Coping with the 1996 Tornado in Tangail,Bangladesh: An Analysis of Field Data

On May 13, 1996, a disastrous tornado hit the Tangail district of Bangladesh, killing more than 700 people and causing extensive damage to homes, crops, and livestock. This paper explores and analyzes how tornado victims adjusted to this destruction. Data collected from two study sites show that victims received emergency assistance from people both in neighboring areas and from more distant areas, as well as from government agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). At both sites, NGOs played the leading role in minimizing the hardships of victims through extraordinary disaster relief and rehabilitation efforts. Because of the extensive support received, the tornado victims were able to return to their “normal” lives very quickly. This study concludes with several recommendations to help cope with future tornado disasters.     

Relief assistance to 1998 flood victims: a comparison of the performance of the government and NGOs

With increasing support from the international community, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have played an important role in Bangladesh since the early 1970s in providing emergency assistance to disaster victims. After observing widespread corruption and misuse of relief aid by the Bangladesh government in 1974 and subsequent years, external sources began to channellize emergency assistance to the victims through NGOs. Realizing that NGOs were usurping its authority over external disaster assistance, the government looked for opportunities to demonstrate its ability to deliver services to victims. An opportunity came in July 1998 when Bangladesh experienced a devastating flood. Using data collected from 348 households in 11 villages, this paper compares support received by the respondents from the Bangladesh government and NGOs during and immediately after the flood. Respondent opinions regarding emergency relief distribution suggest that both sources performed satisfactorily and an overwhelming majority of them thought that the government performed better than it had previously in distributing relief assistance to flood victims. Following an analysis of the survey data, this paper discusses the policy implications for future disaster assistance efforts in Bangladesh and elsewhere.     

Where are the sustainable forestry projects?: A geography of NGO interventions in Ecuador

For the past 25 years, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have sponsored an increasing number of sustainable development projects in poor rural areas, but the overall pattern of NGO development efforts has remained too difficult to discern. This paper tries to clarify the geographic dimension of NGO led sustainable development efforts through a mapping of NGO sponsored sustainable forestry projects in Ecuador. The mapping and associated analysis reveals considerable unevenness in NGO efforts with people intensive projects clustering near cities and government assisted projects spread more evenly across all rural areas.     

泥石流易发区灾害可接受程度对比研究 ——以云南东川和甘肃舟曲为例

以云南东川和甘肃舟曲两个泥石流易发区为例,通过问卷调查和统计分析,对比两地区公众对泥石流灾害后果关注程度和对泥石流灾害可接受程度及其影响因素的异同。研究结果表明：① 东川公众最关注财产损失,舟曲公众最关注疾病发生,两地区公众对环境破坏和房屋损失的关注程度都较高。② 东川公众对泥石流灾害发生次数（简称次数）和每年愿意支付的防灾保险费用（简称保险费用）可接受程度高的人数百分比高于舟曲公众;舟曲公众对泥石流灾害提前预告时间（简称预告时间）、居住地到泥石流灾害点距离（简称距离）可接受程度高的人数百分比高于东川公众。③ 两地区公众对 “次数”的可接受程度最低,对“保险费用”的可接受程度最高,对“预告时间”和“距离”的可接受程度中等。④ 两地区公众对泥石流灾害可接受程度有共同影响的因素包括：年龄对“距离”的影响,性别对“次数”和“距离”的影响,文化程度对“预告时间”和“保险费用”的影响,收入对“次数”“距离”和“保险费用”的影响。其它影响泥石流可接受程度的因素,两地区公众各有差异。     

Spatial and Temporal Characteristics of Tornado Path Direction*

Common perception is that tornadoes travel in paths from the southwest quadrant of directions toward the northeast. This study examines path directions for 6,194 tornadoes that occurred in the eastern two‐thirds of the United States during the twenty‐three‐year period 1980–2002. At the national scale, nearly 70 percent of tornadoes included in the study propagated from the west, west‐southwest, and southwest, with west‐southwest being the highest frequency origin direction. Nevertheless, distinct seasonal and regional variations were found. In central and northern areas of the country, a more westerly or northwesterly path origin prevails during late spring and summer. The midtropospheric flow, convective typology, and synoptic patterns of tornado outbreaks are thought to contribute to the distributions observed in the climatology.     

