Guðrún Gísladóttir and Guðrún Pétursdóttir NORDRESS 26.nov. 2014
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New Trends in Societal Security research in the Nordic countries 26 - 27 November 2014 in Stockholm
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Guðrún Gísladóttir and Guðrún Pétursdóttir NORDRESS 26.nov. 2014
- 1. NORDRESS Nordic Center of Excellence on Resilience and Societal Security Guðrún Gísladóttir and Guðrún Pétursdóttir University of Iceland Institute of Life and Environmental Sciences /Institute for Sustainability Studies ggisla@hi.is, gudrun@hi.is New trends in societal security research in the Nordic countries. 26 - 27 November 2014
- 2. NORDRESS A new NCoE under the Nordic Societal Security Programme http://www.nordforsk.org/en/news/two-new-nordic-centres-of-excellence-in-societal-security NORDIC COOPERATION ON CIVIL SECURITY:
- 3. NORDRESS will focus on • Societal security and resilience under the impact of natural hazards i.e. extreme weather, floods, landslides, avalanches, volcanic eruptions, forest fires, etc. as opposed to intentional (terrorism, war etc.) and manmade hazards (technological, industrial etc.) • These are natural hazards impacting all the Nordic countries from local to trans-boundary levels. • The study will be interdisciplinary, adopting methods and viewpoints of natural, social and health sciences. NORDIC COOPERATION ON CIVIL SECURITY:
- 4. 16 Nordic partners Emphasis on added Nordic value by ensuring transnational participation in all WPs Participants Country University of Iceland Iceland Icelandic Meteorological Office Iceland Iceland Civil Protection and Emergency Management Iceland Icelandic Coastguard Iceland SAReye – Software for Search and Rescue Iceland Center for Crisis Psychology, Bergen Norway National Center for Psychotraumatology, University of Southern Denmark Denmark Norwegian University of Science and Technology Norway Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland Denmark Norwegian Geotechnical Institute Norway Swedish Geotechnical Institute Sweden Copenhagen Center for Disaster research/ Copenhagen Business School Denmark Finnish Meteorological Institute Finland University of Eastern Finland Finland Oslo and Akershus Univ. Coll. of Appl. Sciences (NOVA) Norway Malmö University Sweden Aalborg University Denmark
- 5. Increasing impacts of disasters • Natural disasters more than quadrupled since 1985 • 440 million people affected by natural hazards in 2011. • density of populations and constructed facilities, • human activity in hazardous zones, • extreme weather events, • effects of one event leading to others, • climate change may lead to increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather, • poor land use management and policy/decision making, • poorly understood effects of natural hazards on mental and physical health. NORDIC COOPERATION ON CIVIL SECURITY:
- 6. Resilience At all stages of the cycle of emergency management: prevention, preparedness, response and recovery. : Source: Barnier M., 2006. http://ec.europa.eu/archives/commission_2004-2009/president/pdf/rapport_barnier_en.pdf
- 7. Resilience at different societal levels Resilience derives from the intricate interplay between individuals, communities, institutions and infrastructures NORDIC COOPERATION ON CIVIL SECURITY:
- 8. Individual resilience • Growing awareness of the importance of assessing long-term effects of trauma on survivor’s health. • In particular Post traumatic stress disorder NORDIC COOPERATION ON CIVIL SECURITY:
- 9. WP3.1 long-term health effects of disasters • The problem: Studies on the long-term health effects of disasters are rare and results inconclusive. • Important to investigate specific health effects of natural disasters on survivors to identify risk factors for long-term suffering as well as protective factors. • The study: WP3.1 will investigate long-term physical and psychological health following natural disasters, • emphasizing predictors of recovery.
