Emergency and Disaster Management Commons^™

Harnessing Social Media For Disaster Response: Intelligent Identification Of Reliable Rescue Requests During Hurricanes, Wael Khallouli

Engineering Management & Systems Engineering Theses & Dissertations

Hurricanes pose a significant threat to both human lives and infrastructure. Decision-makers face substantial challenges during such events, as they must act quickly to address victims’ needs. Social media platforms provide a valuable source for quick and real-time information. Recent hurricane events have shown that people turn to social media to call for help when official communication channels, such as 911, are overwhelmed. However, extracting actionable information from the massive number of messages posted on social media is challenging. Furthermore, verifying social media messages posted by the public is a critical concern for disaster response practitioners, making them hesitant to …

Readability And Suitability Of Local Disaster Preparedness Materials In Predominantly Hispanic Border Communities: A Case Study Of Cameron County, Texas, Katarzyna Sepielak, Dawid K. Wladyka

Sociology Faculty Publications

Community awareness is a key component of disaster resilience and numerous agencies developed a plethora of preparedness materials. Previous studies evaluated national-level resources and social media content indicating that these efforts are not effectively reaching vulnerable populations, as the information is provided at or above the secondary education level. However, the local-specific content has been mostly overlooked in the analyses, subsequently neglecting the needs of areas with specific demographics and hazards, like predominantly Hispanic border communities. Thus, this study turns to local preparedness and mitigation materials, rather than general internet searches or national level documents. We analyze information provided on …

A Workplace Security Framework: Mitigating Employee-Related Threats, Alan Saquella

Publications

In the modern discussion on workplace security, the focus often centers around preventing active shootings and violence stemming from terminated or disgruntled employees. The article “Publicly Humiliating Events: A Precursor to Workplace Violence” by Karie Gibson, Lauren Brubaker and Andre Simons rightly highlights the crucial role that public humiliation plays in triggering such violent acts. However, beyond the immediate threat of homicide, there exists a broader spectrum of potential risks posed by former employees, including acts of sabotage, espionage, vandalism and cyberattacks, all of which demand attention and proactive measures from security professionals.

Development Of A Serious Game As A Natural Hazard Planning Decision Support Tool, Jody A. Thompson

Journal of Extension

As coastal populations grow, so does the exposure to natural hazards such as hurricanes and flooding, creating the potential for increased social and economic disasters. The literature indicates coastal residents remain complacent when planning before, during, and after an event. There is a growing successful use of serious games in natural resources planning, and a growth in the use of digital and electronic games. We developed the serious digital game Plan for It! in response to identified needs and to capitalize on the public’s familiarity with gamification and digital gaming.

Factors Of Preparedness For Flooding In Shoreline Communities: A Case Study Of Ocean Gate, Roy D. Voss

Theses and Dissertations

Factors are often described as one that actively contributes to the production of a result. With communities more at risk of severe flooding due to factors such as climate change in the near future, it is vital to community preparedness and their resilience that we understand those factors that make a community resilient or vulnerable. This study seeks to identify the salient factors that contribute to community and individual preparedness for flooding events. The study examines the shoreline community Ocean Gate in New Jersey to identify common factors that either facilitate or do not facilitate preparedness. This study found that …

An Assessment Of Equity, Compounding Disasters, And Climate Change In Hazard Mitigation Planning For The Portland Metro Region, Chris Lower

Geography Masters Research Papers

Hazard mitigation plans (HMPs) are strategic documents or policies developed by governments, communities, and organizations to identify risks and reduce the impacts of natural and human- made hazards. These plans aim to minimize loss of life, property damage, and disruption from floods, wildfires, snowstorms, heatwaves, and other disasters. While useful, these plans infrequently and unevenly address the lived experiences of marginalized populations who bear the disproportionate impacts of recurrent disasters. Technocratic planning goals exacerbate these impacts by failing to center inclusive and equity-focused approaches, thus eroding the resilience capacities of many vulnerable groups including the poor and communities of color. …

Embodying Whole Community Preparedness: A Case Study Of Student-Facing Preparedness Initiatives At Institutions Of Higher Education In The State Of Oregon, Francis Pastorelle

Dissertations and Theses

Over the last two decades, there has been a dramatic increase in natural and manmade disasters. While no community is immune to the risks posed by these large-scale emergencies, colleges, and universities, which are home to numerous vulnerable populations, could be counted among those most at risk. In their current state of overall community preparedness, campuses are not equipped to weather impending dangers; consequently, the impact on students could be disastrous. This study examined preparedness practices at Oregon colleges and universities to better understand how institutions of higher education in the state prepare their students for large-scale emergencies, what challenges …

