EM-DATEM-DATThe The International Disaster DatabaseInternational Disaster Database

CRED – University of Louvain, BelgiumCRED – University of Louvain, Belgium

Expert Meeting on Hazard and Disaster Data, May 19-20, 2010 - Copenhagen

Regina BELOW

AIM OF THE DATABASEAIM OF THE DATABASEANDAND

GENERAL INFORMATIONGENERAL INFORMATION

EM-DAT: International Disaster Database, created in 1988 and maintained by CRED

Compile information on occurrence and impacts of over 18,000 natural and technological disasters from 1900 until present

Objective: Provide evidence-base to humanitarian and development actors at national and international levels

Database maintained by Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters – CRED (Research Institute Health and Society (IRSS) - University of Louvain, Brussels, Belgium)

Project funded by OFDA/USAID, USA

PARTNERSHIP NETWORK

UN AGENCIESWHOOCHA UN-ISDRUNDP

GOVERNMENT/MULTILATERAL AGENCIES

US GovernmentNational governmentsNOAAWorld BankEuropean UnionESA

NON-GOVERNMENTAL INSTITUTIONSIFRCADRCNational organizations PRIVATE COMPANIES

MünichReSwissRe

CONTENT OF THE DATABASECONTENT OF THE DATABASE

Disasters in EM-DAT are defined as:

“a situation or event which overwhelms local capacity, necessitating a request to the national or

international level for external assistance, or is recognised as such by a multilateral agency or by at

least two sources, such as national, regional or international assistance groups and the media”

EM-DAT CRITERIAEM-DAT CRITERIA

•10 or more people reported killed

and/or•100 or more people reported affected

and/or•Call for international assistance/declaration of a state of emergency

Information on Human and Economic Impact of:

• Natural disasters (62%)• Geological (Earthquake, volcano, dry mass movement)• Hydrological (Flood, wet mass movement)• Climatological (Extreme temperature, drought, wildfire)• Meteorological (Storm)• Biological (Epidemic, insect infestation, animal stampede)

• Technological disasters (38%)• Transport accidents• Industrial accidents• Miscellaneous accidents

•Number of killed: “persons confirmed as dead and persons missing and presumed dead”

•Number of injured:“people suffering from physical injuries, trauma or an illness requiring medical treatment as a direct result of a disaster”

•Homeless:“people needing immediate assistance for shelter”

•Affected:“persons requiring immediate assistance during a period of emergency, including displaced or evacuated people”

•Total number of affected: Injured + Homeless + Affected

•Economic damages: value of the immediate damage at the time of the event (direct damage in US$)

MEASURING HUMAN AND MEASURING HUMAN AND ECONOMIC IMPACTSECONOMIC IMPACTS

STANDARD TEMPLATE

•Disaster Number (Unique ID)

•Disaster Group/ Type/ Subtype

•Name

•Criteria

Disaster information

•Country/ Continent/ Region

•Location

•Latitude/ Longitude

Geographical information

•Year

•Start and End dates

•Local time

Temporal information

•Origin

•Associated Disasters

•Magnitude / Scale

Characteristics

•OFDA Response

•Request for Int. Assistance

•Declaration State of Emergency

•Aid Contribution

International appeal

•Deaths•Injured•Homeless•Affected•Total Affected=Injured+Homeless+Affected

Human impact

•Estimated Damages

(direct/ indirect; by sector)

•Insured Losses

•Reconstruction Cost

Economic impact

•Impact on Infrastructure:houses, bridges, hospitals, crops,roads …. damaged/ destroyed

•Sectors affected: Industry,Sanitation,Communication, …

Sector impact

STANDARD TEMPLATE

METHODOLOGYMETHODOLOGY

DISASTER EVENT

COUNTRY 1 COUNTRY 2

SOURCE 1 SOURCE 2 SOURCE 3 SOURCE 1 SOURCE 2 SOURCE 3

VALIDATION

PUBLIC

Level 2

Level 1

Level 3

VALIDATION SHEETVALIDATION SHEET

VALIDATIONVALIDATION

Data entered and updated daily

Monthly validation process before making data available for the public (3 months interval)

Internal error cross checking

Yearly data quality control

COLLECTION OF DATA ANDCOLLECTION OF DATA ANDTECHNICAL QUESTIONSTECHNICAL QUESTIONS

UNITED NATIONS•OCHA, IRIN, WHO

GOVERNMENTAL SOURCES•Official Country Figures

INSURANCE MAGAZINE•Lloyd Casualty Week

IFRC AND NGO’s

US GOVERNMENT•OFDA, NOAA, DFO, USGS

REINSURANCE COMPANIES•SwissRe, MünichRe

RESEARCH CENTRES

PRESS/MEDIA•AFP, Reuters

MAIN DATA SOURCESMAIN DATA SOURCES(Priority List)(Priority List)

SPECIFIC DATA SOURCESSPECIFIC DATA SOURCESEARTHQUAKE•USGS

FLOODS•DFO

ECONOMIC LOSSES•ECLAC, Reinsurance Comp.