- 10. WP 3.2 Children in natural disasters – health and risk communication • The problem: Little known about health effects of natural disasters on children, or how they react to risk communication. • The study: WP3.2 will investigate: • Specific health effects of natural disasters on children • identify and optimize ways of communicating with children about natural disasters and • Investigate potential demographic differences in risk perceptions, reactions and understanding. NORDIC COOPERATION ON CIVIL SECURITY:
- 11. WP3.3 Psychosocial support and intervention • The problem: Most people recover quickly from post-disaster mental health problems. However, to serve the long-term suffering minority there is a need for effective and accessible interventions, which function well for large populations. • The study: WP3.3 will • compile a historical overview of psychosocial support following natural disasters in the Nordic countries, • develop ways of providing psychosocial support, • develop disaster focused intervention programs NORDIC COOPERATION ON CIVIL SECURITY:
- 12. Community resilience Communities play a vital role during and after a disastrous event. The aim is to increase community resilience by understanding risk perception, hazard communication, and community coping as well as strengthening public participation in hazard monitoring and early warning. NORDIC COOPERATION ON CIVIL SECURITY:
- 13. WP 4.1 Unpacking and measuring community resilience The problem: Need to explore the concept of community resilience in relation to natural hazards in a Nordic context and identify relevant indicators. The study: How is resilience composed? Which factors contribute to community resilience? How can aspects of community resilience be measured? How can community resilience be strengthened? NORDIC COOPERATION ON CIVIL SECURITY:
- 14. WP 4.2 Risk perception • The problem: Understanding, awareness and effective communication about natural hazards and risks are vital for appropriate preparedness both among the general public and policymakers. • The source of information and method of delivery are of key importance. NORDIC COOPERATION ON CIVIL SECURITY:
- 15. WP 4.2 Risk perception The study: A comparative Nordic study of how risk perception to natural hazards is affected by demographic, technical and societal factors. • How do policymakers and emergency managers utilize current knowledge and how is it best communicated? NORDIC COOPERATION ON CIVIL SECURITY:
- 16. Task 4.3 Participatory early warning and monitoring systems • The problem: Early warning and monitoring systems are sparse in many hazardous areas, making it difficult to issue timely public warnings or follow the process of hazardous events. • The public can provide in-situ photographs of water levels, snow banks, forest fires, or other phenomena. • Critical infrastructure stakeholders can also upload local time series of e.g. water levels. NORDIC COOPERATION ON CIVIL SECURITY:
- 17. Task 4.3 Participatory early warning and monitoring systems • The study: The study will investigate novel ways of expanding various monitoring techniques with network-based public participation. • The goal is to incorporate public observations into existing monitoring networks and real time modelling and forecasting systems.
- 18. WP5 Infrastructure resilience • Essential infrastructure vulnerable to natural hazards includes transport. • Reduce effects of extreme weather, landslides and avalanches on roads/railways • Reduce the vulnerability of air traffic to volcanic eruptions.
- 19. Infrastructure resilience − WP 5.1 Slope failures and transport infrastructure − WP 5.2 Snow avalanches on transport infrastructure − WP 5.3 Flooding and coastal erosion − WP 5.4 Arctic offshore challenges − WP 5.5 Air traffic to volcanic eruptions NORDIC COOPERATION ON CIVIL SECURITY:
- 20. WP5.1 Mitigation of risk posed by slope failures on transport infrastructure • The problem: Slope failures impact roads and railways in Nordic countries. • The frequency and intensity of these events may increase with climate change. • The study: Analysis of factors contributing to transport infrastructure vulnerability and resilience in the Nordic countries. • Risk analyses for selected engineered slopes and embankments to identify main sources of vulnerability. NORDIC COOPERATION ON CIVIL SECURITY:
- 21. WP 5.2 Mitigation of risk posed by snow avalanches on transport infrastructure • The problem: Snow avalanches threaten lives and societal infrastructure. • Mitigation includes physical and non-physical measures. • Physical measures are very costly and inflexible while prediction models need to be improved to increase their reliability.
- 22. WP 5.2 Mitigation of risk posed by snow avalanches on transport infrastructure • The study: Model to estimate 24 hr probability of snow avalanche hitting a road. • Map existing mitigation measures to reduce risk. • Detailed cost effectiveness analysis of physical protection measures versus use of monitoring and warning in selected places.
- 23. WP5.3 Risk assessment and prevention for flooding and coastal erosion in extreme weather • The problem: Lacking regional compilation of extreme weather effects. Flooding and risk assessment only performed locally in many places. • Prevention measures decided locally without structured follow-up and evaluation. • Climate change impacts likely to have different effects on various hazard risks in different Nordic regions. The uncertainty of predictions has to be communicated to stakeholders and the public. NORDIC COOPERATION ON CIVIL SECURITY:
- 24. WP5.3 Risk assessment and prevention for flooding • The study: Guidelines for risk assessment and preventive measures developed, including land use and coastal planning. • Statistics compiled on consequences of flooding and storm events in vulnerable areas, including uncertainty analysis in relation to model based predictions.
- 25. WP 5.4 Arctic offshore challenges • The problem: Increased tourism, shipping and offshore oil exploration in the Arctic create new dangers. • Prepare prevention, response and recovery from disasters in Arctic waters.
