Emergency and Disaster Management Commons^™

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 …

Climatizing National Security, Mark P. Nevitt

Faculty Articles

Is climate change a national security issue? Human security? Ecological security? This Article addresses the growing nexus between climate change and various conceptions of security with a particular emphasis on climate change's national security impacts. This Article argues that there is a growing connection between national security and climate change and a corresponding need to address the normative implications of "climatizing national security." This connection can be observed through three lenses: mitigation (reducing greenhouse gas emissions from military and national security sources); adaptation (investing in climate resilient infrastructure in an effort to prepare for climate impacts), and response (addressing climate-exacerbated …

Nursing Care During Natural Disasters, War Zones, And Mass Casualty Incidents: Implications For An Educational And Professional Overhaul, Erin N. White

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Emergency situations around the world are inevitable. Any nurse who practices for any period of time is sure to encounter situations like these. Their hospital may be flooded with traumatic and severely life-threatening patient cases where supplies can become scarce. In these situations, a nurse and all other healthcare personnel are expected to act effectively, efficiently and in a highly organized way. Despite this need, many hospitals fail to implement effective disaster preparedness programs and plans. This leaves healthcare workers at a loss for how to treat patients, communicate within and outside of the hospital, coordinate transport, and all the …

Rhizomic Communication Practices Bridging International Students And The Host Society And Beyond, Suvi Jokila, Charles Mathies

Educational Leadership & Workforce Development Faculty Publications

Evidence suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted international student communities while reflecting wider societal inequalities. This study in the Finnish context examined international students’ experiences of the published national crisis communication and media usage during the first year of the pandemic. Using the national COVID-19 crisis communication practices as an example, we examined what kinds of strategies the international students deployed to access information in this non-English-speaking country and how they perceived the information communicated. Theoretically, we based the analysis on the theories of crisis communication and information inequality, which identify communication practices, such as language choice, that …

Delayed Coastal Inundations Caused By Ocean Dynamics Post-Hurricane Matthew, Kyungmin Park, Emanuele Di Lorenzo, Yinglong J. Zhang, Tal Ezer, Fei Yi

CCPO Publications

Post Hurricane Abnormal Water Level (PHAWL) poses a persistent inundation threat to coastal communities, yet unresolved knowledge gaps exist regarding its spatiotemporal impacts and causal mechanisms. Using a high-resolution coastal model with a set of observations, we find that the PHAWLs are up to 50 cm higher than the normal water levels for several weeks and cause delayed inundations around residential areas of the U.S. Southeast Coast (USSC). Numerical experiments reveal that while atmospheric forcing modulates the coastal PHAWLs, ocean dynamics primarily driven by the Gulf Stream control the mean component and duration of the shelf-scale PHAWLs. Because of the …

Visual Analysis Of Enterprise Network Public Opinion Events And Research On Crisis Public Relations Strategy：Taking The “Haitian Soy Sauce Incident”As An Example, Danlin Xie, Xisheng Hu, Weishu Yang

Journal of Scientific Information Research

[Purpose/significance]In the information age with decentralized discourse power, the channels for the public to publicly express their opinions and participate in topic discussions are increasing. The exchange and dissemination of online public opinion on low-ignition events will undoubtedly increase the heat of the event and bring greater pressure and challenges to corporate crisis public relations. [Method/process]Taking "Haitian soy sauce event" as an example, this paper discusses the stage of network public opinion dissemination of the event, uses ROST CM to carry out high-frequency word statistics and public sentiment tendency analysis, and uses Ucinet and Gephi to analyze the social network …

Participatory Video As A Capacity-Building Tool On Disaster Risk Reduction Management: The Case Of A Philippine Rurban Youth Group In Bay, Laguna, Trina Leah T. Mendoza, Benjamina Paula G. Flor

Journal of Public Affairs and Development

This study aimed to explore a youth-led participatory video (PV) process as a strategy for building the capacity of youth in disaster risk reduction management (DRRM) in a Philippine urban community. The study’s main research problem is: What constitutes a youth-led PV process? Specifically, it aimed to 1) describe a youth-led PV production process, 2) identify emergent characteristics of a youth-led PV process, and 3) examine features that explain how a PV process capacitates youth in DRRM. A series of DRRM and PV training workshops were conducted from January to March 2019 with a selected group of youth in Barangay …

