Hazards, Risks and Disasters II

David Alexander University College London

Information and communication

Wisdom: ability to take decisions on the basis of principles, experience and knowledge

Knowledge: understanding of how things function (or should function)

Information: description of physical and social situations

Data: basic facts and statistics

COMMUNICATION

DRR

Knowledge of community vulerability

Knowledge of hazards and their impacts

Knowledge of coping

capacity and resilience

Disaster Risk

Reduction

Shortage of information

Excess of information

Impact of disaster Time

Information critical but

lacking

Some effects of the information

and communications technology revolution

• flattening of the chain of command

• IT support for disaster response

• overload of information delivery systems

• the emergency manager must study new ways to inform himself and others.

• artificiality and isolation from the reality on the ground

data

input and consultation

Data banks

Predictive models of events

Display and analysis technology

Ability to analyse data

data analysis circuit

Disaster relief

Emergency manager

emergency management

circuit

Old ideas...

• rigid structure • hierarchy • military doctrine • secrecy • cordon • command and control • security • civil defence.

New ideas...

• planning • collaboration • flexible, adaptable management • limited "span of control" • information sharing • IT support • accredited journalists • involving the public • civil protection.

Social factors

Plan

Message

Technology Response

Perception

Culture

Optimisation

Lesson: emergency communication is a powerful but imprecise process that is undergoing a profound revolution.

Perception

Public perception

of disasters continues to be dominated by myths and inaccuracies

enthusiastically propagated by

the mass media.

"Myth" no.1: Disasters are truly exceptional events.

"Myth" no.2: Disasters kill people without respect for

social class or economic status.

"Myth" no.3: When disaster strikes panic and irrational behaviour are

common reactions.

"Myth" no.4: People will flee in large numbers from a disaster area.

"Myth" no.5: After disaster has struck, survivors tend to be dazed and apathetic.

"Myth" no.6: People can survive for many days when trapped under the rubble of a collapsed building.

0.5 1 3 12 1 2 3 4 5 7 10 15

Hours Days

Survival time

100

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"Myth" no.7: After disaster people will not make rational decisions and will therefore inevitably tend to do the

wrong thing unless authority guides them.

"Myth" no.8: Disasters usually give rise to widespread, spontaneous

manifestations of antisocial behaviour, including looting and violence.

"Myth" no.9: The mass media create an accurate picture of the disasters on which they report.

"Myth" no.10: Unburied dead bodies constitute a health hazard.

"Myth" no.11: Disease epidemics are an almost inevitable result of the disruption

and poor health caused by major disasters.

"Myth" no.12: Great quantities and assortments of medicines

should be sent to disaster areas.

"Myth" no.13: Field hospitals are particularly useful for treating people injured by sudden impact disasters.

"Myth" no.14: In the aftermath of disaster mass vaccination is an excellent way of stopping the spread of diseases.

"Myth" no.15: Dead bodies, survivors, streets, rubble and other things

should be sprayed with disinfectant to stop the spread of disease.

"Myth" no.16: Any kind of aid and relief is useful after disaster

providing it is supplied quickly enough.

"Myth" no.17: Companies, corporations, associations and governments are

always very generous when invited to send aid and relief to disaster areas.

"Myth" no.18: Emergency responders will not report to work in a disaster,

they will protect their families instead.

"Myth" no.19: In disasters

there are heroes and villains.

"Myth" no.20: Disasters always happen to someone else.

"Myth" no.21: Disaster is always a negative experience.

Our image of disasters is conditioned far too much by Hollywood!

Mutual antipathy

or collaborative relationship?

