International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction
Volume 9, In Progress (September 2014)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/22124209/9

Multipurpose uses of cyclone shelters: Quest for shelter sustainability and community development
Original Research Article
Pages 1-11
Mohammed Ziaul Haider, Md. Firoz Ahmed
Abstract
This study tries to identify multipurpose uses of cyclone shelters at Morelgonj and Sarankhola upazila under Bagerhat district of Bangladesh for the quest of shelter sustainability and surrounding community development. Focus Group Discussion (FGD), questionnaire survey and consultation with stakeholders are executed to accomplish the study. The findings demonstrate that people of the shelter catchment areas prefer to consider the shelter as a service providing center instead of a production center. This study finds that decorator service, van rent service with garage and repair facilities, and venue for meeting/training hold the top-three positions, respectively among various alternatives for economic development of the people living in the shelter catchment areas. The quantitative analysis results indicate that a better road infrastructure and access to electricity encourage cyclone shelter-centric space rent related activities, whereas, access to electricity and road infrastructure discourage ‘Shelter Management Committee’ initiated business and production activities in a cyclone shelter, respectively. The study results indicate that shelter-wise yearly income may vary from 400 to 2000 US$ during 2013–2015. The study also finds that exploring cyclone shelter-centric income generating activities solely from a business motive may hamper the prime objective of the shelter – providing shelter to disaster affected people. Therefore, exploring income generating activities through multipurpose uses of cyclone shelters need to be done carefully.

Revisiting the concept of development, disaster and safety management: The Quranic perspective
Review Article
Pages 26-37
Azizan Ramli, Mazlin Mokhtar, Badhrulhisham Abdul Aziz
Abstract
Economic development is accompanied by the use of an increasingly complex technology, especially in the process of industrialization. The technological threats will cause an unpredictable event such as industrial accident or even the worst scenario, industrial disaster. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to provide an overview linking the literature on how Islam views the objective of development as well as the industrial disaster and safety management system. To our knowledge, most of the studies with regard to disaster and safety management are technical and administrative oriented. The angle of spirituality and religiosity is always being disassociated, especially with what commonly is regarded as worldly affairs. In this paper we tried to discuss what Islam says about industrial disaster and safety of industrial activities and how it relates to Allah׳s commandment. We also highlighted the story about disasters from the Quran in brief and drawn the lessons learned. The risk assessment process relating to safety matter was also discussed alongside the priority (-awlawiyyat) and comparison (-muqaranah) approach. The sources of information are academic articles and books, religion texts, and internet websites. To this end, in order to incorporate the spiritual approach into the industrial disaster and safety management system, the tripartite concepts of vicegerency (-al-istikhlaf), cooperation for righteousness (-al-ta’awun) and consultation (-shura) are introduced.

Implementing a web-based decision support system for disaster logistics: A case study of an evacuation location assessment for Indonesia
Original Research Article
Pages 38-47
Rika Ampuh Hadiguna, Insannul Kamil, Azalika Delati, Richard Reed
Abstract
Decision support systems have increasingly played a critical role in disaster logistics. This study outlines the processes required to build an effective and reliable decision support system to assess the feasibility of public facilities during an evacuation after a disaster has occurred. The purpose of this study is to build a model of a web-aided decision support system to assess the extent to which public facilities can be used as evacuation centers for the victims of an earthquake and/or tsunami. An outcome from this research is an innovative system with direct web-based accessibility, involves many decision-makers and employs multiple criteria and inputs. Even though the system has been specifically designed for evacuation scenarios in Indonesia, the system can be used for disaster scenarios in other countries as well. There are several stages in this study where the first stage identifies and selects attributes, assembles a comprehensive computer application, and employs object-oriented programming (OOP), verification and validation of the system. The role of information systems and decision support systems are critical when informing decision-makers about evacuation location alternatives and to assess their feasibility immediately after a disaster occurs. The results from this study confirm that this system can provide critical and timely insights into complex evacuation scenarios. An additional benefit of this system is the user-friendly web-based application ensuring data access from any global location with internet access.