- 26. WP 5.4 Arctic offshore challenges • The study: • Mapping current hazards in Arctic waters. • Analyse planning, execution and evaluation of SAREX in the Arctic. • Develop a concept for computer-assisted cross-boundary table-top SAREX in the Arctic for future exercises. • International rescue hub in Iceland
- 27. WP 5.5 Vulnerability of air traffic to volcanic eruptions • NORDRESS will form a joint collaboration platform between on-going FP7 projects FutureVolc and Enhance in order to improve aviation preparedness and response to volcanic eruptions.
- 28. Institutional resilience • The overarching question of WP6 is: Can the societal resilience of the Nordic countries be improved through changes in legal and regulatory frameworks and enhanced institutional cooperation? NORDIC COOPERATION ON CIVIL SECURITY:
- 29. WP 6.1. Review and enhance institutional framework for natural hazard management • The Problem: Lacking overview of how natural hazards are managed in the Nordic countries. • Resilience towards natural hazards cannot be safeguarded with centralized top-down approaches. • Proper natural hazard management needs to be activated at all stages of the society. NORDIC COOPERATION ON CIVIL SECURITY:
- 30. Institutional framework • The Study: A review of the current management regimes, for handling natural hazards in Nordic countries. • Identification of options for improvement: • how is natural hazard risk assessment incorporated into land use planning in the Nordic countries? • how are public or private insurance compensation regimes designed? • how can these measures be coordinated and improved? NORDIC COOPERATION ON CIVIL SECURITY:
- 31. WP 6.2 The Nordic Welfare system • The problem: Poorly defined role of the Nordic welfare systems in natural disasters. • Roles of social services are not fully outlined. • Need for long-term response plans, typically governed by municipalities and social services in cooperation with health care services. NORDIC COOPERATION ON CIVIL SECURITY:
- 32. WP 6.2 The Nordic Welfare system The study will focus on the following questions: • Are social services included in emergency plans in the Nordic countries? • What roles do and could social services play? • Is there need for a better integration of the welfare and civil protection systems?
- 33. Training and mobility Strong emphasis on training and mobility for all Nordic Social Security Academy will provide mobility grants and fund courses The NSSA will be open to courses on societal security on a broad level, not only pertaining to natural hazards.
- 34. NORDRESS will improve resilience in the Nordic countries by providing science based recommendations to relevant authorities Thank you! NORDRESS management and WP leaders: Adriaan Perrels, Arna Hauksdótttir, Ask Elklint, Atle Dyregrov, Christian Jaedicke, Farrokh Nadim, Guðmundur Freyr Úlfarsson, Guðný Björk Eydal, Guðrún Gísladóttir, Guðrún Jóhannesdóttir, Guðrún Pétursdóttir, Haakon Lein, Hans Jörgen Henriksen, Harpa Dís Jónsdóttir, Ingibjörg Lilja Ómarsdóttir, Morten Tanning Vendelö, Per Danielsson, Sigrún Karlsdóttir.
Notas del editor
- Various stakeholders will be involved; scientists, people working in offices, insurance companies, civil protection officials, planners, coastguards, rescue people etc..........
- During the last 30 years, the number of registered natural disasters worldwide has more than quadrupled. In 2011 440 million people were affected by natural hazards worldwide. The increasing impact of disasters is mainly due to increased density of populations and constructed facilities, human activity in hazardous zones, extreme weather events and cascading effects of one event leading to others. The frequency and intensity of extreme weather may increase due to climate change; and negative effects of natural hazards augmented due to poor land use management and policy/decision making; and poorly understood effects of natural hazards on mental and physical health.
- Resilience is an overarching concept that infiltrates the current understanding of societal security. in NORDRESS resilience must infiltrate the entire cycle of emergency management: prevention, preparedness, response and recovery.
- Individuals contribute to society’s robustness with strong physical and mental health and personal preparedness, while active communities reveal the potential of people working together informally to cope with the impacts of natural hazards on everyday life. Society is bound together by infrastructures that strengthen the overall societal resilience through communication, critical lifelines, energy, and logistics. In return, these infrastructures support the workings of institutions that create formal frameworks for legal and political responsibility. For the purpose of analysing, we view societal resilience as being composed of four different dimensions which are all important for societal resilience. In this context they simply represent analytical tools and it is equally relevant to study the interplay among individuals, communities, infrastructures and institutions: How do, for instance, institutions support individual resilience or how do infrastructures influence the resilience of communities?
