Disaster Response Network
The mission of this working group is to following, understand, and improve the activities of disaster response networks around the world.
OCHA - Humanitarian Kiosk
The Humanitarian Kiosk (H.Kiosk) application provides a range of up-to-the-minute humanitarian related information from emergencies around the world.
OCHA now offers a Humanitarian Kiosk app for Apple devices (iOS5+).
unocha.org - March 21, 2013
What is Humanitarian Kiosk?
One of the challenges faced by humanitarian workers is access to timely, relevant and accurate information. New technology provides an opportunity for humanitarian workers to develop better ways to access and share this information, and get aid to those who need it more quickly and effectively. OCHA has developed the Humanitarian Kiosk to address the diverse information needs of humanitarian agencies and workers.
You can install the app on any of your Apple devices (iOS5+) through this link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/humanitarian-kiosk/id546482411
OCHA - Japan: An Earthquake, a Tsunami – and a Handwritten Newspaper
A rescue worker uses a two-way radio transceiver during heavy snowfall at a factory area devastated by an earthquake and tsunami in Sendai, northern Japan, 16 March 2011. Credit: REUTERS/KIM KYUNG-HOON
unocha.org - March 15, 2013
When one of the most technologically sophisticated countries in the world is hit by a triple emergency, should we count on web platforms and social media to deliver lifesaving information? Not necessarily, according to a new report by Internews into the communications aspects of the 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster in Japan.
. . . instead of their usual high-tech operation, local newspaper reporters went back a few decades in time and produced a handwritten newspaper.
Internews Report - Connecting the Last Mile: The Role of Communications in the Great East Japan Earthquake
http://www.internews.org/research-publications/connecting-last-mile-role-communications-great-east-japan-earthquake
Verily: Crowdsourced Verification for Disaster Response
irevolution.net - by Patrick Meier - February 19, 2013
Social media is increasingly used for communicating during crises. This rise in Big (Crisis) Data means that finding the proverbial needle in the growing haystack of information is becoming a major challenge.
QCRI and Masdar have launched an experimental platform called Verily. We are applying best practices in time-critical crowd-sourcing coupled with gamification and reputation mechanisms to leverage the good will of (hopefully) thousands of digital Samaritans during disasters.
Veri.ly
http://www.veri.ly/
Solomons Quake Triggers Tsunami, Destroys Villages
ABC News - Live Coverage Blog - February 5, 2013
A magnitude 8.0 earthquake off Solomon Islands has generated a tsunami and destroyed three villages.
Pacific Tsunami Warning Center
http://ptwc.weather.gov/
From GDACS . . . Estimated wave height and arrival times of Tsunami
http://tinyurl.com/a72nss9 . . .
USGS - 8.0 Earthquake
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/usc000f1s0#summary
West Coast and Alaska Tsunami Warning Center
http://wcatwc.arh.noaa.gov/
National Data Buoy Center - Facebook Announcement
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=401774316576562&id=128538033843673
Charity leaders feel more optimistic about finances, NCVO survey finds
Image: Chief executive Sir Stuart Etherington says government should open up commissioning and make other initiatives less complex
submitted by Albert Gomez
thirdsector.co.uk - October 25th, 2012 - Tim Tonkin
Charity leaders are feeling more optimistic about their organisations’ financial prospects in the forthcoming year, according to a new report by the National Council for Voluntary Organisations.
The umbrella body’s latest quarterly Charity Forecast Survey, carried out last month and published today, shows that 31 per cent of the 200 or so NCVO members who responded feel the overall situation of their organisations will improve over the next year, compared with 21 per cent in the poll carried out for the last Forecast Survey.
The proportion who feel their organisation’s overall position will worsen over the coming year is down slightly, from 46 per cent in the last survey to 42 per cent.
(VIEW COMPLETE ARTICLE)
Emergency Capacity Building Project - Tools and Resources
submitted by Tim Siftar
ecbproject.org
The Project
Disasters and humanitarian emergencies are increasing in magnitude and complexity*. This presents a major challenge to NGOs that respond to these emergencies.
In order to address this challenge, emergency directors from 7 agencies - CARE International, Catholic Relief Services, International Rescue Committee, Mercy Corps, Oxfam GB, Save the Children and World Vision International- came together in 2003 to discuss the most persistent obstacles in humanitarian aid delivery. The Inter-Agency Working Group (IWG) on Emergency Capacity that emerged from this meeting launched a systematic analysis, resulting in the publication of a Report on Emergency Capacity in 2004.
