On November 24, the Second Committee of the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted Resolution A/C.2/54/L.44, which endorses proposals made by the Secretary General for implementing institutions, programs, and other arrangements to succeed the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR). The proposals promote a global, interdisciplinary approach to disaster management--to be known as the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR)--that recognizes the interrelationship of social and physical factors in producing disasters. The resolution also calls on the international community to provide the necessary financial support to effect international action. The primary objectives of the strategy are to help communities become more resilient to hazard events and to promote risk prevention strategies as part of sustainable development.
The resolution calls for the composition of an interagency task force and the establishment of a small secretariat to succeed the IDNDR office in Geneva, and, as of January 2000, the IDNDR Secretariat was replaced by the ISDR Secretariat, OCHA, United Nations, Palais Wilson, 51, Rue des Paquis, CH -1201 Geneva, Switzerland; tel: (41-22) 917-9000; fax: (41-22) 917-9098 or 917-9099; e-mail: isdr@un.org.
More information about the resolution is available from the United Nations Web site at http://www.un.org/Depts/dhl/resguide/r54c2.htm.
The recent earthquakes in Turkey, Greece, and Taiwan have highlighted the need for long-term preventive actions to ensure that cities are earthquake resilient. Since we cannot prevent earthquakes, we must act to mitigate their worst consequences. One of the major initiatives of the IDNDR addressed this issue. The RADIUS (Risk Assessment Tools for Diagnosis of Urban Areas Against Seismic Disaster) Project, launched in April 1998 by the IDNDR Secretariat, was an 18-month program carried out with the technical assistance of three international institutions--OYO Corporation (Japan), GeoHazards International (USA), and the Bureau de Récherches Géologiques et Minières (France)--with funding from the government of Japan. A recent evaluation of the project concluded that RADIUS had achieved its four main objectives:
Risk management actions recommended through the project are already being implemented in several locations and promulgated to other cities in seismically active areas.
This IDNDR activity has also produced a comparative study on understanding urban seismic risk around the world. This project involved 74 cities worldwide in an effort to better understand the causes of their earthquake risk. Again, risk management information and experiences were shared among participants. Additionally, the RADIUS project has resulted in guidelines for future RADIUS-type projects and a computer-based manual for preliminary earthquake damage assessment. These tools will help local governments to determine priorities and improve the management of their seismic risk.
A final report from the RADIUS project, including the developed tools, is currently being prepared. It will become available later this year and be distributed via the Internet. In the meantime, more information about the project, including a RADIUS Outline Brochure and a final RADIUS Outcome Brochure are available from http://www.idndr.org. Additional background information is available from http://www.geohaz.org/radius. Interested persons can also contact Etzuko
Tsunozaki, ISDR Secretariat, OCHA, United Nations, Palais Wilson, 51, Rue des Paquis, CH-1201 Geneva, Switzerland; tel: (41-22) 917-9714 or 9719; fax: (41-22) 917-9098 or 917-9099; e-mail: tsunozaki@un.org.
As regular readers of the Observer know, the Natural Hazards Center sponsors "Quick Response" studies of immediate postdisaster impacts and response. Upon completing their work, quick response researchers submit brief reports to the center, which publishes them immediately via the World Wide Web. The latest reports include:
The complete list of quick response reports is available at http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/qr/qr.html. In addition, printed copies can be purchased for $5.00 each, plus shipping charges ($3.00 for the U.S., Canada, and Mexico; $4.00 for international surface mail; and $5.00 for international air printed matter). Orders should be directed to the Publications Clerk, Natural Hazards Research and Applications Information Center, Campus Box 482, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309-0482; (303) 492-6819; fax: (303) 492-2151; e-mail: janet.kroeckel@spot.colorado.edu.
Besides sponsoring quick response research, the Natural Hazards Center is involved in a multitude of other programs and projects to bring information about hazards and hazards management to the people who want to understand and mitigate
these risks. If you would like to know exactly what the center is up to and what it has available, consult the annual report recently added to the center's Web site: http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/annrpt/99annrpt.html.