- The WHO disaster guidelines emphasize the importance of follow-up especially on how survivors benefit from post-disaster and community response. PTSD one of the most serious mental health problem following disasters. can, if left untreated, become persistent and develop to more severe physical and mental outcomes.
- The majority of studies on trauma and health focus on other potentially traumatic events, such as war and abuse. WP3.1 will emphasize injuries, respiratory health (following volcanic eruptions), PTSD, anxiety, depression, psychological stress, sleep related problems and other psychosomatic morbidity. Emphasis on predictors of recovery (demographics, familial and societal support, preparedness and restoration factors).
- The problem: Little known about health effects of natural disasters on children, or how they react to risk communication about potential or happened disasters. Furthermore it is not known at what age or state of development they start accessing and reacting to news about disasters in the media. The study WP3.2 will a) study specific health effects of natural disasters on children and b) identify and optimize ways of communicating with children about natural disasters, and c) investigate potential demographic differences in risk perceptions, reactions and understanding.
- The problem: Most people recover quickly from post-disaster mental health problems. However, to serve the long-term suffering minority there is a need for effective and accessible interventions, which function well for large populations. The study: WP3.3 will a) compile a historical overview of psychosocial support following natural disasters in the Nordic countries, b) develop novel and efficient ways of providing and distributing psychosocial support (self-help, telemedicine, new technology, cell phones (apps) etc.,) and c) develop disaster focused intervention programs, such as school based educational programs and web based psychotherapy (evidence based methods).
- Communities (neighbourhoods, villages or municipalities) play a vital role during and after a disastrous event. The capability of local communities to prepare for, act during, and recover after a crisis is commonly referred to as community resilience. How can community resilience be increased by understanding its nature, and improving stakeholder awareness, communication and participation? In Community resilience we will focus on social capital and community competence as well as communication of risk information before, during and after disasters, as community resilience depends on effective interaction between scientists, other experts, the general public, media, emergency managers and policy makers. Surveys will be carried out to explore the role of community resilience in the phases of prevention and preparedness (monitoring, risk perception, training/exercises, and early warning), and disaster response and recovery (evacuation and coping capacity).
- The problem: The concept of community resilience in relation to natural hazard has not been much explored in a Nordic context and relevant indicators remain to be identified and investigated. The study: How is resilience constituted and enacted across a set of Nordic communities. Which factors contribute to community resilience and which community resources can be mobilized in a crisis situation? How can aspects of community resilience be measured? How can community resilience be strengthened? Case studies will be performed in Nordic communities that have experienced disasters to explore the role of community resilience in the phases of prevention, preparedness, response and recovery. A common set of issues will be explored to allow comparison a) according to hazard type, b) between communities with and without previous disaster experience c) between the Nordic countries.
- The problem: Understanding, awareness and effective communication about natural hazards and risks are vital for appropriate preparedness both among the general public and policymakers. Authorities need to utilize public as well as scientific knowledge to gain understanding of potential hazards and learn how best to warn the public. Experience has shown that different groups respond differently to warning messages. The source of the information and the method of delivery are of key importance. The understanding of how to warn the public and communicate knowledge effectively is relevant for disaster prevention. Improved understanding of the public´s reaction plus proactive work feeds into the capacity building of the relevant authorities. By analyzing the past and ongoing experiences this part of the project focuses on improving communication between scientists, authorities, media, and the general public. The integrated approach will contribute to improved risk management practices and tools and improve the effective communication of hazard warnings.
- The study: A comparative Nordic study of how risk perception to natural hazards is affected by demographic, technical and societal factors. Through which channels and from which sources do people get their information and which sources of information do they trust best? To what extent do types of channels and sources and type of information affect the inclination to pro-act or react? How do policymakers and emergency managers utilize current knowledge and how is it best communicated? The understanding of how to warn the public and communicate knowledge effectively is relevant for disaster prevention. Improved understanding of the public´s reaction plus proactive work feeds into the capacity building of the relevant authorities. By analyzing the past and ongoing experiences this part of the project focuses on improving communication between scientists, authorities, media, and the general public. The integrated approach will contribute to improved risk management practices and tools and improve the effective communication of hazard warnings. A survey will be carried out among general public, and we will interview and monitoring local residents and visitors, local authorities, infrastructure managers, civil protection authorities, and relevant NGOs. If full scale evacuation and disaster management exercises will be carried in the Nordic countries we will participate and monitor.
