Hurricane Katrina of 2005 was responsible for at least 81 billion dollars of property damage. In planning for such emergencies, society must decide whether to invest in the ability to evacuate more speedily or in improved forecasting technology to better predict the timing and intensity of the critical event. To address this need, we use dynamic programming and Markov processes to model the interaction between the emergency response system and the emergency forecasting system. Simulating changes in the speed of evacuation and in the accuracy of forecasting allows the determination of an optimal mix of these two investments. The model shows that the evacuation improvement and the forecast improvement give different patterns of impact to their benefit. In addition, it shows that the optimal investment decision changes by the budget and the feasible range of improvement.

With origins in the South Bronx area of New York in the early 1970s, hip-hop culture is now produced and consumed globally. While hip-hop activities can be varied, hip-hop is generally considered to have four forms or “elements”: DJing, MCing, b-boying/b-girling, and graffiti. Although all four elements of hip-hop have become a part of many youth work initiatives across the globe, public debate and controversy continue to surround hip-hop activities. Very little research and literature has explored the complexities involved in the assembling of hip-hop activities in youth work sites of practice using these hip-hop elements. This study attends to the gap in hip-hop and human service literature by tracing how hip-hop activities were assembled in several sites of youth work activity in Christchurch, New Zealand. Actor-network theory (ANT) is the methodological framework used to map the assemblage of hip-hop-youth work activities in this study. ANT follows how action is distributed across both human and non-human actors. By recognising the potential agency of “things”, this research traces the roles played by human actors, such as young people and youth workers, together with those of non-human actors such as funding documents, social media, clothing, and youth venue equipment. This ethnographic study provides rich descriptions or “snapshots” of some of the key socio-material practices that shaped the enactment of hip-hop-youth work activities. These are derived from fieldwork undertaken between October 2009 and December 2011, where participant observation took place across a range of sites of hip-hop-youth work activity. In addition to this fieldwork, formal interviews were undertaken with 22 participants, the majority being youth workers, young people, and youth trust administrators. The ANT framework reveals the complexity of the task of assembling hip-hop in youth work worlds. The thesis traces the work undertaken by both human and non-human actors in generating youth engagement in hip-hop-youth work activities. Young people’s hip-hop interests are shown to be varied, multiple, and continually evolving. It is also shown how generating youth interest in hip-hop-youth work activities involved overcoming young people’s indifference or lack of awareness of the hip-hop resources a youth trust had on offer. Furthermore, the study highlights where hip-hop activities were edited or “tinkered” with to avoid hip-hop “bads”. The thesis also unpacks how needed resources were enlisted, and how funders’ interests were translated into supporting hip-hop groups and activities. By tracing the range of actors mobilised to enact hip-hop-youth work activities, this research reveals how some youth trusts could avoid having to rely on obtaining government funds for their hip-hop activities. The thesis also includes an examination of one youth trust’s efforts to reconfigure its hip-hop activities after the earthquakes that struck Christchurch city in 2010 and 2011. Working both in and on the world, the text that is this thesis is also understood as an intervention. This study constitutes a deliberate attempt to strengthen understandings of hip-hop as a complex, multiple, and fluid entity. It therefore challenges traditional media and literature representations that simplify and thus either stigmatise or celebrate hip-hop. As such, this study opens up possibilities to consider the opportunities, as well as the complexities of assembling hip-hop in youth work sites of practice.

