Journal of Emergency Management

Experiences from a COVID-19 vaccination center at a tertiary care teaching hospital in Delhi, India: Challenges and solutions

Priyanka Sharma, MD, Geeta Pardeshi, MD — Mon, 01 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0400

India began its nationwide coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination program on January 16, 2021, in a phased manner. In this paper, we have discussed our experience at one of the COVID-19 vaccination centers in the country and have identified a few of the major challenges and their implications. The guidelines for COVID-19 vaccination in the country were changing frequently, leading to ambiguity among the beneficiaries. Co-WIN software, used for program implementation, had some glitches, which caused dissatisfaction among the service providers and beneficiaries. Vaccine hesitancy and eagerness caused low vaccine uptake initially and overcrowding at vaccination centers later. Some of the vaccination centers had the potential to become hot spots for further spread of the virus due to insufficient infrastructure. The disparity in access to vaccines for the homeless and other vulnerable groups was another hurdle for adequate vaccination coverage. These challenges could have been addressed by pretesting the information technology platform, long-term planning with a vision for handling vaccine hesitancy and eagerness, strong communication systems, removing disparities in vaccine access, and maintaining uniformity in messages for frequently updating guidelines.

Public transit and crisis communication for critical populations: A content analysis of web-based communication strategies during the COVID-19 pandemic

Jessica L. Franks, MPH, CHES, Erin Vinoski Thomas, PhD, MPH, MCHES — Mon, 01 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0400

In the United States, selected subgroups of historically marginalized populations include people with disabilities and people in racial/ethnic minority groups (“critical populations”) who have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19. These groups are also more likely to use public transit to access essential resources; thus, understanding transit agencies’ communication strategies to reach these populations during crises is of utmost importance. We conducted a content analysis of 16 transit agencies’ webpages and Twitter^® accounts during the first 6 months of the pandemic to assess alignment of agencies’ COVID-19-related communications with best practices in crisis communication across five themes: perceivability, navigability, understandability, suitability, and content. Findings suggested that transit agencies frequently communicated about schedule changes and safety, eg, masking, station sanitation, and reflected racial/ethnic diversity in images. Yet, less than half consistently used communication strategies known to enhance accessibility and uptake of messaging among critical populations, eg, alternative text, and even less reflected disability diversity in images. We offer recommendations for public transit agencies to move beyond compliance to effectively address the needs of ridership most substantially impacted by public health emergencies.

Protective factors of psychological vulnerability in Rescue 1122 workers with vicarious traumatization

Bushra Shafiq, MS, Hidna Iqbal, MS, Anam Ali, MS — Mon, 01 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Objectives: This study aimed to determine the protective factors of psychological vulnerability in Rescue 1122 workers and to find out the difference in work mattering, coping, grittiness, and psychological vulnerability between rescue workers of fire service and ambulance service department with vicarious traumatization.

Method: A cross-sectional design was used in this study. A sample of 112 male rescue workers was collected from Rescue 1122 department, including participants from the ambulance service (n = 56) and fire service (n = 56) departments through a purposive sampling technique. Rescue workers who experienced vicarious trauma were enrolled in this study after screening through the secondary traumatic stress tool. Work mattering scale, coping strategies questionnaire, short grit scale, and the four-dimensional symptom questionnaire were used.

Results: Age, marital status, spouse age, and father’s age were significantly positively correlated with distress. Colleagues becoming a target of violence and death of a colleague during duty were significantly positively correlated with somatization. The number of children was a significant positive predictor, and members requiring financial support were a significant negative predictor of psychological vulnerability. Interpersonal mattering, active focused, and active distracting coping emerged as significant negative predictors of distress, anxiety, and depression after controlling for covariates. A significant difference was found in active distraction coping between the fire service and ambulance service departments.

Conclusion: Rescue workers who considered that their work mattered used religious coping and distraction or adopted a practical approach toward dealing with stress, and those who were grittier were less vulnerable to psychological symptoms. So, these can be considered as protective factors of psychological vulnerability.

