Disaster Risk Reduction

A special issue of Safety (ISSN 2313-576X).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2019) | Viewed by 27137

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Cartographic Engineering, Geodesy and Photogrammetry, University of Jaén, 23071 Jaén, Spain
Interests: hazards, sustainability and resilience; geomatics, remote sensing and GIS techniques; landslide and erosion monitoring; landslide and erosion hazards’ assessment and mapping; early warning systems
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Guest Editor
Department of Geology, Centre for Advanced Studies in Earth Sciences, Universidad de Jaén, Campus de las Lagunllas, Edif. B4., 23071 Jaén, Spain
Interests: geohazards; earthquake geology; archeoseismology; engineering geology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Recently, there has been increasing interest among the international scientific community about the effects of the natural or man-made disasters and their reduction or mitigation. In fact, the period of 1990–1999 was enabled by the United Nations as the International Decade for the Natural Disaster Reduction (INDRD) that has continued nowadays in the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, in which strategies have been established for the protection of people, communities, and countries, as well as their lives, health, heritage, the ecosystem, and the socioeconomic system.

Thus, there have been advances in different aspects of the risk cycle, from risk evaluation after events, including hazards, vulnerability and exposition, to preparedness for future processes, early warning systems, responses to events, community resilience, and recovery measures. The current context, with its greater availability of systems for observing the dynamic phenomena that occur in the Earth and greater capacity for processing information (multivariable, data fusion, simulations, etc.) has given rise to a wide range of new possibilities and applications.

We encourage scientists and experts in different disciplines to send their contributions to this Special Issue about topics related to disaster risk reduction, such as hazard and vulnerability assessment, the development of measures of preparedness, early warnings, and responses to natural (floods, landslides, earthquakes, volcanoes, erosion, etc.) or man-made risk processes.

Prof. Dr. Tomás Fernández
Prof. Dr. Jorge Delgado
Prof. Dr. Mario Sánchez-Gómez
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Safety is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

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Keywords

  • hazard assessment 
  • space-time modeling 
  • vulnerability and risk assessment 
  • risk management 
  • risk reduction and mitigation 
  • risk preparedness 
  • risk response 
  • resilience

Published Papers (3 papers)

