Abstract: As a country which frequently suffers from natural disasters, especially earthquakes, China has implemented its own disaster management system to respond to them. The Chinese government gained practical experiences on how to respond to severe earthquakes after the 2008 Wenchuan Earthquake and 2010 Yushu Earthquake. Although China has done a lot to improve its response operations, challenges remain. This paper analyses what these challenges are by using the Sphere Standard as a benchmark to measure the Chinese response operations. The Sphere project was launched in 1997 by Non-Government Organizations (NGOs), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. It framed a Humanitarian Charter and established the Minimum Standards for response which emphasize meeting the urgent survival needs of people in the affected regions, while asserting their basic human right to a life with dignity. Based on this analysis, suggestions are provided to improve China's earthquake response operations.

Abstract: Several studies and observations regarding past earthquakes such as 1989 Loma Prieta, 1994 Northridge, or 1999 Marmara earthquakes have shown the importance of lifeline systems functionality on response and recovery efforts. The general direction of studies on simulating lifelines seismic performance is towards achieving more accurate models to represent the system behavior. The methodology presented in this paper is a product of research conducted in the Mid-America Earthquake Center. Electric power, potable water, and natural gas networks are modeled as interacting systems where the state of one network is influenced by the state of another network. Interdependent network analysis methodology provides information on operational aspects of lifeline networks in post-seismic conditions in addition to structural damage assessment. These results are achieved by different components of the tool which are classified as structural and topological. The topological component analyzes the post seismic operability of the lifeline networks based on the damage assessment outcome of the structural model. Following an overview of the models, potential utilizations in different phases of disaster management are briefly discussed.

Abstract: In an earthquake disaster, having proper estimation about destructed buildings and the degree of destruction, can considerably facilitate decision-making and planning for disaster managers. Using this information, the managers can estimate disaster area and number of victims to determine and allocate required resources. Scientific studies and historical data show that the faults around Tehran, the capital of Iran, are capable to create strong earthquakes which would bring the largest damages in the world history to the city. So it is necessary to be prepared for a rapid and knowledge-based response to such an earthquake. Therefore, development of a knowledge-based model to estimate destruction of buildings is ongoing. The model is going to be developed by using different spatial data obtained from the buildings and its environment in Tehran. This paper outlines the initial results of this research.

Abstract: In order to analyze and evaluate any post-disaster phases it is necessary to address the pre-existent vulnerability conditions. The methodology consists of four steps: the first step comprises of a review of vulnerability and recovery indicators; the second step is to identify indicators based on spatial variables; the third step is to find the common variables among the subsets of spatial variables from vulnerability and recovery indicators; and the fourth step more pragmatic, is an investigation of the availability of data. The initial results are the set of vulnerability and recovery indicators. Reducing the set of indicators to the indicators represented in a spatial context and the indicators with common features of vulnerability and recovery indices bears the risk to ignore some important single indicators; nevertheless, the added value of the on-going research is to show the advantages of using indicators based on spatial variables.

Abstract: A renewed method of macroseismic survey, based on voluntary collaboration through Internet, is running at Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV) since June 2007. The macroseismic questionnaire is addressed to a single non-specialist person; reported effects are statistically analyzed to extrapolate Mercalli-Cancani-Sieberg and European Macroseismic Scale intensity referred to that observer. Maps of macroseismic intensity are displayed online in almost real time and are continuously updated. The aim of the questionnaire is to evaluate seismic effects as felt by the compiler. The final result is the definition of a particular intensity degree, with the evaluation of the associated uncertainty. Results of medium-low magnitude earthquakes are here presented showing the ability of the method in giving fast and interesting results. Effects reported in questionnaires coming from towns are analyzed in deep and assigned intensities are compared with those derived from traditional macroseismic survey, showing the reliability of webbased method.

Abstract: The first three days after an earthquake disaster demand good decisions in a very complex environment. Members of emergency operation centres (EOC) have to make decisions with limited information and under high time pressure. But the first 72 hours of disaster response activities are essential to minimize loss of life. Within the interdisciplinary German Collaborative Research Center 461: “Strong Earthquakes: A Challenge for Geosciences and Civil Engineering” a so-called Disaster Management Tool (DMT) is under development which presents some ideas for appropriate solutions to this problem. One module of the DMT will provide decision-support for the members of an EOC based on the Recognition-Primed Decision (RPD) model, a description of the decision-making process of persons in real-world settings. Options for a reasonable computer-based decision support for the RPD process will be discussed. For this the system combines a simulation of the disaster environment with a multi-agent system (MAS). The simulation shows the results of different decisions so the decision-makers can evaluate them. The MAS calculates a solution for optimal resource allocation taking into account current available information. The goal of the ongoing work is to integrate these instruments into a user-friendly interface considering the real life needs of decision-makers in an EOC.

