Cries in the Dark: Reconstruction after Hurricane Mitch in Honduras

2006 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-38
Author(s):  
Kurt Rhyner
Keyword(s):  
High Risk ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Construction Materials ◽  
Natural Phenomenon ◽  
Police Chief ◽  
Hurricane Mitch ◽  
The Public ◽  
Risk Areas ◽  
Mountainous River

Disasters are always caused by a combination of factors, and the natural phenomenon that brings them on is usually just a catalyst. The underlying cause of most disasters is poverty as mostly the poor segments of the population usually live in high risk areas where their shelter all too often cannot withstand even light winds, small inundations or medium earthquakes. When Hurricane Mitch hit Central America in October 1998, all countries were ill prepared. A few weeks earlier, the authorities of the Honduran capital, Tegucigalpa, had attempted to simulate an evacuation, but it had met with a great degree of resistance from the public. When Mitch hit, unprecedented masses of water raced down the mountainous river beds. People were taken by surprise, as no efficient organisation existed. Everybody ran for their lives. Houses slid down hillsides, rivers swept bridges, houses and people with them. Six years later, Tegucigalpa looks very similar to the days before Mitch. The steep hillsides are covered with a potpourri of dwellings, from miserable huts to solid upmarket houses. Regulations were passed in the year 2002 to prohibit construction in high risk areas; however, enforcement is difficult, especially when existing buildings are renovated and even enlarged. Theoretically it is possible to evacuate high risk areas. Nonetheless, such drastic measures are virtually impossible to implement, as no mayor or police chief would survive such an action in office. The paper presents a case study which shows that the underlying problems of poverty and the non-availability of suitable land for people to relocate from high risk areas can usually not be overcome by post-disaster reconstruction programmes. A mitigation strategy is thus to empower inhabitants of high risk areas to improve their own situation by affordable access to information, advice and suitable low cost construction materials through “Building Advisory Services” and Ecomaterials producers within the neighbourhoods.

scholarly journals Fraud in overseas aid and the challenge of measurement

2015 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 184-198 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Button ◽  
Chris Lewis ◽  
David Shepherd ◽  
Graham Brooks
Keyword(s):  
High Risk ◽  
International Development ◽  
Local Context ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Public ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Practical Implications

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the challenges of measuring fraud in overseas aid. Design/methodology/approach – The research is based on 21 semi-structured interviews with key persons working in the delivery of aid in both the public and voluntary sectors. It uses the UK Department for International Development as a case study to applying more accurate measures of fraud. Findings – This paper shows there are significant challenges to using fraud loss measurement to gauge fraud in overseas aid. However, it argues that, along with other types of measures, it could be used in areas of expenditure in overseas governments and charities to measure aid. Given the high risk of such aid to fraud, it argues helping to develop capacity to reduce aid, of which measuring the size of the problem is an important part; this could be considered as aid in its own right. Research limitations/implications – The researchers were not able to visit high-risk countries for fraud to examine in the local context views on the challenges of measuring fraud. Practical implications – The paper offers insights on the challenges to accurately measuring fraud in an overseas context, which will be useful to policy-makers in this context. Social implications – Given the importance of as much aid as possible reaching recipients, it offers an important contribution to helping to reduce losses in this important area. Originality/value – There has been very little consideration of how to measure fraud in the overseas aid context, with most effort aimed at corruption, which poses some of the same challenges, as well as some very different challenges.

scholarly journals Sustainable Emergency Light for Scarcely Electrified Area of India

2021 ◽  
pp. 74-82
Author(s):  
Shrutirekha Tripathy ◽  
Mitali M. Sahoo ◽  
Nimay Chandra Giri ◽  
Siba Prasad Mishra ◽  
Smruti Ranjan Nayak
Keyword(s):  
High Risk ◽  
Solar Energy ◽  
Light Source ◽  
Power Supply ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Luminous Efficiency ◽  
Remote Areas ◽  
Risk Areas ◽  
Lighting Systems ◽  
Grid Based

About 200 million people of India are deprived of grid based power supply, prominently in inaccessible hilly and rural hamlets of the country. Present research is an attempt to design, install, operate use, and maintain the hand on set of light source to address the unserved populations dwelling in electricity inaccessible areas in India. The approach is designing and developing a low cost sustainable or solar emergency light through, “Solar Home Lighting Systems” or “Sustainable Emergency Light” technology, which is one of the smart and innovative approaches of illuminating sources by harnessing solar energy to light the darkened places. The attractive daily usable gadget with surged luminous efficiency, durability, extended life, ecofriendly, compact, and efficient to work at both small values of current and voltages and they are growing acceptance. The safe and non-ignition start, is the uniqueness over conventional emergency light, and solar energy founded. The stand-alone device with mobile charging port with luminosity of 150 Lux can be used in lighting the escape routes, open areas and high risk areas. Under the crisis of pandemic of Covid-19 virus, the portable solar lights is  safe and riskless light source for the economic backward classes, and can provide the children and students for online undisrupted  study up to about 8 to 10 hours at low cost in remote areas.

