Natural Hazards Governance in Chile

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vicente Sandoval ◽  
Benjamin Wisner ◽  
Martin Voss
Keyword(s):  
Risk Reduction ◽  
Natural Hazards ◽  
Disaster Response ◽  
Volcanic Eruptions ◽  
Early Warning Systems ◽  
Disaster Risk ◽  
Development Path ◽  
Regulatory Frameworks ◽  
Indigenous Groups ◽  
Technical Advances

The governance of natural hazards in Chile involves how different actors participate in all stages of managing natural hazards and their impacts. This includes monitoring and early warning systems and response to the most significant hazardous events in the country: earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, hydrological and meteorological events, and wildfires. Other general processes, such as disaster recovery, disaster risk reduction (DRR), and political economy and socioenvironmental processes of disaster risk creation are fundamental to understanding the complexity of natural hazard governance. Chile has a long history of disasters linked to its geographical and climatological diversity as well as its history and development path. The country has made significant advances toward an effective disaster risk management (DRM) system, which is backed up by sophisticated monitoring systems for earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, hydro- and meteorological events, and wildfires. These technical advances are integrated with disaster response mechanisms that include trained personnel, regulatory frameworks, institutions, and other actors, all under the direction of the National Emergency Office. The Chilean mode of DRM and DRR is characterized by a centralized, top-down approach that limits the opportunities for community organizations to participate in discussions of DRR and decision-making. It also centralizes planning of post-disaster processes such as reconstruction. Likewise, the dominant politico-economic model of Chile is neoliberalism. This development path has reproduced the root causes of disaster vulnerability through socioeconomic inequalities as well as poorly regulated urbanization and the practices of extractive industries. This has created numerous socioenvironmental conflicts throughout the Chilean territory with sometimes hazardous effects on local communities, especially indigenous groups. The governance of hazards and risk reduction in Chile still has a long way to go to secure the country’s path to sustainable human development.

Multiple-hazards and their interactions in urban low-to-middle income countries: a case study from Nairobi

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruce D. Malamud ◽  
Emmah Mwangi ◽  
Joel Gill ◽  
Ekbal Hussain ◽  
Faith Taylor ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Reduction ◽  
Natural Hazards ◽  
Disaster Risk Reduction ◽  
Natural Hazard ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Grey Literature ◽  
Volcanic Eruptions ◽  
Disaster Risk ◽  
Soil Subsidence ◽  
Ground Collapse

<p>Global policy frameworks, such as the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, increasingly advocate for multi-hazard approaches across different spatial scales. However, management approaches on the ground are still informed by siloed approaches based on one single natural hazard (e.g. flood, earthquake, snowstorm). However, locations are rarely subjected to a single natural hazard but rather prone to more than one. These different hazards and their interactions (e.g. one natural hazard triggering or increasing the probability of one or more natural hazards), together with exposure and vulnerability, shape the disaster landscape of a given region and associated disaster impact.  Here, as part of the UK GCRF funded research grant “Tomorrow’s Cities” we first map out the single natural hazardscape for Nairobi using evidence collected through peer-reviewed literature, grey literature, social media and newspapers. We find the following hazard groups and hazard types present in Nairobi: (i) geophysical (earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides), (ii) hydrological (floods and droughts), (iii) shallow earth processes (regional subsidence, ground collapse, soil subsidence, ground heave), (iv) atmospheric hazards (storm, hail, lightning, extreme heat, extreme cold), (v) biophysical (urban fires), and vi) space hazards (geomatic storms, and impact events). The breadth of single natural hazards that can potentially impact Nairobi is much larger than normally considered by individual hazard managers that work in Nairobi. We then use a global hazard matrix to identify possible hazard interactions, focusing on the following interaction mechanisms: (i) hazard triggering secondary hazard, (ii) hazards amplifying the possibility of the secondary hazard occurring.  We identify 67 possible interactions, as well as some of the interaction cascade typologies that are typical for Nairobi (e.g. a storm triggers and increases the probability of a flood which in turn increases the probability of a flood). Our results indicate a breadth of natural hazards and their interactions in Nairobi, and emphasise a need for a multi-hazard approach to disaster risk reduction.</p>

