Proposed evacuation safety index (ESI) for school buildings

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 309-328
Author(s):  
Jan Mae Nigos Cariño ◽  
Lessandro Estelito O. Garciano
Keyword(s):  
School Children ◽  
Disaster Preparedness ◽  
Disaster Response ◽  
Automata Theory ◽  
Quantitative Risk Assessment ◽  
Safety Index ◽  
Evacuation Time ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Evacuation Model ◽  
Evacuation Safety

Purpose Schools are vulnerable to strong-magnitude earthquakes. The purpose of this study is to develop a seismic evacuation safety index (ESI) to assess school’s safety as a function of the following parameters: means of egress, disaster preparedness and disaster response. Moreover, the study aims to simulate and study an evacuation model to estimate evacuation time for a realistic understanding of the evacuation processes. Design/methodology/approach The paper used a semi-quantitative risk assessment method in developing the ESI. This was used to evaluate schools and classify them according to their level of evacuation safety. To estimate the evacuation time of each school, cellular automata theory and static floor field were used. Findings The paper provides primary school stakeholders important parameters that they should consider in preparing pre-disaster plans to ensure safe evacuation of school children. Research limitations/implications ESI focuses only on the means of egress, disaster preparedness and disaster response as the contributing factors. The structural conditions of each school building and assessment of non-structural elements are not considered. Practical implications The ESI and the evacuation model can be used as a basis for evacuation planning and decision-making. This can help building owners and administrators in strengthening their disaster risk management plan by enforcing mitigating measures. Originality/value ESI is an original idea and fills the gap regarding the safe evacuation of school children especially during a major seismic event.

Applied improvisation training for disaster readiness and response

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-94 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara S. Tint ◽  
Viv McWaters ◽  
Raymond van Driel
Keyword(s):  
Disaster Preparedness ◽  
Disaster Response ◽  
Humanitarian Aid ◽  
Training Methods ◽  
Aid Workers ◽  
Current Standard ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Case Examples ◽  
Crisis Scenarios ◽  
The Impact

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to introduce applied improvisation (AI) as a tool for training humanitarian aid workers. AI incorporates principles and practices from improvisational theatre into facilitation and training. It is an excellent modality for training aid workers to deal with crisis and disaster scenarios where decision-making and collaboration under pressure are critical. Design/methodology/approach – This paper provides a theoretical base for understanding skills needed in disaster response and provides a case for innovative training that goes beyond the current standard. AI principles, activities and case examples are provided. Interviews with development experts who have participated in AI training are excerpted to reveal the impact and promise of this methodology. Findings – Different from typical training and games, which simulate potential crisis scenarios, AI works with participants in developing the skills necessary for success in disaster situations. The benefit is that workers are better prepared for the unexpected and unknown when they encounter it. Research limitations/implications – The current paper is based on author observation, experience and participant interviews. While AI is consistently transformative and successful, it would benefit from more rigorous and structured research to ground the findings more deeply in larger evidence based processes. Practical implications – The authors offer specific activities, resources for many others and practical application of this modality for training purposes. Social implications – Its application has tremendous benefits in training for specific skills, in creating greater cohesion and satisfaction in work units and breaking down culture and language barriers. Originality/value – This work is original in introducing these training methods to humanitarian aid contexts in general, and disaster preparedness and response in particular.

scholarly journals Enhancing disaster preparedness of specialty nurses on a national scale

2016 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 11-26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marion L. Mitchell ◽  
Loretta McKinnon ◽  
Leanne M Aitken ◽  
Sarah Weber ◽  
Sean Birgan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Disaster Preparedness ◽  
Disaster Response ◽  
Clinical Group ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Executive Staff ◽  
Response Team ◽  
Tertiary Hospitals ◽  
Specialist Nurses ◽  
National Disaster ◽  
Disaster Exercise

