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Facing Hazards and Disasters: Understanding Human Dimensions

This report by the National Research Council Committee on Disaster Research explores the challenges and opportunities facing the social science disaster research community. It examines the contributions of the social sciences in understanding natural, technological, and human-induced disasters, as well as future trends and potential areas for collaboration. The report also discusses hazard vulnerability, emergency response, disaster preparedness, and recovery practices.

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Facing Hazards and Disasters: Understanding Human Dimensions

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  1. Facing Hazards and Disasters:Understanding Human Dimensions Report of the National Research Council Committee on Disaster Research in the Social Sciences

  2. Committee Members Gary A. Kreps, The College of William and Mary Philip R. Berke, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Thomas A. Birkland, University at Albany, State University of New York (Until December 31, 2005) Stephanie E. Chang, University of British Columbia Susan L. Cutter, University of South Carolina Michael K. Lindell, Texas A&M University Robert A. Olson, Robert Olson Associates, Inc. Juan M. Ortiz, Tarrant County, Texas Office of Emergency Management John H. Sorensen, Oak Ridge National Laboratory Kimberly I. Shoaf, University of California, Los Angeles Kathleen Tierney, University of Colorado at Boulder William A. Wallace, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Anthony M. Yezer, George Washington University Staff William A. Anderson, Study Director Byron Mason, Program Associate Committee on Disaster Research in the Social Sciences: Future Challenges and Opportunities

  3. Committee Mission The objective of the study is to provide the National Science Foundation and other stakeholders with a detailed appraisal of the short and long-term challenges facing the social science disaster research community and new and emerging opportunities for advancing knowledge in the field and its application for the benefit of society. The study should provide a basis for planning future social science and multidisciplinary research related to natural, technological, and willful disasters in response to challenges and opportunities presented by a changing nation and world.

  4. CommitteeMission In order to put future projections into context, the study will initially examine the contributions and accomplishments of the social sciences in the field starting with the creation of the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP), the program that through NSF has provided much of the support for the social science effort to date. Attention will be given to the contributions of the social sciences to understanding the full range of natural, technological and human-induced disasters that social scientists have studied during the past twenty-five years since NEHRP was established.

  5. StatementofTask Overall the study will examine the following areas: • Social science contributions under NEHRP, both in terms of knowledge creation and utilization. • Contributions of the social sciences since the creation of NEHRP to the understanding of natural, technological and human-induced hazards faced by communities in the nation. • Challenges posed for the social science disaster research community due to the expectation that, like other relevant disciplines, it become a major partner in integrated hazard and disaster research. • Opportunities for bridging the gap between social scientists that study natural disasters and those that investigate technological risks.

  6. Statement of Task • Likely impact of key societal changes - such as the emergence of new technologies, emphasis on new hazards, and a changing emergency management profession - on how disaster research is done by social scientists in the future, as well as what is studied. • Challenges of post-disaster investigations and opportunities to increase their value. • Future opportunities for collaborative international research. • Opportunities for meeting the challenge of furthering the application of research results. • Future workforce needsand opportunities to meet them.

  7. HAZARDS RESEARCH DISASTER RESEARCH HAZARD VULNERABILITY EMERGENCY RESPONSE DISASTER PREPAREDNESS HAZARD MITIGATION DISASTER RECOVERY Core Topics of Hazards and Disaster Research

  8. The Hazards and Disaster Management System Pre-Impact Interventions Mitigation Practices Emergency Preparedness Practices Recovery Preparedness Practices Post-Impact Responses Emergency Activities (Planned and Improvised) Recovery Activities (Planned and Improvised) Events Hazard Vulnerability Hazard Exposure Physical Vulnerability Social Vulnerability Disaster Impacts Physical Social Disaster Event Characteristics Frequency Predictability Controllability Length of forewarning Magnitude of Impact Scope of Impact (Spatial and Social) Duration of Impact Chronological Time Pre-Impact Trans-Impact Post-Impact Social Time

  9. Study Conclusions • Social science hazards and disaster research has advanced in the United States and internationally.

  10. Study Conclusions • Social science knowledge about the responses of U.S. households to natural hazards and disasters is well-developed. • Far less is known about how the characteristics of different types of hazards affect disaster preparedness and response. • More is known about immediate post-disaster responses of groups, organizations, and social networks than about mitigation or disaster recovery policies and practices. • The circumstances of terrorist threats could alter societal response to disasters. • NEHRP has made important contributions to understanding longer-term disaster recovery.

  11. Study Conclusions • A more diverse, interdisciplinary, and technologically sophisticated social science workforce is needed in the future.

  12. Study Conclusions • The management and accessibility of data needs immediate attention.

  13. Study Conclusions • How research is communicated and applied is not well understood.

  14. Summary Recommendations • Summary Recommendation 1: Comparative research should be conducted to refine and measure core components of societal vulnerability and resilience to hazards of all types, to address the special requirements of confronting disasters caused by terrorist acts, and to advancing knowledge about mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery related to disasters having catastrophic physical and social impacts.

  15. Summary Recommendation • Summary Recommendation 2: Strategic planning and institution building are needed to address issues related to the management and sharing of data on hazards and disasters (hazards and disaster informatics), sustain the momentum of interdisciplinary research, advance the utilization of social science findings, and sustain the hazards and disaster research workforce.

  16. Summary Recommendation • Summary Recommendation 3: NSF and DHS should jointly support the comparative research, strategic planning, and institution building called for in Summary Recommendations 1-2.

  17. Conclusion:A Vision of Social Science Contributions to Knowledge and a Safer World

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