Emergency Management Doctoral Work

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A Comparative Study of Nuclear Power Risk Perceptions with Selected Technological Hazards
(North Dakota State University, 2014) Duff, David Edwin
How people perceive risk or threats is important to many disciplines that seek to assist policy makers in developing policies, regulations and laws. Using the previous work of Slovic et al. (Fischhoff, Slovic, Lichtenstein, Read and Combs, 2000; Slovic P., 1992; Slovic, Fischhoff, and Lichtenstein, 2000) in development of the psychometric paradigm, a sample of residents (n=600) from a region with a large number of nuclear reactors was surveyed. The question set was expanded to include demographic questions to determine if they impact risk perception. Two aspects of risk perception were examined, perception of overall risk and perception of riskiness along specific dimensions of concern identified previously in the literature. For both risk and riskiness, respondents’ perceptions of nuclear power were compared to three other perceptions of technologies including use of modern farming methods using chemicals, railroad transportation and coal-generated electricity. The recent increase in public concern about nuclear power following the meltdowns at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant led to the expectation that nuclear power would be rated higher in overall risk and riskiness than the other three technologies consistent with Slovic’s earlier work on risk perception. This expectation was generally supported although respondents tended to perceive modern farming methods using chemical as similar in overall risk and riskiness to nuclear power. The research specifically tested five hypotheses concerning the impact of five demographic factors: gender, race, income, education and political orientation on the overall perception of risk and riskiness. Subsequent analysis using analysis of variance and linear regression found that select demographics only explained 2% of the risk perception for nuclear power generation.
The Context and Concept of Individual and Household Preparedness: The Case of Fako Division in Cameroon
(North Dakota State University, 2015) Nojang, Emmanuel Nzengung
Almost every day, we see and hear about disasters impacting individuals and households in communities worldwide. Impacts experienced include loss of life and injury, loss of property, and more. Disasters are often devastating for those who experience them. It is for this reason that preparedness is advocated by national and international organizations such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the United Nations. And, it is for this reason that researchers have often attempted to assess how prepared people are. Yet, what is this thing they call preparedness? What does it look like? What is involved in becoming a wholly prepared person? One might have assumed that organizations like FEMA and researchers would have addressed these fundamental questions prior to recommending that people become prepared or measuring how prepared people are, but that is not the case. The absence of an understanding of what preparedness is and entails is a critical theoretical gap with significant practical implications. This research explored the basic issue of what preparedness means and entails to people in Fako Division, Cameroon—a place threated by many hazards and which has experienced many disasters. From the analysis of the 33 interviews conducted in this study, the researcher found that preparedness is a dynamic state of readiness that is dependent on context, a social process, and a process of completing activities to save lives and minimize the effects of disasters. In addition, the researcher found that Cameroonians view a wholly prepared person as a) one who would have knowledge about hazards and what to do about them, b) one who would engage others, including their families and neighbors, in discussions about activities related to hazards and what to do about them, and c) one who would engage in activities to minimize loss from hazards, sustain themselves in the face of hazards, and flee from hazards. The findings from the interview data synch to a large extent with what is implied, but not clearly stated, in the existing research literature. The researcher address this synchrony and posit a definition of preparedness and identify the theoretical components of preparedness.
Coordination in Disaster Recovery: Implications for Policy and Practice
(North Dakota State University, 2013) Bundy, Sarah Jo
Disaster scholarship and recent disaster policy in the United States have suggested that coordination of efforts in the disaster recovery process will allow impacted jurisdictions to maximize positive recovery outcomes. Yet it remains unclear exactly who should be, or is, coordinating disaster recovery at the local level. This study explored the role of county elected officials in disaster recovery in an attempt to understand what role these elected officials currently play in the recovery process—particularly as related to the coordination of recovery efforts. During the initial data collection process, the researcher discovered that the role of county elected officials in disaster recovery appears to be consistent with their routine, day-to-day role in county government. No one person within the impacted counties was charged with a coordinator role in recovery. The researcher expanded the focus of the study to explore whether there were disaster conditions that necessitate overall coordination in order to best negotiate the recovery process and, if so, who was fulfilling that overall coordination role and what were they doing as part of it. Data was initially collected through 20 in-depth, telephone interviews with county elected officials in twelve states. Grounded theory was used to conceptualize the overall research design and analyze the data. Based on theoretical sampling, an additional 22 in-depth, telephone interviews were completed with a combination of county elected officials, emergency managers, designated recovery coordinators, and municipal mayors. The data showed that overall coordination in disaster recovery as implied by the literature and supported in federal policy did not appear to be currently happening—at least not at the county level. Coordination—to the extent that it was occurring in most jurisdictions—could best be described as in pockets and ad hoc. However, the study was unable to determine the extent to which this absence of coordination represents a problem in recovery. Based on the findings of this research, it would seem that there is a discrepancy between the literature-based idealization of coordination in recovery and the ad hoc coordination materializing in practice that needs to be addressed by both researchers and practitioners.
