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Assessing the Needs of Youth in the Aftermath of the Gulf Oil Spill
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| Presenter(s):
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| Brandi Gilbert, University of Colorado, Boulder, brandi.gilbert@colorado.edu
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| Liesel Ritchie, University of Colorado, Boulder, liesel.ritchie@colorado.edu
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| Abstract:
This paper presents the findings of a needs assessment of disaster recovery issues faced by youth ages 12-17 in coastal Alabama following the Gulf oil spill. Undertaken in collaboration with local community- and faith-based organizations, the assessment focuses on youth whose parents are tied to the commercial fishing or seafood industries. This is a critical topic, as prior research on technological disasters shows that recovery processes are associated with long-term social, economic, and ecological impacts. Needs assessment activities were designed to gather data that will advance understanding of shifts in family dynamics, social ties, and recreational and educational activities in the aftermath of the spill. Participants in the assessment include area youth, educators, providers of youth programming, public officials, and mental healthcare providers. The information gathered will be provided to local, state, and regional policy-makers, service providers, and other groups to support future program development for youth.
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What Can One Case Tell About the Value of Federal Disaster Recovery Policy for Elementary and Secondary Education?
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| Presenter(s):
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| Cindy Roberts-Gray, Third Coast R&D Inc, croberts@thirdcoastresearch.com
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| Magdalena Rood, Third Coast R&D Inc, mrood@thirdcoastresearch.com
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| Shelia Cassidy, Wexford Institute Inc, scassidy@wexford.org
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| Marcia Proctor, Galveston Independent School District, marcia_proctor@gisd.org
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| Ryoko Yamaguchi, University of North Carolina, Greensboro, ryamaguc@serve.org
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| Diana Bowman, University of North Carolina, Greensboro, dbowman@serve.org
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| Abstract:
The McKinney-Vento Act's Education for Homeless Children and Youth (EHCY) is federal policy for assisting Local Education Agencies (LEA) in the United States to meet the immediate and longer-term educational needs of students in the aftermath of disaster. Literature reviews indicate, however, little is known about specific services individual children receive through the everyday ECHY programs or the temporary disaster assistance initiatives nor how the services are related to academic outcomes. In this paper we review the case of one LEA recovering after Hurricane Ike to investigate the local evaluation as a starting point for an evidence base giving voice to the school administrators, teachers, students and families who are the intended beneficiaries of a National Disaster Recovery Framework whose development and implementation is urged by the National Commission on Children and Disasters.
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Network Analysis-based Methods for Assessing Coordination in Exercises
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| Presenter(s):
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| Yee San Su, CNA Education, suy@cna.org
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| Abstract:
Previous failures in effective, large-scale disaster response (e.g., Hurricane Katrina) can often be traced to failures in effective coordination. As evidenced in after action reports, however, assessments of coordination performance are still largely anecdotal in nature. Network analysis was seen as a possible means to develop quantitative metrics for coordination assessment. In this article, two techniques are proposed. First, Borgatti's technique for quantifying network fragmentation was selected to measure the extent to which coordinating entities play a role in establishing efficient communications. Second, Girvan and Newman's technique for community sub-group identification was utilized to identify potential breakdowns in information transfer. Both techniques were successfully implemented in a case study analysis of the Top Officials 4 exercise. The techniques appear promising for providing additional insights into coordination performance, identifying exercise artificialities, and allowing meta-analysis of coordination performance (e.g., over time, across regions, for different event scales).
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Ushahidi Haiti Project Evaluation: Evaluating the Use of Crowdsourced Information From Crisis Affected People for Emergency Response
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| Presenter(s):
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| Nathan Morrow, Tulane University, nmorrow@tulane.edu
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| Nancy Mock, Tulane University, mock@tulane.edu
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| Abstract:
Crisis mapping is a new technique that provides crowdsourced information dynamically through a map and graphic aggregator during and after crisis events. It combines advances in mobile computing, social media and internet-based data aggregation, visualization and mapping. The Ushahidi Haiti Project was a volunteer effort that endeavored to bring together information about the needs of earthquake affected people from new media sources such as Facebook, blogs, and Twitter. Affected people were also encouraged to send text messages with their needs to a local phone number in Haiti. These messages were then classified and dynamically mapped. The evaluation's central focus on use of the maps and reports for emergency response showed mixed results. Questions of efficiency also showed room for improvement of many processes. None-the-less, this innovative approach to crisis information was relevant to the emergency response community and will no doubt be a feature of future emergency response efforts.
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Impact Assessment of the Food Crisis: An Experience in Ethiopia
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| Presenter(s):
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| Silva Sedrakian, Oxfam America, ssedrakian@oxfamamerica.org
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| Abstract:
After two-year response to the food crisis in Ethiopia, Oxfam America conducted an impact assessment with the assistance by Tufts University who had developed the tools.
The goal of the project was to promote impact assessment in Ethiopia, by institutionalizing impact assessment capacities within Oxfam America. The basic concept behind this initiative is that aid agencies would carry out impact assessments of their own projects, with training and technical support provided by the Tufts University the country.
The proposal aims to describe the process, methodology used in this project as well as to share the experience of Oxfam America and its partners who participated in this initiative.
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