Disaster Prevention and Management

Ravinder Singh; Ravindra K. Pande

2011 Disaster Prevention and Management

doi: 10.1108/09653561111161680

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to introduce a simple and convenient method for the landslides study. Design/methodology/approach – This study is based upon the individual case study of three past landslides which may probably prove fatal in the near future. It is useful for the measurement of the horizontal length, longitudinal length, altitude at different points and area of the landslide. These measurements are very helpful in calculating the valley side gradient, longitudinal gradient of the landslide scarp and the volume of the debris generated due to mass movement. Findings – Reactivation of slope instability problems were found along these landslides spots, which will create havoc for the people and a problem for the administration in the near future. Originality/value – The implication in the paper is that structural and non‐structural mitigation and management strategies are needed.

Dehai Liu; Weijun Xu; Hongyi Li; Weiguo Zhang; Weiguo Wang

2011 Disaster Prevention and Management

doi: 10.1108/09653561111161699

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to understand the root cause of a large number of quality problems in the current Chinese construction market. Design/methodology/approach – Information economics theory is used to analyze the cause of construction quality problems related to the specific case of the Wenchuan earthquake of China. Findings – The single low price competition in the construction tender market leads to the serious adverse selection and moral hazard behavior of bidding firms. The main solution to this problem is the introduction and improvement of an independent inspection/supervision mechanism. Originality/value – The paper systematically analyzes the evaluation method of the lowest price winning bidding policy, which is the fundamental cause of adverse selection and moral hazard problems in the Chinese construction market.

Jacob John; Shani Ann Mani; Phrabhakaran Nambiar; Habesah Sulaiman

2011 Disaster Prevention and Management

doi: 10.1108/09653561111161707

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to highlight the significance of placing identification marks on dentures. Design/methodology/approach – This paper reviews the legislation with regard to denture marking in certain countries, various methods of denture marking and describes a simple, inexpensive, paper‐based labelling system. Findings – Various methods have been proposed for denture marking but it is important to use a method that is simple, practical, affordable and universally acceptable. Practical implications – The identification of unknown or missing persons by means of denture marking is a very successful method of identification in forensic investigation. It is also useful for patients residing in hospitals and community homes where dentures could be misplaced, particularly during cleaning by personnel where there is a chance of loss or mix‐up. The importance of denture marking should be emphasized by all law‐enforcing authorities and should be promoted among all dentists, towards making it a compulsory routine dental procedure throughout the world. Originality/value – In Malaysia, denture marking, as recommended by its Ministry of Health, uses a unique coding system which can readily provide information about the wearer in whichever part of the world the person is found. The method applied is simple, practical and affordable and can easily be adapted by others. It can be of great value during times of crisis.

Ruhizal Roosli; Geoff O’Brien

2011 Disaster Prevention and Management

doi: 10.1108/09653561111161716

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to argue that there is still much scope for improvement in planning and training, for both actors and disaster victims, in the front line of disaster management in Malaysia. Although the established ethos of Malaysia's public service sector has tended to be one of control from above, there is promise and virtue in seeking to promote a professional culture. Ideas and recommendations in finding new solutions to old problems can move upwards as well as downwards due to the technical design in rules and regulations which is now to be accompanied by organisational design. Design/methodology/approach – Research was undertaken to determine attitudes of actors in disaster management mechanism in Malaysia. Findings – The actors in public service sectors in Malaysia had a negative attitude towards disaster planning implementation because they are usually not familiar with the Standard Operational Procedure in handling land disaster management in Malaysia called the MNSC Directive 20. Social learning is about initiative of organisations and policy makers in learning through actor's interactions with others and through the knowledge and expertise of others. Originality/value – The paper shows that the MNSC Directive 20 document is not available for public scrutiny and restricted for reasons of national security, which limits the policy's effectiveness. Even then, documents were circulated for office use only. Learning from status of current policy implementation and suggestion will promote awareness raising and capacity building from the inside of organisations.

