In order to more fully inform moves toward equity in emergency management (EM), this research seeks to describe a general landscape of professional Tribal EM, and in particular, to examine how Tribal emergency managers and Tribal Nations are situated in relation to the EM enterprise (EME), and how they are doing resilience in their Tribal Nations. The findings presented in this dissertation reflect efforts to explore and document Tribal emergency managers' descriptions of their work and their perceptions about its context as they seek to do resilience in their Tribes. Specifically, qualitative interviews were conducted with Tribal emergency managers whose Tribal Nations span the United States. Findings indicate that there is significant variation among Tribal nations in terms of EM structures and capacities; Tribal emergency managers engage in a wide array of activities to promote resilience in their communities; and Tribal EM is becoming increasingly professionalized. Importantly, however, the research also uncovered a paradox in which Tribal emergency managers, both implicitly and explicitly excluded from the EME in many ways, find themselves doing resilience in the context of an increasingly popular disaster resilience paradigm that both increasingly shifts the burden of resilience to the local level, and expands the range of tasks associated with successful resilience processes. The dissertation concludes by discussing conceptual and practical implications of the research as well as directions for future research in this area.

Responses to a web-based survey following Hurricane Katrina were evaluated. The 3,140 university student respondents were separated into impact groups based on evacuation experience: high-impact (student evacuated), moderate-impact (friend/family evacuated), and low-impact (neither student nor friends or family evacuated). Students’ responses to items evaluating service utilization, services desired, and psychological distress were examined by gender, race, and impact group. Female students rated services as more supportive, and reported a greater desire for services not provided by the university, compared to male students. Compared to Caucasian students, African American students viewed services as more supportive and desired services not already provided by the university. Students in the high-impact group scored higher than the other impact groups on measures assessing symptoms of psychological distress. Overall, the results may be used by universities and other organizations to implement future programs and policies for responding to natural disasters.

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Advancing the state of disaster operations planning has significant implications given the devastating impress of disasters. Operations management techniques have in the past been shown to advance disaster-planning efforts; in particular, much progress can be noted in its application in the advancement of short-term recovery operations such as humanitarian logistics. However, limited emphasis has been placed on the long-term development scope of disaster operations. This dissertation argues the need for a fundamental shift in the motivation of archetypal disaster planning models, from disaster planning modeled around the emergency of the disaster event, to that of the sustainability of the community. Consequently, the purpose of this study is to address three key issues in regard to sustainability in disaster operations and planning. The first study of this dissertation (Chapter 3) focuses on describing disaster operations management and planning in its current state, examining features unique to sustainability in this context, and finally developing a planning framework that advances community sustainability in the face of disasters. This framework is applied in the succeeding quantitative studies (Chapter 4 and Chapter 5). The second study in this dissertation (Chapter 4) extends the sustainable planning framework offered in Chapter 3, using mathematical models. In particular, the modeling contributions include the consideration of multiple possible disaster events of single disaster type expected in a longer-term decision horizon, under integrated disaster management planning that is geared towards sustainability. These models are assessed using a mono-hazard scenario generator. A pedagogical example based on Portsmouth, Virginia, is offered. The last study in this dissertation (Chapter 5) extends the application of quantitative models to account for the 'multi-hazards' paradigm. While Chapter 4 considered multi-event analysis, the study was limited to a mono-hazard nature (the consideration of only one type of hazard source). This study extends analytical models from mono-hazard to multi-hazard, the consideration of a range of likely hazards for a given community. This analysis is made more complex because of the dependencies inherent in multiple hazards, projects, and assets. A pedagogical example based on Mombasa, Kenya, is offered. / Ph. D.

By researching natural disaster displacement and the process in which we rebuild, I have found that by creating a modular prefabricate unit that is both cost efficient and easy to construct, we can significantly reduce the rebuild time, reduce people from leaving, as well as encourage new residents to move to the effected area. It is important as an architect and designer to use our skills to better help humanity. By focusing on the effects of Hurricane Harvey in the Houston Area, I have developed a unit design, and infrastructure plan that can be used universally around the world to help effected cities and people survive after a natural disaster. These findings are useful in the fact that the United State has no universal plan when dealing with disaster events. By creating a plan to provide single and multi family units, and incorporating them within close distance to necessary needs and infrastructure, this plan has the potential to reduce rebuild time, and encourage economy growth. / Master of Architecture / The value in which this thesis will bring to humanity is the implementation of a modular disaster relief structure that anyone can build. It will be able to be constructed in four days, by two people with no previous construction experience. Implementing this plan will help speed up the rebuild process after a natural disaster. This will create one universal unit and infrastructure implementation plan to provide residents of an affected are the resources needed to survive in the case of an event such as a hurricane or flooding.

The research report is submitted to the School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Witwatersrand, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Master of Public Health degree. Johannesburg March, 2014 / Introduction: This is the descriptive study of the socio demographic profile and other characteristics such as the burn injury details and socio economic characteristics of adult burn injury patients treated at Johannesburg Tertiary Hospitals (JTH) during the study period. Relevant stakeholders can use this information in the efforts to reduce preventable burn injuries. Method: Prospective study where all adult burn patients in the burns unit, trauma/surgical wards during the study period were eligible to participate in the study. The information was extracted from the medical files (such as hospital classification, date of birth (DOB), type of burn, type of management done to date etc), this was followed by an interview done by principal investigator only, using a questionnaire to gather the information on patients’ demographic details, socio economic information, income details and burn injury details. Descriptive statistics were used to define the profile of burn patients and other characteristics. Results: The results revealed the description and the profile of adult burn patients: a male (71%), African (94%), unmarried (70%), mean age of 35.6 years. He was most likely to have a secondary school qualification (62%), full time employed possible (51%) in the industrial sector, stays with 2-5 people in his household. He was likely to be originally from outside the Gauteng Province (58%). He sustained burns injuries of 10-29% TBSA, while at home (94%), from flames (68%). He remembered (92%), his activity prior to the burn incident and thought that the burn could have been prevented (82%). Conclusion: Burns injuries were reported to be preventable. The burn injury-prevention program should be targeted to males, in the working age groups, residing in one roomed dwelling or informal settlements. Patients with poor judgement, predisposing medical conditions such as epileptics, those that have modified their electricity supply and heat sources should be prioritised for burn injury-prevention programs.

M.P.H., Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, 2008. / Disasters are events that cause death, injury or disease, damage to property, damage to the environment and disrupt the life of the community. The majority of South Africa’s population lives in fragile and vulnerable conditions due to high levels of poverty, low standards of living and lack of access to resources. The risk of further disaster occurrences is increased by population growth outstripping available residential, agricultural, commercial and industrial development leading to occupation of “at risk” areas such as flood plains. Furthermore South Africa’s extensive coastline and proximity to shipping routes present various meteorological and marine threats. The Disaster Management Act, 2002 (No. 57 of 2002) was promulgated in January 2003 and seeks to focus on disaster risk reduction and prevention. Among other things, the Act requires every sphere of government to develop disaster management plans. It is not clear how much progress has been made by local government in Gauteng province in this regard. A cross-sectional descriptive survey was conducted to evaluate the disaster management function of municipalities in Gauteng province as at February 2008. The study aim was broken down into three study objectives; a) to determine the availability of disaster management plans; b) to determine the degree of compliance of each disaster management plan to the standard required by the Act and c) to determine the disaster management capacity of each municipality. A questionnaire was forwarded at least two weeks before Key informant interviews with designated disaster managers were conducted. Following each interview a physical site inspection of each Disaster Management Centre was carried out and assessed against a uniform check list. All six metropolitan and district municipalities were evaluated with no abstention. The key findings of the study were that; • 66.7% (four out of six municipalities) had approved disaster management plans. The remaining two had draft plans. All the plans were level 1 disaster management plans. • In terms of compliance of the disaster management plans, the municipalities scored between 65.6% - 84.4% with an overall average score for Gauteng province at 75%. • In terms of capacity to carry out their disaster management function; the municipalities ranged from 35.5% - 78% with the overall average for Gauteng province at 65.6%. Significantly Metsweding district municipality was the only municipality in Gauteng province without a Disaster Management Centre. The study made the following recommendations; • The National Disaster Management Centre and subsequently the Provincial Disaster Management Centre need to develop a Remedial plan of action with new time frames for the development of level 3 disaster management plans that are realistic. The Remedial plan of action should prioritize which objectives and Key Performance Indicators in the Disaster Risk Management Framework are deliverable in the immediate term, the medium term and over the long term. • The establishment of a Disaster Management Centre for Metsweding district municipality. This will require that the municipality engages with the Provincial and National Disaster management Centres about the allocation of a conditional grant to fund start up costs as provided for in the Disaster Risk Management Framework (Enabler 3 – funding arrangements). • The National and Provincial Disaster Management Centres need to provide guidelines on the standards/norms for the staffing requirements of a Disaster Management Centre as well as the physical infrastructure requirements of a Municipal Disaster Management Centre.