Small Island Risks: Research Reflections For Disaster Anthropologists And Climate Ethnographers, Crystal A. Felima

UK CARES Faculty Publications

Disasters and climate-related events, including tropical storms, droughts, coastal erosion, and ocean acidification, threaten small island nations. Given the urgency of reducing disaster risks and the effects of climate change on vulnerable populations, this reflection essay pursues three objectives. First, it highlights the role of anthropology, ethnography, and multi-sited research in exploring disaster impacts, climate crises, and public policy in island communities. It then highlights national planning and inter-regional activities to build awareness of various risk reduction efforts by island nations and multi-governmental organizations. This article concludes with discussion prompts to engage researchers, scholars, students, and practitioners studying and working …

Emergency Scene Management, Bethany Swindell

ATU Faculty OER Book Reviews

Review of OER Emergency Management textbook by Scott Kennedy, et al., available at https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/esm1/

Drone Delivery Of Cbnrecy – Dew Weapons: Emerging Threats Of Mini-Weapons Of Mass Destruction And Disruption (Wmdd), Bethany Swindell

ATU Faculty OER Book Reviews

Review of OER Emergency Management textbook by Candice Carter, et al., available at https://kstatelibraries.pressbooks.pub/drone-delivery/

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 …

Chronic Inequities: Environmental & Structural Racism During Covid-19 And Hurricane Laura Disaster Recovery, Tomeka M. Robinson, Sabrina Singh

Critical Disaster Studies

The COVID-19 pandemic has amplified the realities of systemic health inequities within the United States. While the virus has severely impacted the entire country, people of color bear the brunt of this pandemic, from surges of COVID-19 cases in their communities to spikes in unemployment rates. Simultaneously, citizens are dealing with the impacts of natural disasters such as hurricanes along the Gulf Coast. The common denominator concerning these two stressors is that they can be exacerbated by institutional racism. This can be seen in the case of a small city in Southwest Louisiana, namely, Lake Charles, which has become a …

Book Review: The Shaming State: How The U.S. Treats Citizens In Need, Steve Matthewman

Critical Disaster Studies

Salman’s book centers two different constituencies, in two different locations, in the 2010s, who have been impacted by two different disasters. The first group are Iraqi refugees who have been resettled in Wayne County, Michigan. Trying to start again over half a world away, they are trapped in the transit lounge of life, never able to move on, never able to properly belong. They found a state in recession, the automobile industry collapsing, the city of Detroit bankrupt. Their particular county had higher unemployment than the state’s average and a poor median income as well. Economically speaking, ‘Michigan fared worse …

Covid-19 And Global Institutional Shift From National To Subnational Governments, Jonathan Feld-Jacobson, Armaan Rizvi, Bora Sinan

Working Papers Series

The COVID-19 Pandemic saw dramatic global shifts in legislative powers between central and local governments. With changes in the severity and duration of the pandemic, in the federations of Nigeria, Australia, and Canada, policymaking regarding border and school closures and states of emergency saw an increasing involvement of regional governments. We suggest that looking at the national and regional PPI data for our hypotheses could indicate directly the severity of the pandemic in these nations. Federalisms particularly provide a case of institutional change evidencing that COVID-era decision-making saw a change in the rules and expectations of governance in the nations …

The Impact Of Purchasing Power Parity (Ppp), Infrastructure, And Decentralization On Pandemic Restrictions, Liam Hansen, Veronica Taraskina, Jennifer Weng

Working Papers Series

This research compares a country's mandate to shift to remote work between the federal and regional levels in comparison to PPP. We focus on how economic factors determine a country's ability to move to remote work and at what level of government the decision is made. The findings suggest that while there was variation in which level of government issued work-from-home requirements, there were strong trends for most mandates to come from the federal level. Moreover, an overwhelming majority of countries issued such federal mandates regardless of PPP. We then compare PPP per capita and the stringency of public transportation …

Emotion Regulation Strategies And Perceived Emotional Intelligence: The Effect Of Age., Iwanna Sepiadou

