Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Articles 1171 - 1200 of 1266

Full-Text Articles in Emergency and Disaster Management

Can We Face The Landmine Victims?, Clarice Taylor Oct 1999

Can We Face The Landmine Victims?, Clarice Taylor

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

A crowd of "mutilados," Portuguese for the mutilated ones, gathered outside the CARE office in Menongue, Angola. Among them were a few with prosthetic limbs, mostly ill fitting. As for the rest of the legless, they got around on crutches that looked like found objects. Several people in the crowd had lost an arm, one person was missing both. Another man had the requisite number of arms and legs, but no hands. These were survivors of landmines.


Effect Of Conventional Weapons On Civilian Injuries, Robin M. Coupland, Hans O. Samnegaard Oct 1999

Effect Of Conventional Weapons On Civilian Injuries, Robin M. Coupland, Hans O. Samnegaard

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The use of weapons against people or targets containing people inevitably has a direct impact on the health of those people. This impact is related to factors dependent on the design of weapons and on their use. The nature of injury is closely related to the design of the weapon; wounds from bullets, fragments, and buried anti-personnel mines are distinguishable. Factors dependent on the user, such as discipline and desire to avoid or injure civilians, determine the number and kind of people injured and may, in the case of bullets, determine which part of the body is injured. This century …


Boch Non The Village Of Many Widows, Paul Giannone Oct 1999

Boch Non The Village Of Many Widows, Paul Giannone

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Battambang Province has rich soil, precious gems and forests. The area once produced enough food to feed the entire country. Now the major harvest is landmines and unexploded munitions. But the province, now at peace, does provide opportunity. Villages are springing up wherever road improvements are made. People are homesteading regardless of the risk of landmines and buried bombs or the fact that there is no infrastructure to support them. Those that can't cope, and many can't, end up back in refugee camps or destitute in the larger cities.


Mercy Across Borders, Maureen Morton Oct 1999

Mercy Across Borders, Maureen Morton

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

What is it worth when a life is on the line and every moment counts? Will initial first aid arrive? Is emergency surgery available? Are painkillers and antibiotics guaranteed? The landmine victim now waits for help that varies in quality according to international funding and whatever remains of post-conflict medical and community infrastructure. Prosthetics, physio, occupational , psychological therapies and home care are serious issues; conspicuous by their absence. Independent life skills need to be learned, and occupational training depends on the availability of work and on the type, degree and combination of disabilities.


Afghanistan An Eye Witness Account, Stefan Smith Oct 1999

Afghanistan An Eye Witness Account, Stefan Smith

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

This article has been removed.


Comprehensive Disabled Afghans' Program, Cisr Journal Oct 1999

Comprehensive Disabled Afghans' Program, Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

This article has been removed.


Doctors Without Borders, Cisr Journal Oct 1999

Doctors Without Borders, Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

When a natural or a man-made disaster strikes a developing country, death and disease is often compounded by a lack of adequate medical care. In many war-torn countries, animosity is so great between warring factions that medical care is often denied to those in need because of their religion, ethnic identity, or political affiliations. In such cases, who will help the helpless? In 1971, a group of concerned physicians established Doctors Without Borders/ Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), to provide emergency assistance wherever wars and man-made disasters occur. Since then, MSF has grown into the world's largest independent international medical relief …


Prosthetics & Orthotics A Personal View From Cambodia, Carson Harte Oct 1999

Prosthetics & Orthotics A Personal View From Cambodia, Carson Harte

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Landmine victims have been the focus of attention since the formation of the International Campaign to Ban Landmines (ICBL), and this naturally peaked in 1997 with the signing of the Ottawa agreement. This event, while incredible, needs to be looked at as part of an ongoing process in the rehabilitation of people with mobility impairment living in low income. These are often considered as only landmine victims, but the context is wider. While the continuing work of ratification, awareness raising, advocacy planning etc. goes on, it is useful to look at the context of the ongoing work in rehab, the …


A Unique Sisterhood The African Women's Alliance For Mobilizing Action, Margaret S. Busé Oct 1999

A Unique Sisterhood The African Women's Alliance For Mobilizing Action, Margaret S. Busé

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Originally formed in 1997 as an advocate for African women's education. The African Women's Alliance for Mobilizing Action (AWAMA) quickly undertook the cause to support landmine victims and landmine removal. Working in the province of Zambezia in central Mozambique, Thelma Venichand, director of AWAMA, has no shortage of volunteers, and victims requiring assistance and integration. But, what AWAMA lacks is funding. Currently, their landmine-assistance programs and other support services are on hold till funding and financial aid for their project is received. They are hoping an organization and/or donor will step forward to coordinate efforts with them.


Care, Cisr Journal Oct 1999

Care, Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

CARE (Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere) is one of the world's largest private international relief and development organizations. CARE USA has operations in 50 countries around the world.


Mine Action's Cracked Pillar, Joe Lokey Oct 1999

Mine Action's Cracked Pillar, Joe Lokey

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Just about anyone doing anything regarding land mines knows the four pillars of mine action. We routinely acknowledge that mine awareness, mine clearance, victim assistance and advocacy must all proceed simultaneously if the world is to be aware of the threat of mines, have safe roads, fields and schoolyards, support the rehabilitation and reintegration of victims and survivors, and convince all governments to move quickly toward a mine-free world.


What You Should Know About Landmine Victims, Margaret S. Busé Oct 1999

What You Should Know About Landmine Victims, Margaret S. Busé

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

One million people have been killed and maimed by anti-personnel mines. Twenty-six thousand people a year become victims, 70 people a day, or around one person every 15 minutes. Three hundred thousand children and counting are severely disabled because of landmines. Half the people who step on an anti-personnel mine die from their injuries before they are found or taken to hospital. An even higher percentage of children die because, being smaller, their vital organs are closer to the blast. After the end of hostilities, decades afterwards, anyone who strays into a mine field is at risk. Everyone is vulnerable: …


Angola, An Eyewitness Report Of The Landmine Crisis, Helen Long Oct 1999

Angola, An Eyewitness Report Of The Landmine Crisis, Helen Long

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Leaving the humidity and incessant noise of the Angolan capital, Luanda, whose streets are cluttered with cars and bands of children who subsist on a diet of refuse and insults, the elderly Hercules, a plane loaded with American corn, climbed unsteadily into the gray monsoon sky. It was the second flight the Hercules had made that morning to Malange, the northwestern provincial capital, and another ten planes laden with food were scheduled to follow that day. Malange is just one of more than 20 destinations that food and relief supplies are flown to everyday to keep alive the 2 million …


Animal Casualties Of The Underground War, Adam M. Roberts, Kevin Stewart Oct 1999

Animal Casualties Of The Underground War, Adam M. Roberts, Kevin Stewart

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

It has become increasingly evident that animal activists need to join the fight to ban forever the use of violent, indiscriminate landmines that destroy the lives of both humans and non-humans with their devastating force.


When An Explosion Is Not An Explosion:: Detonating Ap Mines Without Explosive Charges With The Ap Mine Neutralization Device, Frank E. Varljen Jun 1999

When An Explosion Is Not An Explosion:: Detonating Ap Mines Without Explosive Charges With The Ap Mine Neutralization Device, Frank E. Varljen

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

In many demining situations, "in situ" neutralization of AR landmines is accomplished by using explosive charges to detonate the mines in place. However, there are times when it is not appropriate, safe, or feasible to use explosive charges to neutralize AP mines.


The Whole Is Greater Than The Sum Of Its Parts, Dennis Barlow Jun 1999

The Whole Is Greater Than The Sum Of Its Parts, Dennis Barlow

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

In late 1997, I attended a major humanitarian demining conference. A workshop there focused on the requirements of operators. My first question to the working group: "What is a demining operator?" Is he only a mine clearer, or are we indeed concerned with operators involved across the demining activity spectrum, e.g. victim assistance, personnel, mine awareness practitioners, management trainers, etc. My question was quickly dismissed as being trivial. Deminers were clearers.


