Emergency Management Masters Theses

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Organizational Characteristics of A Disaster Call Center ;\ Study of Information Management
(North Dakota State University, 2011) Khatchadourian, Marc Adrian
This study examines how information was managed in a call center during the response to a major flood event on the Red River in the upper Midwest. The event affected the cities of Fargo, North Dakota and Moorhead, Minnesota. This study involved two rounds of data collection: first, complete participant observation in the call center, and second, in-depth qualitative interviews of call center workers. It also includes a I 9-clay reconstruction of the flood event based on newspaper articks during the incident. The results of this study arc examined within the context of complex systems theory and other theoretical concepts within the scope of information management in emergency management response systems. This study discusses the impact ol'rolc familiarity and the assumption of collective intelligence on the disaster call center's ability to manage infornrntion during the flood response operations.
The Quality of Mitigation Plans in Large Jurisdictions in the Upper Midwest
(North Dakota State University, 2020) Bhandari, Aastha Singh
This study sought to evaluate the plan quality of Hazard Mitigation plans of 30 larger jurisdictions counties in the upper Mid-West. Better plans serve as better guidance for communities to choose better actions and inflict fewer damages. The planning research literature was reviewed to identify important plan components and the plan characteristics that determined the plan quality. The fundamental evaluation characteristics were identified, and those, along with recommended components, were put into an evaluation form. This evaluation form was used to evaluate the county plans, and the findings of the evaluation were discussed. It was found that the quality of the plans was moderate to good. Also, rooms for improvement for plan quality were also identified. The implications of the findings were discussed, and recommendations were made to improve their future quality.
Case Study of the Gold King Mine Spill
(North Dakota State University, 2018) Black, Erica Elizabeth
The Gold King Mine spill happened on August 5, 2015 near Silverton, Colorado when the abandoned mine was damaged during maintenance. This single, holistic exploratory case study uses document review and analysis to answer the research questions of what happened at Gold King Mine, how and why it happened, what was the response, and what are the implications of this event. The findings indicate that the Environmental Protection Agency’s negligence, Colorado’s lack of regulations on abandoned mines, and the town of Silverton’s hesitance to be declared a Superfund site all contributed to the water contamination which negatively impacted the Navajo Nation. The research suggests this is another historic event that will further erode trust and relationships between the United States government and indigenous people. This work also creates a literature review of emergency management in the context of Native American communities.
Avoiding the Windshield Wiper Effect: A Survey of Operational Meteorologists on the Uncertainty in Hurricane Track Forecasts and Communication
(North Dakota State University, 2017) Hyde, James Tupper
The first line of defense for the threat of an oncoming hurricane are meteorologists. From their guidance, warnings are drafted and evacuation plans are made ready. This study explores uncertainty that operational meteorologists encounter with hurricane prediction, and more importantly, how meteorologists translate the uncertainty for the public. The study is based on a web survey of individual meteorologists, in cooperation with the National Weather Association (NWA). The survey received 254 responses with an estimated 18% response rate. Specifically, the study focuses on three key areas: displaying uncertainty in hurricane track forecasts, perceived relationships between the public and the media and message characteristics on various platforms (e.g., television, web, and social media), and reliance on numerical weather prediction in the forecasting process. Results show that tracking graphics are varied between their use and usefulness and meteorologists think that they have a bigger role in information dissemination than previously thought.
Are We Just Guessing? An Exploratory Study of Minnesota Emergency Managers' Perceptions of Citizen Preparedness
(North Dakota State University, 2015) Koval, Breanna Colette
Emergency management research suggests that citizen preparedness is paramount to household survival in disasters. Thus, having a citizenry that is well prepared is ideal for individuals who work directly in emergency management and disaster response roles. At the lowest governmental level, it is the local emergency manager who is tasked with the job of promoting preparedness to their respective jurisdictions. However, to effectively promote preparedness to citizens, it is presumed that an emergency manager would need a fairly accurate perception of citizen preparedness. However, emergency managers rarely have data to determine their jurisdiction’s level of preparedness. Without data to inform a perception, how does an emergency manager determine the preparedness of his or her jurisdiction? This study explores two possible cognitive heuristics that could play a role in how county-level emergency managers form their perceptions of preparedness; the availability heuristic and the false consensus effect.
