Papers by Mitchel Stimers
Research and Reviews Journal of Social Sciences, 2020
Belief in Media sources and trust in media outlets has become a topic of
great interest given the... more Belief in Media sources and trust in media outlets has become a topic of
great interest given the current political climate in the United States following
the 2016 presidential election, and the emergence of so-called “fake news.”
An understanding of how educational attainment may affect the level at
which a person believes the media to be accurate and how much people
trust the media is examined here, with the results connected to the Dunning-
Kruger Effect (DKE) (Kruger & Dunning, 1999). A survey distributed in the
months prior to the fall 2018 midterm elections collected data on political
affiliation, level of education attained, trust in the media, and the perceived
effectiveness and re-electability of United States President Donald Trump.
Data were examined by educational attainment only, then by educational
attainment of those indicating a political affiliation of Democrat, Republican,
or Independent/Other. While some significant relationships emerged,
overall, there was no indication of the DKE present in responses focused
on the media. A further examination of question coupling was undertaken,
which revealed that respondents with lower education levels created illogical
response couplings more frequently than respondents with higher education
levels. Respondents that indicated they did not follow politics, were
uninformed concerning politics, did not think that the media was accurate,
and did not trust the media, were shown to construct definitive answers
concerning questions that require knowledge of politics in the present. While
no political affiliation was attached to the last response group, educational
attainment was, which showed that those in lower attainment categories
comprised at least two-thirds of the group respondents who constructed
illogical or contradictory response couplings. Inattention while completing
the survey may explain some of the effects, but the DKE does appear to be
present in the results.
International Journal of Disaster Risk Science, 2022
Community recovery from a major natural haz- ard-related disaster can be a long process, and rebu... more Community recovery from a major natural haz- ard-related disaster can be a long process, and rebuilding likely does not occur uniformly across space and time. Spa- tial and temporal clustering may be evident in certain data types that can be used to frame the progress of recovery fol- lowing a disaster. Publically available building permit data from the city of Joplin, Missouri, were gathered for four per- mit types, including residential, commercial, roof repair, and demolition. The data were used to (1) compare the observed versus expected frequency (chi-square) of permit issuance before and after the EF5 2011 tornado; (2), determine if significant space-time clusters of permits existed using the SaTScanTM cluster analysis program (version 9.7); and (3) fit any emergent cluster data to the widely-cited Kates 10-year recovery model. All permit types showed significant increases in issuance for at least 5 years following the event, and one (residential) showed significance for nine of the 10 years. The cluster analysis revealed a total of 16 significant clusters across the 2011 damage area. The results of fitting the significant cluster data to the Kates model revealed that those data closely followed the model, with some variation in the residential permit data path.
Natural Hazards, 2022
On May 22, 2011, an EF-5 tornado spanning three-quarters of a mile in width and tracking through ... more On May 22, 2011, an EF-5 tornado spanning three-quarters of a mile in width and tracking through nearly the entire west-east extent of Joplin, Missouri, entered the records as one of the deadliest and costliest events in United States history. Building permit data was used from May 23, 2011-December 31, 2020, to examine recovery progress based on roof repair building permits (permit for roof repair only), residential and commercial building permits, and demolition permits. Each of the four permit types was plotted on the four Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) damage zones, catastrophic, extensive, moderate, and limited, by census block to determine what percentage of total permits were issued in each. Further, data on three permit types (commercial excluded) were plotted in the following combinations: (a) roof repair permits with demolition permits and (b) roof repair permits with residential building permits, plotted on the catastrophic and limited zones only. The goal of the second set of plots was to visualize the 2011 damage path using permit data. Mapping data such as these may help recovery planning through a robust understanding of the relationship between damage and permit issuance as a community enters the restoration phase of the Kates recovery model.