Purpose – The number of disasters has increased by 30 per cent worldwide in the past 30 years. Nurses constitute the largest clinical group within a hospital and their ability to respond to disasters is crucial to the provision of quality patient care. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate a four-year disaster preparedness partnership between two tertiary hospitals from the perspective of executive staff, senior clinical managers and specialist nurses. The national disaster response centre was situated in one hospital and the other hospital was located 3,500 km away. Design/methodology/approach – The intervention involved selected nurses working at the partner hospital to enable familiarisation with policies, procedures and layout in the event of a request for back-up in the event of a national disaster. A mixed-methods design was used to elicit the strengths and limitations of the partnership. Surveys, in-depth interviews and focus groups were used. Findings – In total, 67 participants provided evaluations including ten executive staff, 17 clinical management nurses and 38 nurses from the disaster response team. Improvements in some aspects of communication were recommended. The successful recruitment of highly skilled and committed nurses was a strength. A disaster exercise resulted in 79 per cent of nurses, able and willing to go immediately to the partner hospital for up to 14 days. Research limitations/implications – During the four year partnership, no actual disaster occurred that required support. This limited the ability to fully trial the partnership in an authentic manner. The disaster exercise, although helpful in trialling the processes and assessing nurse availability, it has some limitations. Originality/value – This innovative partnership successfully prepared specialist nurses from geographically distant hospitals for a disaster response. This together with a willingness to be deployed enhanced Australia’s capacity in the event of a disaster.

Trust, distrust and translation in a disaster

2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 157-174 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick Cadwell
Keyword(s):  
Disaster Preparedness ◽  
Disaster Response ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
Social Trust ◽  
Limited Range ◽  
Study Data ◽  
Context Dependency ◽  
Content Type ◽  
General Importance ◽  
Linguistic Challenges

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe, explain and provide context for relationships between translation, trust and distrust using accounts of the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake given by foreign residents who experienced the disaster. Design/methodology/approach This research provides a qualitative analysis of ethnographic interview data drawn from a broader study of communication in the 2011 disaster using the cases of 28 foreign residents of the disaster zone from 12 different countries of origin. Findings The study confirms the general importance, the linguistic challenges and the context dependency of trust in disaster-related communication at the response phase. It found that translation was involved in some trust reasoning carried out by foreign residents and that translation was an ad hoc act undertaken by linguistically and culturally proficient acquaintances and friends. Research limitations/implications The research examines a limited range of trust phenomena and research participants: only reason-based, social trust described by documented foreign residents of the 2011 disaster zone in Japan was considered. Furthermore, generalisations from the case study data should be approached with caution. Originality/value This paper adds to the literature on trust and disaster response as opposed to trust and disaster preparedness, which has already been comprehensively studied. It responds to calls for more studies of the role of context in the understanding of trust and for greater attention to be paid in research to relationships between trust and other phenomena.

scholarly journals Disaster preparedness level of university hospitals of Sousse -Tunisia

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 (Supplement_5) ◽  
Author(s):  
H Lamine ◽  
M A Tlili ◽  
W Aouicha ◽  
E Taghouti ◽  
N Chebili ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Disaster Management ◽  
Disaster Preparedness ◽  
Disaster Response ◽  
University Hospital ◽  
World Health ◽  
Structural Safety ◽  
Safety Index ◽  
University Hospitals ◽  
Hospital Safety ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Disasters, whether natural or man-made, are unpredictable. The health care systems, represented by hospitals, are on the front lines of the emergency and disaster response. Tunisian health structures, must be able to cope with a case of mass influx of victims following any disasters. Therefore, we conducted this study to describe the level of disaster preparedness of University Hospitals of Sousse - Tunisia. Methods A simple descriptive quote is the basis of a data collection, conducted between September and October 2019 and performed in both University Hospitals of Sousse - Tunisia (Farhat Hached and Sahloul). The measuring instrument used in this study is the 'Hospital Safety Index' designed by the World Health Organization in 2008. Data was analyzed using the 'Module and safety index calculator' which calculates a specific score for each module (structural safety, nonstructural safety and emergency and disaster management) and an overall score for hospital safety, and assigns an appropriate classification which can be “c/C” corresponds to a score from 0 to 0.35, “b/B” from 0.36 to 0.65, or “a/A” from 0.66 to 1. Results The overall safety index class of both hospitals was 'B'. Sahloul University Hospital was classified as 'a' in both structural and nonstructural safety modules and classified as 'c' in the emergency and disaster management module, in the other hand Farhat Hached University Hospital was classified as 'c' in structural safety module and classified as 'b' in both nonstructural safety and emergency and disaster management modules. Conclusions The hospitals' current levels of emergency and disaster management needs to be improved. Actually, both patients and staff safety as well as the hospital's ability to function during and after emergencies and disasters are potentially at risk. In both hospitals, intervention measures are needed in the short term. Key messages Appropriate disaster management should be based on a clear plan, preparedness and collaborative and effective efforts on the part of the community and the different organizations involved. A safe hospital needs to assure that its services remain accessible and functioning at maximum capacity, before, during and immediately after the impact of emergencies and disasters.