Representatives of the mass

media

Editorial independence and freedom

Sales and ratings;

reputation; revenue from advertising

Emergency and disaster managers

Obligation to inform the public

Public information centres; warnings

and alerts; informing the

relatives of victims

Civil protection service

The general public

The mass media

Call centre

Feedback

Feedback

Direct communication

Press conferences, communiques

Consumer relations

SUPPLY

DEMAND

NEEDS POTENTIAL TO

BE EXPLOITED

CREATE A NEW

CULTURE OF

CIVIL

PROTECTION

Organised

Spontaneous

Established

Kinship groups

Individual citizens

Disaster subcultures

Emergent groups

Citizens' organisations Charitable

NGOs

Some public stakeholders in disaster

Schools

Workplace groups

INSTRUMENTS OF DISSEMINATION

• mass media • targeted campaign • social networks

• internet

Augmentation

MASS EDUCATION PROGRAMME

SOCIAL CAPITAL

HABIT

CULTURE

The creation of a culture of civil protection

Lesson: perception is a vital component of emergency planning and response, but it is also difficult to manage.

Education

Broad professional training in emergency management

Professional experience and training

Disciplinary training (e.g. bachelor's degree)

Common culture

Common language

Common objectives

HAZARD,

RISK &

DISASTER

STUDIES

SEVEN SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT

Criminal justice

and forensic

science

and perhaps an eighth...

Sociology

Psychology

& psychiatry

Economic &

financial studies

Development

studies

Disaster medicine

& epidemiology

Physical &

construction

sciences

Geography &

anthropology:

cultural (human)

anthropology

Ecology

Geology

(& Geomorphology)

Geophysics

(inc. Seismology)

Vulcanology Climatology

Hydraulics

Hydrology

Meteorology

Architecture

Civil engineering

Geotechnical engineering

Structural engineering

Mechanical &

electrical engineering Information &

communication

technology (ICT)

Computer technology

Remote sensing

Risk analysis (inc.

risk identification,

estimation,

management &

communication)

Cartography

Development studies

Economics

Geography, History

Jurisprudence & legal stds

Urban & regional planning

Mass media studies

Psychology

Sociology

Nursing

Nutrition

Pharmacology

General medicine

Surgery &

emergency medicine

Public health, hygiene

& epidemiology

Veterinary sciences Health sciences

Social & spatial sciences

Computational

& analytical

sciences

Construction sciences

Atmospheric & water sciences

Earth & environmental sciences

HAZARD,

RISK &

DISASTER

CONSTITUENT DISCIPLINES

Emergency management training and education

B A

S IC

C ONC EP

T S

HA

ZA

RD

AN

ALY

SIS

EMERGENCYPLANNING

EMERGENCY

MANAGEMENT

DIS

AS

TE

R

SO

CIO

LO

GY

AN

D

PS

YC

HO

LO

GY

RECOVERY AND

RECONSTRUCTION

PLANNING

PU

BL

ICIN

FO

RM

AT

ION

MA

NA

GE

ME

NT

METHODS OF

RISK MITIGATION

FIE

LD

EX

ER

CIS

ES

Recognition and an institutional role for the

professional figure

Certification of competence

Training programmes

Emerging professional

figure

Policies and legislation

Research Experience

Organi- sation

Lesson: education is the key to better disaster risk reduction.

Conclusions

FUTUROLOGY

• at the world scale, one or more great events will cause a drastic reorganisation disaster preparedness

• the catalyst event may be a volcanic eruption, an earthquake, or a biological or radioactive incident.

• losses in disaster will continue to increase steeply

• poverty and vulnerability will define ever more closely the areas of greatest susceptibility to disasters

• the job of the emergency manager will become more and more complex

• emergency planning will have to tackle new kinds of event

• emergency management will very slowly become a profession

• the level of international participation in disasters will rise.

The"Military Cross"

WAR AND CONFLICT

NATURAL DISASTERS

INSECURITY POVERTY

HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE M

ILITARY A

SSISTANCE

VULNERABILITY AND

MARGINAL- ISATION

Justice Impartiality

Humanitarianism

Hijacking of assistance

Relief

Robbery and rape of victims

Total war

Politicisation of relief suppies

What future?

Integration through emergency planning

and training

Links

Mitigation and reduction

of risks

Preparations and

warning

Emergency relief actions

Recovery and

reconstruction

www.slideshare.net/dealexander

Thank you for your attention!