The price of industrial progress is the potential for exposure of an increasingly informed public to chemical hazards in the environment. Of particular concern are acute exposures to chemical incidents, where problematic health risk assessments have highlighted the lack of expertise and resources available to support public health professionals in Wales responsible for protecting the health of populations. A systematic literature review of chemical incident databases, public health surveillance systems and major chemical incidents worldwide was used to guide the development of the first active, multi-agency community-based public health surveillance system for acute chemical incidents to be undertaken in Europe. A total of 642 acute chemical incidents were reported in Wales from all sources over a three year period. Of the 270 incidents reported by the primary source, chemical spills were the most frequently reported type of incident (28%) and operational industrial sites the most common location (25%). Of the estimated 238,000 people exposed, 528 reported symptoms in a total of 57 incidents. A single chemical was implicated in 86% of the incidents. Shortfalls were identified in the current expertise and resources available to public health professionals in Wales, leading to the development of a public health management model for acute chemical incidents. Model development took place in the context of United Kingdom - wide initiatives and involved the conduct of structured interviews with 41 organisations with interests in the field. The model selected for Wales was implemented on 1 February 1997 and comprised three levels of operation: (a) accountability for the protection of public health vested in health authorities at the local level; (b) a subscription-based front-line advisory and support unit to those authorities; (c) and a centrally funded national co-ordinating centre to provide the necessary evidence-base through programmes of surveillance, training, and emergency planning.

Abstract Nurses constitute the largest group in the healthcare workforce and are called on to assist in emergencies such as disasters. Research has shown that professionals with higher levels of knowledge are more likely to respond to actual emergencies. Yet most hospital based nurses do not possess the skills needed for disaster response. The Basic Disaster Life Support (BDLS) course, with its comprehensive content, represents the gold standard for disaster education. Since confidence also plays a role in response, a tool to measure this variable could be useful. There were five purposes of this study: determine whether one teaching method (computer or classroom instructor-led) is superior over another for disaster education; evaluate how knowledge retention varies between instructional models; examine whether a correlation exists between self-efficacy and disaster knowledge; pilot a new instrument, Disaster Self-Efficacy Scale (DSES); complete psychometrics on the Basic Disaster Life Support exam. The study was an experimental pretest/posttest/follow-up with a single between-group factor (type of training with three levels) and three within-group factors measured at three intervals. The sample included 82 hospital-based nurses randomly assigned to a computer-based, instructor-led, or control group. A MANOVA and MANCOVA were conducted to evaluate group differences at three time intervals. Psychometric evaluation was conducted on both the BDLS and the piloted Disaster Self-Efficacy measures. The BDLS test was shown to be in need of revisions and updating. The DSES measure shows promise for determining disaster self-efficacy and may be useful to target training though it needs further validation. Learning results showed that when controlling for pretest differences, experimental groups had higher posttest BDLS and DSES scores than the control group but there was no difference between experimental groups. There was no difference between experimental groups for BDLS scores at follow-up. Conclusions were that training, regardless of how it was delivered, led to a dramatic increase in disaster knowledge and disaster self-efficacy; computer-based education is a feasible alternative to teaching BDLS; retention still poses a challenge for disaster education. Implications for nursing education and practice were identified. Future research should focus on further development and validation of the DSES and BDLS instruments.

Thesis (M.A.) -- University of Texas at Arlington, 2008.