Jan 29/06 10:0 0am Geog 152b 1 Disasters Disasters ( ( Quarantelli, in Cutter (1994): Quarantelli, in Cutter (1994): Ch 2 Ch 2 ) ) • short history of disaster research • defining disasters • disasters worldwide • disaster trends • explaining disaster trends • two schools of thought on disaster trends Geography 106b Geography 106b Hazards Hazards
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Jan 29/06 10:00amGeog 152b1 Disasters (Quarantelli, in Cutter (1994): Ch 2) Disasters (Quarantelli, in Cutter (1994): Ch 2 ) short history of disaster.
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Jan 29/06 10:00am Geog 152b 1
DisastersDisasters((Quarantelli, in Cutter (1994): Ch 2Quarantelli, in Cutter (1994): Ch 2 ))
• short history of disaster research• defining disasters• disasters worldwide• disaster trends• explaining disaster trends• two schools of thought on
disaster trends
Geography 106bGeography 106bHazardsHazards
Jan 29/06 10:00am Geog 152b 2
Short History of Disaster Research
• funded by military in USA• military interested: disaster recovery,
specifically psychological stress - individuals and social organization under stress
• emphasis on large-scale, sudden, rare “civilian” disasters – akin to warfare bombing
• emphasis on how to establish command and control structures post-disaster
• little on emergency preparedness
Jan 29/06 10:00am Geog 152b 3
Defining DisastersDefining Disasters
Question:• Why do you suppose the definition of
a “disaster” is so critical that an entire book has been devoted to the topic? (Quarantelli, E.(1998) What is a Disaster?)
Jan 29/06 10:00am Geog 152b 4
Defining DisastersDefining Disasters
Database Problems• disasters co-occur e.g., cyclones and
floods; landslides and earthquakes• mortality difficult to count e.g.,
primary effect vs secondary effects (famine, epidemics in refugee camps)
• lack of census taking generally in LDCs
• what gets counted? – thresholds reasonable?
Implication• worst case e.g., up to twofold
difference in reporting for same area same time period (Mitchell, 1989)
Jan 29/06 10:00am Geog 152b 5
What Counts?
Jan 29/06 10:00am Geog 152b 6
CRED and EM-DAT
• major international disaster data centre
• more inclusive CRED event-threshold criteria– 10 or more deaths per event– at least 100 persons affected– drought or famine – 2000 persons
affected– OR government disaster declaration– OR plea for international assistance
• industrial(technological) disasters always use more inclusive since impacts typically much lower – 5 or more deaths per event
Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED)