Suchergebnisse

Australia is at risk from tsunamis and recent work has identified the need for models to assess the vulnerability of exposed coastal areas – a fundamental element of the risk management process. Outputs of vulnerability assessment can be used as a baseline for the generation of tsunami pre- vention and mitigation measures, including evacuation maps. Having noted that no evacuation maps exist for Manly, Syd- ney (an area recently subjected to high resolution building vulnerability assessment by Dall'Osso et al., 2009b), we use the results of the analysis by Dall'Osso et al. (2009b) to "draft" tsunami evacuation maps that could be used by the local emergency service organisations. We then interviewed 500 permanent residents of Manly in order to gain a rapid assessment on their views about the potential usefulness of the draft evacuation maps we generated. Results of the sur- vey indicate that residents think the maps are useful and un- derstandable, and include insights that should be considered by local government planners and emergency risk manage- ment specialists during the development of official evacua- tion maps (and plans) in the future.

Many beaches are characterized by rip currents—strong, narrow flows that can quickly carry bathers offshore, often against their will. However, despite long-standing efforts at community education and awareness strategies, people continue to drown in rip currents at high rates. Here we describe a simple, but powerful visual-based risk communication approach involving imagery associated with releases of colored dye into rip currents that has been used as an outreach tool with success in Australia. This approach has the potential to transcend limitations of traditional education approaches and bring the rip current hazard to life for a largely unaware public.

The antimicrobial resistance (AMR) crisis is the increasing global incidence of infectious diseases affecting the human population, which are untreatable with any known antimicrobial agent. This crisis will have a devastating cost on human society as both debilitating and lethal diseases increase in frequency and scope. Three major factors determine this crisis: (1) the increasing frequency of AMR phenotypes among microbes is an evolutionary response to the widespread use of antimicrobials; (2) the large and globally connected human population allows pathogens in any environment access to all of humanity; and (3) the extensive and often unnecessary use of antimicrobials by humanity provides the strong selective pressure that is driving the evolutionary response in the microbial world. Of these factors, the size of the human population is least amenable to rapid change. In contrast, the remaining two factors may be affected, so offering a means of managing the crisis: the rate at which AMR, as well as virulence factors evolve in microbial world may be slowed by reducing the applied selective pressure. This may be accomplished by radically reducing the global use of current and prospective antimicrobials. Current management measures to legislate the use of antimicrobials and to educate the healthcare world in the issues, while useful, have not comprehensively addressed the problem of achieving an overall reduction in the human use of antimicrobials. We propose that in addition to current measures and increased research into new antimicrobials and diagnostics, a comprehensive education program will be required to change the public paradigm of antimicrobial usage from that of a first line treatment to that of a last resort when all other therapeutic options have failed.

Until recently, little attention examined the experiences and needs of members of sexual and gender minorities, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex (LGBTI) people, in relation to disasters – communities who have, and continue to experience, varying forms of social and political marginality. Further, little analysis focused on the capacities of emergency service and government response organisations to meet the needs of LGBTI communities, nor on the policy frameworks that influence preparedness, response and recovery arrangements. This paper provides a synthesis of a three-year Australian Research Council funded project looking at LGBTI experiences of disasters in Australia and New Zealand and places this work within the wider, limited literature. We provide an overview of key findings from our research in relation to the negative experiences that exacerbate marginality and vulnerability, such as harassment in homes, emergency shelters and public spaces, and uncertain access to relief services and funds. We also identify elements of resilience and resistance within LGBTI communities that build upon social capital, and also of attentive and capable emergency management practice, that recognise and include LGBTI communities and their needs. We finish by providing suggestions to assist LGBTI people to take responsibility for enhancing their resilience and preparedness, as well as for governments and emergency response and recovery organisations to better meet the needs of LGBTI individuals, families and communities. We conclude by referring to the impact this project has begun to have in Australia.

This paper undertakes a systematic critical review through a 'queer lens' of the emergency management response and recovery plans in New South Wales, Australia, in order to determine how the needs of sexual and gender minorities (LGBTI people) are considered and met. We also document the outsourcing by the NSW government of emergency response and recovery arrangements to third party, faith-based Christian institutions and explore how those institutions have been exempted from anti-discrimination protections under Commonwealth (Australian) and State (NSW) law. This enables us to explore the potential implications for LGBTI people in relation to the concepts of vulnerability and resilience. We find the needs of LGBTI people should in practice be met. However, due to anti-discrimination exemptions permitted by law to faith-based Christian institutions, LGBTI people are not being treated equally. We find a 'blindness to difference' in relation to the needs of LGBTI individuals and families. As such, we principally conclude that in NSW, Australia, the needs of LGBTI people in post-disaster response and recovery arrangements are inadequately addressed. We recommend further research at the intersection of religion, sexuality and disaster risk reduction to better understand the experiences and needs of LGBTI people (including those of faith) and how faith-based institutions might support LGBTI inclusive response and recovery. ; Australian Research Council-DP130102658 University of Western Sydney-P00020570