An Evaluation of the Protective Action Decision Model using Data from a Train Derailment in Casselton, North Dakota
(North Dakota State University, 2015) Savitt, Amanda
This study was designed to answer the questions: a) What factors affected peoples' decision to evacuate or not evacuate after a train derailment and explosion in Casselton, ND; and b) What factors affected the amount of time people took to evacuate? A survey was designed using criteria from literature on the Protective Action Decision Model, and administered by telephone. Results of the survey were examined with correlation analysis. Nine factors were found to be significantly correlated with the decision to evacuate and two variables were found to be significantly correlated with evacuation time. Implications of these findings are discussed.
An Exploration of the Creation and Maintenance of Local Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster
(North Dakota State University, 2014) Jorissen, James Daniel
This study sought to explore the factors that influence the creation and maintenance of Local Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (LVOADs). Semistructured interviews were conducted and data was analyzed following the principles of Grounded Theory as outlined by Charmaz (2006). Seventeen individuals were selected based on their involvement in five LVOADs within FEMA’s Region VIII. It was found that creation factors held a high degree of consistency LVOAD-to-LVOAD, but the maintenance factors suffered from a limited number of available LVOADs that progressed to the maintenance stage. Findings suggest communities require multiple hazard events, strong leadership, and a formal organizational structure to develop LVOADs and they are difficult to maintain. Throughout creation, LVOADs face a number of barriers including burnout, turnover, and turf issues. During maintenance, LVOADs attempted to counteract barriers by offering value with membership. This study concludes with implications for emergency management practice and the academic discipline.
Factors Explaining the Risk Perception of County Emergency Managers
(North Dakota State University, 2014) Huibregtse, Jared Jon
This thesis attempted to explore how county emergency managers understand the risks most likely to manifest in their jurisdiction using an internet survey. This study addressed the following research questions: 1) What risks do county emergency managers perceive to be the most likely to manifest in their jurisdiction? 2) What factors explain their risk perceptions? Data were collected by internet survey which was sent to county emergency managers in FEMA Region V. When data collection ceased, 165 county emergency managers had completed the internet survey in full. Regression analysis revealed that a small amount of the variance in risk perception was explained. The notion of extending traditional variables professionally in a way that makes sense for county emergency managers proved to be valuable. Additionally, operationalization issues raised in this study can be used as valuable lessons learned for future risk perception research.
A Conceptual Model of the Individual and Household Recovery Process: Examining Hurricane Sandy
(North Dakota State University, 2014) Gould, Laura Ann
This study examined how comprehensively the Bolin and Trainer (1978) model of recovery reflects the recovery process of individuals and households. A review of the literature since 1978 suggested that various revisions and additions were warranted, but additional research was needed to examine these elements collectively. Rubin and Rubin’s (2012) Responsive Interviewing Model was employed to collect and analyze data related to the recovery process of individuals impacted by Hurricane/Superstorm Sandy to determine whether an updated model was appropriate. Interviews with twenty-one respondents representing non-governmental organizations involved in Sandy-related recovery efforts revealed the need for a revised model reflecting key aspects of the original model, revisions suggested by the literature, and a new addition based on the data collected through this study. A Revised Bolin and Trainer Model of Individual and Household Recovery was suggested and implications for the discipline and practice of emergency management discussed.
