Displaying publications 1 - 20 of 152 in total

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  1. Sohrabizadeh S, Shojaei F, Möckel L, Jahanmehr N, Zandi A, Soori H, et al.
    Disaster Med Public Health Prep, 2023 Jul 31;17:e442.
    PMID: 37519069 DOI: 10.1017/dmp.2023.102
    BACKGROUND: Economic evaluation approaches are needed to establish useful interventions for saving lives, preventing economic damage, and saving recovery costs at the time of disasters. Thus, the present study is aimed to identify the studies that applied economic evaluation approaches/methods for evaluating the economic costs of disasters.

    METHODS: A scoping review was conducted to find the eligible studies and perform a comprehensive data analysis.

    RESULTS: Based on the findings, cost-effectiveness analysis, economic loss assessment, modeling, or mapping, as well as behavioral economic analysis were used as the economic evaluation approaches/methods.

    CONCLUSIONS: Applying economic evaluation approaches to illustrate the economic costs of disasters is highly recommended. Managing competing priorities and optimizing resources allocations to the most cost-effective interventions can be achieved by cost-effectiveness analysis. The results of economic loss assessment can be used as the basis of disaster preparedness and response planning. Economic modeling can be applied to compare different interventions and anticipate socio-economic effects of disasters. A behavioral economic approach can be effective for decision-making in the field of disaster health management. Further research is needed to identify the advantages and limitations of each economic evaluation method/approach in the field of health in disasters. Such research can preferably be designed as the systematic review and meta-analysis.

    Matched MeSH terms: Disasters*
  2. Rahman S, Akib S, Khan MT, Shirazi SM
    ScientificWorldJournal, 2014;2014:729357.
    PMID: 24790578 DOI: 10.1155/2014/729357
    This experimental study was conducted to idealize the efficacy of sea wall in controlling the tsunami forces on onshore structures. Different types of sea walls were placed in front of the building model. The tsunami forces and the wave heights were measured with and without the sea wall conditions. Types of sea wall, wall height, and wall positions were varied simultaneously to quantify the force reductions. Maximum of 41% forces was reduced by higher sea wall, positioned closer proximity to the model whereas this reduction was about 27% when the wall height was half of the high wall. Experimental investigations revealed that wall with adequate height and placed closer to the structures enables a satisfactory predictor of the force reduction on onshore structures. Another set of tests were performed with perforated wall placing near the building model. Less construction cost makes the provision of perforated sea wall interesting. The overall results showed that the efficacy of perforated wall is almost similar to solid wall. Hence, it can be efficiently used instead of solid wall. Moreover, overtopped water that is stuck behind the wall is readily gone back to the sea through perforations releasing additional forces on the nearby structures.
    Matched MeSH terms: Disasters*
  3. Zhang X, Chan NW, Pan B, Ge X, Yang H
    Sci Total Environ, 2021 Nov 10;794:148388.
    PMID: 34217078 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.148388
    The SAR has the ability of all-weather and all-time data acquisition, it can penetrate the cloud and is not affected by extreme weather conditions, and the acquired images have better contrast and rich texture information. This paper aims to investigate the use of an object-oriented classification approach for flood information monitoring in floodplains using backscattering coefficients and interferometric coherence of Sentinel-1 data under time series. Firstly, the backscattering characteristics and interference coherence variation characteristics of SAR time series are used to analyze whether the flood disaster information can be accurately reflected and provide the basis for selecting input classification characteristics of subsequent SAR images. Subsequently, the contribution rate index of the RF model is used to calculate the importance of each index in time series to convert the selected large number of classification features into low dimensional feature space to improve the classification accuracy and reduce the data redundancy. Finally, the SAR image features in each period after multi-scale segmentation and feature selection are jointly used as the input features of RF classification to extract and segment the water in the study area to monitor floods' spatial distribution and dynamic characteristics. The results showed that the various attributes of backscatter coefficients and interferometric coherence under time series could accurately correspond with the actual flood risk, and the combined use of backscattering coefficient and interferometric coherence for flood extraction can significantly improve the accuracy of flood information extraction. Overall, the object-based random forest method using the backscattering coefficient and interference coherence of Sentinel-1 time series for flood extraction advances our understanding of flooding's temporal and spatial dynamics, essential for the timely adoption of adaptation and mitigation strategies for loss reduction.
    Matched MeSH terms: Disasters*
  4. Birkmann J, Jamshed A, McMillan JM, Feldmeyer D, Totin E, Solecki W, et al.
    Sci Total Environ, 2022 Jan 10;803:150065.
    PMID: 34525713 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.150065
    Climate change is a severe global threat. Research on climate change and vulnerability to natural hazards has made significant progress over the last decades. Most of the research has been devoted to improving the quality of climate information and hazard data, including exposure to specific phenomena, such as flooding or sea-level rise. Less attention has been given to the assessment of vulnerability and embedded social, economic and historical conditions that foster vulnerability of societies. A number of global vulnerability assessments based on indicators have been developed over the past years. Yet an essential question remains how to validate those assessments at the global scale. This paper examines different options to validate global vulnerability assessments in terms of their internal and external validity, focusing on two global vulnerability indicator systems used in the WorldRiskIndex and the INFORM index. The paper reviews these global index systems as best practices and at the same time presents new analysis and global results that show linkages between the level of vulnerability and disaster outcomes. Both the review and new analysis support each other and help to communicate the validity and the uncertainty of vulnerability assessments. Next to statistical validation methods, we discuss the importance of the appropriate link between indicators, data and the indicandum. We found that mortality per hazard event from floods, drought and storms is 15 times higher for countries ranked as highly vulnerable compared to those classified as low vulnerable. These findings highlight the different starting points of countries in their move towards climate resilient development. Priority should be given not just to those regions that are likely to face more severe climate hazards in the future but also to those confronted with high vulnerability already.
    Matched MeSH terms: Disasters*
  5. Adnan MSB, Hart A, Hertelendy AJ, Tin D, Abelanes SM, Issa F, et al.
    Prehosp Disaster Med, 2022 Dec;37(6):836-842.
    PMID: 36373499 DOI: 10.1017/S1049023X22002187
    INTRODUCTION: Despite the increasing risks and complexity of disasters, education for Malaysian health care providers in this domain is limited. This study aims to assess scholarly publications by Malaysian scholars on Disaster Medicine (DM)-related topics.