Developing Higher Education Programs in Emergency Management: Ghana's Experience
(North Dakota State University, 2013) Yakubu, Mariama Bisongu
Ghana is highly vulnerable and threatened by several hazards and has sought ways of minimizing impacts of hazards events over time including demonstrating an interest in developing an emergency management training and an higher education degree program. Yet, as of 2013, the country has not developed a disaster management training program or a degree program. This study investigated Ghana’s efforts to see these programs develop with a particular focus on identifying the factors involved in explaining the current status of Ghana’s efforts. Purposive and snowball sampling were used to select 19 emergency management scholars and practitioners who have been involved with Ghana’s efforts. An additional 6 faculty members who have been involved with development of other new degree programs in 4 Ghanaian universities were selected through snowball sampling for the purposes of comparison with the data collected from those involved in efforts to initiate an emergency management higher education degree program. The data collection was done through in-depth semi-structured face-to-face and telephone interviews. Both the data collection and analysis were guided by Rubin and Rubin’s (2005) Responsive Interviewing Model. The data show that although Ghana intends to develop an emergency management degree program in the future, its efforts, to date, have been geared towards developing a training program. The results suggest that six main factors explain why Ghana has not yet established the emergency management training program it intends to first develop. The factors include institutional support, partnership, advocacy, funding, program marketing, and cultural factors. Further, the results show that there are likely to be six other factors to address if, and when Ghana decides to pursue an emergency management degree program. These factors include faculty issues, student issues, supporting learning materials, professional legitimacy, accreditation and curriculum development, and autonomy and administrative location.
A Foundation for Factors that Explain Volunteer Engagement in Response and Recovery: The Case of Flooding in East Texas 2016
(North Dakota State University, 2017) Montano, Samantha
Volunteers are important contributors to response and recovery. Little is known about their engagement, particularly in terms of comparing the engagement of response volunteers to recovery volunteers. This study sought to explore volunteer engagement in response and recovery in the case of flooding experienced by a number of communities in East Texas following flooding in 2016. Data was gathered through interviews with 72 response and recovery volunteers and key informants, an analysis of key documents, and first-hand observations. This study developed a list of factors that were found to explain volunteer engagement in East Texas and factors suggested by the literature. These factors should be systematically tested in the future to expand our understanding of volunteer engagement.
Pursuit and Achievement of Emergency Management Program Accreditation
(North Dakota State University, 2022) Ferreira, Marcelo
While accreditation of emergency management programs has been available for more than two decades, very few emergency management programs are accredited, particularly at the local level. This study examined what may facilitate or hinder the pursuit and achievement of Emergency Management Accreditation Program (EMAP) accreditation by emergency management program leaders (EMs) in programs located in a United States city with a population over 300,000 (n=69). The multidisciplinary accreditation body of literature has not matured to the point of offering a theoretical or statistical model which could guide quantitative work on the topic. Additionally, accreditation is understudied in the context of emergency management. A qualitative approach to the research was most appropriate for these reasons. In-depth interviews with thirty EMs were conducted using the Responsive Interviewing Model (Rubin & Rubin, 2012) to gather rich data related to the research questions and analyze it. The study results in a series of key findings and recommendations related to practice and research. Findings related emergency management, suggest: a) perceptions of EMs are the most important facilitator or barrier of formal pursuit of accreditation, b) emulating The Emergency Management Standard (2019) is critical to understanding the commencement of formal pursuit, c) local emergency management compliance with structuring mechanisms does not result in compliance with The Standard, and the relationship between them is not explicit or otherwise apparent, and d) while most EMs interviewed as part of this study knew of The Standard and EMAP, and valued it, awareness could be improved. Related to the accreditation body of knowledge, the results suggest: a) program leaders may have more influence than the body of accreditation work might lead one to believe, particularly in the absence of extrinsic forces, b) some facilitators and barriers to accreditation may be heavily influenced by more than one category, c) a period of emulation was required and pursuit was delayed until the program leader believed accreditation would be achieved once the formal process got underway, and d) the period leading to formal instigation was that the most important to both pursuit and achievement.