EPIDEMIC•WHO

INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS•UN/APELL

CONSISTENCY/UPDATE OF DATACONSISTENCY/UPDATE OF DATA

METHODOLOGYMETHODOLOGY

•Data must be comparable over time and space

•Standard methodology for entering data

• Clear stated methodology, based on 20 years experience and posted on the website

• Figures confirmed by at least 2 sources

• Use of priority sources

STRENGHTS OF EM-DATSTRENGHTS OF EM-DAT

- Unique free accessible database

- Acts as a reference point for global analysis of disaster occurrence and impact

- Unique basis for policy papers on disaster reduction and risks

- International recognition and credibility

- Capacity to provide methods and guidelines (20 years experience)

-Transparent conventions regarding data sources and internal protocol

-Standard data templates

-Global and coherent data

LIMITATIONS OF EM-DATLIMITATIONS OF EM-DAT

-Global database

-Limited potential for analysis in terms of disaster occurrence and impact on smaller, intra-country spatial scales

-Public aspect of EM-DAT may lead to inappropriate use of data

EMDAT : CREDibilityEMDAT : CREDibility

•Long experience in data collection & management•Normative rules, clear definition•Clearly-stated methodology•Validation methods and tools•Transparency•Automatization (data entry and outputs)•Comparability of its data across time and space

UNIQUE PUBLIC GLOBAL REFERENCE DATABASE

ACCESS TO DATAACCESS TO DATA

CRED OUTPUTSCRED OUTPUTS

30 Years Natural Disasters (1973-2003)

Statistical Annex of the WDR (IFRC)

Press Release (ISDR)

Annual Statistical Review

CRED Crunch

EXTERNAL OUTPUTSEXTERNAL OUTPUTS

ISDR

Living with Risk UNDP

Reducing Disaster Risk

World Bank

Natural Disasters Hotspots

EM-DAT ONLINEEM-DAT ONLINEwww.emdat.bewww.emdat.be

Different search options:

(1) Country profiles* (2) Natural & technological disaster profiles* (3) Disaster list*(4) Advanced search*(5) Maps(6) Trend figures

* Dynamic

EM-DAT USERS• Ministries and specialized agencies (white & policy

papers, budget justifications, planning, priorities)• Red Cross and NGOs• Consultant firms (environmental, land use)• Insurance firms• High school teachers, Undergraduate University

projects• Research (environment, geography, urbanization,

tourism)

WEB-SITE USAGE WEB-SITE USAGE (2008/2009)(2008/2009)

2008 2009 Increase%

52,542 visits 70,651 visits + 34.47%

32,730 unique visitors(89.6/day)

43,522 unique visitors(119.2/day)

+ 32.97%

82,033 pageviews 210,230 pageviews +145.30%

DATA IN EUROPEDATA IN EUROPE

DATA GAPS FOR EUROPE

•Systematic reporting of disaster impact is weak (depend on centralization)

•Realistic and appropriate methods to measure human impact in European context should be developed

•Common data standards for reporting need to be established across European Union countries (and intra – country)

CONCLUSIONS

•Building on existing efforts better then starting from scratch

•The « Kiss principle » : Keep it Short and Simple

•Problems of disaster data collection in the Europe will be the same as problems of data collection in the world

THANK YOU …THANK YOU … CONTACTCONTACT

CREDCRED30, Clos Chapelle-aux-Champs30, Clos Chapelle-aux-Champs1200 Brussels – Belgium1200 Brussels – BelgiumTel: +32-2-764-3327/Fax-3441Tel: +32-2-764-3327/Fax-3441E-Mail: contact@cred.beE-Mail: contact@cred.beWebsite: www.cred.beWebsite: www.cred.be

QUESTIONSQUESTIONS

•"Common protocol" for georeferencing global disaster databases (interoperability)

•More precise information on disaster locations (additional data sources and/or linking to other (global) datasets

•Production of Spatial analysis & disaster footprints

CONTEXT AND NEEDSCONTEXT AND NEEDS

•Lack of accessible information remain major barrier for better disaster prevention, mitigation, preparedness and reduction

•Need of comprehensive understanding of complete human, economic and social impact of disasters

•Decision-makers need to be informed on where to invest and how to design sustainable project

ISSUES HIGHLIGHTED

1. Disaster definitions: Differences & lack of standardized terminology (low comparability)

2. Disaster typology: Disaster (sub)type classification, primary/secondary event

3. Geo-referencing: Data resolution

4. Temporal aspects: Difficulties in reporting start and end dates

5. Methodology: Lack of publicly available methodology => transparency & comparability, ambiguity of variables (definitions, sources, criteria)

6. Sourcing: Lack/Overabundance of data sources