Etkin Disaster Theory

An Interdisciplinary Approach to Concepts and Causes
1. Auflage 2014
ISBN: 978-0-12-800355-8
Verlag: Elsevier Science & Techn.
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: 6 - ePub Watermark

E-Book, Englisch, 386 Seiten

Disaster Theory: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Concepts and Causes offers the theoretical background needed to understand what disasters are and why they occur. Drawing on related disciplines, including sociology, risk theory, and seminal research on disasters and emergency management, Disaster Theory clearly lays out the conceptual framework of the emerging field of disaster studies. Tailored to the needs of advanced undergraduates and graduate students, this unique text also provides an ideal capstone for students who have already been introduced to the fundamentals of emergency management. Disaster Theory emphasizes the application of critical thinking in understanding disasters and their causes by synthesizing a wide range of information on theory and practice, including input from leading scholars in the field. - Offers the first cohesive depiction of disaster theory - Incorporates material from leading thinkers in the field, as well as student exercises and critical thinking questions, making this a rich resource for advanced courses - Written from an international perspective and includes case studies of disasters and hazards from around the world for comparing the leading models of emergency response - Challenges the reader to think critically about important questions in disaster management from various points of view

David Etkin is an Associate Professor of Disaster and Emergency Management at York University, Toronto Canada. He has contributed to several national and international natural hazard projects including the 2nd U.S. national assessment of natural hazards, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), two NATO workshops, was Principal Investigator of the Canadian National Assessment of Natural Hazards, and is Past President of the Canadian Risk and Hazards Network. His research interests focus on disaster management, risk and climate change. He has over 80 publications to his credit, including 6 edited volumes.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Etkin, David

