🌋Natural and Human Disasters Unit 8 – Disaster Prevention and Risk Reduction

Key Concepts and Terminology

• Hazard: a potential source of harm or adverse health effect on a person or persons
• Vulnerability: the extent to which a community, structure, service, or geographic area is likely to be damaged or disrupted by the impact of a particular hazard
• Risk: the likelihood of a specific hazard occurrence
  • Calculated by multiplying the probability of a hazard occurring by the consequences of that hazard
• Mitigation: the action of reducing the severity, seriousness, or painfulness of something
  • Includes measures such as building codes, land-use planning, and engineering design standards
• Preparedness: the state of being ready for something
  • Involves developing emergency response plans, training emergency personnel, and educating the public
• Resilience: the capacity to recover quickly from difficulties
  • Includes the ability of a community to withstand, adapt to, and recover from a disaster

Types of Disasters and Their Causes

• Natural disasters: catastrophic events resulting from natural causes such as earthquakes, hurricanes, and floods
  • Earthquakes are caused by the sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust, creating seismic waves
  • Hurricanes form over warm ocean waters and are fueled by heat from the sea
  • Floods occur when water overflows onto land that is normally dry, often due to heavy rainfall or storm surge
• Technological disasters: catastrophic events caused by human activities such as industrial accidents, transportation accidents, and structural failures
  • Industrial accidents can involve the release of hazardous materials (Bhopal gas tragedy) or explosions (Chernobyl nuclear disaster)
  • Transportation accidents include plane crashes, train derailments, and maritime accidents (Exxon Valdez oil spill)
• Human-caused disasters: intentional acts that cause widespread harm such as terrorism, civil unrest, and warfare
  • Terrorism involves the use of violence or threat of violence to achieve political, religious, or ideological goals (9/11 attacks)
  • Civil unrest can include riots, protests, and strikes that disrupt normal activities and cause property damage
• Pandemics: global outbreaks of infectious diseases that spread rapidly and affect a large number of people
  • Can be caused by viruses (COVID-19, Spanish flu), bacteria (bubonic plague), or other pathogens
  • Factors such as global travel, urbanization, and animal-to-human transmission can contribute to the spread of pandemics

Risk Assessment Techniques

• Hazard identification: the process of recognizing potential sources of harm or adverse health effects
  • Involves analyzing historical data, conducting site surveys, and consulting with experts
• Vulnerability assessment: the process of identifying, quantifying, and prioritizing the vulnerabilities in a system
  • Considers factors such as population density, building construction, and critical infrastructure
• Risk analysis: the systematic use of available information to determine how often specified events may occur and the magnitude of their likely consequences
  • Quantitative risk analysis uses numerical values to calculate risk, while qualitative risk analysis uses descriptive scales (low, medium, high)
• Scenario planning: a strategic planning method that involves creating and analyzing different possible future scenarios
  • Helps identify potential risks and opportunities and develop contingency plans
• Geographic Information Systems (GIS): a computer system for capturing, storing, checking, and displaying data related to positions on Earth's surface
  • Used to map hazards, vulnerabilities, and risks and support decision-making
• Risk matrices: a tool used to assess and prioritize risks based on their likelihood and impact
  • Risks are plotted on a grid with likelihood on one axis and impact on the other, allowing for easy visualization and comparison

Disaster Prevention Strategies

• Land-use planning: the process of regulating the use of land to promote sustainable development and reduce disaster risk
  • Involves zoning regulations, building codes, and development restrictions in hazard-prone areas
• Building codes: a set of rules that specify the standards for constructed objects such as buildings and non-building structures
  • Ensures that structures are designed and built to withstand the impacts of hazards such as earthquakes, hurricanes, and floods
• Structural mitigation measures: physical measures taken to reduce the impact of hazards
  • Includes building retrofitting, construction of levees and floodwalls, and installation of storm shutters
• Non-structural mitigation measures: measures that do not involve physical construction but reduce the impact of hazards
  • Includes public education, early warning systems, and emergency response planning
• Nature-based solutions: the use of natural systems and processes to reduce disaster risk and enhance resilience
  • Includes wetland restoration, beach nourishment, and green infrastructure (permeable pavements, green roofs)
• Insurance: a means of protection from financial loss in which an individual or entity receives financial protection or reimbursement against losses from an insurance company
  • Helps individuals and communities recover from disasters by providing financial assistance for losses

