Showing papers on "Natural disaster published in 1999"

Unleashing the Power of Planning to Create Disaster-Resistant Communities

Abstract: Artist Vita Marie Lovett's art quilt Toto, I've a Feeling We're Not in Miami Anymore includes debris found in her south Florida yard after Hurricane Andrew struck in 1994. She describes it as a “photo documentary of Hurricane Andrew's destruction whirling against a background of broken fabric roof trusses and window frames.” It is dedicated to her friend Jackie Parker Koger who lost her life as a result of the storm, which was the costliest natural disaster in U.S. history to that time. After the hurricane, Lovett relocated to Marietta, Georgia, where she creates art quilts with architectural themes from her home studio. Human suffering and losses of lives and property in natural disasters can be reduced with appropriate planning for hazardous areas. Federal policies addressing these problems, however, have yet to recognize the importance of planning as the cornerstone of effective local hazard mitigation. In fact, federal programs make planning more difficult because they encourage the intensive...

Crucibles of Hazard: Mega-cities and Disasters in Transition

Abstract: As a result of repeated experiences with devastating earthquakes, storms, floods, and wildfires, places like Tokyo, Mexico City, San Francisco, and Los Angeles are already identified with catastrophe in both scientific literature and popular culture. Similar prospects face less obvious urban candidates like Dhaka, Miami, London, Lima, Seoul, and Sydney. In this collaborative study of environmental risks in ten of the world's major cities, geographers, planners, and other experts examine the hazard experiences of case study cities and analyze their future risks. They conclude that the natural disaster potential of the biggest cities is expanding at a pace which far exceeds the rate of urbanization. In addition to tracing hazard trends and arguing in support of management reforms that can be implemented quickly, Crucibles of Hazard directs attention to long-term issues of safety and security that must be resolved to sustain urban areas. Opportunities for such innovative policymaking include: capitalizing on the role of hazards as agents of urban diversification; broadening the scope for employing hazard-based contingency planning models in other urban governance contexts; and mobilizing hazard myths and metaphors as unifying sources of inspiration for diverse and sometimes fractious metropolitan constituencies. This study was led by the International Geographical Union's Study Group on the Disaster Vulnerability of Mega-cities.

The Great Flood of 1997 in Poland

Abstract: The flood that occurred in summer 1997 in Poland, affecting the drainage basins of the Odra and the Vistula, caused 54 fatalities and material losses of the order of billions of US$. The flood struck a large part of the country and caused inundation of 665 000 ha of land. The number of evacuees was 162 thousand. The rhetoric commonly used in Poland refers to the Great Flood of 1997 as an event whose scale exceeded all imagination about the possible size of the disaster. Indeed, historic maxima of river stage and flow rate were considerably exceeded. From the hydrological point of view, this flood was a very rare event, with a return period in some river cross-sections of the order of a thousand years and more. As this natural disaster, striking a dynamically developing country-in-transition, attracted much international interest, a holistic view of it is presented. Attempts to answer the questions: “Could the disaster have been avoided?” and “What lessons can be learnt from the flood?” are also made.

US government natural disaster assistance: historical analysis and a proposal for the future.

Abstract: Governments often provide grants or low-interest loans to disaster victims. Yet these programmes have proven to be quite costly. In addition, questions have been raised about associated behavioural incentives. Conceptually, government disaster insurance programmes should be more efficient, consistent and equitable than ex post facto disaster relief in the form of grants and loans. Yet the performance of government disaster insurance programmes has been mixed, at best. This article reviews the history of US federal natural disaster assistance to individuals and concludes with a recommendation for a new government role in the provision of disaster insurance.

Learning from the World Bank's experience of natural disaster related assistance

Abstract: This report aims to provide an overview of the World Bank's experience in providing assistance for natural disasters, and in so doing, aims to lay the foundation for a new paradigm of natural disaster management, one that involves a shift away from a primarily reactive stance to a more proactive approach. The study identified 198 disaster related projects, which were divided between reconstruction projects and those which contained aspects of disaster mitigation. The projects are examined in regards to portfolio and project size, by region and country, types of natural disaster, sectors of intervention, project components, results of performance evaluation and lessons learned. The final section deals with contemporary priority issues in natural disaster management.