A higher education approach to active shooter incidents: Evidence from 40 United States university campuses

Rebecca Padot, MA, MGA/MPA, PhD — Mon, 01 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0400

In a post-9/11 environment with an increased United States (US) federal government emphasis on active shooter preparedness, this study seeks to understand how higher educational institutions have adapted to this changing policy environment. Furthermore, between 2000 and 2017, there were 15 active shooter incidents at US higher education institutions. This study provides data on how public and private higher education campuses are preparing for this increased active shooter threat. Interviews were conducted with higher education employees familiar with campus security policies from 40 higher education institutions across 18 states in the US. These colleges/universities also represented a range of institution type: community colleges (5), public institutions (9), and private institutions (26). Interviews were conducted with 18 Chief/Director of Campus Safety/ Security, 14 members of campus police or security, seven Chiefs of Police, and one staff member familiar with campus security policies.

A socio-technical systems approach of the accident analysis in Indonesian multiple train accident cases: An application of AcciMap methodology

Tubagus Dwika Yuantoko, BOHS, MOHS, Zulkifli Djunaidi, PhD, Mufti Wirawan, MOHS — Mon, 01 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0400

The number of cases of train accidents in Indonesia continues to be large in the past few years. This paper analyzes train accident cases in Indonesia using a socio-technical system approach accident model called AcciMap, developed by Jens Rasmussen. The source of data comes from train accident investigation reports from 2015 to 2021 published by the National Transportation Safety Committee. This study uses a qualitative approach with thematic analysis to identify contributing factors and their interactions within the reports. Based on the socio-technical system approach, there are roles and contributions from the five levels of the socio-technical railway transportation system in Indonesia that interact with each other in the occurrence of accidents, including the railway regulatory bodies; other organizations; management of railway service company; processes and physical actions by staff; and condition of equipment and environment. This study has shown that the AcciMap methodology can provide a comprehensive view of the problems and their interactions across the socio-technical levels that influence each other in the occurrence of train accidents in Indonesia. The results also suggest that the socio-technical system approach is expected to be applied in the accident investigation process for the related industry to get more comprehensive insights into the accident.

Measuring team situation awareness through team communication: A study on nuclear main control room crews

Veronika Klara Takacs, PhD, Marta Juhasz, PhD — Mon, 01 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Situation awareness (SA) in complex socio-technical systems is considered a key cognitive activity, as control crews are often engaged in simultaneous task processes and are required to monitor and evaluate system parameters, making decisions and projections for the future accordingly. However, measuring SA at the team level is still a challenging area of research within the topic. In our research, we applied verbal protocol analysis as an alternative method to assess nuclear power plant control room crews’ team SA. We conducted a study of 10 control room crews, examining their intrateam communication and its relatedness to team performance. We have found that communication categories related to the second and third levels of team SA increased significantly after the onset of an emergency event. Furthermore, while none of the team communication categories was related to team performance before the emergency event, all of them showed a strong positive correlation with team performance after the emergency situation occurred. Our results underline the importance of adequate verbalization of key information within the team, so as to support the rapid and accurate development of team SA during emergency situations.

Factors that support public health infrastructure recovery in Puerto Rico and US Virgin Islands after Hurricanes Irma and Maria

Mon, 01 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0400

This paper describes the factors that support recovery of public health infrastructure (PHI), including conditions that facilitated or hindered recovery in United States (US) territories impacted by hurricanes Irma and Maria. A deductive approach was used to categorize data from five organizations that received crisis hurricane recovery (CHR) funds from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.* Spending was grouped into five infrastructure gaps: (1) human resources, (2) informatic upgrades, (3) equipment, (4) minor repairs, and (5) preventive maintenance. Unanticipated PHI costs, facilitators, and hinderances to PHI recovery were identified. Most (72 percent) of the $53,529,823 CHR funding was used to address infrastructure gaps in (1) human resources (56 percent), (2) informatics (16 percent), (3) equipment (13 percent), (4) minor repairs (10 percent), and (5) preventive maintenance (5 percent). Most of the

requests (56 percent) to redirect funds were associated with unanticipated costs in initial work plans and budgets. The use of administrative partners, planning tools, dedicated staff, streamlined procedures, eg, contracts, and cost sharing facilitated PHI recovery. The most common hindrance to PHI recovery were delays in procurement and shipping. In summary, investments in dedicated funding to upgrade, repair, or replace critical structures and systems for infectious disease surveillance, laboratory capacity, vector control, environmental health inspections, and vaccine storage and administration in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands after Hurricanes Irma and Maria contributed to their recovery capacity. These findings may inform funding and resource allocation considerations for PHI recovery in the US territories.

