Challenges in Crisis and Disaster Management

Challenges in Crisis and Disaster Management

PSC 700, PAI 700, ECS 600, GEO 700

Wednesday, May 18 – Friday, May 20, Maxwell School, Syracuse

Monday, May 23 – Friday, May 27, Washington, DC

Margaret (Peg) Hermann,

Randy Griffin,

Keli Perrin,

Crises and disasters are unwelcome but also unavoidable features of modern society. They can emerge within any domain, may be of human or of natural origin, and can last anywhere from hours, to days, to months and beyond. While sometimes the crisis itself is the undoing of an organization or society, it is the way that we respond to crises that often makes the difference between catastrophe and greater resilience. Challenges in Crisis and Disaster Managementwill examine the dynamics and processes that occur as policy makers, scientists, engineers, and citizens struggle to cope with crisis and disaster situations. We will identify the reasons why crises and disasters are so difficult to deal with as well as identify skills and practices that have proven to be effective in forecasting, preparing for, managing, communicating about, and learning from crises. A wide range of crises will be examined across the course including: humanitarian emergencies, political instability and civil unrest, terrorism, natural disasters, health pandemics, industrial accidents, financial crises, and foreign policy fiascos. The workshop is dynamic, offering a combination of seminars, group exercises, and site visits. The course is led by Margaret (Peg) Hermann, Randall Griffin, and Keli Perrin and will include a number of guest lectures by other specialists and practitioners in the field.

CLASS REQUIREMENTS

1. Class Participation: 30% of final grade

The class participation grade will include your record of attendance and the quality of your contributions to class discussion, exercises, and group presentations. It is expected that all students will attend all class sessions.

2. Group Presentations on Assigned Case Study: 40% of final grade

Zika Virus
Flint, Michigan Water Crisis
Migration Crisis in Europe
Crisis at Fukushima Nuclear Plant

3. Final report: 30% of final grade

The final report is intended to be your reflections on the lessons you have learned about managing crises and disasters both inside and outside of our class meetings in Syracuse and Washington, DC. These reports are due by 5 pm on Friday, June 3 EDT to .

SCHEDULE MAY 18 - 22

Wednesday 5/18 / Thursday 5/19 / Friday 5/20
9:30-10:00 / Introductions / Case Study Meetings / Case Study Meetings
10:00 AM – 11:15 PM / Introduction to Crisis and Disasters; Case Studies
Peg Hermann / Problems of Infrastructure Vulnerability and Resilience
Anne Mosher / Resilient Infrastructure
Laura Steinberg
11:30 PM – 1:00 PM / How Policy Makers Deal with Crises
Eric Stern / Risk Assessment
Keli Perrin / Leadership and Decision Making
Peg Hermann
1:15 PM – 2:30 PM / First Responders
Randy Griffin
2:30-3:00
Case Study Meetings / Crisis Communications
Danielle Cummings
2:30-3:00
Case Study Meetings / The US Emergency Management System
Keli Perrin
2:30-3:00
Case Study Meetings

SCHEDULE MAY 23 – 27

Mon, 5/23 / Tues, 5/24 / Wed, 5/25 / Thurs, 5/26 / Fri, 5/27
09:30 AM – 10:00 AM / Case Study
Meetings / Case Study Meetings / Case Study Meetings / Case Study Meetings / Groups 12 Case Study Presentations
10:00 AM – 11:15 AM / Case Study
Presentations / Barry Scanlon, DCMC Partners, FEMA Andrew to Katrina / Steve Hagerty, Hagerty Consulting / James Schwartz,
Dep County Manager Arlington County. – 9/11/01 Pentagon response / John Koerner, CBRNE Branch Chief, Health & Human Services
11:30 PM – 1:00 PM / Lunch at the Beacon Hotel / Travel & Box Lunches / Travel & Box Lunches / Travel & Box Lunches / Lunch at the Beacon Hotel
Groups 34 Case Study Presentations
11:30-12:00
1:00 PM – 3:00 PM / Nancy Suski, Lawrence Livermore Labs & Georgetown U. Formerly in DHS Science & Technology / FEMA NRCC
500 C St SW
Chris Blaz / Fairfax County Emergency Operations Center,
POC Sulayman Brown / Pentagon Force Protection
Lt. Reggie Kim

GROUP ASSIGNMENTS

Zika Virus

Hui Chen

Jack Gall

Catalina San Martin

Flint, Michigan Water Crisis

Jared Cohen

Claude Jordy

Simon Navarro

Jiayi Zhang

Crisis at Fukushima Nuclear Plant

Alison Cridge

Mireille Koukjian

Heng Yang

Migration Crisis in Europe

Martha Biede

Yasushi Sakuramoto

Gretchen Wesche

Yuexin Zhang

Students will have opportunities to meet on their case studies at the beginning and end of class throughout the course. They will be expected to relate what they are learning in the course to their cases in their presentations to the class. These presentations will occur in the morning on Monday, May 23 and on Friday, May 27. In the presentations, members of each group should find ways for each member to be engaged in the presentation. We expect that you will be using materials from the web in doing your case studies. Each student will do a report at the end of the class reflecting on lessons learned about crisis and disaster management during the course of the class.

BACKGROUND READINGS

The readings below are all available on Blackboard under the course number. They are listed below under the phases of the crisis management cycle.

Overview of Topic:

Boin, A. and ‘t Hart, P. (2003) Public Leadership in Times of Crisis: Mission Impossible? Public Administration Review63: 544-553.

Boin, A. and Legadec, P. (2000) Preparing for the Future: Critical Challenges in Crisis Management. Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management 8. Check also

Bayton, B.W. (2010) Crisis Management. In International Encyclopedia of Peace. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Risk Assessment:

Department of Homeland Security. (2011) Risk Management Fundamentals: Homeland Security Risk Management Doctrine. Washington, DC.

Mitigation and Preparedness

Agurrie, B. (2007) Dialectic of Vulnerability and Resilience. Georgetown Journal on Poverty, Law , and Policy 14(1).

McConnell, A. and Drennan, L. (2006) Mission Impossible? Planning and Preparing for Crisis. Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management14(2).

Parker, C.E., Stern, E., Paglia, E., and Brown, C. (2009) Preventable Catastrophe” The Hurricane Katrina Disaster Revisited. Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management 17(4).

Starr, S. (1999) Ethnography of Infrastructure. American Behavioral Scienctist43(3).

Response

Department of Homeland Security. (2008)National Incident Management System. Washington, DC.

Boin, A. et al. (2005) Chapter on Sense Making. From The Politics of Crisis ManagementCambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Hermann, M.G. and Dayton, B.W. (2009) Transboundary Crisis Management through the Eyes of Decision Makers. Journal of Contingencies and Crisis Management 17(4): 235-241.

Kittl, D. F. (2003) Contingent Coordination: Practical Theoretical Puzzles for Homeland Security. American Review of Public Administration33:253-277.

Recovery and Learning

Boin, A., et al. (2005) Chapter on Lessons Learned. From The Politics of Crisis Management. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Sander, D. and Hansen, D. (2004) Learning Under Pressure. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory13(2).

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

Remember that it is your responsibility to ensure that your participation in this course complies with the terms of the Syracuse University Academic Integrity Policy. See:

It is also important to remember that the field experience in Washington, DC is an academic requirement of this course. Our expectation is that each student will act in a professional and responsible manner at all times during this experience. Given the numberof interaction that we will be having with practitioners during the time we are in Washington, DC, we will all be cast into the role of ambassador for Syracuse University. Our trip represents a wonderful opportunity to make new professional connections and perhaps lay the groundwork for future collaborations.

Please note that plagiarism is defined at SU as the representation of another's words, ideas, programs, formulae, opinions, or other products of work as if it were one's own, either overtly or by failing to attribute them to their true source" (Syracuse University Bulletin 2003-2004: p. 2).