scholarly journals Pengembangan Aplikasi Android Penghimpun Data Ekonomi Nasional Berbasis Crowdsourcing

2016 ◽  
pp. 61
Author(s):  
Indra Azimi ◽  
Aulia Azimi
Keyword(s):  
Low Cost ◽  
Data Entry ◽  
Commodity Prices ◽  
National Data ◽  
The Public ◽  
Collection Process ◽  
Basic Commodity ◽  
National Economic ◽  
The Right

The right decision in national economy sector can only be obtained with excellent national economic data quality. Unfortunately, the collection process of true, accurate and complete national data is still expensive and time-consuming. Therefore, this study offers crowdsourcing as an alternative method towards the collection process of national data with low cost and dynamic. With case study basic commodity prices data collection nationwide, this method proved to empower the public as the owner of the data on self-reported commodities price in their region through an Android application, available for free on Google Play Store. This study was conducted for a year starting from January 2 to December 31, 2015. At the end of the study period, there were 7,442 people who have participated actively with an even distribution in all provinces in Indonesia. The amount of new user is 34 people per day with data entry is more than 400 data per day, and continues to increase.

scholarly journals Research Crowdfunding and Scholarly Communication: A Case Study of Three Campaigns

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darren Chase ◽  
Dana Haugh ◽  
Victoria Pilato
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
High Risk ◽  
Online Social Networks ◽  
Personal Narrative ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Scholarly Communication ◽  
Narrative Style ◽  
Funded Research ◽  
Levels Of Support

Crowdfunding leverages the opportunities of online social networks to share ideas and connect individuals by seeking small donations from a large number of supporters in order to complete a project or develop a product. Research crowdfunding is emerging as a dynamic alternative or supplement to grant-funded research, particularly for low-cost research, researchers at institutions without strong traditions of grants-funded research, and high-risk or unconventional research with few or no sponsors. For some researchers, crowdfunding enables new and novel collaborations between researchers, entrepreneurs, artists, social and environmental activists, as well as facilitating unexpected uses and expressions of research.Through the lens of three qualitative crowdfunding campaign studies this article explores how crowdfunding conventions and platforms influence and impact the way research is used, communicated, shared, and in some cases performed. Successful crowdfunding relies on engagement and audience support -- higher levels of support include exclusive affordances, including opportunities to participate in events, acknowledgement in publications, and access to the researchers via online or in-person meetings. Crowdfunding platforms offer researchers the framework to appeal for support and communicate the details and progress of their research in a personal, narrative style, often utilizing video and social networks. This article will examine the new opportunities for communicating, sharing, and using research that crowdfunding facilitates through a case study of three crowdfunding campaigns.

scholarly journals Una nota sobre la recuperación de costes de los servicios del agua en la cuenca del Gállego

2011 ◽  
Vol 7 (13) ◽  
pp. 49 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis Pérez y Pérez ◽  
Jesús Barreiro Hurlé
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Public Capital ◽  
Cost Recovery ◽  
Water Services ◽  
The Public ◽  
Full Cost ◽  
Sustainable Water Use ◽  
Full Cost Recovery

Up to date, water management in Spain has been focused on supply approaches, with the result of providing consumers with this resource at a low price. Developments in the institutional framework regulating water management in the European context (mainly the implementation of the Water Framework Directive) have shifted this approach in order to promote sustainable water use. To achieve this objective, tariff policy must now take into account the water services cost-recovery principle for its different uses. Within this context, this paper estimates the public capital stock related to water supply and assesses the existing level of cost-recovery related to that stock. The methodology used, compares the tax level needed for full-cost recovery with actual revenues from different water-related taxes. The case study area is Gallego River basin in Aragon, and results show the low cost- recovery level for most water services.

scholarly journals Evaluation and use of surveillance system data toward the identification of high-risk areas for potential cholera vaccination: a case study from Niger

2012 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jose Guerra ◽  
Bachir Mayana ◽  
Ali Djibo ◽  
Mahamane L Manzo ◽  
Augusto E Llosa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Risk ◽  
Surveillance System ◽  
Risk Areas ◽  
System Data ◽  
Cholera Vaccination

scholarly journals The city to be demolished. A case study for the analysis of demolition and urban contraction costs in Italy [La città da demolire. Un caso studio per l’analisi dei costi di demolizione e contrazione urbana in Italia]

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 ◽  
pp. 59-71
Author(s):  
Simone Rusci ◽  
Michele Angelo Perrone
Keyword(s):  
Real Estate ◽  
Urban Development ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
The Other ◽  
The Public ◽  
New Construction ◽  
The Will ◽  
The One ◽  
The City