Catastrophes and Climate Change: Concerns and Possible Countermeasures of the Insurance Industry

Abstract: In the last few decades, the international insurance industry has been confronted with a drastic increase in the scope and frequency of great natural disasters. The trend is primarily attributable to the continuing steady growth of the world population and the increasing concentration of people and economic values in urban areas. An additional factor is the global migration of populations and industries into areas such as coastal regions, which are particularly exposed to natural hazards. The natural hazards themselves, on the other hand, are showing a change for the worse as many atmospheric extremes are strongly influenced by global warming. In addition to the problems the insurance industry has with regard to pricing, capacity and loss reserves, the assessment of insured liabilities, preventive planning and the proper adjustment of catastrophe losses are gaining importance. The present problems will be dramatically aggravated if the greenhouse predictions come true. The changing probability distributions of many processes in the atmosphere will force up the frequency and severity of heat waves, droughts, bush fires, tropical and extratropical cyclones, tornados, hailstorms, floods and storm surges in many parts of the world with serious consequences for all types of property insurance, apart from the consequences of the stratospheric ozone destruction for health and life insurance. Rates will have to be raised and in certain areas insurance cover will only be available after considerable restrictions have been imposed, as for example significant deductibles and low liability or loss limits. In areas of high insurance density the loss potential of individual catastrophes can reach a level at which the national and international insurance industries will run into serious capacity problems. Recent disasters showed the disproportionately high participation of reinsurers in extreme disaster losses and the need for more risk transparency if the insurance industry is to fulfil its obligations in an increasingly hostile environment.

Cultural heritage conservation during emergency management: luxury or necessity?

Abstract: Annually, natural disasters cause loss of life, damage to property, and damage to the environment. Concomitant is damage to the cultural heritage property, both items and places. Yet in the wake of a disaster, containment and response efforts put additional cultural resources at risk--usually due to ignorance rather than malice on the part of the disaster manager or the property owners. This paper reviews the effects of natural disasters on heritage sites and argues for increased awareness and training for disaster managers.

An exploratory study of woman battering in the Grand Forks flood disaster: implications for community responses and policies.

Abstract: This paper presents an exploratory study of woman battering in the Grand Forks, North Dakota, flood of April 1997. Based on my qualitative research of women's experiences in this flood, I present two case studies of battered women to enhance understanding of what intimate partner violence means to women in the face of a natural disaster. The case studies illustrate how battered women make sense of their situations and how factors such as class and disability play a role in how women experience domestic violence. The case studies also show why services for battered women, such as emergency shelters and crisis counseling, are crucial during a disaster period. Even though we do not know if domestic violence rates increase in a disaster, we do have evidence that the demand for domestic violence services increases during disaster times. In light of this, I argue that there is a need to prepare for that situation.