International Pilot Project For Technology Cooperation, George Zahaczewsky Jun 1999

International Pilot Project For Technology Cooperation, George Zahaczewsky

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

After a year of preparation and soliciting international support, the United States entered into agreement with Canada, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the European Commission to conduct a project to test metal detectors suitable for humanitarian demining applications. This effort is seen as a pilot project for future international cooperation in demining technology development, and is a critical first step in formally establishing a functional, broadly based international program to test and evaluate humanitarian demining technology.


Claim And Reality: Mechanically Assisted Demining, Colonel L Dyck Jun 1999

Claim And Reality: Mechanically Assisted Demining, Colonel L Dyck

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

To be able to discuss demining technology and to differentiate between claim and reality, we must first look at what we are trying to do. We want to clear mines from infected areas as safely and as rapidly as possible, and be able to return the land to the local population for economic and development use.


The Swedish Mine Fighter: The Ultimate Mine- Clearance For Anti-Personnel Mines, Cisr Journal Jun 1999

The Swedish Mine Fighter: The Ultimate Mine- Clearance For Anti-Personnel Mines, Cisr Journal

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

New Swede Construction AB, NSC, AB, has since 1996, developed a mechanical mine clearance machine which can operate in areas where already existing machines cannot operate. The Swedish Mine Fighter is also an environmentally friendly machine since it does not destroy the ground where it operates. In initial tests using live mines placed in the ground, all mines were either destroyed or detonated.


Mechanical Assistance Systems For Humanitarian Mine & Uxo Clearance, Roger Hess Jun 1999

Mechanical Assistance Systems For Humanitarian Mine & Uxo Clearance, Roger Hess

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Removing the phrase "Mechanical Mine Clearance " from humanitarian demining terminology was an issue that gained approval from most during the Karlsruhe Conference. The amount of money spent within the last few years on systems that are now in the advanced stages of rigor mortis is staggering. Now there seems to be many questions about what is an acceptable standard for the new definition of "Mechanically Assisted Demining". In some perspectives the answer is fairly clear, but in others it is as dark as Turkish coffee.


Grab A Cup Of Coffee, Pull Up A Seat, And Have Your Credit Card Ready, Margaret S. Busé Jun 1999

Grab A Cup Of Coffee, Pull Up A Seat, And Have Your Credit Card Ready, Margaret S. Busé

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Shopping for mechanical mine clearance equipment? Well, check out the German Federal Foreign Office's Humanitarian Mine Action Equipment Catalog 1998/1999. The catalog showcases state of the art equipment available for mechanical mine clearance and detection.


The Misa 1, A Agricultural Machine With Demining Capabilities, Detlef Schulz Jun 1999

The Misa 1, A Agricultural Machine With Demining Capabilities, Detlef Schulz

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The MiSa 1 mobile plant by the BIGAT Engineering Office for Processing of Waste Ltd. is a agricultural machine designed to pick up and sift through soil, separate out metal fragments and undergrowth, and replace the cleaned soil. While BIGAT envisions many uses for the MiSa I mobile plant, they are particularly encouraged by its performance as an aid for mine clearance. The MiSa I is capable of clearing specific minefield areas of vegetation that is up to 15 years old, while at the same time sifting through the soil to a depth of 50cm, cleaning the soil of all …


Body Protection Systems For Use In Humanitarian Demining: Applying Hard Science And End-User Feedback To Improve Personal Protection For Deminers, Richard L'Abbe, Aris Makris, Derrick Poon Young Jun 1999

Body Protection Systems For Use In Humanitarian Demining: Applying Hard Science And End-User Feedback To Improve Personal Protection For Deminers, Richard L'Abbe, Aris Makris, Derrick Poon Young

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Somewhere between the tightening budgets of program managers, myriad of demining activities, and fatigue among donors, lies a life-threatening issue which receives limited attention within the hierarchy of themes defining humanitarian demining. According to a large cross-section of deminers around the world, personal protection for deminers is considered a poor second cousin to such themes as mine awareness and victim assistance. They say the issue of improving personal protection needs to be pushed higher up the demining agenda.


