A paper based on this presentation is forthcoming in the journal Disasters.

I presented some of my research at the 2007 AAG in San Francisco. You can access my presentation products below:

Title: Success in Kashmir: A Positive Trend in Civil-Military Integration During Humanitarian Assistance Operations

Abstract: The global community is paying greater attention to natural disasters and their subsequent relief efforts. The modern cast of disaster relief actors includes non-governmental organizations, private-volunteer organizations, and military organizations. Each group, civilian or military, has valuable skills and experiences that it can bring to bear in an attempt to solve the problems encountered in today's ever-increasing complex humanitarian environment. Military organizations possess critical capabilities and civilian organizations bring vast experience from the humanitarian realm. However, civilian relief organizations may fear that an alliance with the military will taint their organizations, make them less welcome in other regions, discourage donor contributions, or even put their personnel at risk. Military organizations are apprehensive that focusing on humanitarian tasks may strain training resources, decrease combat capabilities, or lead to protracted entanglements. In the October 2005 Kashmir earthquake disaster relief effort, members of the United States military integrated with civilian and other national military organizations to create a cooperative environment while lending their unique capabilities to the relief effort. This ad hoc coalition effectively accomplished the task of providing relief to the desperate earthquake victims. The Kashmir model of cooperation, integration and transparency, when combined with lessons learned in other civil-military relief efforts, creates a framework in which future successful operations can be executed.

Keywords: disaster relief, humanitarian assistance, military, NGO, Kashmir, earthquake.

You can download my presentation below.  Recommended citation for images: "DoD image provided by W. Thompson".

Please email me for a copy of the paper.

This paper has been submitted for publication to the International Journal of Emergency Management.

Title: An Assessment of Geo-Information Utilisation During the 2005 Kashmir Earthquake Response And Recommendations To Improve Future Use

Abstract: The destructive effects of disasters on vulnerable populations will continue to increase as global inhabitants grow in numbers and occupy marginal, often hazard-prone areas.  Recent experience has shown that there is a gap between available GIS technologies and geo-information management tools and their employment during disaster response operations.  The goal of this paper is to examine and critique the use of geo-information and related technologies in the Kashmir earthquake of October 2005, discuss what researchers have done to address this topic, and make recommendations for improving future geo-information accessibility.  This paper draws on observations from the 2005 Kashmir earthquake and available literature to examine impediments to operational geo-information management and utilisation during that relief effort.  The paper concludes with recommendations on how to increase the accessibility of geo-information to a diverse group of users and better manage geo-information during future disaster response efforts. 

 Keywords:  disaster response, disaster management, hazards, geo-information, GIS, information management

You can download my presentation below.  Recommended citation for images: "DoD image provided by W. Thompson".

Please email me for a copy of the paper.

Title: Infrastructure Vulnerability in a Catastrophic CSZ Event and Implications on Disaster Response for the Oregon Coast

Abstract: Evidence from the last great Cascadia Subduction Zone (CSZ) rupture and similar events during the Indian Ocean Tsunami of 2004, suggest that a future subduction zone rupture along the coasts of Oregon and Washington place large portions of the population and much of the local infrastructure at significant risk.  Disaster response planners should anticipate that ground and water lifelines may be whole or in part, unusable for a period of days to weeks – creating greater reliance upon aviation assets and placing more importance on local leadership and emergency managers to emphasize self-sufficiency and community preparedness.  This study assesses potential lifeline degradation following a CSZ event, examines current plans for preparedness, and makes recommendations to improve future planning and preparedness.

Keywords:  Disaster response, Lifeline, Tsunami, Cascadia Subduction Zone

Title: Perfect Strangers:  An Examination of Contemporary Military Involvement in Humanitarian Affairs and an Effort to Promote Better Understanding.

Abstract:  Modern disaster response efforts occur in complex environments both in terms of the operating conditions and array of participating actors.  In addition to those affected by a hazard, civilian humanitarian groups and military disaster responders often comprise the majority of these actors.  Each group may have differing motivations and objectives, but often intersect in their interests to mitigate the effects of the hazards present and speed recovery and rehabilitation.  Despite intersecting interests, involving military personnel and resources in the humanitarian realm is a contentious issue.  This paper examines contemporary views of military participation in post-disaster environments from the perspective of both humanitarians and the military.  The paper then examines recent activity in Haiti as a framework to assess the value of conducting a complete cultural landscape during humanitarian assistance operations.

Keywords: Disaster Response, Civil-Military Coordination, Complex Emergencies, Humanitarianism

You can download my presentation below. Recommended citation for images: "DoD image provided by W. Thompson".

Please email me for a copy of the paper.

Title: Hazards and Conflict: Extending the Understanding of Vulnerability and Resilience Through Place-based Analysis

Abstract:  Although writings are relatively scarce, scholars have recently and increasing been examining factors relating vulnerability to natural hazards and the potential for armed conflict within a state.  Some of the work that has been done suggests that both sudden and slow onset hazards do, when conditions are right, increase the potential for violent civil conflict in a state. However more work needs to be done to extend the analysis beyond the suggestion that governments, which have difficulty planning for and responding to natural hazards would also be susceptible to armed conflict, to include civil war.  This research builds on existing work and broadens the discussion of the work being done in order to examine hazard vulnerability and low resilience below the state scale.  The goal of this research is also to frame the relationship between vulnerability to natural hazards and build upon previous work to specifically examine the likelihood for the growth of an insurgency.  In this research, natural and willful hazards in Pakistan are examined along with the physical and human factors that may create conditions in which an insurgency can develop and be sustained.  While not predictive, understanding the dual vulnerabilities - hazards and violent conflict - may assist states and other supporting actors to focus development in areas that will address the negative impacts of natural hazards and correspondingly reducing the vulnerability to insurgent threats.

Keywords: conflict, hazards, insurgency, military geography, vulnerability

You can download my presentation below. Recommended citation for images: "DoD image provided by W. Thompson".

Please email me for a copy of the paper.