Thesis (MSc (Geography and Environmental Studies))--Stellenbosch University, 2008. / The climate of southern Africa varies greatly spatially and temporally. Tyson‟s (1987) examination of long-term rainfall records has shown an 18-year cyclical pattern of wet spells alternating with dry spells. Recurrent droughts are thus a feature of southern Africa‟s climate. Although climate change resulting from global warming could intensify future droughts, current predictions of regional climate change are unreliable. This study evaluates the nature, adequacy and effectiveness of Zimbabwe‟s drought policy in reducing the vulnerability of rural communities to the impact of drought. The objectives of the study are to explore the different meanings of the concept of drought; to explain the relevant concepts and frameworks of the hazard assessment and management discipline; to describe the current status of disaster management in general and drought in particular; to identify the mechanisms used by small-scale farmers in Sontala ward for coping with drought; and to evaluate the adequacy and effectiveness of Zimbabwe‟s drought policy in reducing the vulnerability of rural communities to drought impacts. A qualitative approach was used which involved analysis of government documents and academic literature. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with government officials at provincial level and small-scale farmers at ward level in Matabeleland South province. The data collection exercise was, however, constrained by the current political instability in the country. The study established that the Civil Protection Act No 10:06 of 1989, complemented by relevant sections of other laws, provides a legal framework for disaster management. The Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and Urban Development has a coordinating role. Coordinating committees at national, provincial and district level formulate disasterresponse plans to be activated when a disaster occurs. The Civil Protection System uses existing government, private and non-governmental organizations whose regular activities contain elements of disaster risk prevention and community development. The enactment of the Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Management Act will remove some of the shortcomings of the Civil Protection System.

Selon le rapport annuel de la croix rouge et du croissant rouge pour l’année 2006, le nombre de catastrophes, d’origine naturelle et humaine, a augmenté ces dernières décennies dans des proportions importantes. Ces catastrophes engendrent souvent un nombre de victimes important nécessitant des interventions urgentes. Face à une telle situation, les moyens sanitaires classiques et de routines se trouvent souvent dépassés, et par conséquent inefficaces pour absorber cet afflux massif de victimes. Ainsi, la mise en œuvre d’un système de gestion hospitalier conditionné par une optimisation des différentes ressources médicales est indispensable pour sauver le maximum de vies humaines. Dans ce contexte, nous proposons dans cette thèse, d’étudier le problème d’optimisation des ressources humaines et matérielles critiques à savoir, les chirurgiens et les salles opératoires en situation de crise. L’objectif est de traiter le maximum de victimes, autrement dit sauver le maximum de vies humaines. Notre étude comprend deux niveaux : (1) un niveau préparatoire qui consiste à dimensionner les ressources dans le cadre des exercices de simulation du plan blanc, et (2) un niveau opérationnel permettant d’optimiser l’ordonnancement des interventions dans les salles opératoires. Aussi, nous étudions l’impact de la mutualisation des ressources sur le nombre de victimes traitées. L’un des défis posés à la programmation opératoire en situation d’exception est l’aptitude à faire face aux perturbations. Dans ce cadre, nous abordons le problème réactif d’optimisation de l’ordonnancement des interventions dans les salles opératoires. Nous considérons diverses perturbations possibles telles : une durée opératoire qui dépasse la durée estimée, l’insertion d’une nouvelle victime dans le programme opératoire, et l’évolution du degré d’urgence d’une victime. Cette thèse est menée avec la collaboration de plusieurs structures sanitaires publiques en France et en Tunisie. Les résultats expérimentaux mettent en exergue l’apport de ces approches pour l’aide à la décision. / Disaster like terrorist attack, earthquake, and hurricane, often cause a high degree of damage. Thousands of people might be affected. The 2006’s annual report of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies proves that the number of disasters increased during these last decades. In such situations, hospitals must be able to receive injured persons for medical and surgical treatments. For these reasons medical resources optimization of different is fundamental in human life save.In this context, we propose in this thesis, to study the optimization of human and material resources in relation with hospital management. We focus more precisely on critical resources: operating rooms and surgeons. The goal is to handle the maximum of victims and then to save the maximum of human lives. Our research consists of two phases: (1) Sizing critical resources during the preparedness phase of disaster management plan so called white plan. (2) Operational phase that provides the optimization of surgical acts scheduling in the operating rooms. Also, we study the impact of sharing resources on the number of treated victims. A disaster situation is characterized by different disruptions. In this setting, we approach a reactive problem for optimization of surgical acts scheduling in the operating rooms. We consider various possible disruptions: the overflow of assessed surgical care duration, the insertion of a new victim in the scheduling program, and the evolution of victim’s emergency level.This work is achieved with the collaboration of several public health institutions (hospitals, ministry, etc.) both in France and Tunisia. Empirical study shows that a substantial aid is proposed by using the proposed approaches.