Navigating New Normals: Student Perceptions, Experiences, And Mental Health Service Utilization In Post-Pandemic Academia, Hadiza Galadima, Anne Dumadag, Cara Tonn

Community & Environmental Health Faculty Publications

This study explores the profound impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on higher education, focusing on shifts in learning experiences and students’ intentions to utilize mental health services post-pandemic. Utilizing Andersen’s Behavioral Model of Health Services Use, this study assesses perceptions from a stratified random sample of college students on post-pandemic learning experiences and mental health service utilization intentions. Findings reveal a positive reception to university initiatives and a preference for ongoing virtual classes. There is an evident increase in, and varying intentions for, using mental health services, shaped by demographics, employment, and prior service utilization. Younger and female students showed …

Caregivers' Perceptions Of Covid-19 Educational Disruptions On Children With Developmental Language Disorder And Typically Developing Peers, Katherine Radville, Danika Pfeiffer, Karynn Sheranian, Julie Wolter, Jessie Ricketts, Tiffany L. Hogan

Communication Disorders & Special Education Faculty Publications

Purpose: Understanding the experiences of families of children with developmental language disorder (DLD) during COVID-19 educational disruptions is essential for designing responsive supports during pandemic recovery efforts and beyond. This qualitative study describes the experiences of families of first-and second-grade children with DLD during the pandemic as compared to the experiences of families of typically developing (TD) peers.

Method: A conventional content analysis approach was used to analyze caregivers’ written responses to open-ended questions regarding their perceptions of COVID-19 educational disruptions. Responses were analyzed separately by group: caregivers of children with DLD (n= 23) and caregivers of TD children (n= …

The Unequal Distribution Of Social Risk For Black Men Across The Life-Span. A Novel Framework., Waleed Y. Sami

Adultspan Journal

This conceptual overview offers a comprehensive overview of systemic pathways that negatively impact the mental health of Black Men throughout their lives. Our argument highlights the importance for counselors and mental health professionals to utilize a thorough social risk assessment that considers these pathways in order to effectively address the mental health needs of Black Men while fostering positive working relationships. This overview strongly advocates for the use of context and structural determinants when evaluating mental health symptoms. Without an appropriate understanding of social risk and determinants, counselors may inadvertently perpetuate disparities by decontextualizing symptomology, and reproducing racist discourse.

Spatial Distribution And Significance Of Burdens To Environmental Justice In Parramore, Florida: An Urban Resilience Perspective, Lex Tracton

Honors Undergraduate Theses

In response to climate change, economic instability, and rapid urbanization, the notion of urban resilience has gained prominence in city planning and governance. Urban resilience is the ability of a system to adapt to new baseline conditions developing as a result of disturbances. This study is focused on one of urban resilience’s sub-tenets, ecological resilience. Ecological resilience is the ability of a system to sustain ecosystem services following a disturbance (i.e. droughts, flooding, heat waves). The health of the environment prior to a disturbance informs post-disturbance ecological resilience. An already stressed and unbalanced system, or an ecosystem with degraded health, …

Exploring The Diffusion Potential Of A Collaborative Mobile Platform For Disaster Management And Relief, Joao De Mendonca Salim

Honors Undergraduate Theses

This thesis describes the creation of a collaborative digital platform for disaster management and relief, focusing on the case study of the city of Petrópolis natural disaster in February 2022. The frequency and intensity of natural disasters are rising, necessitating efficient and timely disaster response efforts. This thesis details the development of a software application that fosters collaboration among governmental agencies, emergency services, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and civil society to enhance logistical planning and situational awareness during disasters. The proposed platform harnesses the power of social networking and leverages the ubiquitous presence of smartphones equipped with cameras, GPS, and sensors …

Mapping Accessibility To Emergency Care Using Public Transportation, Bach Tran

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Intro: Public transit offers various advantages for both communities and individuals in terms of mobility and has the potential to serve as a practical alternative to private motorized transportation. Timely and convenient public transit becomes a lifeline for people who cannot access other types of transportation, especially when it comes to emergency care. Method: We built a private network analysis within ArcGIS Pro using coordinate data from hospitals and stand-alone emergency rooms as designated by the North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) and public transit data from Orlando, FL. Establishing the accessible time as 30 minutes, we computed and visualized …

The Role Of Multiteam Systems In Prescribed Fire Operational Incidents, Kevin Llanos

