Learning From The Past and Planning For The Future
MENTAL HEALTH MOMENT February 7, 2003 "The reward for work well done is the opportunity to do more." - Jonas Salk, MD
Short Subjects
LINKS Mental Health Moment Online CONFERENCES AND WORKSHOPS:
Rocky Mountain Region
Disaster Mental Health Institute -
SPRING WORKSHOP SERIES
March 22 - Religious Aspects of
Domestic Violence
- Pat Bradley, MA, NACC, LAT
April 23, 24, 25 -
Crisis Counseling, Trauma, and Response:
A Multi-level Approach
- Marguerite McCormack, MA, LPC
May 3 - Suicide Risk Assessment and Risk Reduction: Tactics For The Trenches
- Jon Richard, PsyD
The Australasian Critical Incident
Stress Association Conference
The Right Response in the
21st Century
Location: Carlton Crest Hotel
Melbourne Australia
Friday October 3, 2003 thru
Sunday October 5, 2003
For further information
please contact the conference organisers:
ammp@optushome.com.au
Conference Website:
http://www.acisa.org.au/ conference2003/VIII European Conference
on
Traumatic Stress (ECOTS)
May 22 - 25 2003
Location: Berlin
GERMANY
Contact:
Scientific Secretariat
VIII ECOTS Berlin 2003
c/o Catholic University of
Applied Social Sciences
Koepenicker Allee 39-57
D-10318 Berlin
Tel: +49-30-50 10 10 54
Fax: +49-30-50 10 10 88
E-mail:
trauma-conference@kfb-berlin.de
27th Congress of the
World Federation for
Mental Health
February 21-26, 2003
Melbourne, AUSTRALIA
Contact: ICMS Pty Ltd
(Congress Secretariat)
84 Queensbridge Street
Southbank VIC 3006, Australia
Tel: 61 3 9682 0244
Fax: 61 3 9682 0288
E-mail: wfmh2003@icms.com.au
Annual Conference Society for
Industrial/Organizational Psychology (SIOP)
April 12 - 14, 2003
Location: Orlando, Florida
USA
Contact: lhakel@siop.bgsu.edu
4th International Symposium on Bilingualism
April 30 - May 3, 2003
Location: Tempe, Arizona, USA
Contact:
4th International Symposium on Bilingualism
Arizona State University
PO Box 870211
Tempe, AZ 85287-0211, USA
Email: isb4@asu.edu
EXPENDABLE MICROPHONES MAY HELP LOCATE BUILDING COLLAPSE SURVIVORS
Data gathered by Penn State engineers in a volunteer effort at the World Trade Center tragedy suggest that simple, inexpensive microphones dropped into collapsed buildings may aid search and rescue teams despite ground level noise. Thomas B. Gabrielson, associate professor of acoustics with the Applied Research Laboratory, says, "In conventional survivor searches, noise generating activities at the surface must be stopped while listening for survivors." However, the Penn State team found that the noise level in the interior voids of the rubble during the World Trade Center rescue operations was about the same as that of a quiet residential neighborhood. The team has designed expendable microphones to be dropped or thrown into the voids in building collapses, where sounds from trapped survivors would likely be louder and the surrounding noise quieter so that the acoustic search could be continued without interfering with other operations. For the full story by Barbara Hale, visit http://www.psu.edu/ur/2003/rescuemicrophones.html
TEENS PREFER TALKING TO MOM ABOUT DRUG USE TOPICS
When it comes to talks about serious subjects such as taking drugs, U.S. teens apparently believe that mother knows best, a Penn State expert says. "Seventy percent of the adolescents in my study stated that they were more comfortable discussing important topics with their mothers," notes Michelle Miller-Day, assistant professor of communication arts and sciences. "This contrasted with 12 percent of the respondents who favored talking with their fathers." Miller-Day published her findings recently in the Journal of Adolescent Research. Her study was based on a survey of African-American and White teen-agers ranging in age from 11 to 17. Given that adolescents may choose to talk with mothers rather than anyone else about risky issues and that they feel closer to their mothers, mothers may be logical targets for drug education and intervention programs, the researcher says. For the full story by Paul Blaum, visit http://www.psu.edu/ur/2003/teenmomsdrugtalk.html
WHAT'S IN THE NEWS: BALANCING CIVIL LIBERTIES AND NATIONAL SECURITY
The latest edition of "What's in the News," a current events show produced for schoolchildren by Penn State Public Broadcasting, examines how the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees the "right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures." The amendment also states that legal authorities may issue a search warrant only when presented with "probable cause" or proof that a crime has occurred or is occurring. For the first century of U.S. history, the Fourth Amendment was rarely cited. Then in 1914, the U.S. Supreme Court reversed a lower court decision that had sent a man to jail for holding an illegal lottery. It ruled that the evidence used to convict the man had been taken from his home without a search warrant. This week, "What's in the News" takes a look at current debates over the Fourth Amendment as American leaders struggle to find the right balance between civil liberties and national security. For more information, visit http://www.witn.psu.edu
