Final Project Reports

Permanent URI for this collection

https://udspace.udel.edu/handle/19716/753

Browse

Browsing Final Project Reports by Title

Now showing 1 - 20 of 40
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Chile vs. Haiti: How Did the Media Frame the Earthquakes in Haiti and Chile?
    (2010) Svitak, Tyler
    This research compares how the media framed the recent earthquakes Chile and Haiti. There has been extensive research on the topic of media framing in disaster literature, and much of the research has concluded that the media inaccurately frames disasters to focus more on human loss and destruction than actually occurs. Previous research has also concluded that the media shapes their audience’s conclusions about an event based on their coverage. That is why this research conducted a content analysis of the New York Times articles following both events, and from that analysis came a better understanding of how the earthquakes were covered by the media. There was a significant contrast in the coverage of each earthquakeHaiti was framed as hell on earth through descriptions of unorganized chaos and death, whereas Chile was framed in a way that illustrated an inefficient, slow but organized response following the earthquake. Considering both events were so recent, little research has been done to analyze how the media framed them, and therefore this research will greatly contribute to our understanding of the viewpoints the media presented to its audience.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Climate Change and Rising Sea Levels: A Geographic Information Systems Analysis of the Potential Impact on Railroad Corridors in New Castle County Delaware
    (2009-08-07) Malkin, Chance
    In the past century continued investment in infrastructure along the east coast of the United States has supported economic growth and development; unfortunately this investment also comes with a certain degree of vulnerability. The advanced infrastructure along the east coast combined with the impending threat of climate change and rising sea levels has led many people to prepare for the potential impacts. The resiliency of railroad corridors along the east coast has its limitations, one of which is its resistance to floods. The spatial representation and analysis capabilities of computer based geographical information systems (GIS) are used to develop a comprehensive visual illustration of the impact areas in which rail road corridors in New Castle County, Delaware are in danger of being either flooded or perhaps destroyed. The goal of this research is to possibly affect some policies involving raising the elevations of rail beds or even relocating the tracks to less flood prone locations. Moreover, the goal is to help prevent damage of the nation’s infrastructure along the east coast. Based on this research, there are many possible areas of impact of sea level rise for the railroad lines in New Castle County, Delaware. More specifically, the Port of Wilmington is the most likely to be affected. However, the railroad data used assumes the rail lines are on the same elevation as the ground surface in all regions of the county. Since this is not true, further research is needed using more accurate railroad elevation data.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Community Disaster Management Resources: A Case Study of the Farm Community in Sussex County, Delaware
    (Disaster Research Center, 2012-06) Rademacher, Yvonne
    While the expansion of government institutions and programs over the past fifty years has resulted in government taking primary responsibility for emergency management, there is a growing recognition that government cannot do it all alone. This has, among others, led to a quest for a better understanding of societal capital that makes contributions to disaster management, such as the private sector, partnerships with volunteer organizations but also local communities and individual citizens themselves, as is currently pursued through the FEMA’s Ready campaign and Whole Community approach. However, before devising strategies of how to better engage and support communities in disaster management as active participants, the nature of their disaster management resources needs to be better understood. Therefore, this case study examined the disaster management assets of one community group, namely the farming community in Sussex County, Delaware, and the process of how the resources of this particular group have contributed to local disaster management. The conceptual framework for this study was based on the concept of community assets that currently recognizes eight types of community capital and comprises of “active”, “inactive”, “positive” and “”negative” resources – and in conjunction with a simplified classification of the eight categories of Resource Inventory Management for Rural Communities, as defined by the National Incident Management System (NIMS). The study found that there was a striking discrepancy between actually used and perceived community resources. Out of the four broad categories – coordination, assessment, communication, implementation – used to capture the main functional areas, the survey found congruence of perceived and actually used resources in communication and assessment. However, they diverged for implementation and coordination. Farm community resources were primarily used for implementation activities during disaster preparedness. Moreover, the types of resources used by the farm community crystallized into three broad categories: (1) equipment/supplies; (2) experience/lessons learnt; and (3) access to other community and professional networks. While there was an overlap with the NIMS categories of rural community emergency management resources, they did not facilitate an overview and understanding of all of the actual and potential resources of that particular community group. Conceptually, the findings highlight the use of four community capitals – i.e. physical, human, financial and social – as well as the existence of both active and inactive as well as negative and positive resources. Policy recommendations propose, among others, resource mapping strategies to uncover both active and inactive resources, the use of existing communication channels and community networks to reinforce, in particular, mitigation messages and information, as well as a re-conceptualizing of the NIMS categories to allow for the identification of all relevant local community resources.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Coping With Y2K: Organizational Adaptation And Change At The U.S. Department Of Transportation
    (2000) Tierney, Kathleen J.; Harrald, John R.; Webb, Gary R.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Delaware Emergency Evacuation for the Salem / Hope Creek Nuclear Power Generators
    (2008-08-08) Mitchell III, Charles W.
    This report and research is an assessment of the Delaware Emergency Evacuation Plans for a radiological emergency at the Salem/Hope Creek Nuclear Power Generators in Salem, NJ. In making this assessment information is drawn from engineering as well as social science literature and the primary past nuclear emergency in the United States, Three Mile Island. The engineering research takes a look at revisions to ideas about road capacities, affects of weather on an evacuation and new methods for viewing evacuation as a process rather than list of steps, including measures of effectiveness. The Social Science literature further develops the engineering principles and is included to better understand how evacuees will respond in an emergency. This includes how the warning message will be created, understood and understanding how evacuees will choose to take protective action. This knowledge is then used to assess the current plans for the State of Delaware and make recommendations for future improvements. The information is also applied to evacuation of Delaware City, Delaware in a rough estimate of the effects of evacuation. The end result of this research is recommendations to improve methods and practices for future evacuations.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Disaster Analysis: Emergency Management Offices And Arrangements
    (1986) Wenger, Dennis E.; Quarantelli, E. L.; Dynes, Russell R.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Disaster Analysis: Police And Fire Departments
    (1989) Wenger, Dennis E.; Quarantelli, E. L.; Dynes, Russell R.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Disaster Resistant Communities Initiative: Assessment Of Ten Non-Pilot Communities
    (2002) Wachtendorf, Tricia; Connell, Rory; Monahan, Brian; Tierney, Kathleen J.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Disaster Resistant Communities Initiative: Assessment Of The Pilot Phase - Year 3
    (2002) Wachtendorf, Tricia; Connell, Rory; Tierney, Kathleen J.; Kompanik, Kristy
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Disaster Resistant Communities Initiative: Evaluation Of The Pilot Phase. Year 2
    (2000) Nigg, Joanne M.; Riad, Jasmin K.; Wachtendorf, Tricia; Tierney, Kathleen J.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Disaster Resistant Communities Initiative: Focus Group Analysis
    (2000) Wachtendorf, Tricia; Riad, Jasmin K.; Tierney, Kathleen J.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Environmental Crises
    (1971-01-19) Dynes, Russell R.; Wenger, Dennis E.
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Executive Summary. Disaster Resistant Communities Initiative: Evaluation Of The Pilot Phase. Year 1
    (1998) Nigg, Joanne M.; Riad, Jasmin K.; Wachtendorf, Tricia; Tweedy, Angela; Reshaur, Lisa
  • Thumbnail Image
    Item
    Floodplain Buyouts: Challenges, Practices, and Lessons Learned
    (2021-08) Siders, A.R.; Gerber-Chavez, Logan
    This report summarizes lessons learned by buyout administrators and practitioners and how they have overcome or reduced several common challenges, such as how to: (a) finance buyouts, (b) improve speed and efficiency, and (c) increase uptake of buyout offers among residents. Lessons are drawn from program evaluations, case studies, academic research, and interviews with program administrators. Throughout the report, we note concerns about equity and identify where actions taken by state or federal agencies could support local efforts. The report is far from a complete account of all significant findings in buyout policy research; rather, it represents a critical starting point for leaders seeking to guide future buyout programs toward more equitable and effective outcomes.