This dissertation examines the impacts of the tsunami of 2004 on economic development priorities in Nagapattinam, South India. By focusing on the manner in which the disaster was cast as an opportunity by the state and multilateral agencies, the unprecedented scale and ambiguous character of involvement by NGOs in reconstruction, and the distinction drawn between economic development and humanitarian aid in the constitution of a reconstruction agenda predicated on the relocation of artisanal fisher communities from the coast, this study demonstrates how post-disaster outcomes are increasingly being shaped by priorities tied to neoliberal globalization. At the same time the processes that unfold are also characterized by significant complexities particularly on account of efforts by affected populations to deploy various strategies to defend their interests, and substantive differences in the approach of NGOs. / text

Disasters occur within the routines of everyday life and have a disruptive and destructive impact on human lives. To understand how older individuals make sense of a disaster, nine older adults in Kaitaia, New Zealand were interviewed about their experience of a flood they experienced in July 2007. These interviews were conducted with four residents living in a rest home and five pensioners living independently who were evacuated from their homes. The two groups differed in the levels of support and assistance received before, during, and after the disaster. The rest home residents experienced little disruption and did not require relocation; the pensioners experienced major disruption and relocation. Thematic analysis was used to describe how these older adults’ accounted for their experiences of the flood. The narratives were influenced by the participants’ identity as either dependent rest home residents or pensioners living independently in the community. The analysis revealed that their accounts of the disaster were incorporated and integrated into the personal and social context of each person’s life story. Narrative themes that emerged from the analysis for the pensioner group were: coping with limited assistance, the importance of treasured possessions, and social support and community. The pensioner themes reflected their vulnerability to a disaster and the challenges they faced during the post disaster recovery phase. Themes for the rest home residents were ageing and dependency, and the importance of protection, care, and trust. These themes reflected the dependent world of the rest home residents and the security of being cared for.

Thesis (M. of Military Art and Science)--U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, 2007. / "A thesis presented to the Faculty of the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Military Art and Science, General Studies." Title from cover page of PDF file (viewed: May 29, 2008).

University, Diss.--Chicago, 2006. / Introduction-The scope of this book-Definitions of metaphor-The approach to metaphor in this book-Birth as event and metaphor in the ancient Near East-The sources-The experience of birth-The experience of birth becomes a metaphor-Birth as event and metaphor in the Hebrew Bible-Birth as an event in the Hebrew Bible-Birth as a metaphor in the Bebrew Bible-The biblical birth metaphor for cases of local crisis-War imagery and bad news-War imagery-Divine punishment imagery-The biblical birth metaphor for cases of universal crisis-Texts-The biblical birth metaphor for cases of personal crisis-Engulfment imagery-War imagery-Prophetic vision imagery-1QH XI, 1-18: the birth metaphor at Qumran-1QH XI, 1-18 within the corpus of the Hodayot-The identity of the mothers and the children in 1QH XI, 1-18-Interpreting 1QG XI, 1-18 in light of the birth metaphor-1QH XI, 1-18: personal and universal crisis.

Chaque année, plus de 400 catastrophes naturelles frappent le monde. Pour aider les populations touchées, les organisations humanitaires stockent par avance de l’aide d’urgence dans des entrepôts. Cette thèse propose des outils d’aide à la décision pour les aider à localiser et dimensionner ces entrepôts. Notre approche repose sur la construction de scénarios représentatifs. Un scénario représente la survenue d’une catastrophe dont on connaît l’épicentre, la gravité et la probabilité d’occurrence. Cette étape repose sur l’exploitation et l’analyse de bases de données des catastrophes passées. La seconde étape porte sur la propagation géographique de la catastrophe et détermine son impact sur la population des territoires touchés. Cet impact est fonction de la vulnérabilité et de la résilience du territoire. La vulnérabilité mesure la valeur attendue des dégâts alors que la résilience estime la capacité à résister au choc et à se rétablir rapidement. Les deux sont largement déterminées par des facteurs économiques et sociaux, soit structurels (géographie, PIB…) ou politiques (existence d’infrastructure d’aide, normes de construction…). Nous proposons par le biais d’analyses en composantes principales (ACP) d’identifier les facteurs influents de résilience et de vulnérabilité, puis d’estimer le nombre de victimes touchées à partir de ces facteurs. Souvent, les infrastructures (eau, télécommunication, électricité, voies de communication) sont détruits ou endommagés par la catastrophe (ex : Haïti en 2010). La dernière étape a pour objectif d’évaluer les impacts logistiques en ce qui concerne : les restrictions des capacités de transport existant et la destruction de tout ou partie des stocks d’urgence. La suite de l’étude porte sur la localisation et le dimensionnement du réseau d’entrepôt. Nos modèles présentent l’originalité de tenir compte de la dégradation des ressources et infrastructures suite due à la catastrophe (dimension résilience) et de chercher à optimiser le rapport entre les coûts engagés et le résultat obtenu (dimension efficience). Nous considérons d’abord un scénario unique. Le problème est une extension d’un problème de location classique. Puis, nous considérons un ensemble de scénarios probabilisés. Cette approche est indispensable à la considération du caractère très incertain des catastrophes humanitaires. L’ensemble de ces contributions a été confronté à la réalité des faits dans le cadre d’une application au cas des crises récurrentes du Pérou. Ces crises, essentiellement dues aux tremblements de terre et aux inondations (El Niño), imposent la constitution d’un réseau logistique de premiers secours qui soit résilient et efficient. / Every year, more than 400 natural disasters hit the world. To assist those affected populations, humanitarian organizations store in advance emergency aid in warehouses. This PhD thesis provides tools for support decisions on localization and sizing of humanitarian warehouses. Our approach is based on the design of representative and realistic scenarios. A scenario expresses some disasters’ occurrences for which epicenters are known, as well as their gravity and frequency. This step is based on the exploitation and analysis of databases of past disasters. The second step tackles about possible disaster’s propagation. The objective consists in determining their impact on population on each affected area. This impact depends on vulnerability and resilience of the territory. Vulnerability measures expected damage values meanwhile resilience estimates the ability to withstand some shock and recover quickly. Both are largely determined by social and economic factors, being structural (geography, GDP, etc.) or political (establishment or not relief infrastructure, presence and strict enforcement of construction standards, etc.). We propose through Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to identify, for each territory, influential factors of resilience and vulnerability and then estimate the number of victims concerned using these factors. Often, infrastructure (water, telecommunications, electricity, communication channels) are destroyed or damaged by the disaster (e.g. Haiti in 2010). The last step aims to assess the disaster logistics impact, specifically those related to with: transportation flows capacity limitations and destruction of all or part of emergency relief inventories. The following of our study focuses on location and allocation of a warehouses’ network. The proposed models have the originality to consider potential resources and infrastructure degradation after a disaster (resilience dimension) and seek optimizing the equilibrium between costs and results (effectiveness dimension). Initially we consider a single scenario. The problem is an extension of classical location studies. Then we consider a set of probable scenarios. This approach is essential due to the highly uncertain character of humanitarian disasters. All of these contributions have been tested and validated through a real application case: Peruvian recurrent disasters. These crises, mainly due to earthquakes and floods (El Niño), require establishment of a first aid logistics network that should be resilient and efficient.

Introdução: o Programa ATLS foi desenvolvido nos EUA na década de 70, visando estabelecer um método padronizado para avaliação e tratamento iniciais dos pacientes vítimas de trauma pelos médicos que trabalham nas unidades de emergência. Hoje, apesar do sucesso e de sua ampla disseminação internacional, os benefícios do Programa em relação à modificação dos índices de mortalidade das vítimas de trauma ainda não foram largamente comprovados. Objetivos: o objetivo deste estudo é avaliar a efetividade do Programa ATLS no atendimento do traumatizado em cidade de pequeno porte do Brasil, analisando seu impacto sobre os índices de mortalidade, sobre o tempo de internação e sobre a realização de determinados procedimentos diagnósticos e terapêuticos. Métodos: no período compreendido entre 01 de Janeiro de 2003 e 31 de Dezembro de 2005, foram analisados 240 pacientes, vítimas de trauma, atendidos em hospital universitário de cidade de pequeno porte no Brasil, com RTS \"Revised Trauma Score\" - Escore Revisado de Trauma <6,62, subdivididos em duas amostras: grupo pré-ATLS (120 pacientes) - quando não havia protocolo específico para atendimento ao trauma, e grupo pós-ATLS (120 pacientes) - após a implantação do programa. Resultados: Houve diferença estatisticamente significativa na mortalidade, com redução média de 17% no grupo pós-ATLS. Também foi constatado, no grupo pós-ATLS, aumento estatisticamente significativo da mortalidade após 24 horas da chegada do paciente ao hospital. Quanto ao tempo de internação, não houve diferença estatisticamente significativa entre os grupos. Conclusão: a implantação do programa ATLS reduziu o índice de mortalidade global atestando efetividade no atendimento ao trauma. / Introduction: the ATLS Program was developed in U.S.A. in the decade of 70, aiming to provide a standardized method for initial evaluation and management of the trauma patient for the doctors that work at the emergency room. Today, despite the success and of its ample international dissemination, the impact of the benefits of the Program on trauma care has not been wide scientifically proven. Objectives: the objective of this study is to analyze the effectiveness of the ATLS Program in the management of trauma patients in a small size city of Brasil, studying the real impact on the mortality index, the time of hospital stay and the accomplishment of determined diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. Methods: starting on January 01, 2003 and ending on December 31, 2005, 240 trauma victims were studied at the university hospital of a small size city of Brasil, with RTS (Revised Trauma Score) < 6.62, subdivided in two samples: group pre-ATLS (120 patients) - when there was no specific protocol for trauma care, and group post-ATLS (120 patients) - after the implementation of the program. Results: It had statistical significant difference in mortality, with average reduction of 17% in the group post-ATLS. Also it was evidenced, in the group after-ATLS, statistical significant increase of mortality after 24 hours of the arrival of the patient to the hospital. Concerning the length of hospital stay, there was no statistical significant difference between the groups. Conclusion: the implementation of the ATLS program reduced the index of global mortality certifying effectiveness in the management of the trauma patient.

