The International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) has announced a new scholarship program for undergraduate and graduate students studying emergency management. IAEM is currently soliciting contributions in order to establish an endowment to fund the program. Persons interested in learning more about this program should contact the IAEM Scholarship Program, 111 Park Place, Falls Church, VA 22046-4513; (703) 538-1795; fax: (703) 241-5603; e-mail: iaem@aol.com; WWW: http://www.iaem.com.
Through its Floodplain Management Graduate Fellowship, the Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM) offers up to $25,000 to support a full-time post-baccalaureate student for one academic year. The recipient has the opportunity to examine virtually any floodplain management or mitigation issue. The research, which must be conducted at an accredited U.S. college or university, could be conducted in such areas as land-use and comprehensive planning, engineering, design and construction, materials testing, public policy, public education, public administration, sociology, architecture, law, geography, or any other relevant discipline. The recipient is expected to submit a research project draft and final report to the ASFPM Graduate Fellowship Advisory Committee (GFAC), prepare an article for the ASFPM newsletter News & Views, and present his or her findings at the ASFPM national conference.
Applicants must hold U.S. citizenship or permanent resident status. The fellowship covers tuition, fees, research expenses, travel costs, and stipend. Applicants should provide an academic transcript, statement of educational and career goals, professional resumé, and letter of nomination from the faculty host at the cooperating educational institution. Applications are due March 1, 2000. For more information, contact ASFPM, 2809 Fish Hatchery Road, Suite 204, Madison, WI 53713; (608) 274-0123; fax: (608) 274-0696; e-mail: diane@floods.org; WWW: http://www.floods.org.
The Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) has announced its Annual Student Paper Competition, which promotes student involvement in earthquake engineering and earthquake hazards research. Instructions for preparing and submitting a manuscript can be obtained from the EERI Web site, http://www.eeri.org, or from EERI, 499 14th Street, Suite 320, Oakland, CA 94612; (510) 451-0905; fax: (510) 451-5411. Papers must be received by March 31, 2000. Up to four authors will receive support to attend the EERI annual meeting in St. Louis, Missouri, May 31-June 2, 2000. The papers will also be considered for publication in the EERI journal, Earthquake Spectra.
On November 4, 1999, the Federal Register (Volume 64, Number 213) published the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Coastal Services Center's "Broad Area Announcement" providing information on grant and cooperative agreement opportunities in several areas for FY2000. The complete notice is available from http://www.csc.noaa.gov/cms/baa.html.
Under the section "Coastal Technical Services--Coastal Technology Demonstration and Verification" the announcement states, "NOAA's Coastal Services Center seeks proposals from state or local resource management agencies, academic institutions, nonprofit organizations, and private sector companies for [pilot] projects . . . under which a cooperator(s) and the Center will scope out or design and apply prototype decision making tools and information products for coastal resource management. Emphasis will be placed on projects that address coastal habitat management and coastal hazards mitigation" (emphasis added).
More information is available at the Web site above, or by contacting the NOAA Coastal Services Center, 2234 South Hobson Avenue, Charleston, SC 29405; (843) 740-1222; e-mail: csc@csc.noaa.gov. The staff member in charge of the Coastal Technical Services proposals is Jeff Payne, (843) 740-1207.
On Wednesday, November 17, 1999, at the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) fall meeting in New Orleans, NFPA 1600--the "Standard on Disaster/Emergency Management and Business Continuity Programs"--was approved by the NFPA membership. As the NFPA states, "This standard establishes a common set of criteria for disaster management, emergency management, and business continuity programs. . . . The purpose of this standard is to provide those with the responsibility for disaster/emergency management and business continuity the criteria to assess current programs or to develop, implement, and maintain a program to mitigate, prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters and emergencies." The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the National Emergency Management Association (NEMA), and the International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM) are currently considering endorsement of this standard.
