Natural Hazards and Disasters Introduction Part 1 PDF

NATURAL HAZARDS AND DISASTERS Introduction Part 1 © Government of Alberta  Course Context Every year the media is filled with reports of natural hazards and disasters and the toll they take on people Some incidents we can’t predict well, o...

NATURAL HAZARDS AND DISASTERS Introduction Part 1 © Government of Alberta  Course Context Every year the media is filled with reports of natural hazards and disasters and the toll they take on people Some incidents we can’t predict well, or we have little control over and (rarely) can we predict and control with reasonable certainty This course will tell you what hazards are, how we study them and whether our efforts are useful Why Study Natural Hazards? Huge loss of property, injury and death Huge economic losses Losses are hard to predict and may not be obvious in their connection to causes 1995 Kobe Japan earthquake: – Took more than 5,000 lives – Destroyed several thousand buildings – Cost more than $100 billion (1995$) in property damage  Use of Examples Wherever possible, Canadian examples will be used in the course Survivor or witness accounts show direct experiences with hazardous events Scientists with professional experience are used to give unbiased analyses Case studies (Canadian and international) are used to illustrate specific points  2024 Disasters Kerala (Malabar) landslides Japan earthquake Hurricane Helene Hurricane Milton Super Typhoon Yagi Columbia droughts India heat waves Chile wildfires Brazil floods  Kerala Landslides Kerala- state on SW coast of India Lowest elevation in India- some below sea level Severe landslides hit hilly areas on July 30- one of worst disasters ever 200 killed, 100s buried; had to be dug out by army © PTI Photo  Japan Earthquake Seismically active area- many earthquakes Good building quality January 1: 7.7 magnitude earthquake hit northernmost peninsula of Noto – 504 deaths – Main shock injured >1,300 people – 178,270 structures damaged © Hurohukidaikon Asaichi Street, Ishikawa Prefecture, was destroyed by the fire caused by the earthquake. Photo February 17, 2024.  Hurricane Helene Sept 26: Category 4 hurricane All factors combined to make very big: high sea surface temps, high humidity, slow movement Hit Florida, Cuba and Mexico – 232 people killed – Damage at least $22 billion © Getty Images Damage in Horseshoe Beach Florida. Local resident helps free stranded car in Boone, North Carolina.  Hurricane Milton Lasted October 5-13 October 9: category 3 hurricane (initially category 5) – Lower category, but still very high winds and rain, lot of damage – Hit west coast of Florida less than 2 weeks after Hurricane Helene Second most intense storm in Gulf of Mexico  Hurricane Milton Tornadoes, hail and high winds plus a lot of rain 32 dead in US, 3 in Mexico © Getty Image © Getty Images  Super Typhoon Yagi Formed August 31 and continued until September 9 SE Asia and China’s most powerful storm Hit Philippines, Hong Kong, China, Vietnam and Macau – Total 844 deaths, 2,279 injuries – Damage >$16.9 billion Triggered many landslides © AFP-JIJI Destruction in Ha Long, Quang Ninh province, Vietnam © VNA/VNS Làng Nủ hamlet in Bảo Yên Commune, Lào Cai Province, Vietnam was the site of the deadliest event in typhoon Yagi's destruction, with 81 people killed in a flash flood  Columbia Droughts Worst heat and drought on record in Amazon River basin (began mid-2023) Columbia has one of the most aggressive climate plans, but it had to be reversed because 66% of power is from hydroelectricity – Reservoirs at 53% capacity – Drought forced 40% of electricity from fossil fuels (up from 25%)  © AP /Ivan Valencia People walk along the Amazon River showing signs of drought in Santa Sofia, near Leticia, Colombia, October 20, 2024  © REUTERS/Bruno Kelly Drone view October 29 of floating houses and boats on the dry bed of Lake Aleixo near Manaus, Brazil. National disaster monitoring agency Cemaden called this Brazil's worst drought since at least the 1950s.  