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>

scholarly journals Regional Interaction Frameworks to Support Multi-Hazard Approaches to Disaster Risk Reduction (With an Application to Guatemala)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joel C. Gill ◽  
Bruce D. Malamud ◽  
Edy Manolo Barillas ◽  
Alex Guerra Noriega
Keyword(s):  
Risk Reduction ◽  
Natural Hazards ◽  
Disaster Risk Reduction ◽  
Grey Literature ◽  
Interdisciplinary Approach ◽  
Disaster Risk ◽  
Matrix Form ◽  
Spatial Extent ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Regional Interaction

Abstract. Here we present an interdisciplinary approach to developing comprehensive, systematic and evidenced regional interaction frameworks to support multi-hazard approaches to disaster risk reduction. We apply this approach in Guatemala, developing regional interaction frameworks for national and sub-national (Southern Highlands) spatial extents. The regional interaction frameworks are constructed and populated using five evidence types: (i) publications and reports (internationally accessible) (93 peer-review and 76 grey literature sources); (ii) publications and reports (locally accessible civil protection bulletins) (267 bulletins from 11 June 2010 to 15 October 2010); (iii) field observations; (iv) stakeholder interviews (19 semi-structured interviews) (v) stakeholder workshop results (16 participants). These five evidence types were synthesised to determine an appropriate natural hazards classification scheme for Guatemala, with 6 natural hazard groups, 19 hazard types, and 37 hazard sub-types. For a national spatial extent in Guatemala, we proceed to construct and populate a regional interaction framework (matrix form), identifying 50 possible interactions between 19 hazard types. For a sub-national spatial extent (Southern Highlands of Guatemala), we construct and populate a regional interaction framework (matrix form), identifying 114 possible interactions between 33 hazard sub-types relevant in the Southern Highlands. We also use this evidence to explore networks of multi-hazard interactions and anthropogenic processes that can trigger natural hazards. We present this information through accessible visualisations to improve understanding of multi-hazard interactions in Guatemala. We believe that our regional interaction frameworks approach to multi-hazards is scalable, working at global to local scales with differing resolutions of information. Our approach can be replicated in other geographical settings, with regional interaction frameworks helping to enhance cross-institutional dialogue on hazard interactions, and their likelihood and potential impacts.

Natural Hazards and Their Governance in Sub-Saharan Africa

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dewald van Niekerk ◽  
Livhuwani David Nemakonde
Keyword(s):  
Risk Reduction ◽  
Natural Hazards ◽  
Disaster Risk Reduction ◽  
Natural Hazard ◽  
Disaster Risk ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
Hazard Management ◽  
Weather Events ◽  
Sub Saharan

The sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) region, along with the rest of the African continent, is prone to a wide variety of natural hazards. Most of these hazards and the associated disasters are relatively silent and insidious, encroaching on life and livelihoods, increasing social, economic, and environmental vulnerability even to moderate events. With the majority of SSA’s disasters being of hydrometeorological origin, climate change through an increase in the frequency and magnitude of extreme weather events is likely to exacerbate the situation. Whereas a number of countries in SSA face significant governance challenges to effectively respond to disasters and manage risk reduction measures, considerable progress has been made since the early 2000s in terms of policies, strategies, and/or institutional mechanisms to advance disaster risk reduction and disaster risk management. As such, most countries in SSA have developed/reviewed policies, strategies, and plans and put in place institutions with dedicated staffs and resources for natural hazard management. However, the lack of financial backing, limited skills, lack of coordination among sectors, weak political leadership, inadequate communication, and shallow natural hazard risk assessment, hinders effective natural hazard management in SSA. The focus here is on the governance of natural hazards in the sub-Saharan Africa region, and an outline of SSA’s natural hazard profile is presented. Climate change is increasing the frequency and magnitude of extreme weather events, thus influencing the occurrence of natural hazards in this region. Also emphasized are good practices in natural hazard governance, and SSA’s success stories are described. Finally, recommendations on governance arrangements for effective implementation of disaster risk reduction initiatives and measures are provided.

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.

scholarly journals Exposure to natural hazard events unassociated with policy change for improved disaster risk reduction

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Nohrstedt ◽  
Maurizio Mazzoleni ◽  
Charles F. Parker ◽  
Giuliano Di Baldassarre
Keyword(s):  
Risk Reduction ◽  
Natural Hazards ◽  
Policy Change ◽  
Disaster Risk Reduction ◽  
Natural Hazard ◽  
Disaster Risk ◽  
Economic Losses ◽  
Event Frequency ◽  
The World ◽  
Robust Result

AbstractNatural hazard events provide opportunities for policy change to enhance disaster risk reduction (DRR), yet it remains unclear whether these events actually fulfill this transformative role around the world. Here, we investigate relationships between the frequency (number of events) and severity (fatalities, economic losses, and affected people) of natural hazards and DRR policy change in 85 countries over eight years. Our results show that frequency and severity factors are generally unassociated with improved DRR policy when controlling for income-levels, differences in starting policy values, and hazard event types. This is a robust result that accounts for event frequency and different hazard severity indicators, four baseline periods estimating hazard impacts, and multiple policy indicators. Although we show that natural hazards are unassociated with improved DRR policy globally, the study unveils variability in policy progress between countries experiencing similar levels of hazard frequency and severity.

