Application of Social Media Tool in Disaster Management in Disaster-Prone Communities in Freetown, Sierra Leone

This study used both the “digital divide” and “attribution theory” to analyze the propensity of social media use by disaster-prone communities. The study focused on the variables that may affect how social media is used for disaster management. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was utilized in the study to analyze the data and test the hypotheses after using a survey questionnaire to collect the data. The study’s findings show that: 1) communities that are vulnerable to disasters are less likely to use social media for disaster management, 2) personal effort and intention to use social media for disaster management are positively correlated, and 3) task complexity and intention to use social media for disaster management are negatively correlated. The study added to the body of knowledge regarding the role social media plays in disaster management.

Debris Flow Formation Process and Critical Hydrodynamic Conditions in the Meizoseismal Area of the Wenchuan Earthquake

Abstract： The Wenchuan earthquake generated strong surface disturbances and triggered a large number of loose deposits, resulting in the disaster- prone environment with special watershed hydrological characteristics. This paper was to propose a debris flow formation process and explore the permeability characteristics and critical hydrodynamic conditions of the loose deposits triggered by the earthquake. The Guo Juanyan gully （31005＇27＂ N to 31005＇46＂ N, 103036＇58＂ E to 103037＇09＂ E） in Du Jiangyan City, located in the meizoseismal areas of the Wenchuan earthquake, was chosen as the study area and the disaster-prone environment was analyzed. The formation process of the debris flow was first proposed using a stability analysis, and then, the permeability characteristics of loose deposits were determined via in situ permeability experiments. Finally, the critical 1 h rainfall was simulated through a distributed hydrological model and verified by field observations. The formation process of debris flow could be divided into three stages based on the relationship between the hydrodynamic force and loose deposit resistance. The critical 1 h rainfall amounts under three antecedent moisture conditions （I-dry, Ⅱ-normal and Ⅲ-wet） were 52 mm/h, 43 mm/h and 34 mm/h, respectively. This study proposed a debris flow formation process in the meizoseismal areas of the Wenchuan earthquake based on the stability analysis and defined the rainfall threshold for debris flow early warning at the local level, which is significant for debris flow mitigation and risk management.

A Modified Certainty Coefficient Method(M-CF) for Debris Flow Susceptibility Assessment:A Case Study for the Wenchuan Earthquake Meizoseismal Areas

In the meizoseismal areas hit by the China Wenchuan earthquake on May 12, 2008, the disasterprone environment has changed dramatically, making the susceptibility assessment of debris flow more complex and uncertain. After the earthquake, debris flow hazards occurred frequently and effective susceptibility assessment of debris flow has become extremely important. Shenxi gully in Du Jiangyan city, located in the meizoseismal areas, was selected as the study area. Based on the research of disaster-prone environment and the main factors controlling debris flow, the susceptibility zonations of debris flow were mapped using factor weight method(FW), certainty coefficient method(CF) and geomorphic information entropy method(GI). Through comparative analysis, the study showed that these three methods underestimated susceptible degree of debris flow when used in the meizoseismal areas of Wenchuan earthquake. In order to solve this problem, this paper developed a modified certainty coefficient method(M-CF) to reflect the impact of rich loose materials on the susceptible degree of debris flow. In the modified method, the distribution and area of loose materials were obtained by field investigations and postearthquake remote sensing image, and four data sets, namely, lithology, elevation, slop and aspect, wereused to calculate the CF values. The result of M-CF method is in agreement with field investigations and the accuracy of the method is satisfied. The method has a wide application to the susceptibility assessment of debris flow in the earthquake stricken areas.