AbstractA problem-oriented and interdisciplinary approach was employed at Alpine Shire, in northeast Victoria, Australia, to explore its tourism sector's contextual vulnerability and adaptability to stressors that include but are not limited to climatic change. Using a policy sciences approach, the objective was to identify factors that influence existing vulnerabilities and that might consequently act as barriers to effective adaptation. To do this, a particular focus was placed on identifying the underlying values embedded in social and decision processes and their role in shaping preferred adaptation outcomes. Analyses of social processes suggest that many threats, including the effects climate change, compete for the resources, strategy, and direction of local tourism management bodies. Many complex and interacting factors define the vulnerability and adaptive capacity of the shire's tourism sector to the challenges of global change, including local socioeconomic issues as well as exposure to external factors of macroscale. These issues represent more immediate concerns than future climate change scenarios, revealing an approximation of the common interest in working toward adaptation and sustainability.

Australia is vulnerable to the impacts of tsunamis and exposure along the SE coast of New South Wales is es- pecially high. Significantly, this is the same area reported to have been affected by repeated large magnitude tsunamis during the Holocene. Efforts are under way to complete probabilistic risk assessments for the region but local gov- ernment planners and emergency risk managers need infor- mation now about building vulnerability in order to develop appropriate risk management strategies. We use the newly revised PTVA-3 Model (Dall'Osso et al., 2009) to assess the relative vulnerability of buildings to damage from a "worst case tsunami" defined by our latest understanding of regional risk – something never before undertaken in Australia. We present selected results from an investigation of building vul- nerability within the local government area of Manly – an iconic coastal area of Sydney. We show that a significant proportion of buildings (in particular, residential structures) are classified as having "High" and "Very High" Relative Vulnerability Index scores. Furthermore, other important buildings (e.g., schools, nursing homes and transport struc- tures) are also vulnerable to damage. Our results have seri- ous implications for immediate emergency risk management, longer-term land-use zoning and development, and building design and construction standards. Based on the work un- dertaken here, we recommend further detailed assessment of the vulnerability of coastal buildings in at risk areas, devel- opment of appropriate risk management strategies and a de- tailed program of community engagement to increase overall resilience.

Australia regularly experiences disasters triggered by natural hazards and New South Wales (NSW) the most populous State is no exception. To date, no publically available spatial and temporal analyses of disaster declarations triggered by hazards (specifically, bushfires, floods and storms) in NSW have been undertaken and no studies have explored the relationship between disaster occurrence and socio-economic disadvantage. We source, collate and analyse data about bushfire, flood and storm disaster declarations between 2004 and 2014. Floods resulted in the most frequent type of disaster declaration. The greatest number of disaster declarations occurred in 2012-2013. Whilst no significant Spearman's correlation exists between bushfire, flood and storm disaster declarations and the strength of the El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) phase, we observe that bushfire disaster declarations were much more common during El Niño, and flood disaster declarations were five times more common during La Niña phases. We identify a spatial cluster or 'hot spot' of disaster declarations in the northeast of the State that is also spatially coincident with 43% of the most socio-economically disadvantaged Local Government Areas in NSW. The results have implications for disaster risk management in the State. © The Author(s) 2016. ; Dominey-Howes is supported by ARC grant number DP130100877 Perkins is supported by ARC research grant number DE140100952.

People with disability face heightened vulnerability during disasters due to functional limitations and inadequate support. This study explores disaster preparedness, capabilities, and support needs among Australians with disability. A cross-sectional survey was conducted, aligned with the Person-Centred Emergency Preparedness (P-CEP) framework: a co-designed and tested framework that helps people with disability assess their capabilities, identify their needs, communicate with others, and plan for different emergency scenarios. Data collection involved self-administered online surveys and interviewer-administered telephone surveys through convenience sampling. Descriptive statistics and regression modelling were employed for data analysis. Of the 138 respondents, most were female (68.1%) and aged 60–69 (23.9%). While 60.3% had emergency plans, motivators included enhancing survival chances (36.7%) and past disaster experiences (22.7%). Barriers included uncertainty about preparation (22.0%) and difficulty obtaining information (11.3%). Those perceiving bushfire risk were more likely to have a plan (p = 0.004), while individuals living alone were less likely (p = 0.019). Common preparedness actions included safely storing important documents (57.5%), but fewer had backup plans for support workers (9.2%) or home generators (9.7%). Respondents with disaster experience highlighted diverse support needs, encompassing health, emotional well-being, and practical assistance. Inclusive disaster risk reduction should involve individuals with disability in assessing their capabilities and support requirements. This study underscores the necessity of tailored emergency preparedness measures to safeguard the well-being of this demographic.