PAF 9156: Emergency Preparedness, Response, and Recovery
Spring 2015, Thursday, 6:05-9:00 PM (URA) (54150)
17 Lexington Avenue, Room 711
Jack Krauskopf
Contact: , 646-660-6724
BaruchCollege, School of Public Affairs
One Bernard Baruch Way, Box D-901New York, NY10010-5585
135 E. 22 St., Rm. 1013 (office)
The purpose of the course is to introduce students to policy, planning, and management of the response to disasters and emergencies. Both natural disasters and terrorism and other human-caused events are studied. Students have opportunities to examine and compare current and historical events in New York, elsewhere in the United States, and in other countries. Assessing and improving the roles of government and nonprofit agencies in immediate actions and in relief and longer-term recovery for individuals and communities are important topics. The course explores readiness and planning by public, international, and community organizations.
Readings and class discussions include the functions ofpreparation, mitigation, response, and recovery from disasters; plans and systems currently in place; and issues in assisting and providing services to affectedcommunities, residents, and workers. Preparedness planning and organizational capabilities will be examined for both governmental and nonprofit human services and disaster response agencies. Attention is paid to the role of government financing, as well as to individual giving and private philanthropy,and to means for assessing the effectiveness of disaster response.
Course requirements include: reading weekly course materials, participating actively in class discussions, completing a midterm paper analyzing a particular disaster to determine the effectiveness of response bypublic and private organizations, and preparing a final research paper on a topic related to the themes and issues in the course. There will be additional group assignments, including recovery plans that have been developed following Superstorm Sandy. Further discussion and materials will be provided about assignments and due dates.
Learning goals for the course include:
Students should be able to determine and describe the impacts of major disasters that have occurred historically (past century) and recently (since 2000) in the United States.
Students should be able to apply an understanding of the major phases of disaster response and recovery to particular US and international disasters that they have tracked.
Student capabilities should include capability to assess of the effectiveness of preparedness, response, and recovery by government and nonprofit organizations for these disasters; and to think analytically about issues of mitigation, sustainability, organization and capacity, as they apply to disaster management and preparedness. These goals can be measured by student discussions in class, group assignments, and individual papers.
BaruchCollege policies to ensure academic honesty and integrityare available for review at
You are encouraged, in particular, to review the Library’s brief online tutorial about quoting, crediting other authors, and avoiding plagiarism at
Baruch provides accommodations for students with disabilities, and any special needs should be made known to the professor or to the Office of Services for Students with Disabilities, VerticalCampusBuilding, 55 Lexington Avenue, Room2-271, phone 646-312-4590,
The Baruch Bookstore has ordered the following required books for purchase:
George D. Haddow, Jane A. Bullock, and Damon P. Coppola, Introduction to Emergency Management, Fifth Edition, BH Elsevier, 2014 (Haddow)
Claire B. Rubin, Editor, Emergency Management: The American Experience 1900-2010, Second Edition, CRC Press, Taylor & Francis Group, 2012 (Rubin)
Leon Stein, The Triangle Fire, Cornell University Press, 1962, 2001, 2010 Centennial Edition (Stein)
Eric Klinenberg, Heat Wave: A Social Autopsy of Disaster in Chicago, The University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 2002 (Klinenberg)
To provide a state and local government perspective, the following is recommended butnot required:
William L. Waugh Jr. and Kathleen Tierney, Emergency Management: Principles and Practice for Local Government, Second Edition, ICMA Press, 2007 (ICMA)
Other readings in the syllabus are available in:
1) Blackboard in Course Documents (additional current articles that are relevant will be made available on Blackboard during the course);
2) Library E-Reservein Course Reserves (note the password “krauskopf9156”);
3) Library Journals; or
4) Internet links that are provided.
Books for purchase are also available at the ReserveDesk in the Library.
Note that there are supplementary readings at the back of the syllabus for many of the weekly topics. They may be of interest and helpful for your research.