SN social sciences, Mar 21, 2024
This descriptive comparative qualitative case study examines the sustainability of development pr... more This descriptive comparative qualitative case study examines the sustainability of development programs in Sub-Saharan Africa. We evaluated economic, social, environmental, and institutional development programs from the People's Republic of China (PRC) and the U.S. to Sub-Saharan Africa for sustainable development to fill the research gap on these technique's success and effects on Sub-Saharan Africa. Using purposive sampling, we chose eight Sub-Saharan African countries representing distinct geographies and economies. The College of William & Mary's AID Data-GeoCoded Chinese Official Finance Dataset, China Africa Research Initiative, and USAID's Foreign Aid Explorer provided data. Results revealed a complex view of Sub-Saharan Africa's development policy success. Proposition 1, which claims China's economic tactics exceed those of the U.S., is supported by significant infrastructure investments but presents sustainability problems. Proposition 2, praising the social development initiatives of the U.S., is supported by gains in healthcare and education in other countries. However, context-specific issues persist. Proposition 3 shows that U.S. conservation collaborations have improved environmental preservation. Proposition 4 claims that both countries' institutional development plans fail. The results highlight local government buy-in issues and the need for adaptation. Some of the ideas find support in recent research; however, country and context differences require unique tactics. Development efforts in Sub-Saharan Africa should focus on long-term sustainability, local objectives, and environmental implications. Effective institutional growth requires adaptation and a strong awareness of local governing dynamics, and policymakers, development practitioners, and scholars may gain insight into
Journal of Geography & Natural Disasters, 2017
, the Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale replaced the traditional Fujita (F) scale. The EF scale has the ... more , the Enhanced Fujita (EF) scale replaced the traditional Fujita (F) scale. The EF scale has the same basic design as the original F scale, with six categories from 0 to 5 representing increasing degrees of damage [22]. 2 The estimated population of Joplin in 2010 was 50,175 [23].
Journal of Defense Management, 2017
In a military context, the collection, analysis, and use of geographic data can provide leaders w... more In a military context, the collection, analysis, and use of geographic data can provide leaders with timely and accurate information on which to base decisions. GIS systems are used to store, manipulate, analyze, and manage all types of geodata, and are widely used by many military organizations in military decision making processes (MDMPs). Apart from accuracy, usage of GIS in MDMPs has provided many advantages, becoming a powerful and popular tool in the militaries of developed countries. However, even though GIS is a sophisticated tool in MDMP, the Sri Lankan Army has not employed widespread use of these systems. Tactical operations in which covert movement is paramount to success depend on high quality data and information concerning enemy positions, as was the case in the Sri Lankan Civil War (1983-2009). A case study of base siting using GIS is explored here; in this research we attempt to introduce GIS as a powerful tool in MDMPs in the Sri Lankan military. Sri Lanka is a developing country that suffered from a terrorist war for more than 30 years. All decision making and data gathering was done manually, spending more money and man power that was realistically necessary. This research is focused on providing solid evidence for the use of GIS techniques in MDMPs, which can partially supplant slower, less reliable humanbased decision making processes. In selecting a suitable permanent or temporary military operation base in enemy territory, all parameters need to be evaluated accurately. Injecting logical and statistical data, thus more automated processes into command-level decisions, will minimize errors in MDMPs. The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) is utilized to structure commander's perceptions of important selection criteria, and optimal base selection procedures are described.