Inhaltsverzeichnis

1;Front Cover;1
2;Disaster Theory;4
3;Dedication;6
4;Contents;8
5;Digital Assets;14
5.1;For the Instructor;14
6;Foreword, by Ian Burton;16
7;Preface;18
8;Introduction;20
8.1;Lisbon 1755: The First Modern Disaster;23
8.2;End Notes;27
9;1 - What Is a Disaster?;28
9.1;1.1 Why This Topic Matters;29
9.2;1.3 The Meaning of Disaster;30
9.3;1.4 Summary;37
9.4;1.5 Case Study: The 2003 Heat Wave in Europe;37
9.5;End Notes;46
10;2 - Disaster Data: A Global View of Economic and Life Loss;50
10.1;2.1 Why This Topic Matters;51
10.2;2.3 Introduction;53
10.3;2.4 Measuring Loss;53
10.4;2.5 Data Quality;57
10.5;2.6 Databases;62
10.6;2.7 Conclusions;68
10.7;2.8 Case Study: Hurricane Hazel and Toronto;73
10.8;End Notes;77
11;3 - Disaster Risk;80
11.1;3.1 Why This Topic Matters;82
11.2;?n n 3.2 Recommended Books and Readings n;82
11.3;n n 3.3 Question to Ponder n;83
11.4;3.4 Introduction;83
11.5;3.5 Risk;83
11.6;3.6 The Risk Society;104
11.7;3.7 Measuring Risk;105
11.8;3.8 Sea Level Rise and Subsidence;114
11.9;3.9 Summary;118
11.10;3.10 Case Study: 1998 Ice Storm in Eastern Canada and Northeastern United States;118
11.11;End Notes;123
12;4 - Hazard, Vulnerability, and Resilience;130
12.1;4.1 Why This Topic Matters;132
12.2;4.3 Hazard;133
12.3;4.4 Introduction to Vulnerability and Resilience;138
12.4;4.5 Vulnerability;140
12.5;4.6 Resilience46;149
12.6;4.7 Grassy Narrows;165
12.7;4.8 Responsibility and Response Ability—Comments on Vulnerability and Community by John (Jack) Lindsay113;169
12.8;End Notes;172
13;5 - Disasters and Complexity;178
13.1;5.1 Why This Topic Matters;180
13.2;5.3 Introduction;181
13.3;5.4 Characteristics of Complex Systems;182
13.4;5.5 Normal Accident Theory;193
13.5;5.6 Discussion;196
13.6;5.7 Close Calls or Near Misses;198
13.7;5.8 Conclusion;201
13.8;5.9 Case Study: Flooding along the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers, Hurricane Katrina and the New Orleans Catastrophe;201
13.9;End Notes;215
14;6 - Disaster Models;220
14.1;6.1 Why This Topic Matters;221
14.2;?n n 6.2 Recommended Readings n;222
14.3;6.3 What Is a Model?;223
14.4;6.4 Philosophical Approaches;225
14.5;6.5 Disaster Models;229
14.6;6.6 Conclusion;249
14.7;6.7 Case Study: Sarno Landslides;249
14.8;6.8 A Comment by Joe Scanlon48;251
14.9;End Notes;253
15;7 - Myths and Fallacies;256
15.1;7.1 Why This Topic Matters;257
15.2;?n n 7.2 Recommended Readings n;258
15.3;7.3 Myths of Fact;258
15.4;7.4 Myths of Human Behavior;264
15.5;7.5 Fundamental Myths of Our Relationship to the World;267
15.6;7.6 Conclusion;271
15.7;7.7 Fables: of Little Pigs and Ants;271
15.8;7.8 Case Study: the Great Flood;274
15.9;7.9 A Comment by Joe Scanlon;275
15.10;End Notes;277
16;8 - The Poetry of Disaster;280
16.1;8.1 Why This Topic is Important;281
16.2;8.2 An Essay by Nicole Cooley1;281
16.3;8.3 Some Thoughts;285
16.4;8.4 Case Study: Burning of the Library at Alexandria;289
16.5;8.5 A Comment by Joe Scanlon;293
16.6;8.6 A Comment by Robin Cox31;296
16.7;End Notes;297
17;9 - Ethics and Disaster;300
17.1;9.1 Why This Topic Matters;301
17.2;?n n 9.2 Recommended Readings n;302
17.3;9.3 Introduction;304
17.4;9.4 Ethics;306
17.5;9.5 Ethics and the Construction of Risk—a Reflection;325
17.6;9.6 Conclusion;326
17.7;9.7 Example of an Ethical Dilemma: Temporary Settlement versus Permanent Housing;327
17.8;9.8 Jean Slick on Ethical Dilemmas;330
17.9;9.9 Commentary by Naomi Zack72;331
17.10;End Notes;333
18;10 - Workshop on Principles of Disaster Management;338
18.1;10.1 Why This Topic Matters;339
18.2;10.3 Why Are Principles Needed for Disaster Management?;341
18.3;10.4 The Complexity of Current Principles;345
18.4;10.5 Two Models: Clarifying Principles;346
18.5;10.6 Tasks for Breakout Groups;350
18.6;End Notes;353
19;11 - Final Reflections;356
19.1;End Notes;360
20;Appendix 1 - Selected Disaster Data;362
21;Selected Disaster Data;362
22;Appendix 2 - Statistics Canada: Factors and Measures Related to Community Resilience;364
23;Statistics Canada: Factors and Measures Related to Community Resilience;364
23.1;Factor 1: Economic Health of the Community;364
23.2;Factor 2: Community Access to Communication;364
23.3;Factor 3: Sufficient Response and Recovery Capacity among Community Services;364
23.4;Factor 4: Community Socio-Demographic Characteristics;365
23.5;Factor 5: Transportation and Evacuation Capacity;365
23.6;Factor 6: Availability of Social, Civic, and Religious Organizations;365
23.7;Factor 7: Health Status;365
23.8;Factor 8: Activity Limitation/Degree of Assistance Required;366
23.9;Factor 9: Neighborhood/Community Belonging and Social Cohesion;366
23.10;Factor 10: Social Resources/Social Capital;366
23.11;Factor 11: Sense of Civic Empowerment/Self-Efficacy among Community Members;366
23.12;Factor 12: Generalized Trust;366
23.13;Factor 13: Civic Engagement/Participation;367
23.14;Factor 14: Household Composition;367
23.15;Factor 15: Official Language Proficiency;367
23.16;Factor 16: Literacy;367
24;Appendix 3 - Interviews with Ian Burton and Ken Hewitt;368
25;Interviews with Ian Burton and Ken Hewitt;368
25.1;Interview with Ian Burton, January 2014;368
25.2;Interview with Ken Hewitt, December 2013;372
26;Index;382