The standard will be formally issued by NFPA after an NFPA Standards Council meeting in January 2000. At that time, the standard will be printed; it will be available for distribution in April 2000. NFPA 1600 will join the family of approximately 300 voluntary codes and standards that are available for adoption by federal, state, and local entities as
well as the private sector. NFPA will continuously monitor the adoption and usage of the standard, and the NFPA Disaster Management Committee will re-examine its contents and evaluate its usage over the next 3-5 years in order to make any appropriate changes, revisions, or additions.
Specific subjects addressed in NFPA 1600 include laws and authorities; hazard identification and risk assessment; hazard mitigation; resource management; planning; strategic plans; emergency operations plans; mitigation plans; business impact analysis; recovery/business continuity plans; direction, communication, and warning; operations and procedures; logistics and facilities; training; exercises, evaluations, and corrective actions; public education and information; and finance and administration.
For more information on NFPA 1600, contact NFPA 1600 staff liaison Martha Curtis, National Fire Protection Association, 1 Batterymarch Park, P.O. Box 9101, Quincy, MA 02269-9101; (617) 984-7496; or see the NFPA Web site: http://www.nfpa.org.
The federal government's Information Technology for Crises Management (ITCM) Team is seeking comments on its plan for an "Enabling Technology Center (ETC) in Crises Management"--part of the team's response to the president's Information Technology Advisory Committee's recommendation to establish ETCs in various areas. The mission of the ITCM is to promote collaborations that identify, develop, test, and implement computing, information, and communication technologies that improve the nation's preparation for, mitigation of, response to, and recovery from crises. The plan and more information about the ITCM can be obtained on the World Wide Web at http://www.ccic.gov/fisac/itcm. The plan is in downloadable PDF format. Comments on the ITCM ETC plan should be sent by e-mail to fisac-itcm@ccic.gov.
After years of effort supported by the Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM), Oklahoma has implemented the
first ASFPM-accredited state certification program for floodplain managers in the U.S. This program will ensure that
floodplain managers in that state obtain and maintain the skills and training needed to properly administer programs to
reduce flood losses.
Like existing national programs, Oklahoma's certification involves application materials and fees, continuing education to maintain accreditation, and adherence to a professional code of conduct. In addition, applicants must demonstrate knowledge of floodplain management on various topics in the profession, in part by passing a written examination.
For more information on this program and the ASFPM certification effort, contact the ASFPM Executive Office, 2809 Fish Hatchery Road, Suite 204, Madison, WI 53713; (608) 274-0123; fax: (608) 274-0696; e-mail: asfpm@floods.org; WWW: http://www.floods.org.
Below are a few of the more useful disaster Internet resources we've discovered recently. For a comprehensive list of selected Internet sites dealing with hazards and disasters, see: http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/sites/sites.html.
http://www.fema.gov/impact
"Lessons learned" from the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA's) Project Impact are now on the Web and
updated daily at the address above. With hurricanes Dennis, Floyd, and Irene, there were many opportunities in 1999 to
highlight disaster prevention lessons in both Project Impact and non-Project Impact communities. Representatives from
FEMA's disaster field offices have been submitting examples of effective disaster mitigation projects, and these accounts
represent a large portion of the examples now on-line. To submit additional "lessons learned" contact Barb Sturner, FEMA,
500 C Street, S.W., Washington, DC 20472; (202) 646-3650.
http://www.fema.gov/mit/bpat
FEMA's Building Performance Assessment Teams (BPATs) are activated after disasters to assess building and
infrastructure performance and to recommend improvements in construction codes and standards, designs, methods, and
materials used for both new construction and postdisaster repair. The BPAT Web site provides current BPAT news, success
stories, and reports from surveys of recent disasters, as well as complete copies of the BPAT newsletter, BPAT Update.
