Disaster Risk Reduction Measures Research Articles

Approaches for Disaster Risk Reduction and Management in the Context of Islam

Disaster management is a global responsibility to cope with the adverse situations. Developed countries have huge investment in integration of Disaster Risk Reduction measures in their daily life development programs and are well equipped in technology to avert a hazard into a normal event or minimize the sufferings caused by disasters. Developing nations are still focusing only on post disaster response and relief activities yet neglecting the aspect of Disaster Risk Reduction. For development to be sustainable, it is important to incorporate risk element in their routine life. Muslim world was progressively developed in science till 1600 but unfortunately they lack behind in science and technology after 17th century. The teachings of Quran and Hadith stressed on the planning and preparedness against any future haphazard. Islam is a complete religion with complete teachings for the wellbeing of the humanity. Our Prophet Muhammad (SAW) Sunnah is a complete guidance for us to live in harmony and peace. This paper will guide us to follow the teachings of Islam, Quran and Hadith in order to build our capacities and to better prepared against disasters. Benefit from the Islamic teaching, learning from the preparedness strategies against future hazards in light of the strategies being taken by the Messengers of Allah and relate the essentials of risk reduction to make a standard mechanism for Risk Communication and education at community level.

Public response to news reports on the Mount Kusatsu-Shirane volcanic eruption: A content analysis of online reader comments

This paper reports on the real-time public responses to the eruption disaster on Mt. Kusatsu-Shirane in January 2018. This volcanic disaster attracted significant media coverage, with many people again acknowledging the risk of volcanic hazards from the many news reports. These days, as it has become increasingly common for people to express their opinions using online sites, online reader comments can be important sources of public opinion. This paper used a content analysis approach to analyze the comments posted in online news reports on the volcanic disaster to determine the public's perspective of the risks associated with volcanic disasters and volcanology. Applying an inductive category-extraction strategy, the comments were sorted into six categories of comments (1) that made reference to volcanic risk perception, (2) on volcanology or volcanologists, (3) that had fatalistic perceptions of natural disasters as blameless misfortunes, (4) on eruption predictability, (5) on disaster risk reduction measures implemented by central/local governments and disaster management agencies, and (6) explaining the phreatic explosion mechanism. It was found that many comments tended to have a negative tone, and a prominent criticism was that modern science could not detect volcanic activities reliably. However, some commenters suggested that experts with a sophisticated knowledge of volcanology should be available to support local communities in a similar way to the “home doctor”. Volcanologists need to disseminate information, such as the current state of geological and earth science education systems, volcanological knowledge, and application of the lessons learned from volcanic disasters.

Evaluating Resilience-Centered Development Interventions with Remote Sensing

Natural disasters are projected to increase in number and severity, in part due to climate change. At the same time a growing number of disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate change adaptation measures are being implemented by governmental and non-governmental organizations, and substantial post-disaster donations are frequently pledged. At the same time there has been increasing demand for transparency and accountability, and thus evidence of those measures having a positive effect. We hypothesized that resilience-enhancing interventions should result in less damage during a hazard event, or at least quicker recovery. In this study we assessed recovery over a 3 year period of seven municipalities in the central Philippines devastated by Typhoon Haiyan in 2013. We used very high resolution optical images (<1 m), and created detailed land cover and land use maps for four epochs before and after the event, using a machine learning approach with extreme gradient boosting. The spatially and temporally highly variable recovery maps were then statistically related to detailed questionnaire data acquired by DEval in 2012 and 2016, whose principal aim was to assess the impact of a 10 year land-planning intervention program by the German agency for technical cooperation (GIZ). The survey data allowed very detailed insights into DRR-related perspectives, motivations and drivers of the affected population. To some extent they also helped to overcome the principal limitation of remote sensing, which can effectively describe but not explain the reasons for differential recovery. However, while a number of causal links between intervention parameters and reconstruction was found, the common notion that a resilient community should recover better and more quickly could not be confirmed. The study also revealed a number of methodological limitations, such as the high cost for commercial image data not matching the spatially extensive but also detailed scale of field evaluations, the remote sensing analysis likely overestimating damage and thus providing incorrect recovery metrics, and image data catalogues especially for more remote communities often being incomplete. Nevertheless, the study provides a valuable proof of concept for the synergies resulting from an integration of socio-economic survey data and remote sensing imagery for recovery assessment.