Leseproben

Introduction

The more things change, the more they remain the same. (Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose.)

Alphonse Karr (“Les Guêpes”)

This book is about understanding disaster. There are many ways that this could be approached, depending on the discipline, profession, and the author’s purpose. Although my education was originally in physics and mathematics, and I come from a professional background of meteorology and environmental issues, I am taking a broad and holistic approach that emphasizes the social sciences. I do this because I see human behavior as the primary reason we create vulnerable communities that experience disaster—this is the area where we can exert the most influence on reducing disaster risk. I do not mean to diminish the importance of the physical sciences in the study of this field; they are essential. But they are also insufficient, and one of the main purposes of this book is to provide an understanding of the various ways people relate to and cope with disaster risk.

In the field of disaster studies there is a noteworthy gap between theory and the actual practice of disaster risk reduction. This gap is diminishing, but the newness of the academic side of the field and the emergence of the practitioner community from civil defense has created a situation where much that is known is not used. In the medical field a transition to evidence-based practice was formally introduced in 1992—an approach that has spread to other disciplines. More emphasis needs to be placed on this approach in the practice of disaster and emergency management. Doing this means incorporating the knowledge gained from good theoretical and empirical research into how we reduce disaster risk. It is this research that is the driving force behind the organization of this book, linking the theoretical underpinnings of this field of study with empiricism and practice.

Since the mid-20th Century there have been an enormous number of disasters that have taken a terrible toll on people and their communities. Because of this, government, nongovernmental organizations, and universities have all begun to pay increasing attention to the study of disaster and disaster management. One of the results of this growing awareness is programs such as the one I work in at York University, Toronto, Canada, and the graduate course on disaster theory that I teach. In Canada, such programs have been around for about a decade, but over time they will transform the profession of disaster and emergency management into one with a much more holistic approach than has historically been used.

Predicting the future is not an easy task, but it seems to me that the world in which we are living is going through a transformation. The massive trends of globalization, urbanization, climate change, terrorism, population growth, species extinction, the rise of sea level, and the growth of novel technologies combine to alter old hazards, create new ones, and make societies vulnerable in ways that they have not been before. Coping with these changes is more than challenging and requires a constant questioning of the theories, models, and assumptions upon which our understanding of disaster risk construction is based.