Phase II - launched in 2008
United Nations International Conference on Space-Based Technologies for Disaster Management
submitted by Luis Kun
un-spider.org - August 2012
Upcoming events
- UN-SPIDER Technical Advisory Missions to Solomon Islands and Mozambique
- “Risk Assessment in the Context of Global Climate Change” – United Nations International Conference on Space-based Technologies for Disaster Management
- Fourth Session of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction in 2013 announced
- 4th International Conference of Crisis Mappers(ICCM) - Fellowships available
- United Nations International Expert Meeting on Crowdsource Mapping
http://www.un-spider.org/about/updates/un-spider-august-2012-updates
http://issuu.com/unspider/docs/un-spider_updates_august_2012/1
Rethinking Humanitarian Relief: Sourcing Locally Before Disaster Strikes
submitted by Albert Gomez
good.is - by Rosie Spinks - September 6, 2012
When disaster strikes a place like Haiti, Somalia, or Indonesia, the response in the developed world usually follows a similar trajectory: massive aid appeal from local NGOs supported by celebrity faces, a large influx of funds from reliably generous Americans, and an eventual petering out of urgent media coverage in the ensuing weeks.
While media coverage of international tragedies may appear to reach saturation levels at times, the story of how those aid dollars affect local economies is not so well told.
“After a disaster, there is more money [from donors] than you can shake a stick at,” says Howard Sharman, senior consultant for the UK-based relief project Advance Aid.
IDF Hosts Int’l Conference on Emergency Planning
submitted by Mike Kraft
jpost.com - by Yaakov Lappin - September 4, 2012
The IDF Home Front Command is hosting a five-day international seminar in Tel Aviv this week, to share working models on how to manage civilian populations during times of crisis.
Delegates from 19 countries and the United Nations are attending the conference, the ninth of its kind, which is being held at the Dan Panorama hotel in Tel Aviv.
“The aim is to share our information and experience in Israel on how to handle crises, whether caused by war or natural disaster,” said Col. Itai Peleg, of the Home Front Command. “We also want to hear from participants on how they tackle the challenges.”
U.K. - Rapid Response Network Ready if Crises Hit
Department for International Development (DFID) - March 7, 2012
Britain is to establish a new rapid response network of top UK-based businesses and charities to provide emergency relief when major international crises hit - such as floods, famines and earthquakes.
The network, called the Rapid Response Facility, will mobilise life-saving support in the critical hours following a humanitarian disaster, Andrew Mitchell said today.
It is the first time a British government has brought together the power of the private sector as well as non-governmental organisations in this way to take part in emergency relief.
Fukushima Disaster “a Profoundly Man-Made Disaster”: Investigative Commission
submitted by Luis Kun
Homeland Security News Wire - July 5, 2012
Executive Summary - Slideshare
Executive Summary - (88 page .PDF file)
The commission investigating the Fukushima disaster of March 2011 concluded that although the combination of the tsunami and earthquake was unprecedented in its ferocity, the disaster was largely man-made because it was amplified by what came before it and what followed it. The disaster itself, the Fukushima Nuclear Accident Independent Investigation Commission, said was sandwiched by practices and conduct which were the result of government-industry collusion and the worst conformist conventions of Japanese culture.
Russia: Warnings Did Not Reach People Before Flood
submitted by Samuel Bendett
A priest conducts a funeral ceremony, while acquaintances of Pyotr Ostapenko, 35, a flood victim, stand nearby, at the central cemetery in Krymsk in theKrasnodar region, southern Russia, July 9, 2012. Russia began a day of mourning on Monday for the 171 people killed in floods that drove thousands from their homes, with the causes of the disaster posing hard questions for the authorities, including President Vladimir Putin.
Photo By EDUARD KORNIYENKO/REUTERS
yahoo.com - Associated Press - by Nataliya Vasilyeva and Sergey Ponomarev - July 9, 2012
KRYMSK, Russia (AP) — Authorities failed to properly warn residents in the Black Sea region of floods that killed at least 171 people and left others scrambling for safety, Russia's emergencies minister acknowledged Monday, adding to public outrage fueled by widespread mistrust of the government.
Elsevier Launches New Journal: International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction
submitted by Joyce Fedeczko
www.elsevier.com - June 25, 2012
Elsevier, a world-leading provider of scientific, technical and medical information products and solutions, is pleased to announce the launch of a new quarterly journal, 
International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction.