En application de l'article 33 de la loi du 16 septembre 1807 relative au dessèchement des marais, la responsabilité du maintien et du contrôle de la bonne sécurité des digues relève du propriétaire de la digue. Au fil des ans, plusieurs textes sont venus préciser et renforcer les obligations en matière de gestion et d'entretien des digues contribuant au sentiment de sécurité que peuvent conférer ces ouvrages. Toutefois, alors qu’elles sont censées protéger les populations, les digues ont progressivement été qualifiées d’« ouvrages de danger » du fait du risque inhérent à leur rupture, conduisant à l’émergence d’un « risque digue » qui reconnaît juridiquement les limites des travaux de protection et de correction des cours d’eau et des rivages, et même leur contribution involontaire à la production de désastres. Les inondations et submersions marines qui sont survenues au cours des deux dernières décennies ont en effet illustré une importante situation de défaut d’entretien des digues sur l’ensemble du territoire métropolitain dont l’origine a pu être identifiée au travers d’une structure de la propriété des digues complexe, avec de multiples intervenants, l’absence pour de nombreux propriétaires riverains de volonté ou de moyens d’investir les sommes nécessaires pour la protection des digues, dont les enjeux dépassent souvent la protection de leurs biens et, en conséquence, pour pallier les carences des propriétaires de digues, une substitution des collectivités territoriales, sans que fût nécessairement mis en œuvre des moyens financiers suffisamment conséquents, et sans que celles-ci mesurent toujours à quel point elles engageaient leur responsabilité / In accordance with article 33 of the 16 september 1807 act relating to the draining of marshes, owners of dams are legally responsible for maintaining and monitoring the dams’ security. Various laws have clarified and strengthened the management and maintenance duty of dams over time to provide a sense of security. Despite the fact that the dams are built to protect people’s security, they have been considered as “hazardous structures” due to the potential risk of collapse. In addition, the legal concept of ‘dams disaster’ has emerged and been established, recognizing the limits of water proofing works as well as improvement and maintenance works and legally recognizing even unexpected disasters. Flooding and submersions occurred during last two decades demonstrated a significant lack of adequate maintenance for dams throughout the mainland France. The cause of lack of maintenance can be attributed to a complicated structure of ownership, which include many stakeholders and also to the owners’ unwillingness or lack of funding to make investments required for improvement and maintenance works. But, these stakes often go beyond the protection of their property. Furthermore, the responsibility of dam owners has been allocated to local authorities to offset deficiencies, but it was done so without preparing financial measures necessary for maintenance works and fully assessing the level of funds needed

The aim of this research was to understand what elements should be considered in the construction of a pre-disaster recovery plan in order to move society towards sustainability during post-disaster recovery after a natural hazard event. A conceptual framework for Pre-disaster recovery planning (Pre-DRP) based on the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development (FSSD) was developed and critiqued by professionals in disaster management, resilience thinking, and sustainability in order to collect qualitative data to make the tool more rigorous and applicable to its intended audience. The revised framework, called the Pre-Disaster Recovery Planning Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development (Pre-DRP FSSD), includes a broad set of principles, planning strategies and guidelines, specifically designed to help communities become more resilient to disasters and move towards sustainability through Pre-DRP. As such, the Pre-DRP FSSD may help emergency planners at various levels of government to implement some of the strategic guidelines set out in the Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015.

No description available.

The years 2010 and 2011 recorded a number of incidents of natural disasters around the globe. These disasters resulted in death, injuries and loss of family members. Children, a vulnerable group of persons, found themselves caught up in the chaos of the natural disasters. Some children lost family members, others became separated from their families and caregiver(s) as a result of the disaster, and those who were "alone" prior to the natural disasters became completely exposed to serious physical and psychological harm. Yet, every child has the right to a family. States have a duty to protect separated and unaccompanied children. Such protection involves prevention of separation, assessment of the child's situation, registration, documentation, family tracing, verification and reunification, emergency care arrangements, and permanent care arrangements. Based on the premise that every child has a right to grow up in a family environment this dissertation attempts to answer the question: How can separated children and unaccompanied children, in the African context, be protected in the event of natural disasters such that their right to a family is promoted and protected? In so doing, it presents an explanation of the concepts of separated children and unaccompanied children through investigation xii into the practical effects of separation on children. It also presents discussions on the concept "natural disasters" and some of the effects of natural disasters on separated children and unaccompanied children. There is an attempt at defining the concept "family" based on its internal and external constitution and function, and a consideration of the needs which a family should satisfy in a child. Familial rights enjoyed by children are presented and analysed as rights which exist under the canopy of the "right to a family". In line with the Interagency Guiding Principles, the different stages of protection in natural disasters are highlighted and particular attention is given to intercountry adoption and the implications of placing moratoriums on intercountry adoptions at different stages of the intercountry adoption process, following events of natural disasters. The study stresses the need to balance the importance of protecting the child with the need to provide the child with a permanent family. Copyright / Dissertation (LLM)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / Private Law / unrestricted