Tomorrow’s Cities: Multi-hazard interactions to inform disaster risk reduction in Istanbul

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ekbal Hussain ◽  
Eser Cakti ◽  
Aslihan Yolcu ◽  
Bruce Malamud ◽  
Joel Gill ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Reduction ◽  
Natural Hazards ◽  
Disaster Risk Reduction ◽  
Volcanic Eruptions ◽  
Volcanic Hazards ◽  
Disaster Risk ◽  
Interaction Matrix ◽  
Urban Centre ◽  
Government Websites ◽  
The City

<p>Istanbul is a major global urban centre. With city expansion expected to continue over the next few decades there is a real opportunity for urban growth that incorporates disaster risk reduction (DRR). But in order to develop DRR inclusive urban development strategies we need to understand the breadth of hazards that can affect the city and their potential interactions.</p><p>To create a single hazard overview for the city we searched through peer-reviewed literature, reports, government websites and international disaster databases for hazard occurrences. Of the 34 natural hazards in our global hazard table encompassing five major hazard groups (geophysical, shallow process, meteorological, hydrological, climatological and extraterrestrial), we found 27 of these had occurred or had the potential to occur in Istanbul. Notable absences were snow avalanches, glacial outburst floods and direct volcanic hazards. However, ash dispersal models show that ash from volcanic eruptions in the Mediterranean can affect the city.</p><p>Additionally, we present an interaction matrix for hazards relevant to the city that shows how one hazard may trigger or increase the probability of another. We adapted the global hazard interaction matrix of Gill and Malamud (2014) by removing hazards that were not relevant to Istanbul and supplementing it with specific examples that have occurred in the city. We found 85 such interactions that reveal the potential for interacting chains of natural hazards.</p><p>We discuss how multi-hazard scenarios, developed through expert stakeholder engagement and based on the hazard interaction matrix, are an effective way to explore and communicate the dynamic variability of exposure, vulnerability and therefore, multi-hazard risk.</p>

Natural Hazards Governance in the Philippines

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kanako Iuchi ◽  
Yasuhito Jibiki ◽  
Renato Solidum ◽  
Ramon Santiago
Keyword(s):  
Natural Disasters ◽  
Risk Reduction ◽  
Natural Hazards ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Disaster Risk Reduction ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Volcanic Eruptions ◽  
Governance Structure ◽  
Disaster Risk ◽  
The Philippines

Located in the Pacific Ring of Fire and the typhoon belt, the Philippines is one of the most hazard prone countries in the world. The country faces different types of natural hazards including geophysical disturbances such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, meteorological and hydrological events such as typhoons and floods, and slow-onset disasters such as droughts. Together with rapidly increasing population growth and urbanization, large-scale natural phenomena have resulted in unprecedented scales of devastation. In the early 21st century alone, the country experienced some of the most destructive and costliest disasters in its history including Typhoon Yolanda (2013), Typhoon Pablo (2012), and the Bohol Earthquake (2013). Recurrent natural disasters have prompted the Philippine government to develop disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) strategies to better prepare, respond, and recover, as well as to be more resilient in the face of natural disasters. Since the early 1940s, the governing structure has undergone several revisions through legal and institutional arrangements. Historical natural disasters and seismic risks have affected and continue to threaten the National Capital Region (NCR) and the surrounding administrative areas; these were key factors in advancing DRRM laws and regulations, as well as in restructuring its governing bodies. The current DRRM structure was instituted under Republic Act no. 10121 (RA10121) in 2010 and was implemented to shift from responsive to proactive governance by better engaging local governments (LGUs), communities, and the private sector to reduce long-term disaster risk. This Republic Act established a national disaster risk reduction and management council (NDRRMC) to develop strategies that manage and reduce risk. Typhoon Yolanda in 2013 was the most significant test of this revised governance structure and related strategies. The typhoon revealed drawbacks of the current council-led governing structure to advancing resilience. Salient topics include how to respond better to disaster realities, how to efficiently coordinate among relevant agencies, and how to be more inclusive of relevant actors. Together with other issues, such as the way to co-exist with climate change efforts, a thorough examination of RA 10121 by the national government and advocates for DRRM is underway. Some of the most important discourse to date focuses on ways to institute a powerful governing body that enables more efficient DRRM with administrative and financial power. The hope is that by instituting a governing system that can thoroughly lead all phases of preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery, the country can withstand future—and likely more frequent—mega-disasters.