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12 pages, 375 KiB  
Article
The Use of UAVs for Performing Safety-Related Tasks at Post-Disaster and Non-Critical Construction Sites
by Alessio Calantropio
Safety 2019, 5(4), 64; https://doi.org/10.3390/safety5040064 - 27 Sep 2019
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 6838
Abstract
Thanks to the wide diffusion of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), geomatics solutions have actively contributed to the field of safety enhancement and disaster risk reduction, supporting rapid mapping and documentation activities of the damages that have occurred to heritage buildings after natural disasters [...] Read more.
Thanks to the wide diffusion of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), geomatics solutions have actively contributed to the field of safety enhancement and disaster risk reduction, supporting rapid mapping and documentation activities of the damages that have occurred to heritage buildings after natural disasters (such as earthquakes) where, in this scenario it is even more important to plan and execute disaster assessment and response operations in safe conditions. In fact, the planning and execution of technical countermeasures in a seismic emergency response involve higher risks for the safety of the operators as compared with responses related to the activities performed at non-critical construction sites. After an analysis of the state of the art, this study aims to underline the possibilities offered by the use of UAVs for performing safety-related tasks, both at post-disaster and non-critical construction sites. First, a survey has been conducted concerning the main user expectations and characteristics that an ideal UAV platform should have in order to perform safety-related tasks at construction sites that are created following the initial emergency phases. The answers that were obtained have been compared with similar studies retrieved from the literature validating previously conducted research. The legislative context is also considered, as it is an important factor that influences the applicability of these platforms and technology. Along with a method for assessing and mitigating the intrinsic risk of using an UAV, the results of a survey submitted to experts in the field of safety at construction sites is also discussed, intending to identify requirements of the ideal platform and the related user expectations. The results are reported, together with a summary of considerations on the use of these strategies in the analyzed contexts. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Disaster Risk Reduction)
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13 pages, 657 KiB  
Article
Exploring Flood-Related Unintentional Fatal Drowning of Children and Adolescents Aged 0–19 Years in Australia
by Amy E. Peden and Richard C. Franklin
Safety 2019, 5(3), 46; https://doi.org/10.3390/safety5030046 - 27 Jul 2019
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 8281
Abstract
Disasters, such as flooding, are predicted to increase. Drowning is one of the leading causes of death during times of flood. This study examined the little explored topic of child drowning during floods, with the aim of identifying risk factors to inform prevention [...] Read more.
Disasters, such as flooding, are predicted to increase. Drowning is one of the leading causes of death during times of flood. This study examined the little explored topic of child drowning during floods, with the aim of identifying risk factors to inform prevention strategies. A retrospective, total population examination of cases of children and adolescents aged 0–19 years who died from unintentional flood-related drowning in Australia for the 16-year period 1 July 2002 to 30 June 2018 was undertaken. Univariate and chi-square analysis was conducted, with Fisher’s exact test used for cell counts <5. Across the study period, 44 flood-related drowning deaths occurred among children and adolescents (63.6% male; 34.1% aged 10–14 years). Almost all (84.1%) occurred in rivers, creeks, or streams in flood, with the remaining incidents occurring in storm water drains (n = 7). Leading activities immediately prior to drowning were non-aquatic transport (40.9%), swimming in floodwaters (25.0%), and falls into floodwaters (15.9%). Flood-related fatal drowning among children and adolescents is rare (0.05 per 100,000 population), however flood-drowning risk increases as remoteness increases, with children and adolescents drowning in floodwaters in very remote areas at a rate 57 times that of major cities. All drownings are preventable, and this study has identified key causal factors that must be considered in advocacy and prevention efforts. These include: the importance of adult supervision, avoiding flooded waterways when driving or for recreational purposes, and the increased risks for those residing in geographically isolated and socially disadvantaged areas. Findings must be considered when developing interventions and advocacy for the purposes of the reduction of child and adolescent drowning during times of flood. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Disaster Risk Reduction)
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15 pages, 985 KiB  
Commentary
Synchronized Humanitarian, Military and Commercial Logistics: An Evolving Synergistic Partnership
by Pablo Yuste, James Campbell, Deon Canyon, Mark Childers and Benjamin J. Ryan
Safety 2019, 5(4), 67; https://doi.org/10.3390/safety5040067 - 5 Oct 2019
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 10959
Abstract
The increasing complexity and often transboundary scope of complex emergencies are exceeding the capacity of humanitarian logistics systems. The military plays a growing role in supplementing and even leading humanitarian assistance and disaster relief logistics. However, issues relating to military involvement such as [...] Read more.
The increasing complexity and often transboundary scope of complex emergencies are exceeding the capacity of humanitarian logistics systems. The military plays a growing role in supplementing and even leading humanitarian assistance and disaster relief logistics. However, issues relating to military involvement such as sovereignty and cost have refocused the conversation onto capabilities and capacities of commercial logistics providers, who have not been fully engaged and integrated into disaster preparedness, response, and recovery activities. The commercial sector is part of the larger supply chain management system that includes contracting, procurement, storage, and transportation of food, water, medicine, and other supplies, as well as human resources, and necessary machinery and equipment. Military and commercial logistics share many of these elements and tasks daily. The most effective and efficient response combines key elements from humanitarian, military, and commercial logistics systems. Such trilateral cooperation represents the next step in an evolving partnership paradigm that is truly synergistic. We present a Synchronized Disaster Relief Model, as well as multiple examples of how military, commercial, and humanitarian supply chains each bring unique capabilities to disaster relief operations, and how these three supply chains can complement each other in a synergistic manner, through synchronized action. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Disaster Risk Reduction)
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