Formation and Lifespans of Emergent Recovery Groups in Post-Katrina New Orleans
(North Dakota State University, 2014) Montano, Samantha Lea
Following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, numerous groups emerged to address recovery related needs in Orleans and St. Bernard Parishes. The phenomenon of emergent groups is widely noted in the disaster literature, but there has been little empirical research focusing on these groups. And, the existing literature discusses emergent groups primarily in the context of response. This study sought to explore the factors related to formation of emergent recovery groups (ERGs) and allow ERGs to have an extended lifespan. Data was gathered through in-depth interviews with founders of twenty ERGs that formed to work in Orleans and St. Bernard Parishes. It was found that the factors related to group formation were the same factors that contributed to the continued existence of the ERG including post-event community situational context, unmet needs, a group driver/leader, ability to network, level of integration, and resources.
Pre-Disaster Integration of Community Emergency Response Teams within Local Emergency Management Systems
(North Dakota State University, 2014) Carr, John Alexander
This study explores how Community Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) were integrated within local emergency management systems pre-disaster. Semi-structured interviews were conducted following Rubin and Rubin’s (2005) Responsive Interviewing Model with 21 CERT team coordinators in FEMA Region VII (Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, and Nebraska). It found that teams varied with regard to integration, and this variance could be explained by a number of related factors. Results suggest that if a team has a skilled leader, stability as an organization, and acceptance by the local emergency management system, they are more likely to be integrated than a team that is lacking some or all of the aforementioned factors. This study categorizes teams on a continuum according to their integration. Finally, this study concludes with a discussion of implications for practice, policy, and research, as well as recommendations for practice and research.
Jurisdictional Leaders' Perception of Factors that Contribute to Hazard Mitigation Planning
(North Dakota State University, 2014) Abe, Daiko Nephi
Recent disasters have demonstrated the importance of mitigating their potential impact to not only protect human lives, but to also reduce the seemingly unending cycle of repeated damages. The Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 requires state, local, and tribal governments to have FEMA-approved Hazard Mitigation Plans in order to qualify for certain types of Federal funding. However, even with these mandates in place, there are a number of local governments that have yet to adopt a FEMA-approved multi-hazard mitigation plan. Although multi-hazard mitigation plans seem rational for reducing the impact of hazards, efforts to prepare plans and implement mitigation-related activities are oftentimes met with resistance at the local jurisdictional level. The purpose of this qualitative study is to inductively examine the social, financial, and political conditions and forces that contribute to the decision to adopt or not adopt a hazard mitigation plan in the Red River Valley.
Local Nonprofit and Government Organization Conceptualizations of Disaster Response Effectiveness
(North Dakota State University, 2013) Borkosheva, Nazgul
This study attempted to explore how nonprofit and government organizations conceptualize disaster response effectiveness using an internet survey. Unfortunately, the data collected through this method was insufficient for meaningful data analysis, and, therefore this study was unable to generate significant findings with respect to its research question. Thus, rather than focusing on a presentation of results from data collection and interpreting the significance of those results, this thesis focuses on justification of the need for research on this topic, review of the literature that suggests it is likely that nonprofits and government perceive disaster response effectiveness differently, recounting of the initial data collection efforts undertaken and the problems encountered, offering of hypotheses for future testing based on analysis of the flawed data, and recommendation of an alternate data collection method that should be used in the future.
Sustainability and the Emergency Manager: Do They Mesh?
(North Dakota State University, 2013) Chauvet, Regine Laurence
There exists a lack of consensus around the definition of “sustainability” and numerous of applications of the concept in the disaster literature. Reviewing the disaster literature on sustainability, its intended audience, and the disciplines that inform it, a disconnect between the strategies proposed and the current role of county emergency managers in the U.S is evident. This study qualitatively explored how sustainability is conceptualized and perceived to be applicable at the local level by interviewing county emergency managers in the states of Florida and North Dakota. The study demonstrated that the lack of definitional clarity evidenced in the disaster literature is also reflected in emergency manager conceptualizations of sustainability. However, themes related to meaning were identified in the interviewed managers’ conceptualizations of sustainability, contextual factors influencing these conceptualizations offered, and implications of these findings for the development of the profession and discipline of emergency management discussed.

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