scholarly journals Review article: Assessing the costs of natural hazards – state of the art and knowledge gaps

2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 1351-1373 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Meyer ◽  
N. Becker ◽  
V. Markantonis ◽  
R. Schwarze ◽  
J. C. J. M. van den Bergh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Natural Hazards ◽  
Natural Hazard ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Risk Mitigation ◽  
Data Sources ◽  
Cost Assessment ◽  
Knowledge Gaps ◽  
Hazard Management ◽  
Aggregated Data ◽  
Risk Dynamics

Abstract. Efficiently reducing natural hazard risks requires a thorough understanding of the costs of natural hazards. Current methods to assess these costs employ a variety of terminologies and approaches for different types of natural hazards and different impacted sectors. This may impede efforts to ascertain comprehensive and comparable cost figures. In order to strengthen the role of cost assessments in the development of integrated natural hazard management, a review of existing cost assessment approaches was undertaken. This review considers droughts, floods, coastal and Alpine hazards, and examines different cost types, namely direct tangible damages, losses due to business interruption, indirect damages, intangible effects, and the costs of risk mitigation. This paper provides an overview of the state-of-the-art cost assessment approaches and discusses key knowledge gaps. It shows that the application of cost assessments in practice is often incomplete and biased, as direct costs receive a relatively large amount of attention, while intangible and indirect effects are rarely considered. Furthermore, all parts of cost assessment entail considerable uncertainties due to insufficient or highly aggregated data sources, along with a lack of knowledge about the processes leading to damage and thus the appropriate models required. Recommendations are provided on how to reduce or handle these uncertainties by improving data sources and cost assessment methods. Further recommendations address how risk dynamics due to climate and socio-economic change can be better considered, how costs are distributed and risks transferred, and in what ways cost assessment can function as part of decision support.

Rural Intelligent Transportation System Natural-Hazard Management on Low-Volume Roads

2003 ◽  
Vol 1819 (1) ◽  
pp. 255-259
Author(s):  
Rand Decker ◽  
Robert Rice ◽  
Steve Putnam ◽  
Stanford Singer
Keyword(s):  
Natural Hazards ◽  
Traffic Control ◽  
Natural Hazard ◽  
Intelligent Transportation System ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Intelligent Transportation ◽  
Transportation System ◽  
Hazard Management ◽  
Low Volume ◽  
Road Closure

The growth of winter travel on alpine roads in the western United States has increased the risk to motorists and highway maintenance personnel owing to a variety of natural hazards. Hazards include snow and ice, avalanching snow, and blowing and drifting snow. The conditions call for attendant need for incident response. A substantial number of affected routes are low-volume rural winter roads. Configurations have been developed for rural intelligent transportation system (ITS) technology that can detect hazards and provide, autonomously and in real time, warnings to and traffic control actions for motorists, highway maintainers, and incident responders for roadway natural hazards. These warnings include on-site traffic control signing and road closure gates, in-vehicle audio alarms for agency maintenance and patrol vehicles, and notification to highway agency maintenance facilities or centralized multiagency dispatchers. These actions and notifications are initiated automatically from the remote rural sites and via manual intervention from off-site personnel, well removed from the rural roadway corridor itself. About 5 years of experience have been accumulated in using these rural ITS natural-hazard reduction systems, including snow avalanche detection and warning systems on Loveland Pass, Colorado; Hoback Canyon, Wyoming; and Banner Summit, Idaho. Automated road closure gates on the Teton Pass in Idaho and Wyoming now allow for remote road closure during heavy snow events. These cost-effective ITS natural-hazard systems are highly exportable for other processes that affect rural low-volume roadways, including landslide, flooding, high surf, high winds, loss of visibility, wildlife, and other natural hazards of this type.

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.

