United Arab Emirates

2011 ◽  
pp. 65-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hamdan Al Ghasyah Dhanhani ◽  
Angus Duncan ◽  
David Chester
Keyword(s):  
Natural Disasters ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Natural Hazards ◽  
United Arab Emirates ◽  
Natural Hazard ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Detailed Examination ◽  
Tropical Storms ◽  
Clear Delineation ◽  
The Impact

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has more exposure to natural hazards than has been previously recognized. In the last 20 years the UAE has been subject to earthquakes, landslides, floods and tropical storms. This chapter examines the structure and procedures for management of natural disasters in the UAE, in particular issues of governance, accountability and communication within states that are part of a federal system. The study involved interviews with officials at both federal and emirate levels and case studies are presented of the impact of recent natural hazard events. Two emirates were selected for more detailed examination, Fujairah the most hazard prone and a rural emirate and Dubai which is a highly urbanized emirate which has undergone rapid development. There is now increasing awareness of natural hazards in the UAR and progress is being made at regional and federal levels. There needs to be a clear delineation between regional and federal roles and an understanding of the need for effective channels of information to relevant agencies.

scholarly journals StEER: A Community-Centered Approach to Assessing the Performance of the Built Environment after Natural Hazard Events

2021 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tracy Kijewski-Correa ◽  
David B. Roueche ◽  
Khalid M. Mosalam ◽  
David O. Prevatt ◽  
Ian Robertson
Keyword(s):  
Built Environment ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Natural Hazards ◽  
Natural Hazard ◽  
Open Data ◽  
Data Access ◽  
Performance Study ◽  
The Bahamas ◽  
Engineering Research ◽  
The Impact

Since its founding in 2018, the Structural Extreme Events Reconnaissance (StEER) Network has worked to deepen the capacity of the Natural Hazards Engineering (NHE) community for coordinated and standardized assessments of the performance of the built environment following natural hazard events. This paper positions StEER within the field of engineering reconnaissance and the Natural Hazards Engineering Research Infrastructure (NHERI), outlining its organizational model for coordinated community-led responses to wind, seismic, and coastal hazard events. The paper’s examination of StEER’s event response workflow, engaging a range of hardware and delivering a suite of products, demonstrates StEER’s contributions in the areas of: workflow and data standardization, data reliability to enable field-observation-driven research & development, efficiency in data collection and dissemination to speed knowledge sharing, near-real- time open data access for enhanced coordination and transparency, and flexibility in collaboration modes to reduce the “overhead” associated with reconnaissance and foster broad NHE community engagement in event responses as part of field and virtual assessment structural teams (FAST/VAST). StEER’s creation of efficient systems to deliver well-documented, reliable data suitable for diverse re-uses as well as rapidly disseminated synopses of the impact of natural hazard events on the built environment provide a distinctive complement to existing post-event reconnaissance initiatives. The implementation of these policies, protocols and workflows is then demonstrated with case studies from five events illustrating StEER’s different field response strategies: the Nashville, Tennessee Tornadoes (2020) – a Hazard Gradient Survey; the Palu Earthquake and Tsunami in Indonesia (2018) – a Representative Performance Study; the Puerto Rico Earthquakes (2019/2020) – using Targeted Case Studies; Hurricane Laura (2020) – leveraging Rapid Surveys to enable virtual assessments; and Hurricane Dorian (2019) in the Bahamas – a Phased Multi-Hazard Investigation. The use of these strategies has enabled StEER to respond to 36 natural hazard events, involving over 150 different individuals to produce 45 published reports/briefings, over 5000 publicly available app-based structural assessments, and over 1600 km (1000 mi) of street-level panoramic imagery in its first 2years of operation.

scholarly journals Map of Impact of Natural Hazards

2016 ◽  
pp. 69-77
Author(s):  
Maria BOSTENARU DAN ◽  
◽  
Cristina Olga Gociman ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Natural Disasters ◽  
Natural Hazards ◽  
19Th Century ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
General Assembly ◽  
German Research ◽  
History Of ◽  
Historical Photographs ◽  
The 19Th Century ◽  
The Impact

