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![Patterns of Cell Phone Usage over Time. Source: World Development Indicators [29].](publication/327150094/figure/fig1/AS:662264440963072@1534907555899/Patterns-of-Cell-Phone-Usage-over-Time-Source-World-Development-Indicators-29.png)
Patterns of Cell Phone Usage over Time. Source: World Development Indicators [29].
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A global revolution in information and communication technologies (ICT) has occurred over the past few decades, emerging first in industrialized countries and then in developing countries. While researchers have examined many facets of the ICT revolution, relatively little work has systematically examined the degree to which ICT has reduced natural...
Contexts in source publication
Context 1
... is important to note that over the time period of examination, cell phone use went from virtually zero everywhere to near full saturation across a broad set of countries. As shown in Figure 1, cell phone usage occurred in waves, beginning in the early 1990s in developed countries, with developing countries following about a decade later. To rigorously evaluate the impact of cell phones on mitigating disaster fatalities, we controlled for other factors found to be important in previous studies (Kahn [2]; Anbarci, et al. [1]; Toya and Skidmore [3]; Kellenberg and Mobarak [4], such as landline phone access, income, human capital, trade openness, and size of government. ...
Context 2
... is important to note that over the time period of examination, cell phone use went from virtually zero everywhere to near full saturation across a broad set of countries. As shown in Figure 1, cell phone usage occurred in waves, beginning in the early 1990s in developed countries, with developing countries following about a decade later. To rigorously evaluate the impact of cell phones on mitigating disaster fatalities, we controlled for other factors found to be important in previous studies (Kahn [2]; Anbarci, et al. [1]; Toya and Skidmore [3]; Kellenberg and Mobarak [4], such as landline phone access, income, human capital, trade openness, and size of government. ...
Context 3
... we acknowledge the possibility that other factors such as improved emergency planning, increased information on hazards, improved search and rescue, and improved community responses are to some degree correlated with the emergence of ICT over the last several decades and, thus, partly explain the estimated life-saving effect attributed to cell phones. However, there is little evidence to suggest that these factors changed in the same dramatic fashion as cell phones as shown in Figure 1. Thus, these factors are not highly correlated with cell phone use are, thus, unlikely to bias the estimated coefficient on cell phones. ...
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Citations
... While mobile phone and internet access both play an important role in disaster preparedness in terms of disseminating and receiving warning notifications, mobile phone and internet access also contribute to the coping capacity, post-flood disaster. For example, where emergency assistance is available post disaster, mobile phones and the internet can be useful in helping to dispatch aid to those in need [87]. Additionally, where financial resources are required to aid in recovery, mobile phones can provide a mean for individuals to connect with family and friends for assistance [88]. ...
Social vulnerability is a key component of the risk equation alongside the context of the hazard and exposure. Increasingly, social vulnerability indices are used to better understand and predict the consequences of disasters, and support the development of improved disaster management policies. Humanitarian organisations particularly strive to capture social vulnerability in their decision processes relative to prioritisation of actions before disasters occur. This research supports the Ecuadorian Red Cross in generating a flood-specific social vulnerability index to inform flash flood early action at the Parroquia level in Ecuador. This paper compares the results from the two most common approaches used to create composite indices, one using the weighting of variables from disaster experts’ judgments (referred to as Expert method) and the other using PCA analysis, with one or more components. While all outcomes reveal similar trends in areas where most indicators suggest the lowest (urban areas) or highest (the Amazon and northwest coastal regions) social vulnerability, the research shows that the choice of the method matters for assessing the social vulnerability in the rest of the country where there are less pronounced vulnerability signals. In those areas, PCA-driven indices suggest higher relative vulnerability levels than Expert outcomes. Further, in the Andes particularly, the PCA outcomes result in wider distribution than the Expert outcomes, and therefore more heterogeneity in the vulnerability assessment. While divergence in outcomes suggests particular attention with the use of composite indexes for decision making, our results provide support to understand the sensitivity in flood-specific social vulnerability outcomes spatially. To go further we emphasise the importance of using historical flood impact data to evaluate the contribution of each variable in the final social vulnerability scores.