Adultspan Journal

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between perceived emotional intelligence and the reported use of cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression. We also investigated the possible effects of age on the aforementioned variables. The total sample consisted of 379 people (158 men, 220 women, 1 unreported). Across participants, 273 were young (20-39 years old) and 106 were middle-aged (40-65 years old). We found statistically significant positive correlations between the dimensions of perceived emotional intelligence and the reported use of cognitive reappraisal and negative primarily correlations between the dimensions of perceived emotional intelligence and the reported use of …

Trust In Government And Policies Of The Covid-19 Pandemic: The Before And After Comparison In The European Sample, Julia Match

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This research explores the relationship between COVID-19 policies and mortality rates and the level of trust in government in Europe. This study looks at the stringency of measures, as well as their effectiveness as shown through high or low mortality rates, to see if there is a relationship between those factors and increases or decreases in trust in 2020. The Eurobarometer is the dataset for trust in government, with a focus on the data from Summer 2020, the first Eurobarometer after COVID-19 began. The Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center was used for cumulative mortality, and Shvetsova et al., 2022 provided …

Polarimetric Radar Signatures In Significant Severe Left-Moving Supercells, Raychel Nelson

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Left-moving (LM) supercells, though rarer than right-moving (RM) supercells, may produce significant severe weather. However, there are very few existing studies on LM supercells, particularly polarimetric radar analyses. The upgrade of the nationwide Weather Surveillance Radar-1988 Doppler (WSR-88D) network to polarimetric capability and subsequent studies vastly improved understanding of RM supercells, but similar efforts have largely not been made for LM supercells. This study employs an automated polarimetric radar signature detection algorithm to examine a dataset of significant severe (hail ≥ 2.00”, wind ≥ 65 kts) LM supercells to quantify their polarimetric signatures. Comparisons are made with RM supercells to …

A Dual-Polarimetric Analysis Of A Large Sample Of Left-Moving Supercells, Ben Schweigert

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Supercells have been researched extensively since they were first described over 50 years ago. They are prolific severe weather producers, responsible for the most severe hail, severe wind gusts, and tornadoes. These rotating thunderstorms require attention from forecasters to protect life and property from their threats, most effectively done with Doppler radars. While extensive amounts of radar-based investigations have been completed, they focused almost exclusively on right-moving (RM) supercells, resulting in a knowledge gap surrounding their counter-rotating (left-moving, LM) partners. This study works to fill the void by developing a dataset of LM supercells and analyzing the dual-polarimetric features observed …

The Relationship Between Inclusive Leadership, Psychological Safety, And Job Embeddedness On Employees' Turnover Intent In A Post Crisis Environment, Jan Sims

Dissertations

Large-scale adverse events such as natural disasters and pandemics interrupt business services, initiating defining moments for organizations. The trend of people exiting the workforce compels organizations to examine turnover risk and search for factors that mitigate the impact of resignations. In response to the increase in voluntary turnover and retirements during the COVID-19 pandemic, this study examines four elements that have impacted the workplace since 2020–turnover intent, job embeddedness, psychological safety, and inclusive leadership.

This quantitative study examined the relationship between inclusive leadership, psychological safety, and job embeddedness on employees’ turnover intent. Professional and supervisory level employees of public sector …

A Dedicated Lane Analysis For Supply Chain Resilience In The U.S.-Mexico Border: Cost-Comparison And Simulation Models, Carlo A. Zorola Gonzalez

Theses and Dissertations

Supply chains have been actively developing and implementing strategies to enhance resilience in response to various disruptive events like the COVID-19 pandemic, hurricanes, geopolitical tensions, and climate change. These strategies aim to address demand and supply imbalances, logistical challenges, and policy restrictions encountered in transborder commerce. One area significantly impacted by such disruptions is cross-border trade between the US and Mexico. Understanding these strategies is crucial for achieving supply chain resilience, defined as the ability of a supply chain to quickly adapt to sudden disruptions without affecting the flow of goods. In both the US-Mexico and US-Canada borders …

Flood Waters Rise: Hurricanes, Disaster Response, And Race Relations In Coastal Alabama, 1906 – 2006, Danielle Leonardi

Graduate Theses and Dissertations (2019 - present)

This thesis examines the changes in social relations after natural disasters, specifically hurricanes. The Hurricane of 1906 caused massive damage to Mobile due to the limited warnings. Tensions before the hurricane were already heightened from the Atlanta Race Riot and boiled over after the storm, resulting in a double lynching. Mobile received very little federal aid after the 1906 hurricane and relief heavily on their own communities and the Alabama National Guard. Hurricane Frederic in 1979 was much different because of its position in the Civil Rights Movement. The government relief was slow due to the overwhelming amount needed, and …