Gesine Hofinger; Robert Zinke; Stefan Strohschneider

2011 Disaster Prevention and Management

doi: 10.1108/09653561111161725

Purpose – Human behavior significantly determines the scale of impact of hazardous situations. If crisis situations are highly dynamic, they can only be managed successfully if both personnel and organization are well prepared. The purpose of this paper is to capture the specific demands disaster management staff are facing, from a psychological perspective. Design/methodology/approach – General psychological statements based on action theory and organizational theory serve as the starting point for analyzing aspects of cooperation, especially in inter‐professional communication and coordination. The analysis is based on data which were collected in structured expert interviews and observations within the domain of German emergency organizations and public‐transportation companies. Findings – The findings suggest shortcomings on different levels: individual (restricted routines, unprepared for “out of focus” events); organizational (regulations, training) and political (lack of public preparedness for disaster in underground traffic systems; and restrictions on large‐scale training). Research limitations/implications – Interviewees have not experienced “real” major disasters, so their answers are not derived from hands‐on experience. Also, generalization to other traffic systems or companies may show different patterns. Practical implications – Training emergency response staff in public transport systems should include psychological aspects of crisis management in addition to emergency management, e.g. building a shared mental model, and requirements of inter‐professional communication. Originality/value – Psychological demands of crisis situations in public transport have not yet been a focus of research or training.

Dominic M. Beggan

2011 Disaster Prevention and Management

doi: 10.1108/09653561111161734

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine how an academic institution may more effectively respond to a disaster. In this particular situation the issues are being investigated in the context of a hurricane event. From 2005 to 2008 two hurricanes directly hit Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas. This paper examines the impact Hurricane Ike, the latter of these hurricanes, had on this academic institution. This research shares valuable insight into the vulnerabilities confronting academic institutions during natural disasters and highlights the lessons learned. Design/methodology/approach – This is a practitioner paper which applies survey data and qualitative interviews of key decision makers. Findings – Success in the aftermath of this disaster required serious consideration and forethought in institutional preparedness and continuity planning. Specifically, success relied on adequately prioritizing the recovery effort, effectively addressing communication and financial concerns, fostering administrative empowerment in the decision process, and devoting sufficient consideration to the development of alternative academic calendars. Practical implications – The paper identifies issues of practical significance which academic institutions should consider when developing emergency plans related to natural disasters. Originality/value – This paper contains new information about the impact of a natural disaster on an academic institution. The issues addressed are of value to comparable institutions in the process of developing their response and recovery plans.

Per Becker

2011 Disaster Prevention and Management

doi: 10.1108/09653561111161743

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine if gendered differences in risk perception automatically mean that women and men rank the hazards of their community differently, focusing any risk reduction measures on the priority risks of only part of the population. Design/methodology/approach – The study applies survey research through structured personal interviews in three municipalities in El Salvador. The data are analysed using SPSS to find statistically significant associations. Findings – It was found that there are no significant differences between the ranking of hazards of women and men in the studied communities. However, several other parameters have significant associations with the ranking of hazards, indicating that there are more dividing lines than gender that may influence priorities of risk reduction initiatives. Research limitations/implications – A quantitative study can only indicate how gender and other parameters influence the ranking of hazards. In order to understand why, it must be complemented with qualitative research. Practical implications – This study indicates that it is vital to communicate with and invite as wide a group of people as possible to participate in the risk reduction process. Not only women and men, but representatives with various livelihoods, income levels, level of education, locations of their dwellings, etc. If not, there is a danger that vital needs and opinions are left out and community commitments to risk reduction measures limited. Originality/value – The paper presents a new pragmatic argument for wider participation in disaster risk reduction to policy makers and practitioners in the field.

Ya Ding; Michael J. Hayes; Melissa Widhalm

2011 Disaster Prevention and Management

doi: 10.1108/09653561111161752

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide useful information for members of the weather community and policy makers, to help them understand the full scope of drought economic impacts and assessment methodologies, and to help determine the feasibility of future drought mitigation programs. Design/methodology/approach – To accomplish the objective, the paper reviews the literature of drought economic impact studies in both agricultural and non‐agricultural sectors, summarizes the methods and data employed, compares the various results, and investigates the problems and limitations of previous studies. Findings – The paper concludes with a discussion of the challenges and directions of future improvement on drought economic impact assessment. Originality/value – This paper gives a comprehensive review of drought economic impacts and the associated quantitative assessment methodologies, which provides valuable information to rational decisions supporting drought mitigation policies and programs.