Emergency and Disaster Management Commons^™

Planning For A Medical Surge Incident: Is Rehabilitation The Missing Link?, Mary Kay Vonderschmidt

Dissertations

This study explores planning considerations for patients needing rehabilitative care in the event of mass casualty incidents, in particular, patient surge. While planning for a patient surge usually considers prehospital and hospital care, the final step for many disaster patients, rehabilitation is often overlooked. Rehabilitative care begins in the hospital, before discharge, with the consultation of a physician specialist. By including early physiatrist care there are documented decreases in hospital length of stay, fewer medical complications and better functional outcomes.

Based on past disaster studies, the variables of Simple Triage and Rapid Treatment (START), Injury Severity Score (ISS), and hospital …

How Does The Dengue Vector Mosquito Aedes Albopictus Respond To Global Warming?, Pengfei Jia, Xiang Chen, Jin Chen, Liang Lu, Qiyong Liu, Xiaoyue Tan

Faculty Publications - Emergency Management & Homeland Security

Background Global warming has a marked influence on the life cycle of epidemic vectors as well as their interactions with human beings. The Aedes albopictus mosquito as the vector of dengue fever surged exponentially in the last decade, raising ecological and epistemological concerns of how climate change altered its growth rate and population dynamics. As the global warming pattern is considerably uneven across four seasons, with a confirmed stronger effect in winter, an emerging need arises as to exploring how the seasonal warming effects influence the annual development of Ae. albopictus. Methods The model consolidates a 35-year climate dataset and …

Predicting Residents’ Responses To The May 1-4, 2010, Boston Water Contamination Incident, Michael K. Lindell, Shih-Kai Huang, Carla S. Prater

Research, Publications & Creative Work

This study examined 110 local residents’ warning sources, warning channels, warning receipt times, message content, risk perception, and behavioral responses (warning confirmation, and consumption of untreated tap water, boiled water, bottled water, and personally chlorinated water) during the May 1-4 2010 Boston water contamination incident. Most residents received warnings from peers and news media and these warnings mentioned 2.35 of five recommended elements of a warning message—most commonly the threat and the recommended protective action. TV was the most frequent channel for additional information, partly because it was the most frequent channel of routine information, but the Internet was also …

Bridging The Gap: Joint Fire Science Program Outcomes, Stephen W. Barrett

Joint Fire Science Program Digests

The Joint Fire Science Program (JFSP) has funded an impressive number of research projects over the years. However, the number of projects does not necessarily provide an accurate picture of the program’s effectiveness. Over the last decade, researchers have collected data and conducted several studies to determine whether the results of JFSP-funded projects are reaching potential users and informing management decisions and actions. Those studies have helped identify issues and influence changes within the program. Early studies pointed out the need for a boundary-spanning organization to improve delivery of science information, which resulted in the establishment of the Fire Science …

No Way To Run And "Airline": Surviving An Air Ambulance Ride, Henry Perritt

All Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Data-Driven Spatial Modeling For Quantifying Networkwide Resilience In The Aftermath Of Hurricanes Irene And Sandy, Yuan Zhu, Kun Xie, Kaan Ozbay, Fan Zuo, Hong Yang

Computational Modeling & Simulation Engineering Faculty Publications

In recent years, the New York City metropolitan area was hit by two major hurricanes, Irene and Sandy. These extreme weather events disrupted and devastated the transportation infrastructure, including road and subway networks. As an extension of the authors' recent research on this topic, this study explored the spatial patterns of infrastructure resilience in New York City with the use of taxi and subway ridership data. Neighborhood tabulation areas were used as the units of analysis. The recovery curve of each neighborhood tabulation area was modeled with the logistic function to quantify the resilience of road and subway systems. Moran's …

Modeling Road Network Vulnerability For Evacuees And First Responders In No-Notice Evacuation, Xiang Chen, Qiang Li

Faculty Publications - Emergency Management & Homeland Security

The concept of vulnerability has been employed to develop transport systems that sustain devastating disasters and ensure the efficient evacuation of neighborhoods. Existing studies of road network vulnerability overlook two important aspects of analysis: the no-notice evacuation and the different objectives of evacuees and first responders. First, a no-notice evacuation leaves limited time for proactive emergency planning; therefore, rescue strategies in this scenario rely heavily on real-time traffic information. Second, the goal of first responders in an evacuation is to move into an affected area immediately after a hazardous event unfolds, and the risk they face differs from that of …

Federal Preparedness Grants: An Investigation Of The Impacts To Local And State Emergency Management Programs, Brian Alan Barnes

Online Theses and Dissertations

Disasters begin and end locally, but anecdotal evidence suggests that national disaster policies significantly influence state and local approaches. The federal government influences local and state emergency management through national emergency management doctrine as well as providing considerable grant programs to local and state governments who adopt the federal policies. The study attempts to explore some effects of this policy dichotomy.

