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.

[Socio-environmental vulnerability, disaster risk-reduction and resilience-building: lessons from the earthquake in Haiti and torrential rains in the mountain range close to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil].

Abstract: Data on disasters around the world reveal greater seriousness in countries with lower social and economic development levels. In this context, disaster risk-reduction and resilience-building policies are priorities in the sustainable development agenda, featuring among the topics selected for the Rio+20 Summit. By means of a contribution of a conceptual nature and from examples of disasters in countries with different development levels, namely the Haiti earthquake and the torrential rains in the mountain range close to Rio de Janeiro in Brazil, the scope of this article is to demonstrate how socio-environmental vulnerability creates conditions for disasters, while at the same time limiting strategies for their prevention and mitigation. Lastly, some of the measures that disaster risk reduction and resilience-building demand in a socio-environmental vulnerability context are highlighted. These involve changes in the current patterns of social, economic and environmental development geared toward ecological sustainability and social justice as pillars of sustainable development.

Dynamic Resilience to Climate Change Caused Natural Disasters in Coastal Megacities Quantification Framework

Abstract: Objectives: The framework is designed to provide (i) for better understanding of factors contributing to urban resilience; and (ii) for comparison of climate change adaptation options. Methodology: Disasters occur at the intersection of hazards and vulnerabilities. As the climate changes, so do the patterns of climate hazards. Coastal megacities are faced with many challenges including (i) increased exposure to natural hazards such as hurricanes, typhoons, storm surges, sea-level rise and riverine flooding; (ii) pressures of increasing urbanization and population growth; and (iii) increased complexity of interacting subsystems. An original method for quantification of resilience is provided through spatial system dynamics simulation. The quantitative resilience framework combines economic, social, organizational, health and physical impacts of climate change caused natural disasters on coastal megacities. The developed measure defines resilience as a function of time and location in space. The framework is being implemented through the system dynamics model in an integrated computational environment. Conclusion: Data collection for the Coastal Megacity Resilience Simulator (CMRS) Research Article British Journal of Environment & Climate Change, 3(3): 378-401, 2013 379 model input and discussions with local decision makers are actively being pursued concurrent with the model development for the primary case study coastal city of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Future work includes developing policy driven adaptation scenarios, resilience model simulations, transfer of the resilience model to local community and capacity building.

Transportation network vulnerability analysis for the case of a catastrophic earthquake

Abstract: The aim of this paper is to propose a post-disaster vulnerability analysis for the designed emergency transportation networks in Tehran, an earthquake-prone metropolis in a developing country. The situation of Tehran is somewhat disheartening as it has developed haphazardly with little attention to construction and building codes, which leaves structures, transportation routes, and residents vulnerable. This paper attempts to demonstrate the challenges of trying to develop transportation vulnerability analysis in a developing country, especially one as a major population center in a geographic area prone to earthquakes. After a catastrophic earthquake in a developing country, the conventional network analysis methods may not be employed because first, the post disaster travel demand can be fundamentally altered from the usual daily travel demand and, perhaps, the forecast of the trip demand in the highly uncertain condition seems impossible. Second, the behavior of passengers may not be rational. In line with this idea, a comprehensive study on urban seismic disaster prevention and management for the greater Tehran is held in this paper. This paper proposes an approach to evaluate post-earthquake response and recovery routes by identifying redundancy-based isolation measures to find out which zones in this city are most susceptible to disruptions of the transport system due to a devastating earthquake, and which emergency response trips are most vulnerable in the super-chaotic situation after the earthquake.

Household Finance after a Natural Disaster: The Case of Hurricane Katrina

Abstract: Little is known about how affected residents are able to cope with the financial shock of a natural disaster. We investigate the impact that flooding from a major US hurricane had on household finance. Spikes in credit card borrowing and overall delinquency rates for the most flooded residents are modest in size and short-lived. Greater flooding results in larger reductions in total debt. Lower debt levels appear to be driven by homeowners using flood insurance to repay their mortgages rather than to rebuild. Debt reductions are larger in census tracts where mortgages were likely to be originated by non-local lenders.