This paper investigates the mapping of the impact of natural hazards as included in several databases reviewed or created by the author. These are: - The database of the contribution of the session series “Natural hazards’ impact on urban areas and infrastructure”, convened and co-convened by the first author over 15 years at the European Geosciences General Assembly. - A database created from reviews of students supervised by the authors in frame of the course “Protection of settlements against risks” at the home university. - A collection of historical photographs from the 19th century on different natural and man-made hazards from the Canadian Centre for Architecture, the archive review of which has been performed by the first author and which will be subject of a book to be published about the time of the conference. -Two reviewed collections, one from the exhibition and book on “Images of disasters” (German research) and one on the book “Illustrated history of natural disasters” which include major disasters from the beginning of the mankind. In frame of the paper maps of the spread of data will be presented, created using both arcGIS online and GoogleMaps (see https://www.google.com/maps/d/edit?mid=zpbbz3WgVMBs.k-3vhGj- -l1M&usp=sharing), comparing the source and the type of hazard, to see eventual overlappings between the databases.

Long-Term Consequences of Natural Disasters

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilan Noy ◽  
William duPont
Keyword(s):  
Natural Disasters ◽  
Natural Hazards ◽  
San Francisco ◽  
Economic Activity ◽  
Natural Hazard ◽  
Local Economy ◽  
Forthcoming Article ◽  
Poor Countries ◽  
Country Level

This is an advance summary of a forthcoming article in the Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Natural Hazard Science. Please check back later for the full article. What are the long-term economic and demographic impacts of disasters? Do disasters caused by natural hazards lead to long-term declines in economic activity, or do they stimulate the local economy because of the added investment and the upgrading of infrastructure? What are the main facets of the economy that are impacted in the long term—population, incomes, employment, other parameters, or none at all? Are the long-term impacts of disasters caused by natural hazards different from those caused by man-made shocks, such as civil wars or terrorist attacks? The type and severity of the natural hazard surely have an effect on the kinds of dynamics experienced after a disaster, but so do the levels of exposure of people and wealth (in the form of man-made infrastructure), and the social and economic vulnerabilities that characterize the affected area. Additionally, one needs to differentiate, when examining long-term impacts, between direct and indirect damage, and whether this distinction assists us in explaining different trajectories. The role of policy in shaping long-term outcomes is potentially very important. While it is difficult to claim significant agreement on any one topic, some intriguing insights have been emerging in recent research. To discuss the long-term economic impact of natural disasters, one must first define impact. A common way to determine this impact is to compare the economy post-disaster to its state prior to the disaster. Some argue that an economy has recovered when it returns to pre-disaster levels. This approach can be misleading as the evidence suggests that, in some cases, economies that were severely impacted by disasters may experience a brief return to pre-disaster levels, occasioned by the boom in reconstruction spending, but then decline back to experience long-term decline associated with the disaster event itself or the fear it has created of future events. It is clear from the above example that the appropriate comparison is to a counterfactual scenario without event. Of course, even more challenging is to identify, or predict, what would have happened had the disaster not occurred. Not surprisingly, the ways in which this counterfactual, disaster-free state is identified may determine the conclusions reached. A minority of observers argue that it is common to see economies and communities reconstructed to a better state than they were pre-disaster (a “build-back-better” scenario), and others conclude that disasters occasioned by natural hazards are benign in the long term, at least at a large enough scale (potentially at the country level). On the other hand, very poor countries, very small countries, or regional economies within countries can all experience significant and very prolonged declines in economic activity in the aftermath of catastrophic natural hazard events. These adverse developments can be experienced as long-term declines in populations (e.g., New Orleans, post-2005), long-term declines in incomes and employment (e.g., Kobe, post-1995), very long-term declines in asset prices (the Dust-Bowl midwestern United States, post-1930s), or shifts in the sectors of economic activity (San Francisco, post-1906).

