Natural Disasters

INTRODUCTION: Natural disasters in rural settlements are responsible for a broad range of financial and human losses. In this regard, the resilience approach has gained renewed attention to minimize the disruptive impacts of natural catastrophes. Therefore, adequate knowledge about the status of resilience enables us to take efficient measures to reduce resultant injuries and destructive effects. With this background in mind, the current study aimed to investigate the relationship between economic and socio-cultural resilience of rural settlements in Silakhor rural district in Dorud. METHODS: This practical study was conducted based on an analytical-descriptive design. The statistical population included 1539 earthquake-stricken households of Silakhor village (according to household information from the 2016 Census). Out of this population, 308 families were selected as the sample size using the Cochran's formula. The validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by a panel of experts, and its reliability was evaluated using Cronbach's alpha method rendering the coefficients of 0.910 and 0.854 for the economic and socio-cultural dimension, respectively. One-Sample T-Test and Pearson correlation were used to examine the status of resilience and the relationship between economic resilience and socio-cultural resilience. FINDINGS: As evidenced by the obtained results, rural settlements were socio-culturally resilient with the mean score of >3, while they were somewhat resilient in the economic dimension with the mean score of nearly 3. CONCLUSION: The results of the Pearson correlation pointed to a positive and significant relationship between economic and social resilience with a correlation coefficient of 0.420 and a significance level of P<0.00.

INTRODUCTION: Rescue and relief organizations start their operations from the first moments after the occurrence of a disaster. Moreover, they set up emergency accommodation camps after the emergency period to deliver aid and health packages with standard content based on the general needs of the affected people. However, if a family has infants, children, elderly, or sick members, these packages will not be able to meet their needs. Cash donations instead of goods respect the human dignity of the affected people after the emergency period and result in the recovery of the families and the economy of the region. Usage of information technology for this purpose leads to speed, accuracy, and transparency in the implementation of the above-mentioned method. Given the differences between the situation in Iran and the international community, the present study aimed to find localized components that affect the provision of cash-based interventions to the affected people by natural disasters using information and communications technology. METHODS: This mixed method research was performed in two stages; meta-synthesis was used in the first stage and Fuzzy Delphi was used in the second stage to extract the domestic components of the cash-based interventions. The statistical population in the meta-synthesis stage was the local and international journals as well as the performance reports of international aid agencies published during 2004-2019. Finally, through sample selection and systematic selection based on the defined keywords, 71 out of 388 studies were selected for the purposes of the research. In the second stage, the statistical population consisted of executive directors of local aid agencies and crisis management instructors at universities and international workshops. Eventually, 14 experts were selected judgmentally who participated in three Delphi rounds. FINDINGS: In the first stage, 18 components in four categories were determined using the seven-step model of Sandelowski and Barroso. In the first round of Delphi, one component was omitted and six other components were added according to the opinions of the experts. However, in the second and third rounds, all the components were approved by them without any further changes. According to the obtained Kendall’s rank correlation coefficient which was about 0.703, the local components were agreed upon by the selected experts. CONCLUSION: The determined local components that affect the process of transferring cash-based interventions to the affected people by natural disasters using information and communications technology consisted of 23 components that were screened and confirmed by the experts. These components can be used as a basis for the development of a process model for the systematic electronic transfer of money to the affected people by natural disasters in Iran after the emergency response period.

INTRODUCTION: Resilience is considered a way of strengthening societies using their capacities which can be defined as the ability of systems to adapt to changes without collapsing at the incidence of disasters. To understand resilience and the way it is analyzed at the community level, it is necessary to study the society's current condition and policies, as well as the measures adopted to reduce risk and how the risks in society are dealt with. This study aimed to assess the resilience of urban communities in the face of an earthquake. METHODS: This descriptive-analytical study was conducted using a questionnaire to collect the required data in Semnan, Iran, in 2019. The statistical population of this study (n=384) consisted of the citizens of Semnan selected using the Cochran formula and random sampling method. The collected data were analyzed in SPSS software (version 23) using mean and percentage for descriptive analysis and Pearson correlation coefficient and one-sample t-test for inferential statistical tests. FINDINGS: Based on the results, the sociocultural, infrastructural-physical, economic, and institutional-organizational dimensions showed the current condition of resilience in Semnan with the mean scores obtained as 2.59, 3.05, 2.17, and 2.56, respectively. It was also revealed that resilience had a significant relationship with age, education, income, accommodation ownership, employment, calculated by the Pearson correlation coefficient (P-value=0.99). CONCLUSION: The mean scores and significance level of the economic resilience in Semnan revealed that this city lacked economic resilience. In this regard, it can be noted that residents' lack of skills in other fields and jobs, lack of possessions outside the city, the vulnerability of residents' properties and assets, level of economic poverty in the city, citizens' limited financial ability to participate economically, and low level of household savings to compensate for earthquake damage have made returning to pre-crisis conditions highly difficult for citizens, and consequently, they cannot be economically resilient.

