Search results for "natural disaster"
showing 10 items of 35 documents
Facing natural disasters through the endorsement of authoritarian attitudes
2020
Abstract We analyzed the relations between exposure to news describing a natural disaster and right-wing authoritarianism (RWA) with 241 Italian adults, surveyed twice, before and after a severe earthquake. Our results were compatible with the idea that the exposure to earthquake news led to an increase in RWA among people who had low, but not among who had relatively high, authoritarian levels before the event. We discuss the findings in terms of compensatory control, and highlight strengths and limitations of the study.
Spatial [Elements] Decision Support System Used in Disaster Management
2007
Natural disasters profoundly affect the development of human society, they are the most pervasive disasters in the world and they cause the greatest property and human loss. Considering the natural disasters that have struck Romania these years, we believe that is it is absolutely necessary to develop a spatial [elements] decision support system, which would prevent - as much as possible - natural disasters from occurring or would help mitigate their effects. All these objectives are unattainable without effectively applying information and communication technology in the field of natural disasters.
Infrastructure and system programming for digital ecosystems used in natural disaster management
2009
Researchers in most fields of activity must concentrate their efforts to eradicate or at least to mitigate the negative effects of “global warming”, which affect the entire planet. Within this context, we strongly believe that IT&C specialists should also approach the issue. Therefore, this paper presents the results and solutions obtained during the development of a research contract dealing on the one hand with real-time data collection and data centralization in a decision making system, and on the other with the dissemination of information among the people exposed to the effects of natural disasters such as: floods, storms, tsunamis, or other natural disasters which may destroy propert…
Application of the group method of data handling (GMDH) approach for landslide susceptibility zonation using readily available spatial covariates
2022
Abstract Landslide susceptibility (LS) mapping is an essential tool for landslide risk assessment. This study aimed to provide a new approach with better performance for landslide mapping and adopting readily available variables. In addition, it investigates the capability of a state-of-the-art model developed using the group method of data handling (GMDH) to spatially model LS. Furthermore, hybridized models of GMDH were developed using different metaheuristic algorithms. The study area was the Bonghwa region of South Korea, for which an accurate landslide inventory dataset is available. We considered a total of 13 spatial covariates (altitude, slope, aspect, topographic wetness index, val…
The importance of Culture and Context in Disaster Risk Reduction : A Case Study of Women in Batticaloa`s Perceptions on Vulnerability to Natural Disa…
2018
Master's thesis Global development and planning UT505 - University of Agder 2018 The aim of this thesis has been to assess perceptions on vulnerability to natural disasters and disaster risk reduction efforts among women in Batticaloa district, Sri Lanka. Batticaloa is one of the poorest districts in Sri-Lanka with vulnerabilities linked to linked to several factors; the impact of the war, the tsunami, and water related climate variability which again affects health and safety, water resources, agriculture and fisheries, access to services and livelihood/economic development of families and communities (Humanity & Inclusion, n. d.). Disasters are often considered the “antithesis of human de…
Climate and agriculture: empirical evidence for countries and agroecological zones of the Sahel
2022
International audience; ow heterogenous is the impact of climate change across space and the type of agricultural production? In this paper, we investigate the relationship between climate change and variability, measured by temperature and rainfall, and agricultural production at the country and agroecological zone levels of the Sahel. We consider a crop production index and five cereals (maize, millet, sorghum, wheat and rice). Based on an original climate database and an agricultural production function estimated for the period 1961–2016, we show that average rainfall and temperature during the growing season indeed have highly heterogeneous effects on agricultural production, depending …
Masonry structures subjected to tsunami loads: Modeling issues and application to a case study
2020
Abstract Tsunamis are among the most dangerous natural disasters for coastal areas experiencing tsunami hazard. One of the major concerns in the assessment of strategies for the risk mitigation is to estimate vulnerability of structures and infrastructures. However, reliable approaches for the evaluation of the structural capacity under tsunami loads are nowadays not always available for all the types of structures, especially masonry. On this aim, the paper deals with the modeling issues of 3D masonry structures subjected to tsunami loads and the effect on the structural behavior of different modeling approaches. First, a brief state of the art on the available studies is presented regardi…
Desplazados ambientales: incertidumbres y respuestas jurídicas frente a un eventual conflicto humanitario
2022
Los cambios ambientales, incluyendo tanto los desastres ambientales naturales como los efectos del cambio climático de carácter antrópico, son una realidad con visos de agravarse en las próximas décadas si no se toman medidas. Entre sus efectos se encuentran los desplazamientos forzados de personas hacia nuevos hábitats, que pueden causar conflictos en los Estados de acogida. En el caso de los desplazamientos ambientales transfronterizos, el actual derecho internacional no cuenta aún con una respuesta que sea a un tiempo y conjuntamente global, eficaz y coercitiva, para asegurar los derechos de las personas afectadas. No obstante, asistimos a la progresiva consolidación de una ética común g…
Towards a Framework for Cross-Sector Collaboration: Implementing a Resilience Information Portal
2017
Municipalities play an integral part in the strive for resilient societies. A resilient municipality is not only prepared for short-term shocks such as natural disasters but also more successful in mastering long-term stresses such as profound in-creases or decreases of population. Backed by a large-scale research project we have developed a Resilience Information Portal (RIP). It serves as an artefact to support cross-sector collaboration within a municipality. The core challenges in implementing such a portal reside not in the technological work, though. Rather, it needs to be implemented in the communication and IT strategy of a municipality and be tailored to the processes. In this arti…
On the use of unmanned aerial systems for environmental monitoring
2018
[EN] Environmental monitoring plays a central role in diagnosing climate and management impacts on natural and agricultural systems; enhancing the understanding of hydrological processes; optimizing the allocation and distribution of water resources; and assessing, forecasting, and even preventing natural disasters. Nowadays, most monitoring and data collection systems are based upon a combination of ground-based measurements, manned airborne sensors, and satellite observations. These data are utilized in describing both small-and large-scale processes, but have spatiotemporal constraints inherent to each respective collection system. Bridging the unique spatial and temporal divides that li…