VENN DIAGRAMS: NATURAL HAZARD EVENTS AND VULNERABILITY

EXTREME NATURAL

EVENT

VULNERABLE POPULATION

EXTREME NATURAL

EVENT

VULNERABLE POPULATION

EXTREME NATURAL EVENT

VULNERABLE POPULATION

No disasterEx: EarthquakeEx: Tropical cycloneEx: Drought

Limited disasterEx: EarthquakeEx: Tropical cycloneEx: Drought

Major disasterEx: EarthquakeEx: Tropical cycloneEx: Drought

Disaster = major hazard event increased by poor human preparedness and response

VULNERABILITY

1. Suggest factors which may explain why people live in hazardous areas• Earthquakes: San Francisco Bay• Tropical Cyclones: Irrawady or Mississippi Delta• Droughts: Sahel• Flooding: Delta of the Ganges• Volcanoes: Bali

2. Referring to named examples, explain how the following factors impact the vulnerability of a population to a hazardous event:• Population density• Understanding/knowledge of the area• Public education/awareness• Existence of an early warning system• Effective lines of communication• Availability and preparedness of emergency responders• Insurance coverage• Building codes• Efficiency/coordination of local/regional/national authorities• Cultural factors

3. Referring to named examples, explain why certain social groups of a population may be more vulnerable than others

VULNERABILITY: COSTA RICASee also Haiti, p.215

Natural hazards in Costa Rica:• Volcanoes (central mountain range)• Earthquakes (West coast)• Tropical cyclones (both coasts)• Droughts (North West)• Floods (Caribbean floodplain)

Economic vulnerability

Social vulnerability Educational vulnerability

Environmental vulnerability

Poverty:• 46% of pop makes less than local

minimum wage• 28% live in povertyPoor urban planning• 63% of homes in Limon are not

elevated• 99% of homes are not anti-seismic• Many public buildings also lack

preparedness

High hazard acceptance (survey):• 27% believe hazards are “natural”• 11% believe hazards are “wrath of

God”• 24% do not know the cause of

hazards• Most people believe that risk

reduction is beyond their control

• Few emergency preparedness programs in schools, and usually relate to seismic/volcanic activity rather than flooding

• Hazard zoning are ignored and high-risk areas are populated with help of government!

• Warning systems are general (radio/TV), not targeted to specific communities

• Deforestation + Poor land management = increase risk of flooding, landslides

• Urbanization of slopes and hilltops = increased runoff and vulnerability of low-lying populations (often poor)

Three main needs for change in Costa Rica1. Improve government organization: less centralization, more focus on local scale2. Shift priorities: hazards should not be viewed as “inevitable” and “unpredictable” and “uncontrollable”3. Increase local participation: all-inclusive disaster preparedness programs tailored to local needs,

environmental managementA recent string of hurricanes in Central America since 1997 has led to improved collective awareness for disaster prevention and strategic planning

Droughts

Volcanoes

Flooding

Earthquakes

Hurricanes

VULNERABILITY: NEW ORLEANS (p.214)

• Median household income in Lower Ninth Ward: $32k ($10k less than national average)

• 20% of households had no car (10% nationwide)• 25% of people in flooded areas below poverty

level (twice national average)• 60% of people affected came from minorities

(30% national average)• Levees not designed to withstand 6m+ surge• Pumping stations not designed to handle

massive flood• No mandatory evacuation until 24hrs earlier, no

buses/alternate lodging provided for people with no cars

• Poor communication between city/state/federal authorities

• Poor organization of relief efforts (Superdome, looting)

VULNERABILITY TO CLIMATE-RELATED HAZARDS IN AFRICA(related to population density, development level, government, civil unrest)

PROGRESSION OF VULNERABILITY – CRUNCH MODEL