India Heat Waves New record set as extreme heat occurred in 93% of days (255/274) Officially began May 2024 Over 3,200 people killed in first 9 months (Jan-Sept) of 2024  © Getty Images Residents collect drinking water from a tanker in the ongoing water crisis with extreme heat Jaipur, Rajasthan, India, May 24.  Chile Wildfires In February, a massive wildfire burned much of central Chile, killing more than 130 people Dry weather made worse by El Niño © Getty Images/Javier Torres /AFP Vehicles and homes burn in Viña del Mar, Chile, February 2. A forest fire broke out, threatening hundreds of homes and forcing the evacuation of residents. © Getty Images/Javier Torres /AFP Aftermath of wildfire in Villa Independencia, Chile on Feb 4. Death toll rose to 112, with 40 outbreaks being fought.  Brazil Floods Near end of April, heavy rains caused record floods – Killed over 180 people in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil – ~500,000 people fled their homes – Over 77,000 in public shelters © REUTERS © REUTERS/Diego Vara A cargo plane sits on a flooded runway at the airport in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, May 6. A LOOK AT CANADA  Natural Hazards of Canada (From Public Safety Canada) Earthquakes Icebergs, sea ice and fog Tsunamis and storm surges Floods Landslides and snow avalanches Volcanic eruptions Hail Tornadoes Winter storms  Annual Cost to Canada Canadian Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements (DFAA) spent $486 million in 2016-17, $495 million in 2017-18 and $310 million in 2018-19 – This covers assistance after fires, floods, ice storms and similar disasters Severe weather cost $1.3 billion in insured damages in 2019-2020 Much damage and cost is related to climate- forced incidents and the cost of these has doubled in the past decade  10 Most Expensive Natural Disasters (By Insurance, From Canadian Press) Fort McMurray wildfires (2016): $4 billion Eastern ice storm (1998): $2.3 billion (???) Southern AB floods (2013): $1.8 billion (??) AB hailstorm (2020): $1.2 billion (??) Toronto flood (2013): $1 billion ON-QC thunderstorm (2022): $875 million Toronto flood (2005): $780 million ON windstorm (2018): $695 million BC flood (2021): $675 million (???) Hurricane Fiona (2022): $660 million (??)  DFAA Problems No definitive study of economic impact of natural disasters in Canada ever made Present program started in 1970 – Needs revision Must coordinate with Provinces and Territories to be started/continued Thresholds tripled in 2015 – BUT- incidence and severity increasing  DFAA Problems Flood coverage should be required in home insurance – Subsidize in high-risk areas; rates decline over time to encourge protection or relocation – Buyouts should be offered and made mandatory in highest risk area Problems with equity in diffeent ways Stop here for Quiz 1  DFAA Problems Horizontal equity: Disaster compensation implies transfer from people who live in less risky areas to those in more risky areas Provinces vary in size of DFAA claims Vertical Equity: Non-eligibility of luxury assets and caps on payouts in 9 of 10 provinces mean DFAA is targeted at lower income property owners Delays in payment most problematic to low income owners  CANADIAN CATASTROPHIC INSURED LOSSES 1994-2024 Insurance Bureau of Canada data YTD = year to date Rank Why Some So Expensive? Cost Insurance Bureau of Canada data Date B$ Notable Severe Weather Events  1998 Quebec Ice Storm © Valour Canada © Global News © Global News © Brother Kenny, flikr  2013 Southern AB Floods Highway 40, Kananaskis Sunnyside, near Memorial Drive © Dana Naldrett © AB Government High River © RCMP © CTV News 2016 Fort McMurray Wildfire Creative Commons © Global News 2020 Calgary Hail Storm © Globe & Mail  2022 Hurricane Fiona © John Morris / Reuters  DFAA = Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangement) Rising cost of flood damage assistance in Canada  This book documents disasters in Canada- most are from weather- related events  This book analyzes how well Canada reacts to disasters- it is highly variable  Next Lecture Introduction Part 2