Natural Disasters 1232

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Natural Disasters

~ Introduction to Disasters ~

"A disaster is a natural or man-made event that negatively affects life,

property, livelihood or industry often resulting in permanent changes to

human societies, ecosystems and environment."

As the definition suggests, disasters are highly disruptive events that cause

suffering, deprivation, hardship, injury and even death, as a result of direct

injury, disease, the interruption of commerce and business, and the partial or

total destruction of critical infrastructure such as homes, hospitals, and other

buildings, roads, bridges, power lines, etc. Disasters can be caused by

naturally occurring events, such as earthquakes, hurricanes, flooding, or

tornadoes, or they can be due to man-made events, either accidental (such as

an accidental toxic spill or nuclear power plant event), or deliberately caused

(such as various terrorist bombings and poisonings).

Certain types of natural disasters are more likely to occur in particular parts

of the world. For instance, areas near coastline, lakes or rivers are more

likely to experience flooding problems than are land-locked areas. However,most every place you could live is prone to one type of natural disaster or

another. No place is absolutely safe from natural disaster. And, of course it

goes without saying, that no place is safe from the threat of terrorism and

other man-made disaster events.


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It may be impossible to avoid disasters, but it isn't impossible to plan ahead

of time so as to minimize the impact that any given disaster might have on

you or your family's health, safety and property. There are steps you can

take ahead of time, including, purchasing the proper types of insurance,

preparing a disaster kit and supplies, making a disaster plan and rehearsing it

with your family, and staying informed so that you can do your best to get

out of the way of predictable dangerous occurrences, that can help you, your

family, and your property stay as safe as possible.

The following documents describe various types of disasters that can occur,

and outline the important steps to take to prepare for their occurrence.

A natural disaster is the effect of a natural hazard (e.g. flood, tornado ,volcano eruption, earthquake, orlandslide) that affects the environment, and

leads to financial, environmental and/or human losses. The resulting loss

depends on the capacity of the population to support or resist the disaster,

and their resilience.This understanding is concentrated in the formulation:

"disasters occur when hazards meet vulnerability."A natural hazard will

hence never result in a natural disaster in areas without vulnerability, e.g.

strong earthquakes in uninhabited areas. The term naturalhas consequently

been disputed because the events simply are not hazards or disasters without

human involvement.

NATURAL HAZARDSA natural hazard is a threat of an event that will have a negative effect on

people or the environment. Many natural hazards are related, e.g.

earthquakes can result in tsunamis, drought can lead directly to famine and

disease. A concrete example of the division between hazard and disaster is

that the 1906 San Francisco earthquake was a disaster, whereas earthquakes

are a hazard. Hazards are consequently relating to a future occurrence and

disasters to past or current occurrences. Hazard is the probability of

occurrence of a damaging phenomenon within a specified period of time and

within a given area (Varnes, 1984). Natural disasters are of various types

like earthquakes (tsunami), floods, landslides, forest fires, thunderstorms and

volcanic eruption etc. The recent Tsunami induced earthquake of magnitude

9.0 of focal depth 30km, which was occurred with epicenter (3.298N,

95.779E) on 26th December 2004 (00:58:50 UTC), had swept thousands of
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LAND MOVEMENT DISASTERS

Landslide

Ferguson Slide on California State Highway

A landslide or landslip is a geological phenomenon which includes a wide range of

ground movement, such as rock falls, deep failure of slopes and shallow debris flows,which can occur in offshore, coastal and onshore environments. Although the action of

gravity is the primary driving force for a landslide to occur, there are other contributing

factors affecting the original slope stability. Typically, pre-conditional factors build up

specific sub-surface conditions that make the area/slope prone to failure, whereas theactual landslide often requires a trigger before being released.
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with the descending snow. Powerful avalanches have the capability to entrain ice, rocks,

trees, and other material on the slope; however avalanches are always initiated in snow,

are primarily composed of flowing snow, and are distinct from mudslides, rock slides,rock avalanches, and serac collapses from an icefall. In mountainous terrain avalanches

are among the most serious objective hazards to life and property, with their destructive

capability resulting from their potential to carry an enormous mass of snow rapidly overlarge distances.