Exploring transdisciplinary approaches to facilitate disaster risk reduction

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to look into how collaborations among science and technology groups and other stakeholders in the Asia-Pacific region can facilitate implementation of national and local disaster risk reduction (DRR) strategies through education, training and field practice. Case studies on transdisciplinary approach (TDA) that integrates cross-cutting DRR issues and various stakeholders through science and technology are introduced from several countries in the region as attempts to holistically support societies build and strengthen their disaster resilience.Design/methodology/approachFirst, through literature review, the transition from single discipline to TDA is illustrated in which various stakeholders of different disciplines work together to achieve a common societal goal. This is followed by introduction of several case studies of actual TDA implementation for DRR in which information had been gathered through surveys and interviews with international science and technology stakeholders. Finally, through analysis and discussion, the study identifies the key roles of science and technology stakeholders for facilitating TDA for DRR.FindingsThe study concludes with key findings on the specific roles of science and technology including provision of education and training to build capacities of DRR practitioners to effectively plan and implement DRR measures, support to evidence-based decision making through locally specific scientific assessments and analysis and validation scientific information on the actual field for DRR practitioners and agencies. In materializing these roles into action, institutionalization of supporting policies and budget provision that promotes TDA are suggested.Originality/valueEven though TDA is not a new concept and many stakeholders understand its importance, TDA has not been widely exercised mainly due to conventional practices of experts and organizations working only within their groups and disciplines. With this understanding, this study has newly identified eight key elements that can be used as a guide and checklist for DRR stakeholders to effectively implement TDA for strengthening disaster resilience of their societies.

Disaster Risk Reduction in Cameroon: Are Contemporary Disaster Management Frameworks Accommodating the Sendai Framework Agenda 2030?

Many African countries are prone to numerous hazardous events, exacerbated by the vulnerability of their rapidly increasing population and leading to frequent disasters that often have dire fiscal and development implications. Yet, there is declining sensitivity to these risks, contrary to the conventional wisdom of disaster management (DM) principles. The primary aim of this research is to understand the constraints and/or challenges limiting the ability of contemporary African DM systems/institutional frameworks from implementing adequate disaster risk reduction (DRR) measures. Using a qualitative, case study based research strategy, this research investigates resistance to the effective implementation of DM/DRR within Cameroon’s contemporary DM system by using the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030 guiding principles for DRR as benchmark. The findings reveal the existence of resistance factors that particularly complicate the communication, decision making, and coordination of DRR activities, the provision of resources, aspects of international assistance, as well as DRR planning and policies. The authors argue that such resistance factors contribute to making Cameroon’s DM system more reactive and further undermine risk reduction. The article concludes by offering key recommendations that have the potential to alleviate the identified resistance factors as well as strengthen Cameroon’s DM, particularly in relation to capacity building, training, research development, and organizational resilience.

On the driving forces of historical changes in the fatalities of tropical cyclone disasters in China from 1951 to 2014

Tropical cyclone (TC) disasters have frequently caused casualties in the coastal areas of China. According to the statistics of dead and missing people due to TCs from 1951 to 2014, the number of fatalities has been significantly decreasing over time. However, deadly TC events have still caused great losses of life in recent years, which are characterized as significant abrupt fluctuations superimposed along the downward trend of the long-term fatality time series. The numbers of fatalities caused by TC disasters are influenced by variables such as the intensity of TC hazards, the population exposed to TCs and the vulnerability of people to TC hazards. It is thus of great significance to analyze their temporal characteristics and understand the forces driving these changes. First, the time series of the TC wind, precipitation, spatial distribution of population, fatality and disaster risk reduction (DRR) measures of China from 1951 to 2014 are reconstructed. Second, the improved power dissipation index, total precipitation, integrated intensity and index of exposed population are calculated, and the population vulnerability indices, including mean and relative fatality rates, are derived. Third, the change trend of each index is detected using the Mann–Kendall test. Finally, the main driving factors of the long-term change trend and fluctuations of the TC fatalities are analyzed by a negative binomial regression model and standard deviation statistics. It is found that the decrease in vulnerability based on the improvement in structural and non-structural measures is the main driving force of the decreases in fatalities over the past six decades. Although the total population and exposure have increased dramatically in the coastal areas of China, their contributions to the increase in the fatality risk were counteracted by the decrease in vulnerability. Abrupt and catastrophic disasters were mostly caused by TCs with hazards of high intensity that surpassed the capacity of structural measures; the lack of forecasting or early warning, as well as improper emergency response actions, may also have triggered the great loss of lives. To reduce the fatalities of future TCs, especially those that may exceed the capacity of structural measures, the enhancement of non-structural measures and the adaptation of resilience strategies should be priorities for future people-centered disaster management.