scholarly journals Natural hazards and climate change are not drivers of disasters

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alik Ismail-Zadeh
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Risk Reduction ◽  
Natural Hazards ◽  
Extreme Events ◽  
Disaster Risk Reduction ◽  
Natural Hazard ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Scientific Evidence ◽  
Disaster Risk ◽  
Time Dependent

AbstractMany nations face challenges in assessing, understanding, and responding to the time-dependent nature of disaster risk. Changes in the intensity of occurrences of extreme events coupled with changes in vulnerability and exposure alter the impacts of natural hazards on society in mostly negative ways. Here an interrelationship between natural hazard (NH), climate change (CC), vulnerability (V), exposure (E), and decisionmaking (DM) is considered. While NHs trigger disasters and CC is likely to intensify occurrences of disasters, V and E present major drivers of disasters. Informed DM on disaster risk reduction should be based on scientific evidence from NH and CC, knowledge of V and E, and relevant options for actions on preventive disaster measures as a part of preparedness and public awareness.

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.

Ecosystem-based solutions for gravitational natural hazard mitigation: a review on the use of protection forests for disaster risk reduction in mountain areas

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Silvia Cocuccioni ◽  
Francesca Poratelli ◽  
Cristian Accastello ◽  
Stefan Steger ◽  
Stefan Schneiderbauer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Risk Reduction ◽  
Natural Hazards ◽  
Disaster Risk Reduction ◽  
Natural Hazard ◽  
Stakeholder Involvement ◽  
Disaster Risk ◽  
Mountain Regions ◽  
Mountain Areas ◽  
Natural Hazard Mitigation

<p>Mountain regions are affected by various natural hazards, of which gravitational mass movements are some of the most important ones. Due to the accumulation of settlements and intense economic activities in exposed areas, mountain regions such as the Alps constitute a risk hot-spot. The threat posed by gravitational natural hazards to human activities affirms the strong need for risk management, particularly for prevention. Structural measures are increasingly applied in combination with land use planning and ecosystem-based solutions. In particular, ecosystem-based solutions not only prevent the initiation of the processes but also act as a protective barrier. These green measures have been gaining an increasing attention also due to their adaptability to respond to the challenges posed by global change. Systematic reviews on how ecosystems can be used for disaster risk reduction have been carried out; however, their focus is on urban and coastal environments or on specific natural hazards such as shallow landslides. Up to now, there is no systematic review which addresses the role of ecosystems in disaster risk reduction regarding multiple gravitational natural hazards in mountain areas.</p><p>This contribution provides such a systematic review aimed at filling this knowledge gap to give a direction for future research. The review is composed of two main parts: a quantitative bibliometric analysis followed by a qualitative review. The quantitative part, based on the Scopus peer-reviewed database, aimed to investigate the publication trend on the ecosystem-based solutions for gravitational natural hazard mitigation by comparing it with the general trend of published scientific documents. The bibliometric analysis also served as a basis to select most relevant articles on which to conduct the subsequent qualitative analysis. The content of the so selected publications was analysed qualitatively the following  predefined criteria: the natural hazards addressed, the features of the ecosystem (i.e. forest species composition, management activities, effectiveness in risk mitigation), the development of alternative scenarios to test different hypothesis, the degree of stakeholder involvement, and the monetary evaluation of the measures (i.e. comparing them to structural measures). Results show a sharp increase in the number of publications on the topic from 1980 to 2018 compared to the overall number of documents published on Scopus. Although the overall topic is gaining more attention in scientific literature, the in-depth qualitative analysis revealed that research still pays little attention to stakeholder involvement and an economic evaluation of measures. We conclude that filling this research gap might help to foster a wider adoption of ecosystem-based solutions for disaster risk reduction across mountain areas.</p>

scholarly journals How Can SEAMEO QITEP in Mathematics Help Indonesian Mathematics Teachers to Help Their Students to be Independent Learners in the Case of Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR)?

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-16
Author(s):  
Fadjar Shadiq
Keyword(s):  
Risk Reduction ◽  
Mathematics Teachers ◽  
Disaster Risk Reduction ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Natural Hazard ◽  
Volcanic Eruptions ◽  
Population Group ◽  
Disaster Risk ◽  
Teachers And Students ◽  
The Times

There are a number of disasters threats in Indonesia, such as earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, fires, landslides and floods. When a natural hazard strikes, children are among the most vulnerable population group, especially those attending school in the times of disaster. What people know is more important than what they have when it comes to saving lives and reducing loss. It implies that students should also learn DRR during the teaching and learning of mathematics. This paper reports on a number of studies conducted by SEAMEO QITEP across the years 2012 – 2015 that attempted to improve both teachers and students learningoutcomes.

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