Reducing Disaster Losses Through Better Information (1999) / Chapter Skim
Currently Skimming:
2 Information for Decision Making
2 Information for Decision Making
Pages 12-24
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From page 12... ...
Disaster information is needed by decision makers at many different levels and different scales. Officials in municipalities and counties need information that is sufficiently detailed to be useful in all aspects of disaster management information such as land ownership; detailed hazard and risk maps; and the locations of utility lines, disaster response teams, and emergency supplies.
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From page 13... ...
TABLE 2-1 Information Resources for Decision Making Base Data Topography Political boundaries Public land survey system Geographic names Demography Land ownership/use Critical facilities Scientific Data Hydrography/hydrology (surface and subsurface flows and levels) Ocean levels and tides Soils Geology: rock types/ages/properties/structure Meteorology and climatology Archeology Seismology: active faults, seismicity, seismic wave propagation, ground motion Volcanology Wildlife: habitat, spawning areas, breeding grounds Engineering Data Control structures: locks, dams, levees Pump stations Building inventories/codes Offshore facilities Transportation, bridges, tunnels Utility infrastructure, pipelines, power lines Critical facilities Communication systems Economic Data Financial Insurance: holdings, losses Exposure Environmental Data Threatened and endangered species Hazardous sites Water quality Critical facilities Response Data Evacuation routes Management plans Aircraft routes Personnel deployment Equipment deployment Warning system Shelters Monitoring system Loss estimates Information for Decision Making 13
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From page 14... ...
Numerical weather forecasts produced by the National Weather Service (NWS) three days prior to the Oklahoma City tornado indicated the potential for severe weather in the Southern Great Plains during the evening hours of July 13.
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From page 15... ...
Inclusion in an outlook or tornado watch area triggers many activities throughout local governments and industries. Examples include staffing emergency management centers, dispersing storm spotters, alerting repair crews, tying down light aircraft, and monitoring weather radars owned by television stations.
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From page 16... ...
In addition, the sea level often drops significantly as a large tsunami approaches the coastline; if the drop were large enough and long enough, there could be a Toss of cooling water. Although the plant has emergency cooling water in reservoirs onshore, those responsible for emergency response at the plant were apprehensive.
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From page 17... ...
Given other nondestructive wave heights elsewhere as the tsunami traveled across the Pacific, NOAA canceled the tsunami warning at 14:50 PDT. The cancellation notice remarked that no destructive Pacific-wide tsunami wave threat existed; however, it Information for Decision Making 17
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From page 18... ...
The airborne particles and fallen ash forced the temporary closure of the Anchorage Airport, which served as the principal airport for transporting ARCO and British Petroleum workers to the North Slope of Alaska. Prompt response by ARCO to an eruption warning issued by the Alaska Volcanic Observatory resulted in the following actions: relocation from Anchorage to Fairbanks of two Boeing 727 airplanes used to transport workers and supplies from Anchorage to the North Slope, establishment of interim North Slope ARCO transport operations out of Fairbanks, provision of bus transportation for Sight crews and passengers between Anchor 18 Reducing Disaster Losses Through Better Information
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From page 19... ...
In response to this disaster, officials of the city of Boulder, Colorado, became concerned about what might happen if a similar storm should occur over Boulder Creek just 50 kilometers farther south. Researchers studied the Big Thompson dOod and determined the feasibility of implementing an early dOod detection and warning system for the city of Boulder.
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From page 20... ...
As the fires burned throughout May and June, a massive work force formed behind the scenes to provide intelligence and support for the fire operations. Fire behavior specialists, meteorologists, and fire managers used the available information to identify the areas most severely impacted by drought and the highest fuel loading buildups to project fire spread in threatened areas.
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From page 21... ...
Graphic images of shaking at Candlestick Park, plumes of smoke from fires in the Marina District, and collapse of both the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge and the Cypress Freeway viaduct bore witness to the widespread effects of the Loma Prieta earthquake on San Fran cisco and Oakland. Dramatic television images created an impression that the most significant damage was in the bay area.
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From page 22... ...
To prevent situations like this in the future, a new state-of-the-art satellite communications system was installed, a new emergency management structure was created, and now an earthquake monitoring and information system is being installed in Southern California. This new system, caDed TriNet, is intended to provide accurate information on the intensity and geographic distribution of shaking within minutes of the occurrence of a major earthquake.
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From page 23... ...
During the afternoon a Galveston radio station carried the same private weather service forecast predicting landfaH much farther north than predicted by the National Hurricane Center.
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From page 24... ...
· In some cases, early and progressive information can be used to optimize the deployment of personnel and resources in a potential highhazard area prior to the actual occurrence of the effects of a natural disaster there. · Information products could benefit greatly from user input in defining process requirements for hazard-specific situations at the national (or global)
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