Earthquake

An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor, or temblor) is the result of a suddenrelease of energy in the Earth'scrust that creates seismic waves. Earthquakes are recorded

with a seismometer, also known as a seismograph. The moment magnitude (or the related

and mostly obsolete Richtermagnitude) of an earthquake is conventionally reported, withmagnitude 3 or lower earthquakes being mostly imperceptible and magnitude 7 causing

serious damage over large areas. Intensity of shaking is measured on the modified

Mercalli scale.

At the Earth's surface, earthquakes manifest themselves by shaking and sometimesdisplacing the ground. When a large earthquake epicenteris located offshore, the seabed

sometimes suffers sufficient displacement to cause a tsunami. The shaking in earthquakes

can also trigger landslides and occasionally volcanic activity.

In its most generic sense, the word earthquake is used to describe any seismic event

whether a naturalphenomenon or an event caused by humans that generates seismicwaves. Earthquakes are caused mostly by rupture of geological faults, but also by

volcanic activity, landslides, mine blasts, and nuclear experiments. An earthquake's pointof initial rupture is called its focus orhypocenter. The term epicenterrefers to the point at

ground level directly above the hypocenter.

Measuring and locating earthquakes

Earthquakes can be recorded by seismometers up to great distances, because seismic

waves travel through the whole Earth's interior. The absolute magnitude of a quake isconventionally reported by numbers on the Moment magnitude scale (formerly Richter

scale, magnitude 7 causing serious damage over large areas), whereas the felt magnitudeis reported using the modified Mercalli scale (intensity II-XII).

Every tremor produces different types of seismic waves which travel through rock withdifferent velocities: the longitudinal P-waves (shock- or pressure waves), the transverse

S-waves (both body waves) and several surface waves (Rayleigh and Love waves). The

propagation velocity of the seismic waves ranges from approx. 3 km/s up to 13 km/s,depending on the density and elasticity of the medium. In the Earth's interior the shock-
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or P waves travel much faster than the S waves (approx. relation 1.7 : 1). The differences

in travel time from the epicentre to the observatory are a measure of the distance and can

be used to image both sources of quakes and structures within the Earth. Also the depthof the hypocentercan be computed roughly.

In solid rock P-waves travel at about 6 to 7 km per second; the velocity increases withinthe deep mantle to ~13 km/s. The velocity of S-waves ranges from 23 km/s in light

sediments and 45 km/s in the Earth's crust up to 7 km/s in the deep mantle. As aconsequence, the first waves of a distant earth quake arrive at an observatory via the

Earth's mantle.

Effects/impacts of earthquakes

1755 copper engraving depicting Lisbon in ruins and in flames after the 1755 Lisbon

earthquake, which killed an estimated 60,000 people. A tsunami overwhelms the ships inthe harbor.

The effects of earthquakes include, but are not limited to, the following:

Shaking and ground rupture

Shaking and ground rupture are the main effects created by earthquakes, principally

resulting in more or less severe damage to buildings and other rigid structures. The

severity of the local effects depends on the complex combination of the earthquakemagnitude, the distance from the epicenter, and the local geological and

geomorphological conditions, which may amplify or reduce wave propagation.[24] The

ground-shaking is measured by ground acceleration.

Specific local geological, geomorphological, and geostructural features can induce highlevels of shaking on the ground surface even from low-intensity earthquakes. This effect

is called site or local amplification. It is principally due to the transfer of the seismic

motion from hard deep soils to soft superficial soils and to effects of seismic energyfocalization owing to typical geometrical setting of the deposits.
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Ground rupture is a visible breaking and displacement of the Earth's surface along the

trace of the fault, which may be of the order of several metres in the case of major

earthquakes. Ground rupture is a major risk for large engineering structures such as dams,bridges and nuclear power stations and requires careful mapping of existing faults to

identify any likely to break the ground surface within the life of the structure

Volcanic eruptions

An eruption begins when pressure on a magma chamberforces magmaup through theconduitand out the volcano's

vents. When themagma chamberhas been completely filled,

the type oferuption partly depends on the amount ofgasesand

silicain themagma. The amount ofsilica determines how

sticky (level ofviscosity) the magmais and water provides theexplosive potential of steam.