Thursday, January 29. Introduction and Purposes of the Course
Course purpose, instructor and student introductions, course requirements
Review of the syllabus
Types of large-scale disasters and emergencies
Recent events
Phases of disaster and emergency management—planning, response, recovery, mitigation, preparedness planning (again)
Student projects discussed
Thursday, February 5. History of Disastersin the United StatesDuring the 20th Century
History of disasters in the United States
The Triangle Fire in 1911—what happened and why
Claire B. Rubin, “Chapter 1 Introduction: 110 Years of Disaster Response and Emergency Management in the United States;” and David Butler, “Chapter 2 Focusing Events in the Early Twentieth Century: A Hurricane, Two Earthquakes, and a Pandemic;” in Rubin, 50 pages
Chapter “1 The Historical Context of Emergency Management” in Haddow, 30 pages
Stein, The Triangle Fire, “Introduction: ‘Who Will Protect the Working Girl?” by William Greider, Part One, 109 pages
Thursday, February 12. No class (Lincoln’s Birthday)
Get a start on the February 19 readings
Thursday, February 19. Recent Disasters and Shaping of the Federal Role in US Emergency Management
Triangle Fire—changes and outcomes
Bangladesh garment factory collapse
Development of disaster response in the US federal system of government
Types of disasters and the “all hazards” concept of emergency management
Chapter “2 Natural and Technological Hazards and Risk Assessment,” in Haddow, 40 pages
David Butler, “Chapter 3 The Expanding Role of the Federal Government: 1927-1950;” Keith Bea, “Chapter 4 The Formative Years: 1950-1978;” Richard T. Sylves, and “Chapter 5 Federal Emergency Management Comes of Age: 1979-2001;” in Rubin, 111 pages
Stein, The Triangle Fire, Part Two, and “Postscript,” 108 pages
Bangladesh garment factory collapse
Sarah Butler, “American retailers’ plan for Bangladesh factory safety branded a sham,” The Guardian, July 10, 2013 (Blackboard), 3 pages
Steven Greenhouse, “$40 Million in Aid Set for Bangladesh Garment Workers,” New York Times, December 23, 2013 (Blackboard), 4 pages
Jim Yardley, “Clothing Brands Sidestep Blame for Safety Lapses,” New York Times, December 30, 2013 (Blackboard), 6 pages
Amy Yee, “Fire Doors and Sprinklers Debut At Garment Factories in Bangladesh,” NPR, January 17, 2015 (Blackboard), 3 pages
Thursday, February 26. Intergovernmental and Nonprofit Issues in Readiness andResponse to Disasters
Intergovernmental problems in responding to 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, Sandy, and otherrecent events
International response issues: Ebola, Myanmar cyclone 2008, terrorism in Europe
From natural disasters to terrorism, and back and forth again
Incident management systems and incident command
Evacuation, emergency support functions
Human services response—mass care (shelter, food, clothing), health services
Sequencing of organizational responses—government emergency management agencies, nonprofit disaster response organizations, human services providers
Chapter “6 The Disciplines of Emergency Management: Response” in Haddow, 53 pages
9/11 attacks and Hurricane Katrina
John R. Harrald, “Chapter 6 Emergency Management Restructured: Intended and Unintended Outcomes of Actions Taken Since 9/11;” in Rubin, 23 pages
Peter Eisinger, “Imperfect Federalism: The Intergovernmental Partnership for Homeland Security;” Public Administration Review, Vol. 66, No. 4, July/August 2006 (Blackboard), 9 pages
William L. Waugh Jr., “Preface;”Waugh, “The Political Costs of Failure in the Katrina and Rita Disasters;” and Donald F. Kettl, “Is the Worst Yet to Come?;” in Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, vol. 604, March 2006, pp. 6-9,10-25, and 273- 287(Blackboard), and 35 pages
