over 250 million tonnes per year. Plenty of shallows and narrow passages makes parts of the Baltic Sea difficult to navigate. There are around 130 accidents each year, with 10 of these leading to pollution, mostly of oil. The …

The Limitations Of Governance Indicators In Relation To Post-Disaster Recovery, Susan C. Paganelli

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Catastrophic natural disasters remain a constant and recurring mortal threat to people around the world. Since prevention of the events themselves is impossible, it is important to examine those factors which can reduce the loss of life and enable successful recovery. We intuitively expect good governance to be one of these factors. This paper discusses the concepts of governance and long-term disaster recovery and the difficulties inherent in numerically capturing these qualities. It explores the correlation between governance indicators and three development and economic measurements of recovery. Three case studies are used to qualitatively and anecdotally address the topic.

Earthquakes And Expectations In Haiti And Chile, Robert Funk

Human Rights & Human Welfare

Although 2010 was a bicentenary year for many countries in Latin America, that the year was a memorable one for Chileans is due less to celebrations of independence than to two disasters— one natural and one man-made—and to the country’s response to them. The usual year-end retrospectives tended to emphasize the February 27 earthquake and the accident and rescue at the San José mine much more than the light shows and other forgettable pyrotechnics of the bicentenary. But as with the bicentenary, both the earthquake and the San José disaster enabled the authorities and the average Chilean to indulge in …

The Perils Of Walking Fast And Walking Far, Walter Lotze

Human Rights & Human Welfare

When Haitian President René Préval early in January 2011 lambasted the international community for riding roughshod over his country’s sovereignty and his government, and called for greater Haitian ownership over the aid and recovery effort in his country, he highlighted a frustration which has been noted by so many other nations before: while international aid efforts are welcome and usually do provide critical relief to the targeted populations in the short term, they generally tend to undermine governments (and the faith of the people in their government) over the long term.

January Roundtable: The Haiti Earthquake, One Year Later, Introduction

Human Rights & Human Welfare

An annotation of:

“Haiti's Blame Game” by Poooja Bhatia. Foreign Policy. November 23 2010.

The Scourge Of Occupation, Christina Cerna

Human Rights & Human Welfare

“Haiti’s Blame Game” suggests that Haitians are wondering why they should bother voting when it is unclear that their government is running the country. The anger of the Haitians, according to the author, is focused on MINUSTAH, the UN mission that was created in 2004 to stabilize Haiti and to coordinate the work of the different UN agencies active in the country.¹ Some Haitians perceive MINUSTAH to be an occupying force, but is it really, and who is running the country?

Bring Back Aristide, Louis Edgar Esparza

Human Rights & Human Welfare

My friend Annie recently had her trip to Haiti postponed because of the political instability surrounding the November elections. Annie totes modest sums of cash, medicine, and clothing collected from sympathetic friends and has a resolute willingness to help. Together with the partner organizations she is working with, she is hiring Haitians to build an orphanage. Another colleague of mine, Tonya, traveled to the country very soon after the earthquake. She described her experience in The Nation, lamenting that the major US airlines, which had agreed to waive baggage fees for relief aid to Haiti, did not do so for …

Hope For Haiti?, Kurt Mills

Human Rights & Human Welfare

Kara McDonald raises the question of whether or not the international community will go beyond its patchwork response to Haiti's problems. One wonders why the question is even asked, given the international community's track record in Haiti, as well as in other parts of the world. Indeed, setting aside the many positive acts of individuals and states to address the suffering after the earthquake, the response to Haiti illustrates the inability of the international community to respond in a coherent and humane manner to many crises around the world.

Can They Stay The Distance? The International Response To The Earthquake In Haiti, Anna Talbot

Human Rights & Human Welfare

Haiti is devastated again. Over one hundred thousand people are presumed dead. Reports of looting and violence are emerging. The international community is responding, with a statement from the Secretary-General of the UN, a resolution by the Security Council, a Special Session, and resolution from the UN Human Rights Council and numerous aid and UN agencies in the country seeking to help as many survivors as possible. Various commentators, including Kara McDonald, have claimed this is an opportunity for a stronger Haiti. Whether this opportunity is realized or not depends in large part on the international community, and whether it …

A Time For Anger. And A Time For Rights, Not Charity, Anthony Chase

Human Rights & Human Welfare

Sadness but also anger is the immediate reaction to the deaths of 200,000 Haitians. Among the dead are Myriam Merlet, Magalie Marcelin and Anne Marie Coriolan (founders of three leading Haitian feminist organizations) and 14 of the 16 members of SEROvie, the main Haitian organization providing HIV-related services for men who have sex with men and the transgendered – people who have been at the front line in pushing for political change from within Haiti. Kara McDonald’s words that “it is hard to identify another country that has had as many peacekeeping forces, stabilization operations, and crisis responses at work …

What Is The Best Use Of The International Community’S Resources; Responding To Disasters Or Trying To Strengthen Fragile States?, Richard Burchill

Human Rights & Human Welfare

The recent earthquake in Haiti is, beyond doubt, a truly tragic event. The impact of the quake in terms of the physical destruction of buildings and infrastructure, the massive loss of life, and the inability of the government to respond all demonstrated how fragile the Haitian state is. While Haiti is probably at the extreme end of fragility, it is not alone in terms of states struggling to survive in difficult conditions. And when something unexpected hits a fragile state, the response of the international community is crucial, because the impact is so much greater and the state's own ability …

February Roundtable: Introduction

Human Rights & Human Welfare

An annotation of:

“Tragedy and Opportunity for Haiti” by Kara C. Mc Donald. Council on Foreign Relations. January 14, 2010.

An Investigation Into The Use Of Geospatial Technologies As Part Of Disaster Management Efforts Related To The Asian Tsunami Of 2004, Robert William Redding Jr.

Dissertations

On the 26th of December, 2004, a tsunami impacted the countries surrounding the Indian Ocean, immediately killing over two hundred and eighty thousand people, displacing another million people, and initially causing at least US$10 billion in damage. The response by the international community was swift and massive. Disaster decision-makers who led their organization's responses to the tsunami used geospatial information to support their decision-making efforts with mixed success. When describing their use of geospatial technologies during the response, a select set of disaster decision-makers provided information about how they used geospatial information, they described what worked and what did not …

E-Government Capabilities And Crisis Management: Lessons From Combating Sars In Singapore, Shan Ling Pan, Gary Pan, Paul R. Devadoss

Research Collection School Of Accountancy

The city-state of Singapore has been highly ranked for its e-government services. Over the past two decades, it has leveraged its IT infrastructure for economic development and transformed its public services. The SARS outbreak in 2004 turned into a national health crisis because it spread rapidly and the medical community had little knowledge of how to treat the new mutation of the corona virus. Yet, several Singaporean government agencies utilized the e-Government infrastructure and related resources to quickly bring the outbreak under control. In particular, the government?s IT infrastructure streamlined communications, information exchange, and data flow, and significantly eased collaboration …

Decisions Tools Manual, Cisr

CISR Studies and Reports

This decision tools manual outlines methods through which nations and organizations with limited resources can accurately prioritize humanitarian mine action projects and clearance efforts. This methods include a cost-benefit analysis of the socio-economic effect of mine clearance with field examples from Thailand and Ethiopia.