Mitigating Natural Disasters

Abstract: N atural disasters have caused enormous losses in many countries and have set back economic progress in developing countries by years. The future looks even worse, as populations in many parts of the world migrate into hazard-prone regions and into major urban centers, which are particularly vulnerable because of their dependence on complex infrastructures. These exposed situations motivated international organizations of scientists and engineers to focus world attention on the threat and the opportunities to avert losses. They petitioned the United Nations (U.N.) to declare the 1990s the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR). As the Decade nears its end, it is appropriate to take stock of what has been accomplished and to chart the most productive future course. Introducing scientific and technological advances into disaster management is potentially of great value. Improved early warning systems to move people out of harm's way, sound land use to avoid hazards, and construction practices to better withstand loads imposed by hazards are examples of more effective mitigation strategies based on new knowledge. Implementation of mitigation requires raising public awareness of the threat that hazards pose, the opportunities to reduce human losses, and the cost-effectiveness of mitigation measures. Only in this way can we develop the political willingness to mobilize the necessary resources. Implementing the IDNDR through the U.N. system was a difficult task. Large-scale human migrations caused by the Gulf War and conflicts in central Africa during the 1990s absorbed enormous resources that might otherwise have been used to prevent emergencies, including those caused by natural hazards. Despite these difficulties, as the Decade progressed, the importance of mitigation became more accepted. Now, in looking beyond the Decade, several organizations in the U.N. system, including the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization; the World Meteorological Organization; the World Health Organization; and the United Nations Development Program are planning substantial new and continuing activities. In the United States, although high-level leadership and significant new resources were not provided for the IDNDR effort, substantial progress toward mitigation has been achieved on many fronts. Most notably, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) raised mitigation to be of equal priority with response and recovery and developed a National Mitigation Strategy. In the private sector, to cite just one example, the Institute for Business and Home Safety, an insurance industry-backed group, promoted development of hail-resistant roofing materials and better building codes and organized community demonstration projects. Private and public structures increasingly incorporate seismic- or wind-resistant design features. These and other activities indicate the growing importance accorded to disaster mitigation in the United States, although rapidly increasing vulnerability may be outpacing these efforts. Population is migrating toward the earthquake-prone Pacific coast and the hurricane-prone Atlantic and Gulf coasts. In Florida, 80% of the population lives within 35 kilometers of the coast. The growing impact of natural disasters demonstrates the need to further advance mitigation through well-coordinated activities. This will require a U.N. oversight unit to coordinate activities in the program areas of (i) advancing the frontiers of hazard mitigation science and technology; (ii) implementing programs of education, training, and technology transfer; (iii) monitoring hazards phenomena and providing early warning where possible; and (iv) promoting and implementing mitigation as an integral part of economic development. A measure of the progress of civilization in the next millennium will be the degree to which the world community uses science and technology to improve the quality of life of people everywhere. Addressing the scourge of natural disasters that has afflicted humankind for countless generations is a worthy goal for a new era.

Comparative susceptibility to natural disasters in the caribbean

Abstract: Natural disasters can have catastrophic impacts. These may be economic, social and environmental. Damage to infrastructure can severely impede economic activity. Social impacts can include loss of life, injury, ill health, homelessness and disruption of communities. Environmental damage can range from the felling of trees to the reshaping of entire landscapes. It is claimed, for instance, that “from 1960 to 1989, hurricanes in the Greater Caribbean Basin resulted in the deaths of 28,000 people, disrupted the lives of 6 million people and destroyed property worth U.S. $16 billion,” (Pulwarty and Riebsame, 1997, p.194; attributed to OAS, 1991). Measuring the comparative vulnerability of countries to natural disasters can serve to draw attention to the issue, identify sectors of the economy or society that are particularly at risk, and assist in planning to mitigate the effects of future events. In addition, a wider international comparison may serve to highlight the particular vulnerability to natural disasters of small island states such as those of the Caribbean. A convincing comparison between countries will need to quantify vulnerability to disasters. This will inevitably be based, at least in part, on the historical incidence of events and their magnitude. A number of alternative means of quantifying economic vulnerability to natural disasters are considered. The first is based simply on the number of events experienced by each country over a given time period, but this approach ignores the critical issue of the impact associated with each event. Economic impacts of natural disasters can be measured directly by assessing changes in economic variables associated with the occurrence of natural disasters. A methodology that measures impact in terms of changes in economic variables before and after disasters is applied to a set of 21 of the most severe storms and hurricanes experienced in the Caribbean between 1974 and 1996. General patterns can be identified in some variables, such as gross domestic product (GDP), exports, imports and tourist arrivals. However, such patterns mask huge variations in the behaviour of variables between different disaster episodes. The large number of anomalous results suggests that this approach is unsuitable for comparing relative vulnerability of countries to natural disasters. Overall economic impacts can also be estimated by using volatility of agricultural output as a proxy measure. This approach is based on the fact that the agricultural sector is particularly sensitive to adverse natural phenomena. Once again, however, this approach appears unsuitable for assessing comparative vulnerability to natural disasters. The most commonly recorded impacts of natural disasters are the number of deaths, the number of injuries, the number of people made homeless, the total number of people ‘affected’ and the monetary cost of damage caused. The value of these measures for cross-country comparison of impacts and hence vulnerability is considered. A key concern with each of the measures is the quality of the data. A compromise measure of comparative vulnerability is derived by combining information on the number of deaths from, and number of people affected by, natural disasters between 1950 and 1998. The study highlights the inadequacy of historical data alone for assessing vulnerability to possible future disasters. Expert assessment of future episodes is required based on aspects such as historical incidence and impact of events, mitigation measures in place, concentration of development, economic structure, and climatic and geophysical variables.

