Natural Hazards Observer
| July 2005 | Volume XXIX | Number 6 |
Below are descriptions of recently awarded contracts and grants related to hazards and disasters. An inventory of awards from 1995 to the present is available at http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/resources/grants/.
Using Global Communication Systems as Early Warning Systems for Natural Disasters. Funding: National Science Foundation, one year. Principal Investigators: Malik Magdon-Ismail (Mark K. Goldberg, William A. Wallace), Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Computer Science Department, Room 207 Lally, 110 8th Street, Troy, NY 12180; e-mail: magdon@rpi.edu. In response to the Sumatra-Andaman Island earthquake and Indian Ocean tsunami disaster, these researchers have embarked on a project studying the functioning of communication networks and their use by various social groups to better understand how sensor technologies could be best deployed and integrated into global communication networks. Their research will address what went wrong in the Indian Ocean region, recommend ways to avoid a similar situation in the future, and offer concrete suggestions for improving social communication networks to allow warning messages to flow under situations of disruption and destruction.
An Integrative Study of Vulnerability and Cultural Response to Hurricane Hazards Among Indigenous Populations on the Miskito Coast of Honduras and Nicaragua. Funding: National Science Foundation, two years. Principal Investigators: Kam-biu Liu, Louisiana State University, Department of Geography and Anthropology, E104 Howe-Russell Geoscience Complex, Baton Rouge, LA 70803; e-mail: kliu1@lsu.edu and Carl A. Reese (David M. Cochran Jr.), University of Southern Mississippi, Department of Geography, 118 College Drive, Box 5051, Hattiesburg, MS 39406; e-mail: carl.reese@usm.edu. Despite the impact history of hurricanes on coastal areas of Central America, no research has been done to date to assess the societal vulnerability of this region to hurricane strikes. This project will examine the vulnerability of the Caribbean coasts of Honduras and Nicaragua to intense hurricane strikes and the cultural responses of different ethnic communities to hurricanes. Researchers will employ geoscience, paleotempestology (an emerging field of science that studies past hurricane activity by means of geological proxy techniques), ethnography, and participatory research to produce historical records, construct oral histories, and investigate the human dimension of hurricane vulnerability. The resulting information on hurricane risk estimates and cultural responses by different ethnic groups will be useful for decision makers and stakeholders in disaster planning and management.
Social Vulnerability Mapping and GIS in Tsunami Impact Analysis. Funding: National Science Foundation, one year. Principal Investigators: Carla S. Prater (Walter G. Peacock, Michael K. Lindell, Robert T. Snelgrove, Raghavan Srinivasan), Texas A&M University, 3137 TAMU College Station, TX 77843-3137. Recent research suggests a need to integrate a broader notion of vulnerability that extends beyond vulnerabilities arising from the built environment to also include social vulnerabilities. These investigators plan to extend their recent work in hazard mapping that links hazard exposure (and disaster impact) with a more comprehensive notion of vulnerability. A community vulnerability assessment that involves hazard exposure, physical/structural vulnerability, and social vulnerability will be applied to India to promote a better understanding of disaster impacts and enhance understanding of the recovery process. This project will also examine issues of variability in disaster impacts by gender as well as coping strategies used most successfully by women in a traditionally patriarchal society. This research aims to broaden understanding of what social science findings are applicable across nations and cultures. With such information, funds for disaster aid and foreign aid could be better targeted to the sectors of society most likely to benefit.
Assessment of Tsunami Impacts on Coastal Aquifers in Sri Lanka. Funding: National Science Foundation, one year. Principal Investigator: Tissa H. Illangasekare, Colorado School of Mines, Environmental Science and Engineering Division, 1500 Illinois Street, Golden, CO 80401; e-mail: tillanga@mines.edu. The tsunami of December 26, 2004, was one of the worst natural disasters in Sri Lanka’s known history. The resulting rapid movement of saline water inland due to the massive waves has impacted water supply sources and other natural resources in the coastal regions. Funding for this project will be used to assemble an expert panel of groundwater scientists to visit Sri Lanka and provide an assessment of tsunami impacts on water supplies in coastal aquifers and lend their restoration expertise. It is expected that the experience in Sri Lanka will also be applicable to costal aquifers in Indonesia and India.
