Suchergebnisse

Focusing on a national field study of the Israeli experience at the time of the Gulf War, this reference analyses the definitions of preparedness, evaluations of risk, and set social structures that negatively impact formal disaster organization efficacy. In addition, it demonstrates the fundamental flaws of disaster management agencies by inspecting disasters from the perspective of potential victims and proposes an innovative model of disaster management centering on privatization.

Disaster researchers have consistently emphasized that the family is a principal conduit for disaster behaviors and critical for its individual members' survival. Evidence for this claim, however, is problematic as it is based primarily on anecdotal and ethnographic evidence restricted to ongoing or post-disaster coping behaviors. Such evidence should focus on the preparedness stage where family disaster behavior is critical for subsequent chances of survival. Reassessing the primacy of the family-disaster link at the preparedness stage was accomplished by analyzing a representative Israeli sample (n=814) of family household units. Focusing on the household unit provided access to its members, internal familial social processes and household pre-disaster preparedness levels. The households were divided into traditional, cohabiting and single family structures. The initial analysis showed that variations in household structure had inconsistent and in some cases no impact on core disaster preparedness behaviors. Testing a series of alternative explanations related to internal familial social processes found that the extent and intensity of family social networks and gender of the household head did predict differences in preparedness levels. Apparently, the impact of families on preparedness—a vital factor in subsequent disaster behaviors—does not appear to be the result of its structure but the social processes inherent within the household. Being a family in its many diverse forms but lacking these essential familial ingredients is no guarantee of being prepared for disasters.

Do risk perceptions of environmental hazards lead to preparing for them? Employing data from a national urban household sample (814) in Israel, the link between risk perceptions and preparedness were examined for natural, industrial, technological, accidental and non/conventional war disasters. A factor analysis generated six risk components conditional on the social familiarity with the potential victim as well as disaster-specific events and four preparedness components reflecting, provisions, skills, planning and protection. The 'risk-preparedness' association based on this matrix of components was inconsistent having few statistically significant correlations, some even negative. Regression coefficients used to predict preparedness actions due to risk perceptions were also only partially successful. Apparently, the impact of risk perceptions on preparedness is limited to specific environmental disasters and strongest for those preparedness behaviors that are more immediate, concrete and easy to achieve. These findings have direct application for disaster managers involved in risk communication and public education of disasters.

This paper utilizes the generic source of "community" to define a disaster community emphasizing disaster areas' perceived boundaries and the social networks that fall within these boundaries. Three such "disaster communities" are proposed based on family‐kin, micro‐neighborhood, and macro‐neighborhood social networks. Utilizing an Israel national representative sample of (814) urban households residing in 150 municipalities, a set of hypotheses were tested regarding the impact of disaster communities on individual disaster preparedness behaviors. In general, more socially robust communities brought about greater levels of individual preparedness but with significant exceptions by type of preparedness. In addition, the predictive ability of such disaster communities on each preparedness component varied. Ethnic and educational composition of the networks had a negligible impact on disaster preparedness behaviors. Overall, the use of social network based disaster communities provides a sound theoretical and empirical foundation to study disaster behaviors.

This study proposes introducing the 'client-stakeholder' as a partner in measuring public sector disaster management effectiveness. Combining multiple constituency and goal attainment theories, an analysis was made of Israel's Home Front Command. Combining responses of key managers in this disaster agency along with those of a representative national sample of Israel's urban population, effectiveness was measured by matching stated organizational goals against the perception of their provision by client-stakeholders. Goal perceptions were found to substantially differ from and focus on only a small number of officially stated goals. The results suggest that a disaster organization's stated goals, upon which most measures of organizational effectiveness are based, are not necessarily those perceived or even used by its client-stakeholders to gauge effectiveness. In addition, factors contributing to these perceptions are not necessarily related to the organization or the services it provides. This stands in sharp contrast to traditional measures of organizational effectiveness based on internal performance measures and highlights the need to reevaluate the role of the client-stakeholder in measuring disaster management organizational effectiveness.

Preparedness is a basic core concept in disaster research. Yet, its conceptual construction and empirical validity have rarely been assessed. Combining a theoretical variable-based proposition set derived from the disaster literature and expert judgments, a broad series of measures of preparedness are proposed. Employing a national sample of 814 urban households in Israel provided the opportunity to empirically validate this concept. Both nonparametric and multivariate analyses showed that the general construct of preparedness to actually be a series of separate factors. Regressing each factor against a common set of theoretical explanatory variables showed significant differences in the set of predictors of each preparedness factor These results suggest that "preparedness" cannot be seen as a single overall concept but must be evaluated in terms of its derivative constructs. For disaster managers, this means that managerial practices directed toward increasing disaster preparedness behaviors must focus attention and resources separately on those variables directly affecting each type of preparedness construct.

This paper describes and analyzes the distribution of gas masks in Israel. It is based on a longitudinal cohort analysis to assess the effectiveness of the program and those factors explaining skill level in mask use. A matched cohort sample ten years after the original distribution in 1991 are compared along with pre and post Gulf War mask recipients. The results suggest that the original distribution program to have been extremely effective in maintaining skill level in use, providing client satisfaction and increasing protective confidence. A matched cohort 10 years later showed a continuation of these high levels of preparedness and of skills required to effectively use gas masks. Contrasting pre-post Gulf War mask recipients revealed those who experienced the war had significantly higher mask-use skill levels. Marital status, and risk perceptions of an imminent war accounted for these differences.

Residential relocation is one means of coping with living in a perceived high risk area. An analysis of a sample of household members who live in such an area showed the extent to which fear of a recurring emergency event affects attitudes toward seeking an alternative safer area to reside. Intent to relocate is linked to specific sub-groups of families on the basis of how they comprehend the risks of remaining (educational level) and extent of possible economic damage (level of assets). A series of independent variables reflecting affective-emotive behavior during the disaster. Post-crisis trauma related attitudes and pre/post disaster neighborhood bonds were likewise linked with an intention to move to a safer neighborhood. A regression model focused the analysis on the degree to which concern of psychological damage to children played a decisive role in determining a relocation decision.

Emergency contingency plans are conceived as an alternative rational‐logical set of actions when a formal emergency plan may be inadequate during an actual crisis. Most, like the official plan, are based on protocols inherent in the formal administrative structure of the organization with little attention paid to pervasive informal social networks found in the organization. We argue that a perspective focusing on informal social networks within organizations may provide a viable solution to supplement the formal plan. This approach integrates the power of informal social networks within and across organizations through the social context of transferring information and adaptive behaviours that have proven vital for organizational continuity. Special attention is paid to how a social network approach, as the basis for its integration into a viable contingency plan, is feasible for a variety of organizations.