scholarly journals Institutions and the losses from natural disasters

2008 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 627-634 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. A. Raschky
Keyword(s):  
Natural Disasters ◽  
Natural Hazards ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Empirical Investigation ◽  
Natural Process ◽  
Economic Losses ◽  
Hazard Management ◽  
Human Economic Activity ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Socio Economic Factors

Abstract. Natural hazards can be seen as a function of a specific natural process and human (economic) activity. Whereby the bulk of literature on natural hazard management has its focus on the natural process, an increasing number of scholars is emphasizing the importance of human activity in this context. Existing literature has identified certain socio-economic factors that determine the impact of natural disasters on society. The purpose of this paper is to highlight the effects of the institutional framework that influences human behavior by setting incentives and to point out the importance of institutional vulnerability. Results from an empirical investigation of large scale natural disasters between 1984 and 2004 show that countries with better institutions experience less victims and lower economic losses from natural disasters. In addition, the results suggest a non-linear relationship between economic development and economic disaster losses. The suggestions in this paper have implications for the discussion on how to deal with the adverse effects of natural hazards and how to develop efficient adaption strategies.

scholarly journals (P1-86) Socioeconomic Impact of Natural Disasters in China

2011 ◽  
Vol 26 (S1) ◽  
pp. s126-s127
Author(s):  
W. Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Natural Disasters ◽  
Natural Disaster ◽  
Natural Hazards ◽  
Natural Hazard ◽  
Epidemiological Data ◽  
Economic Loss ◽  
Disaster Mitigation ◽  
Socioeconomic Impact ◽  
Chinese Government ◽  
Chinese Yuan

IntroductionChina is one of the countries most affected by disasters caused by natural hazards. Disasters comprise an important restricting factor for economic and social development.MethodsRetrospective analysis was performed based on the epidemiological data of disasters caused by natural hazards in recent two decades.ResultsThe deadliest disaster that was reviewed was the Sichuan, Wenchuan earthquake on 12 May 2008 with a death toll of 88,928. Floods were the the primary natural hazard resulting in disaster in China. The economic loss caused by natural disasters was huge, the Sichuan earthquake alone resulted in an economic loss of 845.1 billion Chinese Yuan. However, psychosocial factors did not receive attention by Chinese Government and academics.ConclusionsThe characteristics and impact of disasters should be analyzed to scientifically provide useful information for natural disaster mitigation in China.

scholarly journals Natural Hazards and the press in the western Mediterranean region

2007 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
pp. 81-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Llasat-Botija ◽  
M. C. Llasat ◽  
L. López
Keyword(s):  
Natural Hazards ◽  
Forest Fires ◽  
Natural Hazard ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
Insurance Companies ◽  
Press Coverage ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Press ◽  
Different Types ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. This study analyses press articles published between 1982 and 2005 in an attempt to describe the social perception of natural hazards in Catalonia. The articles included in the database have been classified according to different types of risk. In addition, the study examines the evolution of each type of risk in the press coverage during the study period. Finally, the results have been compared to data provided by insurance companies with respect to compensations paid out for damages. Conclusions show that floods are the most important natural hazard in the region, but that the number of headlines for each event is greater in the case of snowfalls and forest fires. Factors such as the season of the year, the proximity of the affected region to the capital, the topical issues at the time, and the presence of other important news must be considered when the impact in the press is analysed.

Inventory and preliminary assessment of natural hazards in Kigezi highlands, South Western Uganda

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Violet Kanyiginya ◽  
Ronald Twongyirwe ◽  
Grace Kagoro ◽  
David Mubiru ◽  
Matthieu Kervyn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Natural Hazards ◽  
Natural Hazard ◽  
Rainfall Variability ◽  
Land Use Changes ◽  
Satellite Image ◽  
Google Earth ◽  
Landscape Characteristics ◽  
Western Uganda ◽  
The Impact

<p>Uganda is regularly affected by multiple natural hazards, including floods, droughts, earthquakes, landslides and windstorms. This is due to a combination of natural biophysical factors such as steep topography, intense rainfall, variability of dry and rain seasons and high weathering rates. In addition, high population density, deforestation and other human-induced land use changes, and high poverty levels are believed to have an influence on the patterns of natural hazards and their impacts in the region. Despite this, there are limited studies that assess where and when natural hazards occur in Uganda, and a dearth of information on the processes involved. In addition, drivers and earth/landscape characteristics controlling the occurrence of natural hazards in the country remain poorly understood despite the high need for effective disaster risk reduction. Here, we present the ongoing methodological research framework and the first results of a study whose main objective is to understand the spatial and temporal occurrence of natural hazards that affect the Kigezi Highlands of south western Uganda and their interactions. To this end, the study is undertaking a comprehensive regional hazard inventory consisting of satellite image analysis, field surveys and exploration of literature and archives. Historical aerial photos and interviews with the elderly are important tools to analyze the impact of multi-decadal human-induced land use changes on natural hazard occurrences. Meanwhile, a network of 15 geo-observers, i.e. citizens of local communities distributed across representative landscapes of the study area, was established in December 2019. Trained at using smartphone technology, they collect information (processes and impacts) on seven different natural hazards (droughts, earthquakes, floods, hailstorms, landslides, lightning, and windstorms) whenever they occur.  During the first 12 months, 204 natural hazard events with accurate timing information have been reported by the geo-observers. Combined to field survey, these recent events have been associated mainly with the occurrence of > 3000 shallow landslides and 30 floods, frequently in co-occurrence and triggered by heavy rainfall. Additional inventory from Google Earth and Planet imagery covering a region much larger than that of the geo-observer network and a time window of more than 10 years shows an extra 230 landslide and flood occurrences, while archives and literature indicate 226 natural hazard events over the last 30 years. The preliminary results already demonstrate the value of citizen-science in producing highly detailed natural hazard inventory. A combination of different inventory methods improves the level of accuracy in understanding the spatial-temporal distribution of natural hazards.</p>

The Impact of Natural Hazards on Older Adult Health: Lessons Learned From Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Elizabeth L. Andrade ◽  
Megan Jula ◽  
Carlos E. Rodriguez-Diaz ◽  
Lauren Lapointe ◽  
Mark C. Edberg ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Puerto Rico ◽  
Natural Hazards ◽  
Older Adult ◽  
Natural Hazard ◽  
Emotional Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Adult Health ◽  
Preparedness Planning ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Objective: With natural hazards increasing in frequency and severity and global population aging, preparedness efforts must evolve to address older adults’ risks in disasters. This study elucidates potential contributors to the elevated older adult mortality risk following Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico through an examination of community stakeholder preparedness, response, and recovery experiences. Methods: In April 2018, qualitative interviews (n = 22) were conducted with stakeholders in 7 Puerto Rican municipalities. Interview transcripts were deductively and inductively coded and analyzed to identify salient topics and themes representing participant response patterns. Results: The hurricane’s detrimental impact on older adult health emerged as a prominent finding. Through 6 months post-hurricane, many older adults experienced unmet needs that contributed to declining physical and emotional health, inadequate non-communicable disease management, social isolation, financial strain, and excess morbidity and mortality. These needs were predominantly consequences of lengthy public service gaps, unsafe living conditions, interrupted health care, and the incongruence between preparedness and event severity. Conclusions: In a landscape of increasing natural hazard frequency and magnitude, a pattern of older adult risk has become increasingly clear. Study findings compel practitioners to engage in natural hazard preparedness planning, research, and policy-making that considers the multiple facets of older adult well-being.