Jonathan Walters, “FEMA: Making a Comeback,” governing.com, August 2010 (Blackboard), 3 pages
Jane Gross, “Report Calls for Tighter Rules in Nursing Home Evacuations,” New York Times, August 18, 2006 (Blackboard), 1 page
Superstorm Sandy
Nicole Gelinas, “New York’s Sandy Scorecard,” City Journal, Winter 2013 (Blackboard), 7 pages
Jennifer Preston, Sherri Fink, and Michael Powell, “Behind a Call That Kept Nursing Home Patients in Storm’s Path,” New York Times, December 2, 2012 (Blackboard), 6 pages
Erin Durkin, “City officials defend decision not to evacuate hospitals and nursing homes before Hurricane Sandy,” Daily News, New York, January 24, 2013 (Blackboard), 1 page
Melanie Evans, “Five hospitals struggle to reopen after Sandy,” Crain’s, December 11, 2012 (Blackboard), 6 pages
Sheri Fink, “Citing Urgent Need, U.S. Calls on Hospitals to Hone Disaster Plans,” New York Times, March 11, 2014 (Blackboard), 3 pages
Hector Cordero-Guzman, Elizabeth Pantaleon, and Martha Chavez, “Day Labor, Worker Centers & Disaster Relief Work in the Aftermath of Hurricane Sandy,” School of Public Affairs, Baruch College, October 30,2013 (Blackboard), 5 pages
Deputy Mayors Linda I. Gibbs and Caswell F. Holloway, Co-Chairs, New York City Hurricane Sandy After Action, Report and Recommendations to Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, May2013 (Blackboard), 36 pages
Ebola
“Ebola: time to act,” editorial, Nature, September 9, 2014 (Blackboard), 2 pages
World Health Organization (WHO), Ebola in West Africa: 12-months on (One year into the Ebola epidemic), January 15, 2015, read papers1,2,3,7,10,11,12,13, and 14;43 pages
Somini Sengupta, “Effort on Ebola Hurt W.H.O. Chief,” New York Times, January 7, 2013 (Blackboard), 6 pages
Optional: Time magazine, “2014 Person of the Year: The Ebola Fighters,” December 22. 2014,
Myanmar cyclone 2008:
Henry Chu and Maggie Farley, “Myanmar cyclone death toll soars past 22,000,” Los Angeles Times, May 6, 2008 (Blackboard), 3 pages
The Economist, “Myanmar’s cyclone, A storm kills at least 22,000 people in Myanmar” May 6, 2008 Blackboard), 2 pages
Thomas Fuller, “A Challenge Getting Relief to Myanmar’s Remote Areas,” New York Times, May 7, 2008 (Blackboard), 3 pages
Associated Press, “Charity Warns Myanmar’s Children Will Starve as Aid Struggle Persists,” The Wall Street Journal online, May 19, 2008 (Blackboard), 3 pages
“Burmese Endure in Spite of Junta, Aid Workers Say,” New York Times, June 18, 2008 (Blackboard), 3 pages
John Holmes, United Nations Undersecretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, “Disaster Lessons,” Washington Post, August 6, 2008 (Blackboard), 2 pages
Thursday, March 5. Recovery
Elements of recovery after a major disaster:
-Determining unmet needs, case management
-Providing for long-term recovery of individuals, businesses, and communities: financial aid, mental health outreach and services, housing (relocation, “temporary” housing, repair for homeowners and renters), employment (placement, training, and education), small business and economic assistance, legal assistance, healthcare delivery, environmental health (air, water)
9/11, Katrina, Sandy
Haiti earthquake
Chapter “7 The Disciplines of Emergency Management: Recovery” in Haddow, 34 pages
9/11
Tom Seessel, “Responding to the 9/11 Terrorist Attacks: Lessons from Relief and Recovery in New York City,” Preface and Executive Summary, The John S. Watson Institute for Public Policy, Thomas Edison State College, Trenton, New Jersey, May 2003, Ford Foundation website
9 pages
