PREPARATION OF THE DISASTER LOG: One of the most elegant ways to understand a natural disaster is to think through a significant natural disaster event in a familiar surrounding and reflect upon the happenings by critically evaluating the data that may be available. In order to facilitate the understanding of why there were deaths, injuries, economic losses etc. and what could have been done to avoid and reduce vulnerability, it is best to collate this information in the form of a Disaster Log along the lines suggested below. Your adventures with exercises on hurricane Gilbert and effects of 13 January1993 earthquake on Mona Campus were efforts to train you in appreciating the fact that natural disasters may be managed by being prepared.

This exercise aims at the preparation of a disaster log based on the information on natural disasters available through published records and WWW. Your disaster log should only consider natural disasters related to earthquakes, hurricanes, flooding, and landslides from any where in the world but preferably in a familiar surrounding, Jamaica or anywhere in the Caribbean.

Topic selection is on “first come first serve basis” and in order to avoid duplications you must get your topic registered as early as possible, but no later than 2nd July 2004.
This is independent research and therefore use must be made of internet resources which are plentiful.

Your disaster log should be in the form of a 5-page executive summary supported by illustrations and references for various statements made and should be produced on a CDROM as well as a hard copy.

A short oral presentation on your disaster log is required in the morning session of 16th July, 2004.

The disaster log summary should be arranged as follows:

1. Location of the Disaster

2. Type of Disaster. Note: A critical evaluation of the disaster is required in the light of modern understanding of hazardous processes.

3. Duration of disaster including beginning and ending dates and times of the disaster

4. A description of the disaster and a short statement as to the cause of the disaster

5. The total economic loss
(Note: Include losses due to public and private property damage, commercial losses, losses to agriculture, cleanup costs, recovery and rehabilitation costs etc., if available, in US currency. If a monetary figure is not available, provide information on number of structures destroyed, the number of people affected, number of livestock destroyed, etc.)

6. The total number of human casualties (injuries and deaths)

7. Sources of information (Journals, agency reports, newspaper and magazine articles, television and radio reports, and internet URLs)

8. Mitigation - A statement of what, if anything could have been done by humans to have prevented or reduced the economic damage and number of casualties for each disaster.

Instead of a disaster log you may wish to prepare hazard booklets on topics such as: “Facing landslides in Jamaica”; “Earthquakes in Jamaica”, “Hurricanes” etc.

Procedure:
a. Select a natural hazard/ disaster. The topic must be approved by your lecturer by 2nd July 2004.
b. The final log summary must not exceed 5 typed pages and is to be submitted on 16th July 2004.
c. Consult the following sources on natural hazards and disasters:
www.uwimona.edu.jm/uds;
www.odpem.org.jm/dc/index.html;
www.disasterrelief.org; http://dir.yahoo.com/Society_and_Culture/environment_and_nature/disasters
http://quake.wr.usgs.gov/;http://vulcan.wr.usgs.gov; http://www.geophys.washington.edu/tsunami/welcome.html ; http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/