LESSONS LEARNED FROM PAST NOTABLE DISASTERS

CHILEPART 5: WILDFIRES

Walter Hays, Global Alliance for Disaster Reduction, Vienna,

Virginia, USA 

NATURAL HAZARDS THAT HAVE CAUSED NATURAL HAZARDS THAT HAVE CAUSED DISASTERS IN CHILEDISASTERS IN CHILE

NATURAL HAZARDS THAT HAVE CAUSED NATURAL HAZARDS THAT HAVE CAUSED DISASTERS IN CHILEDISASTERS IN CHILE

FLOODS

WINDSTORMS

EARTHQUAKES/TSUNAMIS

VOLCANOES

WILDFIRES

GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE

HIGH BENEFIT/COST FROM BECOMING DISASTER NRESILIENT

HIGH BENEFIT/COST FROM BECOMING DISASTER NRESILIENT

GOAL: PROTECT PEOPLE GOAL: PROTECT PEOPLE AND COMMUNITIESAND COMMUNITIES

GOAL: PROTECT PEOPLE GOAL: PROTECT PEOPLE AND COMMUNITIESAND COMMUNITIES

Natural Phenomena that Cause Disasters

Planet Earth’s atmospheric-lithospheric interactions create situations favorable for Wildfires (AKA BUSHFIRES)

CHILE’S CITIES

WILDFIRES are conflagrations caused by

lightning discharges (or acts of man) in wilderness areas close enough to one or more urban

interfaces that they threaten people, property, infrastructure, and

business enterprise.

WILDFIRES are conflagrations caused by

lightning discharges (or acts of man) in wilderness areas close enough to one or more urban

interfaces that they threaten people, property, infrastructure, and

business enterprise.

SCIENCE OF WILDFIRES

LOCATIONS OF 2012’S NOTABLE WILDFIRES

WILDFIRE HAZARDS (AKA POTENTIAL DISASTER AGENTS)

• FIRE

• HOT GASES AND SMOKE

• HOT SPOTS

• BURNED OUT SLOPES (with increased susceptibility to insect infestation, erosion, and landslides)

WILDFIRE HAZARDS (AKA POTENTIAL DISASTER AGENTS)

• SUNDOWNER WINDS

• LOCAL CHANGES IN AIR QUALITY

• LOCAL CHANGES IN WEATHER

LIGHTNING STRIKES

WILDFIRES (AKA BUSHFIRES)

WILDFIRES (AKA BUSHFIRES)

MANMADE FIRES

PROXIMITY OF URBAN AREA TO THE WILDLAND FIRE

WIND SPEED AND DIRECTION (DAY/NIGHT DIFFERENCES)

DRYNESS

HIGH TEMPERATURES

LOCAL FUEL SUPPLY

CAUSES OF DAMAGE

CAUSES OF DAMAGE

DISASTER LABORATORIES

DISASTER LABORATORIES

LESSONS LEARNED ABOUT DISASTER RESILIENCE

ALL WILDFIRES PREPAREDNESFOR THE EXPECTED AND UNEXPEDTED IS ESSENTIAL FOR DISASTER RESILIENCE

LESSONS LEARNED ABOUT DISASTER RESILIENCE

ALL WILDFIRES TIMELY EMERGENCY RESPONSE IS ESSENTIAL FOR DISASTER RESILIENCE

LESSONS LEARNED ABOUT DISASTER RESILIENCE

ALL WILDFIRES

EARLY WARN-ING (THE ISS) AND EVACUATION ARE ESSENTIAL FOR DISASTER RESILIENCE

NOTABLE WILDFIRES IN CHILE

2012’s wildfires - the worst Chile has seen in years - were worsened by

strong winds, high temperatures and exceptionally dry conditions

Chile's southern regions, normally experiencing rain in

January, were suffering instead from a nationwide

heat wave on top of a drought; two factors that

make wildfires more likely.

LOCATIONS

Nearly 50 wildfires in southern Chile destroyed hundreds of

houses, forced the evacuation of thousands of people, and caused millions of dollars in damage to the forestry and

tourism industries.

TORRE DEL PAINE NATIONAL PARK (AFTER THE DEC. 2011 FIRES)

WILDFIRE IN BIO BIO REGION: JAN. 4, 2012

• The worst of the blazes were concentrated in Chile's Bio Bio region, where about 24,800 hectares were destroyed

BIO BIO (QUILLON AREA) WILDFIRE: JAN 5, 2012

QUILLON AREA WILDFIRE: JAN 5, 2012

AN IMPOSSIBLE TASK: QUILLON AREA WILDFIRE: JAN 5, 2012

A POSSIBLE TASK: FIGHTING THE QUILLON AREA WILDFIRE

FIGHTING THE QUILLON WILDFIRES

WILDFIRE IN BIO BIO REGION: JAN. 4, 2012

• Helicopters fight a massive forest fire affecting the commune of Ranquil, in southern Chile's Bio Bio region, 450 km (275 mi) south of Santiago.

