DISASTER RISK REDUCTION

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DISASTER RISK REDUCTION

• A PRIMER OF KNOWLEDGE THAT CAN MULTIPLY AND
  SPILL OVER FOR THE BENEFIT OF MILLIONS

Walter Hays, Global Alliance for Disaster
Reduction, University of North Carolina,
USA http//www.gadr.giees.uncc.edu
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REMEMBERING 2O10 PART 3 JULY - AUGUST OIL
LEAK (CONTINUED), SEVERE WINDSTORMS (CONTINUED),
FLOODS (CONTINUED), WILDFIRES, LANDSLIDES,
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IMPACTED NATIONS

• Pakistan, Mexico, Russia, USA (Texas,
  Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida,
  California), Bolivia,

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SOCIETAL IMPACTS DURING 2010

• Record flooding following monsoon rains affected
  2.5 million people in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
• 600 Wildfires affected 7 regions in Russia and
  burned 309,000 acres

• Oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico that continued for
  over 105 days caused an environmental disaster,
  costing tens of billions, and changing the way of
  life for millions.

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SOCIETAL IMPACTS DURING 2010

• 3 wildfires in Southern California near Los
  Angeles affected tens of thousands.
• Tropical storm season continued to develop with
  large rainmakers.

• Rain-triggered landslide buries villages in
  Zhonqu County, China.

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OIL SPILLS AND LEAKS

• GULF OF MEXICO (CONTINUED)

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THE DISASTER STARTED BIG AND GREW WORSE OVER
THE NEXT 105 DAYS

• The leak became a serious long-term threat to
  fishermen's livelihoods, marine habitats,
  beaches, wildlife, human health, tourism, and the
  way of life itself

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FLOODS

• PAKISTAN

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NORTHWEST PAKISTAN (AND AFGHANISTAN) HIT BY
FLASH FLOODS AFTER PROLONGED MONSOON RAINS

• JULY 28-AUGUST 2, 2010

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Summer floods are common in Pakistan as a result
of monsoon rains that swell rivers and streams
across the country, but 2010s floods were the
worst in 80 years and set new records.
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The rains paused on Monday, August 2, for a time,
but survival for thousands was a race with time
as evacuation, search and rescue, mass care
(food, clean water, and short- and long-term
health care to prevent disease) was severely
hindered by the widespread inundation and loss of
infrastructure.
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The survival of some of the poorest of the poor
living in the districts of Nowshera, Charsadda,
Peshawar, Swat, and Lower Dir became problematic
because of the extent and catastrophic nature of
the disaster.
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Probably more than 1,500 died and more than 20
million in one-fifth of Pakistan were impacted as
rains swelled rivers, inundated villages, and
triggered landslides, causing entire villages,
roads, and bridges to be swept away, leaving
thousands isolated, and 6 million homeless.
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DERA ISMAIL KHAN INUNDATED
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MUZAFFARABAD RISING FLOOD WATERS
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THOUSANDS OF MUD BRICK HOMES COLLAPSED
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NOWSHERA DAMAGED MUD HOUSE
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COLLAPSED HOUSE
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TRYING TO DIVERT WATER
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SOME LIVESTOCK WERE SAVED, BUT THOUSANDS DROWNED
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PESHAWAR MELONS BECAME PRECIOUS
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CLINGING TO DEBRIS
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NOWSHERA SEEKING HIGHER GROUND
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SEEKING HIGHER GROUND
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SEEKING A SAFE HAVEN
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CHARSADDA TRYING TO EVACUATE
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EVACUATION CARRYING SELECTED POSSESSIONS
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NOWSHERA EVACUATION
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NOWSHERA EVACUATION TO A SAFE HAVEN
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EVACUATION A DIFFICULT TASK
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The people complained to the government, because
of the perception that the urgent need for
adequate temporary shelters, and clean
drinking water and toilets to avert a public
health catastrophe was NOT being met
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MUZAFFARABAD INADEQUATE TEMPORARY SHELTER
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INADEQUATE TEMPORARY SHELTER
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30,000 Pakistani troops rescued 28,000 people
using helicopters and other means, and
distributed water and food.
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NOWSHERA PAKISTANI ARMY DISTRIBUTING WATER
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The United Nations and the United States
announced Saturday, July 31, that they would
provide 10 million dollars each in emergency
assistance, but other international aid was slow
developing.
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The USA also provided rescue boats, water
filtration units, prefabricated steel bridges and
thousands of packaged meals, which Pakistani
soldiers tossed from helicopters
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In Afghanistan, NATO and Afghan troops flew
dramatic helicopter rescue missions in
militant-held territory, displaying "acts of
heroism that were awe inspiring," according to a
spokesman for the Combined Air Power Transition
Force.
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WILDFIRES

• SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
• RUSSIA

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WILFIRES IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA LEONA VALLEY AND
KERN COUNTY

• JULY 27 AUGUST ?, 2010

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LEONA VALLEY, CA

• Two jumbo planes, three water-dropping
  helicopters, and 1,700 firefighters worked to get
  ahead of the blaze that broke out around 3 p.m.
  on Tuesday (27th) in Leona Valley, southwest of
  Palmdale.

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LEONA VALLEY, CA
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LEONA VALLEY, CA
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The winds generated by the fire pushed the flames
north and east toward the suburbs of Los Angeles
County's inland desert, causing orange flames to
explode through the dry grasses, jump roads and
viaducts, and speed across the rural foothills
that connect Los Angeles and the high desert..
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15 M (50 FT) FLAMES LEONA VALLEY, CA
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LEONA VALLEY, CA
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LEONA VALLEY, CA
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LEONA VALLEY, CA
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DC-10 DROPPING FLAME RETARDANT PALMDALE CA
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On Friday, there was zero containment of the
Leona Valley wildfire.
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About 2,300 threatened homes in the community of
Leona Valley and parts of Palmdale were evacuated
on Friday (July 30th).
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Further north in Kern County, good weather helped
firefighters achieve 44 containment for two
wildfires burning in remote mountain communities
near Tehachapi, on the western edge of the Mojave
Desert.
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KERN COUNTY WILDFIRE JULY 28
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FIREFIGHTERS KERN COUNTY WILDFIRE
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KERN COUNTY WILDFIRE
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There is no history of any fires on record, which
means that vegetation that hasn't burned in more
than a century is now fuel for the current Kern
County fire.
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RUSSIAN PRESIDENT DECLARES STATE OF EMERGENCY FOR
WILDFIRES

• 600 WILDFIRES IN 7 REGIONS RELATED TO PROLONGED
  HEATWAVE
• JULY 29 AUGUST ?, 2010

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The hottest temperatures in 130 years across much
of western and central Russia topped 35 degrees
Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) during a 5-week
period, causing peat bog fires, wildfires, and
the conditions for the worst drought since 1972.
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On July 29, forests in the Moscow region's
Kolomna district caught fire.
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Moscow was veiled in acrid smoke from the fires,
causing landmarks to disappear from view and
commuters to hold handkerchiefs to their faces
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VORONEZH WILDFIRE
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242,000 BATTLE WILDFIRES
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ONE OF THE FIREFIGHTERS VORONEZH FIRE
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Several villages in the Nizhny Novgorod, Voronezh
and Ryazan regions were reduced to ashes.
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Nearly 86,000 people were evacuated from the
fire-ravaged regions
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WILDFIRES IN BOLIVA

• AUGUST 19- ?, 2010

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LOCATION OF BOLIVIA
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25,000 fire hotspots were burning in five of the
country's nine regions on Friday, August 20,
engulfing as much as 1.5 million hectares of
land.
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PRESIDENT EVO MORALES DECLARES STATE OF EMERGENCY
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SEVERE WINDSTORMS Tropical Storm Colin AUG
3Tropical Storm Danielle AUG 11
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TROPICAL STORM COLIN FORMS ON WED, AUGUST 3
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TROPICAL STORM DANIELLE FORMS ON WED, AUGUST 11
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LANDSLIDES

• ZHONQU COUNTY, CHINA

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LANDSLIDE IN ZHONQU COUNTY, CHINA

• Over 700 dead, hundreds injured, and over 1,000
  missing
• