Different Types Of Natural Hazards Research Articles

Foundations in Hazards and Disasters for Undergraduate Students

A new textbook for undergraduates explores different types of natural hazards and disasters through foundational scientific knowledge, engaging case studies, and mitigation strategies.

Natural Hazard Vulnerability and Risk Assessment: The Case of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor

The coverage area of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in Pakistan, including its critical functional zones within which major projects are located, is prone to different types of natural hazards and disasters. Since 2015, efforts have been made to operationalize CPEC without institutionalizing and establishing a comprehensive natural hazard risk assessment mechanism within the China-Pakistan collaborative framework. It goes against the grain of robust, resilient, and sustainable long-term development of CPEC. This study critically argues for the need to set up a multi-hazard risk assessment and disaster response mechanism as part of the institutional framework of CPEC, responsible for identifying, preparing, and planning against primary, secondary, and tertiary risks in accordance with the varied hazard vulnerability prevalence in varying geospatial and functional zones within the coverage area of CPEC. Overall, the study identifies and discusses the risk-prone nature of the current development of CPEC and proposes a real-time, technologically enabled, natural hazard risk assessment of CPEC projects spread over varying geospatial and functional zones in an institutional framework characterized by the uninterrupted collaboration and concentration of experts and resources from China and Pakistan.

Measure and spatial identification of social vulnerability, exposure and risk to natural hazards in Japan using open data

Understanding the location of risk to natural hazards, namely the areas of high exposure and vulnerability is a major priority that was identified by the Sendai framework for Disaster Reduction 2015–2030 in order to reach substantial reduction of disaster risk. It is also a necessary decision-making tool for disaster mitigation policy-makers in Japan and around the world. This paper successfully develops a simple methodology using only open data to build the first large-scale (whole country), fine resolution (sub-municipal level) social vulnerability analysis in the context of five different types of natural hazards (earthquake, tsunami, storm surge, flooding and landslide). The result is then compared to an indicator of exposure of population to these hazards in Japan in order to propose a representation of disaster risk. Results show that vulnerability in Japan is highly heterogeneous with urban/rural and north/south fractures. Combining the social vulnerability index with exposure analysis, results show a wide variety of spatial patterns of risk areas in Japan.

Assessment of environmental hazards at El-Galala El-Bahariya Plateau, Gulf of Suez, Egypt, using spatial multihazards assessment modeling

Environmental multihazard assessment modeling is essential for developing plans to mitigate the impact of future risks. They can be generated for a specific location by combining assessment maps of different types of natural hazards. Multiple approaches were used in this study to achieve an analytical hierarchy. “, including the usage of a geographical information system (GIS), fieldwork, geoanalytical studies, and chemical analysis” for an improved flow of information. The assessment maps of risk factors were initially produced. Subsequently, these maps were combined into a single map of multihazards using a spatial decision model. Hazard analysis indicated that the central part of the El-Galala El-Bahariya Plateau in the study area had the steepest slope (near vertical and classified as “high” to “very high”). The central part of the El-Galala El-Bahariya Plateau is the second largest part of the study area. Numerous tourist resorts have been established at this site. The rock formation in the research area was partially comprised very weak micrite limestone. Micrite limestone exceeds the recommended limits at 20% of the total rock formation. Unfortunately, projects aimed at attracting tourists have been built on deteriorating rocks, increasingly becoming of poorer rock quality. The results showed that parts of the study area become vulnerable to natural hazards due to its tectonic history and particular rock formation. The produced multihazard map indicated that the most suitable areas for urban development were located in the eastern part of the mountains. A safety zone limiting the location of tourist resorts would be required. To avoid rock deterioration and dissolution, unplanned waterwaste systems would have to be prohibited, and isolated waste pipes would be constructed. Environmentally friendly geotechnical solutions should be used to increase the rock strength, end rock destruction, and reduce hazard exposure.

Mortality From Forces of Nature Among Older Adults by Race/Ethnicity and Gender.

Older adults are especially vulnerable to disasters due to high rates of chronic illness, disability, and social isolation. Limited research examines how gender, race/ethnicity, and forces of nature-defined here as different types of natural hazards, such as storms and earthquakes-intersect to shape older adults' disaster-related mortality risk. We compare mortality rates among older adults (60+ years) in the United States across gender, race/ethnicity, and hazard type using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Wonder database. Our results demonstrate that older adult males have higher mortality rates than females. American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) males have the highest mortality and are particularly impacted by excessive cold. Mortality is also high among Black males, especially due to cataclysmic storms. To address disparities, messaging and programs targeting the dangers of excessive cold should be emphasized for AI/AN older adult males, whereas efforts to reduce harm from cataclysmic storms should target Black older adult males.

Demographic effects of climate-induced disasters in South Korea: A spatiotemporal approach

Climate-induced disasters threaten human society and local economies, resulting in substantial economic losses as well as the relocation of population and industries. In order to minimize the negative consequences and strengthen regional sustainability, it is important to estimate the population impact of Climate-induced disasters, as well as to understand the differing effects of those by type, for decision making processes in regional planning. The objective of our study is to examine the impacts of Climate-induced disasters - rainstorms, typhoons, snowstorms, and strong winds - on population growth at the municipal level in South Korea during the period 2006–2016. To better understand the effects of such events, we develop a spatial panel model that accounts for time and panel characteristics and the spatial spillover effects among local regions. Our findings suggested clear evidence that there was negative relationship between Climate-induced disasters and population growth. Specifically, the occurrence of sizable disasters, of which the total economic damage exceeding $1 million, was associated with a 1% point reduction in local population growth. In addition, the cumulative population decline in the neighboring regions amounted to 2.84% point, revealing substantial spillover effects. Such impacts varied by the types of disasters; only typhoons had a significantly negative effect on population growth. Our results suggest that planning strategies to minimize the impacts of climate-related disasters should be differentiated by different types of natural hazards.

An Empirical Analysis of Association between Socioeconomic Factors and Communities’ Exposure to Natural Hazards

In today’s urban environments with complex design and configurations, heterogeneous spatial clusters of communities with different socioeconomic characteristics may result in disproportionate exposure of some groups of citizens to natural hazards. The objective of this study was to compare the associations between communities’ socioeconomic characteristics and exposure to different types of natural hazards in New York City (NYC) to examine whether commonly accepted indicators of social vulnerability are associated with similar levels of exposure across various natural hazards. First, we collected socioeconomic data (e.g., population, median income, unemployment rate) at a zip code level of granularity provided by the United States Census Bureau. Next, we identified and gathered spatial data for coastal storms, flooding, extreme heat, and pandemic disease in NYC. We then conducted a pairwise Kendall’s τ-b test to compare the associations. The outcomes showed that the significance and direction of the associations depend on the type of natural hazard. Particularly, the results indicated that zip codes with lower socioeconomic factors and greater percentage of minority ethnicities are exposed disproportionately to extreme heat and COVID-19. On the other hand, zip codes with higher percentage of areas prone to flooding have relatively higher socioeconomic factors. Furthermore, the results did not show any statistically significant association between socioeconomic factors and exposure to coastal storm inundations. The outcomes of this study will help decision makers design and implement better optimized and effective emergency preparedness plans by prioritizing their target areas based on socioeconomic factors in order to enhance social justice.

Homeostatic representation for risk decision making: a novel multi-method simulation approach for evacuation under volcanic eruption

All decision-making processes are complex and include a high number of variables. Particularly, decisions related to disaster risk reduction despite having an inherent uncertainty, depend on many factors associated with the inhabitants in danger, risk disaster management authorities, previous experiences, among others. Although considerable research has been carried out to understand the evacuation processes undergoing among different types of natural hazards, few of them consider psychosocial variables under a dynamic approach. This research proposes a novel way of representing decision making using the risk homeostasis theory approach. We developed a multi-method simulation model to gain an understanding of how individuals react and what are the decision-making processes undergoing a volcanic eruption. For this, we developed a system dynamics (SD) model that captures the psychosocial decision-making process of individuals facing a volcanic eruption. This theory proposes that individuals will make decisions to balance their levels of perception and acceptance of risk and that, in addition, they depend on certain motivational and cognitive variables. Once the evacuation decision making was captured by the SD model, we represented the evacuation process through agent-based simulation based on the relationship between evacuation probability and the difference between risk perception and risk acceptance levels. For experimentation and validation methods, we worked with the 2008 Chaiten (southern Chile) volcanic eruption and further population evacuation as a use case scenario.

Hazard, Risk and Resilience: Overview of Two Major Urban Areas of Bangladesh

Bangladesh is known as one of the disaster-prone countries of the world. Geographical locations of the country and climate change phenomena make the country more vulnerable to a natural disaster. Most of the urban areas of the country are also susceptible to both geological and climatic hazards. These risks and vulnerabilities have been aggravated by poverty, rapid and unplanned urbanization of the country. The two major urban areas of the country including capital city Dhaka; the largest and main port city Chittagong are experiencing natural hazards, and the inhabitants of those areas are on risk. Due to the location of these two urban areas, different types of natural hazards are faced almost every year by the dwellers. The research reviewed local and global disaster framework, and recent literature works to assess the existing resilience scenario of these two cities. Informal interview of dwellers and local government officials was also conducted on both cities. This study tries to discuss the probable significant natural hazards of the two major cities of the country. The research also presents the existing resilience scenario of these two major urban areas in consideration of the global and local disaster management framework. The study will also try to suggest some recommendations to increase and improve the resilience of these significant metropolitan areas.

Multi-hazard assessment modeling via multi-criteria analysis and GIS: a case study

Multi-hazard assessment modeling comprises an essential tool in any plan that aims to mitigate the impact of future natural disasters. For a particular area they can be generated by combining assessment maps for different types of natural hazards. In the present study, the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) supported by a Geographical Information System (GIS) was utilized to initially produce assessment maps on hazards from landslides, floods and earthquakes and subsequently to combine them into a single multi-hazard map. Evaluation of the reliability of the proposed model predictions was performed through uncertainty analysis of the variables that we used for producing the final model. The drainage basin of Peneus (Pinios) River (Western Peloponnesus, Greece), an area that is prone to landslides, floods and seismic events, was selected for the implementation of the aforementioned approach. Our findings revealed that the high hazard zones are mainly distributed in the western and north-eastern part of the region under investigation. The calculated multi-hazard map, which corresponds to the potential urban development suitability map of the study area, was classified into five classes, namely of very low, low, moderate, high and very high suitability. The most suitable areas for urban development are distributed mostly in the eastern part, in agreement with the low and very low hazard level for the three considered natural hazards. In addition, by performing uncertainty analysis we showed that the spatial distribution of the suitability zones does not change significantly. Ultimately, the final map was verified using the actual inventory of landslides and floods that affected the study area. In this context, we showed that 80% of the landslide occurrences and all the recorded flood events fall within the boundaries of the moderate, low and very low suitability zones. Consequently, the predictive capacity of the applied method is quite good. Finally, the spatial distribution of the urban areas and the road network were compared with the derived suitability map and the results revealed that approximately 50% of both of them are located within areas susceptible to natural hazards. The proposed approach can be useful for engineers, planners and local authorities in spatial planning and natural hazard management.

Geographies and Scientometrics of Research on Natural Hazards

This contribution aims to reveal patterns of research on natural hazards worldwide, based on the analysis of the Clarivate Analytics Web of Science database. A set of 588,424 research items published between 1900 and 2017 is analyzed, covering different types of natural hazards. Two categories of natural hazards are distinguished in this study: (i) geological/geomorphic (earthquakes, slope movements, erosion, volcanic activity, and others); and (ii) climatic/hydro-meteorological (floods, storms, drought, hurricane, and others). General trends, the geographical focus, and the involvement and cooperation between individual countries are revealed, pointing out certain patterns (e.g., hotspots of research) and trends (e.g., changing publishing paradigm). Further, a global overview of research on natural hazards is confronted with disastrous events, fatalities, and losses of MunichRE and SwissRE global databases of natural disasters.

GIS-based landslide susceptibility assessment in Eyinoke Hilly Area of Okeigbo, SW, Nigeria

Many areas are exposed to different types of natural hazards including landslides, which can lead to loss of lives, injury to people, damage to property and disruption of economic activities. This paper assessed the landslide susceptibility and quantifies the hazard and risk related to landslides in Okeigbo, southwest, Nigeria using remote sensing imageries, geographic information system (GIS) and logistic regression model. The result revealed that slope, elevation, aspect, profile curvature, distance from road and land use influence landslide susceptibility. Current landslide and the most susceptible areas to landslides were within the areas with high slopes especially at slope angles of landslide occurred on slopes between 14 % and 25 % in the upper, steep and narrow ridge with elevation of between 413 m and 459 m. The landslide occurred northwest aspect class where there is increased land use activities characterized by deforestation and improper agricultural practices. It was further revealed that the landslide occurred about 200 m close to the road and potential areas were landslides can occur in the future are closely located within the 100-300 m buffer zones. Generally, Slopes have more influence than land cover for the susceptibility map. Although a smaller portion of the study area is presently located in the high hazard zone, intensive land use activities on the steep slope could expose the land to other triggering factors such as rainfall. A landslide susceptibility assessment and monitoring will assist in prediction, management future occurrences and general developmental planning in the area. Keywords: Landslide hazard, Vulnerability, Geographical information system; remotely sensed data

Review of building regulations for safety against hazards in Indian hill towns

The picturesque hill towns of India are vulnerable to different types of natural hazards, which may cause enormous destruction during their occurrence leading to substantial loss of precious human life and resources. Hill towns are presenting undergoing tremendous developmental activity having densely constructed multi-storied buildings causing severe concerns related to their suitability in the hill towns. Different building regulations are formulated and enforced to the protection of human life and buildings in hill towns. But, in spite of the enforced building regulations, most of the buildings existing in hill towns have no/minimal measures to withstand the adverse impacts of disasters.Therefore, this paper highlights the general issues and problems related to the development and building regulations of hill towns. A comparative study of existing building regulations for safety against natural hazards of various Himalayan hill towns is made to have the in-depth understanding of issues related to building regulations for safety against hazards in hill towns.

A Geographical Study of Agricultural Loss due to Natural Hazard in the Villages of Raver Tehsil in Jalgaon District, Maharashtra, India

Tsunami, Cyclones, floods, landslides, earthquake, volcanos etc natural disaster are experiences unexpected human life loss & economic loss. During the study period it is observed that 2507 farmers are intensively affected by different types of Natural hazards. In the list of farmers affected by different calamities, large numbers of farmers are affected by hail storms and cyclones (1382). During the study period about 12 villages in Raver Tehsil are affected by the flood of Hatnur Dam back water out of them 10 villages are identified by the govt. those are affected by flood hazards during 2011-15. These affected villages are located near the bank of Tapi, Suki, Mor. During the study it is observed that accumulated soil deposits in the Hatnur dam is not excavated. To protect economy of villagers, deposits should be excavated periodically. Northern part of the region is covered by Satpuda mountainous region and more or less all rivers source are originated from the mountain. All tributaries are flowing from mountainous region across steep slope of the land surface is a one of the reason of flood because all tributaries are flowing speedily and spread on outer area of the course.

Landscape analysis for multi-hazard prevention in Orco and Soana valleys, Northwest Italy

Abstract. The study area (600 km2), consisting of Orco and Soana valleys in the Western Italian Alps, experienced different types of natural hazards, typical of the whole Alpine environment. Some of the authors have been requested to draw a civil protection plan for such mountainous regions. This offered the special opportunity (1) to draw a lot of unpublished historical data, dating back several centuries mostly concerning natural hazard processes and related damages, (2) to develop original detailed geo-morphological studies in a region still poorly known, (3) to prepare detailed thematic maps illustrating landscape components related to natural conditions and hazards, (4) to thoroughly check present-day situations in the area compared to the effects of past events and (5) to find adequate natural hazard scenarios for all sites exposed to risk. The method of work has been essentially to compare archival findings with field evidence in order to assess natural hazard processes, their occurrence and magnitude, and to arrange all such elements in a database for GIS-supported thematic maps. Several types of natural hazards, such as landslides, rockfalls, debris flows, stream floods and snow avalanches cause huge damage to lives and properties (housings, roads, tourist sites). We aim to obtain newly acquired knowledge in this large, still poorly understood area as well as develop easy-to-interpret products such as natural risk maps.

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

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.

Emergency Response Planning Exercises For Oil Spills Caused By Natural Hazards

ABSTRACT Emergency response exercises are designed to evaluate the operational readiness of responders to act consistently with plans, policies, and procedures. The design and execution of an exercise includes scenario development, exercise control and simulation, documentation, critiques, and after-action reports. Representatives of government agencies and private parties participate in exercises intended to ensure the successful implementation of oil spill response plans and contingency plans. Exercise scenarios for oil spills associated with a natural hazard highlight unique problems, because natural hazards can cause spills in a number of different ways. For example, earthquakes, landslides, lightning strikes, tornados, hurricanes and other storms can affect vessels, pipelines, drilling platforms, and storage tanks. In addition, the cause of many large spills from vessels is often reported as “grounding” or “collision,” but frequently a contributing cause of these accidents is severe weather. This paper discusses the exercise objectives and special considerations for responding to oil spills caused by different types of natural hazards. Natural hazards present emergency planners with a variety of warning times, from little or no warning to days and weeks. Natural hazards have the potential to cause spills over a wide area, so coordination among several jurisdictions is particularly important. Some discharges may be even greater than an expected “worst case” spill, because an earthquake or flood can rupture multiple tanks and damage secondary containment structures. In addition, the conditions created by natural hazards can delay and hinder response efforts.

Customized hazard maps

Finding out about the historic occurrence of six different types of natural hazards in any region in the United States recently became a little easier.A Project Impact initiative of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and ESRI—a leading provider of Geographic Information System (GIS) software and a Project Impact partner—offers the public customized online hazard maps.

Natural Hazards as the Cause of Toxic Spills in the United States, with some Notes on Liability

Natural disasters that create technological emergencies by causing the release of dangerous materials such as oil, chemicals, or radiological/infectious agents are called “na-tech” events (Showalter and Myers 1992). Although there has yet to be a catastrophic na-tech event in the United States, low impact events are fairly common. An example of this occurred a few weeks ago when, during flooding in Texas, an oil pipeline ruptured by floodwaters exploded. The potential for a serious na-tech event is rising, however, bacause the US, like many industrialized countries, is greatly dependent on the production and use of chemicals. For example, industry manufactures millions of gallons of gasoline and millions of pounds of herbicides every day. Additionally, in 1985, approximately 200,000 facilities in the US generated 275 million metric tons of hazardous waste. Many of these facilities, as well as those that store, transport, and/or use such toxic materials, are vulnerable to the different types of natural hazards that exist in a country as large as the US.