Developing More Useful Equity Measurements For Flood-Risk Management, Adam Pollack, Casey Helgeson, Carolyn Kousky, Klaus Keller

Dartmouth Scholarship

Decision-makers increasingly invoke equity to motivate, design, implement and evaluate strategies for managing flood risks. Unfortunately, there is little guidance on how analysts can develop measurements that support these tasks. Here we analyse how equity can be defined and measured by surveying 167 peer-reviewed publications that explicitly state an interest in equity in the context of flood-risk management. Our main result is a taxonomy that systematizes how equity has been, and can be, defined and measured in flood-risk research. The taxonomy embodies how equity is a pluralistic and unavoidably ethical concept. Despite this, we find that most quantitative studies fail …

Can Volunteer Fire Companies Improve Recruiting?, David T. Button

Helm's School of Government Conference - 2021-2024

The accelerating inability of volunteer fire departments to attract new recruits presents the public sector with both above and below-the-line costs. Finding replacements for members aging out is the single greatest challenge that volunteer departments face. If this problem persists, the cost of replacing volunteers with paid staff would have a significant and negative impact on the tax base. Pay and benefits for professional staff (as well as capital costs associated with this conversion) would cause property taxes to escalate significantly in communities where volunteers have historically managed emergencies. Much research has been conducted in an attempt to determine how …

Social Media Risk Messaging During The March 2023 Arkansas Tornadoes: A Qualitative Approach, Will Sappington, Andrew Rafferty

ATU Scholars Symposium

This study examines the social media risk communication activities of public organizations during the March 2023 Arkansas Tornadoes. The research question for this study is “what information was communicated to the public during the March 2023 Arkansas Tornadoes?” The data for the study was collected by reviewing the Facebook posts of 22 public organizations for a seven-day period (March 30 -April 5, 2023). The data thus collected was analyzed by using qualitative content analysis approach. The findings suggest that most of the organizations only communicated to the public after the tornadoes. The message content disseminated before and during the tornado …

2024 Total Solar Eclipse: Examining The Preparedness And Risk Communication Strategies Of Em Stakeholders, Andrew N. Rafferty, Will M. Sappington

ATU Scholars Symposium

On April 8th, 2024, a total solar eclipse will cross North America. The City of Russellville is listed as one of the top locations for viewing the eclipse. Due to the eclipse, Russellville is expected to experience a heavy influx of visitors and other potential issues such as delayed emergency response, traffic congestion, and communication disruption. This research examines the eclipse-related preparedness and communication strategies of emergency management (EM) stakeholders in Arkansas, and specifically in the City of Russellville. The research question for this study is “What strategies are EM stakeholders implementing related to the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse preparedness …

Family Medicine’S Role In Addressing The Intersections Of Redlining And Climate Change, Daryl O. Traylor, Eboni E. Anderson, Brianna Clark, Alex M. Smith, Cooper K. Allenbrand

Journal of Sustainable Social Impact

Redlining, the practice of discriminating against specific neighborhoods based on race and socioeconomic status, leads to persistent environmental hazards and socioeconomic inequalities that have lasting adverse health effects on their populations. Health disparities are further exacerbated through the concentration of environmental hazards, as well as the escalating impact of climate change, which poses an increased risk of respiratory illness, cardiovascular disease, mental health issues, heat-related illness, infectious diseases, food insecurity, and socioeconomic difficulties in redline neighborhoods.

This paper examines the interplay of redlining, climate change, and health disparities, with an emphasis on the enduring consequences for these marginalized communities. Through …

Empowering Emergency Responders To Treat On Scene Alleviates Hospital Strain During Disaster Events, Anastasiya Ivanko, Jonathan E. Schoen, Elizabeth Lacy, Carl A. Flores, Randy D. Kearns, Herb A. Phelan Iii, Jeffrey E. Carter

School of Medicine Faculty Publications

56th Annual Meeting of the American Burn Association, 2024; April 9 - April 12, 2024; Chicago, IL

U.S. Government Agency Podcasts, Bert Chapman

Libraries Faculty and Staff Presentations

Presents podcasts from U.S. Government agencies which can be discovered through the U.S. Government Publishing Office's Catalog of Government Publications. Agencies whose podcasts are presented include the National Institutes of Health, U.S. Peace Corps, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Government Accountability Office (GAO), National Park Service, Department of Justice, Federal Reserve System, and U.S. Naval War College.

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 …