A survey along with selective interviews were conducted of local and state emergency management officials in North Carolina to examine the impacts of select federal preparedness grants. From 70 surveys and 6 interviews, the following findings were identified. There …

College Campus Emergency Preparedness: Is Avoidance A Reason For Concern?, Thomas G. Barnowski

Online Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this qualitative and quantitative research study was to explore the factors and outcomes associated with the lack of emergency preparedness activities related to college campuses. Within the context of pertinent literature was the confirmation of existing campus emergency action plans but the stated behavioral expectations contained in those plans raised questions related to effective functional performance. Additionally, the apparent refusal of college campus populations to actively participate in the preparedness process while offing a myriad of justifications for their avoidance has raised a number of concerns related to the achievement of desired positive outcomes. Discussion of attitudes …

Making An Inherently Dangerous Profession Safer: New Ambulance Designs, Amanda George

All Capstone Projects

Current ambulance patient compartment designs have proven dangerous to paramedics during patient transport. Currently, there are no set safety standards for patient compartments of ambulances. This study focused on three fire protection districts: Coal City, Wilmington, and Elwood; each identified that the current ambulance design is very dangerous for paramedics in a crash, particularly concerning usage of seat belts and dangers of the side-facing CPR seat and bench seat. Each fire district addressed these issues with new ambulance designs. The mixed methods research began with observations recorded from riding with paramedics on actual calls on both the old and new …

A Refuge For Refugees: The Historical Context And Socioeconomic Impact Of Palestinian Refugees In Jordan, Amelia Marie Dal Pra

Global Tides

Today more than 41 percent of the Jordanian population is comprised of Palestinian refugees. Some argue that Jordan has become the new Palestinian state in place of their former land pre-1948. This paper presents the complications of this claim by focusing on the Jordanian government’s constitutional provisions on refugee citizenship, Palestinian support programs and the role the Palestinian identity has played in the integration, or lack thereof, of Palestinian refugees into the social, political, and economic spheres of Jordanian society.

Assessment Of Tattoo And Silicone Wounds In Terms Of Time Of Treatment And Perceived Treatment Quality, M Pettitt

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

At the point of injury, critical medical tasks include locating and identifying an injury as well as applying the appropriate initial care. Over the past decade, to increase the fidelity of wound representation and ultimately the quality of medical care, a considerable amount of research and development has occurred to improve simulated wounds during training, primarily at the point of injury. As material and techniques mature and as more relevant data is collected on tissue properties, examining what fidelity is required for training at the point of injury is crucial. The main objective of this effort was to assess a …

Election, News Cycles, And Attention To Disasters, Candace Forbes Bright, Braden Bagley

Faculty Publications

Objective: The purpose of this pilot study was to determine whether 60 mins of intermittent pneumatic compression therapy (IPC) could acutely increase leg blood flow-induced shear stress and enhance vascular endothelial function in persons with spinal cord injury (SCI).

Design: Pretest with multiple posttests, within subject randomized control design.

Setting: University of Southern Mississippi, Spinal Cord Injury Research Program within the School of Kinesiology, recruiting from the local community in Hattiesburg, Jackson, and Gulfport, MS.

