While the number of geophysical disasters –
earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions
– has remained steady, the number of
hydro-meteorological (weather-related) events
– including droughts, windstorms and floods –
has more than doubled since 1996.
Despite huge improvements in the emergency response to natural disasters, permanent reconstruction is often inefficiently managed, uncoordinated and slow to get off the ground.
While humanitarian emergency operations have been in general well funded…sectors such as critical infrastructure/ environment, shelter/non-food items, restoration of livelihoods, agriculture and capacity building remain under funded.
Traumatised disaster survivors spend far too long in unsatisfactory transitional accommodation, often unsure whether they will ever have a permanent home and, if so, where.
Anatomy of a disaster
The Kobe Earthquake 1995 : Most of the deaths and injuries occurred when older wood-frame houses with heavy clay tile roofs collapsed. The collapse of buildings was followed by the ignition of over 300 fires within minutes of the earthquake. The fires were caused by ruptured gas lines. Response to the fires was hindered by the failure of the water supply system and the disruption of the traffic system.
Weathering the storms in Cuba : Cuba’s geographical location gives it a high and recurrent risk of hurricanes. In the seven years between 1996 and 2002, six major hurricanes have hit Cuba, yet a total of only 16 people have died. The same hurricanes claimed the lives of 665 people elsewhere.
Cuba is a small and poor country that makes the best use of its social assets at the national and local level. ‘Disaster mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery measures are enshrined in laws that are enforced’
- Whatever the kind of disaster, richer countries can guard themselves against it, much better : the 6.5 earthquake which hit central California in 2003 took two lives and injured 40 people. By comparison, the 6.6 earthquake, which hit Iran four days later, killed over 40,000 people. Both events took place in areas with high density populations
- In San Francisco….the last major earthquake caused the death of 62 people. In Turkey, an earthquake of similar magnitude killed 17,000.
- Each year of the past decade an average of 258 million people have suffered from disaster – most of them in the developing world, up from 74 million a year in the 1970s...
Despite huge improvements in the emergency response to natural disasters, permanent reconstruction is often inefficiently managed, uncoordinated and slow to get off the ground.
While humanitarian emergency operations have been in general well funded…sectors such as critical infrastructure/ environment, shelter/non-food items, restoration of livelihoods, agriculture and capacity building remain under funded.
Traumatised disaster survivors spend far too long in unsatisfactory transitional accommodation, often unsure whether they will ever have a permanent home and, if so, where.
Anatomy of a disaster
The Kobe Earthquake 1995 : Most of the deaths and injuries occurred when older wood-frame houses with heavy clay tile roofs collapsed. The collapse of buildings was followed by the ignition of over 300 fires within minutes of the earthquake. The fires were caused by ruptured gas lines. Response to the fires was hindered by the failure of the water supply system and the disruption of the traffic system.
Weathering the storms in Cuba : Cuba’s geographical location gives it a high and recurrent risk of hurricanes. In the seven years between 1996 and 2002, six major hurricanes have hit Cuba, yet a total of only 16 people have died. The same hurricanes claimed the lives of 665 people elsewhere.
Cuba is a small and poor country that makes the best use of its social assets at the national and local level. ‘Disaster mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery measures are enshrined in laws that are enforced’
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