The latest reports concern the Midwest tornadoes of May 3, 1999, and Hurricane Georges. FEMA is currently recruiting
qualified persons to add to the BPAT roster database, and details are available from this Web site.
http://www.fema.gov/home/EMI/ishome.htm
http://www.fema.gov/emi/is394.htm
FEMA is now offering an independent study course on how home and small business owners can reduce losses from
natural disasters. The course, titled IS 394-Mitigation for Homeowners, is free and available for download from the
FEMA Web site above. Mitigation for Homeowners is intended to help residents:
The course provides nontechnical mitigation techniques for a home or small business--both predisaster (preventive) and postdisaster (corrective). In addition to signing up through the Web site, individuals and groups can enroll in this course by contacting the National Emergency Training Center, 16825 South Seton Avenue, Emmitsburg, MD 21727; (301) 447-1076. EMI's independent study Web page, http://www.fema.gov/home/EMI/ishome.htm, offers numerous other courses.
http://www.emforum.org/
Each summer for the past several years, FEMA's Higher Education Project has hosted a conference for educators and other
persons interested in promoting emergency management training in colleges and universities around the country. The
report for the 1999 Higher Education Project Conference is now available for download from the Emergency Information
Infrastructure Partnership (EIIP) Virtual Library at the address above. This is a 97K Microsoft Word 97 file. The direct ftp
address is ftp://www.emforum.org/pub/eiip/highed99.doc.
http://www.md.ucl.ac.be/cred/
The Centre for Research on Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED) at the School of Public Health, Catholic University of
Louvain, Brussels, Belgium, has placed a comprehensive database of disaster information on-line via their Web site. As the
creators of this resource state, "In recent years, natural and man-made disasters have been affecting increasing numbers of
people throughout the world. Budgets for emergency and humanitarian aid have sky-rocketed. Efforts to establish better
preparedness for and prevention of disasters have been a priority concern of donor agencies, implementing agencies and
affected countries. For this reason, demand for complete and verified data on disasters and their human and economic
impact, by country and type of disaster has been growing. Planners, policy makers, field agencies engaged in preparedness
have all expressed need for data for their work. The CRED/U.S. Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) initiative
responds to this need by making available a specialised, validated database on disasters that facilitates preparedness,
thereby reducing vulnerability to disasters and improving disaster management."
The site includes background information; a "what's new" update section; the searchable database covering over 10,000 disasters; "disaster profiles" (now including data on epidemics) in three sub-sets ("top 10," "chronological table," and "raw data") and grouped according to country, region, world, and disaster type; summary data; maps; a soon-to-be-added bibliographic database; and many links to other useful sites.
For more information about this database and the work of CRED, contact the Centre for Research on Epidemiology of Disasters, Unit of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Catholic University of Louvain, 30.94 Clos Chappelle-aux-Champs, 1200 Brussels, Belgium; tel: +32 (0) 2 764.33.27; fax: +32 (0) 2 764.34.41; e-mail: misson@ep id.ucl.ac.be.
Additionally, a country-by-country database compiled by OFDA and CRED is available via the United Nations ReliefWeb site: http://www.reliefweb.int.
http://www.ignoudismgtconf.org/
In late November 1999, the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) hosted the International Conference on
Disaster Management: Cooperative Networking in South Asia in New Delhi. The conference Web site includes dozens of
papers on the many aspects of disaster management in Asia.
http://www.ibhs.org
http://www.ibhs.org/html/county_perils/county_perils_homepage.asp
The Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS) has created a prototype database that displays the natural hazards faced
by those who live in the counties of the New Madrid seismic region and surrounding areas. The database contains hazard
information for 884 counties in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana,
Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia,
and Wisconsin. After picking one of these counties from a list or map, the user receives information on what damage that
county could experience if an 8.6 magnitude earthquake occurred in the New Madrid area. The database also provides
information on the number of flood/flash flood, hailstorm, hurricane, tornado, and wildfire events the county experienced
between January 1993 and July 1999. Additionally, the user is presented with information on steps he or she can take to
protect a home or business from these hazards. Finally, users can also obtain critical information on building codes and
land-use planning efforts in the given state. Among other goals, the database is intended to demonstrate that natural hazards
in the region are more common than most people might think.
