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Disaster Management Within the Framework of a Changing Disaster Landscape

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Disaster Management Within the Framework of a Changing Disaster Landscape Disaster management within the framework of a changing disaster landscape Citation for published version (APA): de Smet, H. (2017). Disaster management within the framework of a changing disaster landscape. Datawyse / Universitaire Pers Maastricht. https://doi.org/10.26481/dis.20171116hds Document status and date: Published: 01/01/2017 DOI: 10.26481/dis.20171116hds Document Version: Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of record Please check the document version of this publication: • A submitted manuscript is the version of the article upon submission and before peer-review. There can be important differences between the submitted version and the official published version of record. People interested in the research are advised to contact the author for the final version of the publication, or visit the DOI to the publisher's website. • The final author version and the galley proof are versions of the publication after peer review. • The final published version features the final layout of the paper including the volume, issue and page numbers. 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If the publication is distributed under the terms of Article 25fa of the Dutch Copyright Act, indicated by the “Taverne” license above, please follow below link for the End User Agreement: www.umlib.nl/taverne-license Take down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us at: [email protected] providing details and we will investigate your claim. Download date: 28 Sep. 2021 Disaster management within the framework of a changing disaster landscape © copyright Hans De Smet, 2017 Cover image: Hans De Smet (2016), Ilfracombe coast (UK) UMP Printing: Datawyse | Universitaire Pers Maastricht UNIVERSITAIRE PERS MAASTRICHT ISBN 978 94 6159 765 6 Disaster management within the framework of a changing disaster landscape PROEFSCHRIFT ter verkrijging van de graad van doctor aan de Universiteit Maastricht, op gezag van de Rector Magnificus, Prof. dr. Rianne M. Letschert volgens het besluit van het College van Decanen, in het openbaar te verdedigen op donderdag 16 november 2017 om 10.00 uur door Hans De Smet Promotoren Prof. dr. M.G. Heijltjes Prof. dr. Ir. J. Leysen (Royal Military Academy – Brussels, Belgium) Copromotor Dr. B. Schreurs Beoordelingscommissie Prof. dr. M.S.R. Segers (voorzitter) Dr. P. Le Blanc (Technische Universiteit Eindhoven) Prof. dr. A. Boin (Universiteit Leiden) Dr. S. van der Haar Proefschrift opgedragen aan Mieke, Arne & Haakon, mijn gezin. Als blijk van grote appreciatie voor jullie onverlaten steun tijdens de zeer intense perio- de oktober – november 2015. Om het met een Nederlands spreekwoord samen te vatten: `Eind goed, al goed`. Contents List of Figures 9 List of Tables 9 Chapter 1 Disaster Research: Introduction, Literature Review and Overview of the Empirical Chapters 11 Framing the Issue 13 Disaster Research 14 Entering a New Area, a Major Challenge 18 Outline of the Dissertation 22 Ongoing Disaster Research 27 Chapter 2 Facing the Actual Disaster Landscape. A trend towards more Disasters out of the Box? 31 Abstract 32 Introduction 33 The Shifting Nature of Hazards and Disasters 34 Towards Disasters of the 21st Century 36 Disasters out of the Box and the Disaster Impact and Complexity Diagram 41 A Study of the Qualitative Shift in the Disaster Landscape 44 Discussion and Conclusion 48 Appendix A: The Disaster Impact and Complexity Diagram – Variables and Scales 50 Appendix B: Generation of the Statistics, an Illustration 54 Appendix C: List of the Studied Disasters 56 Chapter 3 The Response Phase of the Disaster Management Life Cycle Revisited within the context of Disasters out of the Box 65 Abstract 66 Introduction 67 The Changing Disaster Landscape: More ‘Disasters out of the Box’ 68 Disaster Phase Research 69 Method 71 Findings 77 Discussion 85 Conclusion 89 Note 90 7 Chapter 4 Tightening the Reins or Letting Go: The Importance of Contingent Leadership when Dealing with Routine or Non-Routine Situations 91 Abstract 92 Introduction 93 Theory and Hypotheses Development 95 Method 99 Results 104 Discussion 109 Conclusion 112 Chapter 5 General Discussion and Conclusion 115 Concluding Remarks 117 Summary of the empirical findings 118 Theoretical Contributions 120 Practical Implications 124 Limitations and Areas for Further Research 127 Conclusion 130 References 133 Valorization Addendum 149 Nederlandse Samenvatting 157 Dankwoord 163 About the author 169 8 List of Figures Figure I - 1: Dissertation research model 24 Figure II - 2: DI&C-Diagram - Results for the individual disasters 45 Figure II - 3: DI&C-Diagram - Results per time frame 46 Figure II - 4: Euclidian distance to absolute origin 47 Figure II - 5: Regression analysis of the Euclidian distance 48 Figure II - 6: Calculation of the score 55 Figure II - 7: DI&C position 55 Figure III - 8: Response phase process 78 Figure III - 9: Event assessment process 83 Figure IV - 10: Contingency leadership model of multidisciplinary team decision quality 94 Figure IV - 11: Experimental sequence 101 Figure IV - 12: Interaction of leadership style and environmental situation in predicting team decision accuracy 107 Figure IV - 13: Interaction of leadership style and environmental situation in predicting team decision speed 108 Figure IV - 14: Decision quality 111 List of Tables Table I - 1: Overview of the empirical studies 23 Table II - 2: Disaster Impact and Complexity Diagram variables and scales 50 Table III - 3: Interviewee sample selection 72 Table III - 4: Responsive interviewing – Themes and concepts 74 Table IV - 5: Descriptive Statistics and Correlations 105 Table IV - 6: Fixed Effects Estimates (Top) and Variance Estimates (Bottom) for Models Predicting Decision Accuracy 106 Table IV - 7: Fixed Effects Estimates (Top) and Variance Estimates (Bottom) for Models Predicting Decision Speed 108 9 Chapter 1 Disaster Research: Introduction, Literature Review and Overview of the Empirical Chapters 11 Disaster Research ‘Truth is eternal. Knowledge is changeable. It is disastrous to confuse them.’ M. L'Engle Framing the Issue Since the dawn of our existence, natural phenomena such as floods, storms, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, landslides, etc. have affected our planet in an unpredictable way. However, these phenomena are merely classified as a hazard when they may af- fect people and the things they value (Cutter, 2005). These hazards are only one com- ponent of disaster. A disaster only occurs when a hazardous situation intersects with the human system (Perry, 1998). It is generally assumed that hazards and disasters originated when humans started to live in sedentary communities thousands of years ago, (see Balter, 2005; Lenski, Lenski, & Nolan, 1991). Yet, the early inhabitants did not sit idly by to become easy victims. They started to take measures and developed means to reduce or mitigate the consequences of the disasters they faced (Coppola, 2011). Evidence of first hazard management practices date back to 3,500 BC. At that time, the Asipu, a group of consultants in ancient Mesopotamia, advised community decision makers about hazardous situations. They based their recommendations on a rudimen- tary process of decision analysis consisting of situational analysis and the proposal of alternatives including the possible outcomes (Covello & Mumpower, 1985). The devel- opment of emergency management procedures to reduce the impact of disasters fol- lows this ancient tradition. When necessary, the procedures were adapted, based on lessons learned from the past, and the modified ready-made response measures were implemented (Boin & Lagadec, 2000; Kirschenbaum, 2004). Applying emergency management procedures is part of what is generally referred to as the field of emergency management, which is defined as “the discipline and profes- sion of applying science, technology, planning, and management to deal with extreme events [… which] are called disasters” (Drabek & Hoetmer, 1991, p. xvii). The definition emphasizes that disaster research contributes to our understanding of emergency management by providing conceptual and practical tools for emergency managers. Consequently, the community of practitioners largely relies on established research findings, data that have to be collected with systematic methods, and academic rec- ommendations to improve the means to cope with and survive disasters (Rossman, 1993). This first chapter provides an introduction to the field of disaster research in order to give the reader a framework of understanding for the research setting and for the subsequent empirical chapters of this dissertation. First, a comprehensive literature review summarizes the core concepts of disaster research. Next, the actual situation, as 13 Chapter 1 well as the problems involved, is elucidated. Important mutations in the disaster land- scape confront researchers, public authorities, disaster managers and emergency work- ers with
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