Natural Hazards Governance in Nepal

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katie Oven
Keyword(s):  
Risk Reduction ◽  
Natural Hazards ◽  
Disaster Management ◽  
Disaster Preparedness ◽  
Disaster Risk Reduction ◽  
Early Warning Systems ◽  
Disaster Risk ◽  
Institution Building ◽  
Local Elections ◽  
Post Conflict

Natural hazards in Nepal have traditionally been managed on an ad hoc basis as and when they occur, with individuals and communities largely responsible for their own risk management. More recently, however, there has been a shift from response to disaster preparedness and risk reduction, in line with the United Nations Hyogo Framework for Action and the more recent Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR). Like many developing countries, Nepal has received significant financial and technical support to implement DRR programs from the national to the community levels. While this has provided a much-needed incentive for action in this post-conflict, transitional state, it has also created a complex governance landscape involving a multitude of government and non-government stakeholders. Heavily influenced by the neoliberal development agenda, and in the absence of an up-to-date disaster management act, DRR programs focused largely on institution-building and technical interventions, for example, the establishment of disaster management committees, the retrofitting of schools and hospitals, and the development of flood early warning systems. Such interventions are highly technocratic and have been critiqued for failing to address the root causes of disasters, in particular, the systemic poverty, social inequality and marginalization that characterizes Nepal. Nepal is also undergoing a complex political transition, which has seen the ratification of a new constitution, federal restructuring, and local elections for the first time in 20 years, as well as the passing of the new Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act 2017. There is much scope for optimism but successful risk reduction moving forward will require commitment and action at all levels of the governance hierarchy, and a wider commitment to address the social injustice that continues to prevail.

Natural Hazards Governance in Cuba

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Enrique A. Castellanos Abella ◽  
Benjamin Wisner
Keyword(s):  
Risk Reduction ◽  
Natural Hazards ◽  
Disaster Risk Reduction ◽  
Natural Hazard ◽  
Early Warning Systems ◽  
Disaster Risk ◽  
Economic Losses ◽  
Risk Governance ◽  
Disaster Reduction ◽  
Local Risk

Natural hazard governance in Cuba elicits widely differing commentaries. While some experts praise it as an extension of state commitment to social welfare, others debate the ethics, necessity, and utility of forced evacuation. However, many disaster experts are unaware of the long-term development of disaster reduction in the country—how Cuban risk governance has evolved in a unique geopolitical and social environment. Mass mobilization to prepare for military invasion and prior response to hurricane disaster provided the foundation for Cuba’s contemporary focus on disaster risk reduction. A pragmatic analysis of the development of natural hazard governance in Cuba and its components reveals key factors for its success in protecting lives. Deployment of local risk management centers, nationwide multi-hazard risk assessment, and early warning systems are recognized as important factors for the effectiveness of disaster reduction in the country. The number of scientific organizations collecting data and carrying out research is also a factor in the reduction of disaster impact and increases the level of resiliency. Over time, an increasing number of organizations and population groups have become involved in risk governance. Risk communication is used as a tool for keeping popular risk perception at an effective level, and for encouraging effective self-protection during hazard events. The continuous development and improvement of a multilateral framework for natural hazards governance is also among the important components of disaster risk reduction in Cuba. However, the economic crisis that followed the collapse of the Soviet Union and the long-lasting U.S. government blockade have been constraints on economic development and disaster risk reduction. These geopolitical and macroeconomic realities must be recognized as the main causes of the large economic losses and slow recovery after a natural hazard impact. Nevertheless, disaster recovery is carried out at the highest level of management with the goal of reducing vulnerability as much as possible to avoid future losses. Despite economic losses due to natural disasters, Cuban governance of natural hazards is evaluated as a success by most organizations and experts worldwide.