http://www.state.gov/www/issues/relief/gdin.html
The Global Disaster Information Network (GDIN) is a U.S. initiative to make the information needed to conduct effective
disaster relief operations available when and where needed via the Internet (see the Observer, Vol. XXII, No. 4, p. 3). For
persons interested in the progress of the development of the GDIN, this U.S. Department of State Web page provides
information about past and future international meetings devoted to the creation this network. Included are the proceedings
of the May 1999 GDIN meeting in Mexico City and several background papers.
http://www.bghrc.com/
The Benfield Greig Hazard Research Centre at University College London
(see the Observer, Vol. XXII, No. 1, p. 14),
was the first multidisciplinary natural hazards research group established
in the U.K. The center staff, from many different university departments,
study a wide array of natural hazards, including volcanic eruptions,
earthquakes, floods, windstorms, and landslides. The center's newly
revised Web site provides extensive information about the center and its
many activities. It offers a "News Centre" with press releases, forecasts,
feature articles, case studies, a "fact file," project descriptions, other
center news, and links to related sites; extensive descriptions of
research and services; information about the center's new Disaster
Management Unit; a list of center publications; references to other new
publications of interest to disaster researchers; a photo gallery of
hazards; and much more. For more information about the center, contact the
Benfield Greig Hazard Research Centre, School of Geological and
Geophysical Sciences, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E
6BT, U.K.; tel: +44 (0)171 419 3449; fax: +44 (0)171 388 7614; e-mail: bghrc@ucl.ac.uk.
The Benfield Greig Centre hosts a very useful e-mail listserve (natural-hazards-disasters@mailbase.ac.uk) from which the first item on the next page is taken.
http://www.helpage.org/members/helsinki.html
With the nongovernmental organization HelpAge International playing a major role, in September an international
conference was held in Finland to look at the issue of older people in emergencies. A number of conference papers are now
available on-line, together with HelpAge International's conference overview paper, "The Aging World and Humanitarian
Crises." These papers, available from the Web page above, reveal the particular problems faced by older people in
disasters--and the fact that humanitarian agencies appear to be largely unaware of them.
http://www.hyogo.uncrd.or.jp/
In April 1999, the United Nations Center for Regional Development (UNCRD) Disaster Management Planning Program
moved from Nagoya to a new office in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan, where the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake disaster
occurred on January 17, 1995, and where its residents are now attempting to redevelop their city. The new office will
examine the reconstruction process in Hyogo Prefecture and other disaster-damaged areas in developing countries, as well
as carry out the following programs to fulfill the IDNDR goal of establishing disaster prevention as an essential element of
sustainable development:
This Web site includes information about the Hyogo office--its activities and its publications--as well as useful links to other sources of information about the Hanshin-Awaji quake. For more information about the office's mission and programs, contact the UNCRD Disaster Management Planning Hyogo Office, IHD Centre Building, 4th Floor, 1-5-1 Wakihama-kaigan-dori, Chuo-ku, Kobe 651-0073, Japan; tel: +81-78-230-7561; fax: +81-78-230-7565; e-mail: rep@hyogo.uncrd.or.jp; WWW: http://www.hyogo.uncrd.or.jp.
http://www.unep.org/unep/eia/geo2000/
http://grid2.cr.usgs.gov/geo2000
The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) launched the Global Environment Outlook (GEO) Project in 1995 with
two components:
Either of the Web sites above provides Global Environmental Outlook 2000, the latest GEO report, which identifies numerous environmental trends and includes several projections regarding natural hazards in the 21st century. Among others, it cites increased water shortages, desertification, deforestation, global warming, increased forest fires, and species and biological invasions due to increasing globalization as significant potential hazards in the coming century.
http://www.trinet.org
TriNet is a five-year collaborative project among the California Institute of Technology, the California Division of Mines
and Geology, and the U.S. Geological Survey to create an effective real-time earthquake information system for Southern
California. TriNet incorporates new technologies to distribute vital information within minutes of an earthquake, thus
helping to mitigate the impact of large earthquakes in the region. The system is designed to aid both scientists and
emergency managers. Through continuous monitoring of seismicity in Southern California, TriNet produces rapid
estimates of earthquake times, locations, and magnitudes, enabling direct estimates of the strength of ground shaking near
earthquakes. Its products include maps (through a program known as ShakeMap) showing the distribution of ground
motion and a pilot earthquake early warning system. For more information about TriNet and ShakeMap, see the TriNet
Web site or contact James Goltz, California Institute of Technology, Mail-Code 252-21, Pasadena, CA 91125; (626)
395-3298; fax: (626) 584-1242; e-mail: jgoltz@gps.caltech.edu.
http://mceer.buffalo.edu
On September 21, 1999, a devastating earthquake struck the central region of Taiwan. The quake became known as the
"921" or "Ji-Ji" earthquake. Subsequently, researchers from the Multidisciplinary Center for Earthquake Engineering
Research (MCEER) at the State University of New York at Buffalo and colleagues from the National Center for Research
on Earthquake Engineering (NCREE) in Taiwan held a workshop in Taipei to identify short-term strategies and actions for
postearthquake restoration and research needs, including specific cooperative projects that would involve researchers from
both centers. A report on the disaster, based on discussion at the meeting and subsequent reconnaissance, MCEER/NCREE
Response: Preliminary Report from MCEER-NCREE Workshop on the 921 Taiwan Earthquake, is available from the
MCEER Web site above. A limited number of printed copies are available from the report editor, Jane Stoyle, c/o MCEER
Information Service, State University of New York at Buffalo, c/o Science and Engineering Library, 304 Capen Hall,
Buffalo, NY 14260-2200; (716) 645-3391; fax: (716) 645-3399; e-mail: jestoyle@acsu.buffalo.edu.
In addition, at the same address MCEER has published a preliminary report on the Athens, Greece, earthquake of September 7, 1999. MCEER colleagues at the Institute of Engineering Seismology and Earthquake Engineering (ITSAK) provided this preliminary report, which presents strong motion data and examines structural response to the event.
listserv@listserv.buffalo.edu
MCEER, in partnership with the Northeast States Emergency Consortium (NESEC) and FEMA, has established a listserve
for discussion of issues related to the use and application of the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS)/FEMA loss
estimation software, HAZUS. To join the list send the command "sub HAZUSNET-USA-LIST [your name]" to the address
above (leave the subject line blank). This listserve will be regularly archived and moderated for content.
http://www.atcouncil.org
In a recently published "TechBrief," the Applied Technology Council (ATC), in cooperation with the U.S. Geological
Survey (USGS), offers safety guidelines for entering earthquake-damaged buildings under emergency conditions. The
guidelines are based on engineering research by ATC members and aftershock research by scientists at the USGS in Menlo
Park, California. Tables summarizing the degree of risk for structures, based on the amount of initial damage and
probabilities of aftershocks, are included in the report. ATC Tech Brief #2, Earthquake Aftershocks: Entering Damaged
Buildings may be downloaded from the ATC Web site above. Alternatively, professionals involved in postearthquake
building evaluation can order individual free copies from the Applied Technology Council, 555 Twin Dolphin Drive #550,
Redwood City, CA 94065; (650) 595-1542; fax: (650) 593-2320; e-mail: atc@atcouncil.org.
(As an added note, scientists at the USGS began forecasting aftershocks following the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake. Now, after any earthquake in California of magnitude 5 or greater, the Survey posts the probability of strong aftershocks on its Web site: http://quake.wr.usgs.gov.)
http://www.ce.washington.edu/~liquefaction/
The Soil Liquefaction Web site was developed to provide general information for interested lay persons and more detailed
information for engineers on this seismic phenomenon. Visitors who are not familiar with soil liquefaction can find
answers to such typical questions as: What is soil liquefaction? When has soil liquefaction occurred in the past? Where and
why does soil liquefaction commonly occur? and, How can soil liquefaction hazards be reduced? For each question, more
detailed information is provided separately for earthquake and engineering professionals. The site is well illustrated with
photographs and animated graphics and includes links to much additional information on liquefaction and earthquakes in
general.
http://www.eerc.berkeley.edu
The National Information Service for Earthquake Engineering (NISEE) at the University of California, Berkeley, has added
the Jan Kozak Collection of Historical Earthquake Images to its extensive on-line collection of modern earthquake
engineering images. The Kozak collection of 876 slides (many with multiple images) depicts artistic representations of
earthquakes from 54 countries between the years 1120 and 1932. This compilation is an historical art collection and a
scientific record of earthquake occurrence and hazard. Many images provide "macroseismic" details of occurrence,
location, intensity, and damage that can be compared with historical earthquake catalogs. The artistic treatment of cultural
themes associated with sudden natural forces touches on folkloric, scientific, and religious interpretations of seismic events.
The collection, which is indexed both spatially and chronologically, can be explored on the NISEE Web site above. A
preface to the collection written by earthquake expert Bruce Bolt and an historical bibliography of sources accompany the
collection.
http://gldpsp.cr.usgs.gov/slumtrip/slumtrip.htm
The U.S. Geological Survey has been monitoring landslides electronically for many years. Now, through this nifty Web
page, the Survey offers a next-generation form of monitoring--a "Virtual Field Trip of the Slumgullion Earth Flow" in
southern Colorado. The site transmits live shots from video cameras positioned around this massive flow (a viewer can pan
across and zoom into the various scenes from his or her computer), as well as a 15-chapter monograph on the flow entitled
The Slumgullion Earth Flow: A Large-Scale Natural Laboratory, edited by D.J. Varnes and W.Z. Savage.
http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/
http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/predictions/threats/threats.html
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA's) Climate Prediction Center Web site covers forecasts,
climate monitoring, data and indices, El Niño, and lots of other stuff. There's a host of information here on climate and
weather anomalies. For example the "U.S. Threats Assessment" page at the second URL above covers short-term (3-5 day),
medium-range (6-10 day), and long-range forecasts. The page includes North America maps showing projected
temperature/wind, precipitation, and soil/wildfire anomalies, and other data, such as a table of rivers currently at or above
flood stage.
http://www.education.noaa.gov
NOAA has recently put together an education Web site to consolidate the many educational activities and resources
distributed across the agency. The site has separate sections for teachers and students but is also designed to aid librarians
and the general public. It includes extensive information on severe weather and other atmospheric hazards.
http://www.dir.ucar.edu/esig/biblio
No Observer would be complete without mentioning the Web site of the Environmental and Societal Impacts Group
(ESIG) at the National Center for Atmospheric Research. This time, ESIG has released a new bibliography on the use and
value of weather and climate forecasts, available from the URL above. This bibliography represents the initial document in
what ESIG hopes will become a single resource for published, peer-reviewed articles on the use and value of weather and
climate forecasts. This topic is a subset of the broader area of forecasting in the earth sciences, which interested persons can
learn more about through another section of the ESIG Web site: http://www.dir.ucar.edu/esig/prediction/--"Prediction in
the Earth Sciences." The authors of the bibliography solicit feedback and welcome suggestions for additions.
http://www.ucsusa.org/
From its Web site, the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) now offers, in downloadable PDF format, the complete text of
Confronting Climate Change in California: Ecological Impacts on the Golden State. In their press release, the study's
sponsors, the UCS and the Ecological Society of America, state:
The report . . . provides the state's citizens and policymakers with a scientific assessment of the likely impacts of [expected warming] on the state's diverse environments and the goods and services they provide. [The authors] conclude that climate change poses a range of serious challenges for California's environment, economy and quality of life [including]:
The report's authors emphasize other consequences to the region's ecology and human population and suggest possible strategies for dealing with this evolving problem.