Red River Flooding in Fargo: Organizational Learning Through Repeated Events
(North Dakota State University, 2016) Thompson, Steven Andrew
This research is a case study of the spring flooding from the Red River in Fargo, North Dakota. The 1997 record flood level broke a long standing record. However, in the last 7 years there have been three additional major floods, with 2009 breaking the 1997 level. The purpose of the study is to understand what was learned from repeated major flood events. This qualitative research gathered pertinent data from leaders involved in the flood management. In-depth interviews gathered rich data on these topics. The results from this case study found evolution in coordination, communication, response organizations, and mitigation. Specifically, the data revealed the expansion of the leadership team, expansion of communication, reduction in hazard vulnerability, increased focus on logistical planning for sandbags, and reduction in volunteer variability. All of these actions learned from these flood events are transferable and therefore add to the current emergency management body of knowledge on flood planning.
The Role of the County Emergency Manager in Disaster Mitigation
(North Dakota State University, 2020) Savitt, Amanda
Scholarship on disasters in the United States would suggest that emergency managers should play a role in hazard mitigation. Yet, little empirical research has investigated precisely what role or roles emergency managers actually do play during this phase. This study explored the role of county-level emergency managers in hazard mitigation and the factors that might influence those roles. Data for this study was collected through 42 in-depth, telephone interviews with county- level emergency managers in FEMA Regions III, V, and X, which includes the Mid-Atlantic, Midwest, and Pacific Northwest regions of the United States. Grounded theory was utilized in order to organize and analyze the data. The data suggests that emergency managers play several roles within mitigation: a generic role, a support role, an administrative role, a promoter role, a public educator role, and a planning role. These roles are explained by a number of factors, including conceptual confusion, response and preparedness orientation, financial resource factors, planning factors, additional resource factors, competition between mitigation and development, resistance to mitigation, and engagement in mitigation. It is also important to note that emergency managers spend only a small amount of their time in mitigation. The results of this study suggest that there is a gap between the theorized role and the actual role that emergency managers play within mitigation. Closing this gap will likely require additional resources for mitigation and county-level emergency management, as well as greater consistency in defining mitigation through policy and education.
The Simultaneous Evacuation of a Midwestern Community's Multiple Healthcare Facilities during a Major Flood Event: A Study in Decision-Making and Implementation
(North Dakota State University, 2012) Berwari, Azad
Natural disasters are a part of the ecological system, so they are beyond human control. To reduce devastating effects, researchers in Emergency Management seek to understand the causes and cycles of natural disasters so that warning systems may be improved and better advice may be given to the general public about protecting themselves and their property. Emergency management is a relatively new discipline, so much research is still needed to understand the complex interaction of human activity and the natural environment. Therefore, this study was designed to explore the impact of the 2009 flood on the healthcare system in Fargo, North Dakota, and Moorhead, Minnesota, when many health facilities were evacuated. This research is unique because it examined the simultaneous evacuation of multiple healthcare facilities: two Fargo hospitals, all Fargo nursing homes, and the largest Moorhead nursing home. A qualitative approach was used: 27 in-depth interviews were conducted with leaders of the healthcare facilities and other involved parties (e.g., community officials, ambulance providers, public health personnel) to understand their decisions and actions as a record flood triggered evacuations. The researcher found that (1) the healthcare facilities had done minimal pre-planning and preparation for the flood, even though the area had been threatened by previous flooding, and (2) each facility wasted time and resources by working independently to arrange transportation and to locate alternative healthcare facilities to house their patients. The recommendation is made that healthcare facilities coordinate their efforts during natural disasters.

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