Mega-quake hotspots around the world
www.homelandsecuritynewswire.com - June 27, 2012
Image source: usgs.gov
The 2010 earthquake in Haiti killed hundreds of thousands and destroyed large sections of the capital, Port au Prince; the clock is ticking on many earthquake faults throughout the world, and a comprehensive new book points to places around the world that could face the fate of Port au Prince.
Rio+20: Disaster Risk Reduction
Video streaming by Ustream
How Crises Model the Modern World
submitted by Robert G. Ross
atlantis-press.com - Journal of Risk Analysis and Crisis Response - May 2012
Abstract:
Crises are our new reality. “Black swans” are increasingly becoming the norm; our systems, environments, contexts are structurally prone to crises. Doing more of the same will not be the appropriate way to deal with modern crises: a paradigm shift is needed, based on a more accurate understanding of the dynamics of complex systems. This paper is an invitation to change the theoretical vision of crisis and crisis management, and the education and training of all actors involved.
Simulating the Effects of Different Actions to Minimize Disaster’s Consequences
submitted by Linton Wells
homelandsecuritynewswire.com - June 1, 2012
The European CRISMA project prepares for disasters by developing a decision-support tool to help the authorities, responders, communities, and private parties to prioritize the most important measures for saving lives and mitigating the effects of the crisis.
The CRISMA project, coordinated by VTT Technical Research Center of Finland, is developing a planning tool for crises which have immediate, extensive, and often irreversible consequences to the population and society. Crises of this type include natural disasters, toxic emissions, forest fires, and aircraft accidents.
Improve Tsunami Warnings by Placing GPS on Commercial Ships
While in transit from Hawaii to Guam, the research vessel Kilo Moana detected the February 2010 Chilean tsunami. Credit: University of Hawaii, SOEST
submitted by Samuel Bendett
Homeland Security News Wire - May 8, 2012
Researchers find that commercial ships travel across most of the globe and could provide better warnings for potentially deadly tsunamis; this finding came as a surprise because tsunamis have such small amplitudes in the deep water, in contrast to their size when they reach the coastline, that it seemed unlikely that the tsunami would be detected using GPS unless the ship was very close to the source and the tsunami was very big
Commercial ships travel across most of the globe and could provide better warnings for potentially deadly tsunamis, according to a study published by scientists at the University of Hawaii – Manoa (UHM) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Pacific Tsunami Warning Center.
Researchers Use GPS Data to Speed Up Tsunami Warnings
In this Jan. 2, 2005 file photo, a wide area of destruction is shown from an aerial view taken over Meulaboh, 250 kilometers (156 Miles) west of Banda Aceh, Indonesia. Researchers in the United States are hoping to use GPS data to speed up current warnings. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara, File)
U.S. seismologists currently testing new warning system
by Andrew Pinsent - CBC News - May 5, 2012
Scientists in the United States have been testing an advanced tsunami warning system using GPS data, combined with traditional seismology networks, to attempt to detect the magnitude of an earthquake faster so warnings of potential tsunamis can get out to potentially affected areas sooner.
The prototype is called California Integrated Seismic Network (CISN), and is a collaboration between the United States Geological Survey (USGS) and The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, whose focus is on environmental conservation.
Saving Lives in a Time of Cholera
A health worker was disinfected after bringing cholera victims to a grave near Port-au-Prince, Haiti, in November 2010. Damon Winter/The New York Times
submitted by Tim Siftar
The New York Times - by Tina Rosenberg - April 7, 2012
A new partnership between two organizations that battle cholera will make it possible to get supplies and knowledge to cholera-stricken areas much faster. Early next month, AmeriCares, a United States-based aid group that specializes in airlifting medical supplies into disaster zones, will finish assembling a group of pallets containing everything necessary to treat 15,000 cases of cholera.
Chile Disaster Assessment and News Reports
Please post Chile disaster situation reports and post-earthquake news below.
Wary Chileans sleep outside
CHILEANS fearful of aftershocks camped outside on Sunday in towns shattered by a massive earthquake, as officials struggled to grasp the scale of the damage to the country's transport, energy and housing infrastructure.
One of the world's most powerful earthquakes in a century hammered Chile early on Saturday, killing more than 300 people as it toppled buildings and triggered a tsunami that rushed across the Pacific toward Japan.
http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/World/Story/STIStory_496104.html
No aid for now: Chile
EARTHQUAKE-BATTERED Chile on Saturday asked countries that have offered aid to hold off until local authorities can assess the emergency needs.
'It is not necessary for any country to send aid until the National Emergency Office has identified what needs are,' Foreign Minister Mariano Fernandez told journalists.
