CHAPTER 12 – LIVING THROUGH A DISASTER
TRUE/FALSE
1. The dynamics of human behavior during disasters are quite simple to predict.
2. When the efforts of the various teams are coordinated, disaster response and recovery can move
forward in a more orderly manner.
3. The details of most disasters frequently reach local television news and newspapers.
4. Each social group with which the response teams interact has its own agenda, fears, and goals related
to the disaster.
5. It is good to focus on fighting with special interest groups during a disaster to protect the integrity of
the organization being attacked.
6. A history of negative dynamics and poor relationships can haunt a disaster recovery effort.
7. The procedures for developing, implementing, and testing a disaster recovery plan can do nothing to
help reduce the complexity of a disaster.
8. There should be at least three leaders in each debriefing session; they should all prepare separate notes
after each session.
9. Post-event evaluations should encompass all activities, plans, and procedures that were affected or
used during disaster response.
MODIFIED TRUE/FALSE
1. The basic rule of post-event debriefing is to study as many areas as possible, and to consider the
perspectives of all people and organizations that were involved or affected.
_________________________
2. The planning team and consultants need to check and approve the procedures before placing the final
versions in the recovery plan. _________________________
3. When new procedures are added, new training materials must also be developed to cover the
procedures. _________________________
4. The residual effects of disasters can last for several years. _________________________
5. The Union Carbide disaster took place on December 3, 1981. _________________________
6. At the request of the Indian Supreme Court, UCC and UCIL agreed in October 1991 to pay about $17
million for a hospital to be built in Bhopal. _________________________
7. In December of 1994, the UCC and UCIL fulfilled their commitment for the Bhopal hospital, with
about $30 million turned over in charitable trust. _________________________
8. To explore the human dynamics during a disaster, it is helpful to look at disasters from a global
perspective. _________________________
9. For the last 30 years, the IPSOS Reid Group has conducted research on the effects of disaster for the
insurance industry and loss prevention. _________________________
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Which social group can contribute to the overall recovery effort and humanitarian efforts?
a.
Employees
c.
Suppliers
b.
Elected officials
d.
Customers
2. Which social group can provide mutual support and participate in recovery activities?
a.
Employees
c.
Special interest groups
b.
Families of employees
d.
Customers
3. Which social group can assist with recovery efforts and provide resources and support?
a.
Employees
c.
Business partners
b.
Suppliers
d.
Members of local community
4. Which social group can provide positive support and help eliminate obstacles to recovery efforts?
a.
Employees
c.
Elected officials
b.
Suppliers
d.
Business partners
5. Which social group can provide expert assistance to deal with specific recovery efforts?
a.
Special interest groups
c.
Suppliers
b.
Families of employees
d.
Business partners
6. Which social group can assist in smooth recovery by holding or modifying orders on short notice?
a.
Business partners
c.
Customers
b.
Suppliers
d.
Employees
7. Which social group can assist in smooth recovery by adjusting business activities and plans?
a.
Employees
c.
Business partners
b.
Suppliers
d.
Customers
8. Which social group can assist in smooth recovery by waiting for orders and maintaining proper contact
and inquiry procedures?
a.
Special interest groups
c.
Business partners
b.
Suppliers
d.
Customers
9. Which social group can become self-serving and territorial in protecting their self-interests that may be
affected by events?
a.
Employees
c.
Suppliers
b.
Elected officials
d.
Customers
10. Which social group can take positions about blame and responsibilities when recovery efforts are
under way?
a.
Elected officials
c.
Business partners
b.
Members of local communities
d.
Special interest groups
11. Which social group can use events as a political platform to leverage power base or media exposure?
a.
Business partners
c.
Special interest groups
b.
Customers
d.
Elected officials
12. Which social group can use events to promote their own social or political agenda?
a.
Elected officials
c.
Business partners
b.
Special interest groups
d.
Customers
13. Which social group can exploit opportunities to add service charges, increase prices, or immediately
claim contract violations?
a.
Suppliers
c.
Customers
b.
Business partners
d.
Employees
14. Which social group can exploit opportunities to leverage business favors or modify contracts?
a.
Special interest groups
c.
Business partners
b.
Suppliers
d.
Customers
15. Which social group can exploit opportunities to leverage discounts and threaten cancellations?
a.
Suppliers
c.
Business partners
b.
Customers
d.
None of the above
16. What type of disaster occurred in Taiwan that left 100,000 homeless?
a.
Earthquake
c.
Hurricane
b.
Mudslide
d.
Flooding
17. What type of disaster occurred in China that forced the closing of 1,000 oil wells?
a.
Earthquakes
c.
Flooding
b.
Hurricanes
d.
Explosions
18. Whose role is it to monitor activities and make notes about the disaster response?
a.