Nature,Affordability, and Privacy as Motivations for Exurban Living

Current demographic trends indicate that the 21st century will be one of exurban growth as more Americans seek out countryside home sites and their accompanying lifestyles. Two of the literature's conventional wisdoms regarding exurban migration motivations are critically examined in this study: (1) exurbanites are seeking home sites in close proximity to natural places, and (2) exurbanites are drawn to countryside areas because of the affordability of such locations. This study uses 34 snowball-sampled, semistructured interviews from Indiana and Illinois exurbanites to examine these two commonly held beliefs. Subjects reported that the natural environment did not primarily motivate their moves. Current home sites were, however, attractive due to their perceived affordability. The main, and remarkable, finding of this study is the strong desire for privacy that drew people to exurbia. The desire for privacy was cited as a main motivator by a large majority of the subjects interviewed.     

甘肃河西地区历史遗址分布及其自然环境背景

研究历史遗址的空间分布,有助于深入了解历史时期人类活动与自然地理环境的关系,从而更加科学有效地管理和保护历史文化遗址.以河西地区3654处历史文化遗址为研究对象,结合当时的历史文化背景,在GIS技术的支持下,对河西地区历史文化遗址的空间分布特征及其自然影响因素进行了研究.结果 显示:研究区历史文化遗址受自然环境的影响较...     

A TORNADO CLIMATOLOGY FOR INDIANA

Analysis of data collected between 1950 and 1995 in the state of Indiana indicates that the state experiences an average of nearly 19 tornadoes each year, which occur on approximately 8 or 9 days during an average year. Analysis of storm dimensions indicates that the annual probability of a point location in Indiana being impacted by a tornado is 1.4 × 10^-4 per year. The largest number of the more intense tornadoes (F2 and higher) typically occur from March to June, during the afternoon and evening, although tornadoes have been observed in each month of the year and each hour of the day. Inter-annual variability of tornadic events in Indiana is large and may reflect both physical causes (e.g., the variability of cyclone passages or jet stream location) and recording bias (e.g., increased public awareness during the 1950s). Using the data set from Indiana, statistical analyses of the temporal and spatial variability of tornadoes are undertaken. Analyses of tornado reports by county indicate that, in addition to area and population, surface roughness is a significant determinant of event frequency. Analyses presented herein also indicate that in contrast to previous studies, (1) no statistically significant hebdomadal cycle of tornado reporting is evident in the data and (2) the diurnal cycle of tornado records is evident for all F-scale classes and is not confined largely to the weak tornado categories. Analyses of the physical dimensions and F-scale ratings of tornadoes in Indiana indicate that there has been a decline in reported tornado intensity, width, and length between 1950 and 1995. These changes are in accord with evidence of a decreasing number of reports of strong and violent tornadoes across the United States over this period and appears to be principally a result of reporting biases at the beginning of the record. [Key words: tornado climatology, temporal and spatial variability, reporting bias.]     

ZG市非接触型诈骗被害相对发生概率的性别差异

利用ZG市老城区2015~2016年具有个人属性的诈骗警情数据,分析女性和男性遭受非接触型诈骗相对接触型诈骗的发生概率,建立多层次Logit回归模型研究其影响因素的差异。结果表明,两性别非接触型诈骗被害的相对发生概率均受制于个体和社区两个层次因素的影响,且社区层次均发挥主要作用。其中,女性和男性在个体层次的影响因素类似,表现为本地户籍的高水平受教育者在白天更易遭受非接触型诈骗的侵害。但在社区层次的影响因素迥异,在外来人口少、银行网点少、离婚丧偶率低、有高校的本地年轻人为主的社区,女性非接触型诈骗被害相对发生概率高;而在租房比例高、农业人口少、大型零售商业网点少、低教育水平人口比例少的外来中高收入白领为主的社区,男性非接触型诈骗被害相对发生概率则更高。     