Chile does not want 'aid from anywhere to be a distraction' from disaster relief, he said. 'Any aid that arrives without having been determined to be needed really helps very little.' 'We are very grateful for people's good intentions, but let's let the emergency office get its very specific report on needs done.' At least 214 people were killed in the quake and 1.5 million homes damaged, authorities said.
http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/World/Story/STIStory_496045.html
!.5 Million Homes Damaged in Chile
From correspondents in Santiago From: AFP February 28, 2010 10:16AM
THE death toll from Chile's earthquake has reached 214, with officials saying some 1.5 million homes have been damaged.
That figure included half a million homes "with severe damage" that will "probably not be able to be lived in again", Housing Minister Patricia Poblete said.
The city of Concepcion, some 440km southwest of Santiago, and its surrounding area was especially hard-hit.
For More Information:
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/million-homes-damaged-by-chil...
New Zealand Tsunami Alerts
The following reports from New Zealand give a sense of their preparedness.
Evacuation warnings as tsunami wave hits Chatham Islands
A wave measuring half a metre has reached the Chatham Islands this morning and New Zealand's entire east coast has been put on tsunami alert.
Official tsunami warnings are in place for the entire east coast after a massive earthquake hit Chile overnight.
The first wave that reached the Chatham Islands, measured 20cm, according to GNS Science, but authorities warn that succeeding waves could be higher. It was followed by a second wave measuring half-a-metre.
GNS Science staff said the waves had reached monitoring equipment off the coast of the Chathams and could slow have slowed down by 20 to 30 minutes. The wave could be further slowed by the continental shelf.
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10629036
Tsunami Warning
Here's a link to the warning, with some wave heights - http://fromtheold.com/news/pacific-tsunami-warning-center-issues-tsunami...
Civil Defense Hawaii Tsunami Alert
From: civil_defense@co.hawaii.hi.us
Date: February 27, 2010 11:19:10 PM GMT+07:00
To: fishfun@mac.com
Subject: HCCDA Message: Tsunami Warning 2-27-10 6:00 AM HST
Reply-To: hostedservices@citywatchonline.com
Event: 12501
Email Sent: 10:19:10 AM
Message: TSUNAMI MESSAGE 7 (TSUNAMI WARNING FIRST PUBLIC NOTICE via EAS)THIS IS A CIVIL DEFENSE MESSAGE FOR SATURDAY, FEB 27 @ 600amTHE PACIFIC TSUNAMI WARNING CENTER HAS ISSUED A TSUNAMI WARNING FOR THE STATE OF HAWAII.AN EARTHQUAKE WITH A MAGNITUDE 8.8 HAS OCCURRED NEAR CENTRAL CHILEAGAIN, A TSUNAMI WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR THE ISLAND OF HAWAII. THE FIRST WAVE HAS AN ESTIMATED TIME OF ARRIVAL OF 1100AM SATURDAY MORNING.ALL LOW COASTAL AREAS ARE AT RISK AND MUST BE EVACUATED BY SATURDAY MORNING @ 1000AM WAVE HEIGHTS CANNOT BE PREDICTED AND THE SERIES OF WAVES MAY LAST SEVERAL HOURS; SO BE PREPARED TO REMAIN OUT OF THE EVACUATED AREA FOR AN EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME.AGAIN, YOU ARE ORDERED TO EVACUATE ALL LOW-LYING COASTAL AREAS NOT LATER THAN 1000AM @ SATURDAY MORNING.WE REQUEST THAT ANYONE NOT IN THE EVACUATION AREA STAY OFF THE ROADS AND HIGHWAYS TO FACILITATE EVACUATION EFFORTS. STAY TUNED TO YOUR LOCAL RADIO STATION FOR UPDATES.YOU WILL BE NOTIFIED AS CONDITIONS CHANGE. THIS IS YOUR HAWAII COUNTY CIVIL DEFENSE.
Hawaii's Tsunami Alerts
Go to the Pacific Disaster Center for Hawaii's tsunami disaster zone information:
http://www.pdc.org/iweb/tsunami_zones.jsp
Chilean 2/26/10 8.8 Earthquake and Tsunami
This thread will explore the gaps and effectiveness of Phase I disaster response to the 12/26 8.8 Mw earthquake, aftershocks and tsunami.
Haiti Disaster Response
This thread will explore the gaps and effectiveness in the Haiti Phase I disaster response following the January 12, 2010 earthquake in and around the Port-au-Prince region of Haiti.