Volume 4, Issue 2

September 2009

PDC Highlights

Tracking A (H1N1) "Swine Flu" on PDC's Atlas: Since early stages of outbreak in late April 2009, PDC's Natural Hazards and Vulnerabilities Atlas included the latest information on the spread of Influenza A (H1N1), also called "Swine Flu." The image here shows the Global Edition of the Atlas with all hazards except flu cases turned off. A new method of displaying H1N1 information will be deployed soon.

Hurricane Season Continues Through November 30

PDC urged Hawaii residents to prepare for the 2009 hurricane season, June 1 through November 30, by publishing a "reminder" article. The Center also hosted a National Weather Service workshop on the 2009 season, and participated in at least two community information sharing events on hurricane preparedness. In the "Quick Links" above, you will find both a document about preparing your family/household for disaster and a list of emergency contact numbers. You would be wise to familiarize yourself with this information right now, before a disaster occurs.

PDC to Assist Vietnam with Flood Warning and Training Needs

Pacific Disaster Center has been engaged in improving disaster management activities in Vietnam for several years. In the near future, the Center will start two additional projects in the Southeast Asian country. One, funded by the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) aims to improve flood early warning. The other, funded by the World Bank, will provide important disaster management training across all sectors of Vietnamese disaster managers, including the national and provincial governments.

PDC Publishes a Catalog of Hawaii Disasters

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) declares certain events to be "Emergencies" and others "Disasters." The Agency also makes determinations of when a fire qualifies for a "Fire Management Assistance Declaration." Each of these declarations in Hawaii, from 1955 to the present, is cataloged on the PDC website. For most, a direct link is provided to the FEMA page about the event. For some, a gallery of related photos is also linked to the catalog page. Browse Hawaii Disaster History.

Disaster News Available on PDC.org

Maybe you have not noticed, even though you are a user of PDC's website, that the home page of PDC.org includes a "Disaster News" tab. Click on the tab and you are offered PDC World Hazard Briefs for both weather-related events and other hazards. There are always also a few additional world news stories on the list, which may not always be disaster related. Also, you can subscribe to the Disaster News service, and have this news delivered directly to your computer.

PDC Articles Appear in Two Recent UN Books

Pacific Disaster Center provided essays that were published in two recent United Nations books. "Rapidly Increasing Disaster Risks Demand Innovative, Even Evolutionary Disaster Management Technologies" by Executive Director Ray Shirkhodai and Joseph Bean appears in Risk Wise, and "Humanity Needs Climate Sense to Survive" by Executive Director Ray Shirkhodai, Science Advisor Dr. Heather M. Bell, and Joseph W. Bean appears in Climate Sense.

Support to Maui VOAD

Pacific Disaster Center has participated in Maui Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster for many years, and hosts all of the consortium's regular monthly meetings. PDC also hosts the Maui VOAD website. The list of VOAD members might help you understand and appreciate the broad coalition of governmental and private organizations dedicated to your safety in an emergency. Wherever you live, search the web for VOAD plus the name of your state or county to locate the people dedicated to your safety.