Erica Seville

Disaster Waste Management: A Review Article

Depending on their nature and severity, disasters can create large volumes of debris and waste. The waste can overwhelm existing solid waste management facilities and impact on other emergency response and recovery activities. If poorly managed, the waste can have significant environmental and public health impacts and can affect the overall recovery process. This paper presents a system overview of disaster waste management based on existing literature. The main literature available to date comprises disaster waste management plans or guidelines and isolated case studies. There is ample discussion on technical management options such as temporary storage sites, recycling, disposal, etc.; however, there is little or no guidance on how these various management options are selected post-disaster. The literature does not specifically address the impact or appropriateness of existing legislation, organisational structures and funding mechanisms on disaster waste management programmes, nor does it satisfactorily cover the social impact of disaster waste management programmes. It is envisaged that the discussion presented in this paper, and the literature gaps identified, will form a basis for future comprehensive and cohesive research on disaster waste management. In turn, research will lead to better preparedness and response to disaster waste management problems.

Resourcing for a resilient post‐disaster reconstruction environment

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to understand the resourcing issues that concern the provision of resources required for reconstruction projects after a disaster and to enable them to be integrated into a holistic planning process.Design/methodology/approach – Triangulation methodology is adopted in this paper including both quantitative and qualitative methods. The quantitative approach, namely statistic analysis with the aid of questionnaires and SPSS is employed to identify the key factors affecting resource availability in post‐disaster reconstruction situations. The qualitative semi‐structured interviews and desk reviews of government and media documents are conducted to further interpret outcomes in the questionnaire session.Findings – Based on empirical research, the major finding of the paper is that in order to arrive at a resilient and sustainable built environment after a disaster, resourcing efforts should be made around four components – resourcing facilitator: legislation and policy; ...

Crisis strategic planning for SMEs: finding the silver lining

The ability of business owners/managers to think strategically in the midst of a crisis is a key factor in an organisations long-term survival, but at present there is very little advice available on how to do this most effectively. To be resilient in times of crises, organisations need to navigate a set of apparent contradictions that juxtapose effective planning with adaptability to changing circumstances including: (1) have leaders able to inspire people with a sense of hope and direction whilst being grounded about the situation they are in, (2) have an organisational culture that values disciplined planning whilst fostering innovation, (3) plan and make decisions carefully and structured effectively yet be responsive and bold, and (4) have teams able to recognise patterns and integrate information to make sense of a chaotic situation, yet be alert to subtle changes as the situation evolves. In this article, we propose a model for crisis strategic planning to help organisations understand their natural tendencies and how these affect the type of resilience the organisation is able to achieve. This article also presents three case studies of small New Zealand organisations coping with the aftermath of crisis to demonstrate how the model can be applied.

Managing resources in disaster recovery projects

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a basis for the construction professionals and stakeholders to understand the critical factors influencing resource availability in a post‐disaster situation. The study reported in this paper is part of ongoing research concerned with developing a methodology to improve the outcomes of resource availability for projects in post‐disaster environments. This study attempts to address the following questions: what factors impinge upon the availability of resources in a disaster recovery project and what are the common resource availability determinants across different recovery environments?Design/methodology/approach – The method of analysis in this investigation is a comparative case study. The researchers took part in disaster field trips to Indonesia, China and Australia during their recovery from natural disasters. By using case studies and a triangulation method, critical factors that affected resource availability in the three examined countries were id...

Organisational Issues in Implementing an Information Sharing Framework: Lessons from the Matata Flooding Events in New Zealand

This paper presents a critical review and analysis of issues in implementing electronic data and information sharing frameworks for organisations involved in response activities during disaster. An implementation focused approach is used to understand end-user needs and develop tools that meet their operational requirements. A case study of New Zealand roading organisations examines how information is currently shared both within and between organisations to support crisis decision-making, and the potential benefits and implications of enhanced data and information sharing frameworks. Preliminary results show that considerable performance gains in response activities during disasters can be achieved provided technology is designed to work with and enhance existing operating structures.