California’s Natural Hazard Zonation Policies for Land-Use Planning and Development

2010 ◽  
Vol 5 (5) ◽  
pp. 535-542 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles R. Real ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Local Government ◽  
Natural Hazards ◽  
Land Use Planning ◽  
Natural Hazard ◽  
Risk Mitigation ◽  
Emergency Operation ◽  
Critical Function ◽  
General Plan ◽  
The Impact

California has established state-level policies that utilize knowledge of where natural hazards are more likely to occur to enhance the effectiveness of landuse planning as a tool for risk mitigation. These policies set minimum standards for local government, and range from State designation of regulatory natural hazard zones to requirements that cities and counties include a Safety Element in their General Plan that evaluates their exposure to earthquakes, wildfires, floods, and other natural hazards, and to prepare a federal Local Mitigation Plan to reduce the risk. Such requirements placed on local government are enforced by potential liability for losses for failure to act, and the potential ineligibility for disaster relief funds should a catastrophic event occur. Building codes have been the primary means of mitigating the impact of natural hazards, but continued growth into high-risk terrain and repetitive losses have focused attention to the merits of avoiding harm’s way by means of prudent land-use decisions. Restricting land use can be difficult under the pressures of growth and development. California code exploits knowledge that the cost to adequately protect public safety can influence the type of development that is feasible when considering occupancy (high/low density residential, manufacturing, parkland, etc.) and critical function, such as the need to maintain essential services (police, fire, hospitals, emergency operation centers, etc.). Experience in California demonstrates that a combination of education, outreach, and mutually supporting policies that are linked to state-designated natural hazard zones can form an effective framework for enhancing the role of land-use planning in reducing future losses from natural disasters.

Natural hazard risks in Central Africa: a transdisciplinary approach towards disaster risk reduction

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline Michellier ◽  
Olivier Dewitte ◽  
François Kervyn
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Natural Hazards ◽  
Natural Hazard ◽  
Central Africa ◽  
Disaster Risk ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Civil Protection ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Impact

<p>Natural hazards have significant impact on society (people, assets, services, livelihoods and economic growth). Over the past decades, natural hazard disaster risks have increased globally. Due to high population densities, frequently on the rise and combined with high societal vulnerability, natural hazard disasters disproportionately hit regions of the Global south. In addition, these regions are environments where natural hazard and disaster risks are under-researched, and where the population remains under-informed. This is particularly the case of Sub-Saharan Africa: multiple challenges, such as economic development, population growth, environmental issues, and climate change associated to natural disasters risk, are burdened by scientific data scarcity associated with the lack of widely disseminated knowledge to the public. This has a significant negative impact on development.</p><p>To cope such a context, the Royal Museum for Central Africa works in partnership with 10 Central African institutions. In DRC, this partnership involves the Institut Géographique du Congo (Kinshasa and Goma), the Goma Volcano Observatory, the Centre de Recherche en Sciences Naturelles Lwiro, the Université Officielle de Bukavu, the Université de Goma and the Civil Protection (North and South Kivu); in Burundi, with the Université du Burundi; and, in Uganda, with the Mbarara University of Science and Technology.</p><p>The overall long-term objective of the partnership is to contribute to mitigating natural hazards and associated risks in Central Africa. More specifically, it aims to develop knowledge, expertise, awareness and support for local, national and regional initiatives by following three specific objectives: 1/ academic training of PhD and master students, in order to strengthen the local scientific knowledge regarding risk understanding and assessment, in support to local universities, 2/ hazard and disaster data collection through the development of two citizen scientists networks in collaboration with the Civil Protection in charge of disaster risk prevention and management, to promote long term data collection, storage and analysis, 3/ improving awareness and risk preparedness with the use of a natural disaster risk awareness-raising board game in secondary schools and the implementation of two local geohazards information centres, opened for the general public, in collaboration both with disaster risk managers and scientists of the region.</p><p>To summarise, the RMCA’s partnership aims to target a wide range of stakeholders concerned by natural hazard risks and disasters, from academic or research groups to citizens and policy makers, in the concern of enhancing disaster risk communication, and contribute to the development of risk culture. The impact of the tools implemented will be analysed with a view to contributing not only to the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Action, but also to supporting the Sustainable Development Goals.</p>

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