Use of comic strips in teaching earthquakes to kindergarten children

2014 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 138-156 ◽  
Author(s):  
Justin Sharpe ◽  
Yasamin O. Izadkhah
Keyword(s):  
School Children ◽  
Disaster Preparedness ◽  
Cognitive Process ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Historical Context ◽  
Kindergarten Children ◽  
Learning Tools ◽  
Comic Strips ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Right

Purpose – Up to now, no extensive work has addressed the capacity and resiliency of pre-school children, nor the importance of extending disaster preparedness education to them. The purpose of this paper is to show that given the right learning tools to engage them, in this case a comic strip designed for this purpose by the first author, pre-school children are able to demonstrate the extent of their learning well. Design/methodology/approach – Comic strips have been used in a number of ways to enhance knowledge and education, including for disaster risk reduction (DRR). Their use as learning stimuli is outlined, showing their historical context as well as their potential for future use. The methodology used included classroom observations, coupled with interviews with some of the class. Findings – The research showed that pre-school children engaged with and responded to the comic strips in a positive manner while the blank comic strips allowed learners to make sense of the topic through the retelling of the story, allowing them to be placed within a schema of understanding deemed essential for deeper level learning. Originality/value – The research is significant because it shows that, even at a young age, complex cognitive process were engaged in order for learners to take their new knowledge, place it within the context of their own experience and re-tell it to others. This pattern of reflection, reasoning and testing is important for triple-loop learning, which may hold the key to truly resilient individuals and communities.

Evacuation of vulnerable people during a Natech: a case study of a flood and factory explosion in Japan

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nobuhito Ohtsu ◽  
Akihiko Hokugo ◽  
Ana Maria Cruz ◽  
Yukari Sato ◽  
Yuko Araki ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Disaster Response ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Natural Hazard ◽  
Disaster Prevention ◽  
Evacuation Time ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Vulnerable People ◽  
Positive Effect

Purpose This study investigated pre-evacuation times and evacuation behaviors of vulnerable people during the 2018 flooding in Shimobara, Okayama, Japan, and the flood-triggered factory explosion, a natural hazard-triggered technological accident known as a natural-hazard-triggered technological accidents (Natech). This study examined factors that affected evacuation decisions and pre-evacuation time, estimated the evacuation time in case of no explosion and identified community disaster prevention organization response efforts for vulnerable people. Design/methodology/approach Interviews with all 18 vulnerable people who experienced the event were conducted. Multiple regression analysis was used to examine the effect of six factors on evacuation time and reasons for delayed evacuation. Findings Factors affecting evacuation decisions included the sound of the explosion, followed by recommendations from relatives and the community disaster prevention organization. Explosion-related injuries delayed early evacuation, but experience of previous disasters and damage had a positive effect on early evacuation. The explosion sound accelerated evacuation of non-injured people; however, explosion-related injuries significantly delayed evacuation of injured individuals. The Shimobara community disaster prevention organization’s disaster response included a vulnerable people registry, visits to all local households and a multilayered approach that enabled monitoring of all households. Originality/value This is the first study to examine the evacuation behavior of vulnerable people and community responses during a Natech event.

Local responses to disaster

2016 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-40 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raven Marie Cretney
Keyword(s):  
Citizen Participation ◽  
Disaster Preparedness ◽  
Disaster Response ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Community Group ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Local Responses