Safety Measures after the 2011 Joplin,Missouri, Tornado

Immediately following the May 2011 tornado, the city of Joplin, Missouri, initiated recovery efforts to rebuild the part of the community devastated by this event. In doing so, city officials introduced two new safety measures and recommended several others. The main objective of this paper is to explore the tornado survivors' compliance with the safety features recommended by the Joplin city authorities. Face‐to‐face interviews, as well as other methods, were used to survey respondents who were living within the tornado path (damage zones) at the time of the tornado. Results showed that 43 percent of all respondents implemented at least one recommended tornado measure in rebuild or repair their destroyed/damaged homes. Further, it was found that three variables considered here— rebuild or repair, damage zone category, and perceived tornado risk—were all significant contributors to a homeowner's decision to implement recommended tornado safety measures. The paper concludes with a recommendation for expanding tornado safety education among the respondents.     

A GIS Analysis to Evaluate Areas Suitable for Crushed Stone Aggregate Quarries in New England,USA

Aggregate is a low unit-value mineral commodity. Costs to move aggregate from the mine site to the point of use is a large fraction of the resource cost to users. Production sites for aggregate occur where suitable source materials exist and where transportation and market conditions are favorable. The increasing demand for aggregate and the difficulty of developing and permitting new sites and of renewal of permits on existing sites of aggregate production indicates that aggregate will be supplied from sources yet to be developed or delineated in many areas. Site development and permitting for aggregate production is difficult because many land management plans and zoning actions fail to anticipate prospective source areas for aggregate in a way that is consistent with both the source rock quality and the transportation and socioeconomic factors that define the economic viability of the industry. Spatial analysis provides a method to integrate both geology and economic (transportation and marketplace) parameters in a regional model. Weights of evidence (WofE) analysis has been used to measure the spatial correlation of geologic map, transportation network, and population data with current production sites for crushed stone aggregate in the New England region of the northeastern United States. Weighted logistic regression (WLR) is used with the WofE results to rank areas in terms of their relative suitability for production of crushed stone. Spatial analysis indicates that 85% of the 106 crushed stone aggregate quarries in New England are sited within 1.6 km (1 mile) of either a principal highway or rail line in the region. Seventy-eight percent of crushed stone aggregate quarries are sited in census tracts with population densities exceeding 100 people/mile². These relations illustrate the importance of proximity to both transportation corridors and developing areas where aggregate is predominately used. Only one active crushed stone quarry is located in a census tract with a population density less than 15 people/mile², reflecting the lack of sufficient market demand in many rural areas to develop an operation there. However, since 1990, almost all new quarries have been developed in census tracts with population densities less than 200 people/mile², indicating the difficulty of permitting new quarry sites in highly populated areas. Crushed stone aggregate is produced predominately from three hard rock types that are distributed widely in New England; 28% of sites use granitic rock, 25% use carbonate rocks, and 25% use mafic rock types that are categorized as trap rock by the aggregate industry. The other crushed stone aggregate sources include a variety of fine-grained metamorphic rock types. Carbonate rocks and Jurassic basalt (the primary trap rock source) are the most prevalent source rocks on an area-weighted basis. Spatial analysis can be used on a regional scale to rank areas by their relative suitabilityfor crushed stone aggregate production based on geology, transportation, and population parameters. The results of this regional analysis can identify areas for more detailed evaluation. As transportation or population features change, the model can be revised easily to reflect these changes.     