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This dissertation seeks to explore the association between natural disasters and neighborhood change and further to examine the differential impact of natural disasters on neighborhood change according to the disaster itself, the rehabilitation efforts of local jurisdictions, and the characteristics of the affected neighborhoods. Using the longitudinal model, it examines the shifts in neighborhood change trajectory before and after natural disaster for three indicators (home values, poverty rate and racial diversity). The results find that natural disasters have a significant impact on the trend of neighborhood change, reducing variation in the indicators within neighborhood. Home values and racial diversity of neighborhoods are likely to immediately decrease after natural disasters but not to shift in subsequent rate of change,while poverty rates are likely to instantly increase in the aftermath of the disasters and to annually decline over time. This dissertation also explores the differential effects on neighborhood change according to intensity of natural disaster, neighborhoods? average income and the location. The results of the analyses are like the following: 1) the neighborhoods which the more intense disasters hit are more likely to experience the rapid decline in home values and an instant increase in their poverty rates than those which the less intense disaster hit. On the other hand, the more intense natural disasters are more likely to increase neighborhoods? racial diversity than the less intense natural disasters, while natural disasters themselves are likely to decrease it. 2) natural disasters might have the more adverse impacts on low- and high-income neighborhoods than moderate-income neighborhoods and that the impacts on low-income neighborhoods are most severe. More importantly, the adverse impacts in low-income neighborhoods might be long lasting. 3)neighborhoods in suburban areas, compared to neighborhoods in the central cities, are likely to decrease in their home values after natural disasters and to increase in their poverty rates. Finally, the findings of this dissertation confirms its main arguments that a natural disaster affects the trend of neighborhood change and intervenes in the path of change over time and that natural disasters differentially shift neighborhoods according to their characteristics. Further it suggests that these neighborhood changes, once accelerated by a natural disaster, further polarize residential populations on a metropolitan neighborhood scale.

De senaste åren har det skett en nedprioritering av risk- och krisföreberedande arbete på kommunal nivå, främst gällande naturkatastrofer. En av anledningarna till detta är att de kommunala medlen prioriteras mot andra saker som exempelvis skola, vård och omsorg. Syftet med uppsatsen är att undersöka lärdomar och förmåga rörande hanteringen av naturkatastrofer på olika myndighetsnivåer i Sverige. Lärdomar studeras utifrån ett verkligt exempel: skogsbranden i Västmanland sommaren 2014. Huvudfokus för uppsatsen är att studera Uppsala kommuns förmåga att hantera en eventuell framtida naturkatastrof. För att undersöka syftet används två teoretiska modeller: Framgångsfaktorer för krishantering samt DROP-modellen. Framgångsfaktorerna används sedan för att se om lärdomar har inhämtats ur skogsbrandskatastrofen. Uppsala kommuns förmåga analyseras genom DROP-modellen, som delas in i ett antal steg. Den kommunala förmågan analyseras i varje steg i modellen för att diskutera om motståndskraft mot en eventuell naturkatastrof finns. Resultatet av undersökningarna visar att lärdomar kan inhämtas från skogsbrandsstudien, men det som är avgörande för om lärdom verkligen tas är om myndigheterna själva aktivt väljer att ta åt sig av erfarenheterna. Dock är det osäkert om Uppsala kommun har förmåga att klara en eventuell naturkatastrof, då det finns prioriterings- och tolkningsproblematik i det beredskapsförebyggande arbetet.