1. low water, low silica - runny lava flows (not viscous)

)

2. low water, high silica (very viscous) - pasty lava -

often building domes
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3. high water, low silica(not viscous) - fountain of runnylava

4. high water, high silica (very viscous) - explosion

Obstacles also influence the type oferuption. When thepipe is blocked by a stoppleor an accumulation ofpumice, the pressure in thepipe will build up very high resulting in

an explosion.

When magma reaches earth's surface it is called lava. It may pour out in gentlestreams called lava flows or erupt violently into the air. Rocks ripped loose from theinside of the volcano or torn apart by the gas may be shot into the air with the lava.

These rocks blown out of a volcano are called pyroclastic rocks. The rock fragments fall

back to earth in many different shapes and sizes:

Dust - particles less than 1/100 inch in diameter

Dust particles may be carried great distances. In a powerfuleruption they may be carried aroundthe earth several times. Ash - fragments less than 1/5 inch in diameter

Mostvolcanic ash falls to the surface and cemented together by water to form a rock calledvolcanic tuff.

Bomb - A rounded piece of newly hardenedlava which takes shape while flying through theair.

Block - A piece oflava that has sharp corners.

Cinder - Bubbly rock formed by liquid lavacooling in the air. Pumice - Cinder so bubbly that it floats in water.

Volcanic activity is classified by how often a volcano erupts. A volcano may beactive, intermittent, dormant, or extinct. Active volcanoes erupt constantly. Intermittent
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volcanoes erupt fairly regularly. Dormant volcanoes are inactive, but not long enough to

determine whether they will erupt again or not.

WATER DISASTERS

Flood

A flood is an overflow or accumulation of an expanse of water that submerges land. [1] Inthe sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide.

Flooding may result from the volume of water within a body of water, such as a riveror

lake, which overflows or breaks levees, with the result that some of the water escapes itsnormal boundaries.[2] While the size of a lake or other body of water will vary with

seasonal changes in precipitation and snow melt, it is not a significant flood unless such

escapes of water endanger land areas used by man like a village, city or other inhabited

area.

Floods can also occur in rivers, when the strength of the river is so high it flows out of the

river channel, particularly at bends or meanders and causes damage to homes and

businesses along such rivers. While flood damage can be virtually eliminated by moving

away from rivers and other bodies of water, since time out of mind, people have lived andworked by the water to seek sustenance and capitalize on the gains of cheap and easy

travel and commerce by being near water. That humans continue to inhabit areas

threatened by flood damage is evidence that the perceived value of living near the waterexceeds the cost of repeated periodic flooding.
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Control

In many countries across the world, rivers prone to floods are often carefully managed.

Defences such as levees,[5]bunds, reservoirs, and weirs are used to prevent rivers from

bursting their banks. When these defences fail, emergency measures such as sandbags orportable inflatable tubes are used. Coastal flooding has been addressed in Europe and the

Americas with coastal defences, such as sea walls,beach nourishment, and barrier islands

Deadliest floods

Below is a list of the deadliest floods worldwide, showing events with death tolls at orabove 100,000 individuals.

Death Toll Event Location Date

2,500,000

3,700,000[18]1931 China floods China 1931

900,000

2,000,000

1887 Yellow River (Huang He)

floodChina 1887

500,000

700,000

1938 Yellow River (Huang He)

floodChina 1938

231,000

Banqiao Dam failure, result of

Typhoon Nina. Approximately

86,000 people died from flooding

and another 145,000 died duringsubsequent disease.

China 1975

230,000 Indian Ocean tsunami

India (mostly in

Tamil Nadu),Thailand,

Maldives

2004

145,000 1935 Yangtze river flood China 1935
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more than

100,000St. Felix's Flood, storm surge Netherlands 1530

100,000 Hanoi and Red River Delta flood North Vietnam 1971

100,000 1911 Yangtze river flood China 1911

Tsunamis

Tsunamis, also known as seismic sea waves, are most common along the Pacific coast,but can strike anywhere along the U.S. coastline. Tsunamis are enormous waves causedby an underground disturbance such as an earthquake. They can move hundreds of miles

per hour, and hit land with waves topping 100 feet in height.