Reconnaissance Survey of the December 26, 2004, Great Sumatran Earthquake and Tsunami. Funding: National Science Foundation, one year. Principal Investigators: Jose C. Borrero (Costas E. Synolakis), University of Southern California, Department of Civil Engineering, Los Angeles, CA 90089-2531; e-mail: jborrero@usc.edu. This grant supports reconnaissance surveys of the December 26, 2004, earthquake and tsunami. Tsunami field surveys allow for quantitative measurements of tsunami inundation based on observations of watermarks and eyewitness accounts to help understand arrival times and infer tsunami currents. The geographical distribution of inundation in South East Asia, the Indian Subcontinent, and Africa will help the scientific community better understand tsunami generation and the associated seismological parameters. Data collected will be used to develop and validate new tsunami inundation models and assess risk from future tsunamis in the Indian Ocean and elsewhere (e.g., the Cascadia Subduction Zone).
Development and Evaluation of a Natural Hazard Interactive Laboratory for Improving Decision Making. Funding: National Science Foundation, two years. Principal Investigators: Holly Taylor, Tufts University, Psychology Building, 490 Boston Avenue, Medford, MA 02155; e-mail: htaylor@emerald.tufts.edu and Carl Renshaw, Dartmouth College, Department of Earth Sciences, 6105 Fairchild, Room 208, Hanover, NH 03755; e-mail: carl.e.renshaw@dartmouth.edu. This work will examine the impact of a fully developed interactive computer-based role-playing laboratory on decision making based on scientific data. Previous studies showed the “proof of concept” of Eruption, a role-playing simulation of a volcanic hazard, and its impact on decision making using an innovative evaluation strategy that incorporates cognitive science methodologies. This work identified specific design principles that impact higher-order thinking and increase the effectiveness of computer assisted instruction laboratories. Incorporation of these principles into the fully implemented Eruption will increase its impact on higher-order cognitive skills such as decision making, problem solving, and critical analysis. The completed implementation and coincident assessment will further inform the relationship between educational exercises and higher-order critical thinking skills.
New Quick Response Reports
The following Quick Response reports have been posted on the Natural Hazards Center’s Web site at http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/qr/qrrepts.html.
QR175 Europe’s Flood Disaster of August 2002: Vienna’s Evolving Flood Mitigation Projects, by Jane Preuss. 2005. In the wake of the devastating floods in northern Europe in August 2002, Vienna, Austria, was largely spared. This research examined the mitigation strategies in place in Vienna and how they contributed to reduced levels of damage. The researcher concluded that the success of these strategies can be attributed to the multidisciplinary and cooperative approach utilized in the city’s floodplain restoration project.
QR176 An Urban Nightclub Multicasualty Shooting: Lessons Learned in Critical Incident Stress Management, by Mary Myers and Stacy Muffet-Willett. 2005. This research features a case study of the critical incident stress management (CISM) services provided to responders and the population affected in the Columbus, Ohio, area following the nightclub shooting in December 2004. What they found was that primary victims and witnesses were overlooked in the provision of CISM care. They concluded that, although CISM has come a long way over the years, severe gaps still exist in the system in meeting the needs of the diverse populations involved in critical incidents.
QR177 Snowbirds and Senior Living Developments: An Analysis of Vulnerability Associated with Hurricane Charley, by Burrell E. Montz and Graham A. Tobin. 2005. These researchers studied senior living developments in Florida affected by Hurricane Charley to see how “snowbird” (seasonal resident) populations and manufactured housing affected vulnerability and recovery. Preliminary results indicate that permanency of residence, age of the population, and structural characteristics do have an effect on resilience and recovery and that these socioeconomic factors are as important as geophysical factors when assessing vulnerability.