Natural disaster

About: Natural disaster is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 5456 publications have been published within this topic receiving 104808 citations. The topic is also known as: natural calamity & natural hazard.

The Responsibility to Protect the Survivors of Natural Disaster: Cyclone Nargis, a Case Study

Abstract: Cyclone Nargis struck Myanmar on 2 and 3 May 2008, devastating the Irrawaddy Delta, affecting 2.4 million people and leaving an estimated 130,000 people dead or missing. In the weeks following the disaster, in the face of enormous humanitarian needs, the government of Myanmar imposed significant restrictions on the delivery of humanitarian aid. The restrictions imposed, and the frustration felt by the international community, led to intense debate regarding the potential application of the 'responsibility to protect', and to suggestions that the legal doctrine could be invoked to justify military intervention for the purpose of delivering humanitarian aid to the survivors of the cyclone.Using Cyclone Nargis as a case study, this article examines the meaning of 'responsibility to protect' in the aftermath of natural disaster. The status of humanitarian intervention and the 'responsibility to protect' in customary international law is discussed, followed by a consideration of whether the 'responsibility to protect' could have been invoked in the aftermath of Cyclone Nargis as a justification for military intervention. This article concludes that while the restrictions imposed by the government of Myanmar fell short of what would be required to justify military intervention, it is possible to envisage situations where, in the aftermath of natural disaster, a government's refusal to allow access to survivors might be so complete, and the humanitarian needs so immense, that the use of force may be warranted.

Metamorphosis from local knowledge to involuted disaster knowledge for disaster governance in a landslide-prone tribal community in Taiwan

Abstract: This study aimed to elucidate local knowledge that might be used to reduce disaster risks and what, if anything, changes when local knowledge is influenced by external knowledge. Qualitative data drawn from semi-structured interviews and a workshop were analyzed to study a Taiwanese indigenous tribal community. We found that disaster experiences sharpened people's abilities to detect changes in terrain, hydrology, flora, and fauna, thereby enabling them to identify disaster risks. This local knowledge could improve early warning of an impending disaster. People also used invisible local knowledge (e.g., social relations and experiences) to build their capacities to respond to disasters. We propose involuted disaster knowledge as a new type of knowledge that integrates local knowledge with scientific knowledge through an involution process. Therefore, involuted (local) disaster knowledge functions to interpret the government's perspective based on the reality known to the local people, which could help governmental disaster management succeed in meeting community-level needs. It also functions for understanding the language used by community residents, which minimizes power inequalities in the disaster governance process. We recommend recognizing local knowledge and using it in disaster management because it might help to effectively reduce the negative effects of natural disasters. Involution could help expand local knowledge's capacity for changing the environment that further benefits both local people and the government. Participatory workshops are recommended for integrating local knowledge and governmental scientific-based knowledge as well as formulating disaster risk management with community characteristics.

Meteorological Office, Pune-411 005

Abstract: Natural disasters like floods, tornadoes, tropicalcyclones, heat and cold wavewreak havoc and cause tremendous loss ofproperty all over the world. Most ofthe natural disasters are either dueto weather or are triggered due toweather related processes. Extreme weather events claimed thousands oflives and caused damage on vastscale. Recent super cyclone which affectedOrissa in 1999, Bangladesh cyclone of1970 and Hurricane Andrew in 1992 areexamples of some of the more damagingtropical cyclones which affected developingas well as the developed world. Heatand cold waves are also extreme events,which cause enormous losses in terms oflives lost and human discomfort and ailmentsarising out of them. The heat waveof 1995 and 1998 are still fresh in the mindof the Indian public. The estimated lossof human lives due to heat wave in 1998 was morethan 15,000. Economic losses asa result of these disasters and in particular inassociation with tropical cyclones haveincreased enormously over the last three decades.During 1961–1991, total loss oflives from drought alone was 1,333,728 overthe whole world. In terms of economiclosses, there is 8–10 fold increase from thebase figure of 1960. The socio-economicimpact of natural disaster is complex dependingupon the vulnerability of the placeand mitigation strategies that are put in place. Meteorology plays a crucial role in forewarningpeople about the severe/extremeweather systems and a constant endeavour by themeteorological services worldover has gone a long way towards minimizing thelosses caused by natural disasters. The paper summarises the natural disasterstatistics over south Asia and the possibleprediction strategies for combating theirsocio-economic impacts.