AI and crisis leadership: Using the POP-DOC Loop to explore potential implications and opportunities for leaders

Mon, 01 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0400

In the evolving landscape of crisis leadership and emergency management, artificial intelligence (AI) emerges as a potentially transformative force with far-reaching implications. Utilizing the POP-DOC Loop, a comprehensive framework for crisis leadership analysis and decision-making, this paper delves into the diverse roles that AI is poised to play in shaping the future of crisis planning and response. The POP-DOC Loop serves as a structured methodology, encompassing key elements such as information gathering, contextual analysis informed by social determinants, enhanced predictive modeling, guided decision-making, strategic action implementation, and appropriate communication. Rather than offer definitive predictions, this review aims to catalyze exploration and discussion, equipping researchers and practitioners to anticipate future contingencies. The paper concludes by examining the limitations and challenges posed by AI within this specialized context.

Developing, engaging, and sustaining CERT programs in low-risk communities

Michael S. Mitchell, PhD — Mon, 01 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0400

I am a recently trained (2021) volunteer in my county’s Community Emergency Response Team (CERT), which is managed by the County Fire and Rescue Department. As you know, CERT programs train volunteers in basic disaster response skills such as team organization, disaster medical operations, fire safety, and light search-and-rescue, so that they can assist their families, neighbors, coworkers, and other community members during emergencies when professional responders may be unavailable to provide immediate assistance.

Special Issue on Climate Change and Sustainability in Emergency Management

Journal of Emergency Management — Wed, 03 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Volume 22, Number 7

Climate change and health: The case of mapping droughts and migration pattern in Iran (2011-2016)

Wed, 03 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Introduction: Migration and mobility of population have been reported as a common reaction to drought. There is historical evidence to suggest the health effects of droughts and human migration linkage in Iran. This study aimed to map the drought and migration patterns in Iran in 2011 and 2016 and explore their possible health impacts.

Methods: This sequential explanatory mixed-method study was done in two stages of spatial analysis and qualitative study. Data mapping was conducted through the equal interval classification and using drought, migration, and agriculture occupation data based on provincial divisions in Iran in 2011 and 2016. This qualitative study was conducted using the content analysis approach.

Results: The in-migration rate was higher in 2011 rather than 2016. Migration to cities was much higher than migration to villages in both years. The frequency of male migrants was higher than females in all provinces in 2011 and 2016. Physical and mental diseases as well as economic, sociocultural, education, and environment effects on health were extracted from the qualitative data.

Conclusion: A holistic picture of droughts and migration issues in Iran and their health consequences were achieved by the present research. Further research is needed to explore the determinants of health impacts of climate change in vulnerable groups. Public health problems can be prevented by adaptive and preventive policy-making and planning. This can improve the coping capacity of the population facing droughts and enforced migration.

Rapid assessment of public interest in drought and its likely drivers in South Africa

Robyn J. Bayne, Des Pyle, PhD, Masterson Chipumuro, PhD, Roman Tandlich, PhD — Wed, 03 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0400