Gerry Fairbrother and Sandro Galea, Terrorism, Mental Health, and September 11: Lessons Learned about Providing Mental Health Services to a Traumatized Population, The Century Foundation, 2005 (Blackboard), 42 pages
Katrina
Kathleen Tierney, “Social Inequality, Hazards, and Disasters;” inDaniels, Kettl, and Kunreuther, On Risk and Disaster (E-Reserve), 20 pages
New Orleans after the Storm: Lessons from the Past, a Plan for the Future, The Brookings Institution, Metropolitan Policy Program, Washington, DC, October 2005, 43 pages
Allison Plyer, “Facts for Features: Katrina Recovery,” The Data Center, Ausgust 28, 2014,
5 pages
Sandy
Becky Koepnick and Max Weselcouch, “Sandy’s Effects on Housing in New York City,” Fact Brief, Furman Center for Real Estate & Urban Policy, New York University, March 2013, 9 pages
Christopher Fasano, “6 Months After Sandy, A Financial Disaster For Homeowners,” Gotham Gazette, April 28, 2013 (Blackboard), 2 pages
Laura Kusisto, “Sandy Aid Has Yet to Reach Thousands, City Report Says,” Wall Street Journal, October 9, 2014 (Blackboard), 2 pages
Laura Kusisto and Josh Dawsey, “State, City Differ on Focus of Sandy Aid,” Wall Street Journal online, November 26, 2013 (Blackboard), 4 pages
Haiti Earthquake 2010
Elizabeth Ferris and Daniel Petz, “Haiti Six Months On,” Brookings, July 12, 2010 (Blackboard), 7 pages
Deborah Sontag, “Rebuilding in Haiti Lags After Billions in Post-Quake Aid,” (“In Aiding Quake-Battered Haiti, Lofty Hopes and Hard Truths)”New York Times, December 23, 2012 (Blackboard), 13 pages
Carrie Kahn, “In Haiti, Politics and An Earthquake Anniversary Collide,” NPR audio and transcript, January 12, 2015, 5 pages
Thursday, March 12. Coordination and Collaboration
Establishing inter-agency collaboration and themechanisms for response and recovery
Defining and implementing structures that enable organizations to collaborate
Coordinating resources and dissemination of resource information
Sharing client information and ensuring privacy and confidentiality
Providing case management services
Determining joint policies and procedures
Training agency frontline and supervisory staff
Using technology
Chicago heat wave, 9/11, Sandy
Chicago heat wave
Klinenberg, Heat Wave; Prologue “The Urban Inferno,” Introduction “The City of Extremes;” Ch. One “Dying Alone: The Social Production of Isolation;” Ch. Two “Race, Place, and Vulnerability: Urban Neighborhoods and the Ecology of Support;” and Ch. Three “The State of Disaster: City Services in the Empowerment Era,” 164 pages
9/11
Lester M. Salamon, “What Really Matters About September 11,” Chronicle of Philanthropy, September 5, 2002 (Blackboard), 2 pages
Jack Krauskopf, “Assisting People After a Disaster: The Role and Impact of a Social Services Network Created for Disaster Response and Recovery,” presented at the 25th Annual Research Conference of the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management, Washington, DC, November 6, 2003 (Blackboard), 16 pages
Jack Krauskopf, “Social Services in a Post-Disaster Zone: Creating a Coordinating Collaborative of Nonprofit Agencies,” in Andrew White and Peter Eisinger, Cities at Risk: Catastrophe, Recovery and Renewal in New york and New Orleans, Milano The New School for Management and Urban Policy, 2006, 5 pages
United States Government Accountability Office (GAO), National Disaster Response: FEMA Should Take Action to Improve Capacity and Coordination between Government and Voluntary Sectors, “Highlights,” “Letter,” and “Results in Brief,” GAO-08-369, February 2008, 12 pages
Sandy