Below are a few of the more useful disaster Internet resources we've discovered recently. For a comprehensive list of selected sites dealing with hazards and disasters, see http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/sites/sites.html.
http://www.fema.gov/disasters
On its Web site, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has posted a map of the United States that lists
federally declared disasters for each state in 1999. The site links to descriptions of FEMA response and other information
about these disasters.
http://www.cbo.gov/
http://www.cbo.gov/byclasscat.cfm?class=0&cat=7
At this address, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has published two reports, entitled Emergency Spending Under
the Budget Enforcement Act and Emergency Spending Under the Budget Enforcement Act: An Update, which provide
useful data on federal expenditures for natural disasters.
http://www.ci.fort-collins.co.us/c_safety/oem/index.htm
http://www.ci.fort-collins.co.us/c_safety/oem/ndic.htm
The city of Fort Collins, Colorado, a FEMA Project Impact demonstration community, has a model Office of Emergency
Management Web site that includes breaking news; a calendar of events; individual pages and brochures on severe
thunderstorms, lightning, hail, tornadoes, flooding, and the many other hazards that threaten the community; photos and
other information about the 1997 flash floods that inundated Fort Collins; sections on emergency preparedness, family
disaster planning, and the preparation of an emergency supplies kit; a description of the city's Project Impact initiative; and
much other information. Of particular note is a recently released "Natural Disaster Information Cards (NDIC) System for
911 Dispatchers." The system, provided in downloadable PDF format, is intended to be used for in-service training of 911
dispatchers, as refresher information when an event is anticipated, and as guidance for use during a disaster.
http://www.unesco.org/culture/heritage-risk/index.html
This United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Web site on "Cultural Heritage at Risk"
has been updated recently with information derived from the International Congress on Cultural Heritage at Risk held in
September 1999. The site is intended to be a source of information on this topic, as well as a "discussion platform" wherein
specialists and professionals can exchange views on various aspects of preserving and protecting cultural heritage. The site
developers also hope to create a list of specialists in this field and affiliated professions who can be consulted in times of
need. For more information, or to contribute to the site, contact Hideo Noguchi, UNESCO, Division of Cultural Heritage,
1, rue Miollis, 75015 Paris, France; tel: 0033-1.45.68.44.18; fax: 0033-1.45.68.55.96; e-mail: h.noguchi@unesco.org.
http://www.bghrc.com
Founded in 1997 the Benfield Greig Hazard Research Centre at University College London has become the largest
multidisciplinary academic hazard research center in Europe. It now incorporates over 40 staff, associates, and affiliates in
numerous projects ranging from long-term seasonal prediction of hurricanes and other severe storms to landslide and
volcano hazard mitigation. With this impressive growth, the center has revamped its Web site, which now includes
descriptions and results of many of the organization's projects (including the long-range forecasts mentioned above), as
well as a comprehensive publications list, a photo gallery, an entire section dedicated to the center's Disaster Management
Unit, and other information about the center, its staff, and programs.
http://www.egs.uct.ac.za/dimp
The Disaster Mitigation for Sustainable Livelihoods Programme (DiMP) at the Department of Environmental and
Geographical Sciences, University of Cape Town, South Africa, promotes the integration of disaster mitigation with
development programs, particularly those targeted at economically vulnerable communities. DiMP carries out its mission
in three principal areas: collaborative research, policy advocacy, and education and training.
In 1997, the Overseas Development Administration of the British government funded DiMP to establish a regional network of organizations committed to strengthening disaster mitigation research, training, education, and practice. This work resulted in the creation of "Periperi" (Partners Enhancing Resilience for People Exposed to Risks)--a network of organizations and institutions in southern Africa that work together across disciplines and national borders. The Southern African Risk Reduction Network is now supported by the Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance, United States Agency for International Development (OFDA/USAID) and the Department for International Development of the British government.
The new DiMP Web site provides a description, background information, and details about current interests of the program; more information about Periperi; a list of DiMP publications; and links to related regional and international organizations. For additional information about DiMP, contact the Disaster Mitigation for Sustainable Livelihoods Programme, Department of Environmental and Geographical Sciences, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa; tel: 27 (0)21 650-2987, 27 (0)21 650-4115, or 27 (0)21 650-4116; fax: 27 (0)21 689-1217; e-mail: nomdo@enviro.uct.ac.za.
http://www.redcross.org/disaster/masters
The American Red Cross has undertaken a project to assemble "Masters of Disaster" curriculum components to help
teachers integrate disaster safety into their regular lesson plans. For example, if a teacher needs to teach how to plot latitude
and longitude on a map, he or she can offer a lesson on how to track a hurricane. Information about this new resource is
available from the Web site above.