President Bush Declares Emergency in Response to Space Shuttle Tragedy
President George W. Bush Sunday declared that an emergency exists in the states of Texas and Louisiana in the wake of the loss of space shuttle Columbia. Pursuant to the Stafford Act, the President’s declaration authorizes the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to coordinate federal aid and ensure that responders to this tragedy have the resources they need. For further information, go to: http://www.fema.gov/diz03/hq03_028.shtm
FEMA Puts Federal Resources Into Action In Search For Columbia Debris
Following President Bush's declaration of an emergency in Texas and Louisiana, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has begun coordinating the deployment of federal resources to assist state and local authorities in the search, find and secure effort for debris of the space shuttle Columbia. For further information, go to: http://www.fema.gov/diz03/hq03_030.shtm
NEW JERSEY - Monmouth County prepares for bioterror http://independent.gmnews.com/news/2003/0205/Front_Page/032.html
USA - Smallpox Researchers Seek Help From Millions of Computer Users http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/05/health/05SMAL.html?ex=1045112400&en=8aa9d99734c95517&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE
Powell presents US case to Security Council of Iraq's failure to disarm 5 February –
Armed with satellite images, transcripts of intercepted telephone conversations and other intelligence data, United States Secretary of State Colin Powell today presented the United Nations Security Council with what he called "solid" evidence that showed Iraq still has not complied with resolutions calling for it to disarm. For the full story, go to: http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=6079&Cr=iraq&Cr1=inspect
War not inevitable but Iraq must meet Security Council demands - Annan 5 February –
The United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, said today that he still believed war in Iraq was not inevitable but stressed that Baghdad must comply fully and proactively with Security Council demands. For the full story, go to: http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=6089&Cr=iraq&Cr1=inspect
Iraqi Ambassador Mohammed Aldouri Refuting US charges in Security Council, Iraq reaffirms commitment to UN inspections 5 February –
Addressing the Security Council after United States Secretary of State Colin Powell presented evidence of Iraq’s failure to disarm, the Iraqi representative to the United Nations today refuted the US charges and reaffirmed his country’s readiness to continue to fully cooperate with UN inspectors. For the full story, go to: http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=6083&Cr=iraq&Cr1=inspect
EDITORIAL NOTE:
Roughly 400 or so years ago, a man named Magellan took some ships and crews and began a trip around the world. Years later one ship with a few sailors (Magellan not among them) returned home. Many men and women have been lost on journeys of discovery. What Magellan and his crews did changed our world views forever.
At the beginning of the twentieth century two brothers named Wright flew a flimsy machine a few hundred yards and set the stage for air travel. Since that time many brave men and women built and tested various forms of aircraft for many purposes. Many lost their lives in the effort. Yet, they have changed our world views forever.
In the early 1960s, men like Yuri Gagarin and John Glenn took cautious preliminary steps into lower outer space. In 1967, Neil Armstrong took that "One small step for man...." and changed not only our current world view, but our view of our universe.
For the first time ever in history, mankind now not only has a different worldview, but, literally and figuratively, can look back on him/herself and see the human race very differently. The impact of such a view philosophically and psychologically has not yet been fully appreciated. However, it has tremendous implications for the future of the human race. As tentative and cautious as we are about exploring the unknown and learning its secrets, we are made of a fabric that must continue to learn. There have been lives lost in our endeavor to explore the high frontier of space. The loss of the Columbia crew is our most recent and most fresh in our memories of brave explorers who seek out and ultimately help to make life richer and better for all who follow. It would indeed be tragic if we failed to learn from them and failed to continue the mission of exploring the unknown. Do we dare to go where no man has gone before? Or do we content ourselves to remain in a perceived state of pseudo-safety and do nothing? Do we act to make our own future, or do we become fatalists and fail to act only to become acted upon? The future is out there. Look up any clear night and you will see it.