http://www.cla.sc.edu/geog/faculty/carbone/tropcycl/index.html
The destructive power of a tropical cyclone instills fear in those in its path and intrigues atmospheric scientists interested in
its dynamics. This Web site guides the viewer through the formation, structure, energy, and movement of tropical cyclones
using sketches, radar and satellite imagery, and animation.
http://www.stormweb.com
Since 1996, the Stormweb Emergency Information System has provided real-time disaster reports and emergency
information to the residents of coastal Washington and the Olympic Peninsula. Under normal circumstances, Stormweb
provides links to surface and marine weather, satellite, and radar information; road condition reports; tide and river
information; and much more. Stormweb will soon also offer a broad database of disaster preparedness information and a
comprehensive library for researchers.
When potential emergency conditions develop, Stormweb operations increase. Conditions are continually monitored and updates are sent out to Stormweb subscribers by e-mail when warranted. Watches are posted on-line when they are issued. As conditions progress from watch to warning status, Stormweb shifts to 24-hour real-time reporting of information consolidated from dozens of sources. Stormweb's advisory system--"STORMWEB_ALERT"--provides emergency bulletins, preparedness information, and periodic newsletters via e-mail at no cost. Interested persons can sign up via the Web site.
http://www.paho.org/english/ped/pedhome.htm (click on "New Publications")
One year after Hurricanes Georges and Mitch devastated Central America and the Caribbean, the Pan American Health
Organization (PAHO) has published a monograph reviewing those events and reflecting on lessons learned in the health
sector. Disaster Chronicle on Hurricanes Georges and Mitch includes eight reports produced in the affected countries
themselves, thus recording valuable, first-hand experiences and chronicling these two, almost consecutive, disasters.
Hurricane Georges is analyzed in reports from Haiti and the Dominican Republic, while Hurricane Mitch is described in
reports from Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Belize. Two annexes conclude the volume, which is
currently available only in Spanish. The book can be accessed and downloaded from PAHO's Emergency Preparedness
Program Web site above. A limited number of free printed copies are available and can be requested by e-mailing
disaster-publications@paho.org.
This site now also offers Humanitarian Assistance in Disaster Situations: A Guide for Effective Aid, a new publication that combines and updates several older guides for the donor community.
http://www.paho.org/english/ped/technical.htm
PAHO has also added a section to its Web site entitled "Technical Guidelines." These pages are intended to answer
questions that professionals might have about the provision of public health in emergencies. More than 20 public health
experts helped prepare this material, which includes sections on needs assessment, vaccinations, special needs, donations,
food safety, surveillance, water and sanitation, the environment, medical services, displaced persons, and communicable
diseases. The site provides contact information (e-mail addresses, phone numbers) for experts in each area.
http://www.mhwwb.org
Mental Health Workers Without Borders (MHWWB) is an international, not-for-profit, nongovernmental network of
activist mental health workers of all types and professions whose aim is to provide psychosocial assistance following
natural and human-caused disasters and to provide technical assistance to developing countries so that they can provide
treatment and psychosocial rehabilitation for their citizens. MHWWB encourages family- and community-based
approaches to mental health therapy while respecting cultural variation, drawing on local resources and traditions, and
emphasizing community empowerment. The MHWWB Web site includes sections on Activities, Human Rights,
Rehabilitation, and Disasters, with numerous links to sites providing information in these areas. It also offers a
downloadable manual, Coping with Disaster: A Guide to Psychosocial Responses to Disaster. For more information about
MHWWB, contact Mental Health Workers Without Borders, c/o Martin Gittelman, 100 West 94th Street, New York, NY
10025; e-mail: mhwwb@mhwwb.org.
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