The landscape of disaster film, 2000-20.

The general public's understanding of disasters is influenced by the portrayal of such events in popular culture. Disaster films have remained a core attraction in this regard. A systematic assessment of the most recent disaster film cycle (that is, from January 2000-December 2019) is warranted, therefore, to gain insights into the current landscape of the genre and to comprehend better the imagery that people encounter onscreen. This study evaluated 173 disaster films and found that most depict natural hazards and global catastrophes despite films about monsters and smaller-scale disasters being the most popular. It provides a foundation for future research on the relevance of disaster films to disaster scholarship and emergency management practice. And it offers a starting point to analyse the role of disaster films in shaping the meaning and experience of disasters, generally, and the layperson's understanding of disasters and emergency management, including expectations of responder agencies and organisations.

Emergency management pandemic planning: An analysis of state emergency plans.

Conventional wisdom holds that pre-event planning is a key factor in effective disaster response. In assessing the response to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, it is necessary to evaluate the extent to which emergency management agencies were prepared to respond to a pandemic, particularly given the unusual nature of this event, ie, scope, scale, and length of response. While emergency management agencies at every level of government have been involved in the COVID-19 response, state-level governments have taken on a prominent and atypical lead-ership role. This study assesses the extent and role that emergency management agencies planned for a pandemic scenario. Understanding the extent to which state-level emergency management agencies planned for an event like the COVID-19 pandemic and what they anticipated their roles to provide insight for future revisions in pandemic planning. This study addresses two related research questions: RQ 1: To what extent did state-level emergency management agencies account for a pandemic in emergency management response plans prior to COVID-19? RQ 2: What was the planned role of state-level emergency management agencies in the response to a pandemic? An analysis of state-level emergency management plans found that, although all states with available emergency management response plans included pandemics, there was significant variation in the extent of the inclusion, and the role prescribed for emergency management. Public health and emergency management response plans were congruent with respect to the planned role of emergency management.

Rethinking our approach to gender and disasters: Needs, responsibilities, and solutions.

OBJECTIVE: To explore how the existing literature has discussed the vulnerability and needs of women in a disaster context. It will consider the literature's suggestions of how to minimize vulnerability and address the needs of women, including who involved in emergency management should be responsible for such efforts. DESIGN: Empirical journal articles and book chapters from disaster literature were collected that focused on "women" or "gender," and their results and recommendations were analyzed. RESULTS: This review found existing empirical research on women during disasters focuses on their vulnerabilities more than their needs. Second, when researchers do suggest solutions, they tend not to be comprehensive or supported by empirical evidence. Finally, it is not clear from existing research who is responsible for addressing these needs and implementing solutions. CONCLUSIONS: Future research should study the intersection of gender and disasters in terms of needs and solutions including who is responsible for implementing solutions.