鄂尔多斯高原秦汉遗址空间分布及环境指示意义

人类活动遗址是反映过去人类生产、生活环境的重要指标。基于野外调查、文献资料整理和城市地理学相关理论,分析了鄂尔多斯高原168处秦汉聚落遗址的空间分布特征。结果表明,遗址空间结构呈典型的十字模式分布,其中心为今东胜区、伊金霍洛旗所在。秦汉遗址的分布密集区,以鄂尔多斯高原东部的黄土丘陵山地、毛乌素沙地和库布齐沙漠的中间地带为主。库布齐沙漠流动沙丘区没有遗址分布,毛乌素沙地内部尽管分布有不少遗址,但规模相对较小,不存在大型遗址,可能只是区域连接的中转站,不具备区域中心功能。这一分布模式或表明毛乌素沙地在秦汉时期的环境并不宜居,该研究为长期以来鄂尔多斯高原秦汉时期人类活动的环境影响争论提供了新视角。     

The relation between accessibility,diversity and indigenous valuation of vegetation in the Bolivian Andes

A quantitative ethnobotanical study was conducted in the semi-arid Bolivian Andes community of Apillapampa to evaluate the impact of site accessibility on the diversity and perceived usefulness of (sub-)woody plants. Vegetation was sampled in thirty-six transects of 50 × 2 m², whereas data on plant uses were obtained from 13 local Quechua participants. Accessibility of sample sites correlated negatively with plant diversity, but positively with perceived usefulness. Hence, in spite of being less diverse, vegetation of more accessible sites was perceived as more useful to people than vegetation of more remote and also more diverse sites. This result contributes to the validity of the widely accepted notion that “more accessible plant resources are more useful to people”, not only at the level of individual plant species, but also for entire vegetation communities. In this respect, our finding that people attribute an equal usefulness to the vegetation of two local ecological zones (i.e. prepuna and puna) most likely reflects their similar accessibility from the village centre, which is located on the edge between both zones.     

Fostering women's participation in development through non-governmental efforts in Cameroon

Women constitute 52 per cent of the population of Cameroon and play a very crucial role in the development of society at all levels. Unfortunately, they function from a subordinate position inherent in both traditional and state institutions. Women's empowerment is currently an issue of national concern and both state and international efforts at mainstreaming women in development have so far produced mixed results. The 'grassroots' approach of NGOs has been effective in reaching women at all levels. Activities of NGOs have had far reaching but mixed effects in meeting both practical and strategic gender needs. This paper examines case studies of NGOs and women's empowerment in Cameroon, and highlights their successes, with regard to improved access and welfare and their limitations, with regard to conscientisation, participation and control.     

Factors for the presence of avian scavengers in Accra and Kumasi, Ghana

Avian scavengers are common and active in the social life of southern Ghana, yet few studies consider both the ecological factors for avian presence and the avian–human interactions from human gender and age perspectives, and compare avian behaviour in both human-dominated and natural landscapes. This paper examines interactions between people, hooded vultures and pied crows in Accra and Kumasi, Ghana using both ecological and social research methods. Land use was classified for species presence into meat and waste production, vegetable marketing, non-food production, residential and central business areas, green spaces and rural areas. One hundred and eighty-four people were interviewed, classified according to age and gender. Hooded vultures and pied crows were more common in urban than rural areas, and their presence was positively correlated with human numbers. Birds were most common in meat and waste production areas, but also foraged for street discards in non-food production and residential areas, and were most rare in rural areas. Bird consumption of waste was viewed positively, while eating of other foods, close proximity and unusual behaviours were viewed negatively. Both species, especially the larger vultures, were feared as spiritual agents, this measured by odd behaviours. Women and older people had stronger beliefs, due to cultural conditioning. These human perspectives and reactions influenced avian presence. This study contributes to urban avian ecology, socio-cultural studies and urban planning.     

Race and (Online) Sites of Consumption

Due to the hybrid nature of material and digital spaces, more decisions are being made online that have a direct effect on offline actions. This is increasingly true for the locations where people are choosing to consume goods and services such as restaurants or retail outlets. The growth of the GeoWeb—personal data uploaded to certain Internet sites such as social media platforms—has established large databases showing the locations where people go during their daily lives for the purposes of consumption. One such repository is the social network, Foursquare, which people use to display their physical location to their friends, digitally. In looking more closely at datasets from Foursquare overlaid with information on racial characteristics in census tracts, a pattern emerges: predominantly African‐American tracts are increasingly left out of this type of online participation. This paper will compare Foursquare data from several U.S. cities to discuss the implications of being left off of social media platforms tied to economic activity. It is likely that these virtually invisible areas will have a direct impact on the economic vitality of their physical counterparts     

