The document outlines a theoretical framework for understanding and improving disaster resilience through interdisciplinary dialogue, focusing on the intersections of people, communities, and recurring natural events. It emphasizes the importance of preparedness, knowledge sharing, and closing gaps in understanding to effectively manage the risks of disasters. The goal is to implement best practices and policies that enhance community resilience and reduce vulnerabilities.

1. LEARNING FROM GLOBAL
DISASTER LABORATORIES
A THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

2. A FRAMEWORK FOR A
COMPREHENSIVE, INTER-
DISCIPLINARY DIALOGUE
ON 21ST CENTURY
DISASTERS
AND DISASTER RESILIENCE

3. 1. SCOPE
FROM VULNERABLE CONTINUUMS
TO
A DISASTER
TO
DISASTER RESILIENT COMMUNITIES
THROUGH IMPLEMENTATION OF
“THE BEST POLICIES AND BEST
PRACTICES” OF DISASTER RESILIENCE

4. A DISASTER is ---
--- the set of failures that occur when
the continuums of: 1) people, 2)
community (i.e., a set of habitats,
livelihoods, and social constructs),
and 3) recurring events (e.g., floods,
earthquakes, ...,) intersect at a point in
space and time, when and where the
people and community are not ready.

5. THE DYNAMIC CONTINUUMS
• PEOPLE ( 7 Billion and
counting)
• COMMUNITIES
• RECURRING EVENTS
(AKA Natural Hazards), which are
proof of a DYNAMIC EARTH)

6. INTERSECTION OF THESE
CONTINUUMS IS INEVITABLE
SOME INTERSECTIONS WILL
CAUSE A DISASTER,
AND SOME WON’T

7. EACH COMMUNITY MUST BE
READY FOR THE INEVITABLE
INTERSECTION THAT WILL
CHALLENGE ITS STATE OF
READINESS

8. YOUR
COMMUNITYDATA BASES
AND INFORMATION
HAZARDS:
GROUND SHAKING
GROUND FAILURE
SURFACE FAULTING
TECTONIC DEFORMATION
TSUNAMI RUN UP
AFTERSHOCKS
•FLOODS
•SEVERE WIND
STORMS
•EARTHQUAKES
…ETC
A DISASTER
CAUSES
FAILURES IN POLICIES
FAILURES IN PRACTICES
COUNTER MEASURES
• BEST POLICIES
•BEST PRACTICES
DISASTER RESILIENCE

9. PEOPLE = INNOVATION
200 NATIONS AND 7+
BILLION PEOPLE
NORTH
AMERICA
CARIBBEAN
BASIN
SUB-SAHARA
AFRICA
MEDITER-
RANEAN
ISLAND
NATIONS
ASIA
SOUTH
AMERICA
EUROPE

10. LIKE AN INFINITE SERIES: A CONTINUUM
OF INNOVATION NEVER ENDS

11. LIKE A CHAIN: A CONTINUUM
HAS WEAK LINKS TO IMPROVE

12. FOUR UNIVERSAL WEAK-LINKS
• IGNORANCE
• APATHY
• DISCIPLINARY
BOUNDARIES
• LACK OF POLITICAL WILL

13. THE PEOPLE CONTINUUM
• 7 + BILLION
(DISTRIBUTED
THROUGHOUT
THE WORLD)

14. THE COMMUNITY CONTINUUM:
(SOCIAL CONSTRUCTS TO BENEFIT THE PEOPLE)
• GOVERNMENT
• DWELLINGS
• SCHOOLS
• HEALTH CARE
FACILITIES
• BUSINESSES
• INFRA-
STRUCTURE
• ETC

15. THE RECURRING - EVENTS
CONTINUUM
• FLOODS
• SEVERE
WINDSTORMS
• EARTHQUAKES
• DROUGHTS
• VOLCANIC
ERUPTIONS
• ETC.

16. EXAMPLE OF A DISASTER

17. RECURRING FLOODING
Interactions of
Planet Earth’s sun,
atmosphere, litho-
sphere, hydro-
sphere, and
biosphere cause:
Floods.

18. INTERACTIONS OF EARTH’S
CORE, MANTLE,
ASTHENOSPHERE, AND
LITHOSPHERE, CAUSE
RECURRING EARTHQUAKES

19. HAITI EARTHQUAKE
JANUARY 12, 2010

20. INTERACTIONS OF THE
CONTINENTAL
LITHOSPHERE WITH THE
OCEANIC LITHOSPHERE
AND THE HYDROSPHERE
CAUSE RECURRING
TSUNAMIS

21. TSUNAMI: JAPAN
MARCH 12, 2011

22. TSUNAMI: OFFSHORE INDONESIA
DEC. 26, 2004

23. RECURRING SEVERE
WINDSTORMS:
HURRICANES, TYPHOONS, CYCLONES
INTERACTIONS OF THE SUN,
ATMOSPHERE, HYDROSPHERE,
TROPOSPHERE, AND
LITHOSPHERE

24. ATLANTIC BASIN TROPICAL
STORMS AND HURRICANES: 2010
• Alex (H) June 21
• Bonnie July 27
• Colin Aug 3
• Danielle (H)
Aug 21
• Earl (H) Aug.29
• Fiona Aug 30

25. RECURRING VOLCANIC
ERUPTIONS:
INTERACTIONS OF THE
CORE, MANTLE,
LITHOSPHERE, AND
ATMOSPHERE

26. VOLCANIC ERUPTION: ICELAND
APRIL 14, 2010

27. RECURRING DROUGHT
EPISODES
Planet Earth’s
atmospheric-
oceanic-
lithospheric
interactions
cause:
Droughts

28. WHEN AN INTERSECTION OCCURS,
WILL A DISASTER OCCUR?
THE CONDITIONAL PROBABILITY IS “YES” IF THE PEOPLE
AND THE COMMUNITY
ARE NOT READY
PEOPLE COMMUNITY
EVENTS
P
T
S
O
CP