Tsunamis are ocean waves produced by earthquakes or underwater landslides. The word

is Japanese and means "harbor wave," because of the devastating effects these waveshave had on low-lying Japanese coastal communities. Tsunamis are often incorrectly

referred to as tidal waves, but a tsunami is actually a series of waves that can travel at

speeds averaging 450 (and up to 600) miles per hour in the open ocean. In the openocean, tsunamis would not be felt by ships because the wavelength would be hundreds of

miles long, with an amplitude of only a few feet. This would also make themunnoticeable from the air. As the waves approach the coast, their speed decreases andtheir amplitude increases. Unusual wave heights have been known to be over 100 feet

high. However, waves that are 10 to 20 feet high can be very destructive and cause many

deaths or injuries.

Tsunamis are most often generated by earthquake-induced movement of the ocean floor.Landslides, volcanic eruptions, and even meteorites can also generate a tsunami. If a

major earthquake is felt, a tsunami could reach the beach in a few minutes, even before a

warning is issued. Areas at greatest risk are less than 25 feet above sea level and withinone mile of the shoreline. Most deaths caused by a tsunami are because of drowning.

Associated risks include flooding, contamination of drinking water, fires from rupturedtanks or gas lines, and the loss of vital community infrastructure (police, fire, and medical

facilities).

Limnic eruptionJump to: navigation,search
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Lake Nyos, silty after a limnic eruption

A limnic eruption, also referred to as a lake overturn, is a rare type ofnatural disasterin

which carbon dioxide (CO2) suddenly erupts from deep lake water, suffocating wildlife,

livestock and humans. Such an eruption may also cause tsunamis in the lake as the risingCO2 displaces water. Scientists believe landslides, volcanic activity, or explosions can

trigger such an eruption. Lakes in which such activity occurs may be known as limnicallyactive lakes orexploding lakes. Some features of limnically active lakes include:

CO2-saturated incoming water A cool lake bottom indicating an absence of direct volcanic interaction with lake

waters

An upper and lower thermal layer with differing CO2 saturations

Proximity to areas with volcanic activity

Scientists have recently determined, from investigations into the mass casualties in the

1980s at Lake Monoun and Lake Nyos, that limnic eruptions and volcanic eruptions,

although indirectly related, are actually separate types of disaster events

WEATHER DISASTERSBlizzard

A blizzard is a severe storm condition characterized by low temperatures, strong winds,

and heavy blowing snow. By definition, the difference between blizzard and a snowstorm

is the strength of the wind. Ground blizzards are a variation on the traditional blizzard, in

that ground blizzards require high winds to stir up snow that has already fallen, ratherthan fresh snowfall. Regardless of the variety of blizzard, they can bring near-whiteout

conditions, which restrict visibility to near zero. Blizzards have a negative impact on

local economies, and can paralyze regions where snowfall is unusual or rare for days at atime.

Cyclonic storms
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Polar low over the Barents Sea on February 27, 1987

In meteorology, a cyclone is an area of closed, circular fluid motion rotating in the samedirection as the Earth[1][2]. This is usually characterized by inward spiralingwinds that

rotate counter clockwise in theNorthern Hemisphere and clockwise in the SouthernHemisphere of the Earth. Most large-scale cyclonic circulations are centered on areas of

low atmospheric pressure[3][4]. The largest low-pressure systems are cold-core polar

cyclones and extratropical cyclones which lie on the synoptic scale. Warm-core cyclonessuch as tropical cyclones, mesocyclones, and polar lows lie within the smallermesoscale.

Droughts

What causes Drought?

Droughts are caused by lack of rain over a long period of time. If rain does occur itusually isn't enough for the ground to absorb before it is evaporated again. Plants and

animals need water to survive, so if there is not enough water they will eventually die

from thirst and dehydration. Water is one of the main ingredients in the food chain, forexample: If a plant dies from lack of water then the animal that eats that plant will also

die, the cycle will then continue to die out.

