Crisis, Disaster, and Risk Management

Government Information Sources

Federal Government

U.S. Department of Homeland Security

This official site features press releases and other documents that define the role and work of DHS. Emphasis is on these areas: Emergencies and Disasters, Travel and Transportation, Immigration and Borders, Research and Technology, and Threats and Protection. Much of the focus is on terrorism, but natural disasters and other emergencies are also addressed. A good source for remarks by goverment officials on issues related to terrorism and national security.

Location: http://www.dhs.gov/dhspublic/

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)

Part of the Department of Homeland Security, the FEMA site includes information about on-going disaster responses, various response plans, key emergency management officials at the State and local levels, documents, and other resources.

Location: http://www.fema.gov

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency/Chemical Emergency Preparedness and Prevention Office (CEPPO)

EPA's CEPPO site covers prevention, risk management, preparedness, emergency response, and counter terrorism. Also includes information on regulations, software, publications, and links to related web sites. A key site for information dealing with hazardous materials, chemical accidents, and oil spills.

Location: http://www.epa.gov/ceppo/

U.S Geological Survey

Has sections covering land-based natural hazards (earthquakes, floods, volcanoes).

Location: http://www.usgs.gov

National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration/Office of Response and Restoration

Access tools, information, and software for responders to oil spills, chemical accidents, hazardous materials releases, and ship groundings.

Location: http://response.restoration.noaa.gov/index.html

State and Local Emergency Organizations

National Emergency Management Association (NEMA)

NEMA is an organization of state-level emergency management officials. The NEMA online library provides full-text access to documents and presentations from NEMA committees. This site also includes information on NEMA membership, conferences, job listsings and a directory of Emergency Management contacts by state.

Location: http://www.nemaweb.org

International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM)

IAEM is an association of local (city and county) emergency management officials. This site provides information on IAEM activities and membership. Selected issues of the newsletter are available online, as well as a bulletin board and discussion list.

Location: http://www.iaem.com

National Governor's Association (NGA)

The National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGAC) provides support to Governors in responding to the challenges of homeland security and other emergency management issues. From the NGA homepage, visit the Site Index and scroll to the Homeland Security and Technology Division. This will lead to sections on Bioterrorism, Emergency Management, and Homeland Security. Within these sections are links to several substantial, full-text publications, including a 2 volume Governors Guide to Emergency Management, Domestic Preparedness Checklist, and presentations from the NGA Bioterrorism Summit.

Location: http://www.nga.org/

Center for State Homeland Security

Created to help states fulfill their critical homeland security role, this site provides access to full-text articles, legislation, and reports from government agencies and research institutes in a variety of areas, including counterterrorism, public health, and infrastructure protection. Also provides links to state agencies responsible for homeland security and/or emergency management.

Location: http://www.cshs-us.org

Non-Government Organizations

American Red Cross (Disaster Services)

Gives an overview of the work of the American Red Cross, including reports on Red Cross projects world-wide. Also includes news coverage of disasters and relief efforts.

Location: http://www.redcross.org

University Research Centers

University of Colorado/Natural Hazards Center (NHRAIC)

Includes links to a number of valuable research sources. These include the full-text of articles from newletters and journals published by the Center, working papers, conference papers, etc. The site also provides access to the HazLit Database, an online catalog of over 22,000 items in the Center's library.

Location: http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/

University of Delaware/Disaster Research Center (DRC)

DRC has studied a broad range of disaster types, including hurricanes, floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, hazardous chemical incidents, plane crashes, civil disturbances, and riots. This site includes descriptions of current projects, as well as extensive bibliographies of DRC publications, including books, articles, preliminary papers, etc. Only some of the publications are available full-text online; others can be purchased through the Center.

Location: http://www.udel.edu/DRC/

Commercial Sites

Time Line Series

This site provides online access to the popular "Disaster Time Line", "Terrorism Time Line", and "Homeland Seecurity Time Line" created by Claire Rubin & Associates. These charts are a great briefing/ teaching tool.

Location: http://www.disaster-timeline.com/

National Homeland Security Knowledge Base

This site provides an extensive set of links to U.S. and other government agencies as well as international and research organizations. Focus is on various threats to homeland security including nuclear/radiological, biological, chemical, and explosives, as well as natural disasters.

Location: http://www.twotigersonline.com/resources.html

Specialized Organizations

Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI)

Provides information on meetings sponsored by EERI as well as updates on seismic legislation. A catalog of EERI publications is available, but only a few select articles and reports are available full-text online.

Location: http://www.eeri.org

Association of State Floodplain Managers

ASFPM is involved in floodplain management, flood hazard mitigation, the National Flood Insurance Program, and flood preparedness, warning and recovery. Site includes information on conferences, publications, grants and fellowships, job listings, and links to related web sites.

Location: http://www.floods.org

National Hurricane Center/Tropical Prediction Center (NOAA)

Issues watches, warnings, forecasts, and analyses of hazardous tropical weather. Includes satellite and radar images, information on hurricane awareness, and historical storm-related data.

Location: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/

Risk Assessment and Risk Management

Risk and Insurance Management Society (RIMS)

Provides a range of services for society members, including conference announcements, job listings, and a catalog of publications. Several articles from the last few issues of the society's magazine, Risk Management, are available online.

Location: http://www.rims.org/

Risk World

Extensive coverage of news on risk assessment and management with archives of news stories back to 1995. Also provides abstracts of papers from recent conferences and a collection of research reports, many of which are available online.

Location: http://www.riskworld.com/

Society for Risk Analysis

Highlights include the table of contents of the society's journal, links to sources of specific risk-related resources (data, models, technical reports, etc.), and a glossary of risk analysis terms.

Location: http://www.sra.org/

Public Entity Risk Institute

A resource to enhance the practice of risk management throughout organizations and communities. PERI provides relevant and high quality enterprise risk management information, training, data, and data analysis. The free publications and short courses are especially useful.

Location: http://www.riskinstitute.org/

Business and Industry Crisis Management/Organizational Continuity

Disaster Resource Guide

Consolidates educational, organizational and vendor resources in the areas of Safety/Security, Emergency/Crisis Management and Business Continuity. Provides an extensive collection of full-text articles, as well as book reviews, descriptions of company programs, and links to related sites.

Location: http://www.disaster-resource.com/

Emergency Management Guide For Business and Industry

This guide provides a step-by-step approach to emergency planning, response and recovery for companies of all sizes. Requires Adobe Acrobat.

Location: http://www.fema.gov/library/bizindex.htm

Disaster Recovery Institute International (DRII)

Highlight of this site is the full-text of Professional Practices for Business Continuity Planners, a guide to and standards for developing and implementing business continuity plans. The site also includes information on DRII training and certification programs and links to related sites.

Location: http://www.drii.org

DRI International Glossary of Terms

Gives definitions of terms commonly used in the industry. Requires Adobe Acrobat.

Location: http://www.drii.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=3

Rothstein Associates (Recovery Resources)

The site includes a collection of full-text articles, the Disaster Recovery Forum, the Business Survival Newsletter, and related links. The Rothstein Catalog On Disaster Recovery lists hundreds of books, software, videos, and other materials.

Location: http://www.rothstein.com/

www.ContingencyPlanning.com

Includes full-text of articles from Contingency Planning & Management magazine. Also includes an extensive collection of "Disruption Defenses, " which are prevention, mitigation, response, and recovery recommendations for some of the more common business disruption threats.

Location: http://www.contingencyplanning.com/

Survive: The Business Continuity Group

A site for business continuity professionals featuring training events and conferences, publications for purchase, news stories, and a directory of disaster recovery and contingency services and products. Some feature stories and news items are available full-text online.

Location: http://www.survive.com/

Business Continuity Institute

Offers a range of services for members, including job postings, conference announcements, links to related sites, and an online bookstore. A highlight is the collection of Business Continuity Planning Guides, which are available full-text online.

Location: http://www.thebci.org/

Continuity Systems Limited

This UK firm provides a "Recovery Healthcheck" questionnaire online, full-text of a few articles by Ian Charters, disaster statistics, and "myths" about disasters.

Location: http://www.continuity.co.uk/

Business Resumption Planning, Step by Step

From the company Datasure, this is a 13-step plan for business continuity. Other features of this site are a Business Resumption Checklist and guides to computer storage and power protection.