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.

scholarly journals Equivalent Hazard Magnitude Scale

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yi Wang ◽  
Antonia Sebastian
Keyword(s):  
Resource Allocation ◽  
Risk Analysis ◽  
Natural Hazards ◽  
Natural Hazard ◽  
Historical Data ◽  
Magnitude Scale ◽  
Effective Management ◽  
Hazard Management ◽  
Disaster Communication ◽  
Magnitude Scales

Abstract Effective management of natural hazards requires the capability of cross-hazard evaluations. However, existing hazard magnitude scales cannot be easily adapted to evaluate sizes of events across different hazard types. Here, we propose a regression-based methodology with historical data on hazard impacts and magnitude indicators worldwide from 1900 to 2020 to derive an equivalent magnitude scale, called the Gardoni Scale after Professor Paolo Gardoni, to effectively quantify and compare sizes of events across twelve natural hazard types. Our results suggest that when compared on the Gardoni Scale, tsunami and drought disasters tend to have large magnitudes, while tornadoes are relatively small in size. We further propose hazard equivalency as a new area of research for cross-hazard evaluations of sizes and intensities of natural hazard events. Continuing efforts in this new area will strengthen guidance for resource allocation for hazard management, facilitate disaster communication, and enhance risk analysis within a multi-hazard context.

scholarly journals Drivers and barriers of adaptation initiatives – How societal transformation affects natural hazard management and risk mitigation in Europe

2019 ◽  
Vol 650 ◽  
pp. 1073-1082 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Thaler ◽  
Marie-Sophie Attems ◽  
Mathieu Bonnefond ◽  
Darren Clarke ◽  
Amandine Gatien-Tournat ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Natural Hazard ◽  
Risk Mitigation ◽  
Societal Transformation ◽  
Hazard Management

scholarly journals Making Smart Cities Resilient to Climate Change by Mitigating Natural Hazard Impacts

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 153
Author(s):  
Lemonia Ragia ◽  
Varvara Antoniou
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Information Systems ◽  
Geographic Information Systems ◽  
Natural Disasters ◽  
Mobile Devices ◽  
Natural Hazards ◽  
Natural Hazard ◽  
Smart Cities ◽  
Data Sources ◽  
The Internet

Climate change is undoubtedly a big issue due to its devastating consequences. The enhanced resilience to natural hazards due to climate change belongs to the concept of smart cities. This Editorial proposes different uses of Geographic Information Systems to handle and disseminate data for natural disasters. Data are gathered from various data sources and are processed and visualized in maps using apps. These apps are available through the Internet or mobile devices and can be used to inform and train the stakeholders of disaster-prone areas in order to mitigate the impacts of disasters.

scholarly journals The price of safety: costs for mitigating and coping with Alpine hazards

2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 2619-2637 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Pfurtscheller ◽  
A. H. Thieken
Keyword(s):  
Natural Hazards ◽  
Natural Hazard ◽  
Emergency Services ◽  
Federal State ◽  
Aggregated Data ◽  
South Tyrol ◽  
Hazard And Risk ◽  
Autonomous Province ◽  
And Coping ◽  
Purchasing Power Parities

Abstract. Due to limited public budgets and the need to economize, the analysis of costs of hazard mitigation and emergency management of natural hazards becomes increasingly important for public natural hazard and risk management. In recent years there has been a growing body of literature on the estimation of losses which supported to help to determine benefits of measures in terms of prevented losses. On the contrary, the costs of mitigation are hardly addressed. This paper thus aims to shed some light on expenses for mitigation and emergency services. For this, we analysed the annual costs of mitigation efforts in four regions/countries of the Alpine Arc: Bavaria (Germany), Tyrol (Austria), South Tyrol (Italy) and Switzerland. On the basis of PPP values (purchasing power parities), annual expenses on public safety ranged from EUR 44 per capita in the Free State of Bavaria to EUR 216 in the Autonomous Province of South Tyrol. To analyse the (variable) costs for emergency services in case of an event, we used detailed data from the 2005 floods in the Federal State of Tyrol (Austria) as well as aggregated data from the 2002 floods in Germany. The analysis revealed that multi-hazards, the occurrence and intermixture of different natural hazard processes, contribute to increasing emergency costs. Based on these findings, research gaps and recommendations for costing Alpine natural hazards are discussed.