29. INCREASED
DEMANDS ON
COMMUNITY
LIVING WITH DISASTER RISK
DECREASED
CAPABILITIES OF
COMMUNITY

30. LIVING WITH DISASTER
RESILIENCE
DEMANDS ON
COMMUNITY
NO DISASTER THIS TIME
CAPABILITIES OF
COMMUNITY

31. TURNING POINTS FOR DISASTER
RESILIENCE
EDUCATION:
PENETRATE SOCIETY
IGNORANCE TO
ENLIGHTENMENT
APATHY TO
EMPOWERMENT
BOUNDARIES TO
NETWORKS
ENABLEMENT OF
POLITICAL WILL
BUILDING EQUITY
AND
PENETRATING
SOCIETY

32. 1. DISASTER RESILIENCE
POLICIES ---
---ARE LIKE THE
SYSTEM - ANALYSIS
PROCEDURES THAT
FOUR BLIND
PEOPLE WOULD
USE TO DESCRIBE
AN ELEPHANT

33. 2. DISASTER RESILIENCE
POLICIES
MUST CLOSE PRIOR KNOWLEDGE
DIVIDES AND GAPS, AND
IDENTIFY WEAK LINKS IN THE
PEOPLE/COMMUNITY
CONTINUUMS

34. CURRENT KNOWLEDGE
IS DEFINED BY ANECTDOTAL,
EMPIRICAL, LINEAR, NON-LINEAR,
STATISTICAL, FUZZY,
PROBABILISTIC, . . . AND
THEORETICAL MODELS
HAVING DIVIDES, GAPS, AND
UNCERTAINTIES

35. KNOWLEDGE DIVIDES
DISCONTINUITIES in space, and time
of the available knowledge
BETWEEN organizations, disciplines,
and people will always create
uncertainties in choices and
differences in capability to achieve
disaster resilience.

36. KNOWLEDGE GAPS
DISCONTINUITIES in space, and time
WITHIN organizations, disciplines, or
individuals that create uncertainties
and slow progress towards disaster
resilience.

37. STRENGTHENING WEAK LINKS
BENEFITS EVERYONE
IMPROVES
PREPAREDNESS
IMPROVES PROTECTION
IMPROVES EM
RESPONSEE
IMPROVES RECOVERY
DISASTER
RESILIENCE

38. 3. FROM A DISASTER TO
DISASTER RESILIENCE
A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF PAST
DISASTERS LEADS TO “COUNTER
MEASURES” THAT PREVENT
RECURRENCES

39. DISASTER RESILIENCE
POLICIES
Design and Implementation of
policies and practices:
a) to INCREASE CAPACITY of the
PEOPLE, and
b) to ELIMINATE VULNERABILITIES in
the COMMUNITY.

40. STOP INCREASING COMMUNITY
VULNERABILITY

41. WHEN THE DIALOGUE IS ON
THE CONTINUUMS WE CARE
ABOUT, WE ALMOST NEVER
LEAVE AYTHING TO
CHANCE

42. “BEST POLICIES AND
PRACTICES”
• PROTECTION
(BUILD TO
WITHSTAND)
• PREPAREDNESS
(BE READY FOR
ALL POSSIBILITIES)

43. “BEST POLICIES AND
PRACTICES”
• EMERGENCY
RESPONSE
• (ACTIONS TO
[PROTECT PEOPLE
AND PROPERTY)
• DISASTER RECOVERY
(RESTORING
COMMUNITY SYSTEMS
TO NORMAL AS
QUICKLY AS
POSSIBLE)

44. READINESS FOR A
POSSIBLE DISASTER
“BEST POLICIES
AND
PRACTICES”
ACADEMIA
FUNCTIONAL
NETWORKING
CHANNELS
INFORMATION
NETWORKING
CHANNELS
ORGANIZATION
NETWORKING
CHANNELS
NO
DISASTERS
COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS
Stratec Consulting

45. PILLARS OF DISASTER RESILIENCE
Anticipatory Preparedness
Adoption and Implementation of a Modern
Engineering Building Codes & Standards
Timely Early Warning and Evacuation
Timely Emergency Response (including
Emergency Medical Services)
Cost-Effective Recovery/Reconstruction

46. COMMUNITIES
DATA BASES
AND INFORMATION
HAZARDS:
GROUND SHAKING
GROUND FAILURE
SURFACE FAULTING
TECTONIC DEFORMATION
TSUNAMI RUN UP
AFTERSHOCKS
• TYPHOON HAZARDS
•INVENTORY
•VULNERABILITY
•LOCATION
TYPHOON RISK
RISK
ACCEPTABLE RISK
UNACCEPTABLE RISK
TYPHOON DISASTER
RESILIENCE
•PREPAREDNESS
•PROTECTION
•FORECASTS/SCENARIOS
•EMERGENCY RESPONSE
•RECOVERY and
RECONSTRUCTION
POLICY OPTIONS

47. THE CHALLENGE:
BEST POLICIES AND PRACTICES: CREATE,
ADJUST, AND REALIGN PROGRAMS,
PARTNERS AND PEOPLE UNTIL YOU HAVE
CREATED THE KINDS OF TURNING POINTS
NEEDED FOR MOVING TOWARDS DISASTER
RESILIENCE