AMERICAN HAZARDSCAPES: REVIEW OF CUTTER, S.L. - AMERICAN HAZARDSCAPES: THE REGIONALIZATION OF HAZARDS AND DISASTERS.
Awareness of the losses (human and infrastructure) and costs of natural disasters has risen in recent years. Most people have at least some knowledge of the effects of events such as hurricanes Andrew and Georges; the Northridge and Loma Prieta earthquakes; flooding in the midwest; tornado damages; wildfires in New Mexico, Colorado, California and Wyoming; and the effects of extended drought. However, historical data on human, infrastructure and economic losses is fragmented and incomplete. Studies on vulnerability and mitigation remain vague and unintegrated. Planning is hampered by a lack of adequate baselines; a uniform method of data collection, analysis, and hazard assessment; and a general lack of commitment to loss reduction assessments.
American Hazardscapes is an edited volume which attempts to review the background and history of risks and hazards, discuss theories and concepts, present methods and current models of data collection, discuss trends in disaster losses, identify the most hazardous areas of the United States, and concludes by suggesting a number of courses of action for the next two decades. It presents a brief history of mapping and the spatial analysis of hazards and risks; describes the availability, quality, and usefulness of national data sets on hazard events and losses; presents a retrospective look at trends in hazard events and losses over the past 24 years; and examines the geographic variations in hazard events and losses at the state level.
Cutter begins by presenting a background and history of risk assessment and discusses the divergent paths taken within the hazards and risk research communities. This provides an overview and introduction to the ensuing examination of the evolution of American hazardscapes and attempts at understanding the variability in and delineation of hazard-resistant or hazard-prone places.
Hill and Cutter present an overview of vulnerability and hazards assessment. They discuss what these concepts mean and how they are measured. They begin by asking some leading questions: “Why is it that some places appear to be more disaster-prone whereas other communities seem to be somewhat immune from the impact of natural hazards? What makes some places more vulnerable to natural hazards than others? Is it that some communities are simply more at risk, or they have more people who lack adequate response mechanisms when the disaster strikes, or is it some combination of the two?” (p. 13). They review some of the contemporary hazard assessment tools and techniques used to help understand societal vulnerability to hazards. They do an excellent job of examining the range and diversity of the current methods used to assess environmental risks and hazards and societal vulnerability to them. They point out two important considerations about the next generation of models and methodologies which they did not discuss: explicit discussion of the underlying and contextual factors which increase the vulnerability of people and places (e.g., urbanization, demographic shifts, increasing wealth, increasing poverty, labor markets, cultural norms and practices, politics, business, and economics); and, the issue of how current hazards and risk assessment methods and practices could actually contribute to the relocation of risk and vulnerability (geographically or in the future). A chapter that discussed and addressed these areas would have added to this volume in a very positive manner.
Hodgson and Cutter provide information on the fundamental concepts used in mapping (scale, resolution of geographic data, and characteristics of spatial databases). They also provide a brief history of mapping and, specifically, hazards mapping. They conclude with a discussion about the role of advances in technology and their influence on mapping and the spatial analysis of societal response to hazards. Of particular interest in their discussion is information gathered by the Geographic Information System (GIS), which is defined as a computer-based method for collecting, storing, managing, analyzing, and displaying geographic information. GIS allows diverse geographic data sets to be put together in overlays, thus allowing relationships between the different data “layers” to be analyzed. SDSS and other specific systems are also discussed. Websites for many of these resources are provided which is a valuable resource.
Thomas looks at the need for systematic primary data collection, centralized data and information dissemination, the meaningfulness of collected data, some of the issues involved in sharing data, and the available databases used for estimating loss. She presents a summary of data sources on natural hazards that includes internet addresses, dates covered, variables included, and the limitations of each database. This information alone is a valuable resource for those interested in research as well as those who wish to become better informed about various hazards and their effects. She suggests the need for a systematic effort to develop loss estimation procedures, collection of comparable data across hazards, georeferencing of all data, and the archiving of resulting databases to assess collective progress toward hazard loss reductions.
Mitchell and Thomas present data and history about trends in disaster losses over a 24 year period in the United States. Their discussion is supported by numerous databases and graphical representations. They present discussions for most specific hazards for which data is collected, both natural and hazardous material spills. They report data on fatality, injury, and damage losses for 14 threats. Emotional, cultural, and ecological losses were not addressed. Again, a chapter that specifically addressed these areas would have made this a more complete volume. Mitchell and Thomas also call for a centralized, national data collection effort which focuses on gathering identical physical, social, and spatial loss variables.