Purpose – When the devastating 6.3 magnitude earthquake hit Christchurch, Aotearoa New Zealand on the 22 February 2011 the landscape of the city and its communities were irrevocably changed. The purpose of this paper is to provide case study evidence demonstrating the role of a grassroots organisation in shaping a community defined concept of resilience through self-organised disaster response action. Design/methodology/approach – The case organisation, Project Lyttelton is a community group, located in the suburb of Lyttelton, dedicated to building community and resilience through local projects and action. This case study was conducted through in-depth qualitative interviews with key members of the organisation, as well as key individuals in the broader community. Findings – This research has found that Project Lyttelton played a strong role in providing avenues for citizen participation post disaster. Of particular significance was the role of the timebank in providing an already established network for active participation by citizens in the response and recovery. Other findings outline the importance of pre-disaster community activity for facilitating social support and social learning. Originality/value – This research contributes to the literature by providing case study evidence for the value of a community led and defined framework of resilience. The findings of this work support the need for further integration and support for local community led preparedness and response initiatives and demonstrate the possible value of pre-disaster community preparedness activities. Consequently, this work is of use to academics interested in the role of community following disasters, as well as emergency management practitioners interested in possible pathways for fostering and encouraging locally focused disaster preparedness activities. The findings may also be of interest to community groups working in the sphere of community building and resilience.

Excess body weight and abdominal obesity in relation to selected psychosocial characteristics in primary school children

2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (4) ◽  
pp. 739-750
Author(s):  
Ioannis Vassiloudis ◽  
Vassiliki Costarelli
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight ◽  
Abdominal Obesity ◽  
School Children ◽  
Self Esteem ◽  
Primary School Children ◽  
Excess Body Weight ◽  
Self Perception ◽  
Psychosocial Characteristics ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Anxiety Levels

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate excess body weight and abdominal obesity in relation to selected psychosocial characteristics such as self-perception, self-esteem and anxiety, in primary school children. Design/methodology/approach A school-based cross-sectional study was conducted with a total of 528 students 10-12 years of age, randomly selected, from the area of Athens, Greece. The Greek versions of the self-perception profile for children (SPPC) and the state-trait anxiety inventory for children (STAI-C) questionnaires have been used to determine the children’s self-perception/self-esteem and the status of anxiety, respectively. Standard anthropometric measurements were also taken. Pearson correlation coefficient was used to test for possible linear correlations between data variables. One-way ANOVA and independent t-test were used to determine statistically significant differences between the means of children’s body mass index (BMI) – abdominal obesity groups. For multiple comparisons, Bonferroni post-tests were run. Findings Overweight and obese children and children with abdominal obesity had lower scores in all of the domains of SPPC self-perception, the SPPC global self-esteem and the STAI-C anxiety levels in comparison to normal weight children. BMI and abdominal obesity correlated negatively with each one of the five domains of the SPPC self-perception (p < 0.001) and the SPPC global self-esteem (p < 0.001) and positively with the STAI-C anxiety levels (p < 0.005). One-way ANOVA and independent t-test revealed statistically significant differences between the means of children’s BMI and abdominal obesity groups in all the domains of SPPC self-perception (p < 0.001), the SPPC global self-esteem (p < 0.001) and the STAI-C anxiety levels (p < 0.005). There were no gender differences in the psychometric characteristics assessed in this study. Originality/value Primary school children with excess body weight and abdominal obesity have increased anxiety levels and they score lower in key psychosocial characteristics, in comparison to normal weight children.

Community-based disaster communication: how does it become trustworthy?

2016 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 478-491 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dwie Irmawaty Gultom
Keyword(s):  
Disaster Response ◽  
Information Diffusion ◽  
Weak Ties ◽  
Network Ties ◽  
Community Based ◽  
Strong Ties ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Disaster Communication ◽  
Disaster Information

Purpose – Trust in disaster communication is significant because a lack of trust will prevent the transformation of information into usable knowledge for an effective disaster response. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to investigate how the culture and network ties of an affected community can encourage trust and participation in disaster communication. Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative case study of Jalin Merapi (JM) was conducted by interviewing 33 research participants in the Mt Merapi surroundings. Findings – The findings indicate that culture-embedded disaster communication plays important roles in increasing the effectiveness of disaster information and encouraging trust in the authenticity of locally based disaster information at the individual level. The findings also identify that strong ties and weak ties play different roles in disaster communication. The strong ties are more effective in facilitating information diffusion and encourage trust and community participation within the affected community. Furthermore, the weak ties are more effective in disseminating information to wider audiences, and have an indirect influence in encouraging trust by extending the offline social network owned by the affected community. Originality/value – Most literature on disaster communication focusses on the construction of disaster messages to encourage effective disaster response. Less attention has been paid to the information receivers regarding how disaster information is considered to be trustworthy by the affected community and how it can increase collective participation in community-based disaster communication.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document