A comparative study: Accreditation of universities' disaster risk management for health promotion.

BACKGROUND: Risk management processes accreditation in emergencies and disasters can determine the effectiveness and efficiency of these processes. Universities, as the highest level of education, should provide a safe environment for educational services and activities of these people. AIMS: The present study aimed to review and compare different accreditation models for emergencies and disaster risk management in selected countries. Reaching other accreditation models together and identifying their similarities and differences, along with considering the implementation of each model, can significantly help the countries which aim to design and develop a risk management accreditation model or upgrade their models. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this qualitative comparative study, the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Japan, and South Africa were selected based on research criteria. A literature review compared university emergency and disaster risk management accreditation models. The obtained data were collected in a researcher-made matrix, and a content analysis method was used for data analysis. Differences and similarities of selected countries in the fields of accreditation program(s), accreditation institute, start year, obligation, accredited organizations, number of criteria, criteria titles, accreditation focus, accreditation stages, number of stages, scoring method, and ranking method were compared. RESULT: Designing a local model for the accreditation of disaster risk management in universities based on the crisis management system in each country can lead to improving the level of responsiveness and quality of services in emergency situations and health promotion.

Mutual Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic and the Recent Earthquakes: A Scoping Review of the Lessons Learned.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to review the articles dealing with the mutual impacts of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and the recent earthquakes to elicit the various scopes of the lessons learned including the challenges, the successful measures, and the recommendations. METHODS: To detect the relevant studies published between February 1, 2020, and June 9, 2021, PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar were searched. Having considered specific inclusion/exclusion criteria, 18 studies were included. RESULTS: Seven major earthquakes have occurred concurrently or before the pandemic era in Albania, Croatia, Haiti, Great East Japan, Mexico, Nepal, and Utah. Thematic analysis revealed 5 themes for the "challenges" (management inefficiency, increased life-threatening, economic, socially related, and dual psychological challenges); 4 themes for the "efficient response measures" (health-care services measures, government measures, community-based cooperative activities, and disaster management response); and 3 major themes with 7 sub-themes for the "recommendations" including "the mitigation phase" (identifying probable natural disasters), "the preparedness phase" (preparing necessary equipment), and "the response phase" (mental care response measures, health-care-related COVID-19 measures, economic improvement measures, recognizing community-based capabilities, and government-related boosting measures). CONCLUSIONS: It is suggested that these scopes of the mutual impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the earthquakes be studied in systematic reviews.

Disaster Risk Assessment Among Iranian Exceptional Schools.

BACKGROUND: Exceptional children, like other children, have the right to be educated in a safe environment. Disasters are considered as serious issues regarding safety and security of educational environments. Following disasters, vulnerable groups, especially children with handicaps and disabilities are more likely to be seriously injured. Thus, the present study aimed to evaluate the safety and disaster risk assessment of exceptional schools in Tehran, Iran. METHOD: The cross-sectional study was conducted in exceptional schools in Tehran, 2018. First, 55 exceptional schools in all grades were selected based on census sampling method and evaluated by using a checklist designed by Tehran Disaster Mitigation and Management Organization (TDMMO) and Ministry of Education in 2015. The data were analyzed using Excel software and statistical descriptive tests. RESULT: Based on the results, school facilities are worn and have unsafe elevators (least safety: 7.69%), yards (least safety: 9.52%), laboratories (least safety: 16.67%), libraries (least safety: 24.24%), fire extinguishing systems (least safety: 28.99%), and storage rooms and kitchens (least safety: 33.33%) which require immediate considerations. In total, the safety of exceptional schools in this study was 70.13%, which suggests medium-risk level. CONCLUSION: The educational settings must be reconsidered, along with identifying the risk and safety at school. In addition, a standard should be established for evaluating safety, especially in exceptional schools.

Analysis of the Man-Made Causes of Shiraz Flash Flood: Iran, 2019.

Flood is the most common natural hazard in Iran, which annually affects the environment and human lives. On March 25, 2019 in Shiraz-Iran, following a heavy rainfall, the occurrence of a flash flood caused an extensive number of deaths, injuries, and vehicle demolitions in a short time. Evidence suggests that man-made causes of the incident, including unsustainable urban development and lack of early warning services, have played a more influential role compared with its natural causes. This study has attempted to substantiate that understanding disaster risks, as the first priority of Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR) 2015-2030, directly impacts the decisions and actions of policymakers, local authorities, and the public. To provide more safety, mitigation, and disaster risk reduction, attention should primarily be paid on making a cultural paradigm shift through providing sufficient training in developing appropriate disaster risk perception in the community at large.

The Challenge of Affordable Housing in Disasters: Western Iran Earthquake in 2017.

In November 2017, a disruptive earthquake occurred in Western Iran. After the major earthquake in Kermanshah, most affordable buildings such as a hospital in Islamabad and a dozen schools were destroyed. According to experts, a dangerous location (construction on the fault), poor quality of concrete, inappropriate connection of the facade to the structure, the use of undesirable construction materials, and low quality of non-structural components are considered as the main reasons for these damages. Regarding the role of government in the developing countries, construction policies should be modified and new policies should be implemented to enhance the structural and non-structural resilience in the buildings.