Hazard events and losses vary geographically. Thomas and Mitchell examine regional patterns and losses for the United States. In addition to natural hazards, they also discuss the distribution of actual and potential hazards resulting from hazardous material spills, nuclear power plants, toxic releases, and relict hazardous waste sites (Superfund). They conclude that we must learn the lessons from the historic and geographic trends in hazard events and losses and use this knowledge to develop more sustainable options for vulnerability reduction and hazards mitigation nationwide.
Cutter concludes this volume by presenting suggestions for the courses of action needed for the next two decades. She suggests that improvements in vulnerability science and reducing losses from disaster rests on compilation of adequate data in order to monitor successes and failures. The political will to make tough choices and decisions is an additional suggestion. She states that the reduction of our vulnerability to hazards should be based on public policies which are guided by the best science, information, and data available at the time, and not by political expediency.
This book provides a good overview and background for psychologists and other mental health professionals who have interests in the effects of natural and man-made hazards on different populations. For those who study the areas of population and environment, it provides a basis for looking at how better to help plan for improved management of geographic areas that are at risk for natural hazards. Large aggregates of people in areas that are subject to hazards such as hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, wildfires, etc. could benefit from planning that involves better designed buildings, homes, and other supportive infrastructure. This is an increasingly dangerous world with increasing numbers of people who are at risk for losses. How to mitigate against such losses is an area of study that can be constructively undertaken by psychologists whose interests are in the environment and population demographics. Learning how to interact better with our environment (e.g. rural-urban interfaces) can improve the quality of life for all.
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REFERENCE Cutter, S.L. (2001). American hazardscapes: The regionalization of hazards and disasters. Washington, D.C. : Joseph Henry Press.
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To search for books on disasters and disaster mental
health topics, leaders, leadership, orgainizations,
crisis intervention, leaders and crises, and related
topics and purchase them online, go to the following url:
https://www.angelfire.com/biz/odochartaigh/searchbooks.html
RECOMMENDED READING
America's Space Shuttle: Range Safety and PDRS (RMS Arm) NASA Astronaut Training Manual
by World Spaceflight News
Book Description
EXCLUSIVE from World Spaceflight News - LEARN ABOUT the SPACE SHUTTLE FROM THE TEXTBOOKS USED BY THE ASTRONAUTS! The official NASA astronaut training manuals comprise a major part of the formal flight crew training process, and are used by flight controllers as well. These internal NASA manuals are produced by the Mission Operations Directorate (Space Flight Training Division branch) at NASA's Johnson Space Center. The manuals and workbooks are extremely detailed and comprehensive, and are designed for self-study. Each is heavily illustrated with vivid line drawings, engineering schematics, and other charts and figures. A full listing of all acronyms and abbreviations used in the text is included. They provide a superb way to learn about Shuttle systems, hardware, and operational procedures. Special emphasis on crew interaction with the displays, controls, and hardware is included.
This report contains two manuals. The first deals with the Range Safety system, including basic concepts, techniques, procedures, and flight rules of range safety, as well as Orbiter and ground hardware and communications between the MCC and the Range Safety Officer. The second manual covers the Payload Deployment and Retrieval System (PDRS), which includes the Remote Manipulator System (RMS). It contains complete technical information on all aspects of the Canadian-built robot arm, including astronaut controls and procedures.
From the Publisher
World Spaceflight News has covered spaceflight and the Space Shuttle program since 1983. In addition to our flagship publication, we produce printed and electronic Special Reports and NASA videos, and the American Space Encyclopedia series of CD-ROMs. At WSN, our mission is simple: provide space enthusiasts and professionals around the globe with unique technical information and historical material about spaceflight. We hope that a better appreciation of the complexities and challenges posed by space exploration will foster increased support for man's continued voyage into space. Our love of spaceflight drives our publishing efforts, and we've been gratified over the years that readers from Austria to Australia have found great value in our work. We try to satisfy a wide range of interests by producing a broad selection of high-quality products with exclusive material not found elsewhere.
Additional Readings at: Click here and Enter the terms Space Shuttle and Safety in the search engine also try looking here for Space Shuttle and Psychology.
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Contact your local Mental Health Center or
check the yellow pages for counselors, psychologists,
therapists, and other Mental health Professionals in
your area for further information.
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George W. Doherty
Rocky Mountain Region
Disaster Mental Health Institute
Box 786
Laramie, WY 82073-0786
MENTAL HEALTH MOMENT Online: https://www.angelfire.com/biz3/news
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