Disaster Loss Mitigation as an Adaptation to Climate Variability and Change

Abstract: Extremes of climate and weather, storms, floods and droughts, require vigorous adaptation measures in a generally stable climate or in one that is rapidly changing. These adaptation measures, to reduce loss of life, human suffering and economic losses come under the heading "disaster loss mitigation". Since 1990 the United Nations' International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction has provided for international cooperation and information dissemination. Nevertheless, world-wide economic disaster losses in the 1990s have continued to show a rapid increase - and the increase for climate related disasters has been three to four times greater than those for geological disasters.

The politics of "natural" disaster: who made Mitch so bad?

Abstract: The devastation in Central America following the 1998 hurricane (Hurricane Mitch) resulted more from economic and political policies than from "natural" disaster. Over the last 30 or 40 years, huge numbers of poor people in these countries have been forced off good, stable agricultural land onto degraded hillsides and into shanty towns constructed on floodplains--areas known to pose serious hazards of flooding and mudslides. This, together with the failure of impoverished countries to anticipate disaster through mass evacuations or to respond effectively to the hurricane's widespread damage--ensured the loss of thousands of lives.

Coping with mother nature: Households' Livelihood Security and Coping Strategies in a Situation of a Continuing Disaster in Tarlac, Philippines

Abstract: Several studies on households and individuals coping with disasters have been made. The Philippines, being a disaster prone area, has to grapple with the yearly damage caused by deluge or drought. The eruption of the Mt. Pinatubo in 1991 has the greatest toll to the country's economy because it did not only claim lives, properties, and resources at that time, but continues to do so up to the present day, which is why the disaster has been characterised as a lingering disaster. This study provides insight into the behaviour of individuals in a household faced with a disaster whose effects may carry through an indefinite period. The two major activities conducted to describe the effects of the disaster on household livelihood are the general household survey and the case study analysis. The former was done to obtain an understanding of the disaster situation. The micro but in-depth perspective was provided by case study analysis. In both activities, information of the 'before' and 'after' situations were the basis of observations. As the study shows, the disaster significantly affected the major livelihood sources of the households.Lahar-laden fields made rice farming difficult because of poor soil structure. It made aquaculture and sustenance fishing impractical because of too much deposition of lahar, and livestock raising unfeasible because of lack of pasture. The change in cropping calendar and ecology indicate the changed situation. The changed natural resource base has a corresponding implications for the socio-cultural resources of the households. When households are under stress, negotiation becomes all the more important. The moral dimension of the household economy and kinship relations becomes more prominent and transcends kinship relationships. The social network of an individual or household becomes the source of support, while reciprocity being in the hub of this support system. Households beset by a disaster are eclectic. As the case studies show, household respond to the changed situation through several mechanisms that are honed through time making these adaptive. Households cope by altering their production management like adjusting their cropping calendar and diversifying crops and mobilising available resources like the forest and other traditional forms of livelihood/food system. Household membership tends to become very loose in a situation of a crisis. The manipulation of social relations and household membership has become a significant form of coping. Negotiations over work and other domestic responsibilities and migration of household members appeared to be part of the available coping strategies. These strategies to attain a secure livelihood do not always represent clear-cut,mutually exclusive alternatives. Outside intervention like government support in crisis situations should not just contend with emergency relief. Because disasters result in entitlement destruction, an intervention that allows for 'entitlement protection' is essential in the case of a continuing type of a disaster. Responsive disaster management articulates the need to know and understand the situation, and a genuine support programme is sensitive to the plight of vulnerable groups like women and the elderly.

Looking beyond eruptions for an explanation of volcanic disasters : vulnerability in volcanic environments

Abstract: A thesis submitted to the Centre for Volcanic Studies, University of Luton, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.