- The problem: Early warning and monitoring systems are sparse in many hazardous areas, making it difficult to issue timely public warnings or follow the process of hazardous events. While water level data can contribute to accurate real time modelling of hazardous events and enable improved forecasts of damage on critical infrastructure hours or days before the hazard occurs, lack of or sparse early warning and monitoring systems in many hazardous areas, make it difficult to issue timely public warnings or follow the process of hazardous events. The public can provide in-situ photographs of water levels, snow banks, forest fires, or other phenomena. For flooding hazards, water level data can make real time hydrological modelling of flooding more accurate and enable improved forecasts of damage on critical infrastructure hours or days before the hazard occurs. Improved participation can encourage the public to respond to warnings and be better prepared for flooding hazards, and allow critical infrastructure stakeholders to better navigate in hazard situations. Critical infrastructure stakeholders can also upload local time series of e.g. water levels and flow measurements to a real time modelling system.
- The study will include a review of different participatory early warning, monitoring and modelling systems and techniques, focussing on the merits of real-time public participation in the communication of, for instance, changing groundwater and river levels. Next, case studies are selected in the Nordic countries for developing and testing participatory early warning systems and preparation of stakeholder involvement plans targeting critical infrastructure stakeholders. This will be followed by a review of user needs from experts within the consortium as well as from the public, emphasizing design and piloting of a web interface prototype so that different types of hazards can be handled and visualized (allowing uploading of local observations). In the next phase we will develop a method for compiling, processing and quality assuring the uploaded data in datasets to facilitate statistical analyses, develop flooding indicators and data assimilation techniques to protect critical infrastructures. A prototyped web interface will be tested in cooperation with experts from the consortium and observers who have uploaded the data. The goal is to incorporate public observations into existing monitoring networks and real time modelling and forecasting systems so that: more timely and accurate warnings can be issued; more comprehensive compilations of damage effects targeting various critical infrastructure are received; and public risk perception and hazard awareness are improved; people´s adaptive capacity will be improved, building public confidence in governmental monitoring efforts and improving regional –land use planning and hazard mitigation.
- Land-, sea-, and air-based transports are all parts of essential infrastructure vulnerable to natural hazards. The generic question dealt with in WP5 is: What measures can reduce the vulnerability of land- or sea-based transport infrastructure to extreme hydro-meteorological events? Similarly, we will look at the vulnerability of air traffic to volcanic eruptions.
- The problem: Every year a number of incidents and accidents related to slope failures impact the roads and railways in Nordic countries. These can be rock falls, landslides in natural or engineered slopes, or failure of road or rail embankments triggered by hydro-meteorological events like heavy precipitation and temperatures oscillating around zero. The frequency and intensity of these events may increase in the future with climate change. Key vulnerability factors include aging constructions, poor maintenance, poorly dimensioned drainage systems, human activity changing runoff patterns and poor communication and coordination between infrastructure owners and land developers, which may be affected by legislation and institutional setup. The study: Based on the existing damage data, an analysis of factors contributing to transport infrastructure vulnerability and resilience in the Nordic countries will be carried out. For selected engineered slopes and embankments, risk analyses will be performed to identify main sources of vulnerability. This will be done through case studies, modelling and stakeholder interaction. We will in particular investigate the impact of poor land use practices that e.g. may change runoff patterns during precipitation events.
- The problem: Norway, Sweden and Iceland all face dangers of snow avalanches that may threaten lives and societal infrastructure, including transport. Mitigation includes physical measures such as protection walls and non-physical measures such as prediction and warning. Physical measures are very costly and inflexible while prediction models need to be improved to increase their reliability.
- The study: To improve warning, a probabilistic snow avalanche exposure model will be developed to estimate probability of an exposed road/railway being hit by a snow avalanche in the coming 24 hours. The model will consider triggering and run-out and will be calibrated using existing snow avalanche data. Existing mitigation measures reducing risk to transport infrastructure will be mapped. Detailed analysis will be carried out of selected cases considering cost effectiveness of physical protection measures versus use of monitoring and warning, including an analysis of the cost of "false alarms" when transport lines are closed.
- The problem: In many places regional compilation of the effects of extreme weather and flooding is lacking and risk assessment is only performed locally. Similarly, prevention measures are also decided locally without structured follow-up and evaluation of their effectiveness. Climate change impacts are likely to have different effects on various hazard risks in different Nordic regions. While a 100-year flow event in some areas may become a 20-year event in the future, the uncertainty of such predictions has to be communicated to stakeholders and the public.