Agri-food activities in jeopardy—A territorial analysis of risks from natural hazards

According to the Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) approach, this paper aims to return a method to assess disaster risk from adverse natural events as a function of hazard, exposure, and vulnerability. Focusing on the Italian agri-food sector as a case-study and considering municipality-level data, a multi-hazard and multi-exposure approach is followed for risk assessment. In particular, both synthetic indicators and cluster analysis are performed. With regard to the implementation of DRR measures, this work suggests to devote proper attention to high-vulnerability municipalities.

Traditional knowledge system in disaster risk reduction: Exploration, acknowledgement and proposition.

The last 60 years have witnessed advanced technological innovation for disaster risk reduction (DRR) with the invention of high-resolution satellite imagery, digital cartography and modern engineering building techniques to high-yielding agricultural production. However, none have been highly satisfying in lessening the impact of disasters. The significant factor for the limited success of modern scientific society is that it views the world from a temporal perspective where humans are believed to be an active agent in modifying every natural possibility into opportunity. The very composite environmental system is simplified whilst extracting resources, resulting in resource depletion and environmental degradation, consequently opening the door for disaster. Technocratic science must recognise the need for a relational or holistic approach rather than believing in reductionist approaches alone whilst dealing with natural calamities. In this context, the knowledge of traditional societies is important to fill up the existing gaps created by the modern society. Traditional knowledge has different sets of ingredients to foster the development of the relational or holistic approach as it involves, interacts and interconnects humans, non-humans (animals and plants) and nature together, setting a perfect balance for sustainable development and DRR. It has vast undocumented observational data of changing natural phenomena, and in today’s scenario of climate change and uncertainty, it can create a path for reliable adaptation measures from climate-induced disasters. Thus, a holistic approach is needed for comprehensive DRR measures where both scientific and traditional knowledge systems can work together. The main purpose of this article was to explore the effective ingredients of traditional knowledge in DRR and how this age-old wisdom can be offered a hand to its integration into and collaboration with scientific research and management for DRR. To fulfil the objectives, a theoretical desk study approach was followed by identifying relevant studies, highlighting traditional knowledge in DRR from empirical and grey literatures, archive materials, biblical stories and so on. This research highlights some of the good practices of traditional knowledge in DRR and the possible path of collaboration of two knowledge systems in DRR.

Community-based landslide risk reduction: a review of a Red Cross soil bioengineering for resilience program in Honduras

Effective long-term participation of communities in disaster risk reduction measures in landslide-prone areas continues to be a challenge. This study aims to evaluate the extent to which community-based soil-bioengineering techniques allow for effective mitigation of shallow landslide events given technical, environmental, economic and socio-cultural sustainability criteria. The Red Cross has been implementing community-based disaster risk reduction programs aimed at increasing resilience at the community level in Honduras since 2005. Since 2010, 230 landslide hazard sites have been stabilized using soil-bioengineering measures (the use of living plant material to provide certain engineering functions) based on a carefully and systematically developed partnership with local communities. In 2018, an assessment of 73 sites established between 2010 and 2014 showed that (1) 83% of the sites were adequately maintained and (2) 69% of the sites fulfilled the function of soil stabilization. A cost–benefit analysis was conducted for two sites and indicated a cost–benefit ratio of 4.5 and 6 respectively. Some of the key factors for these high success rates include the fact that bioengineering is a locally adapted, easily implemented, cost-effective technology that offers landowners multiple benefits by increasing food security and creating income-generation opportunities. The Red Cross has recognized the importance of empowering communities by building self-confidence so that they can ultimately take responsibility for their own future. The creation of well-functioning local emergency committees has proven highly effective in achieving this goal. When adequately trained, these committees are able to support the replication and maintenance of disaster-risk reduction measures at the community-level in the long term. This case study supports the hypothesis that carefully designed participatory approaches are essential for achieving sustainable, long-term transformative change and risk reduction.

Disability and disaster risk reduction as an incongruent matrix: Lessons from rural Zimbabwe.

The policy thrust of disaster risk reduction initiatives is in many instances tailored towards able-bodied people. This is at the expense of those challenged in many facets such as physically, mentally and other forms of disability. The suggestion for disability to be mainstreamed into disaster risk reduction initiatives has been made imperative by the late shift in hazard and disaster thinking at local, national and international levels. The increasing intensity and frequency of weather-related hazards and disasters, driven by climate change, has provided fertile ground on which mainstreaming ideas and policies have proved to be incongruent. This research paper focuses on two key topics in the disaster science field: pre-disaster risk reduction planning and post-disaster emergency response activities. It is based on experiences from disaster risk reduction projects in Bulilima and Mangwe districts in southern Zimbabwe between 2006 and 2014. A qualitative research methodology was employed, and data were collected using in-depth personal interviews, observations and focus group discussions. Both able-bodied people and people living with disabilities (PWDs) were part of the study. Main findings show that PWDs were not included in the formulation of disaster risk reduction measures. Other important findings were the variable nature of how people define or view disability, and even believe that disability has a purpose. Most of the so-called normal people lack the understanding of what constitutes a disaster to such an extent that even disability is regarded as a disaster. The paper unravels the need to have a relook that would bring PWDs into the centre of civil protection decision-making and policy formulation in Zimbabwe.Keywords: disability; disaster risk reduction; disaster; vulnerability; Zimbabwe.

Determinants of Flooding and Strategies for Mitigation: Two-Year Case Study of Benin City

Recent flood disasters in Benin City, Nigeria have claimed a number of lives, damaged property, and threatened the overall livelihood of residents. The economic burden of such events has forced a vast reallocation of monetary resources for clean-up and recovery, as well as forcibly altered and suspended internal trade via devastated transportation routes. Secondary trends include inflation and migration concerns. As a result, the aim has been to prioritize mitigation by examining easily read, rapidly accessible flood hazard maps, as well as assess and identify areas within the city prone to flooding. We used a number of data sources and conducted a questionnaire surveying three of the local government areas of Benin City over a two-year period. Findings indicate excessive unsustainable land use and land cover change and a flat and high water table area with close proximity to the Atlantic Ocean make the city susceptible to flood risk. Heavy rainfall and drainage system blockage are leading causes of flooding which have destroyed property and houses—two major side effects. A number of mitigation and disaster risk reduction measures were, hereafter, recommended to reduce flooding occurrence in Benin City or lessen its effects on inhabitants.

Adoption of natural disaster preparedness and risk reduction measures by business organisations in Small Island Developing States - A Caribbean case study

Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in the Caribbean continue to experience natural disasters which result in loss of life, as well as severe financial losses and economic distress despite the sustained efforts of regional and international agencies to promote disaster risk reduction. Main productive activities, including tourism and agriculture, are usually severely affected by these events, with consequent negative effects on the host economies. The disposition of business enterprises to take natural disaster risk management action is likely to be a factor in attenuating the severity of outcomes from natural hazard events.This study examines the risk reduction and preparedness measures implemented by a sample of business entities in two Caribbean SIDS, Trinidad and Tobago and Grenada which have different natural hazard exposures and natural disaster experience. The results indicate areas of deficiency, particularly with respect to risk reduction. The findings also suggest that the responses are influenced mainly by the nature of the business and the characteristics of the organisations, rather than by natural disaster exposure and experience. Recommendations are offered for public policy initiatives that may successfully motivate the business sector to assist in reducing severe natural disaster effects from major natural hazard events in the Caribbean.