The Masters of Disaster materials are being designed to be flexible, so that teaching teams can integrate hazard-related lessons into the core academic subjects of science, math, social studies, and language arts (including reading, word comprehension, and spelling). Hazard and safety content will be available for teachers to supplement their lessons. The curriculum components will include a teacher's guide for lower elementary (K-2), upper elementary (3-5), and middle school (6-8), as well as numerous other teaching materials. The topics covered will include general disaster safety (such as family disaster planning, maintaining disaster supplies, and conducting a home "hazard hunt"), earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, and lightning.
Masters of Disaster is in the final stages of development, and the Red Cross anticipates releasing it in the summer of 2000. Interested persons should check the Web site above for details about availability and ordering. The site also includes a form for submitting or requesting information about the Masters of Disaster curriculum aids.
http://www.tallytown.com/redcross
The Florida Capital Area Chapter of the American Red Cross and the Leon County, Florida, Sheriff's Office Division of
Emergency Management have published a brochure entitled "Tis the Season," to instruct residents of mobile/manufactured
homes how to prepare for the high winds of a hurricane. This brochure is available from the Capital Area Chapter's Web
site above in PDF format and can be easily downloaded and printed.
http://www.floods.org
The Web site of the Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM) now includes Mitigation Success Stories in the
United States (see the Observer, Vol. XXIV, No. 1, p. 25), the purpose of which is twofold: to showcase real-world
examples of natural hazard mitigation and to publicize the benefits of mitigation across the country. The examples are
intended to serve as models that provide decision makers with information about how to formulate hazard reduction
programs in their communities.
http://www.cira.colostate.edu/fflab/stuart/website/welcome.htm
Because flash floods are a pervasive risk along the foothills of northern Colorado, Colorado State University, located in
Fort Collins, hosts a Flash Flood Laboratory (see the Observer, Vol. XXII, No. 3, p. 14). The lab's Web site describes the
mission and current projects of the institution, provides recent news (it currently offers information about the recent
flooding in Venezuela) and a list of recent flash floods, offers information on how to prepare for and survive a flash flood,
links to other flash-flood-related sites, and presents more information and research concerning the 1997 flash flood that
struck Fort Collins--including disaster recovery lessons learned by the university, whose library and several other facilities
were severely damaged. For more information about the laboratory, contact the Flash Flood Laboratory, Cooperative
Institute for Research in the Atmosphere, Colorado State University, Foothills Campus, Fort Collins, CO 80523-1375;
(970) 491-8448; e-mail: flashflood@cira.colostate.edu.
http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/extremes.html
The National Climatic Data Center offers this page on "Extreme Weather and Climate Events," which, the NCDC tells us,
has become the most popular segment of the center's Web site. These pages cover U.S. hurricanes, heavy rainfall,
temperature extremes, tornadoes, 1991-1999 weather events, historical global extremes, satellite images, U.S. radar
composites, climatic data, local U.S. storm reports, climate characteristics of 1999, El Niño/La Niña, global climate
change, and billion dollar weather disasters.
http://www.eeri.org
The Web site of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) provides information on both recent seismic events
and seismic-resistant construction and hazard mitigation generally. The site recently added a special report, The Chi-Chi,
Taiwan Earthquake of September 21, 1999, including a paper by James D. Goltz entitled "The '921' Chi-Chi, Taiwan
Earthquake of September 21, 1999: Societal Impacts and Emergency Response." The site also offers Research Needs
Emerging from Recent Earthquakes--recommendations from a workshop organized by EERI for the National Science
Foundation to explore needs emerging from the Turkey, Greece, and Taiwan quakes of last fall.
http://www.city.kobe.jp/cityoffice/06/013/report/index-e.html
The city of Kobe, Japan, has published a report on its Web site titled The Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake: Statistics
and Restoration Progress, November 1, 1999. Besides providing various statistics, the report, in Japanese and English,
discusses such restoration topics as evacuation shelters, temporary housing, land use, socioeconomic rehabilitation, welfare
projects, economic revitalization, transportation networks, and more. A link from the report leads to archives of Kobe
quake-related texts and images dating from 1995 to 1999.
http://www.wsspc.org
The Western States Seismic Policy Council (WSSPC) has created a Web-based forum for the discussion of earthquake and
other disaster costs as well as strategies to ameliorate such losses. The group is open to anyone from any discipline
interested in this issue. Potential topics for discussion range from methods for increasing public awareness, to public risk
perception, loss estimation models and improved data collection methods, and the identification of realistic policies to deal
with future damaging events. WSSPC anticipates publishing summaries of these discussions in its newsletter, EQ:
Earthquake Quarterly, and, based on these summaries, posing new questions to participants. For more information about
this discussion group, see the Web site above, or contact WSSPC, 121 Second Street, 4th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94105;
(415) 974-6435; fax: (415) 974-1747; e-mail: wsspc@wsspc.org.
