Thesis (M.A. in Security Studies (Homeland Security and Defense))--Naval Postgraduate School, September 2005. / Thesis Advisor(s): C. J. LaCivita, Kathryn E. Newcomer. AD-A439 372. Includes bibliographical references (p. 87-94). Also available online.

Thesis (MMAS)--Command and General Staff College (CGSC), 2006. / AD-A452 186.

This study investigated the perceptions of emergency managers regarding the degree of emergency management professionalism in Mexico and how it can be improved. The disaster of the Mexico City earthquake of 1985 was used as the starting point for this case study, as the prospects for more-frequent and more-intense disasters lend credence to the need for improved professionalism and, thus, effectiveness among emergency managers in the future. An expansive framework of emergency management professionalism mechanisms (or characteristics) and an additional compilation of new public management components (or values) were devised from the extant literatures found within the respective emergency management and public administration fields. The theory advanced by this study is that by integrating new public management components with emergency management mechanisms, professionalism in Mexico will improve and, thus, emergency managers will become more effective. ualitative field research was the methodology employed and it included interviews with 35 emergency managers in Mexico in corroboration with documentary evidence, to ascertain emergency managers' perceptions of professionalism in Mexico. The findings of this study determined that emergency managers in Mexico are implementing many of the mechanisms of professionalism but fewer new public management components. This study posits that by integrating new public management components with emergency management professionalism mechanisms, professionalism in Mexico will improve and will increase emergency managers' effectiveness.

No description available.

Denna rapport beskriver framtagandet av Katastrofsjukhus, robustare fältsjukhus med förbättrad standard. Jämförelse görs mellan det framtagna Katastrofsjukhuset och uppblåsbara tältsjukhus samt standarden i svenska sjukhus. En färdig produkt finns ännu inte framtagen och rapporten lämnar en hel del lösa trådar, men är en bra grund för mer omfattande utveckling av konceptet och som en idéstudie till en vetenskaplig avhandling eller annan fortsatt forskning. Problemet med befintliga fältsjukhus är främst miljön i operationsavdelningen. Detta är något det lagts stor vikt vid och en strävan att uppnå svensk standard har genomsyrat hela processen. En annan viktig punkt vid framtagandet av Katastrofsjukhus har varit konstruktionens vikt, vilket är tältsjukhusens största fördel. Vikten är av stor betydelse vid både transport och uppbyggnad. Katastrofsjukhusets konstruktion utgår ifrån standardcontainrar för att skapa goda transportmöjligheter. Containrarna är en del av konstruktionen och de rymmer prefabricerade element som utgör Katastrofsjukhusets huvudmodul. Konstruktionen är dimensionerad för att klara kraftiga snö- och vindlaster. Trots detta har elementen gjorts så lätta att det är möjligt att bygga upp hela sjukhuset för hand. Dimensionering efter laster som verkar under en jordbävning har också beräknats redovisas inte i detta arbete då de ej är fullständiga. Utformningen av Katastrofsjukhuset har gjorts för att på bästa sätt fylla det stora behov som finns av sterila operationssalar, samtidigt som planlösningen är anpassningsbar för att Katastrofsjukhuset ska kunna erbjuda olika typer av vård. Rapporten ger även rekommendationer för fortsatt utveckling av Katastrofsjukhuset. / This report describes the development of Emergency Hospital, a robust field hospital with an improved standard. Comparison is made between the developed Emergency Hospital and inflatable tent hospitals and with the standard in Swedish hospitals. A completed product is not presented in this report and it leaves a lot of loose ends, but is a good basis for more extensive development of the concept and as a conceptual study of a scientific treatise, or other continued research. The problem with existing field hospitals is mainly the environment in the operating theater. This is something that has been a strong focus, and a desire to achieve the Swedish standard has permeated the entire process. Another important point in the development of Emergency Hospital has been the mass of the structure, which is the tent hospitals' greatest advantage. The weight is of great importance in both transportation and construction. The Emergency Hospital's design is based on standard containers to provide good transportation possibilities. The containers are a part of the design and they also contain all the prefabricated elements which create the Emergency Hospital's main module. The structure is dimensioned to handle heavy snow and wind loads. Nevertheless, the elements made ​​so light that it is possible to build up the hospital by hand. The design for loads acting during an earthquake has been calculated, but is not included in this report since they are not complete. The hospital has been designed to fill the large needs for sterile operating room, but at the same time the layout is adaptable for different types of care needs. The report also gives recommendations for further development of the Emergency Hospital.

