Disaster+Management

=**Disaster Management** =



"Surrounded by ocean, and waves breaking on reefs and beaches, islands are separated from each other and from other continents. Isolation compounds the problems faced by librarians in responding to disasters: flooding in tropical environments requires immediate action to prevent mold growth; island communities rarely have preservation professionals or conservators on-site to lead recovery efforts; and resources take days, even months, to arrive on islands. It is essential, therefore that librarians, living in island communities, are prepared to respond effectively to a disaster (Davis, 2006)."

Pacific Island countries are among the most vulnerable in the world to natural disasters. Between 1998 and 2007, over 75 percent of all natural disasters in the Pacific region were climate-related and accounted for 45 percent of all deaths. Furthermore, eighty percent of the economic losses were attributable to natural disasters (Environmental News Service, 2008). The humanitarian and economic toll exacted by the natural disasters that regularly afflict the Pacific Island countries is overwhelming and poses an ever-increasing threat to their development and sustainability. Libraries located in these small islands are particularly susceptible to wide-spread damage in the wake of a natural disaster given the fragile, valuable, sensitive and, oftentimes, irreplaceable nature of their printed materials. The protection of electronic resources is equally crucial as libraries will often become points of assembly following a natural disaster with people wanting to have access to the internet in order to communicate with family and friends. Online sources also provide information pertaining to emergency and health-related procedures .

** The Fundamentals of Effective Disaster Management **

** Prevention is key: ** Every library should have a well-designed plan that they follow in case of a natural disaster. This step-by-step plan should be based on the circumstances that they will most likely encounter ie; cyclones and tsunamis are the most common natural disasters in the Pacific regions so steps should be taken to mitigate wind and water damage. The plan should include a risk assessment checklist based on an examination of a building's exterior so that necessary upgrades can be identified (Akhtar Ansari, 2008). The following points are crucial:
 * the location of the building on a slope (susceptibility to mudslides, water runoff, vulnerability to high winds and sliding debris)
 * the establishment of a basement above the flood level
 * the plantation of large trees near the building to provide shelter
 * the anchoring of utility poles
 * the sealing of skylights and windows
 * the proper flow of underground sewerage pipes
 * ensuring the roof is not flat to prevent water accumulation
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">review of any previous structural issues (Akhtar Ansari, 2008)

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> Interior assessment must be done to assess the safety of the collections including such measures as : plastic sheeting available, avoiding the use of bottom shelves for storage if flooding is a concern, back up hard drives to off-site locations, and house fils, videos, audiotapes, and computer media in waterpoof boxes (Beales, 2003). In addition, administrative safety measures such as adequate insurance and a budget for recovery are indispensable.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">**In the aftermath:** <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%;">“Speed and effectiveness of the human response following a disaster are the most critical variables affecting the condition of an institution's collections in the aftermath of the recovery (Silverman, 2006). <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%;"> ﻿ A written disaster control plan is crucial to proper recovery and emergency execution post-disaster. This plan should include proper evacuation techniques, provisions for the safe handling of computers and other electronic devices, phone numbers of back-up emergency units, methods for proper communication in case of electrical outages, etc. In 2004, the IFLA designed the[| IFLA Questionnaire on Emergency Preparedness] in order to determine the effectiveness of various countries' response to a potential disaster.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">**Challenges** <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> In terms of the challenges faced by Pacific Island countries' libraries with regards to disaster management, the following are the most prevalent:
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">lack of funding
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">lack of support from local authorities
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">a shortage of human resources
 * <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">a lack of support from surrounding mainland authorities

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> When local governments consider the many public institutions to direct funds towards in the case of natural disaster management, libraries often do not top the list of priorities. Library workers may often have to rely on their own means to deal with disaster recovery as more humanitarian emergency measures will most certainly take precedence. Planning and training that is informed by prior disasters, effective communication and management, and an educated response guided by professional consultation are the best methods to utilize in order to protect and recover valuable library collections.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">**International Initiatives** <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> The [|United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) for Asia and the Pacific] was established at the request of 168 UN Member States following the World Conference on Disaster Reduction held in Kobe, Japan in January 2005. Its' mandate was is to provide a regional presence to cover the entire Asia and Pacific Islands region.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">[|The Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015: Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters] is a strategic plan of action designed by UNISDR for Asia and the Pacific to systematically review and propose approaches to reducing vulnerabilities and to rebuilding communities in the face of natural disasters.

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;"> The following YouTube video demonstrates the ongoing [|South-South project] between the Pacific and the Caribbean, which was established to promote dialogue between the two regions about their needs in facing a common threat.

media type="youtube" key="RQSnuZgJp5U" height="377" width="599" align="center"

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 23px;">**References**

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;">Ansari, Khurshid Akhtar (2008). Preparation of Disaster Management Plan for Libraries, Archives and Museums, //Pakistan Library & Information Science Journal// 39(2)

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;">Beales, Donna L. (2003). Before Disaster Strikes: Essentials of Formulating a Library Emergency Management Plan, //Journal of Hospital Librarianship// 3 (4)

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;">CRMI- Caribbean Risk Management Initiative (2011). South-South Cooperation in Action. Retrieved on April 7, 2011 from []

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Davis, Lynn Ann. (2006) Riding the Surf: Dealing with Library Disasters in Island Communities, //Public Library Quarterly//, 25(3/4)

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">Environment News Service (2008). Climate Change Now the Main Driver of Natural Disasters. Retrieved on April 5, 2011 from []

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%;">International Strategy for Disaster Reduction- Asia and the Pacific. About ISDR Asia & Pacific. Retrieved on April 7, 2011 from []

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 0px; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden;"> <span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;">Plassard, Marie-France and Marie-Thérèse Varlamoff. (2004) Survey on Disaster Planning in National Libraries, //International Preservation News : A Newsletter of the IFLA Core Activity on Preservation and Conservation// 34, 23-29

<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 110%; line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-left: 0cm; margin-right: 0cm; margin-top: 0cm;">Silverman, Randy. (2006) The Seven Deadly Sins of Disaster Recovery, //Public Library Quarterly//, 25(4)

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