Far From Home: Nonprofits Assess Sandy Recovery and Disaster Preparednessby Jack Krauskopf, Micheline Blum, Nicole Lee, Jacqueline Fortin, Allison Sesso, and Danny Rosenthal; Survey sponsored by Human Services Council of New York; Research conducted by Center for Nonprofit Strategy and Management, and Baruch College Survey Research, School of Public Affairs, Baruch College; October 2013 (Blackboard) or 16 pages
Lisa Cowan, From the Edge of Disaster: How Activists and Insiders Can Use the Lessons of Hurricane Sandy to Make the City Safer, a North Star Fund Report, March 2014 (Blackboard), 27 pages
Thursday, March 19. Communications and the Role of the Media
Public Affairs Week
Needs and obstacles affecting communication among agencies and to the public
Communicating to the public before, during, and after a disaster
Interaction of disaster response and recovery agencies with the media
Media, communications, and fundraising
Communication as advocacy
Western Pennsylvania Tornado, Chicago Heat Wave, 9/11
Asian Tsunami
Red Cross
Chapter “5 The Disciplines of Emergency Management: Communications” in Haddow, 35 pages
Louise K. Comfort and Anthony G. Cahill, “Increasing Problem-solving Capacity between Organizations: The Role of Information in Managing the May 31, 1985, Tornado Disaster in Western Pennsylvania,” in Comfort, Managing Disaster (E-Reserve), 19 pages
Eric Klinenberg, “How the Government Saved Lives in Moore, Oklahoma,” The New Yorker, May 24, 2013, (6 pages)
Chicago heat wave
Klinenberg, Heat Wave; Ch. Four “Governing by Public Relations,” and Five “The Spectacular City: News Organizations and the Representation of Catastrophe,” 60 pages
9/11
Paula DiPerna, Media, Charity, and Philanthropy in the Aftermath of September 11, 2001, The Century Foundation, New York, 2003; if report is unavailable, read the Philanthropy News Digest interview with DiPerna about the report, The Foundation Center, September 10, 2003, 11 pages
Diana B. Henriques and David Barstow, “Change in Rules Barred Many From Sept. 11 Disaster Relief,” and Barstow and Henriques, “A NATION CHALLENGED: CHARITIES; Sorting Out Why U.S. Agency Spent So Little;”New York Times, April 26, 2002 (Blackboard), 6 pages
Asian Tsunami 2004
Paul McMahon, Thomas Nyheim, and Adam Schwarz, “After the tsunami: Lessons from reconstruction;” in The McKinsey Quarterly, McKinsey & Co., 2006 Number 1 (Blackboard), 7 pages
Nicole Wallace, “An Unprecedented Show of Support, Driven by Internet donations, charities large and small raise record amounts for tsunami victims,”The Chronicle of Philanthropy, downloaded 1/17/05 (Blackboard), 4 pages
Nicole Wallace, “$597-Million Raised by U.S. Charities for Tsunami Relief,” The Chronicle of Philanthropy, February 3, 2005 (Blackboard), 3 pages
Ellen Nakashima, “Tsunami Relief Effort Still Disorganized, Report Says,” Washington Post, January 23, 2005 (Blackboard), 2 pages
Michel Thieren, “Asian tsunami: death-toll addiction and its downside,” Editorials, World Health Organization, January 2005 (Blackboard), 1 page
Red Cross
Justin Elliott and Jesse Eisinger, ProPublica, and Laura Sullivan, NPR, “The Red Cross’ Secret Disaster;” and “Red Cross defends response to Hurricane Sandy two years on,” PBS NewsHour, October 29, 2014 (Blackboard), 20 pages
Jesse Eisinger and Justin Elliott, ProPublica, and Laura Sullivan, NPR, “The Red Cross Has Been Serially Misleading About Where Donors’ Dollars Are Going,” December 4, 2014 (Blackboard), 3 pages
Thursday, March 26. Special Needs and Vulnerability
Kinds of people and groups who are particularly vulnerable to disasters
Means to ensure that they are assisted
Vulnerable communities and their populations—“social vulnerability”
Chicago Heat Wave, 9/11, Sandy
Pakistan floods, Philippines typhoons
Chicago heat wave