The goal of integrated disaster risk management is to promote an overall improvement in the quality of safety and security in a region, city or community at disaster risk. This paper presents the case for a thorough overhaul of the institutional component of integrated disaster risk management. A review of disaster management institutions in the United States indicates significant weaknesses in their ability to contribute effectively to the implementation of integrated disaster risk management. Our analysis and findings identify eight key elements for the design of dynamic new disaster management institutions. Six specific approaches are suggested for incorporating the identified key elements in building new institutions that would have significant potential for enhancing the effective implementation of integrated disaster risk management. We have developed a possible blueprint for effective design and construction of efficient, sustainable and functional disaster management institutions.
On 20 April 2010, the 5000-foot-deep Macondo Mississippi Canyon Block 252 (MC252) well erupted after a blowout caused a catastrophic explosion and fire aboard the BP PLC-leased Deepwater Horizon offshore oil drilling platform (owned by Transocean Ltd.) about 40 miles (64 km) southeast of the Louisiana coast. The 2010 Deepwater Horizon Gulf Coast oil spill now imperils ecologically sensitive lands, affects the livelihoods of thousands of workers, and threatens a way of life that has been passed down for generations. An oil spill management Decision Support System (DSS) architecture is put forth that integrates the latest advances in MCDA and geomatics engineering in order to cope with the worst environmental disaster in US history. It is shown that policy-makers should improve the sustainability and resilience of Gulf Coast ecosystems and communities so that they are healthier and more robust than before the oil spill. Policy recommendations with respect to the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill are put forth. We discuss how to best assist disrupted businesses, rehabilitate polluted ecosystems, and improve regulatory oversight of the oil and gas industry in order to prevent future oil spill disasters.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.