- The study: By comparing best practices in the Nordic countries, guidelines for risk assessment and preventive measures will be developed, including ecosystem based adaptation as well as land use and coastal planning with a holistic perspective. Statistics on the consequences of flooding and storm events in vulnerable areas will be compiled, including uncertainty analysis in relation to model based predictions.
- The problem: Increased tourism, shipping and offshore oil exploration in the Arctic following climate change and emerging technologies create new dangers due to extreme weather, uncharted waters and lack of infrastructure. It is important to prepare the prevention of, response to and recovery from disasters in Arctic waters and suggest infrastructural improvements to address these challenges.
- The study: Current hazards and vulnerabilities in the Arctic (offshore) will be mapped. An on-site observation will be conducted of the planning, execution and evaluation of SAREX in the Arctic, to investigate existing modes of imagining, discovering and reacting to emerging offshore hazards and vulnerabilities in the Arctic. We plan to develop a concept for computer-assisted cross-boundary table-top SAREX in the Arctic. By surveying the state of the field and best practices from other regions and activities the aim is to provide the involved countries with better tools for future table-top exercises. Finally we conduct a feasibility study on an International Rescue Hub at the former US Naval Air Station in Keflavik, Iceland, with the aim of creating more permanent infrastructure supporting Mass Rescue Operations in the Arctic. A Mass Rescue Operation (MRO) is one that involves a need for immediate assistance to large numbers of persons in distress such that capabilities normally available to SAR authorities are inadequate.
- NORDRESS will form a joint collaboration platform for investigating the effects of volcanic eruptions on societal security, in particular on air transport By bringing together partners from the on-going FP7 projects FutureVolc and Enhance. FUTUREVOLC is a 26-partner project that aims for improved monitoring and evaluation of volcanic hazards, ENHANCE investigates the impacts of volcanic ash on air travel.
- The Problem: A comparative and comprehensive overview of how natural hazards are managed in the Nordic countries is lacking and required. In a modern complex and dynamic society resilience towards natural hazards cannot be safeguarded with centralized top-down approaches. This means that activation across society and inherent incentives to proper natural hazard management (at all stages) are key characteristics. This, in turn may cause new challenges, e.g. regarding responsibilities and accountability for different public (state, municipality) and private (businesses, home owners, insurances) actors. This is underscored by various controversies regarding responsibility for hazard events ending up in court, as well as by the troubles some of the Nordic societies have in designing and implementing legislation concerning management of natural hazard and insurance of impacts of natural hazards. Also the handling of uncertainty, the role of experts and scientists, and the degree of information access merit attention, as was shown by the trial of Italian earthquake specialists in relation to the L’Aquila earthquake in 2009.
- The Study: A review of the current management regimes, for handling natural hazards in Nordic countries, focusing on scales of governance, risk-sharing policies, risk mitigation strategies, land use planning, incentive structures, and types of stakeholder participation. The identification of options for improvement A) how is natural hazard risk assessment incorporated into land use planning in the Nordic countries?; B) how are public or private insurance compensation regimes designed?; C) how can these measures be coordinated and improved to clarify responsibility, reduce conflicts, maintain or promote equity, and incite preventive behaviour and decision making?
- The problem: The role of the Nordic welfare systems when natural disasters occur, are poorly defined. Emergency response plans and the civil protection systems do include the health systems in their mitigation and emergency plans, but the roles of social services are not fully outlined. These services are usually provided at municipal level and in case of disasters such services are of vital importance to the inhabitants. Furthermore, studies show a need for long-term response plans, which are typically governed by municipalities and social services in cooperation with health care services.
- The study will focus on the following questions: Are social services included in emergency plans in the Nordic countries? What roles do and could social services play? Is there need for a better integration of the welfare and civil protection systems? The study will build on the results of an on-going study on the role of the Nordic welfare state in times of disasters. Based on those, cases of best practices will be chosen for further studies from each participating country.
- NORDRESS will strengthen training, education, and mobility through the Nordic Social Security Academy which will provide mobility grants for NORDRESS partners and fund courses for graduate students, policy makers, rescue workers, media, and others that Nordic academics, emergency management experts and other relevant agents are prepared to offer. The NSSA will be open to courses on societal security on a broad level, not only pertaining to natural hazards.