Identifying factors affecting resource availability for post‐disaster reconstruction: a case study in China

The availability of resources allows for the rapid and cost‐effective delivery of a construction project. For rebuilding programmes after a disaster, the need for better understanding of factors affecting resource availability and their potential impacts on resourcing outcomes can be of crucial importance to effective reconstruction performance. Drawing on an empirical survey in China following the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, the critical factors affecting resource availability for post‐quake reconstruction of housing are identified. Resource availability in a post‐disaster situation is not only associated with (1) project‐related factors such as quantity of resources required, project schedule, project resourcing plan, and resource procurement lead time; and (2) factors related to the reconstruction practitioners, including competency of resourcing manager and qualification of contractor; but is also related to (3) factors external to reconstruction projects including legislation and policy, general economic environment, and resource transportation cost and method. To address these factors, a multi‐sector approach is needed for reconstruction decision makers and practitioners. A planned procurement strategy in the implementing contractors, a range of training initiatives for small and medium businesses, along with augmented regulatory, economic and transport infrastructure systems are likely to improve resource availability for post‐disaster rebuilding projects.

Resource challenges for housing reconstruction

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify resourcing challenges that face housing rebuild following the 2009 Victorian “Black Saturday” bushfires in Australia and to examine the impacts of resource shortages on longer term community recovery.Design/methodology/approach – The research methodology included a longitudinal study which consists of a questionnaire survey, field‐based interviews and observations to track trends evident in the survey.Findings – A total of 28 months after the bushfires, reconstruction in the worst‐affected area, the Shire of Murrindindi, was proceeding slowly despite the institutions and procedures set up for recovery. This slow reconstruction was due to the unavailability of building resources. Changed Building Standards, increased building markets outside the bushfire zone, lack of economic incentives, combined with home owners’ socio‐economic vulnerabilities, created a chain of impacts on households’ ability to get resources.Research limitations/implications – The evid...

Urban Disaster Recovery in Christchurch: The Central Business District Cordon and Other Critical Decisions

The Canterbury earthquakes, which involved widespread damage in the February 2011 event and ongoing aftershocks near the Christchurch central business district (CBD), presented decision makers with many recovery challenges. This paper identifies major government decisions, challenges, and lessons in the early recovery of Christchurch based on 23 key-informant interviews conducted 15 months after the February 2011 earthquake. It then focuses on one of the most important decisions—maintaining the cordon around the heavily damaged CBD—and investigates its impacts. The cordon displaced 50,000 central city jobs, raised questions about (and provided new opportunities for) the long-term viability of downtown, influenced the number and practice of building demolitions, and affected debris management. Despite being associated with substantial losses, the cordon was commonly viewed as necessary, and provided some benefits in facilitating recovery. Management of the cordon poses important lessons for planning for catastrophic urban earthquakes around the world.

Organizational Networks and Recovery Following the Canterbury Earthquakes

Following a disaster, the recovery of organizations is influenced by the flow of resources and information through organizational networks. The 2010–2011 earthquakes in Canterbury, New Zealand, had major direct and indirect impacts on local organizations and the regional economy. This paper utilizes 47 organizational case studies to assess the role of organizations’ networks in their response and short-term recovery activities, and to explore the effects of networks on regional reconstruction and related sectors. The results are organized around four thematic analyses, focusing on organizations’ support network characteristics, the types of support mobilized to aid recovery, network adaptations for new post-quake demands, and the economic impacts of organizational networks in reconstruction. The paper discusses how organizations managed and utilized networks to reduce the impacts of the earthquakes and to adapt to altered post-quake environments. These empirical observations of post-quake organizational behavior can also inform regional economic impact and resilience modeling.

Waste management as a 'Lifeline'? A New Zealand case study analysis.

Purpose – Lifelines (also referred to as critical infrastructure) are referred to here as the essential infrastructure and services that support the life of our community. In a disaster response and recovery situation, provision of Lifelines, is essential. New Zealand has several mechanisms to improve the responses of lifeline service providers in a disaster situation, including pre‐event planning and coordination groups and legislative provisions for timely response in an emergency. Currently, waste management is not formally included in either the coordination process or the legislative provisions for Lifelines. This paper aims to address whether or not waste management should be included in these.Design/methodology/approach – Qualitative and semi‐qualitative matrix‐based assessments were used to determine the relative importance of provision of waste management services in a disaster‐recovery situation.Findings – The paper argues that waste management should be included in Lifeline planning in New Zeal...