Regional Cooperation towards Effective Multi-Hazard Early Warnings in Asia

Abstract— Due to the unprecedented rate of climate change, the number of coastal hazards have been significantly increased causing a large number of deaths and economic losses during the 21st century. Hence, leading global initiatives emphasise the necessity of multi-hazard early warnings for effective disaster risk reduction and resilience across the world. Asia reported the largest share of deaths and economic losses from all type of natural hazards, showing gaps within their coping capacities and gaps in present preparedness measures. Multi-hazard early warnings play a significant role within present disaster risk reduction measures irrespective of disaster type. Regional cooperation in this effort could be further benefitted due to its ability of sharing knowledge and costs among member countries. Nevertheless, present situation of multi-hazard early warnings in Asia does not deliver its expected results due to many uncovered reasons. Hence, this paper is written with the objective of identifying enablers and barriers that affect effective multi-hazard early warnings in Asia. This paper is based on the findings of an initial stage of a project aimed at enhancing capacity building among Asian higher education institutions through capacity development programmes for an effective risk reduction and resilience mechanisms. Accordingly, the study conducted an online survey among experts in multi-hazard early warnings and found that, risk warnings, governance, awareness and education, preparedness culture and resources as the enablers for effective multi-hazard early warnings in Asia. The study also revealed that weak monitoring, weak preparedness and response capacities and weak regional and political support as the barriers for successful implementation.

An integrated assessment of vulnerability to floods using composite index – A district level analysis for Bihar, India

Vulnerability assessment using composite indices provides critical information for the policymakers on why certain regions are impacted more than the others. Several researchers have assessed the vulnerability to hazard in diverse spatial and environmental settings, however, not many studies have assessed the vulnerability to flood hazards in Bihar, where flooding is a perennial event. The objective of this paper is to assess the vulnerability of the flood affected districts by integrating various indicators for exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity into a composite index using principal component analysis. This study normalizes and aggregates across the sub-indices and combines this information with Geographic Information Systems to illustrate the social vulnerability to floods. The vulnerability index estimated in this study indicates that: 1) Bihar is highly vulnerable to floods, with north Bihar especially being more vulnerable due to recurrent flooding; and 2) there is a strong spatial pattern among the vulnerable districts. The comparison across the districts reflects that strong biophysical as well as social factors dominate and determine the varying degrees of vulnerability among the districts of Bihar. The study highlights the need to address the disaster prevention, risk reduction, and mitigation measures, as well as the endpoints to enhance the capability of adaptation to floods by the affected community.

Barriers and Incentives for Extensive Implementation of Combined Seismic and Energy Efficiency Retrofits

European cities usually consist of old building stock, which often present social, financial and tourist center points of the cities. With regards to sustainability and in accordance with the aim of the European Union to limit soil use, to keep usefulness of existing building stock and to ensure sustainability, the EU invests a lot of effort in promoting energy efficiency and low-carbon emissions. On the other hand, even though large parts of the EU are seismically active regions with questionable seismic resistance of older built environment preventive seismic disaster risk reduction measures are attracting less investments. Additionally, private investors are reluctant to invest in seismic safety of their buildings for a number of reasons. As seismic and energy efficiency retrofits should be implemented together to prevent damage, life and financial losses as well as to reduce costs of works that would otherwise be duplicated, the aim of this paper is to review and discuss barriers which limit the possibility to extensively undertake combined seismic safety and energy efficiency retrofits. Moreover, several incentives used in different countries are presented in the paper that might reduce or eliminate barriers and increase interest of private investors in investing into sustainable development.

Historical Earthquakes and Their Socioeconomic Consequences in China: 1950⁻2017.

Understanding the spatiotemporal pattern of historical earthquake disasters and resultant socioeconomic consequences is essential for designing effective disaster risk reduction measures. Based on historical earthquake disaster records, this study compiles a Chinese earthquake disaster catalog (CH-CAT) that includes records of 722 earthquake disasters that occurred during 1950–2017 in the mainland of China. This catalog includes more complete data records than other existing global earthquake databases for China as a whole. Statistical results demonstrate that the number of earthquake disasters and the resultant direct economic losses (DELs) exhibit significant increasing trends (p < 0.01) over the studied 68-year period. Earthquake-induced deaths vary greatly between individual years and exhibit no significant trend. The Qinghai-Tibet seismic zone is the area with the highest frequency of earthquake disasters and the largest accumulated DELs, whereas the North China seismic zone is associated with the highest number of deaths. Among the 722 earthquake disasters, nearly 99.0% of deaths and 95.0% of DELs are attributable to 1.8% and 3.9% of the earthquake disasters, respectively. Approximately 54.2% of recorded earthquake disasters have earthquake magnitude (Ms) values between 5.0 and 5.9, while earthquake disasters with Ms greater than or equal to 7.0 account for 88.5% of DELs and 98.8% of deaths. On average, earthquake-induced DELs and deaths increase nonlinearly with increasing Ms per earthquake. DELs have a positive correlation with deaths and casualties on a logarithmic scale. This study further discusses that during different stages of socioeconomic development, changes in both exposure and vulnerability may be the major factors leading to change differences in earthquake-induced socioeconomic consequences. This study is a beneficial supplement to the global earthquake database and is useful for calibrating global or regional empirical loss models.

Social multi-criteria evaluation to identify appropriate disaster risk reduction measures: application to landslides in the Rwenzori Mountains, Uganda

Over the past decades, the global exposure of persons and assets to natural hazards, like landslides, has increased faster than that their vulnerability has decreased. Therefore, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) made a call in 2015 for more investment in DRR. Recent studies exposed the lack of scientific evaluation data for selecting DRR measures. The objective of this research is to develop a participatory methodology for identifying appropriate DRR measures based on stakeholder groups’ perceptions. More specifically, we propose a social multi-criteria evaluation which combines a two-phased participatory multi-criteria analysis with an institutional analysis for its design and a discourse analysis for interpreting its outcomes. This method is then tested for a case study focusing on landslides in the Rwenzori Mountains region (Uganda) to illustrate both its relevance and practical challenges. The results from the case study highlight the perceived importance of the acceptability of measures above cost, feasibility and effectiveness criteria, by district and village stakeholder groups. Frequently recommended DRR actions, such as disaster risk zonation or relocation, are shown to be perceived negatively by local stakeholders despite being put forward in national policies. This study contributes to the DRR literature as it proposes a new method to support DRR-related decision-making. It also contributes to the understanding of landslide risk reduction in the Rwenzori Mountains region as it presents the first attempt to identify appropriate landslide risk reduction measures for the region.

Linking source with consequences of coastal storm impacts for climate change and risk reduction scenarios for Mediterranean sandy beaches

Abstract. Integrated risk assessment approaches to support coastal managers' decisions when designing plans are increasingly becoming an urgent need. To enable efficient coastal management, possible present and future scenarios must be included, disaster risk reduction measures integrated, and multiple hazards dealt with. In this work, the Bayesian network-based approach to coastal risk assessment was applied and tested at two Mediterranean sandy coasts (Tordera Delta in Spain and Lido degli Estensi–Spina in Italy). Process-oriented models are used to predict hazards at the receptor scale which are converted into impacts through vulnerability relations. In each site, results from 96 simulations under different scenarios are integrated by using a Bayesian-based decision network to link forcing characteristics with expected impacts through conditional probabilities. Consultations with local stakeholders and experts have shown that the tool is valuable for communicating risks and the effects of risk reduction strategies. The tool can therefore be valuable support for coastal decision-making.

Coastal hazard risk assessment for small islands: assessing the impact of climate change and disaster reduction measures on Ebeye (Marshall Islands)

Small island states around the world are among the areas most vulnerable to climate change and sea level rise. In this paper, we present results from an innovative methodology for a quantitative assessment of multiple hazards on coastal risks, driven by different hydro-meteorological events, and including the effects of climate change. Moreover, we take an additional step by including in the methodology the option to assess and compare the effectiveness of possible disaster risk reduction measures. The methodology is applied to a real case study at the island of Ebeye (the Republic of the Marshall Islands). An example is provided in which a rock revetment is implemented as a risk reduction measure for the island. Results show that yearly expected damages may increase, by the end of the century, by a factor of three to four, depending on the sea level rise scenario considered, while the number of yearly affected people may double. Putting a cap on the temperature increase (e.g. 1.5 vs. 2 °C) according to the Paris Agreement may reduce damages and number of affected people by about 20 and 15%, respectively. However, impacts for same warming levels can vary substantially among different emission scenarios. Disaster risk reduction measures can be useful for mitigating risks in current and future situations but should be incorporated within long-term adaptive planning for these islands.

Humanitarian disaster for Rohingya refugees: impending natural hazards and worsening public health crises.

Humanitarian disaster for Rohingya refugees: impending natural hazards and worsening public health crises.