Natural disasters are becoming more common due to climate change and it is important to adapt the society and its infrastructure to withstand events such as extreme rainfall. Precipitation is an important climatic factor affecting the transport and annually generates the cost of millions in damages, over the past 40 years heavy rain has increased and will continue to increase in the future. The extreme rainfall that occurred in Kramfors municipality in September 2013 led to flooding and destroyed several roads, including highway 90, which recently both had been rebuilt and given a new stretch of road. Extreme rainfall had also occurred in the municipality earlier.   The aim of the thesis was to examine how the Swedish Transport Administration handles new knowledge gained after natural disasters and how this is used in the planning of new roads. From the aim of the study a case study was used as a method. Information was sought from reports, official documents and government investigations in order to see how the Swedish Transport Administration’s work looks like and to find studies about the incident on highway 90. There were also conducted interviews with informants within the Swedish Transport Administration to find out how the planning and investigation of roads looks like, and to get information about the work of national highway 90. Within the Swedish Transport Administration lessons are learned from natural disasters and events in the past, but learning is mainly individual - based and internally. There is no system in the Swedish Transport Administration to manage new information or collect past experiences. New knowledge and new conditions are used in the investigation and planning of roads, but depends on which people work with those. The planning of highway 90 follows the regulations and plans to be followed, but with additional information on past events and climate adaptation in those, the damages caused by the extreme rain on highway 90 could perhaps have been avoided. / Naturolyckor blir allt vanligare i samband med klimatförändringar och det är viktigt att anpassa samhället och dess infrastruktur för att motstå händelser som exempelvis skyfall. Nederbörd är en viktig klimatfaktor som påverkar transportsystemet och som årligen genererar i miljonbelopp i form av skador. Under de senaste 40 åren har andelen skyfall ökat och det kommer att öka mer i framtiden. Skyfallet som drabbade Kramfors kommun i september 2013 medförde översvämningar och flera förstörda vägar. Bland annat skadades riksväg 90 som nyligen både byggts om och fått en ny vägsträcka. Skyfall har också tidigare inträffat i kommunen.   Syftet med examensarbetet var att undersöka hur man på Trafikverket hanterar ny kunskap som man fått efter att naturolyckor inträffat och hur man använder denna vid planering av nya vägar. Utifrån syftet valdes fallstudien som metod. Information söktes från rapporter, myndighetsdokument och statliga utredningar för att kunna se hur Trafikverkets arbete ser ut och för att hitta utredningar runt händelsen på riksväg 90. Vidare utfördes intervjuer med informanter inom Trafikverket för att ta reda på hur arbetet med planering och utredning av vägar ser ut, samt för att få information runt arbetet med riksväg 90.   Inom Trafikverket dras lärdom av naturolyckor och tidigare händelser, men lärandet är främst personbaserat och internt. Det finns inget system inom Trafikverket för att hantera ny kunskap eller samla in tidigare erfarenheter. Ny kunskap och nya förutsättningar används vid utredning och planering av vägar, men det påverkas av vilka personer som genomför dessa. Planeringen av riksväg 90 gjordes i enighet med de regelverk och planer som ska följas, men med ytterligare information om tidigare händelser och klimatanpassning i dessa hade kanske de skadorna som uppkom vid skyfallet på riksväg 90 kunnat undvikas.

Post-disaster displacement, with the increasing frequency and intensity of natural disasters, is quickly arising to become one of the most serious humanitarian challenges in the 21st century. As post-disaster housing spans several phases, the transitional housing phase is equally crucial as emergency sheltering and permanent housing: as dwellers remain in transitional housing projects up to years, their physical and emotional wellbeing is directly influenced by their surrounding built environment. Existing literature and practice have not paid enough attention to the built structures of post-disaster transitional housing. This thesis revisits past practices world-wide and architectural theory in the 20th century. Arguing that current transitional-housing design methodology is still deeply rooted in early 20th century Modernist ideologies, this thesis ties the missing link between architectural theory and humanitarian built environment design. Through examining theories and case studies, this thesis stresses the importance of approaching post-disaster transitional housing through the lens of architectural design, and makes suggestions for future improvements.