Location: http://datasure.com/stepby.html

Article Databases

Databases listed here are good sources to search for journal articles and conference papers on crisis, disaster, and risk management. Access to these databases is limited to GW students, faculty, and staff.

ABI/Inform

ABI/Inform is the primary database for business and management topics. Indexes about 800 publications, including research journals, trade journals, and popular business magazines. Provides citations and abstracts for all articles. Full-text is provided for about 50% of articles indexed.

American Society of Civil Engineers

Provides full-text access to 29 journals published by ASCE 1999 to present. Of particular interest is the journal Natural Hazards Review.

Compendex

A comprehensive index to more than 3000 journals and conference proceedings from all areas of engineering. Includes only citations and abstracts.

Emerald Library

Provides full-text articles from over 130 management journals published by MCB University Press. Coverage is 1989 to present.

GEOBASE

Part of the OCLC FirstSearch family of databases. Indexes over 2000 journals, books, conference proceedings, and reports on geography, geology, and ecology. Coverage is from 1980 to present. Only citations and abstracts are provided. Good for topics dealing with natural and environmental disasters and hazards.

PsycInfo

Covers over 1300 journals and books in psychology and related disciplines from 1887 to present. Good for topics on Psycological, organizational, and social aspects of crisis, emergency, disaster, and risk management. Includes only citations and abstracts.

Sociological Abstracts

Indexes articles from about 800 journals relevant to sociology and related disciplines. Useful for finding articles on social aspects of crisis, disaster, and risk management. Coverage is from 1963 to present and includes only citations and abstracts.

Periodicals

Trade Journals and Newsletters

Disaster Recovery Journal

Both the hard copy journal and access to the online site are free.

Location: http://www.drj.com

Contingency Planning & Management

Both the hard copy journal and access to the online site are free. Includes a searchable archive of past issues.

Location: http://www.contingencyplanning.com

Homeland Protection Professional

Editorial calendar shows articles planned for upcoming issues. No articles are available online, but you can register for a free trial print subscription. Location: http://www.hppmag.com/

Homeland Security Newsletter

Published monthly by the Anser Institute, this newsletter contains original articles as well as links to articles from goverment sources, newspapers, and other popular press. Online subscriptions are available with archives back to 2002 available online.

Location: http://www.homelandsecurity.org/bulletin/current_bulletin.htm

Research Journals

These are professional research journals published in the area of crisis and emergency management. All sites provide instructions for submitting articles, a list of editorial board members, subscription information, and tables of contents and/or abstacts. Except as note, these journals do not provide full-text articles online. None of these journals are held at WRLC libraries, but GW students, faculty, and staff can request articles through Interlibrary Loan.

International Journal of Emergency Management

Began publishing in 2001. Click on "Journals" in the left menu bar, then scroll to the journal title.

Location: https://www.inderscience.com/browse/index.php?journalID=8

Journal of Emergency Management

Began publishing in 2003 and has only 1 issue online. Table of contents and abstracts are provided, but not full-text. Location: http://www.emergencyjournal.com/pn06001.html

Journal of Homeland Security and Emergency Management

First issue published in 2004. Abstracts and full-text are available online.

Location: http://www.bepress.com/jhsem/

International Journal of Mass Emergencies and Disasters

Began publishing in 1982. Provides tables of contents and/or abstracts for 1995 to present.

Location: http://www.usc.edu/schools/sppd/ijmed/

Natural Hazards Review

Began publishing in 2000. Abstracts and full-text are available online.

Location: http://scitation.aip.org/nho/

Disasters: The Journal of Disaster Studies, Policy and Management

Began publishing in 1977. Provides tables of contents and/or abstracts for 1997 to present.

Location: http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0361-3666&site=1

Online Books

While most books are still available only in print, some publishers are beginning to make entire books available online at no cost. Listed here are some titles that are available online:

Disasters by Design: A Reassessment of Natural Hazards in the United States.

Dennis Mileti. National Academy Press, 1999.

Location: http://www.nap.edu/books/0309063604/html/

Chemical and Biological Terrorism: Research and Development to Improve Civilian Medical Response.

Committee on R&D Needs for Improving Civilian Medical Response to Chemical and Biological Terrorism Incidents, Institute of Medicine, 1999.

Location: http://books.nap.edu/books/0309061954/html/

Disaster Response: Preparation and Coordination.

Eric Auf der Heide. Center for Excellence in Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance, 1989.

Location: http://orgmail2.coe-dmha.org/dr/Images/Main.swf

The Long Road to Recovery: Community Responses to Industrial Disaster.

Edited by James K. Mitchell. United Nations University Press, 1996.

Location: http://www.unu.edu/unupress/unupbooks/uu21le/uu21le00.htm

Reducing Disaster Losses Through Better Information.

Board on Natural Disasters, Commission on Geosciences, Environment, and Resources, National Research Council. National Academy Press, 1999.

Location: http://books.nap.edu/catalog/6363.html

Visit these publishers' homepages for announcements of new books, some of which may be available online.

• National Academy Press (http://books.nap.edu/)
• United Nations University Press (http://www.unu.edu/unupress/)

Blogs

Homeland Security Watch.

Features breaking news, rigorous analysis, and informed commentary on the critical issues in homeland security today. It take a cross-disciplinary approach to the subject of homeland security, spanning issues such as transportation security, preparedness and response, infrastructure protection, and border security. Its content is intended both for an expert-level policy audience as well as the broader general audience of people interested in homeland security.

Location: http://www.hlswatch.com/

CounterTerrorism Blog.

The first multi-expert blog dedicated solely to counterterrorism issues, serving as a gateway to the community for policymakers and serious researchers. Designed to provide realtime information about terrorism cases and policy developments.

Location: http://counterterrorismblog.org/

Health and Medical Information

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services/Office of Emergency Preparedness

This office is responsible for coordinating Federal health, medical, and health related social services and recovery to major emergencies and Federally declared disasters including natural disasters, technological disasters, major transportation accidents, and terrorism. This site includes information on the office's Counter Terrorism Program, the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS), and the Metropolitan Medical Response System (MMRS)

Location: http://www.oep.dhhs.gov/

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

This extensive site includes health standards and statistics, fact sheets on health information and disease prevention, and health-related news stories. Brochures, software, and other publications are available for download and by order from CDC.

Location: http://www.cdc.gov/

Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR)

This site features many news and information sources on toxix substances. Highlighights include ToxFAQs, a series of summaries about hazardous substances, HazDat, the database that provides information on the release of hazardous substances from Superfund sites and from emergency events, and Minimal Risk Levels (MRLs) for hazardous substances. "Science Corner" is a gateway to environmental health information and resources on the Web.

Location: http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/

Disaster Mental Health Services

From the Department of Social Work at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, this guidebook is an introduction to the field of disaster mental health (DMH) for clinicians and administrators. Adobe Acrobat is required to view many sections of the book.

Location: http://www.wramc.amedd.army.mil/departments/socialwork/provider/DMHS.htm

International Disaster Information

United Nations ReliefWeb

News and information on humanitarian emergencies and natural disasters, with a focus on improving relief efforts. Includes a searchable database of over 50,000 documents dating back to 1981 and an extensive collection of maps.

Location: http://www.reliefweb.int

United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (formerly IDNDR)

ISDR focuses on creating disaster prevention strategies and reducing social and economic disruption caused by disasters. This site includes information about ISDR as well as UN documents on disaster reduction.

Location: http://www.unisdr.org

World Health Organization

Part of WHO's mission is to provide aid during emergencies. This site provides extensive information on diseases and health topics. Includes links to health-related databases available free on the Web.

Location: http://www.who.int/en/

Pan American Health Organization

Regional office for the Americas of the World Health Organization. Includes health statistics, reports on health topics, links to related sources, and news on health issues.

Location: http://www.paho.org

United Nations Development Programme

UNDP partners with United Nations relief agencies and helps countries to prepare for, avoid, and manage complex emergencies and disasters. This site provides extensive information and reports on UNDP projects.

Location: http://www.undp.org

European Community Humanitarian Office (ECHO)

ECHO’s role is to provide humanitarian aid in response to natural disasters and armed conflict in countries outside the European Union. This site includes statistics, reports, and descriptions of ECHO's operations.

Location: http://europa.eu.int/comm/echo/en/index_en.html

For more information, call the Reference Desk at 202-994-6048 or use the E-mail Reference Form. This page is maintained by Claire Rubin, Institute for Crisis, Disaster, and Risk Management and Cynthia Holt, Gelman Library.

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