The monthly search volumes for drought were extracted from Google^® for South Africa using the Keywordseverywhere.com plugin from January 2004 until June 2022. To identify the potential qualitative drivers for such public interest the following data extracted by the plugin were investigated and analysed: the drought-related keywords, the long-tail keywords similar to drought, and the “people also searched for category” from the South African users. The Google Trends monthly score was extracted for South Africa and the Eastern Cape Province, and specific local municipalities/towns/cities in the province. The aim was to assess the relative significance of the drought interest in comparison to public interest in other search terms. The results of the Kruskal–Wallis analyses of variance by ranks showed that there was a statistically significant difference between individual values of the monthly search volumes for drought in South Africa, as a function of time of data extraction (5 percent level of significance; p-value ≤ 4.7 × 10−14). The monthly search volumes increased with time, which is based on the results of the Mann–Kendall test at a 5 percent level of significance (p-value ≤ 0.0092). Analyses of the Google Trends scores indicate that the relative interest in drought in South Africa and the Eastern Cape Province increased with time between January 2004 and June 2022 (the Mann–Kendall test at a 5 percent level of significance; p-value = 0.0011). The population’s searches for drought were relatively low when compared to other search terms on Google. Drought adaptation of the South African community could be considered a driver of the Google searches for drought, but it is a marginal topic compared to other topics in Google searches. It might be necessary to increase this significance by investigating the “Google-search patterns for droughts” in the areas of Tshikaro, Mafusini, Cofimvaba, and Nxotsheni in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa.

Manufactured housing communities and climate change: Understanding key vulnerabilities and recommendations for emergency managers

Kelly A. Hamshaw, MS, Daniel Baker, PhD — Wed, 03 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Manufactured housing communities (MHCs), commonly referred to as mobile home parks, provide an estimated 2.7 million American households with largely unsubsidized, affordable housing. Climate change threatens those who call these communities home by exacerbating known structural and social vulnerabilities associated with this housing type—including but not limited to increased risks to flooding, extreme temperatures, high winds, and wildfires. Climate change requires emergency managers to understand the diverse, integrated, and complex vulnerabilities of MHCs that affect their exposure to climate change risk. This article presents findings from an integrative literature review focused on the climate-related vulnerabilities of these communities described at three levels of scale: household, housing structure, and park community. It then draws on 15 years of engagement and action research with MHC residents and stakeholders in Vermont, including several federally declared flooding disasters, to distill key recommendations for emergency managers for assisting MHCs to prepare for and respond to emergencies. As climate change accelerates, emergency managers can increase efficacy by learning about the MHCs in their jurisdictions by leveraging the best available data to characterize risks, integrating MHCs into planning and mitigation activities, and engaging in conversations with stakeholders, including MHC residents and their trusted partners.

Designing user-centered decision support systems for climate disasters: What information do communities and rescue responders need during floods?

Wed, 03 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Flooding events are the most common natural hazard globally, resulting in vast destruction and loss of life. An effective flood emergency response is necessary to lessen the negative impacts of flood disasters. However, disaster management and response efforts face a complex scenario. Simultaneously, regular citizens attempt to navigate the various sources of information being distributed and determine their best course of action. One thing is evident across all disaster scenarios: having accurate information and clear communication between citizens and rescue personnel is critical.

This research aims to identify the diverse needs of two groups, rescue operators and citizens, during flood disaster events by investigating the sources and types of information they rely on and information that would improve their responses in the future. This information can improve the design and implementation of existing and future spatial decision support systems (SDSSs) during flooding events. This research identifies information characteristics crucial for rescue operators and everyday citizens’ response and possible evacuation to flooding events by qualitatively coding survey responses from rescue responders and the public. The results show that including local input in SDSS development is crucial for improving higher-resolution flood risk quantification models. Doing so democratizes data collection and analysis, creates transparency and trust between people and governments, and leads to transformative solutions for the broader scientific community.

COVID-19 and climate change concerns: Matters arising

Wed, 03 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Until the outbreak of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, developing countries, especially countries in the African continent, battled with the impact of climate change on the food value-chain systems and general livelihood. In this study, we discuss climate change concerns post-COVID-19 and argue that the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the vulnerabilities of most developing and emerging economies. This has heightened political tensions and unrest among such developing nations. We suggest enhancement and intensification of efficient and effective locally engineered adaptation strategies in the post-COVID-19 era for countries that have been susceptible to the impact of climate change and other recent shocks.