A status quo analysis of disaster risk reduction policy and legislation in Cameroon

foresight ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 362-376 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.E.A. Ashu ◽  
Dewald Van Niekerk
Keyword(s):  
Risk Reduction ◽  
Disaster Response ◽  
Disaster Risk Reduction ◽  
Qualitative Method ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
Disaster Risk ◽  
Status Quo ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Development Institutions ◽  
The Status

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to analyze the status quo of disaster risk reduction (DRR) policy and legislation in Cameroon. Design/methodology/approach Using a qualitative method, this paper examines historical data from sectoral administrative reports, plans, declarations, commitments and speeches, texts and peer-reviewed journals on disaster and risk management in Cameroon for the period 1967-2017. Empirical data from ten selected government sectors were used to analyze the status quo, together with quantitative data collected by using four instruments (i.e. HFA Priority 1 & 4, USAID Toolkit, GOAL Resilience Score and the Checklist on Law and DRR). Findings Findings show that Cameroon largely still practices disaster response through the Department of Civil Protection. Transparency and accountability are the sine qua non of the state, but the lack thereof causes improper implementation of DRR within development institutions. DRR is seen as an ad hoc activity, with the result that there is not effective institutional capacity for implementation. The need to develop a new national DRR framework is evident. Originality/value Analyzing the status quo of DRR in Cameroon could assist with the review and reevaluation of a new DRR framework within the Cameroonian territory.

scholarly journals Facilitating Sustainable Disaster Risk Reduction in Indigenous Communities: Reviving Indigenous Worldviews, Knowledge and Practices through Two-Way Partnering

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 855
Author(s):  
Tahir Ali ◽  
Petra Topaz Buergelt ◽  
Douglas Paton ◽  
James Arnold Smith ◽  
Elaine Lawurrpa Maypilama ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Grounded Theory ◽  
Risk Reduction ◽  
Indigenous People ◽  
Natural Hazards ◽  
Disaster Risk Reduction ◽  
Indigenous Communities ◽  
Disaster Risk ◽  
Indigenous Research ◽  
Ecological Knowledge ◽  
Community Members

The Sendai Framework of Action 2015–2030 calls for holistic Indigenous disaster risk reduction (DRR) research. Responding to this call, we synergized a holistic philosophical framework (comprising ecological systems theory, symbolic interactionism, and intersectionality) and social constructionist grounded theory and ethnography within a critical Indigenous research paradigm as a methodology for exploring how diverse individual and contextual factors influence DRR in a remote Indigenous community called Galiwinku, in the Northern Territory of Australia. Working together, Indigenous and non-Indigenous researchers collected stories in local languages using conversations and yarning circles with 20 community members, as well as participant observations. The stories were interpreted and analysed using social constructivist grounded theory analysis techniques. The findings were dialogued with over 50 community members. The findings deeply resonated with the community members, validating the trustworthiness and relevance of the findings. The grounded theory that emerged identified two themes. First, local Indigenous knowledge and practices strengthen Indigenous people and reduce the risks posed by natural hazards. More specifically, deep reciprocal relationships with country and ecological knowledge, strong kinship relations, Elder’s wisdom and authority, women and men sharing power, and faith in a supreme power/God and Indigenous-led community organizations enable DRR. Second, colonizing practices weaken Indigenous people and increase the risks from natural hazards. Therefore, colonization, the imposition of Western culture, the government application of top-down approaches, infiltration in Indigenous governance systems, the use of fly-in/fly-out workers, scarcity of employment, restrictions on technical and higher education opportunities, and overcrowded housing that is culturally and climatically unsuitable undermine the DRR capability. Based on the findings, we propose a Community-Based DRR theory which proposes that facilitating sustainable Indigenous DRR in Australian Indigenous communities requires Indigenous and non-Indigenous partners to genuinely work together in two-directional and complementary ways.