This study seeks to provide a brief overview of academic standards and performance of veterans of the United States military and civilians who attend the University of Central Florida. Whether a student is a veteran or a civilian, he or she must learn how to adapt to the requirements of an academic community in order to be successful in that environment. It may be difficult for some. In able for society to discern the importance of the academic performance of both veterans and civilians alike, research is vital. There are various assumptions about veterans. For example, it can be assumed vets do not know how to adapt after leaving the military. It is important to demonstrate that most military veterans are very good at adapting and overcoming stressful situations. Time is evident for adaptability for some. As veterans re-enter society, most make clear and decisive decisions as to the life they desire to have. The modus operandi of veterans is intrinsic as it pertains to an academic setting. This research compares the academic success of both veterans and civilians at the University of Central Florida to begin this conversation. While there has been some research conducted on this topic, there seem to be various ecological fallacies pertaining to conclusions of the research that has been conducted. Academic performance needs to be researched further as well as the effects of standards regarding the performance of veterans and civilians in an academic setting.

The concept of peacebuilding holds enormous importance for international relations, particularly in regions facing impending violent conflict and those recovering from such conflict. However, in order for peacebuilding to be a viable alternative to traditional peace operations, scholars and practitioners need to have a shared understanding of what peacebuilding is and what goals it hopes to achieve, in addition to fluid strategies for implementation. This dissertation seeks to identify strategies for building sustainable peace through sustainable community development and democratization. Using a qualitative metasynthesis of five ethnographies conducted in Chiapas Mexico, this dissertation develops mid-range theories, or strategies, for building peace in Chiapas and in regions experiencing low-intensity conflict more generally. These strategies are based upon the development of Pluriethnic collective governance at the local level in regions that are experiencing low-intensity conflict related to indigenous communities. / Ph. D.