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The purpose of this thesis is to study how multiteam systems (MTS) are implicated in prescribed fire operations and enhance an interdisciplinary understanding of occupational demands in the industry to mitigate worsening environmental challenges. We study publicly accessible sources through a mixed-methods approach applying I/O psychology and discuss relevant literature. Land management plan documentation is reviewed to explore the structural and functional components of prescribed fire teams. We apply theory-driven coding to analyze prescribed fire incident documentation as we study MTS system processes and develop thematic findings. Lastly, industry job listing content and occupational demands are reviewed. Through this archival …

Decision-Making In Balancing Fire Safety Hazards Against Security Threats Within The Built Environment, Richard Kathage, David J. Brooks, Michael Coole

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The built environment faces challenges from fire hazards and threats by malicious actors. Risks presented from these hazards and threats are managed through the practices of fire safety and physical security. Whilst distinct disciplines, both impact the built environment systems, resulting in potential conflict. To manage this conflict, a complex process is required. Through the framework of Governmentality, using a mixed methods approach, the study explored the process which fire safety engineers and security practitioners undertake to manage this conflict. The study produced a conceptual model that explains how practitioners operate and manage risk associated with fire safety hazards and …

Mining Through Pandemic Crisis: A Systematic Review Of The Impacts Of Covid-19 Management Strategies On Mining Industries In West Africa And Western Australia, Esther Ayaaba, Kwadwo Adusei-Asante, Victor Fannam Nunfam, Krassi Rumchev, Samuel Kofi Amponsah

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

The mining sector plays a crucial role in the economies of West Africa and Western Australia, contributing to GDP, employment, and foreign exchange earnings. However, the sector also faces environmental, social, and health challenges, including land and water degradation, human rights violations, and occupational hazards. The COVID-19 pandemic worsened these challenges, affecting aspects of the mining industry. This systematic review follows the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines for literature search and selection. PubMed and Google Scholar were searched for relevant articles published from 2019 to 2023. Inclusion criteria encompassed studies focusing on COVID-19 management strategies …

Predicting Hurricane Evacuation Decisions With Interpretable Machine Learning Methods, Yuran Sun, Shih-Kai Huang, Xilei Zhao

Research, Publications & Creative Work

Abstract Facing the escalating effects of climate change, it is critical to improve the prediction and understanding of the hurricane evacuation decisions made by households in order to enhance emergency management. Current studies in this area often have relied on psychology-driven linear models, which frequently exhibited limitations in practice. The present study proposed a novel interpretable machine learning approach to predict household-level evacuation decisions by leveraging easily accessible demographic and resource-related predictors, compared to existing models that mainly rely on psychological factors. An enhanced logistic regression model (that is, an interpretable machine learning approach) was developed for accurate predictions by …

Compound Flooding Hazards Due To Storm Surge And Pluvial Flow In A Low-Gradient Coastal Region, Sunghoon Han, Navid Tahvildari

Civil & Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Flood risk analyses often focus on a single flooding source, typically storm surge or rainfall-driven flooding, depending on the predominant threat. However, hurricanes frequently cause compound flooding through significant storm surges accompanied by heavy rainfall. This study employs a hydrodynamic model based on Delft3D-Flexible Mesh that couples flow, waves, and rainfall-driven flow to simulate five historical tropical cyclones in Virginia's southeast coastal region. These storms produced varying intensities of storm surge and rainfall in the study area. Model simulations, incorporating rainfall through a rain-on-grid approach, account for the dynamic interaction between storm tides, and pluvial flow and enable the definition …

Immersive Visualization In Infrastructure Planning: Enhancing Long-Term Resilience And Sustainability, Dalya Ismael

Engineering Technology Faculty Publications

Infrastructure decisions today significantly impact future generations' quality of life, especially as severe storms and rising sea levels increasingly threaten communities across the United States. Decision-makers at all levels, including those involved in disaster prevention and response, must address climate change. However, those in infrastructure design and construction often prioritize immediate gains over long-term resilience. Engineering teams typically employ decision tools to manage complexity, but these methods may not highlight the long-term consequences of their choices. This study tests whether integrating Virtual Reality (VR) technology with engineering decision-making tools, can enhance engineers’ ability to visualize the future impacts of their …

Assessing The Burden Of An Excessive Sms Size On The Effective Implementation Of The Ism Code, Li An Xian

World Maritime University Dissertations

No abstract provided.