The Compact 230 Minecat, J. Barry Middlesmass Lockwood Beck Ltd., Margaret S. Busé Jun 1999

The Compact 230 Minecat, J. Barry Middlesmass Lockwood Beck Ltd., Margaret S. Busé

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

J. Barry Middlemass, Managing Director of Lockwood Beck Limited, has considerable experience in the field of mechanical mine clearance and mine clearance equipment. Before embarking on a career in mine clearance, He served in the military, including reserves, for a total of twenty-nine years, specializing in mines, explosives and improvised explosive devices. When he resigned his commission, he devoted himself fulltime to mechanical demining. As a director of Aardvark for ten years, he had a key role and made a significant contribution to the company's success. Currently, JBM runs his own consulting company, Lockwood Beck, advising a variety of clients …


The Swedish Mine Fighter, An Interview With Mattias Willersjo, Catherine Harrigan, Mattias Willersjo Jun 1999

The Swedish Mine Fighter, An Interview With Mattias Willersjo, Catherine Harrigan, Mattias Willersjo

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

While mechanical mine clearance machines are regarded as an important part of the mine clearance effort, most experts agree that there is no one machine capable of clearing land mines and other unexploded ordnance (UXO) to the 99.6% clearance standard recommended by the United Nations. Acknowledging this problem, but still recognizing the potential benefits of mechanical mine clearance machines, many field experts advocate a "toolbox" approach to mine clearance, using various mechanical mine clearance machines in tandem with manual mine clearance to achieve the 99.6% clearance standard.


Humanitarian Demining And Robotics, Y. Baudoin, M. Acheroy, M. Piette, J.P. Salmon Jun 1999

Humanitarian Demining And Robotics, Y. Baudoin, M. Acheroy, M. Piette, J.P. Salmon

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Mines were used for the first time during the American Civil War in the United States (1861-1865). Anti-tank mines were later ameliorated and laid on the battlefields of the First World War. Mine clearing operations did not pose major problems with those visible and easy-to-detect anti-tank mines. The reason why Anti-personnel mines have been conceived and systematically used on the anti-tank minefields during the Second World War was because such mines prevented the enemy from easy demining of the defense system.


Report On The Hidden Explosives Workshop, Rovereto June 1999, S.H. Salter Jun 1999

Report On The Hidden Explosives Workshop, Rovereto June 1999, S.H. Salter

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

This article gives some personal recollections of the highlights of the Rovereto workshop written in a form intended to be useful to working deminers. The workshop was organised by Mirco Elena of Istituto Trentino di Cultura. Funding and subsidies were from the United States Department of Energy and the Italian CARITRO foundation.


The Case For The Flail: Mechanical Landmine Clearance For The Humanitarian Application A Manufacturer's View, William E. Green Jun 1999

The Case For The Flail: Mechanical Landmine Clearance For The Humanitarian Application A Manufacturer's View, William E. Green

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

The basic requirement for a Mechanical Landmine Clearance System is to assist the overall humanitarian program to achieve effective and affordable landmine clearance while minimizing the risk to those involved. It is well understood that complete landmine clearing must involve a variety of tools. Experience has shown that the flail system, used together with other classical techniques, represents the most effective approach that present technology allows.


Map-Driven Platforms For Moving Sensors In Mine Fields, S.H. Salter, C.N.G. Gibson Jun 1999

Map-Driven Platforms For Moving Sensors In Mine Fields, S.H. Salter, C.N.G. Gibson

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

This paper discusses two unconventional and complementary systems for sensor movement. The first platform is the Dervish, originally designed to bypass the problem of mine detection by deliberately rolling over them with mine-resistant wheels. The second uses carbon-fibre cables to set the position of a payload supported by a balloon. Some desirable features of a sensor platform might be as follows.


Mechanically Assisted Landmine Clearance And Detection, Theodore R. Gendron Jun 1999

Mechanically Assisted Landmine Clearance And Detection, Theodore R. Gendron

The Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

In response to worldwide requirements for Humanitarian Demining, Schiebel Technology, Inc., an independent U.S. based corporation, has focused on the research, development, and production of the CAMCOPTER Unmanned Aerial Vehicle System particularly germane to mechanically assisted landmine detection and clearance.