This thesis w attempts to contribute to the identified gap in the disaster-conflict literature and posits the following research question: How does armed conflict affect DRR and disaster response, and what explains within conflict variations? Past research revealed that there is significant variation in types of rebel groups, which has significant consequences for disaster management. More nuanced approaches are needed in studying wartime political orders to scrutinize the dynamics of armed conflict and to assess the feasibility of DRR and relief interventions in different contexts. Studies suggest how militarily strong rebel organizations are less likely to inflict violence on civilians and are more likely to engage in wartime state-building; this thesis builds on that and examines how variations in wartime political orders, conditioned by the level of rebel territorial control, formal, informal institutions and relationships with the civilians and organizations affect the observed outcome, i.e. execution of disaster risk reduction and disaster relief programming. This theory is tested using the structured focused comparison method and takes an in depth look into two regions in Nepal during the 1996-2006 civil war across two distinct periods. Primary and secondary sources are used to collect and analyze data on the selected cases. Findings suggest that WPOs may  have a considerable impact on how DRR and relief are delivered during conflict; stronger rebel territorial control is positively correlated with DRR and relief, while lower levels of rebel territorial control were found to be  negatively correlated; these findings are  limited due to a number of data  constraints.

In this thesis, we explore three critical emergency logistics problems faced by healthcare and humanitarian relief service providers for short-term post-disaster management. In the first manuscript, we investigate various integration mechanisms (fully integrated horizontal-vertical, horizontal, and vertical resource sharing mechanisms) following a natural disaster for a multi-type whole blood-derived platelets, multi-patient logistics network. The goal is to reduce the amount of shortage and wastage of multi-blood-group of platelets in the response phase of relief logistics operations. To solve the logistics model for a large scale problem, we develop a hybrid exact solution approach involving an augmented epsilon-constraint and Lagrangian relaxation algorithms and demonstrate the model's applicability for a case study of an earthquake. Due to uncertainty in the number of injuries needing multi-type blood-derived platelets, we apply a robust optimization version of the proposed model which captures the expected performance of the system. The results show that the performance of the platelets logistics network under coordinated and integrated mechanisms better control the level of shortage and wastage compared with that of a non-integrated network. In the second manuscript, we propose a two-stage casualty evacuation model that involves routing of patients with different injury levels during wildfires. The first stage deals with field hospital selection and the second stage determines the number of patients that can be transferred to the selected hospitals or shelters via different routes of the evacuation network. The goal of this model is to reduce the evacuation response time, which ultimately increase the number of evacuated people from evacuation assembly points under limited time windows. To solve the model for large-scale problems, we develop a two-step meta-heuristic algorithm. To consider multiple sources of uncertainty, a flexible robust approach considering the worst-case and expected performance of the system simultaneously is applied to handle any realization of the uncertain parameters. The results show that the fully coordinated evacuation model in which the vehicles can freely pick up and off-board the patients at different locations and are allowed to start their next operations without being forced to return to the departure point (evacuation assembly points) outperforms the non-coordinated and non-integrated evacuation models in terms of number of evacuated patients. In the third manuscript, we propose an integrated transportation and hospital capacity model to optimize the assignment of relevant medical resources to multi-level-injury patients in the time of a MCI. We develop a finite-horizon MDP to efficiently allocate resources and hospital capacities to injured people in a dynamic fashion under limited time horizon. We solve this model using the linear programming approach to ADP, and by developing a two-phase heuristics based on column generation algorithm. The results show better policies can be derived for allocating limited resources (i.e., vehicles) and hospital capacities to the injured people compared with the benchmark. Each paper makes a worthwhile contribution to the humanitarian relief operations literature and can help relief and healthcare providers optimize resource and service logistics by applying the proposed integration and coordination mechanisms.

Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Technology: Public Management, Durban University of Technology, 2011. / Disasters have inflicted a heavy cost on human, materials and physical resources, and degradation to the environment. Furthermore, disasters have negative physical impacts (which include casualities and property damage) and social impacts (which include psych-osocial, socio-demographic, socioeconomic, and socio-political). A comprehensive review of the literature has revealed that the development of disaster management strategies must be undertaken before the event strikes. Moreover, disaster management requires effective community-based strategies which will include programmes and measures to prevent, prepare, mitigate and recover from the impacts of disasters. The purpose of the study is to contribute to the formulation of a robust disaster management framework and plan including the creation of a fully equipped disaster management centre within the eThekwini Municipality. Moreover, to enable the disaster management department within the eThekwini Municipality to function effectively and efficiently by applying new systematic strategies in disaster risk reduction. Futhermore, to add value to the body of knowledge in South Africa as there are limited number of research on disaster management, and to add value to policy, protmote investment and protect vulnerable communities by implementing disaster prevention, preparedness and mitigation. The research was undertaken at Foreman and Kennedy Road informal settlements located in Clare Estate within Ward 25. A disaster management survey was self-administered to the population size of 220 respondents from which 140 respondents completed the questionnaires thereby generating a response rate of 63.6%. Interveiws were also conducted amongst eThekwini Municipality officials dealing mainly with disaster reduction. The dimensions of the study are disaster preparedness, prevention, response, recovery and rehabilitation, financial implications and future expectations. The data was analysed using Statistical Packages for Social Scientists (SPSS). Associations between variables were determined using Pearson chi-square. This study presents the research findings on disaster management by using frequency iv tables, graphs and cross-tabulations tables which have been compiled for each question. Analysis of the data revealed significant differences between the biographical variables (age, gender, marital status, education, occupation, income, number of children, number of dependants, race and tenure) and the five dimensions (disaster preparedness, mitigation, response, recovery and rehabilitation, financial implications and future expectations) respectively. Interpretation of results indicated that there exists significant relationships amongst the key variables of the study relating to disaster management. This study contributes to various academic disciplines, local government and society at large as it suggests strategies and recommendations that may be implemented to overcome disaster management challenges and attain disaster risk reduction. The study recommends that eThekwini Municipality should comply with the Disaster Management Act 57 of 2002 which requires the establishment of a disaster management centre, disaster management framework and the plan. Furthermore, the study recommended that the council should develop a system to classify hazard mitigation strategies in terms of five categories which are hazard source control, community protection works, land-use practices, building construction practices and building contents protection. The study recommends that the eThekwini Municipality should recognise recovery period mitigation and incorporate this objective into recovery planning. On the financial implications aspect, the study recommends that eThekwini Municipality should provide financial assistance on the disaster management prevention and preparedness strategies.

Thesis (DPhil (Psychology))—University of Stellenbosch, 2008. / This study is located in the Joe Slovo informal settlement, Langa, Cape Town. This is a settlement much like many other townships in South Africa in that it is a disaster-prone, marginalised community. On the 15 January 2005 a fire ravaged the area, destroying 2 590 dwellings and leaving 12 950 people homeless. This qualitative study attempted to explore the personal perspectives of the survivors of this shack fire within the wider context of communal and socio-political variables. A number of interviews were conducted, some with the fire survivors, and others with service providers in the field of disaster management. Conservation of Resources (COR) theory was found to be a useful lens through which to analyse the data. The fire event itself is shown to have been a precipitant of a far longer and more complex chain of events and ongoing struggles for survival. Reactions to the fire and subsequent events, furthermore, must be understood at a number of levels – including at inter-personal and inter-group levels. The principles and corollaries of COR theory enable a deeper exploration of the disaster especially in terms of resource loss and the implications of survivors having been disadvantaged prior to the fire taking place. A number of pre-event issues are presented in order for this context to be fully understood. Two obstacles to community intervention are emphasised as key. First, the reality of what COR theory terms ‘communities within communities’ has implications for survivor behaviour. Second, the focus on the acute aftermath of the fire, and what COR theory terms the ‘avoidance of long-term needs’ is also crucial. COR theory facilitated the visibility of a link between the data and the use of space at an intergroup level. Despite the abolition of apartheid, segregation between groups in South Africa remains high. The current study made use of the social psychology of segregation to explore the inter-group conflict that emerged as the most salient and ongoing feature of this disaster. Although the current study is exploratory, it is hoped that it will encourage future research into the interface between space, inter-group relations and disaster.

Includes supplemental material. / Disaster relief operations, such as the 2005 Tsunami and Hurricane Katrina, and wartime operations, such as Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, have identified the need for a standardized command and control system interoperable among Joint, Coalition, and Interagency entities. The Systems Engineering Analysis Cohort 9 (SEA-9) Rapid Response Command and Control (R2C2) integrated project team completed a systems engineering (SE) process to address the military’s command and control capability gap. During the process, the R2C2 team conducted mission analysis, generated requirements, developed and modeled architectures, and analyzed and compared current operational systems versus the team’s R2C2 system. The R2C2 system provided a reachback capability to the Regional Combatant Commander’s (RCC) headquarters, a local communications network for situational assessments, and Internet access for civilian counterparts participating in Humanitarian Assistance/Disaster Relief operations. Because the team designed the R2C2 system to be modular, analysis concluded that the R2C2 system was the preferred method to provide the RCC with the required flexibility and scalability to deliver a rapidly deployable command and control capability to perform the range of military operations.