INTRODUCTION: Given that Iran is among the top five earthquake-prone countries in the world and no region of the country is safe from unforeseen crises, raising awareness regarding the victims' mental health issues is one of the top priorities limiting the extent of problems and subsequent consequences. The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of psychological interventions in the well-being of adolescents surviving natural disasters as opposed to regular individuals. METHODS: The study population in the present cross-sectional comparative study consists of high school students (13–18 years old) from the earthquake-stricken village of Sarand in East Azerbaijan Province, and normal students from Zarnaq in the same province. They were assessed through the total population sampling method. The data collection tool utilized was a questionnaire (Ryff) to assess anxiety and depression. Data is analyzed and screened by measures of central tendency (mean and standard deviation) for the first section of variables. In the second section, the analysis of variance (ANOVA) was employed to test the research questions. FINDINGS: The earthquake group achieved the lowest and highest mean scores in the aspects of environmental mastery (9.46), personal growth (10.93), and purpose in life (10.90), respectively. In the Non-Affected group, the lowest mean score is associated with paranoia (2.25) and the highest mean score is linked to anxiety (3.86). The post-test revealed the lowest mean score in the control group was related to autonomy (11.09), and the highest mean score pertained to personal growth (14.38). The scores are normally distributed in all dimensions. Eventually, the obtained data indicated that the psychological interventions performed for the benefit of the disaster-stricken group were significantly more than the group that was not subjected to psychological interventions. However, there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of sex. CONCLUSION: Providing post-crisis social psychosocial support programs for adolescents consolidates cognitive and behavioral rehabilitation, diminishes stress and vulnerability, enriches relationships with peers, decreases psychosomatic disorders caused by the crisis, and modifies social performance. Moreover, spending time with their peers, family members, and relatives ameliorates various disorders and issues.

INTRODUCTION: The major events occurring in recent decades have demonstrated that human societies are constantly affected by disasters which have always posed a threat to people's lives and properties. The present study aimed to introduce and expand the concept and capacities of "the survival vehicle" in Iran. This descriptive case study was conducted based on an applied research design. METHODS: This descriptive case study was conducted based on an applied research design. The library research method was used to develop theoretical backgrounds, and to collect information, the field method was employed with observation and researcher's information. FINDINGS: Considering that rescue forces have to be present at the scene of the disaster for consecutive days and weeks, they are directly exposed to threats, injuries, shortages, and problems as affected people are. Therefore, rescue experts and the Rapid Reaction Team of the Red Crescent Society of Kurdistan Province embarked on designing and using a vehicle called "Survival vehicle" taking into account the priorities in the affected area. This vehicle maintains the strength and motivation of relief forces by meeting their basic needs. Moreover, it increases the productivity of the relief forces and facilitates disaster management by strengthening the resilience of relief workers. CONCLUSION: As evidenced by the results of the present study, the use of the survival vehicle brings about numerous positive advantages for the members of the Red Crescent rapid response team, as well as relief and operational teams, at the time of crises.