... DTNs are mainly used to provide basic communication capabilities and disaster relief services to the affected civilians when critical infrastructures for information and communication technologies are unavailable. By spanning multi-hop device-to-device networks, e.g., using WiFi Ad Hoc, they are independent of destroyed communication infrastructure [2], [5]- [9]. Disaster DTNs are typically highly intermittent and fractured networks, and thus, employ communication protocols with robust store-carry-forward approaches to overcome gaps between clusters in the network. ...
... Our model, depending on the resolution of the study area, can be calibrated with actual data to support with policy planning. On a broader level, this could, for example, include information on regional trade and migration, and even social media or cell phone data 70 . Various publicly available datasets on natural disaster impacts include the EM-DAT, and the IDMC, and IOM databases on internal displacement and migration respectively. ...
Natural disasters negatively impact regions and exacerbate socioeconomic vulnerabilities. While the direct impacts of natural disasters are well understood, the channels through which these shocks spread to non-affected regions, still represents an open research question. In this paper we propose modelling socioeconomic systems as spatially-explicit, multi-layer behavioral networks, where the interplay of supply-side production, and demand-side consumption decisions, can help us understand how climate shocks cascade. We apply this modelling framework to analyze the spatial-temporal evolution of vulnerability following a negative food-production shock in one part of an agriculture-dependent economy. Simulation results show that vulnerability is cyclical, and its distribution critically depends on the network density and distance from the epicenter of the shock. We also introduce a new multi-layer measure, the Vulnerability Rank (VRank), which synthesizes various location-level risks into a single index. This framework can help design policies, aimed to better understand, effectively respond, and build resilience to natural disasters. This is particularly important for poorer regions, where response time is critical and financial resources are limited.
... There are also limitations on battery life and the capacity of the mobile network to cope with demand, particularly if damage has occurred to infrastructure. These limitations regarding the use of mobile phones in disasters are also noted by Toya and Skidmore (2018). These authors concluded that increasing use of mobile phones may be connected to a reduction in fatalities related to disasters, however, this conclusion cannot be relied upon as it appears to have confounded correlation with causality, and there are many other factors that may have contributed to this fall in overall deaths. ...
Earthquake preparedness advice, including exercises, aims to reduce injury and increase survivability. However, the relationship between official advice, such as drop-cover-hold, and actions taken during an earthquake has been largely overlooked in previous research. The aim of this study has been to investigate the protective actions that people take during earthquakes, and the influence of preparedness advice, along with variables such as age and gender, on these actions. Two surveys of earthquakes from New Zealand and Japan, and an analysis of earthquake preparedness advice from 67 countries, formed the basis of this study. This approach allowed for comparisons to be made between different earthquake events, using identical methodologies. This research has shown that actions commonly taken include, to seek shelter, stand in a doorway, remain in the same place, or to attempt to leave a building. Not all reported actions are included in relevant official advice and, despite high levels of awareness of current guidance, this did not always translate into recommended actions being taken. Actions most frequently advised in official guidance were to ‘avoid glass or loose and falling objects’ and ‘shelter under furniture’ when indoors, and ‘keep clear of buildings and tall structures’ when outside. The research concluded that behaviour during earthquakes is determined by the interaction of human and environmental factors in addition to the earthquake itself. The efficacy of earthquake advice in its current form was questioned and arguments were made for improving the communication of preparedness messages with more positive, action-orientated messaging. Additionally, messaging needs to address the requirements of a variety of groups in society. It is further suggested that disaster risk reduction experts acknowledge that people will not always behave as advised during an earthquake, and to incorporate this into their planning.
... Technological investment can also enhance early warning systems that significantly contribute to reduced vulnerability. A recent study suggests that an increase in cell phone usage can substantially reduce disaster fatalities, with an even more significant impact on marginalized communities (Olugbenga & Owolabi, 2014;Toya & Skidmore, 2018). ...