This book was written with students in mind, but it is also appropriate for professionals working within the field who want to gain a better understanding of theory and how it affects the practice of disaster risk reduction. It is also appropriate for the educated layperson who simply has an interest in this field of study. As much as possible, I have illustrated theory with examples and case studies to avoid the “ivory tower syndrome.” The most fundamental question to be asked in the study of disasters is, What are they? That is the subject of the first chapter. The second chapter is a report on global disaster data with a commentary on the uncertainties inherent in the data sets and how biases can be created, depending on how they are constructed and used. Disaster data suffer from the irony that as they become more robust, they suffer from problems of representativeness. For example, the insurance industry has good data on what disasters cost them, but that alone is a rather poor indicator of most disasters. In the third chapter I address various aspects of risk theory that are particularly relevant to disaster risk; in particular, I focus on social constructionism, risk homeostasis, risk perception, and issues related to the measurement of risk. Many fields of study address the issue of risk, and each tends to have its own terminology and set of definitions. A discussion of this area must begin with simply accepting a terminology and then moving forward. Chapter 4 deals with the most important aspects of vulnerability and resilience theory. Resilience is the new catchword within the disaster field, and it is certainly a very useful approach to risk reduction. One should not jump too quickly on the bandwagon, though—approaches that address vulnerability and robustness are still critical. Chapter 5 addresses the fascinating topic of complexity and how our understanding of complex systems may be relevant to understanding the evolution of disasters, as well as which management strategies might be most effective. This area is not yet well developed and is ripe for future research. Chapter 6 overviews a number of different disaster models that are used by various groups and organizations as tools to assist with managing disaster risk. The choice of which model to use can be important in terms of outcomes, and professionals in this field should have a good sense of the strengths and weaknesses of each. A model is not a theory and is not right or wrong in itself; the usefulness of models is contingent on their utility with respect to a person’s or institution’s particular goal. Chapter 7 deals with the topic of disaster myths and fallacies. These misunderstandings sometimes play out in significant ways in terms of planning processes and response, and theoreticians and practitioners should be familiar with the research that has been done on them. The idea for Chapter 8 came from a Leonard Cohen concert I attended with my wife. Enthralled by his musical poetry, I wondered to what extent people use this and other forms of literature to understand disaster. The answer, I learned, is that it is used a great deal! It seems natural for people to use stories, poetry, and art as tools to help them come to terms with loss. Chapter 9 deals with the issue of ethics and disaster, a topic addressed too infrequently within the emergency management community, although it is commonly addressed in other fields such as humanitarian aid or health. Ethics must be the basis for management principles but often are not addressed. The final chapter provides an opportunity for students to engage in a workshop, to develop sets of principles for various scenarios.

As I often do, in 2012 I attended the annual Federal Emergency Management Agency conference on higher education in emergency management, held during June on the beautiful Federal Emergency Management Agency campus in Emmitsburg, Maryland, where I sat in on a session addressing emergency management theory. One of the questions asked was which theories and scholars each of us base our teaching on. There was little agreement! Coming at the field from a variety of disciplines and focusing on various aspects of the disaster problem results in a multitude of perspectives. Disaster theory has not yet coagulated, and given the nature of the problem, it may always be a fuzzy beast. Not everybody will agree with my choice of topics for this book, but I consider them to be the most critical in terms of understanding why and how disasters happen and how we need to deal with them.

As an academic in this field I have read about many historical and recent events, while at the same time watching new ones unfold. Some disasters such as the Haiti earthquake are sad replays of old themes, whereas others such as the Fukushima nuclear meltdown offer new twists as a result of the changing world in which we live. Yet all of them revolve around human behavior and decision making, which in many ways are not very different from ancient times. To illustrate this, I offer the following two quotes.

As it was, their judgment was based more on wishful thinking than on a sound calculation of probabilities: for the usual thing among men is that when they want something they will, without any reflection, leave that to hope, while they will employ the full force of reason in rejecting what they find unpalatable.

Thucydides, 425 BC, The Peloponnesian Wars

Thereupon one of the priests, who was of a very great age, said: O Solon, Solon, you Hellenes are never anything but children, and there is not an old man among you. Solon in return asked him what he meant. I mean to say, he replied, that in mind you are all young; there is no old opinion handed down among you by ancient tradition, nor any science which is hoary with age. And I will tell you why. There have been, and will be again, many destructions of mankind arising out of many causes; the greatest have been brought about by the agencies of fire and water, and other lesser ones by innumerable other causes…. In the first place you remember a single deluge only, but there were many previous ones.

Egyptian Priest to Solon, the Athenian lawgiver, from Plato, Timaeus, 360 BC

Disasters are holistic, unbounded by disciplinary or political boundaries. They have historical and cultural roots and need to be understood in context. They affect people differently, depending on culture,...