David M. Simpson

Implementing GIS for Planning Lessons from the History of Technological Innovation

Abstract Geographic information systems have finally arrived in state and local governments and, with them, an extraordinary opportunity for planning. Many groups with differing agendas are competing to define this new technology, what it will do, and who will use it. It is by no means certain that planners will do well in this competition. This article mines the literature on technological innovation and concludes that planners must understand GIS as a socially constructed technology, including not just hardware and software but also the practices, laws, organizational arrangements, and knowledge that are necessary for its use. The article recommends a strategic approach to GIS implementation that involves both human and technical systems.

Disaster preparedness measures: a test case development and application

Purpose – This paper sets out to develop disaster preparedness measurement methodology using a small test case of two communities. It is aimed at furthering discussion of the issues and complexities of developing measurement of preparedness indicators for application and utilization.Design/methodology/approach – The study used a multi‐modal approach, utilizing several data sources, including: a survey of essential facility managers in the two communities; document data extracted from the two citys Comprehensive Plans, Budgets, and the Emergency Operation Plans; and key informant interviews. Data collected from these sources formed the basis of the model construction and testing.Findings – The primary conclusion is that a preparedness measurement model, while inherently difficult to construct and execute, has the potential to assist in the comparison and evaluation of community preparedness. Further such development requires additional refinement, calibration, and applied testing.Research limitations/impl...

Earthquake drills and simulations in community-based training and preparedness programmes.

The San Francisco, California, bay area is subject to continuous seismic risk. One particular response has been the development of community-based training programmes designed to teach residents basic emergency response skills. Citizens are taught emergency medical techniques, search and rescue, fire suppression and other fundamental response skills. Current estimates in the Bay Area place the number of programmes at more than 100. Many programmes now include an annual community drill to reinforce the training and to evaluate the programme. The study described here is based on an evaluation of an effort initiated by BayNET (Bay Area Neighborhood Emergency Training), a voluntary association of communities with community-based disaster preparedness programmes. In April 1996, BayNET asked all of its members to hold a community earthquake drill. After the drill, a mail survey was conducted of all programme managers. The survey examined the structure and administration of the programmes, training efforts and other related components. This paper describes the typology of drill formats that communities used, the role of the simulation in the citys preparedness efforts, the qualitative costs and benefits, as well as an assessment of the drill based on survey respondents.

Framing a new approach to critical infrastructure modelling and extreme events

This paper proposes a new framework to evaluate and improve the resiliency of communities as they face the risk of multiple hazards and cascading infrastructure failure. The central idea is to extend engineering-based fragility models of the effect of extreme events on physical infrastructure and to combine them with regional, economic and social impact models. The modelling framework would support analyses of the sensitivity of a community to varying events, signalling weak links in regional infrastructure systems and subsystems, and suggesting a more efficient allocation of federal, state, and local preparedness resources.

Extreme Weather-Related Events: Implications for Mental Health and Well-Being

This chapter will review the current literature on the effects of climate change–induced extreme weather-related events such as natural disasters on psychosocial well-being and mental health. In the aftermath of natural disasters, adults commonly suffer from increased mental health problems such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, and substance use. In turn, children may show anxiety, aggression, and behavior problems. Specific attention is paid to effects and vulnerabilities among minority populations, low-resource countries, and culturally diverse settings.

Non-institutional sources of assistance following a disaster: potential triage and treatment capabilities of neighborhood-based preparedness organizations.

The following paper presents an argument for enhancing and encouraging the development of neighborhood-based disaster preparedness organizations, particularly as a potential medical triage and treatment resource following a disaster. First, the research context for the utility of non-institutional sources of post-diaster assistance is outlined, followed by the more specific instance of medical triage and treatment. An emerging model of community disaster preparedness training is described, noting the modules that address disaster medicine. Positive contributions and limitations are addressed looking to disaster and non-disaster experiences. While the potential for non-traditional resources to aid immediate post-disaster response is becoming both more common and more accepted, there are a number of recommendations that would improve the usefulness and value, including: 1) integration with existing emergency care infrastructure; 2) standardization of training; 3) use of coordinated drills between public safety organizations, hospitals, and voluntary sectors; and 4) dedication of more funding to assist in the creation and maintenance of programs. Because of the relative infancy of these community-based programs, and the infrequency of large-scale disasters, there is little, if any, pre-post research that can demonstrate a measured impact on response. More pre-disaster baseline data-gathering efforts are needed, combined with post-disaster evaluative research to understand the utility of these non-traditional resources in terms of overall response, and in particular the ability to assist in areas of disaster medicine practice. One also expects that under these kinds of [disaster] conditions, family members, fellow employees, and neighbors will spontaneously try to help each other. This was the case following the Mexico City earthquake where untrained, spontaneous volunteers saved 800 people. However, 100 people lost their lives while attempting to save others. This is a high price to pay and is preventable through training.

Developing a Framework for State and Local Community Recovery Planning

Community recovery planning is an evolving area of practice. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) released the National Disaster Recovery Framework (NDRF) in 2011. Building on FEMAs effo...

Crossing paths: trend analysis and policy review of highway-rail grade crossing safety

This national-level study of highway-rail crossings and grade-crossing accidents finds significant changes over the last 15 years. Findings include a sizable increase in the number of open highway-rail crossings; a continued decrease in the number of accidents, deaths and injuries at grade crossings since 1996, but an increase in injury and fatality rates; higher number of accidents at gated crossings, though the accident-to-crossing ratio at gated crossings remain low; an overall increase in the rate of accidents involving HAZMAT-carrying vehicles, and a continued high percentage of Amtrak passenger trains involved in accidents and an increase in Amtrak injury and fatality rates. Also, while the federal government continues to take on considerably more regulation and costs, it does so in a difficult policy environment with varying state-level regulation and no clear consensus on the best technology to use given cost considerations. We put forward a two-prong approach: the vertical integration of highway-rail oversight with the Federal government playing a coordinative role and “hotspot” remediation of high-risk crossings.

Emergency Communications with Your Local Government and Community

Recent events including the World Trade Center attack, the anthrax scare, Ohio River flooding and the Northeast power outage clearly demonstrate the need for improved systems of communicating emergency information to the public. To explore the arena of emergency communications, the research project analyzed current emergency communication practices utilized by water utilities though literature review, survey, interviews and case study. Through a combination of literature review, survey and interview data the research team constructed a preparedness guide from observable current best management practices (BMP) used in the industry. The preparedness guide document serves as the backbone for the emergency status information management system (eSIMs) toolkit. The eSIMs is a toolkit providing end users guidance in managing information during emergency events. This title belongs to WERF Research Report Series ISBN: 9781780403687 (eBook) ISBN: 9781843397786 (Print)