Floods increasingly threaten disadvantaged communities around the globe. When limited financial resources are available, nature-based and community-based incremental adaptation that codifies existing actions and behaviours can help protect people and assets through risk reduction management. These adaptation measures mainly rely on non-financial capital that can be appropriate alternatives when financial resources are limited, especially within the context of disadvantaged communities. There are, however, challenges in implementing such adaptation measures, including differential power relationships that might lead to misallocation of benefits. We propose a polycentric governance framework that can enhance stakeholder engagement and mobilize various forms of non-financial capital to trigger a web of incremental adaptation measures through four support mechanisms: technological investment, institutional enhancement, knowledge production, and environmental protection. We further discuss how various facilitating factors, including (i) communication and transportation infrastructure, (ii) flexible laws/regulations, (iii) risk communication, and (iv) environmental restoration, can increase the likelihood of success in application of the framework. A successful application of the proposed framework also necessitates development of a research agenda around suitable non-financial metrics for monitoring and evaluating the performance of the proposed strategies. In addition, learning from new developments in general societal protection and resilience in communities with relatively large financial capital and experiences of practicing polycentric governance in disadvantaged communities may facilitate the implementation of polycentric governance-based disaster risk reduction globally.
Key policy insights
• In communities with limited financial resources, nature-based and community-based incremental adaptation (IA) can help protect people and assets through risk reduction management.
• The proposed polycentric governance framework can enhance stakeholder engagement and mobilize various forms of non-financial capital to trigger a web of IA measures.
• Technological investment, institutional enhancement, knowledge production, and environmental protection are the foundational support mechanisms for a successful IA.
• Communication and transportation infrastructure, flexible legal and regulatory frameworks, risk communication, and environmental restoration are the four principal facilitating factors embedded in our proposed approach to enable IA.
... Thus, there is an emerging body of literature that considers the role of cell phones and internet in disaster vulnerability and mitigation. Using cross country data on natural disaster fatalities, Toya and Skidmore [54] found that cell phone access/use reduces disaster-induced fatalities. Samarajiva and Waidyanatha [55] evaluated mobile technologies in Sri Lanka and they concluded that disaster risk reduction could be improved using mobile application and used to leverage the explosive diffusion of the technology even among the poor in developing countries. ...
Hurricanes and extreme weather events can cause widespread damage and disruption to infrastructure services and consequently delay household and community recovery. A subset of data from a cross-sectional survey of 989 households in central and south Florida is used to examine the effects of Hurricane Irma on post-disaster recovery eight months after the landfall. Using logistic regression modeling, we find that physical damage to property, disruption of infrastructure services such as loss of electric power and cell phone/internet services and other factors (i.e., homeowner’s or renter’s insurance coverage, receiving disaster assistance and loss of income) are significant predictors of post-disaster recovery when controlling for age and race/ethnicity.
... Ganpat, Narine, and Harder (2017) reported Information Communication Technology (ICT) development and dissemination has been supported by Caribbean governments. While the ICT revolution was created in the industrialized world, the most dramatic impacts are illustrated in developing countries by enabling the expansion of vast communication networks without traditional cable infrastructures (Toya & Skidmore, 2018). ...
... Crisis communication must be a top priority for developed and developing nations to protect the wellbeing of the people. As a country transitions through phases of development, it reduces the vulnerability to natural disasters by allocating greater resources to safety (Toya & Skidmore, 2018), ICTs have played an essential role in enhancing communication in the Caribbean. Most disasters are unpreventable, but their effects can be mitigated (O'Brien et al, 2006). ...
Tropical Cyclone Idai ripped through Malawi, Madagascar, Mozambique and Zimbabwe in mid-March 2019. Hundreds of lives were lost and a lot more remain unaccounted for. This study investigates the extent to which Zimbabwe’s information and communication technology (ICT) is ready for disaster risk reduction (DRR) application and management. The focus was on Chimanimani District, where Cyclone Idai hit eastern Zimbabwe on 15 March 2019. This work further investigates the damage to ICT infrastructure and its resilience to the cyclone. Through the use of a questionnaire survey, interviews, document analysis and field observations, it emerged that Zimbabwe’s application of ICT in early warning systems remained low and ineffective due to the lack of appropriate equipment and expertise and unreliable electricity supply. In Chimanimani, some mobile network service providers’ base stations were flooded and communication was cut off completely, while mobile penetration at household level is near 100%. Grid electricity was also cut off for close to 1 month, with secondary impacts on charging mobile devices and signal coverage. Mobile phones and social media platforms such as WhatsApp were widely used at all DRR cycle stages, while radio provided the widest reach in terms of public announcements. From these findings, we recommend that authorities should invest heavily in modernising national weather forecasting ICT and promote the use of mobile phones as one of the platforms for DRR, especially in early warning. There is also the need to raise disaster awareness and preparedness among communities in Chimanimani.
