Disasters fast and slow: The temporality of hazards in environmental history

Williamson, Fiona; Courtney, Chris

doi:10.22459/ireh.04.02.2018.02

Cited by 11 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 3 publications

(3 reference statements)

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“…Recognizing the processual nature of hazard events undoubtedly provides value, yet there is still a need to consider the discrete event itself, particularly from a management perspective. One approach is not better than the other, as Williamson and Courtney (2018) write, “the trick is knowing when to change scale” (7). Indeed, the event conceptualization is crucial for scholars working within the discipline of emergency management and is even a fundamental component of how the discipline itself is defined: the study of “how humans and their institutions interact and cope with hazards and vulnerabilities, and resulting events and consequences” (Emergency Management Institute 2015).…”

Section: Amending the Hazard Event Classificationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There may be time for incentives to change. The sense of urgency may begin to fade and a new sense of normalcy may emerge while the incident is ongoing (Williamson and Courtney 2018). There may be time for antisocial behavior to emerge and in extreme cases even organize in the form of conspiracy theories and protests (Bierwiaczonek, Kunst and Pich 2020 ; Romer and Jamieson 2020).…”

Section: Amending the Hazard Event Classificationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Revisiting emergencies, disasters, & catastrophes: Adding duration to the hazard event classification

Montano,

Savitt

2023

International Journal of Mass Emergencies & Disasters

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Disaster researchers have long sought to classify hazard events using various characteristics. Despite varying perspectives on how hazard events differ, the most commonly used classification in disaster scholarship categorizes hazard events as either emergencies, disasters, or catastrophes, which generally are described as being distinguished based on impacts, needs, stakeholder involvement, and management approach. Although this hazard event classification is useful, disaster scholars have noted it needs further refinement and development. In an effort to address these calls from disaster scholars and create a more robust hazard event classification, the traditional classification is revisited and expanded. Specifically, this article proposes the addition of a second dimension, response duration, to the existing hazard event type classification, which to this point has largely been defined by scale of impacts, needs, stakeholder involvement, and management approach. This paper argues short and long-duration emergencies, disasters, and catastrophes are categorically different and therefore require different management approaches, and can be used to categorize and distinguish between events such as COVID-19 and Hurricane Katrina and the Levee Failure. The proposed change would have important implications for emergency management practice and policy and would encourage a re-evaluation of the kinds of hazard events considered to be part of the academic purview of emergency management.

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Section: Amending the Hazard Event Classificationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Amending the Hazard Event Classificationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Revisiting emergencies, disasters, & catastrophes: Adding duration to the hazard event classification

Montano,

Savitt

2023

International Journal of Mass Emergencies & Disasters

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“…Notably, slower-acting but persistent factors, such as anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, can undermine a system just as momentary faster-acting factors, such as viruses, can (see Jiménez Alonso, 2017; Williamson and Courtney, 2018). Both faster and slower moving threats to the integrity of systems call for mitigation of causal factors, coping regarding processes and events that already are under way, and adaptation to prepare for eventualities that mitigation cannot prevent but do not require coping yet.…”

Section: Learning Regarding Covid-19 and Climate Changementioning

confidence: 99%

Covid-19 and climate change in the times of the Anthropocene

Heyd

2020

The Anthropocene Review

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The Covid-19 pandemic has undermined many of our everyday certainties to such an extent that we should expect significant changes in the functioning of our societies from here onward. Increasingly, it is hoped that in this process of transformation the challenges of climate change will be addressed even if, to date, they have been considered with much less urgency than the pandemic. Here it is proposed that, despite certain important differences, the Covid-19 pandemic and climate change both follow a pattern from causal factors to effects that may be typical of the Anthropocene. Given these parallels, it is suggested that, on the basis of the increasing and cumulative impacts of climate change on planetary life conditions, we have as much or more reason to take quick and effective action on this challenge as on the Covid-19 pandemic.

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“…More recently, the work of Nixon (2011), Matthewman (2015), Hsu (2017) and Williamson and Courtney (2018) have shaped the concept in a more direct way by providing detailed accounts of the unique traits associated with gradually manifesting risks. provide unique challenges precisely because of their undramatic manifestation.…”

Section: Theme 2: Conceptualisationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Progress, traditions and future directions in research on disasters involving slow-onset hazards

Staupe‐Delgado

2019

DPM

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Purpose The importance of onset speed has been stressed by disaster researchers and inter-governmental bodies for some time, but its meaning and knowledge frontier has not been explored in depth. The purpose of this paper is to contextualise disasters involving slow-onset hazards within the broader literature on disasters, assess the current state of knowledge and identify themes in the literature. Design/methodology/approach This paper employs a semi-structured review design with the purpose of identifying both scholarship engaging directly with the term and less obvious but related literatures. Findings The majority of publications that mention slow-onset hazards and their adverse impacts do so only by means of delimitation. The paper finds that there is a great need for empirical and theoretical work on onset and manifestation speed and to test the degree to which existing theories and frameworks of disaster management are also relevant for the study of slow-onset hazard impacts. Research limitations/implications The review identifies several gaps in existing research disasters involving slow-onset hazards and proposes research on community, political, policy and practical challenges, including answering the question of how to secure proactive response to emerging slow-onset hazard impacts. Practical implications In theory, hazards with a gradual and creeping onset are easier to manage and proactively respond to than that of sudden and unexpected ones. Not only do slow-onset hazards provide more lead time, but also a larger potential for proactive response, which in turn provides ample time to take early action to cushion their impacts. Yet, warnings often go unheard and response is put on hold until impacts become unnecessarily costly to reverse. More research on onset speed and gradual manifestation patterns should therefore be carried out. Originality/value Gradually occurring hazards have remained largely absent from the core literature on disasters, including most definitions of the term. This paper represents an initial effort to assess the state-of-the-art on the concept and the phenomenon of disasters involving slow-onset hazards.

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Disasters fast and slow: The temporality of hazards in environmental history

Abstract: History … functions in turn as an eyepiece, a microscope, or a telescope … In changing scale, one does not see things as larger or smaller … One sees different things … There are different concatenations of configuration and causality.

Cited by 11 publications

References 3 publications

Revisiting emergencies, disasters, & catastrophes: Adding duration to the hazard event classification

Revisiting emergencies, disasters, & catastrophes: Adding duration to the hazard event classification

Covid-19 and climate change in the times of the Anthropocene

Progress, traditions and future directions in research on disasters involving slow-onset hazards

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