ROTARY INTERNATIONAL AND ITS ROLE IN INTERNATIONAL DISASTER RELIEF AND DEVELOPMENT

Rotary has launched DRRAG, the new Disaster Relief Rotary Action Group. DRRAG is designed to help Rotarians contribute to preparedness in a timely and effective manner before a disaster and to participate in response, relief, recovery and rebuilding coordination after a disaster: to help save lives, alleviate suffering, stimulate recovery and mitigate hazards.

This paper by DRRAG CEO Lee Malany summarizes the vision and scope of DRRAG.

Comments by LeGrand L. Malany
Distinguished Panelist for 1st North American Rotary Disaster Workshop
A concept paper prepared for the 1st North American Rotary Disaster Workshop, New Orleans, Louisiana January 11-13, 2007

ABSTRACT: Polio Plus proved that Rotary can be a leading, catalytic and effective global force to improving world conditions. This paper explores another important and needed global focus for which Rotary is uniquely qualified and structured – Disaster Relief and Development. This paper focuses on two dynamics regarding disaster relief and development which are exceptionally suited to Rotary: (a) providing the local bonding to make international relief and development programs sustainable in developing nations; and, (b) providing the worldwide business participation management structure for effective and coordinated private sector action and capacity building assistance to developing countries.

This paper addresses the potential role of Rotary in relief and development within the context of the international arena rather that a national one. Although there are great similarities between relief and development in other countries (as the parallelisms between Katrina in the Southern United States and the October 8, 2006, earthquake in Northern Pakistan shows), I think our initial discussion should address national and international relief and development separately, at least initially [...].

Use of High-Performance parallel supercomputers to conduct probabilistic seismic response analysis of a building structure

NEESit featured my Ph.D. research (see pdf) on their website (NEESit website). We used structural analysis programs to make an earthquake collapse analysis of a building. Such software are extremely useful in the seismic assessment of existing buildings which were in many cases designed and built prior to 1980s in absence of seismic codes. In particular the so-called "non ductile" buildings represent a common practice foe many seismic prone Countries. Engineers also call them "killer" buildings. An initiative called "Concrete Coalition" (http://www.concretecoalition.org/) has been launched to identify these potential killer buildings in the Los Angeles area.

Structural model of the Bonefro building

In this research (see abstract) we made use of two powerful tools provided by NEES: the supercomputing resources of TeraGrid at the San Diego SuperComputer Center and the structural modeling capabilities of OpenSees parallel. Our goal was making a probabilistic seismic response and collapse assessment of the Bonefro Building. The structure was heavily damaged in the Molise 2002 earthquake. We used the framework developed within the PEER Performance Based Earthquake Engineering methodology (http://www.peertestbeds.net/) to practice the probabilistic assessment on this reinforced concrete structure.

San Diego Supercomputer Center at UCSD (http://www.sdsc.org).

Structural analysis software helps seismic evaluation of non-engineered buildings in developing countries

Source: Computers and Structures International http://www.csiberkeley.com/images/article_img1.jpg

The Great Southern California Shakeout & the Los Angeles International Earthquake Conference

The conference was organized by Dr. Fuad Bendimerad, leader of EMI-Earthquake Megacities Initiative (http://www.emi-megacities.org). In the picture Ellis Stanley, LA Councilman Greig Smith, LA mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, Dr. Fouad Bendimerad. The conference organizers and participants announced the Great Southern California Shakeout Drill for the next day www.shakeout.org.

"Addressing Earthquake risk of Developing Countries", Brian Tucker presents at Torrey Pines La Jolla Rotary Club

Torrey Pines (La Jolla) Rotary Club - Brian Tucker of GHI - Geohazards International (www.geohaz.org)

"The earthquake risk in developing countries is large and growing rapidly. Unless something is done to reduce it, developing countries will suffer human and economic losses far greater than these countries have experienced in the past. Given the “shrinking” of the world, these losses will affect developed countries as well. GeoHazards International (GHI) is a Palo Alto-based, nonprofit organization that has attempted to reduce the death and suffering caused by earthquakes in the world’s most vulnerable communities, through advocacy, preparedness, and mitigation. Disaster response, recovery and reconstruction, which attract so much attention and resources after earthquakes strike, are not the work of GHI. Instead, GHI works before earthquakes to raise awareness, strengthen local institutions, and launch various mitigation activities, particularly in schools and hospitals. This is how to reduce death, suffering and economic losses. GHI and its partners around the world have achieved some success: because of our work, thousands of school children are safer, hundreds of cities are now aware of their risk, the seismic hazard of dozens of cities have been assessed, and numerous local organizations are more capable to manage their communities’ earthquake risk. But there is disturbing evidence that the rate at which earthquake risk management is improving, globally, is woefully inadequate. As GHI continues its work to improve risk management in developing countries, it has launched an effort to recruit new allies, such as the Rotary Clubs, for ideas and support." (Brian Tucker).


Brian Tucker received a B.A. in Physics, a Ph.D. in Earth Sciences from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego and a Masters in Public Policy from Harvard University. He headed the Geological Hazards Programs of the California Geological Survey from 1982 to1991. In 1991, he founded GeoHazards International (www.geohaz.org), a nonprofit organization working to reduce the risk of natural hazards in the world’s most vulnerable communities through preparedness, mitigation and advocacy. He is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Seismological Society of America. In 2000, he was honored for his service to the people of Nepal by the King of Nepal, and, in 2002, was named a MacArthur Fellow. In 2007, he received the U.S. Civilian Research and Defense Foundation’s George Brown Award for International Science and Technology Cooperation and was elected a Fellow of the California Academy of Sciences.

Breakfast with Brian Tucker and rotarians Steve Brown and Fary Moini of La Jolla Golden Triangle RC.

Rotary - Peace is possible

I am officially one of the 60 recipients of a Rotary World Peace Fellowship (link). "What do peace and international relations have in common with earthquake science and engineering structures?". How can a science background fit into international relations and development? This idea has developed in several conversations with different people from the Academia and the industry involved in earthquake engineering, and also many Rotarians from Italy as well as from San Diego. Among others, the work of Brian Tucker of GeoHazards International who is leading a passionate crusade against seismic disasters, has been extremely inspirational. I recommend reading this ARTICLE. The experience as a Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar in San Diego, stimulated my interest in humanitarian programs, and the Rotary leadership of District 2120 and District 5340 (thanks to Gaetano Laguardia, Riccardo Mancini and Vito Casarano, who encouraged and sponsored my candidature, and also to Philippe Lamoise and Donald Yeckel) made me find out about the program. This helped me think how modern earthquake engineering technology and international relations could work together towards global seismic mitigation.

Rotary District 5340 - Pathways to Peace committee