http://landslides.usgs.gov/
http://landslides.usgs.gov/html_files/nlicsun.html
The landslide Web page of the U.S. Geological Survey and the Web site for the National Landslide Information Center
(NLIC) have moved to the addresses above. The first site describes the National Landslide Hazards Program, lists landslide
program publications and current projects, and describes recent landslide events. The NLIC site provides "real-time"
monitoring of an active landslide in California, San Francisco Bay area landslide maps, links to landslide information for
each state, landslide images, other useful links, a virtual fieldtrip to a Colorado landslide, and access to a new on-line
bibliographic database.
http://www.HINAP.org
Recently, the World Health Organization unveiled the "Health Information Network for Advanced Planning"--HINAP--on the World Wide Web. HINAP consolidates baseline health information by country, identifies health issues of primary
concern, and makes this information available for program planning. Up-to-date information is provided during an
emergency, permitting program adjustment due to changing circumstances, thereby minimizing preventable mortality and
The U.S. Geological Survey and the Swiss Seismological Service have released the first quantitative map of global seismic
hazard. The Global Seismic Hazard Map is a product of the Global Seismic Hazard Assessment Program (GSHAP),
launched in 1992 and terminated last year, which was part of the United Nations International Decade for Natural Disaster
Reduction. Hundreds of scientists from most of the world's countries cooperated to produce the map, which depicts peak
ground acceleration that has a 10% chance of being exceeded in the next 50 years. Peak ground acceleration can be applied
to building codes, and the map was created in part as a tool for land-use planning and building design in areas subject to
earthquake hazards.
The GSHAP map and all associated documentation, including regional reports, maps of seismicity, source characterization information, and yearly reports, are available via the Internet through the GSHAP homepage: http://seismo.ethz.ch/GSHAP/. While supplies last, free copies of the Global Seismic Hazard Map can be ordered from Swiss Seismological
Service, ETH Hoenggerberg, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland, e-mail: sed@seismo.ifg.ethz.ch or USGS/CRGHT, MS 966, Box 25046, Denver, CO 80225; e-mail: gshapmap@usgs.gov.
Below are the more recent conference announcements received by the Natural Hazards Center. A comprehensive list of hazard/disaster meetings is posted on our World Wide Web site: http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/conf.html.
Second U.S. Weather Research Program (USWRP) Science Symposium. Sponsors: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and others. Boulder, Colorado: March 27-28, 2000. This symposium will serve the dual purposes of allowing researchers to present new USWRP studies and to examine the effectiveness of current projects and approaches to improve weather prediction. The focus this year will be on quantitative precipitation forecasting, data assimilation, and the optimal mix of observations. The organizers seek not only participants from USWRP projects, but other researchers who would like to present relevant findings. For more information, contact Carey Bousquet, National Center for Atmospheric Research, P.O. Box 3000, Boulder, CO 80307-3000; (303) 497-8197; e-mail: bousquet@ucar.edu.
"Partners in Emergency Preparedness 2000" Conference. Sponsors: King County Office of Emergency Management and others. Bellevue, Washington: April 25-26, 2000. This joint business, government, and volunteer agency disaster preparedness regional conference will bring these three sectors together to discuss how to plan for, respond to, and recover from natural, technological, and terrorist events. The two-day conference offers 32 educational sessions covering such diverse topics as business disaster planning, employee training for disasters, emergency preparedness for colleges and universities, pre- and postearthquake evaluations of buildings, disaster mental health, sheltering pets and livestock, tabletop exercises for earthquakes, the Incident Command System, joint information centers, lessons learned from the World Trade Organization meeting and Y2K, volunteer disaster responder training, and pandemics. Interested persons can register on-line at http://hrs.crgnet.com/wwen, or contact Shad Burcham, King County Office of Emergency Management, 7300 Perimeter Road South, Seattle, WA 98018-3848; (206) 205-8106; fax: (206) 296-3838; e-mail: shad.burcham@metrokc.gov.