居民就业可达性的空间分布及对收入的影响——基于上海都市区的实证研究

基于第六次人口普查、第二次经济普查和问卷调查数据,定量描述和分析了上海都市区内部以街道为空间尺度的就业可达性及其空间格局,探讨了劳动者的工资收入与居住区位就业可达性的关系。结论表明：上海市的居民就业可达性呈现相对均衡的多中心分布格局,与北京就业可达性单中心的分布格局有明显的不同。同时,在控制个人经济社会属性和地区属性的条件下,上海的居民就业可达性对居民个人收入水平具有显著的正向影响。这一结论的政策含义是,地理区位较差的住房有损于居民收入,可能是吸引力不足的重要原因之一;政府通过提高地区的居民就业可达性,有助于改善就业机会,促进居民个人收入的增加。     

Cloud-to-ground lightning signatures of long-lived tornadic supercells on 27–28 April 2011

This study integrates past research methodologies, data from the National Lightning Detection Network (NLDN), and geographic information system techniques to assess the lightning and severe weather hazard relationship for the 27–28 April 2011 United States tornado outbreak. NLDN and Doppler radar data are used to examine the cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning characteristics associated with seven supercell thunderstorms that produced long-track, significant and/or violent tornadoes. Analyses indicate that CG lightning flashes alone do not provide enough information for the detection of a lightning jump prior to tornadogenesis. All seven supercells were dominated by negative-polarity CG lightning flashes; which is expected due to the geographic location and elevated low-level moisture found in the outbreak environment. The correlation between low-level mesocyclone strength and total CG lightning flash rate was varied and inconsistent among all storms despite their formation and sustenance in similar environmental and geographic space. Additional case studies, as well as climatological approaches, are required to discover if the varying lightning–tornado relationships found in this study are consistent with other tornadic environments.     

Ethnic and Racial Differences in Tornado Hazard Perception,Preparedness, and Shelter Lead Time in Tuscaloosa

The 27 April 2011 EF4 Tuscaloosa tornado directly impacted more than 50,000 residents, causing forty-five fatalities within the city and sixty-five in total. It was a rare urban tornado with varying impacts on the three major ethnic and racial groups within the city. A hybrid survey and interview of open-ended and closed questions was conducted with 211 Tuscaloosa area residents in a two-week period after the tornado. Results indicate significant differences in risk perception, preparedness, and shelter lead time among the three ethnic and racial groups. Furthermore, results were still significant for perception after controlling for the effects of age, education, and experience.     

ATLANTA IN THE TELECOMMUNICATIONS AGE: THE FIBER-OPTIC INFORMATION NETWORK

This paper addresses the role of the Atlanta metropolitan area as a telecommunications center based on the use of fiber optics. The major focus is on the intrametropolitan layout of this network, including fiber-optic access points, downtown and suburban fiber loops, and the location of data service and teleservice centers. The aim is to identify congruence between high-technology firms and fiber-optic lines that produce clustering within the metropolitan region. Atlanta has a dense fiber-optic infrastructure in place in the CBD-Midtown area and in several corporate clusters in the suburbs. A number of fiber-optic carriers compete in the Atlanta market—including BellSouth, with approximately 400,000 miles of fiber-optic cable—giving Atlanta more miles of optic fiber than any other metropolitan area in the United States. This extensive fiber network bestows fresh advantages to old downtown property and businesses and creates burgeoning opportunities in the suburbs as it literally undergirds the growth of edge cities at such locations as Perimeter Center and Cumberland-Galleria. Long-established Atlanta firms such as Coca-Cola have drawn fiber sites to themselves, whereas sites on fiber-optic loops attract new businesses seeking ready backbone and broadband access to other metropolitan areas in the United States and cities around the globe. This study also focuses on Atlanta's position within the U.S. intermetropolitan telecommunications hierarchy, where the metropolitan area ranks sixth in total number of backbone connections with other U.S. Metropolitan areas. [Key words: Atlanta, fiber optics, telecommunications.]