Most droughts tend to occur during summer, as the weather is hot and water is quickly

evaporated. Droughts can last for years in most extreme cases. These types of droughts

effect outback properties and can devastate crops and livestock. However, many crops areeffected. If a farmer has lost his crop due to drought then he will get no money to pay for

the next seasonal crop.

Where do Droughts occur?

Droughts usually occur in hot dry areas of land. In most cases the area is dry because

there is very minimal rainfall. The rain that does fall will be quickly absorbed into the
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ground or blown away by the dry air flow that moves along the ground. Therefore the

land is very dry and not many things can live there.

Major Droughts

Year Place Cause Destruction

1931 - 1938Great Plains of the

USA

Severe wind storms

dried out the land andblew the top layer of

soil away

Cars, homes and farms

destroyed in duststorms

1982 - 1983 AustraliaNo rain for more than

one year

60% of Australian

sheep and cattle died

1972 - 1974 Africa Decreased RainfallThe countries financialbusiness went down

1976 Britain

It did not rain from

June 1975 toSeptember 1976.Droughts are very

rare in England

Water rationing wasgreatly needed in thelarger cities of Britain

Hailstorms

Large hailstones up to 5 centimetres (2 in) in diameter with concentric rings

Hail is a form of solidprecipitation which consists of balls or irregular lumps of ice, that

are individually called hail stones. Hail stones on Earth consist mostly ofwater ice andmeasure between 5 and 150 millimeters in diameter, with the larger stones coming fromsevere thunderstorms. The METARreporting code for hail 5 mm or greater in diameter is

GR, while smaller hailstones and graupel are coded GS. Hail is possible with most

thunderstorms as it is produced by cumulonimbi (thunderclouds),[1] usually at the leadingedge of a severe storm system. Hail is possible within 2 nautical miles (3.7 km) of its

parent thunderstorm. Hail formation requires environments of strong, upward motion of

air with the parent thunderstorm (similar to tornadoes) and lowered heights of the
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freezing level. Hail is most frequently formed in the interior of continents within the mid-

latitudes ofEarth, with hail generally confined to higher elevations within the tropics.

Hail formation is preferred during the summermonths in the afternoon and evening hoursof the day

HeatwavesA heat wave is prolonged period of excessively hot weather, which may be accompaniedby high humidity. There is no universal definition of a heat wave;[1] the term is relative to

the usual weather in the area. Temperatures that people from a hotter climate consider

normal can be termed a heat wave in a cooler area if they are outside the normal climatepattern for that area.[2] The term is applied both to routine weather variations and to

extraordinary spells of heat which may occur only once a century. Severe heat waves

have caused catastrophic crop failures, thousands of deaths from hyperthermia, andwidespread power outages due to increased use of air conditioning

Fire disaster

Before the 20th century, fires were a major hazard to urban areas and the cause of

massive amounts of damage to cities. While a few of the most important wildfires orforest fires are included, this list is not the primary resource to refer to for the most severe

wildfires, which is summarized in the List of forest fires.

"Not in history has a modern imperial city been so completely destroyed. San Francisco

is gone."
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DISASTER

MANAGEMENTDisaster management is a complex series of activities that includerisk assessment, prevention measures, preparedness to cope withfuture disasters, emergency response to a disaster, recovery andreconstruction.

Good development and community preparedness can reduce theimpact of a disaster especially for the most vulnerable people, suchas those living in hazard-prone areas with few financial resources tohelp them recover if they lose their means of livelihood.

Emergency Response

When disaster strikes the first response is to save lives (humanitarianaction). While each disaster creates unique circumstances and theresponse needs to be tailored to meet the specifics of the situation

the following general areas will usually form part of the response:

Search and rescue - finding those who may be trapped underdebris;

Assessment of needs - working out what is required, in whatquantities, and for whom;

Health providing medical care and preventing the spread ofdisease through immunisation, the provision of safe water andfood, waste disposal and burial of the dead;

Basic needs - procuring and distributing food, shelter andclothing; Gender - understanding the roles of men and women in families

and communities to identify needs and ensure the fairdistribution of resources;

Livelihood and economy - assisting people earn a living tospeed their recovery;


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Emotional support - counselling and reuniting separatedfamilies;

Logistics - transporting people and equipment; Finance - obtaining, allocating and accounting for money; Communication - providing affected people with information,

informing the, fundraising; Infrastructure - rebuilding roads, electricity and telephone

networks, water pipelines, and waste disposal systems.