Fifth Annual Northern Plains Convective Workshop. Hosts: Environment Canada Prairie Storm Prediction Centre, Canadian Meteorological and Oceanographic Society, and the University of Winnipeg. Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada: April 25-27, 2000. Participants in this workshop will "address the need to improve the understanding and forecasting of northern plains convection (in particular, as it relates to severe weather)." The meeting will examine warnings and preparedness as well as research opportunities regarding severe meteorological events in the northern Great Plains. Persons interested in presenting should send an expression of interest and/or abstract (electronic versions preferred) by March 22, 2000, to Jay Anderson; fax: (204) 983-0109; e-mail: Jay.Anderson@ec.gc.ca. For more information, contact Pat McCarthy, Severe Weather Program Manager, Prairie Storm Prediction Centre, Environment Canada, 123 Main Street, Suite 150, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada R3C 4W2; (204) 983-1904; fax: (204) 983-0109; e-mail: Patrick.McCarthy@ec.gc.ca.
American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Forensics 2000 Conference. San Juan, Puerto Rico: May 21-24, 2000. This conference, intended for architects, engineers, educators, and building owners, will feature case studies and presentations on measures that can be taken to save lives and property from structural failure. It will include a 20-year retrospective of the Kansas City Hyatt Regency failure, as well as sessions on the pitfalls of computer analysis, lessons learned from natural disasters, professional ethics, education issues, communication problems, and the role of inspection and maintenance in building safety. The meeting includes a one-day preconference workshop entitled "Potential Disaster Assessment 101" that will examine the recent Turkey and Taiwan earthquakes. For details, see http://www.asce.org/conferences/forensics, or contact ASCE World Headquarters, 1801 Alexander Bell Drive, Reston, VA 20191-4400; (800) 548-2723 or (outside the US) (703) 295-6300; fax: (703) 295-6144.
Second Pan American Congress for Disaster and Emergency Medicine. Sponsors: World Association of Disaster and Emergency Medicine, Pan American Health Organization, and others. Mexico City, Mexico: May 22-24, 2000. The congress program covers disaster medicine, prehospital emergency medical services, emergency medicine, the role of nurses in emergencies, critical care medicine and nursing, and trauma management. It also includes several pre-congress workshops. For details, contact Prehospital and Disaster Medicine, E5/613 Clinical Sciences Center, 600 North Highland Avenue, Madison, WI 53792; e-mail: mlb@medicine.wisc.edu; WWW: http://pdm.medicine.wisc.edu/pdmcalendar.html.
In the Aftermath of Hurricane Floyd: Recovery in the Coastal Plain. Presented by: East Carolina University. Greenville, North Carolina: May 24-26, 2000. This meeting will involve a critical examination of Hurricane Floyd, the resulting floods, and their impact on eastern North Carolina. It will bring together policy makers, research scientists, relief and recovery specialists, officials from all levels of government, and local citizens to address what can be done to mitigate future loss of life and property in similar disasters. More information is available from John R. Maiolo, Conference Chair, A-421 Brewster Building, Department of Sociology, East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858-4353; (252) 328-4838; e-mail: maioloj@mail.ecu.edu.
American Geophysical Union (AGU) Spring Meeting. Washington, D.C.: May 30-June 3, 2000. AGU conferences typically include sessions focusing on natural hazards of various kinds--from landslides to El Niño. To see what the spring meeting has to offer, contact the AGU Meeting Department, 2000 Florida Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20009; (800) 966-2481 or (202) 462-6900; fax: (202) 328-0566; e-mail:meetinginfo@agu.org; WWW: http://www.agu.org/meetings.
Communication Essentials for Environmental Managers. Offered by: University of California-Berkeley Extension. San Francisco, California: June 1-2 and 8-9, 2000. This is one of several multiple weekend courses on emergency preparedness and continuity planning offered by the University of California-Berkeley Extension. All courses are conducted in San Francisco. For more information about this program, contact Environmental Management/Continuing Education in Engineering, University Extension, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720; (510) 643-7143; WWW: http://www.unex.berkeley.edu.
Reaching Women and Children in Disaster: A Global Workshop for Policy Makers, Practitioners, and Researchers. Miami, Florida: June 3-6, 2000. The organizers are currently seeking program proposals and sponsors. To contribute or to learn more about this event, contact Betty Morrow, International Hurricane Center, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199; (305) 348-1607; fax: (305) 385-7364; e-mail: morrowb@fiu.edu; WWW: http://www.anglia.ac.uk/geography/rwcidconference.