Journal of Earth Science & Climatic Change, 2015
Geographical Review, 2015
Immediately following the May 2011 tornado, the city of Joplin, Missouri, initiated recovery effo... more Immediately following the May 2011 tornado, the city of Joplin, Missouri, initiated recovery efforts to rebuild the part of the community devastated by this event. In doing so, city officials introduced two new safety measures and recommended several others. The main objective of this paper is to explore the tornado survivors' compliance with the safety features recommended by the Joplin city authorities. Face-to-face interviews, as well as other methods, were used to survey respondents who were living within the tornado path (damage zones) at the time of the tornado. Results showed that 43 percent of all respondents implemented at least one recommended tornado measure in rebuild or repair their destroyed/damaged homes. Further, it was found that three variables considered here-rebuild or repair, damage zone category, and perceived tornado risk-were all significant contributors to a homeowner's decision to implement recommended tornado safety measures. The paper concludes with a recommendation for expanding tornado safety education among the respondents. Keywords: May 2011 tornado, Joplin, Missouri, tornado safety measures, recovery and reconstruction. Recovery and reconstruction in Joplin, Missouri, began within one month after the city experienced a powerful EF-5 tornado on the evening of May 22, 2011. This event directly impacted 13,547 people or 27 percent of the city's population, and nearly 3,500 others were indirectly impacted (Paul and Stimers 2014). It caused a record number of deaths, killing 161 people, and damaged or destroyed 7,500 homes and over 500 businesses, with property damage estimated to be $3 billion-the highest ever for a U.S. tornado (Smith and Sutter 2013). 1 No other single tornado in the United States has ever affected so many people, damaged/destroyed so many structures, or covered so large an area of a single city, yet the community's speed of recovery was relatively rapid. By July 2013, the city issued repair and building permits for 6,719 (89 percent) of the 7,500 damaged or destroyed homes (City of Joplin 2013). Of those 7,500 dwellings, approximately 4,000 homes (53 percent) were destroyed, and the remaining 3,500 (47 percent) damaged (City of Joplin 2013). In addition, 553 businesses were either destroyed or severely damaged. Also by June 2013, 500 businesses (90 percent) had reopened or were in the processes of reopening (City of Joplin 2013). Wes Johnson, a USA Today reporter, who visited Joplin two years after the event wrote: "Block after block, new homes have risen, *The authors would like to acknowledge the support of the Association of American Geographers (AAG) grant in this project. We also thank members of the survey team for their hard work in collecting the data used in this research, as well as two anonymous reviewers for providing insightful comments.
On May 4, 2007, a 1.5 mile wide Category F-5 tornado, with winds estimated at 205 miles per hour,... more On May 4, 2007, a 1.5 mile wide Category F-5 tornado, with winds estimated at 205 miles per hour, destroyed 95% of the southwestern Kansas town of Greensburg. Utilizing data collected from in-person and telephone surveys of 63 Greensburg tornado survivors, this paper investigates the emergency responses undertaken in the aftermath of this extreme event. Specifically this paper examines the search and rescue operations, emergency supplies and medical care (including mental health counseling), debris removal, and the provision of temporary shelter for tornado victims. Given the extent of the tornado's destruction of commercial and residential buildings in Greensburg, information on the prospect of rebuilding was also collected from victims and other relevant private and public agencies, and individuals. Analysis of the survey data reveals that overwhelming majority of the respondents expressed their satisfaction with the emergency responses. But most of them maintain that rebuilding and reconstruction of Greensburg is progressing slowly, which may hurt its recovery. Another potential barrier for recovery is the plan of the city government to turn Greensburg into Green Town.
Weather, Climate, and Society, 2014
On 22 May 2011, a massive tornado tore through a densely populated section of Joplin, Missouri, k... more On 22 May 2011, a massive tornado tore through a densely populated section of Joplin, Missouri, killing 162 people. The EF5 tornado was the deadliest single tornado to occur in the United States since modern record keeping began in 1950, surpassing the tornado of 8 June 1953, which claimed 116 lives in Flint, Michigan. The Joplin tornado death toll was also far higher than the average annual number of deaths caused by tornadoes in the United States between 2000 and 2011. This study analyzed Joplin deaths by damage zone and place of death. Tabular data collected primarily from secondary sources revealed the number of deaths and death rates differ significantly by zone of destruction. The central zone (labeled as “catastrophic”) had the most deaths, with the number decreasing systematically in both directions from the center of that zone. The results of this study further show that more people died in nonresidential buildings in Joplin than is usual in a U.S. tornado event, calling in...
colorado.edu
at Boulder, which supported this research. We also thank the members of the survey team, James We... more at Boulder, which supported this research. We also thank the members of the survey team, James Wells, Brandon Haddock and Tom Davis, for their hard work in collecting the data used in this research. We are grateful to Keith Stammer, Joplin Emergency Operations Center Director, for granting us an interview, as well as arranging for the mapping division to get us the very useful GIS data on the tornado path as well as warning siren locations. Finally, thank you to the generous residents of Joplin, and those who were more than willing to take the time to complete our survey and aid us in completing this important research.