    METHODOLOGY: An electronic search of five selected journals from 1991 through 2021 utilizing multiple keywords relevant to DM was conducted for review and analysis.

    RESULTS: A total of 154 articles were included for analysis. The mean number of publications per year from 1991 through 2021 was 5.1 publications. Short reports were the most common research type (53.2%), followed by original research (32.4%) and case reports (12.3%). Mean citations among the included articles were 12.4 citations. Most author collaborations were within the same agency or institution, and there was no correlation between the type of collaboration and the number of citations (P = .942). While a few clusters of scholars could build a strong network across institutions, most research currently conducted in DM was within small, isolated clusters.

    CONCLUSION: Disaster Medicine in Malaysia is a growing medical subspecialty with a significant recent surge in research activity, likely due to the SARS-CoV-2/coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) global pandemic. Since most publications in DM have been on infectious diseases, the need to expand DM-related research on other topics is essential.

    Matched MeSH terms: Disasters*; Disaster Medicine*
  6. Tan WK, Teh SY, Koh HL
    Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2017 Jul;24(19):15976-15994.
    PMID: 28343360 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-017-8698-x
    Submarine landslides, also known as submarine mass failures (SMFs), are major natural marine disasters that could critically damage coastal facilities such as nuclear power plants and oil and gas platforms. It is therefore essential to investigate submarine landslides for potential tsunami hazard assessment. Three-dimensional seismic data from offshore Brunei have revealed a giant seabed mass deposited by a previous SMF. The submarine mass extends over 120 km from the continental slope of the Baram Canyon at 200 m water depth to the deep basin floor of the Northwest Borneo Trough. A suite of in-house two-dimensional depth-averaged tsunami simulation model TUNA (Tsunami-tracking Utilities and Application) is developed to assess the vulnerability of coastal communities in Sabah and Sarawak subject to potential SMF tsunami. The submarine slide is modeled as a rigid body moving along a planar slope with the center of mass motion parallel to the planar slope and subject to external forces due to added mass, gravity, and dissipation. The nonlinear shallow water equations are utilized to simulate tsunami propagation from deepwater up to the shallow offshore areas. A wetting-drying algorithm is used when a tsunami wave reaches the shoreline to compute run up of tsunami along the shoreline. Run-up wave height and inundation maps are provided for seven densely populated locations in Sabah and Sarawak to highlight potential risks at each location, subject to two scenarios of slide slopes: 2° and 4°. The first wave may arrive at Kudat as early as 0.4 h after the SMF, giving local communities little time to evacuate. Over a small area, maximum inundated depths reaching 20.3 m at Kudat, 26.1 m at Kota Kinabalu, and 15.5 m at Miri are projected, while the maximum inundation distance of 4.86 km is expected at Miri due to its low-lying coast. In view of the vulnerability of some locations to the SMF tsunami, it is important to develop and implement community resilience program to reduce the potential damage that could be inflicted by SMF tsunamis.
    Matched MeSH terms: Disasters*
  7. Chew KS, Wong SS, Tarazi ISB, Koh JW, Ridzuan NA'B, Wan Allam SASB
    BMC Med Educ, 2023 Jun 12;23(1):432.
    PMID: 37308907 DOI: 10.1186/s12909-023-04356-4
    BACKGROUND: Although tabletop exercise is a commonly used method for disaster response training, it is labor-intensive, requires a tutor for facilitation and may not be ideal in a pandemic situation. Board game is a low-cost and portable alternative that can be utilized for this purpose. The purpose of this study was to compare the perception of interaction engagement and behavioral intention to use a newly developed board game with tabletop exercise for disaster training.

