Review of publications

The books referred to in this section have been abstracted from review copies sent to the Editor of this Newsletter. Except where noted otherwise, none of the books are available from PAHO. The publisher and the list price (when available) are included for readers who are interested in obtaining the hooks.

Proceedings of the Caribbean Conference on Natural Hazards, University of the West Indies, Trinidad, 1994 (US$60.00).

This collection of 35 papers and 24 abstracts from the October 1993 conference in Trinidad, provides a good sample of the multidisciplinary and wide-ranging nature of investigations being undertaken on natural hazards. It adds significantly to the body of literature available on natural hazards in the Caribbean region. To order, please write: Director, Seismic Research Unit, University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago, West Indies; Tel: (809) 6624659; Fax (809) 663-9293.

Manual for Local Organization in Managing Disaster Situations in Small Towns. Association of Ecuadorian Municipalities, Institute of Municipal Growth and Development (INFODEM). (Available in Spanish only.)

The first in a series of manuals addressing urban management issues, this is an excellent primer on disaster preparedness for city authorities and community organizers. It provides a description of types and causes of natural hazards, addresses the organization of local emergency committees and actions required during the post-disaster phase. To order, please contact Lic. Guillermo Tapia Nicola, Secretario General, Asociación de Municipalidades Ecuatorianas, Casilla 17-0102654, Quito, Ecuador; Tel: (593-2) 439-197; Fax: (593-2) 442-865.

New from the Disaster Documentation Center...

The PAHO/WHO Disaster Documentation Center in San Jose, Costa Rica, announces that two new issues of BIBLIO-DES, the Center's selected bibliography, are ready. Number 15 lists holdings on disasters and environmental health, and was produced in collaboration with MASICA (Program for Environment and Health of Central America). Disasters and vulnerable communities is the focus of listings included in Number 16. Published in conjunction with the Network of Social Studies for Disaster Prevention (La RED), this issue is being distributed for the International Day on Natural Disaster Reduction.

The Center is now finalizing Volume 5 of DESINDEX, the bibliographic index of the DISASTER database. This volume includes citations for 1,400 new documents, bringing the total in the database to 5,000. To order, please contact: Disaster Documentation Center, PAHO/WHO, Apartado Postal 3745, San Jose 1000, Costa Rica; Fax: (506) 231-5973; Internet: rperez@cariari.ucr. ac.cr.

Bilingual Training Materials for the Andes

Community leaders joined forces with sociologists and anthropologists to produce disaster preparedness information in Spanish and Quechua, the native language of the Andes, to better reach rural communities and migrants to the region's cities. Bilingual audiocassettes with pointers on organizing the community in preparedness are being distributed along with pamphlets to schools, health posts, and local radio stations. San Antonio Abad University in Cuzco, the Project for Community Preparedness (PREDECO), Ministry of Health, Italian Cooperation and PAHO/WHO supported this effort. To receive more information, contact Dr. Ciro Ugarte, Ministry of Health, Calle 6 de agosto 424, Jesus María, Lima 11, Peru. A limited number of audiocassettes are available from the Disaster Documentation Center, Apdo. Postal 3745, San Jose, 1000 Costa Rica; Fax: (506) 231-5973.

Slide set on community risk mapping

To help communities get started in producing risk and resource maps, PAHO/WHO published a set of 40 slides in English and Spanish outlining the basic stages involved in the process. The script is based on the methodology developed by the Italian Cooperation and will be useful for community leaders or facilitators. A limited number of slide sets are available: for information on ordering the slides or other materials on community participation in disaster preparedness, contact the Disaster Documentation Center or the Editor of this Newsletter.