When the unprecedented becomes precedented: Lessons from Cyclones Idai and Kenneth

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen MacClune ◽  
Rachel Norton
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Risk Reduction ◽  
Disaster Risk Reduction ◽  
Early Warning Systems ◽  
Disaster Risk ◽  
Climate Services ◽  
Humanitarian Response ◽  
Early Action ◽  
Future Events ◽  
Climate Hazards

<p>Learning from global disasters — understanding what happened, the successes that prevented impacts from being worse, and the opportunities to reduce risk to future events — is critical if we are to protect people from increasingly extreme weather. Population growth is overtaxing ecosystems and climate change is creating new and intensifying existing climate hazards. Proactive and collaborative efforts are needed between all levels, from local to international, and across sectors connecting social science, economics, policy, infrastructure and the environment, to address these challenges. Perhaps most urgently, however, is the need to harness humanitarian response, development, disaster risk reduction, and climate change adaptation to work in concert – we can no longer afford to deliver these needs in isolation.</p><p>In March and April 2019 Cyclones Idai and Kenneth – two of the most destructive and powerful cyclones to ever hit southeast Africa – resulted in a widespread humanitarian disaster in Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe, the impacts of which continue today in terms of livelihoods lost, food insecurity, and loss of permanent shelter for thousands. Damages were intensified by the novel nature of the impacts – the storms brought with them climate threats that were new to the areas and people impacted, leading to greater failure of existing preparedness and response mechanisms than might have been expected.</p><p>This talk will present learnings from a study conducted by members of the Zurich Flood Resilience Alliance on the impacts of Cyclones Idai and Kenneth, highlighting opportunities for building multi-hazard resilience to future events. In particular, we will highlight the opportunities we found for strengthening resilience, even when challenged by entirely new climate hazards, through strengthening early warning systems and climate services, building capacity and resourcing for early action, supporting the construction of resistant homes and development of more diverse farming practices, and, most crucially, by better connecting humanitarian response and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) efforts.</p><p>These lessons are part of a series of Post-event Review Capability (PERC) learnings conducted by Zurich since 2013. The PERC methodology (available at: https://www.floodresilience.net/perc) supports broad, multi-sectoral resilience learning from global disaster events and identifies key actions for reducing future harm.</p><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div>

scholarly journals Assessing the interaction between mountain forests and natural hazards at Nevados de Chillán, Chile, and its implications for Ecosystem-based Disaster Risk Reduction

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alejandro Casteller ◽  
Thomas Häfelfinger ◽  
Erika Cortés Donoso ◽  
Karen Podvin ◽  
Dominik Kulakowski ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Reduction ◽  
Natural Hazards ◽  
Tree Ring ◽  
Land Use Planning ◽  
Disaster Risk Reduction ◽  
Disaster Risk ◽  
Process Models ◽  
Snow Avalanches ◽  
Tree Ring Data ◽  
Risk Reduction Measure

Abstract. Gravitational natural hazards such as snow avalanches, rockfalls, shallow landslides and volcanic activity represent a risk factor for mountain communities around the world. In particular where documentary records about these processes are rare, decisions on risk management and land-use planning have to be based on a variety of other sources including vegetation and tree-ring data and natural hazard process models. We used a combination of these methods in order to evaluate dynamics of snow avalanches and other natural hazards at Valle de las Trancas, in the Biobío Region in Chile. Along this valley, natural hazards threaten not only the local human population, but also the numerous tourists attracted by outdoor recreational activities. Given the regional scarcity of documentary records, tree-ring methods were applied in order to reconstruct the local history of snow avalanches and debris flow events, which are the more important weather-related processes at respective tracks. A recent version of the model Rapid Mass MovementS (RAMMS), that includes influences of forest structure, was used to calculate different avalanche parameters such as runout distances and maximum pressures, taking into consideration the presence/absence of forest along the tracks as well as different modelled return periods. Our results show that local Nothofagus broadleaved forests contribute to a reduction of avalanche runout distances as well as impact pressures on present infrastructure, thus constituting a valuable ecosystem disaster risk reduction measure that can substitute or complement other traditional measures such as sheds.

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