Research on insurance model for natural disaster based on the theory of principal and agent

Abstract: Natural disaster insurance is one of importnat way to raise fund for disaster reduction andpostdisaster recovery. Based on the theory of principal and agent, an insurance model for natural disaster is developed, and the optimal contract and the cost ratio is studied, which provides a theory todevelop insurance market for natural disaster.

Predicting Business Financial Losses in the 1989 Loma Prieta and 1994 Northridge Earthquakes: Implications for Loss Estimation Research

Abstract: Spurred in part by the rising economic costs of natural disasters, there has recently been a dramatic increase in the number of studies aimed at estimating financial losses caused by large-scale earthquakes. For example, in 1997 the journal Earthquake Spectra devoted an entire issue to this topic. Papers appearing in the special issue ranged from cost-benefit analyses of structural rehabilitation strategies (D'Ayala et al., 1997) to the development of real-time damage assessment tools Pguchi et al. 1997). In 1998 the Multidisciplinary Center for Earthquake Engineering Research published a monograph addressing the engineering and socioeconomic impacts of earthquakes (Shinozuka, Rose, and Eguchi, 1998). A primary focus of the report was on the regional economic impacts of earthquake-induced electricity lifeline disruptions. More recently, in 1999 the National Research Council Committee on Assessing the Costs of Natural Disasters published a report outlining a framework for loss estimation (National Research Council, 1999). The Committee's primary goals were to develop a framework for consistent and systematic collection of loss data from natural disasters and to build an institutional capacity for collecting such data.

The End of Earthquake Hazard

Abstract: Unlike some other natural disasters such as droughts, floods, or hurricanes, earthquakes are selectively destructive to humans. Other life forms are relatively immune to earthquake damage. As we learn to diagnose and prevent earthquake disasters we may begin to reflect on the impending demise of earthquake hazard. What will happen when human societies will be as little affected by this hazard as social insects are today--a modest goal, considering our relative technological superiority over ants or bees? In the next few decades, fundamental advances in structural design and building technology are likely to reverse the current trend toward increased vulnerability of structures to earthquakes, which has been attributed to changes in land use since the 1950's related to urbanization. Recent seismic disasters in Mexico City, the San Francisco Bay area, and Kobe were clearly related to soft ground conditions. Thus one key advance in the control for seismic disasters will...

Socio-Economic Perspective of Developing Country Megacities Vulnerable to Flood and Landslide Hazards

Abstract: The paper is based on the United Nations — International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (UN-IDNDR) pilot study project “Mitigation of the effect of natural hazards on urban areas particularly developing country megacities” for which the writer was the project leader.

Managing natural disaster risk through enforcement of development standards

Abstract: Severe earthquakes in urban areas can cause great damage to the built environment. In urban areas, the built environment consists of infrastructure systems such as highways and bridges, commercial complexes, and residential buildings. As pointed out in the literature, enforcement of building codes is not well carried out. It is estimated that better building code compliance and enforcement could have prevented 25% of the insured losses from Hurricane Andrew, which hit Southern Florida just south of Miami in August, 1992. Therefore, it is important to ensure that infrastructure and residential development projects meet the prescribed standards. Consequently, factors affecting compliance to building codes and standards are investigated. Firstly, inspection and enforcement processes used in major infrastructure and residential development projects are described. Secondly, the "command-and-control" approach to building safety is studied by utilizing a game-theoretic model. The model is expressed as a game in extensive form in which the two decision makers are the developer, who builds a development project and is potentially motivated to violate the building standard, and the inspector, representing the government agency which inspects and enforces the standard in question. Parameters considered in assessing the cost-effectiveness of building code enforcement are the gains for violators, the costs of inspection, penalties, and the social value for stopping violations. Implications for disaster risk management are presented.

A Reconsideration of the Nature and Role of Resettlement Housing and Housing Materials in Natural Disaster Recovery in Indigenous Communities

Abstract: The built environment can play a very supportive role and therapeutic role in helping people adjust to dramatic change, catastrophe, and personal and family loss. This paper explores the Aetas' per...