One of the great challenges facing human systems today is how to prepare for, manage, and adapt successfully to the profound and rapid changes wreaked by disasters. Wellington, New Zealand, is a capital city at significant risk of devastating earthquake and tsunami, potentially requiring mass evacuations with little or short notice. Subsequent hardship and suffering due to widespread property damage and infrastructure failure could cause large areas of the Wellington Region to become uninhabitable for weeks to months. Previous research has shown that positive health and well-being are associated with disaster-resilient outcomes. Preventing adverse outcomes before disaster strikes, through developing strengths-based skill sets in health-protective attitudes and behaviours, is increasingly advocated in disaster research, practise, and management. This study hypothesised that well-being constructs involving an affective heuristic play vital roles in pathways to resilience as proximal determinants of health-protective behaviours. Specifically, this study examined the importance of health-related quality of life and subjective well-being in motivating evacuation preparedness, measured in a community sample (n=695) drawn from the general adult population of Wellington’s isolated eastern suburbs. Using a quantitative epidemiological approach, the study measured the prevalence of key quality of life indicators (physical and mental health, emotional well-being or “Sense of Coherence”, spiritual well-being, social well-being, and life satisfaction) using validated psychometric scales; analysed the strengths of association between these indicators and the level of evacuation preparedness at categorical and continuous levels of measurement; and tested the predictive power of the model to explain the variance in evacuation preparedness activity. This is the first study known to examine multi-dimensional positive health and global well-being as resilient processes for engaging in evacuation preparedness behaviour. A cross-sectional study design and quantitative survey were used to collect self-report data on the study variables; a postal questionnaire was fielded between November 2008 and March 2009 to a sampling frame developed through multi-stage cluster randomisation. The survey response rate was 28.5%, yielding a margin of error of +/- 3.8% with 95% confidence and 80% statistical power to detect a true correlation coefficient of 0.11 or greater. In addition to the primary study variables, data were collected on demographic and ancillary variables relating to contextual factors in the physical environment (risk perception of physical and personal vulnerability to disaster) and the social environment (through the construct of self-determination), and other measures of disaster preparedness. These data are reserved for future analyses. Results of correlational and regression analyses for the primary study variables show that Wellingtonians are highly individualistic in how their well-being influences their preparedness, and a majority are taking inadequate action to build their resilience to future disaster from earthquake- or tsunami-triggered evacuation. At a population level, the conceptual multi-dimensional model of health-related quality of life and global well-being tested in this study shows a positive association with evacuation preparedness at statistically significant levels. However, it must be emphasised that the strength of this relationship is weak, accounting for only 5-7% of the variability in evacuation preparedness. No single dimension of health-related quality of life or well-being stands out as a strong predictor of preparedness. The strongest associations for preparedness are in a positive direction for spiritual well-being, emotional well-being, and life satisfaction; all involve a sense of existential meaningfulness. Spiritual well-being is the only quality of life variable making a statistically significant unique contribution to explaining the variance observed in the regression models. Physical health status is weakly associated with preparedness in a negative direction at a continuous level of measurement. No association was found at statistically significant levels for mental health status and social well-being. These findings indicate that engaging in evacuation preparedness is a very complex, holistic, yet individualised decision-making process, and likely involves highly subjective considerations for what is personally relevant. Gender is not a factor. Those 18-24 years of age are least likely to prepare and evacuation preparedness increases with age. Multidimensional health and global well-being are important constructs to consider in disaster resilience for both pre-event and post-event timeframes. This work indicates a need for promoting self-management of risk and building resilience by incorporating a sense of personal meaning and importance into preparedness actions, and for future research into further understanding preparedness motivations.

Außergewöhnliche Schadensereignisse und Katastrophen zeichnen sich durch eine zunehmende Häufigkeit und Komplexität aus. Dabei können Extremereignisse nur durch eine koordinierte Zusammenarbeit von verschiedenen im Katastrophenschutz mitwirkenden Einsatzorganisationen und Behörden erfolgreich bewältigt werden. Zur Stärkung der Resilienz im Katastrophenschutz bedarf es folglich regelmäßiger interdisziplinärer Simulationstrainings. In der vorliegenden Arbeit befasst sich die Autorin mit dem Netzwerklernen von Behörden und Organisationen mit Sicherheitsaufgaben (BOS) im Rahmen von simulationsgestützten Einsatztrainings. Aus systemtheoretischer Sicht werden die übergreifenden Fragestellungen untersucht, welchen Beitrag Katastrophenschutzübungen zum Netzwerklernen von BOS leisten und wie dieses Netzwerklernen beschrieben werden kann. Zur Beantwortung der Forschungsfragen wurde eine Katastrophenschutzübung wissenschaftlich begleitet. Unter Verwendung von komplementären Methoden und Verfahren der empirischen Sozialforschung konnte eine schwache Verdichtung des kollektiven Wissenssystems nachgewiesen werden. Ebenso konnten die Phasen und Einflussfaktoren von Netzwerklernen detailliert rekonstruiert bzw. beschrieben werden. Die Erkenntnisse liefern Anknüpfungspunkte für die Erhöhung des Lern-Werts von Katastrophenschutzübungen sowie für weitere Forschungsarbeiten.:1 Einleitung 2 Theoretische Grundlagen der Katastrophenforschung 3 Theoretisches Vorverständnis für die Herleitung des Bezugsrahmens 4 Forschungsmodell und Arbeitshypothesen 5 Empirische Untersuchung 6 Zusammenfassung und Ausblick / Unexpected extreme events are characterized by increasing frequency and complexity. In this context, extreme events can only be successfully managed through coordinated cooperation between various emergency response organizations and agencies involved in disaster management. Consequently, regular interdisciplinary simulation-based response training is needed to strengthen resilience in disaster management. In this paper, the author deals with the network learning of agencies and organizations with security tasks from emergency response exercises. From a systems theory perspective, the overarching questions of what contribution disaster response exercises make to network learning of the actors participating in the network and how this network learning can be described are investigated. To answer the research questions, a simulation-based disaster response exercise was scientifically accompanied. Using complementary methods and procedures of empirical social research, a weak condensation of the collective knowledge system could be demonstrated. Likewise, the phases and influencing factors of network learning could be reconstructed or described in detail. The findings provide starting points for increasing the learning value of disaster management exercises as well as for further research.:1 Einleitung 2 Theoretische Grundlagen der Katastrophenforschung 3 Theoretisches Vorverständnis für die Herleitung des Bezugsrahmens 4 Forschungsmodell und Arbeitshypothesen 5 Empirische Untersuchung 6 Zusammenfassung und Ausblick