Journal of Maps, 2011
Capital vices, or cardinal sins, have been discussed and debated since at least the 4 th century,... more Capital vices, or cardinal sins, have been discussed and debated since at least the 4 th century, when Evagrius Ponticus, a Roman born monk who relished praise from his peers and married women, first wrote of the eight evil thoughts from which all sinful behavior was based. These evil thoughts-gluttony, fornication, avarice, sorry, anger, discouragement, vainglory, and pride-were later revised in the 6 th century by Pope Gregory I to constitute the seven deadly sins: Luxuria (Lust), Gula (Gluttony), Avaritia (Greed), Acedia (Sloth), Ira (Wrath), Invidia (Envy), and Superbia (Pride). From the 14 th century onwards, the deadly sins have been popularized by texts, including Dante Alaghieri's 14 th century masterpiece The Divine Comedy (Alagherii, 2010), and they have continued to be a prominent focus in contemporary art, music, television, film, comic books and, most recently, video games. The authors undertook the task of statistically representing the seven deadly sins at the county level within the Midwest region of the United States to determine what, if any, spatial coincidence occurred. Each of the seven deadly sins was given separate treatment based on sociological and economic characteristics and available data. Pride, the "greatest" and "root" of all sins, was determined to be the aggregation of each sin and represents the total sinfulness of a given county or region.
Given the recognition that not only physical processes, but also social, political, and economic ... more Given the recognition that not only physical processes, but also social, political, and economic aspects of hazards determine vulnerability to and impact of an event, a classification system that addresses those factors is needed. Current classifications for natural disasters, such as the Fujita Scale for tornadoes and the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale, focus on the physical properties of the event, not the impact on a community. Pre-event vulnerability to a natural hazard is determined by factors such as age, race, income, gender, infrastructure, density of the built environment and health of the industrial base. The behavior of residents in the community, construction quality of shelters, and warning system effectiveness also affect vulnerability. If vulnerability is influenced by such factors, post-event impact should be, at least in part, as well. The goal of this research was to develop the Tornado Impact-Community Vulnerability Index (TICV) that utilizes variables such as the number of persons killed, economic impacts, and social vulnerability to describe to the level of impact a tornado event has on community. As tornadoes that strike unpopulated areas are often difficult to classify, even in the traditional sense, the TICV will take into consideration only events that strike communities defined as " places " according to the U.S. Census Bureau. By assigning a rating to the impact, this index will allow the severity of the storm to be understood in terms of its effect on a specific community and hence its impact, rather than in terms of its physical strength.
Immediately following the May 2011 tornado, the city of Joplin, Missouri, initiated recovery effo... more Immediately following the May 2011 tornado, the city of Joplin, Missouri, initiated recovery efforts to rebuild the part of the community devastated by this event. In doing so, city officials introduced two new safety measures and recommended several others. The main objective of this paper is to explore the tornado survivors’ compliance with the safety features recommended by the Joplin city authorities. Face-to-face interviews, as well as other methods, were used to survey respondents who were living within the tornado path (damage zones) at the time of the tornado. Results showed that 43 percent of all respondents implemented at least one recommended tornado measure in rebuild or repair their destroyed/damaged homes. Further, it was found that three variables considered here--- rebuild or repair, damage zone category, and perceived tornado risk---were all significant contributors to a homeowner’s decision to implement recommended tornado safety measures. The paper concludes with a recommendation for expanding tornado safety education among the respondents. Keywords: May 2011 tornado, Joplin, Missouri, tornado safety measures, recovery and reconstruction.
Joplin, a city in the southwest corner of Missouri, United States, suffered an EF-5 tornado in th... more Joplin, a city in the southwest corner of Missouri, United States, suffered an EF-5 tornado in the late afternoon of 22 May 2011. This event, which claimed the lives of 162 people, represents the deadliest single tornado to strike the US since modern record-keeping began in 1950. This study examines the factors associated with responses to tornado warnings. Based on a post- tornado survey of survivors in Joplin, it reveals that tornado warnings were adequate and timely. Multivariate logistic regression identified four statistically significant determinants of compliance with tornado warnings: number of warning sources, whether respondents were at home when the tornado struck, past tornado experience, and gender. The findings suggest several recommendations, the implementation of which will further improve responses to tornado warnings.