Quiet listener
c.
Silent observer
b.
Recovery coordinator
d.
Primary response team members
19. What is displayed in the table above?
a.
Post-event debriefing groups
b.
Sources of data and information for post-event evaluations
c.
General post-event debriefing topics
d.
Specialized post-event debriefing topics
20. What is displayed in the table above?
a.
Areas to evaluate after a disaster
b.
Outline for post-event evaluation report
c.
Specialized post-event debriefing topics
d.
General post-event debriefing topics
21. What is displayed in the table above?
a.
Sources of data and information for post-event evaluations
b.
Checklist for updating training materials
c.
Checklist for updating disaster plan documents
d.
Outline for post-event evaluation report
22. In Bhopal India, what type of gas leaked from a tank to cause a major disaster?
a.
Chlorine
c.
Ammonia
b.
Methyl Isocyanate
d.
Hydrogen Sulphide
23. How much did UCC and UCIL agree to pay for a hospital to be built in Bhopal at the request of the
Indian Supreme Court?
a.
$10 million
c.
$17 million
b.
$13 million
d.
$20 million
24. When did the Bhopal government start construction of the new hospital in Bhopal?
a.
1992
c.
1985
b.
1988
d.
1995
25. How much was the final settlement from UCC and UCIL for the Bhopal disaster?
a.
$2 billion
c.
$470 million
b.
$350 million
d.
$780 million
26. Which university established a vocational-technical training center in Bhopal, India as a result of the
disaster?
a.
University of Southern California
c.
MIT
b.
Arizona State University
d.
Stanford University
27. What is displayed in the table above?
a.
Checklist for updating training materials
b.
Checklist for updating disaster plan documents
c.
Outline for post-event evaluation report
d.
Sources of data and information for post-event evaluations
28. According to the table above, what year had the most number of people affected in industrial
accidents?
a.
1997
c.
1979
b.
1987
d.
1984
29. According to the table above, how many years were more than 100,000 people affected by industrial
accidents between 1975 and 2001?
a.
4
c.
5
b.
2
d.
6
YES/NO
1. Should disaster recovery planners conduct mitigation assessments and determine what can be done to
prevent disasters?
2. Can natural disasters be reduced in the same way that well-designed safety programs can reduce the
number of industrial accidents?
3. Is it true that very few elected officials can contribute to positive dynamics during response and
recovery?
4. Can skilled Public Relations staff that are part of the disaster recovery team help to formulate
responses to situations in which community members attempt to exploit promotional opportunities?
5. Do Public Relations professionals advise organizations to focus on fighting with groups that attempt to
exploit promotional opportunities?
6. One area that has always had the attention of disaster planners is how to deal with disabled people
during a disaster.
7. Do organizations need to make sure they evaluate their experiences after surviving a disaster?
COMPLETION
1. The debriefing process should have both ____________________ and ____________________
aspects.
2. The basic rule of ____________________ evaluation data is to use as many sources as possible.
3. All plan revisions and procedure modifications should pass through the full ____________________
process.
4. Updating training materials requires ____________________ steps such as those for distributed
disaster recovery documents.
5. Organizations should review training records to find the last time each employee completed training
____________________ that have since been modified.
6. The Bhopal government started construction of the new ____________________ in October 1995.
MATCHING
Match the following events from the Union Carbide India disaster to the year that they occurred.
a.
1984
f.
1992
b.
1985
g.
1994
c.
1986
h.
1995
d.
1987
i.
1997
e.
1989
j.
1999
1. Indian government closes and levels Bhopal Vocational Training Center
2. India Supreme court allows UCC to sell its shares in UCIL
3. Days after the event, UCC and UCI offer about $2 million in aid
4. The hospital charitable trust has $100 million
5. UCC and UCIL pay $470 million in settlement to the Indian government
6. Groundbreaking for the hospital begins in mid October
7. In February and May, UCC sends more medical equipment to Bhopal
8. A local Bhopal court orders attachments of UCC’s shares in UCIL
9. Indian press reports state that the expected hospital opening is in early 2000
10. Arizona State University’s vocational-technical center begins operations
SHORT ANSWER
1. What is a post-event debriefing process?
2. What is a post-event evaluation?
3. What is a silent observer?
4. What is an important aspect of the disaster response team’s structure?
5. What is the best way to shape a potential negative dynamic into a positive one when dealing with
employees and their families?
6. Which groups of people should be debriefed during the post-event evaluation process?
ANS:
7. What topics should be covered in a general post-event debriefing session?
8. What is the basic rule of compiling post-event evaluation data?
ANS:
9. What is the basic rule of post-event evaluations?
ANS:
10. Who should provide input for the evaluation report?
ANS: