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Disaster Relief (disaster + relief)

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Humanities and Social Sciences45%
Business, Economics, Finance and Accounting45%

Terms modified by Disaster Relief

  • disaster relief worker
    		•

    Selected Abstracts

    Cracking the code: the genesis, use and future of the Code of Conduct

    DISASTERS, Issue 4 2005
    Peter Walker
    Abstract This paper reflects on the genesis of the Code of Conduct for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in Disaster Relief, on the tenth anniversary of its adoption. The origins, usage and future of the code are examined with respect to three debates, current at the time of its inception, namely: the debate about the core content of humanitarianism; the debate about coherence and the consensual nature of the humanitarian community; and the debate about the need for, and the ability to demonstrate, accountability. The paper concludes that although the Code of Conduct was very much a product of its time, its content remains relevant today. However, its future application hinges on the capacity of those who purport to follow it to realise true accountability, and on proving that the code, written essentially for natural disasters, is relevant to contemporary complex emergencies. [source]

    The Role of Research Institutions in Seed,related Disaster Relief: Seeds of Hope Experiences in Rwanda

    DISASTERS, Issue 4 2002
    Robin A. Buruchara
    The article describes the efforts of a coalition of agricultural research centres, Seeds of Hope (SOH) in the rebuilding of Rwanda, after the genocide and war of 1994. Research involvement in emergency relief and rehabilitation was unusual at the time and SOH had to forge its unique complementary role. Focusing on crop and variety development and conservation it: provided technical advice to relief agencies on seed procurement; used its baseline ken to assess the effects of war on seed diversity and seed security; made preparations to restore specific germplasm (which, fortunately, proved unnecessary) and spent substantial effort on rebuilding human resource capacity in research as well as basic scientific facilities. The involvement of SOH highlighted the critical, yet very different, roles for research during emergency versus rehabilitation periods and demonstrated the cost effectiveness of building in a diagnostic component , before massive seed or germplasm distributions are programmed. [source]

    Is Our Nation Fully Prepared to Provide Disaster Relief to Victims Needing Dental Care?

    JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH DENTISTRY, Issue 4 2005
    M. Elaine Neenan MS
    No abstract is available for this article. [source]

    Gender and Hurricane Mitch: reconstructing subjectivities after disaster

    DISASTERS, Issue 2 2007
    Julie Cupples
    Much of the gender and disaster literature calls for more gender-sensitive disaster relief and research by focusing on the ways in which women are more vulnerable in a disaster or on their unique capabilities as community leaders or natural resource managers, which are often overlooked or underutilised in emergency management strategies. As well as seeking to overcome the (strategic) essentialism that is part of these calls and debates, this paper pays closer attention to gender identity and subjectivity as these are constructed and reworked through the disaster process to highlight the complexities and contradictions associated with women's responses to a disaster. This focus, while crucial to gaining a deeper understanding of the gendered dimensions of disaster, also complicates attempts to create more gender-sensitive frameworks for disaster response. It draws on qualitative research conducted with a number of women in the wake of Hurricane Mitch (1998) in Nicaragua. [source]

    Nutritional Response to the 1998 Bangladesh Flood Disaster: Sphere Minimum Standards in Disaster Response

    DISASTERS, Issue 3 2002
    Max R. O'Donnell
    In this study we use a cross,sectional survey to evaluate the nutritional response to the 1998 Bangladesh Flood Disaster by 15 relief agencies using standards developed by the Sphere Project. The Sphere Project is a recent attempt by agencies around the world to establish universal minimum standards for the purpose of ensuring quality and accountability in disaster response. The main outcomes measured were resources allocated to disaster relief, types of relief activities and percentage of agencies meeting selected Sphere food aid and nutrition indicators. Although the process of nutritional response was measured, specific nutritional and health outcomes were not assessed. This review found that self,reported disaster and nutritional resources varied widely between implementing agencies, ranging from US$58,947 to $15,908,712. The percentage of resources these agencies allocated to food aid and nutritional response also varied, ranging from approximately 6 to 99 per cent of total resources. Agencies met between 8 and 83 per cent of the specific Sphere indicators which were assessed. Areas in which performance was poor included preliminary nutritional analysis; beneficiary participation and feedback; disaster preparedness during non,emergency times; monitoring of local markets and impact assessment. Agencies were generally successful in areas of core humanitarian response, such as targeting the vulnerable (83 per cent) and monitoring and evaluating the process of disaster response (75 per cent). The results here identify both strengths and gaps in the quality of humanitarian response in developing nations such as Bangladesh. However, they also raise the question of implementing a rights,based approach to disaster response in nations without a commitment to meeting positive human rights in non,disaster times. [source]

    The political economy of natural disaster insurance: lessons from the failure of a proposed compulsory insurance scheme in Germany

    ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY AND GOVERNANCE, Issue 6 2007
    Reimund Schwarze
    Abstract This paper studies the politico-economic reasons for the refusal of a proposed compulsory flood insurance scheme in Germany. It provides the rationale for such a scheme and outlines the basic features of a market-orientated design. The main reasons for the political rejection of this proposal were the misperceived costs of a state guarantee, legal objections against a compulsory insurance, distributional conflicts between the federal government and the German states on the implied administrative costs and the well known charity hazard of ad hoc disaster relief. The focus on pure market solutions proved to be an ineffective strategy for policy advice in this field. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment. [source]

    From preparedness to partnerships: case study research on humanitarian logistics

    INTERNATIONAL TRANSACTIONS IN OPERATIONAL RESEARCH, Issue 5 2009
    Rolando M. Tomasini
    Abstract Disasters are on the rise, more complex, and donor support is increasingly unpredictable. In response to this trend humanitarian agencies are looking for more efficient and effective solutions. This paper discusses the evolution of supply chain management in disaster relief and the role of new players like the private sector. It is based on research conducted by the Humanitarian Research Group at INSEAD. [source]

    Continuity planning for nonprofits

    NONPROFIT MANAGEMENT & LEADERSHIP, Issue 1 2003
    Nancy Meyer-Emerick
    Many nonprofits assist in emergency response and disaster relief to alleviate human suffering. In order to enhance those efforts and the maintenance of routine nonprofit operations, this article introduces the concept of continuity planning. Continuity planning does not focus on specific risks, such as floods or hurricanes, but on the maintenance of critical operational processes despite natural, anthropogenic, or technological interruptions. Continuity planning has yet to be widely applied within the nonprofit sector, primarily due to a lack of fiscal or personnel resources. This article explores several continuity-planning options for nonprofits and provides a brief explanation of the process. [source]

    Administrative Failure and the International NGO Response to Hurricane Katrina

    PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION REVIEW, Issue 2007
    Angela M. Eikenberry
    The devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina and the subsequent failure of government agencies and public administrators elicited an unprecedented response by international nongovernmental organizations (INGOs) to a disaster in the United States. This paper focuses on why so many INGOs were compelled to provide humanitarian assistance and relief in the United States for the first time and the administrative barriers they faced while doing so. What does such a response reveal about administrative failures in the wake of Katrina, and what might the implications be for reconceptualizing roles for nonprofit and nongovernmental organizations in disaster relief? The authors answer these questions using data from interviews with INGO representatives, organizational press releases and Web sites, news articles, and official reports and documentation. [source]

    Public Responses to Agricultural Disasters: Rethinking the Role of Government

    CANADIAN JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL ECONOMICS, Issue 4 2007
    Barry K. Goodwin
    We provide a broad overview of the role and history of federal disaster relief in U.S. agriculture. We discuss various economic arguments that may be used as justification for such disaster relief and subsidized insurance programs. In general, we find no persuasive argument that market failure justifies subsidized risk management activities by the government. Important exceptions exist in the case of catastrophic damages to public infrastructure, invasive and communicable disease threats, and the hazards posed by accidental or deliberate contamination of food supplies in that the presence of significant transactions costs may inhibit private market solutions. We also consider a panel VAR analysis of the dynamic interrelationships among market returns and farm program payments conveyed under three different types of programs,disaster assistance, crop insurance, and all other direct payments. An important finding is that disaster and insurance payments appear to imply higher subsequent levels of market income risk in agriculture. This finding is consistent with arguments that subsidized disaster assistance and insurance may lead to greater risk in agriculture. Nous présentons un large aperçu du rôle et de l'historique du programme fédéral d'assistance en cas de catastrophe agricole aux États-Unis. Nous analysons différents arguments économiques qui peuvent justifier ces programmes d'aide et d'assurance subventionnés. En général, nous ne trouvons aucun argument convaincant comme quoi une défaillance de marché justifie des activités de gestion du risque subventionnées par le gouvernement. Cependant, des exceptions importantes existent pour les cas de dommages catastrophiques à des infrastructures publiques; de menaces de maladies contagieuses et invasives; et de dangers associés à la contamination accidentelle ou délibérée de la chaîne alimentaire, auquel cas les coûts de transaction importants pourraient inhiber les solutions du marché privé. Nous considérons également une analyse panel VAR des relations entre les rendements de marché et les paiements versés en vertu de trois types de programme: assistance en cas de catastrophe, assurance récolte et tout autre type de paiement direct. Nous en arrivons à la conclusion importante que les paiements d'assurance et d'aide aux sinistrés semblent mener à des niveaux de risque relatif au revenu marchand plus élevés dans le secteur de l'agriculture. Ceci concorde avec les arguments voulant que les programmes subventionnés d'assurance et d'assistance en cas de catastrophe mènent à une augmentation des risques dans le secteur de l'agriculture. [source]