INTRODUCTION: The increase in the number of natural disasters has made different societies constantly discover and invent solutions to control the adverse effects of disasters with more emphasis on prevention or minimize them by improving the quality of the rescue process (in the response phase). In the last few decades, the need for social participation in order to manage risks has been developing in the form of community-based activities. This study was conducted to present a community-based crisis management model focusing on the process of relief and rescue in natural disasters in Iran, 2020. METHODS: This qualitative study was performed based on the grounded theory method defined by Strauss and Corbin. The statistical population of the study included all crisis management and non-governmental organizations experts in universities, the Crisis Management Organization, general managers of provincial crisis management, and senior managers of the Red Crescent Society. The samples were selected using the purposive and theoretical method of snowball sampling while taking into account the geographical, climatic, cultural, social, and religious diversity of different regions of the country. As a result, the sample size was obtained at 22 people. The required data were collected through a semi-structured interview. In the analysis of qualitative information, open coding, axial coding, and selective coding were used manually). FINDINGS: The results of the study showed that the causal conditions of community-based crisis management included "legal obligation", "strategic planning", "attracting public participation", "forming and developing expert teams", and "acting (prevention, preparedness, needs analysis, planning, and response)"; and contextual conditions consisted of "geographical conditions", "social capacity building", and "creating cohesion and empathy". Moreover, intervening conditions involved "general sensitization", "preparation", and "logistics and equipment"; strategies included "risk management", "human resource management", "training (general and professional)" and "barrier removal"; and the consequences of community-based crisis management consisted of "increasing public awareness in the face of emergencies", "reducing the risk of areas "increasing community resilience", "improving the quality of post-disaster assessment", "accelerating the response process", "determining priorities appropriately", "saving the golden time of rescue", "increasing the number of survivors", "accelerating relief operations" "distributing relief items fairly", "improving the quality of rescue operations", "decreasing the amount of damage", "managing resources and facilities properly", "reducing response costs", "decreasing the adverse psychological effects of the disaster", "organized presence of grassroots groups", "eliminating the shortcomings and completing the performance of the responsible agencies", and "increasing the level of public satisfaction". CONCLUSION: Community-based crisis management is a new and effective approach that its implementation has a positive impact on increasing resilience and thus reducing the vulnerability of communities. The proper and successful implementation of the community-based approach requires structural changes, amendment of laws, and development of relevant bylaws. It also needs measures that should be implemented at the national level, in the country's crisis management system, and at the local level.

INTRODUCTION: The frequency of natural disasters is high in Iran due to its special climatic and geophysical conditions. However, the provision of better services to trauma victims requires further research. Decisions on emergency accommodation and meeting the needs of the victims are often made in conditions of uncertainty, and the lack of appropriate studies leads to the provision of low-quality and intermittent services. METHODS: This applied and descriptive-analytical study was conducted to determine the advantages and disadvantages of relief tents using documentary and library resources, observation, and interviews with officials and experts, and the effective standards for the construction system of emergency accommodation. The thermal comfort of the victims was then investigated using the guidelines of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), interviews with the victims, and field tests. Moreover, solutions are introduced for the improvement and optimization of relief tents, and a new building system is introduced for the emergency accommodation of victims in incidents by removing the disadvantages of the systems previously used in emergency accommodation. FINDINGS: According to the observations and investigations, the previously used emergency shelters do not meet the needs of the accident survivors properly and their design does not correspond to the users’ culture and needs. The problems with the current accommodating methods include lack of privacy, lack of protection against disturbing cold and heat, and inappropriate and non-standard dimensions of the existing tents. Solutions have been presented to solve the existing problems and a new system for emergency accommodation has been introduced based on field observations and interviews with experts. CONCLUSION: It is noteworthy that the votes of 22 percent of people are in the range of slightly warm to slightly cold; which shows that these people are satisfied with their accommodation regarding thermal comfort. 78 percent of the people's votes were outside the satisfaction range. Due to the chambered structure of the tent, direct sunlight in the summer, the lack of proper air exchange, the weakness of the structural components of the tent and the lack of heat retention in the winter, proper mechanical systems should be used to provide thermal comfort, which is not feasible in practice due to the extent of the incidents and large amounts of equipment and resources needed which bolds the importance of the proposed construction system.

INTRODUCTION: Considering the significant contribution of public education to the reduction of damages incurred by disasters and crises in the country, the identification of all the components and dimensions of public education can be of great help to policymakers in this field in order to adopt a correct policy and decision. The current research aimed to investigate public education in natural disasters with the meta-synthesis method based on the seven-step model of Sandelowski and Barroso (2007). METHODS: The current qualitative research was conducted based on a meta-synthesis approach. The statistical population of the research included articles related to the research from 2000 until now. A number of 175 articles were retrieved, and after examining the title of the research, 105 articles were removed, and 70 papers were reviewed, out of which 36 papers were removed, and 34 articles entered the final stage for full analysis. Articles were searched in databases, such as Scopus, Emerald, Science Direct, Springer, Google Scholar, and Scientific Information Database (SID). FINDINGSThe selected sources were analyzed using Maxqda software, and the research findings were coded. In the open coding stage, 100 primary codes were extracted from 34 articles, and after extracting the primary codes, to categorize the concepts, axial coding was used, yielding 5 dimensions, 12 components, and their sub-components. CONCLUSIONAs evidenced by the obtained results, to reduce vulnerability, the responsible institutions can adopt appropriate measures that lead to learning and changes in the audience's behavior by using the presented model and considering the determined components and indicators in the process of public education. This model includes the stages of analysis, educational design, preparation and development, implementation, and evaluation.