Ocean state rising: Storm simulation and vulnerability mapping to predict hurricane impacts for Rhode Island’s critical infrastructure

Wed, 03 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Predicting the consequences of a major coastal storm is increasingly difficult as the result of global climate change and growing societal dependence on critical infrastructure (CI). Past storms are no longer a reliable predictor of future weather events, and the traditional approach to vulnerability assessment presents accumulated loss in largely quantitative terms that lack the specificity local emergency managers need to develop effective plans and mitigation strategies. The Rhode Island Coastal Hazards Modeling and Prediction (RI-CHAMP) system is a geographic information system (GIS)-based modeling tool that combines high-resolution storm simulations with geolocated vulnerability data to predict specific consequences based on local concerns about impacts to CI. This case study discusses implementing RI-CHAMP for the State of Rhode Island to predict impacts of wind and inundation on its CI during a hurricane, tropical storm, or nor’easter. This paper addresses the collection and field verification of vulnerability data, along with RI-CHAMP’s process for integrating those data with storm models. The project deeply engaged end-users (emergency managers, facility managers, and other stakeholders) in developing RI-CHAMP’s ArcGIS Online dashboard to ensure it provides specific, actionable data. The results of real and synthetic storm models are presented along with discussion of how the data in these simulations are being used by state and local emergency managers, facility owners, and others.

A Hegelian approach to resilient communities

Richard A. Buck, PhD — Wed, 03 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0400

This theoretical study draws on the insights of Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel to suggest certain aspects of communities and other groups that would tend to make them more resilient in the face of climate change. While Hegel addresses resilient dimensions at the societal level, this study interprets Hegel’s work to derive aspects of groups within society that would tend to make them resilient.

Identifying and assessing corporate employment variables that influence community resilience: A novel model

Erik Xavier Wood, MA, Jon C. Lam, MBA, Monica Sanders, JD, LLM — Wed, 03 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Quantifying the concept of disaster resilience on a local level is becoming more critical as vulnerable communities face more frequent and intense disasters due to climate change. In the United States (US), corporations are often evaluated using social justice or environmental sustainability matrices for financial investment consideration. However, there are few tools available to measure a corporation’s contribution to disaster resilience on a local level. This study includes a focused literature review of employment variables that contribute to community resilience and a national survey that asked US emergency managers to rank the variables they believe have the greatest influence on individual resilience. A novel corporate community resilience model that ranks corporate contributions to disaster resilience in the communities where they operate was developed and then tested against data from five employment sectors from the same area. This model can be used by stakeholders to better understand how corporations can most efficiently contribute to county- and subcounty-level disaster resilience. The metrics used in this study are universal and translative, and thus, the development of this resilience model has global disaster resilience implications.

Emergency management and sustainability: Understanding the link between disaster and citizen participation for sustainability efforts and climate change

Brian Don Williams, PhD — Wed, 03 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0400

The goal of this study is to examine how disaster experience influences local government views on citizen participation in addressing issues of sustainability, such as climate change. This study considers concepts such as wicked problems, the social order, the environment, economic development, and citizen participation where sustainability can be considered a solution to help manage and solve the challenges of disaster, like climate change. The data are taken from a 2015 International City/County Management Association national survey that examines the link between disaster and sustainability. The results show that more than half of the respondents do not view public participation as having much of an impact on sustainability; however, we can expect public participation to increasingly impact sustainability efforts as communities experience more disaster. This suggests that emergency management needs to understand public pressures regarding wicked problems, such as climate change, to collectively address the global influence of environmental, economic, and social issues that have local effects on their communities.

Leveraging technology in emergency management: An opportunity to improve compounding and cascading hazards linked to climate change

Attila Hertelendy, PhD — Wed, 03 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0400

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate (IPCC) Sixth Assessment report concluded that we will see an increase in frequency of extreme environmental events around the world including, hurricanes, droughts, and wildfires.¹ The report further describes cascading hazards when one hazard triggers another in a series such as extreme heat triggering a collapse of the power grid. The IPCC also discusses compounding hazards as multiple disasters occur at the same time for example a hurricane occurring at the same time as COVID-19 and a mass casualty event prompting a Urban Search & Rescue (USAR) response such as the Surfside and the Florida condo collapse.² Studies suggest that there are gaps relating to Hazard Mitigation Plans (HMP) in addressing cascading events.^3,4