Ref: APS06/05
Research Associate
Disaster and Development Centre Part Time (0.6) Research Associate - Fixed
Term for 2 years (with possible extension of contract and upgrading to Full
Time)
The Disaster and Development Centre (DDC) at Northumbria University is
seeking to appoint a Research Associate. The appointee will conduct research
and development activities in support of three DDC projects based at the
University. These are, i) the British Council Delphe programme in
collaboration with institutions in Nepal and Bangladesh, ii) the Northeast
disaster resilience programme, and iii) the Japan-UK disaster risk reduction
collaboration. The role includes support to DDC through preparation of
research outputs, networking, and reinforcing DDC's involvement in the field
of disaster risk reduction. The DDC has, since 2000 been the first centre
anywhere dedicated entirely to the intersection of disaster management with
sustainable development, including through its role in international
research, consultancy, and postgraduate studies.
Northumbria University is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes
applications from all sectors of the community.
Salary: Grade 6 - £28,010 to £31,525 (Pro-rata)
Selection date: 25 January 2007
Closing date: 15 January 2007
-----Original Message-----
From: Natural hazards and disasters
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Ilan Kelman
Sent: 13 December 2006 19:45
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Standards for Recovery from Disaster
Dear Philip (and list),
Thank you for this much-needed endeavour and for sharing with us progress so
far. Please keep us informed so that we could apply the work which you and
your team are completing. I append below some illustrative examples of work
which has been done on this topic, to supplement the other useful responses,
which would seem to fall within the remit of this project.
I have a question regarding the terms of reference which state "To develop a
set of standards/principles". Similarly, the Outputs suggest "around 10
standards/principles". To me, standards and principles are quite different,
as implied in point 2 of the terms of reference, although one principle
could be "Adopt the standards". Does this project seek both standards and
principles? Or does the project seek relatively high-level statements
which, rather than suggesting for instance "site hospitals and schools
outside the 1000-year floodplain" or "supply 15 L of clean water per person
per day", are more principle-based, for instance "siting hospitals and
schools should be used for disaster risk reduction" and "clean water is
essential for sustainability, development, and disaster risk reduction"?
I also have two questions regarding the "Initially identified issues":
1. "The need for general info sharing on the current situation in tsunami
rebuilding". Why only for the tsunami? Similar issues have arisen
following many disasters, including the recent and high-profile events of
Kashmir and Katrina. Would the need for information sharing, information
quality control, information analysis, and information communication be a
general, rather than a tsunami-specific, concern for disaster risk
reduction?
2. "Extent to which future disaster risk has been taken into account in the
selection of re-building sites, design and orientation of buildings,
livelihood restoration, rehabilitation of schools". My understanding of
this statement is that it would require a review of legislation, policies,
guidelines, and recommendations related to planning, health, education,
building codes, and design professions amongst other fields. For example,
after the 1993 Mississippi floods, some communities were moved while the
city of Boulder, Colorado, USA amongst many others has purchased and knocked
down properties sited in flood plains. When siting new schools and
hospitals (amongst other infrastructure), do any jurisdictions factor in
distance from chemical factories and airports (amongst other infrastructure)
to reduce disaster risk? Would fire engineering practices be considered
part of addressing "future disaster risk"? Canadian and British building
codes (amongst others) address wind loading which, in the engineering
calculations, encompasses "design and orientation of buildings" for disaster
risk reduction. Obviously, much more could be written on regulatory and
non-regulatory processes in place around the world which would cover this
point. And, of course, a good proportion of these processes were enacted
only after a disaster. For example, I believe that Jamaica, Japan, and Los
Angeles promulgated their first building codes for seismic resistance after
earthquake disasters in 1907, 1923, and 1933 respectively.
Finally, three general questions:
3. There has been plenty of discussion and publications on a rights-based
approach to disaster risk reduction. Would standards and principles take a
rights-based approach or another approach?
4. To be effective, standards generally need monitoring and enforcement.
Should there be standards for monitoring and enforcement?
5. How does the Hyogo Framework
http://www.icsu-asia-pacific.org/resource_centre/ISDR_Hyogo-framework-for-ac
tion_HFA.pdf
fit into this project?
Best wishes for this work and please keep us informed,
Ilan
1. The Radix standards website http://www.radixonline.org/standards.htm
includes a proposal from David Alexander and suggestions for using ISO, such
as 9000 and 14000, for disaster risk reduction.
2. See http://ineeserver.org/page.asp?pid=1240 for Minimum Standards for
Education in Emergencies, Chronic Crises and Early Reconstruction.
3. Sphere http://www.sphereproject.org is trying to use more elements from
disaster risk reduction and sustainability plus see the special "Disasters"
issue on Sphere http://www.blackwell-synergy.com/toc/disa/28/2
4. If you are not familiar with the Wingspread Principles and the Shanghai
Principles please let me know and I shall email you the documents.
5. Australia/New Zealand Risk Management Standard 4360
http://www.standards.com.au/PDFTemp/Previews/OSH/as/as4000/4300/4360-2004.PD
F
6. USA NFPA 1600 Standard on Disaster/Emergency Management and Business
Continuity Programs http://www.nfpa.org/assets/files/pdf/nfpa1600.pdf
7. For the shelter sector, see Shelter Centre's library
http://www.sheltercentre.org/shelterlibrary which has standards-related
documents including Transitional Settlement Guidelines
http://www.sheltercentre.org/shelterlibrary/publications/112.htm and related
to using tents
http://www.sheltercentre.org/shelterlibrary/publications/201.htm On the
topic of principles, Shelter Centre has a project to update Ian Davis'
Shelter Principles http://www.sheltercentre.org/sheltercentre/programme.htm
(scroll down to P2).
8. As one example from many such exercises, in 2002, UNHCR asked all
representative chiefs of mission and heads of offices in the field to help
revise standards and quantifiable indicators related to refugee protection.
I do not know what happened but I assume that there would be a report
somewhere in Geneva.
9. California (or the USA?) has proposed disaster standards legislation:
See paragraphs V and XII at http://www.emsaac.com/minutes11-01.htm
10. Based on others' work (not my own), I suggest some disaster risk
reduction principles at http://www.ilankelman.org/fpp.pdf
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