On 22 May 2011, a massive tornado tore through a densely populated section of Joplin, Missouri, k... more On 22 May 2011, a massive tornado tore through a densely populated section of Joplin, Missouri, killing 162 people. The EF5 tornado was the deadliest single tornado to occur in the United States since modern record keeping began in 1950, surpassing the tornado of 8 June 1953, which claimed 116 lives in Flint, Michigan. The Joplin tornado death toll was also far higher than the average annual number of deaths caused by tornadoes in the United States between 2000 and 2011. This study analyzed Joplin deaths by damage zone and place of death. Tabular data collected primarily from secondary sources revealed the number of deaths and death rates differ significantly by zone of destruction. The central zone (labeled as ‘‘catastrophic’’) had the most deaths, with the number decreasing systematically in both directions from the center of that zone. The results of this study further show that more people died in nonresidential buildings in Joplin than is usual in a U.S. tornado event, calling into question how well such structures protect occupants. Finally, the lack of basements in residential and other structures most likely contributed greatly to the high death toll, although the degree remains uncertain. Several recommendations are offered to reduce future U.S. tornado fatalities.
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Papers by Mitchel Stimers
great interest given the current political climate in the United States following
the 2016 presidential election, and the emergence of so-called “fake news.”
An understanding of how educational attainment may affect the level at
which a person believes the media to be accurate and how much people
trust the media is examined here, with the results connected to the Dunning-
Kruger Effect (DKE) (Kruger & Dunning, 1999). A survey distributed in the
months prior to the fall 2018 midterm elections collected data on political
affiliation, level of education attained, trust in the media, and the perceived
effectiveness and re-electability of United States President Donald Trump.
Data were examined by educational attainment only, then by educational
attainment of those indicating a political affiliation of Democrat, Republican,
or Independent/Other. While some significant relationships emerged,
overall, there was no indication of the DKE present in responses focused
on the media. A further examination of question coupling was undertaken,
which revealed that respondents with lower education levels created illogical
response couplings more frequently than respondents with higher education
levels. Respondents that indicated they did not follow politics, were
uninformed concerning politics, did not think that the media was accurate,
and did not trust the media, were shown to construct definitive answers
concerning questions that require knowledge of politics in the present. While
no political affiliation was attached to the last response group, educational
attainment was, which showed that those in lower attainment categories
comprised at least two-thirds of the group respondents who constructed
illogical or contradictory response couplings. Inattention while completing
the survey may explain some of the effects, but the DKE does appear to be
present in the results.
great interest given the current political climate in the United States following
the 2016 presidential election, and the emergence of so-called “fake news.”
An understanding of how educational attainment may affect the level at
which a person believes the media to be accurate and how much people
trust the media is examined here, with the results connected to the Dunning-
Kruger Effect (DKE) (Kruger & Dunning, 1999). A survey distributed in the
months prior to the fall 2018 midterm elections collected data on political
affiliation, level of education attained, trust in the media, and the perceived
effectiveness and re-electability of United States President Donald Trump.
Data were examined by educational attainment only, then by educational
attainment of those indicating a political affiliation of Democrat, Republican,
or Independent/Other. While some significant relationships emerged,
overall, there was no indication of the DKE present in responses focused
on the media. A further examination of question coupling was undertaken,
which revealed that respondents with lower education levels created illogical
response couplings more frequently than respondents with higher education
levels. Respondents that indicated they did not follow politics, were
uninformed concerning politics, did not think that the media was accurate,
and did not trust the media, were shown to construct definitive answers
concerning questions that require knowledge of politics in the present. While
no political affiliation was attached to the last response group, educational
attainment was, which showed that those in lower attainment categories
comprised at least two-thirds of the group respondents who constructed
illogical or contradictory response couplings. Inattention while completing
the survey may explain some of the effects, but the DKE does appear to be
present in the results.