    METHODS: Using the Mechanics-Dynamics-Aesthetics' (MDA) framework, a new, tutorless educational board game known as the Simulated Disaster Management And Response Triage training ("SMARTriage") was first developed for disaster response training. Subsequently, the perceptions of 113 final year medical students on the "SMARTriage" board game was compared with that of tabletop exercise using a crossover design.

    RESULTS: Using Wilcoxon signed rank test, it was that found that tabletop exercise was generally rated significantly higher (with p 

    Matched MeSH terms: Disasters*
  8. Irasanti SN, Respati T, Januarita R, Yuniarti Y, Chen HWJ, Marzo RR
    Front Public Health, 2023;11:1157837.
    PMID: 37529438 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1157837
    The COVID-19 outbreak demonstrates how unprepared the world is for a different type of crisis, especially non-physical calamities. Revitalizing community involvement in disaster management is essential for making a community resilient. Due to differing sociocultural contexts, the resilience perceptions of communities in different parts of the world may vary. This study aims to understand community resilience factors after the COVID-19 disaster in Indonesia and Malaysia. Data from 2034 questionnaires using 5-interrelated domains in the Communities Advancing Resilience (CART) Toolkit Survey were collected. This study was conducted across Indonesia and Malaysia from March to April 2022. A quantitative-based cross-sectional study design and convenience sampling were applied. Respondents for this study were Indonesian and Malaysian citizens above 18 years of age who met the inclusion criteria. A total of 2034 respondents, 715 from Indonesia and 1,315 from Malaysia responded to the survey. The results suggest that Indonesian and Malaysian communities' Transformative Potential and Informative-Communication domains differ significantly. Indonesian communities demonstrated a higher mean value on Transformative Potential domains than Malaysian communities did, while Malaysian communities indicated a higher mean value on Informative-Communication domains. This study concludes that compared to Malaysian communities, Indonesian communities have a more significant potential for transformation because they can frame collective experiences, gather, and analyze pertinent data, evaluate community performance, and develop resilience-building abilities. On the other hand, Malaysian communities are more resilient in providing information and communication. We found the need to develop a community resilience model that incorporates specific cultural and local requirements. Cooperation between the two countries would open many possibilities to emphasize the capability to bounce back sooner after a catastrophe such as the COVID-19 pandemic and achieve Sustainable Development Goals.
    Matched MeSH terms: Disasters*
  9. Ann WL
    Med J Malaysia, 1977 Jun;31(4):349-52.
    PMID: 927245
    Matched MeSH terms: Disasters*
  10. Syapitri H, Hutajulu J, Poddar S, Bhaumik A
    Enferm Clin, 2020 06;30 Suppl 5:183-187.
    PMID: 32713565 DOI: 10.1016/j.enfcli.2019.11.051
    The purpose of this study was to analyze the adaptation response after the eruption of Mount Sinabung in Gurukinayan Village, Karo District. This research is qualitative with an explorative phenomenological approach. Data collection was carried out through observation and in-depth interviews with key informants who were the victims of the Mount Sinabung eruption. The analysis was conducted using content analysis description and life history with 6 participants. The adaptation response results obtained from the community were maladaptive (staying/surviving in the eruption site). The impacts of this eruption are physical/health impacts (cough, shortness, flu and fever), psychological impacts (trauma, anxiety and panic), social/economic impacts (crop failure and job loss), and infrastructure impacts (damaged houses, damaged roads and clean water crisis). Post-eruption adaptation strategies are from the aspects of health (medical treatment, traditional medicine mix), social/economic aspects (carrying out community activities, cultivating land and expecting food and land assistance from donors), infrastructure aspects (building huts, repairing houses, clean water treatment, and expecting operational assistance from the government). It is recommended that in handling post-eruption of Mount Sinabung, the government or village apparatus establish a post-disaster recovery program and decision making (stakeholders) in making policies or decisions related to Eruption Disasters handling.