Abstract: Social media have proven to be useful resources for spreading verified information during natural disasters. Nevertheless, little attention has hitherto been devoted to the peculiarities of constructing effective tweets (and tweet formats), or to common users? comprehension of tweets conveying scientific information. In this paper, social scientists and seismologists collaborated in order to elaborate and test a standardized tweet structure to be used during earthquakes, expanding on the results of a quali-quantitative research project. The tweet format is specifically designed to launch an innovative information service by Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV): tweeting the automatic detection of earthquakes with a magnitude greater than 3. This paper illustrates the steps of the research process that led to elaborating a tweet format that will be used in the next few months by the official Twitter account @INGVterremoti.

Abstract: Natural disasters occur infrequently, limiting our ability to develop an inclusive knowledge base concerning such events. The ability to study, interpret, and document findings immediately following a damaging seismic event, is a critical step in furthering our understanding of events, allowing for effective awareness, mitigation, response, and recovery efforts. In the central United States, a Post Earthquake Technical Information Clearinghouse (PETIC) Plan has been developed to coordinate research activities, and to facilitate collaboration between the emergency management and research communities. Because a damaging earthquake in the central U.S. will impact several states, a Multi-State Technical Information Clearinghouse (MSTIC) Coordination Plan to link state technical information clearinghouses (STICs) is proposed. This paper describes beginning efforts to define the role and functions of a MSTIC as well as formalize plans with emergency management agencies to facilitate collaboration and coordination between STICs, the MSTIC.

Abstract: This paper describes the relationship between lineaments, which determined on space images, and the epicenters and their effects on spatial planning for risk reduction. Several studies have shown that most of the epicenters occur along these lineaments or their zones, or in the block regions which are bordered by these lineaments, or where these lineaments and different tectonic deformation are intersected. This paper presents a case study on the Arabian Rift Zone which is based on the linkages among lineaments, faults, and earthquakes that occurred in the region during 1910-93. Also, this study will show that most of these earthquakes were occurred along the main and secondary rift faults or in their zone, including the faults found in sea that helped in determining the courses of these earthquakes in the sea bottom. This confirms the importance of remote sensing techniques for providing space images of different scales in seismic studies.

Abstract: The importance of distinguishing between direct and indirect losses of disasters is stressed. In order to estimate indirect losses, a conceptual framework of direct and indirect losses is presented. For the case of the Great Hanshin-Awaji (Kobe) Earthquake of 1995, direct stock losses of both the manufacturing and the commercial sectors record almost same size of big damage. As for indirect flow losses, the commercial and the other services sectors show far greater damage than the manufacturing sector. A careful statistical analysis of indirect losses using the gross regional product in the stricken area presents a new finding that the lost product and income in terms of estimated indirect losses are quite large and continue to arise for longer than 10 years, mounting to some 14 trillion yen (about US$0.13 trillion). Disaster management policy should be improved by paying attention not only to direct losses but also to indirect losses.

Abstract: Real time loss estimates within one to two hours after major earthquakes are becoming useful for disaster managers and rescue teams to respond rapidly and at an optimal level. Tests show that the accuracy is low, but major disasters can be reliably distinguished from inconsequential earthquakes. Many technical and organizational aspects of these estimates can and should be improved. An analysis of what magnitude of disaster is likely to occur, if a major earthquake should occur near a megacity in a developing country shows that much work needs to be done to mitigate the risk, and that the global community is ill prepared to deal with such large disasters.

Abstract: Earthquakes not only cause damages by shaking, but secondary disasters like fire following earthquake (FFE), tsunami, liquefaction, land slide etc. also cause large-scale losses. In some cases, FFEs result in losses more than shaking do as seen in the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and the 1923 Kanto earthquake. FFEs are generally caused by strong ground shakings. Strong shakings damage the structures and infrastructures. As a consequence of earthquake, many ignitions can occur due to damaged gas systems and electrical systems, overturning of electrical appliances and heating equipments and falling of flammable materials from shelves in structures. In addition to interior structure ignitions, damaged infrastructure elements such as gas pipelines and electric transmission lines can also cause ignitions. Some of these ignitions spread due to amount of fuel load (combustible materials), construction material, direction and speed of wind etc. in the environment and they can turn into large urban conflagrations. This paper proposes a physics-based post-earthquake fire ignition model in order to estimate number and location of ignitions in urban areas. © 2012 ISCRAM.

Abstract: Social media are increasingly becoming a source for event-based early warning systems in the sense that they can help to detect natural disasters and support crisis management during or after disasters. In this work-in-progress paper we study the problems of analyzing multilingual twitter feeds for emergency events. The present work focuses on English as “lingua franca” and on under-resourced Mediterranean languages in endangered zones, particularly Turkey, Greece, and Romania Generally, as local civil protection authorities and the population are likely to respond in their native language. We investigated ten earthquake events and defined four language-specific classifiers that can be used to detect earthquakes by filtering out irrelevant messages that do not relate to the event. The final goal is to extend this work to more Mediterranean languages and to classify and extract relevant information from tweets, translating the main keywords into English. Preliminary results indicate that such a filter has the potential to confirm forecast parameters of tsunami affecting coastal areas where no tide gauges exist and could be integrated into seismographic sensor networks. © 2012 ISCRAM.