masters in disaster management

masters in disaster management

Advancing Disaster Management: A Comprehensive Guide for Master’s Students

1. Introduction to Disaster Management

The general aim of the course is to establish a framework for capacitating students on disaster management, insisting on a risk approach leading to a clear assessment of the hazard, the existing elements at risk, the vulnerability of these elements, their actual risk, the exposure to that risk, and to propose some mitigation measures. If possible, it will also evaluate the existing emergency response capacity. Although we will present some principles for disaster response and recovery, it is not the subject of this course. The specific aims of the course are then: the definition and characterization of the general object of Disaster Management, the registration, analysis, and measures to mitigate the disasters caused by related and selected natural hazards for the region, and the incorporation of the lessons derived from case studies which can be analyzed during the course.

Therefore, some colleagues and I then decided to ask for some advice from Prof. Alcira Kreimer at Georgetown University. Coupled with Roberto F. Sandoval, we established the first specialized course on DM in our country at the National University of Costa Rica. This guide was developed as a support material through several discussions. We hope that it will be easily modified and improved by the experiences of other colleagues. R.F. Sandoval, Editorial Coordinator.

Disaster management is a growing field of study in many countries, responding to the rising number of natural hazards like floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions. There are several study programs offering postgraduate courses to students. However, in most cases, courses combine hazard management, disaster prevention, and disaster response and recovery. For the moment, several lessons are instructing students through workshops and projects if they want to specialize in DM and make a career in it. Otherwise, these components of the course will serve only to form an all-round professional.

I. Introduction

2. Theoretical Foundations and Frameworks in Disaster Management

Whatever term is used, disaster management refers to the decision-making processes and conditions before, during, and after an event that threaten/take lives, or property, and/or the environment. Disasters can be caused or managed more effectively to mitigate harmful effects through the modification of human activities. The professional arena in disaster management includes opportunities for direct services to victims and institutions affected by the event, education and outreach needs, applied research, and public policy issues and decision-making responsibilities. These tasks can be conceptualized into policy, organization, response, and recovery categories. Therefore, educational programs in disaster management should include conceptual and policy formulation, the relationship between policy, institutional, and operational infrastructure, short-term response strategies, and long-term recovery and mitigation activities, applied research for the evaluation and improvement of these activities, and training to prepare a cadre of professionals and volunteers.

Master of Public Administration (MPA) and Master of Public Management (MPM) programs have been long-standing educational opportunities for expanding the knowledge and professionalism of disaster and emergency management professionals. These programs have allowed practitioners to expand their knowledge about the theory, practice, and research with respect to their various fields, but special degree-granting programs had traditionally not been designed explicitly and solely for practicing professionals in the field of emergency and disaster management. Times have changed, as they should, because of the realization of the scope, breadth, complexities, and dynamics of disaster management. The educational field of emergency and disaster management is better understood, more coherent, and dealt with in an integrated manner.

3. Practical Applications and Case Studies

The Master of Disaster Studies Program has designed three case studies to address concerns of students and provide a base for them to explore other relevant concepts and principles. The case studies (Salbris Tornado, Samoan 2009 Tsunami, and Cash-For-Work in Post-Tsunami Thailand) demand widespread disasters to rough, more nuanced, mainly improved plans. Such case studies allow students to consider, critique, and improve assumptions concerning emergency governance, enable students to services to be adequately attained through immediate, emergency disaster management operations, and fostered and stressed in the aftermath of disasters in various scales, in diverse locations, and under different world conditions. Instructive disaster case studies can help reinforce their professional capacity in disaster policy-making while providing an extensive communication system with practitioners.

Enrolling into a master’s program of disaster management requires evidence of a strong foundation in understanding the core concepts and principles of disaster management. Students need to be equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills, but they also must demonstrate their ability to deal with real disasters and gain valuable insights that can be learned from well-articulated case studies and identify best practices. Such studies often have been the basis of disaster management system developments and policy making. Case study design projects may reveal how such studies are planned, how data are collected, and how disasters are analyzed. An appropriate methodology for graduate students that could be adopted is to design a detailed disaster management case study plan, collect the required data, compare known findings, critically analyze the study process, and recommend alternative methods. Throughout the degree process, students are encouraged to further develop their disaster management case study and writing skills.

4. Emerging Trends and Technologies in Disaster Management

Most disaster managers, being otherwise occupied, are unable to study these phenomena and the literature relating to them. This paper attempts to highlight some of the focal problems in the area and review certain emerging trends and technologies that can be used in the quest towards sustainable disaster management systems. In an effort to give the potential disaster manager tools that may assist him or her in managing disasters, this paper has the following four broad objectives: 1) showcase certain novel technologies pertinent to this purpose; 2) develop certain engineering models and management approaches, as well as integrated techniques for decision criteria that can be used by disaster managers; 3) present a research pathway to the development and evaluation of such models and techniques, with a particular emphasis on cross-disciplinarity; and 4) address certain issues critical to their successful functioning in disaster management, such as scientific credibility, perceived lack of interest, political barriers to implementing scientific findings, the speed of response, and public access to first-hand determination of conditions.

Disasters have mounted in enormous proportions, in terms of numbers as well as impacts. While some of these events are caused by natural forces—geophysical, hydro-meteorological, or biological—equally, many are a result of underplanned and mismanaged human reactions to anthropogenic factors. All disaster managers are required to know and use the laws, principles, theories, and management methods of their disciplines. However, in most cases, many of them lack first-hand knowledge of the conditions of the afflicted, the exposure characteristics of the population and the facilities at risk, constraints in the preparedness and early warning phases, and especially the costs and benefits to the affected communities.

5. Ethical Considerations and Future Directions in the Field

As communities become more diverse and complex by nationals and immigrants who bring distinct cultural, ethnic, and religious values and beliefs, ethical challenges materialize, particularly during mass-casualty events, which stress legal and ethical boundaries. Even nonpurposeful pseudonymity or “consent” on behalf of those who are already dead should never involve the use of their data for anything that was not directly associated with the specific disaster. Furthermore, the language, medium, and formats in which health communication and public health campaign messages are developed and disseminated remain a concern: the meanings and interpretations of these are not shared equally across populations. Non-SARS-like mass-casualty events, the consequences, health service requirements, and the extraordinary circumstances (in both the prehospital and trauma center settings) differ significantly regarding large-scale anthrax exposure, chemical or industrial accidents, radiological or nuclear emergencies, and biological infectious outbreak disasters (e.g., Ebola, MERS, and H1N1 pandemics). Therefore, no comprehensive guidance is available for policymakers, clinicians, public health officials, and legal experts to meet society’s emergency, legal, ethical, and moral obligations. Future scholarship should offer suggestions on instructing practitioners facing both on-the-ground strategies and on-call response to hospitals. This issue is an overlooked concern that requires more extensive discussions.

The collection of data must adhere to ethical protocols, for instance, using informed-consent forms, discussing ethical considerations of the research design, discussing the sustainability, privacy, and ownership of the data obtained, and observing the confidentiality and anonymity of the participants in disaster relief assignments. Many impoverished, disadvantaged, disabled, and otherwise vulnerable populations are used to being used as passive data subjects – simply to have various measures taken in an effort to help them, without truly being engaged or empowered. This is a prime area in which disaster managers can facilitate change. Dignity and autonomy are essential for individuals to experience respect and to have choices in their lives, which leads to fulfillment and satisfaction with such choices. The research embedded within the scholarly paper is needed to highlight many different experiences in order to address commonalities and relevant concerns.