Few countries have all the resources necessary to meet the demandsof a large-scale disaster. International assistance can provide expertknowledge and resources, but survivors and people living in the areacan also do much to help if they are prepared. . Any emergencyresponse needs to be coordinated to ensure the survival of the

maximum possible number of victims.

Some of the issues to be considered in the disaster response include:

respecting local knowledge while using international bestpractice;

meeting survival needs in a culturally appropriate manner (eg.types of food, clothing, shelter);

limiting the effects of aid on the local economy; training people, organisations and communities to manage

development fairly; prioritising the distribution of limited supplies; gaining funding for long-term redevelopment and disaster

preparedness, rather than simply responding to the currentemergency situation.

In the chaos of a disaster, the pressure to make quick decisions andbalance the specific interests of victims, governments, NonGovernment Organisations (NGOs) and donors may mean that bestpractice standards are not always achieved.

Disaster recovery

Once the immediate danger is over, people may need assistance torebuild their lives and their livelihoods. Communities may need torebuild their social and physical infrastructure and revitalise the


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economy. It takes time and money to plan and ensure that long-termredevelopment and future disaster preparedness are appropriate foreveryone. Damaged structures and services may not necessarily berestored in their previous locations or forms as the disruptions can bean opportunity to make improvements. Seasonal factors must beconsidered; for example, seeds need to be distributed during theplanting season and the type of temporary shelter used will dependon the climate and season.

Disaster preparedness

Much can be done to prepare for future disasters by:

modifying or removing the causes of any likely hazard - forexample by building houses away from hazard prone areas,building levy banks in flood prone areas and upgrading stovesto reduce the risk of fire;

taking measures to reduce the effects of a hazard - for exampleby building houses to standards that will protect people during ahazard, developing early warning systems that can functionwithout power systems, developing response plans, definingthe roles and training of emergency services personnel,collecting and storing resources and equipment to ensure a

quick response, educating the public and rehearsing for ahazard (eg evacuation drill).

Development

Reconstruction after a disaster provides significant opportunities forimproved development including:

planning the response and recovery to prepare for future

hazards; upgrading infrastructure, including roads, communication

networks and water and sanitation systems to withstanddisasters and assist in emergency response;

building hazard resistant public buildings and housing to reducethe impact of hazards;


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developing the skills of local personnel to increase theircapacity to respond to an emergency;

poverty alleviation to reduce the vulnerability of those withlimited resources;

expansion and modernisation of the economic base.

Care must be taken to ensure that changes do not increase an area'ssusceptibility to disasters. For example environmental factors need tobe considered when creating job opportunities so that the people donot move to hazard-prone areas such as floodplains or unstablehillsides; introduction of new agricultural practices needs to avoidleading to land degradation.

International responsesIn 1994 concern about standards prompted the development of theInternational Federation of the Red Cross and Red CrescentSocieties and seven NGOs to develop the Code of Conduct for TheInternational Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and NGOs inDisaster Relief. which contains the following principles:

1. The humanitarian imperative comes first.2. Aid is given regardless of the race, creed or nationality of the

recipients and without adverse distinction of any kind. Aidpriorities are calculated on the basis of need alone.

3. Aid will not be used to further a particular political or religiousstandpoint.

4. We shall endeavour not to act as instruments of governmentforeign policy.

5. We shall respect culture and custom.6. We shall attempt to build disaster response in local capacities.7. Ways shall be found to involve programme beneficiaries in the

management of relief aid.8. Relief aid must strive to reduce future vulnerabilities to disaster

as well as meeting basic needs.9. We hold ourselves accountable to both those we seek to assist

and those from whom we accept resources.


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10. In our information, publicity and advertising activities, weshall recognise disaster victims as dignified human beings, nothopeless objects.

