June
14
March
18
Fukushima Plant Disaster Blog Posts. Union Of Concerned Scientists.
Nuclear power Natural disasters Trackbacks (0)http://allthingsnuclear.org/tagged/Japan_nuclear
All Things Nuclear is the blog of the Global Security Program at the Union of Concerned Scientists. We’ll cover nuclear weapons, fissile materials, arms control, missile defense, space weapons, reprocessing, China and security, nuclear power, and a few other things for good measure, all in the context of science, security, and policy.
January
20
Background resources on Haiti
The Dag Hammarskjöld Library has developed a new page with links to information on Haiti. For many years, the UN system has produced reports, statistics and other resources about Haiti. This page provides access to many of these resources in English and French.
UNOCHA/ReliefWeb information on Haiti
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The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) and the (ReliefWeb) continue to issue updated information resources including maps and situation reports on the Haiti Earthquake disaster. More information on the disaster is available at the Reliefweb. |
Latest Haiti Maps
UN Pulse Permanent Link: Latest Haiti Maps
The UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) Operational Satellite Applications Programme (UNOSAT) continues to produce satellite maps to support the international humanitarian relief effort in Haiti. For the latest maps, click here.
January
19
World Health Organization : Haiti
A comprehensive and regularly updated information resource on the ongoing (January 2010) public health crisis and emergency in earthquake-hit Haiti. Produced by the World Health Organization (WHO) this resource contains situation reports, a public health risk assessment report, maps, technical guidelines, videos, press releases, and podcasts. Links to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) social media resources are provided (including relevant PAHO Twitter, Facebook and YouTube channels). From Intute.ac.uk
April
02
Public’S Response To Hurricane Katrina. Docuticker
United States of America Natural disasters Government Trackbacks (0)Attributing Blame: The Public’s Response to Hurricane Katrina (PDF; 151 Kb)
Source: Journal of Politics
When government fails, whom do citizens blame? Do these assessments rely on biased or content-rich information? Despite the vast literatures on retrospective voting in political science and attribution in psychology, there exists little theory and evidence on how citizens apportion blame among public officials in the wake of government failure. We designed a survey experiment in which respondents ranked seven public officials in order of how much they should be blamed for the property damage and loss of life in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. We manipulated the information provided to respondents, with some receiving the officials’ party affiliations, others receiving their job titles, and others receiving both cues. We find that party cues cause individuals to blame officials of the opposite party, but citizens make more principled judgments when provided with information about officials’ responsibilities. These results have implications for our understanding of the impact of heuristics and information on retrospective evaluations of government performance.
See: The Vote is Not Tallied on Katrina Blame (Stanford Graduate School of Business News)
December
07
Oxfam International: Video Library
Poverty Climate Change NGOs and NPOs Aid Human Rights Environment Food, food supply and food security Natural disasters Inequality Hunger and malnutrition Justice Trackbacks (0)Oxfam International: Video
Oxfam, the British aid organization that banded together with a dozen other organizations in 1995 to form Oxfam International, has a website loaded with resources, one of which is a video library. There are many issues covered, such as climate change, tsunami survivors, AIDS, and many videos include celebrities, including Colin Firth, Scarlett Johansson, Helen Mirren, and Annie Lennox. To increase their reach, many of the videos are also available on Youtube. To view the video in fullscreen, click on the screen icon next to the speaker icon. One of the more heart wrenching videos is the one titled "Our Home After Sidr-Documentary from Oxfam." It is the abridged version of a documentary, but conveys, nonetheless the dire situation of these Bangladesh survivors. Visitors should also not miss short animated video "Face the Music" about climate change, which uses only music and animation to show how climate change hits the poor "first and worst." [KMG] Scout Report
January
28
The Political Economy of “Natural” Disasters
Source: Harvard Business School Working Knowledge
With the onset of global warming, it is likely that the incidence of natural shocks will only increase in the years ahead. In addition, rising inequality between rich and poor countries combined with a commitment on the part of developed countries to increase foreign aid disbursements indicates that international relief in natural disasters will grow. Disaster relief is one of the most basic and important transfers of wealth between developed and developing countries. This paper argues that the relief enters and affects a highly political situation. It also argues that the political economy of natural disasters is understandable and predictable, and may be mitigated. Key concepts include:
- Managed correctly, disaster assistance can smooth shocks to poor countries that might otherwise be debilitating. Like all transfers of wealth, however, it can distort incentives or be manipulated by self-interested leaders.
- Policymakers ought to craft disaster relief to minimize these distortions and manipulations. Domestic policies and the actions of international relief should be designed to mitigate, rather than exacerbate, the wrath of nature.
+ Full Paper (PDF; 234 KB)
+ Full Paper (PDF; )
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January
23
Tsunami Reconstruction, Three Years Later
Source: U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)
In the days immediately following the Dec. 26, 2004, earthquake and tsunami, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and other government agencies launched a $656 million reconstruction program. The money was provided by Congress in May 2005 and signed into law by President Bush for the Tsunami Relief and Reconstruction Fund (including $31.3 million to combat avian influenza).
When added to the money spent by the Department of Defense on emergency recovery assistance and relief aid, as well as food aid provided by USDA, the United States contributed $841 million. Moreover, swift action by the United States, in cooperation with other donors and private organizations, prevented another disaster by ensuring critical water and sanitation needs were met.
Americans also responded in great numbers. According to the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, U.S. private tsunami donations, including both cash and in-kind donations, is more than $1.8 billion.
Press release with statistics.
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