Participants: Eight adults with SCa

Purpose: Political elections, especially presidential elections, have a tendency to overshadow other events, including disasters. …

Transitions Between Risk Management Regimes In Cities, William Solecki, Mark Pelling, Matthias Garschagen

Publications and Research

Ongoing climate change is encouraging cities to reevaluate their risk management strategies. Urban communities increasingly are being forced to respond to climate shifts with actions that promote resistance, resilience, or even larger scale transformations. Our objective is to present a conceptual framework that facilitates examination of how the transition from one type of risk management strategy or regime to another takes place. The research framework is built around a set of assumptions regarding the process of transition between risk management regimes. The framework includes five basic conceptual elements: (1) risk management regimes, (2) development pathways, (3) activity spheres, (4) activity …

Small Open Economy Dsge Model With Natural Disaster And Foreign Aid, Dickson A. Lim

Angelo King Institute for Economic and Business Studies (AKI)

The study has found that an exchange rate intervention by the central bank should be the monetary response to a natural calamity. The rationale is that an exchange rate intervention policy insulates the economy from any Dutch disease effects thereby stabilizing the economy faster than the common inflation targeting rule commonly practiced by central banks. Although the study concludes that an inflation-targeting policy does stabilize inflationary pressure of natural calamities faster, its slow response to a real exchange rate appreciation causes fluctuations in the trade balance and, therefore, to the economy’s final output. In addition, the study found that monetary …

Competition, Compromises, And Complicity: An Analysis Of The Humanitarian Aid Sector, Fiona Bare

CMC Senior Theses

This paper analyzes humanitarian assistance to complex humanitarian emergencies to understand why suboptimal outcomes result even when humanitarians have ethical principles and good intentions. It focuses on the International Committee of the Red Cross, the United Nations, and Médecins Sans Frontières to understand their core principles before looking at how these principles operationalize during emergencies. Challenges arise due to complex relationships with donors, local actors, and recipients, along with issues of marketization and competition. This paper’s case studies of the post-genocide Rwandan refugee crisis and post-9/11 Afghanistan explore how humanitarian principles clash with such dilemmas. In the end, humanitarian organizations …

The Socio-Political And Economic Causes Of Natural Disasters, Nicole Southard

CMC Senior Theses

To effectively prevent and mitigate the outbreak of natural disasters is a more pressing issue in the twenty-first century than ever before. The frequency and cost of natural disasters is rising globally, most especially in developing countries where the most severe effects of climate change are felt. However, while climate change is indeed a strong force impacting the severity of contemporary catastrophes, it is not directly responsible for the exorbitant cost of the damage and suffering incurred from natural disasters -- both financially and in terms of human life. Rather, the true root causes of natural disasters lie within the …

The Influence Of Historical Processes Of Haiti And Japan On The Effects Of The Earthquakes, Shoko Nakamura

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Looking at the societies of Haiti and Japan after the earthquakes, the effects of the disasters to each society are not the same. This research paper discusses that the effects of a disaster on society are the result of social conditions. Utilizing the theories of world-system perspective and risk society, this paper tries to understand how historical process contributes to contemporary social structure and how a holistic approach is important to the discussion of different experiences of the earthquakes in Haiti and Japan. As a method, comparative historical method is utilized with the focus of within-case method, and major sources …

The Flint Water Crisis And The Role Of Professional Emergency Managers In Risk Mitigation, Mark Paine, Jane A. Kushma

Research, Publications & Creative Work

A federal emergency was declared in Flint, Michigan on January 16, 2016 because of elevated lead levels in the city drinking water system. Resulting from a number of technical mistakes and a lack of oversight by the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, this crisis may have implications for the professional practice of emergency management. This paper explores the relationship between critical infrastructure and disaster theory, reviews the Flint crisis as a representative case study, and presents recommendations for emergency managers to begin to assess the drinking water systems within their own communities. As this is a still-evolving event, the discussion …

Perceptions, Behavioral Expectations, And Implementation Timing For Response Actions In A Hurricane Emergency, Shih-Kai Huang, Hao-Che Wu, Michael K. Lindell, Hung-Lung Wei, Charles D. Samuelson

Research, Publications & Creative Work

This study examined the perceived attributes, behavioral expectations, and expected implementation timing of 11 organizational emergency response actions for hurricane emergencies. The perceived attributes of the hurricane response actions were characterized by two hazard-related attributes (effectiveness for person protection and property protection) and five resource-related attributes (financial costs, required knowledge/skill, required equipment, required time/effort, and required cooperation). A total of 155 introductory psychology students responded to a hypothetical scenario involving an approaching Category 4 hurricane. The data collected in this study explain previous findings of untimely protective action decision making. Specifically, these data reveal distinctly different patterns for the expected …