Humans are main cause ofdisasters

Floods brought by Typhoon Morakot in August inflicted unprecedented damage on the

nation.

Taiwan, which is on the typhoon frontline and located in a seismic zone, cannot avoid

such periodic damage.

The government and civil organizations have repeatedly collaborated on disaster rescueand relief efforts.

Senior government officials have also promised to finish post-disaster reconstruction assoon as possible.

However, I cannot help but ask: After survivors have been rescued and housesreconstructed, who will save the planet?

Many mountain villages were washed away by landslides in the worst-hit areas inKaohsiung and Pingtung counties. Was the tremendous rainfall the only cause of those

landslides?

If we look at the Central Weather Bureaus typhoon archives for the past 100 years, we

find that 666 typhoons hit Taiwan between 1897 and 1996, nearly a third of which

brought rainfall of more than 2,000mm.

Although less than a quarter of these typhoons caused great damage, they were

concentrated in the post-1990 period. What do these numbers tell us?

First, between six and seven typhoons on average hit Taiwan every year, but not all of

them wreak havoc on the nation.

Sometimes typhoons may even alleviate a drought, but such fortune is scarce and

unpredictable.

Taiwan cannot, however, change the fact that it will be hit by typhoons.

Second, typhoons are bound to bring strong winds and heavy rain, but in recent years,

rains have become fiercer than winds and caused more damage.


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Taiwans topology is characterized by towering mountains, with 21 major rivers covering

a drainage area of 9,500km 29.4 percent of the nations total area.When torrential rain pours down on these rivers, flash floods sweep toward the lower

reaches at extremely high speeds.

Excessive forest development aggravates soil erosion problems.

Although natural disasters are inevitable, man-made calamities can be mitigated.

Soil and water conservation is undoubtedly of great importance, yet the authorities seem

to never take it seriously.

Because heavy rainfalls wear away loose soil, sturdy trees are needed to hold the soil

together. Instead, shallow-rooted betel nut trees and vegetables are planted on hillsides.

Deciding between survival for the moment and sustainable development has alwayspresented humanity with a Catch 22.

With nature retaliating, how can people still be oblivious to the fact that they are the

prime culprit of natural disasters.

Morakot and the flooding in August 1959 were separated by 50 years.

For the past half century, technology has made constant advances, yet the governments

mindset has failed to keep pace.

Even though it is well aware that typhoons are bound to cause great damage, the

government still tolerates a mindset that relies on luck.

In light of the Morakot devastation, I hope the government will review its policies on

sustainable land development and take typhoons and earthquakes into account in its post-disaster reconstruction.

Apart from that, the government must remain professional and not compromise as a result

of public pressure.

.


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Conclusion:

Though developing countries in regions vulnerable todisasters received many development initiatives andinvestments, the increased frequency and magnitude ofnatural catastrophes associated with economic loss andhuman sufferings have considerably hindered thoseinitiatives. This book has sought to derive conclusions fromempirical evidence in order to integrate disaster riskmanagement initiatives into development objectives. It can

be seen in the preceeding chapters that human developmentand income levels of a country are crucial determinants fordeciding upon how to effectively implement riskmanagement approaches and post disaster managementinitiatives. In addition, it was found that participation bywomen in dynamic risk mangement process is imperative forany meaningful disaster counter measures, especially in theleast developed countries.

These generic phenomena

can be seen not only in ADRC member countries but alsothrough out Asia. The obvious vulnerability of this region togeo-physical and hydro-meteorological disasters in terms ofdemographic, socio-economic, and geo-physical factors

justifies the need for prudent development policies andproactive risk mangement practices and also furtherinvestment for disaster reduction. This book also advocatesthe urgent need for country specific and regional initiativesto be integrated into cohesive disaster mangement approachwith on going socio-economic development activities. Sincedisasters impact every single socio-economic characteristicsof a country, it can be concluded that designingdevelopment-oriented disaster prevention measures thatincorpoprate the strength of human and economic resourceswould be an appropriate method of ensuring effective andpragmatic sustainable development.


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Natural Disasters 1232