La région de l’IGAD est particulièrement concernée par les catastrophes naturelles qui sont à l’origine d’importants dégâts humains et économiques. Parallèlement, les pays de l’IGAD figurent parmi les plus pauvres de la planète même si l’on observe de fortes disparités. Le lien entre niveau de richesse, processus de développement et catastrophes naturelles a été peu étudié dans ce contexte. La thèse vise d’abord à développer des méthodes et outils d’analyse pour évaluer les causes et les remédiations possibles des catastrophes naturelles. La recherche se fonde d’abord sur une base de données recensant les impacts des catastrophes naturelles dans cette région. Cette base de données, dénommée BDCanaca, a permis de constater l’existence des disparités spatiotemporelles des dommages des catastrophes naturelles à l’échelle régionale et nationale. La forte vulnérabilité de la région face aux catastrophes naturelles s’explique par l’ampleur des contraintes socio-économiques et politiques notamment les conflits intra ou interétatiques qui ont secoué cette région au cours des dernières décennies. Ensuite, à une échelle locale, la réalisation d’un diagnostic visuel du bâti complété par des enquêtes de terrain a permis d’estimer le niveau de vulnérabilité des ménages installés à proximité des oueds. L’occupation croissante des zones exposées par des populations vulnérables est le principal facteur de production du risque. Afin de limiter les conséquences des catastrophes naturelles, un panel des mesures et des politiques de gestion des risques a été adopté par les États de la région qui figurent parmi les premiers du continent à se doter des structures chargées de la gestion des effets des catastrophes naturelles. Mais ces structures n’ont pas toujours les moyens de mettre en œuvre des politiques efficaces qui gagneraient à intégrer et accompagner les stratégies d’adaptation développées par les populations des régions affectées. / The IGAD region is particularly affected by natural disasters which have caused significant human and economic damages. Despites disparities, IGAD countries are among the poorest in the world. The link between wealth level, development process and natural disasters has been little studied in this context. The main aim of this thesis is to develop methods and tools of analysis to assess the causes and possible remedies of natural disasters. This research is mainly based on a database called BDCanaca which lists natural disasters’ impacts in this region. The data from this database revealed the existence of spatiotemporal disparities in natural disaster damage at regional and national scales as well. The high vulnerability of the region to natural disasters is due to the extent of socio-economic and demographic constraints. It has also shown the heterogeneity of existing sources and the inaccuracy of natural disaster balances. The intrastate or interstate conflicts that have rocked this region over the last decades are factors that explain the enormity of the impacts of natural disasters and therefore its level of vulnerability. The increasing occupation of vulnerable areas by poor populations is the main risk factor. In order to curb the natural disasters’ consequences, a panel of risk management measures and policies has been implemented by the region's states, which are among the first in the continent to procure themselves with managing body to follow up with natural disasters’ effects. But these structures do not always have the means to implement effective policies that would benefit from integrating and supporting the adaptation strategies developed by the populations from affected regions.

The current thesis approaches the issue of using social media for the case of Bosnia and Herzegovina for the recurring flood crisis events. The current status of using and interacting with social media , through studying the literature of the previous facts and results towards using social media by governmental and public representatives have been investigated. Different experiences were found related to countries that are experiencing flood events and their uses of social media. On the other hand it was found that little or no information were presented for the uses of social media for crises events in Bosnia and Herzegovina case. It was found that the reasons for not having current implementation of a solution is related to the complex governmental structure that are present in the Bosnian state government, entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brčko District, cantons and regions. Further investigations were initiated to identify the current uses, needs and obstacles towards the use of social media tools and services as a medium for increasing situational awareness and communication in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The considerations of the previous investigation were with respect to governmental complex structure and public needs. The results of the investigation managed to outline the current challenges with respect for each investigated sector. The outputs of the previous investigations have been used as inputs to direct and guide the system design of the proposed new system framework that is aiming for enhancing situational awareness and communication during flood crisis events using social media framework. The system design and functionalities have focused on providing sharing environment for the complex government structure and public needs with a direct focus on not distracting the current used structure and public ethnical segregations. The system framework has been tested and the reflection of governmental attitude and public results has been encouraging towards adopting this framework for future flood events in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

En las últimas décadas, los investigadores han debatido sobre la representación tradicional de la administración española durante el siglo XVII como ineficaz e impotente. Algunos de ellos argumentan que el régimen del último rey Habsburgo fue decadente e ineficaz. En contraposición a esta imagen,los administradores reales de Lima, capital del Virreinato del Perú, mostraron una gran capacidad de organización y manejo de la crisis después de queun intenso terremoto y posterior tsunami azotaron la ciudad y su puerto en1687. En medio del caos y la destrucción causada por este desastre natural,el virrey y los miembros del cabildo de la ciudad fueron capaces de usar loslimitados recursos disponibles y de atender las crecientes demandas materiales y espirituales de la población de Lima.