Advance in risk analysis for regional natural disasters

Abstract: In this paper, the author first discusses the meaning of regional natural disaster's risk and introduces the possibility risk in detail, pointing out that risk has different meaning in insurance business and disaster study. Then the author reviews the content of risk analysis of regional natural disasters and the mathematical models of risk assessment. The risk analysis is classified into three steps, risk recognition , risk estimation, and risk assessment and the mathematical models into three types, extreme risk model, probability risk model and possibility risk model. Nextly, the possibility risk model for analyzing regional disaster risk are reviewed thoroughly. Finally, the problems to be studied further for regional natural disasters risk analysis , the regional natural disaster mechanism , the method for recognizing regional natural disaster risk, and the method of regional vulnerability analysis, are proposed.

Disaster outreach service provision : the development of an index

Abstract: This article reports preliminary findings on the development of an index that measures outreach workers' perceptions of the provision of services to survivors of natural disasters. Data were collected from a sample of 64 outreach counselors who worked for Project Recovery during the Great Flood of 1993 along the Mississippi River in Illinois. Factor analyses were used to identify a 15 item index. The fifteen items represent five factors which explained 82.2% of the variance among the items. The resulting Disaster Outreach Service Provision (DOSP) Index has acceptable reliability estimates (Alpha = .83) and appears normally distributed. The index represents an important step in filling the need for measurement instruments designed specifically for use in natural disaster situations. Such instruments can be used in evaluating the provision of disaster relief services and in conducting disaster related research.

Reducing the impact of the unexpected

Abstract: Discusses that the difference between disaster recovery and business continuity management is mostly one of scope and the disaster recovery end of the spectrum is characterized by a focus on technology‐based problems (e.g. computing), triggered by external factors (natural disasters, bombs, etc.). Employs a Figure highlighting planning for business continuity in context. Stresses disaster recovery is concerned with getting back online following a crisis but that it is important people do not become complacent because of knowledge of a plan of recovery.

Report warns of more natural disasters

Abstract: While two world wars and numerous armed conflicts have framed the humanitarian agenda in the 20th century, natural disasters are a seething and growing problem that affects developing countries and the poor the hardest. Yet, emergency aid funds for dealing with natural disasters have plunged by 40% over the last 5 years, according to a new report on the issue. In addition, 1998 was the worst year on record for natural disasters, which caused more damage than ever before, according to the World Disasters Report 1999, issued by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in June. Last year, natural disasters created 25 million refugees, more than did wars and conflict.

Study proposes wholesale change in thinking about natural hazards mitigation

Abstract: The “lollapaloozas,” the major natural catastrophes, are getting bigger and bigger, and it is time to confront this growing problem by dramatically changing the way that society approaches natural hazard mitigation, conducts itself in relation to the natural environment, and accepts responsibility for activities that could lead to or increase disasters, according to Dennis Mileti, principal investigator of a new study on natural hazards, and director of the Natural Hazards Research and Applications Information Center at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Since 1989, the United States has been struck by seven of the nation's 10 most costly natural disasters, including the 1994 Northridge earthquake in California that caused $25 billion in damages. Also since 1989, the financial cost of natural hazards in the United States—which includes floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, and wildfires, as well as landslides, heat, and fog—has frequently averaged $1 billion per week, a price that some experts say will continue rising. Internationally, the Kobe, Japan, earthquake cost more than $100 billion and is the most financially costly disaster in world history None of these figures include indirect losses related to natural disasters, such as lost economic productivity

Comment: United Nations encourages sharing of information on disaster forecasting technologies

Abstract: Natural disasters are on the rise and are of serious concern to the global community During this decade, the United Nations, through its International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction and the Global Programme for the Integration of Public Administration and the Science of Disasters (UNGP-IPASD), has striven to raise global awareness about natural disasters and about the possible approaches communities can take to reduce the impact of such disasters. Noting the emergence of many techniques and methodologies for early warning and community preparation for disasters, as well as the rapid advances in information-sharing technology the United Nations seeks to facilitate exchange of information, data, and experiences, and to encourage the integration of applied natural sciences and public administration so as to strengthen the capacity of local communities to assess and mitigate their immediate risk from natural disasters.