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / In 2008, grassroots NGOs formed 13 alliances in response to the need for emergency relief and post-disaster recovery after the Sichuan Earthquake that occurred in West China and killed approximately 87,000 people. These alliances served to raise and deliver relief materials, train and supervise volunteers, promote information sharing, and assist victims with mental health and livelihood recovery. However, all alliances were terminated within less than four years. Although plenty of scholarship discusses how corporate alliances evolve or fail, few studies focus on interorganizational collaboration among nonprofits. To explore how NGOs developed collective actions in China’s adverse sociopolitical environment, the author performed three years of observation in four coalitions and interviewed 60 alliance leaders, employees, and volunteers. This paper identifies four types of termination these NGO alliances experienced: three of them failed at their very births, five self-disbanded shortly after the end of emergency aid, three dissolved due to failed institutionalization, and the remaining two evolved into independent organizations. Tracking their life cycles, this study finds four main factors accountable for their terminations: political pressure, funding shortage, short-term orientation, and leadership failure. In particular, the repressive NGO regulation regime and limited funding sources fundamentally restricted all alliances’ capacity and sustainability. Further, the transient nature of disaster relief efforts and the conflict between disaster management and planned work areas contributed to the short-term orientation among alliance members and, thus, led to the closure of some alliances shortly after they provided emergency relief. In addition, though generally exempt from internal rivalry that often undermines inter-firm partnerships, NGO alliances of all types were confronted with leadership challenges—partner misfits concerning resources, strategy, and mission; flawed governing structures, and undesired individual leadership. The four factors interplayed and led to alliance dissolution through different combinations. The paper points out that, in addition to environmental uncertainty, leadership failure has become a major challenge for nonprofit collaborations.

To effectively prevent and mitigate the outbreak of natural disasters is a more pressing issue in the twenty-first century than ever before. The frequency and cost of natural disasters is rising globally, most especially in developing countries where the most severe effects of climate change are felt. However, while climate change is indeed a strong force impacting the severity of contemporary catastrophes, it is not directly responsible for the exorbitant cost of the damage and suffering incurred from natural disasters -- both financially and in terms of human life. Rather, the true root causes of natural disasters lie within the power systems at play in any given society when these regions come into contact with a hazard event. Historic processes of isolation, oppression, and exploitation, combined with contemporary international power systems, interact in complex ways to affect different socioeconomic classes distinctly. The result is to create vulnerability and scarcity among the most defenseless communities. These processes affect a society’s ideological orientation and their cultural norms, empowering some while isolating others. When the resulting dynamic socio-political pressures and root causes come into contact with a natural hazard, a disaster is likely to follow due to the high vulnerability of certain groups and their inability to adapt as conditions change. In this light, the following discussion exposes the anthropogenic roots of natural disasters by conducting a detailed case analysis of natural disasters in Haiti, Ethiopia, and Nepal.