FIGHTING THE BIO BIO WILDFIRES

IMPACTS: WILDFIRES IN BIO BIO REGION: JAN. 4, 2012

• 600 people were evacuated from the area

• 160 homes destroyed.

WILDFIRE IN ARAUCANIA REGION: JAN. 5, 2012

• Seven firefighters died after being trapped by flames when the wind suddenly changed direction.

• They were part of a team trying to extinguish a blaze near Carahue in the Araucania region, about 700 km (434 miles) south of the capital Santiago.

ARAUCANIA WILDFIRE: JAN 5, 2012

Mapuche Indians blamed for starting the deadly wildfires

ARAUCANIA WILDFIRE: FALLEN FIREFIGHTER

7 FALLEN FIREFIGHTERS

ELEMENTS OF HAZARDS AND RISK

HAZARDSHAZARDSHAZARDSHAZARDS

ELEMENTS OF WILDFIRE RISK ELEMENTS OF WILDFIRE RISK ELEMENTS OF WILDFIRE RISK ELEMENTS OF WILDFIRE RISK

EXPOSUREEXPOSUREEXPOSUREEXPOSURE

VULNERABILITYVULNERABILITYVULNERABILITYVULNERABILITY LOCATIONLOCATIONLOCATIONLOCATION

RISKRISKRISKRISK

A DISASTER CAN HAPPENWHEN THE

POTENTIAL DISASTER AGENTS OF A WILDFIRE INTERACT WITH

CHILE’S COMMUNITIES

A DISASTER CAN HAPPENWHEN THE

POTENTIAL DISASTER AGENTS OF A WILDFIRE INTERACT WITH

CHILE’S COMMUNITIES

A DISASTER is ---

--- the set of failures that overwhelm the capability of a community to respond without external help  when three continuums: 1)  people, 2) community (i.e., a set of habitats, livelihoods, and social constructs), and 3) complex events (e.g., wildfires, floods,…) intersect at a point in space and time.

Disasters are caused by single- or multiple-event natural hazards that, (for various reasons), cause

extreme levels of mortality, morbidity, homelessness,

joblessness, economic losses, or environmental impacts.

THE REASONS ARE . . .

• When it does happen, the functions of the community’s buildings and infrastructure can be LOST.

THE REASONS ARE . . .

• The community is UN-PREPARED for what will likely happen, not to mention the low-probability of occurrence—high-probability of adverse consequences event.

THE REASONS ARE . . .

• The community has NO DISASTER PLANNING SCENARIO or WARNING SYSTEM in place as a strategic framework for early threat identification and coordinated local, national, regional, and international countermeasures.

THE REASONS ARE . . .

• The community LACKS THE CAPACITY TO RESPOND in a timely and effective manner to the full spectrum of expected and unexpected emergency situations.

THE REASONS ARE . . .

• The community is INEFFICIENT during recovery and reconstruction because it HAS NOT LEARNED from either the current experience or the cumulative prior experiences.

THE ALTERNATIVE TO A WILDFIRE DISASTER IS

WILDFIRE DISASTER RESILIENCE

THE ALTERNATIVE TO A WILDFIRE DISASTER IS

WILDFIRE DISASTER RESILIENCE

CHILE’SCHILE’S

COMMUNITIESCOMMUNITIES

CHILE’SCHILE’S

COMMUNITIESCOMMUNITIESDATA BASES DATA BASES AND INFORMATIONAND INFORMATIONDATA BASES DATA BASES AND INFORMATIONAND INFORMATION

HAZARDS: GROUND SHAKING GROUND FAILURE SURFACE FAULTING TECTONIC DEFORMATION TSUNAMI RUN UP AFTERSHOCKS

•WILDFIRE HAZARDS•PEOPLE & BLDGS. •VULNERABILITY•LOCATION

WILDFIRE RISK WILDFIRE RISK

RISK

ACCEPTABLE RISK

UNACCEPTABLE RISK

GOAL: WILDFIRE GOAL: WILDFIRE DISASTER RESILIENCEDISASTER RESILIENCE

• PREPAREDNESS•PROTECTION•EARLY WARNING•EMERGENCY RESPONSE•RECOVERY and RECONSTRUCTION

POLICY OPTIONSPOLICY OPTIONS

MONITORING TECHNOLOGIES AND WARNING SYSTEMS ARE A VITAL PART OF SURVIVAL.

TECHNOLOGIES FOR MONITORING, FORECASTING, AND WARNING ARE VITAL FOR

SURVIVAL.

THE FACTS: SURVIVORS OF A WILDFIRE HAVE TO START OVER

LESSONS LEARNED ABOUT DISASTER RESILIENCE

ALL WILDFIRES

RECOVERY AND RECONSTRUCTION USUALLY MEANS STARTING OVER.