Early Warning Systems

• Monitoring and detection: the process of observing and measuring physical phenomena to identify potential hazards
  • Involves the use of sensors, satellites, and other technologies to collect data on hazards such as earthquakes, tsunamis, and hurricanes
• Data analysis and interpretation: the process of examining data to identify patterns, trends, and anomalies that may indicate a potential hazard
  • Involves the use of statistical methods, machine learning algorithms, and expert judgment to analyze data from monitoring and detection systems
• Warning dissemination: the process of communicating information about a potential hazard to the public and emergency responders
  • Involves the use of various communication channels such as sirens, text messages, social media, and television and radio broadcasts
• Public education and awareness: the process of informing the public about potential hazards, their risks, and how to respond to warnings
  • Involves the development and distribution of educational materials, the conduct of drills and exercises, and the engagement of community leaders and organizations
• Evacuation planning: the process of identifying safe locations and routes for people to evacuate to in the event of a hazard
  • Involves the development of evacuation maps, the identification of transportation resources, and the coordination with emergency responders and community organizations

Emergency Response Planning

• Incident Command System (ICS): a standardized approach to the command, control, and coordination of emergency response
  • Provides a common hierarchy and structure for managing resources and activities during an incident
• Emergency Operations Center (EOC): a central location from which government officials coordinate response and recovery efforts during an emergency
  • Serves as a hub for communication, resource allocation, and decision-making during an incident
• Mutual aid agreements: agreements between organizations or jurisdictions to provide assistance and resources during an emergency
  • Allows for the sharing of personnel, equipment, and supplies across jurisdictional boundaries
• Evacuation planning: the process of identifying safe locations and routes for people to evacuate to in the event of a hazard
  • Involves the development of evacuation maps, the identification of transportation resources, and the coordination with emergency responders and community organizations
• Sheltering: the provision of temporary housing and basic necessities for individuals displaced by a disaster
  • Involves the identification of suitable shelter locations, the procurement of supplies, and the coordination with social service agencies
• Medical surge capacity: the ability of the healthcare system to expand quickly beyond normal services to meet an increased demand for medical care
  • Involves the mobilization of additional personnel, equipment, and supplies to treat a large influx of patients

Community Resilience and Preparedness

• Public education and outreach: the process of informing the public about potential hazards, their risks, and how to prepare for and respond to them
  • Involves the development and distribution of educational materials, the conduct of workshops and seminars, and the engagement of community leaders and organizations
• Community-based disaster risk reduction: the involvement of communities in identifying, assessing, and reducing their own disaster risks
  • Empowers communities to take ownership of their own safety and resilience through participatory planning and decision-making
• Volunteer management: the process of recruiting, training, and coordinating volunteers to assist with disaster response and recovery efforts
  • Involves the identification of volunteer roles and responsibilities, the screening and selection of volunteers, and the provision of training and support
• Business continuity planning: the process of creating systems of prevention and recovery to deal with potential threats to a company
  • Ensures that critical business functions can continue during and after a disaster through the identification of key assets, the development of backup systems, and the training of personnel
• Social capital: the networks of relationships among people who live and work in a particular society, enabling that society to function effectively
  • Strengthens community resilience by fostering trust, reciprocity, and cooperation among individuals and groups
• Psychological first aid: a humane, supportive response to a fellow human being who is suffering and who may need support
  • Provides immediate emotional and practical support to individuals affected by a disaster to reduce initial distress and foster adaptive functioning

Case Studies and Lessons Learned

• Hurricane Katrina (2005): a Category 5 hurricane that caused widespread damage and loss of life in New Orleans and the surrounding areas
  • Exposed weaknesses in the city's flood protection system and the inadequacy of the government's response, highlighting the need for improved risk assessment, emergency planning, and communication
• Haiti Earthquake (2010): a magnitude 7.0 earthquake that struck near Port-au-Prince, causing widespread destruction and loss of life
  • Demonstrated the vulnerability of poorly constructed buildings and the challenges of providing aid and support in a developing country with limited infrastructure
• Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Disaster (2011): a nuclear accident caused by the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, resulting in the release of radioactive material and the evacuation of over 100,000 people
  • Highlighted the risks associated with nuclear power plants located in hazard-prone areas and the need for robust safety systems and emergency response plans
• Typhoon Haiyan (2013): a powerful tropical cyclone that caused widespread damage and loss of life in the Philippines
  • Emphasized the importance of early warning systems, evacuation planning, and community-based disaster risk reduction in reducing the impact of natural hazards
• COVID-19 Pandemic (2020-present): a global outbreak of a novel coronavirus that has caused widespread illness, death, and disruption to social and economic activities
  • Underscored the need for effective public health measures, international cooperation, and resilient healthcare systems in responding to pandemics and other public health emergencies