Public Health in Complex Emergencies Training Course. Sponsor: Columbia University Joseph L. Mailman School of Public Health and others. Neum, Bosnia-Herzegovina: June 4-17, 2000; Garden City, New York: August 13-26, 2000; Uganda: November 2000 (specific dates and venue to be determined). This two-week training course focuses on the critical public health issues faced by agencies and personnel working in complex emergencies. Its goal is to improve the ability of humanitarian assistance workers to respond. Areas to be examined include epidemiology, communicable disease, environmental health, nutrition, reproductive health, ethical issues, violence, weapons, trauma, psychosocial problems, and coordination issues. The course is currently offered only in English. To apply or receive more information, contact Lorna Stevens, International Rescue Committee (IRC), Health Training, 122 East 42nd Street, New York, NY 10168; (212) 551-3005; fax: (212) 551-3185; e-mail: shortcourse@intrescom.org.
Multihazard Building Design Summer Institute (MBDSI). Offered by: Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Emergency Management Institute. Emmitsburg, Maryland: July 24-28, 2000 (Flood and Wind Mitigation Design); July 31-August 4, 2000 (Earthqu ake Mitigation and Fire Safety Design). The MBDSI was developed by FEMA to provide technical information and training to design and construction educators and professionals on effective approaches to mitigate wind, flood, earthquake, and fire hazards. Applicants should be engineering or architectural faculty, preferably at a four-year institution. There is no charge for registration, tuition, or text books, and some travel expenses can be covered. For more information, see http://www.fema.gov/emi/mbdsi3.htm or contact the course manager, Joe Bills, FEMA, Emergency Management Institute, 16825 South Seton Avenue, Emmitsburg, MD 21727; e-ma il: joe.bills@fema.gov.
American Sociological Association Conference. Washington, D.C.: August 12-16, 2000. The International Sociological Association Research Committee will host a session at this conference on "Feminist Theories and Approaches to Disaster." The organizers seek papers that focus on the contributions of feminist theories and methods to disaster research and response. Interested persons should send an outline of their paper (the complete paper if available) and curriculum vitae to Betty Morrow, International Hurricane Center, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199; (305) 348-1607; fax: (305) 385-7364; e-mail: morrowb@fiu.edu.
Fourth International Conference of Local Authorities Confronting Disasters and Emergencies--LACDE 4. Reykjavik, Iceland: August 27-30, 2000. The main theme of LACDE 4 will be "The Linkage Between Science and Local Authorities." Another significant portion of the meeting will focus on partnerships and the interaction between national, provincial, and state governments and local authorities. The organizing committee is also developing a program of simultaneous workshops covering various aspects of meteorological, geological, and technological disasters, as well as discussions on new technology in disaster forecasting, lessons from past disasters, and communication and lifeline safety. Ministers, members of parliament, municipal officials, scientists, and other professionals are invited to take part in the program. The official language will be English, but simultaneous translation will be offered if warranted. More information is available from the Union of Local Authorities in Israel, 3 Heftman Street, P.O. Box 20040, Tel Aviv 61200, Israel; tel: +972-3-695-5024; fax: +972-3-691-6821; e-mail: unnar@samband.is or ulais@netvision.net.il; WWW: http://www.samband.is/lacde or http://www.ulai.org.il/f_lacde.htm.
International Public Works Congress and Exposition. Louisville, Kentucky: September 10-13, 2000. This conference includes educational sessions on various aspects of emergency management affecting public works officials. For a conference flyer and to learn about specific sessions, contact the American Public Works Association, 2345 Grand Boulevard, Suite 500, Kansas City, MO 64108-2641; (816) 472-6100; fax: (816) 472-1610; e-mail: apwa@apwa.net; WWW: http://www.apwa.net/conferences/congress00.htm.
International City/County Management Association (ICMA) Annual Conference. Cincinnati, Ohio: September 17-20, 2000. Every year since 1914, with the single exception of 1945, ICMA has sponsored a conference to review local government developments, discuss management issues, adopt policy statements, and conduct official association business. The meeting invariably includes sessions on the role of local government in disaster preparedness, response, and mitigation. To find out what's in store for this year, contact ICMA, 777 North Capitol Street, N.E., Suite 500, Washington, DC 20002; (202) 289-4262; fax: (202) 962-3500; e-mail: apeyton@icma.org; WWW: http://icma.org.