The recalibration of our relationships with science (and nature) by natural hazard risk mitigation practitioners

2021 ◽  
pp. 251484862110198
Author(s):  
Jessica K Weir ◽  
Timothy Neale ◽  
Elizabeth A Clarke
Keyword(s):  
Natural Hazard ◽  
Risk Mitigation ◽  
Environmental Issues ◽  
Work Conditions ◽  
Hazard Risk ◽  
Change Policy ◽  
Procedural Change ◽  
Or Practice ◽  
Effective Use ◽  
Unrealistic Expectations

Unrealistic expectations in society about science reducing and even eliminating the risk of natural hazards contrasts with the chaotic forces of these events, but such expectations persist nonetheless. Risk mitigation practitioners must grapple with them, including in the cycles of blame and inquiry that follow natural hazard events. We present a synthesis of such practitioner experiences from three consequential bushfire and flood risk landscapes in Australia in which science was being used to change policy and/or practice. We show how they chose to work with, counter and recalibrate unrealistic expectations of science, as well as embrace socionatural complexity and a consequential nature. The mismatch between the challenges faced by the sector and the unrealistic expectations of science, generated more stressful work conditions, less effective risk mitigation, and less effective use of research monies. In response, we argue for structural and procedural change to address legacy pathways that automatically privilege science, especially in relation to nature, with broader relevance for other environmental issues. This is not to dismiss or debase science, but to better understand its use and utility, including how facts and values relate.

scholarly journals The use of questionnaires for acquiring information on public perception of natural hazards and risk mitigation – a review of current knowledge and practice

2009 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 1307-1325 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. K. Bird
Keyword(s):  
Natural Hazards ◽  
Public Perception ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Risk Mitigation ◽  
Mode Of Delivery ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Delivery Mode ◽  
Management Procedures ◽  
Knowledge And Practice

Abstract. Questionnaires are popular and fundamental tools for acquiring information on public knowledge and perception of natural hazards. Questionnaires can provide valuable information to emergency management agencies for developing risk management procedures. Although many natural hazards researchers describe results generated from questionnaires, few explain the techniques used for their development and implementation. Methodological detail should include, as a minimum, response format (open/closed questions), mode of delivery, sampling technique, response rate and access to the questionnaire to allow reproduction of or comparison with similar studies. This article reviews current knowledge and practice for developing and implementing questionnaires. Key features include questionnaire design, delivery mode, sampling techniques and data analysis. In order to illustrate these aspects, a case study examines methods chosen for the development and implementation of questionnaires used to obtain information on knowledge and perception of volcanic hazards in a tourist region in southern Iceland. Face-to-face interviews highlighted certain issues with respect to question structure and sequence. Recommendations are made to overcome these problems before the questionnaires are applied in future research projects. In conclusion, basic steps that should be disclosed in the literature are provided as a checklist to ensure that reliable, replicable and valid results are produced from questionnaire based hazard knowledge and risk perception research.

Melanocytic Lesions of the Conjunctiva

2010 ◽  
Vol 134 (12) ◽  
pp. 1785-1792 ◽  
Author(s):  
Artur Zembowicz ◽  
Rajni V. Mandal ◽  
Pitipol Choopong
Keyword(s):  
Personal Experience ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Data Sources ◽  
Clinical Aspects ◽  
Review Of The Literature ◽  
Melanocytic Lesions ◽  
Pathologic Features

Abstract Context—Melanocytic proliferations are among the most common neoplasms of the conjunctiva. They often represent challenging lesions for pathologists unfamiliar with unique histologic features of melanocytic proliferations in this location and with nomenclature used by ophthalmologists. Objective—To comprehensively review clinical aspects, pathologic features, and management of melanocytic proliferations of the conjunctiva. Data Sources—Review of the literature and personal experience of the authors. Conclusions—Classification, state of the art, and practical aspects of pathology of melanocytic proliferations of the conjunctiva are discussed.

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