    Matched MeSH terms: Disasters*
  11. Jairoun AA, Al-Hemyari SS, Shahwan M, Zyoud SH, Suliman A
    Res Social Adm Pharm, 2023 Jun;19(6):841-842.
    PMID: 36918312 DOI: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2023.03.002
    Matched MeSH terms: Disasters*; Disaster Medicine*
  12. An D, Eggeling J, Zhang L, He H, Sapkota A, Wang YC, et al.
    Sci Rep, 2023 Jul 08;13(1):11068.
    PMID: 37422491 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-38317-0
    In the Asia-Pacific region (APR), extreme precipitation is one of the most critical climate stressors, affecting 60% of the population and adding pressure to governance, economic, environmental, and public health challenges. In this study, we analyzed extreme precipitation spatiotemporal trends in APR using 11 different indices and revealed the dominant factors governing precipitation amount by attributing its variability to precipitation frequency and intensity. We further investigated how these extreme precipitation indices are influenced by El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) at a seasonal scale. The analysis covered 465 ERA5 (the fifth-generation atmospheric reanalysis of the European Center for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts) study locations over eight countries and regions during 1990-2019. Results revealed a general decrease indicated by the extreme precipitation indices (e.g., the annual total amount of wet-day precipitation, average intensity of wet-day precipitation), particularly in central-eastern China, Bangladesh, eastern India, Peninsular Malaysia and Indonesia. We observed that the seasonal variability of the amount of wet-day precipitation in most locations in China and India are dominated by precipitation intensity in June-August (JJA), and by precipitation frequency in December-February (DJF). Locations in Malaysia and Indonesia are mostly dominated by precipitation intensity in March-May (MAM) and DJF. During ENSO positive phase, significant negative anomalies in seasonal precipitation indices (amount of wet-day precipitation, number of wet days and intensity of wet-day precipitation) were observed in Indonesia, while opposite results were observed for ENSO negative phase. These findings revealing patterns and drivers for extreme precipitation in APR may inform climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction strategies in the study region.
    Matched MeSH terms: Disasters*
  13. Mahdi SS, Jafri HA, Allana R, Battineni G, Khawaja M, Sakina S, et al.
    BMC Emerg Med, 2023 May 24;23(1):52.
    PMID: 37226121 DOI: 10.1186/s12873-023-00824-8
    INTRODUCTION: The simulation exercise (SimEx) simulates an emergency in which an elaboration or description of the response is applied. The purpose of these exercises is to validate and improve plans, procedures, and systems for responding to all hazards. The purpose of this study was to review disaster preparation exercises conducted by various national, non-government, and academic institutions.

    METHODOLOGY: Several databases, including PubMed (Medline), Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), BioMed Central, and Google Scholar, were used to review the literature. Information was retrieved using Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) and documents were selected according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). To assess the quality of the selected articles, the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) technique was utilized.

    RESULTS: A total of 29 papers were selected for final review based on PRISMA guidelines and the NOS quality assessment. Studies have shown that many forms of SimEx commonly used in disaster management including tabletop exercises, functional exercises, and full-scale exercises have their benefits and limitations. There is no doubt that SimEx is an excellent tool for improving disaster planning and response. It is still necessary to give SimEx programs a more rigorous evaluation and to standardize the processes more thoroughly.

    CONCLUSIONS: Drills and training can be improved for disaster management, which will enable medical professionals to face the challenges of disaster management in the 21st century.

    Matched MeSH terms: Disaster Planning*; Disasters*
  14. Ruiz Estrada MA, Yap SF, Park D
    Disasters, 2014 Jul;38 Suppl 2:S206-29.
    PMID: 24905816 DOI: 10.1111/disa.12069
    Natural hazards have a potentially large impact on economic growth, but measuring their economic impact is subject to a great deal of uncertainty. The central objective of this paper is to demonstrate a model--the natural disasters vulnerability evaluation (NDVE) model--that can be used to evaluate the impact of natural hazards on gross national product growth. The model is based on five basic indicators-natural hazards growth rates (αi), the national natural hazards vulnerability rate (ΩT), the natural disaster devastation magnitude rate (Π), the economic desgrowth rate (i.e. shrinkage of the economy) (δ), and the NHV surface. In addition, we apply the NDVE model to the north-east Japan earthquake and tsunami of March 2011 to evaluate its impact on the Japanese economy.
    Matched MeSH terms: Disasters/economics*
  15. Ng KH, Lean ML
    Health Phys, 2012 Sep;103(3):307-10.
    PMID: 22850236 DOI: 10.1097/HP.0b013e318257cfcb
    The potential of social media has expanded far beyond the initial function of social communication among a network of friends. It has become an increasingly important tool in risk communication to allow the dissemination of timely and accurate information to global citizens to make more informed choices regarding a particular crisis. The Fukushima nuclear crisis is an example where the potential of social media was not fully tapped. This caused undue stress and distrust of authorities. While the use of social media in this crisis could have altered significantly the level of trust in authorities and others, two additional points should be considered. One point is the use of plain language versus scientific language in order to reach a wider audience. The other is an urgent need to improve public information especially in the event of a nuclear emergency and to enhance educational efforts and action by improving radiological protection communication from regulatory bodies and international agencies. These are points that also play a large role in the use of social media.
    Matched MeSH terms: Disasters*
  16. Said AM, Ahmadun FR, Abdul Kadir R, Daud M
    Disasters, 2009 Apr;33(2):308-28.
    PMID: 18771531 DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-7717.2008.01076.x
    Most democratic countries hold inquiries into disasters. One of their key functions is to establish the cause of an event and to learn lessons in order to prevent a recurrence. In addition, they offer an opportunity for communal catharsis, permitting the public to vent anger, distress and frustration and to exert pressure for policy changes. Malaysia has experienced six landmark socio-technical disasters since 1968, which resulted in the proposal or amendment of various safety/emergency acts and regulations. The authors used a grounded theory approach utilising a constant comparative method to analyse the recommendations made by the inquiries into these events. Data indicate that social and technical recommendations comprise 85 and 15 per cent, respectively, of the total recommendations made by the inquiry committees. This paper offers suggestions for improving the management of inquiry tribunals, as they will remain a valuable source of information for society and corporations to learn from past incidents.
    Matched MeSH terms: Disasters*
  17. Tsutsumi A, Izutsu T, Ito A, Thornicroft G, Patel V, Minas H
    Lancet Psychiatry, 2015 Aug;2(8):679-680.
    PMID: 26249285 DOI: 10.1016/S2215-0366(15)00278-3
    Matched MeSH terms: Disaster Planning*; Disasters*
  18. Binns C, Low WY
    Asia Pac J Public Health, 2015 Jul;27(5):484-5.
    PMID: 26116652 DOI: 10.1177/1010539515593015
    Matched MeSH terms: Disasters*
  19. Maschwitz U, Moog J
    Naturwissenschaften, 2000 Dec;87(12):563-5.
    PMID: 11198200
    The behavioral response of the obligate bamboo-nesting ant Cataulacus muticus to nest flooding was studied in a perhumid tropical rainforest in Malaysia and in the laboratory. The hollow internodes of giant bamboo, in which C. muticus exclusively nests, are prone to flooding by heavy rains. The ants showed a two-graded response to flooding. During heavy rain workers block the nest entrances with their heads to reduce water influx. However, rainwater may still intrude into the nest chamber. The ants respond by drinking the water, leaving the nest and excreting water droplets on the outer stem surface. This cooperative 'peeing' behavior is a new survival mechanism adaptive to the ants' nesting ecology. Laboratory experiments conducted with two other Cataulacus species, C. catuvolcus colonizing small dead twigs and C. horridus inhabiting rotten wood, did not reveal any form of water-bailing behavior.
    Matched MeSH terms: Disasters*
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