Contraction, downsizing, rescaling and subtraction are all words that characterise the urban planning debate with increasing frequency. Two components can be found at the basis of their circulation and declination.On the one hand, the recognition of the vast unused and disused real estate for which regeneration, reuse and renovation are not possible; on the other hand, the will and hope to rebalance the results of the hypertrophic twentieth-century urban development. The legitimacy of these instances is the wides pread belief that demolition and contraction are low-cost operations that can be financed by the owners of the property or through the usual equalisation and negotiation mechanisms. By using a case study, this paper will clear up amis understanding; it will explain how demolition and subtraction costs, which can be put on equal footing with renovations and, in some cases, new construction are sufficiently massive making their implementation within the public and public-private policies very difficult.

scholarly journals Application of Geographic Information Systems for Flood Risk Analysis: A Case Study from Accra Metropolitan Area

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 81-97
Author(s):  
Alex Barimah Owusu ◽  
Mathias Agbozo
Keyword(s):  
Flood Risk ◽  
Drainage Density ◽  
Low Risk ◽  
Soil Drainage ◽  
Risk Area ◽  
The Public ◽  
Risk Areas ◽  
Risk Zones ◽  
High Flood

Abstract The main objective of the study was to identify high flood risk zones in AMA. The study also used questionnaires to assess local knowledge on what accounts for the high flood risk in their community. Spatial analysis techniques were used to model flood risk based on the following contributory factors; land cover, soil, drainage density, topography and proximity to rivers. The results show that high flood risk areas covered 46.3km2(20%), moderate risk area, 72.9km2(31.6%), low risk area 41.5km2(18%) and very low risk areas, about 6.7km2(2.9%). The high flood risk zones were low-lying areas below 50 meters above sea level and closely associated with poor drainage systems. People perceived not just low-lying areas as a paramount reason accounting for flooding but also very bad waste disposal habit of the public. These offsets the efforts of waste management companies to keep drains free of refuse.

scholarly journals Word of Mouth Communication Influence of Online Hotel Room Reservation Confirmation: Case Study of Individual Travelers in Hong Kong

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 76 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grace Suk Ha Chan ◽  
Anna Chun-Hsuan Hsiao ◽  
Irini Lai Fun Tang
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Word Of Mouth ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
The Public ◽  
Descriptive Research ◽  
New Findings ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Word Of Mouth Communication ◽  
Depth Interviews

Hong Kong residents tend to spend their holidays by traveling overseas; hence, they reserve hotels online. Moreover, low-cost carriers have become popular and common, thereby resulting in an increase in the number of individual travelers. Accordingly, the online hotel industry can no longer ignore the potential segment of individual travelers. In addition, word of mouth (WOM) is significant in the decision-making process because of the development of Web 2.0. and Travel 3.0. Furthermore, previous studies were analyzed and only a few focus on the individual traveler perspectives on purchasing hotel reservations online. However, individual travelers have different culture and values compared with the public; the former has its own lifestyle, consumer behavior, and ego. Therefore, the investigation of individual travelers when purchasing hotel reservations online is a valuable research topic. Under all situations, WOM has become one of the crucial factors upon which individual travelers base their travel planning and decision. This study used the interpretivist approach to investigate the respondents’ experiences and views for exploring and understanding individual traveler’s perception. The current study adopted qualitative research toward the effects of WOM communication on purchasing hotel reservations online. To investigate the topic, in-depth interviews were conducted on 15 respondents who are individual travelers and travel alone. The interviews followed a semi-structured format using open-ended questions. Descriptive research was designed to gather the findings. In addition, this study provided the effects of WOM communication on purchasing hotel reservations online from the perspective of an individual traveler. New findings, effects of WOM from an individual traveler’s perspective, and recommendations are provided, thereby providing significant guidance to industrial practitioners to improve and formulate marketing strategies.

Methodology of Nanomodified Binder Examination: Experimental and Numerical Ab Initio Studies

2016 ◽  
Vol 683 ◽  
pp. 589-595 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evgeniy Valerjevich Korolev ◽  
Alexandr Sergeevich Inozemtcev ◽  
Alexandr Evstigneev
Keyword(s):  
Ab Initio ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Construction Materials ◽  
Test Subject ◽  
Molecular Structures ◽  
Good Correspondence ◽  
Numerical Studies ◽  
Typical Scheme ◽  
Present Case Study

Feasibility of the sulfur-based construction materials is caused by properties, availability and low cost of sulfur. There exist numerous ways to improve the operational properties, including the ways that are based on nanotechnology, and ab initio (quantum chemistry) studies. Unfortunately, both application and verification of numerical simulation within the same research are quite complex. In the present case study we present typical scheme of survey involving both experimental and numerical studies. As a test subject we have selected orthorhombic sulfur crystals grown from the solution in toluene. It was clearly shown that good correspondence between experimental and numerical results can be achieved for offered methodology; Raman shifts for isolated S8 molecule mostly correspond to the shifts of sulfur crystal. Computed frequencies for all primary modes are close to the experimental data. Similar correspondences can serve as proofs of conformity between unknown molecular structures in nanomodified sulfur-based material and selected structural models

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document