International Symposium on Flood Defence. Sponsors: American Geophysical Union, International Association of Hydraulic Research, and International Association of Hydrological Sciences. Kassel, Germany: September 20-23, 2000. This symposium will cover hydrological data and precipitation processes, runoff modeling, flood risk, and new developments in flood prevention and flood estimation. Parallel events include a colloquium on the "History of Flood Defence," and a workshop on "Pollutants and Disease Pathogens in Floods." The symposium will be conducted in English. More information is available from Barbara Breuer, c/o Universitat Gh Kassel, FB 14, FG Geohydraulik und Ingenieurhydrologie, P.O. Box 101380, D-34109 Kassel, Germany; tel: +49 561 8042808; fax: +49 561 8043953; e-mail: breuerb@hrz.uni-kassel.de; WWW: http://www.uni-kassel.de/fb14/wasserbau/symposium2000 or http://www.uni-kassel.de/fb14/geohydraulik/.
Dam Safety 2000: Association of State Dam Safety Officials (ASDSO) Annual Conference. Providence, Rhode Island: September 26-29, 2000. The ASDSO annual meeting addresses all aspects of dam safety--from construction, to maintenance, inspection, and warning systems. Details are available from ASDSO, 450 Old Vine Street, Second Floor, Lexington, KY 40507; (606) 257-5140; fax: (606) 323-1958; e-mail: info@damsafety.org; WWW: http://www.damsafety.org or h ttp://members.aol.com/damsafety/homepage.htm.
American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting. San Francisco, California: December 15-19, 2000. As with the spring meeting noted above, the AGU fall conference will, no doubt, include numerous sessions on natural hazards such earthquakes, landslides, and climate change. Details are available from the AGU Meeting Department, 2000 Florida Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20009; (800) 966-2481 or (202) 462-6900; fax: (202) 328-0566; e-mail: meetinginfo@agu.org; WWW: http://www.agu.org/meetings.
12th World Congress on Disaster Medicine. Organizer: World Association for Disaster and Emergency Medicine. Lyon, France: May 9-12, 2001. At this congress, practitioners will share experience and present research regarding emergency, catastrophe, and refugee medicine. The meeting will focus on the practical demands of catastrophe situations--setting up a triage center, handling radio communications, and establishing identification procedures, for example. Participants will also discuss how to evaluate medical practice and examine new tools available to educators. The conference will be conducted in English, Spanish, and French, and will include two specialized trilingual one-day symposia--the first for emergency nursing staff, the second for paramedics, emergency medical teams, and ambulance staff. Detailed information is available from WDCEM 2001, 1 rue de la Bannierè, 69003 Lyon, France; fax: 33 (0)4 72 60 92 89; e-mail: wcdem2001@aol.com (also see http://pdm.medicine.wisc.edu/pdmcalendar.html.)
Sixth Scientific Assembly of the International Association of Hydrological Sciences (IAHS). Maastricht, The Netherlands: July 18-27, 2001. The IAHS assembly will cover virtually all aspects of water management and will include a symposium on floods and land use as well as other sessions and presentations on flooding and floodplain management. Participants who wish to present a paper or a poster should submit an abstract of 300-400 words in either English or French before April 15, 2000. For a congress circular, contact IAHS Maastricht 2001, c/o Conference Agency Limburg, P.O. Box 1402,
6201 BK Maastricht, The Netherlands; tel: +31 43 3619192; fax: +31 43 3619020; e-mail: cal.conferenceagency@wxs.nl; WWW: http://www.wlu.ca/~wwwiahs/index.html.These meetings are currently being organized. Proposals regarding form and content should be directed to the points of contact listed below.
Twelfth European Conference on Earthquake Engineering. London, U.K.: September 2002. Contact: Liz Marwood, Society for Earthquake and Civil Engineering Dynamics, Institution of Civil Engineers, One Great George Street, Westminster, London SW1P 3AA, U.K.; tel: 0171-665-2238 or 0171-222-7722; fax: 0171-799-1325; e-mail: Marwood_L@ice.org.uk; WWW: http://www.bham.ac.uk/CivEng/seced/12ecee01.htm.
Eleventh International Conference on Wind Engineering. Lubbock, Texas: Sometime in 2003. Contact: The Wind Engineering Research Center, Box 41023, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409-1023; (888) 946-3287 or (806) 742-3479; fax: (806) 742-3446; e-mail: amacdowell@coe.ttu.edu; WWW: http://www.wind.ttu.edu.
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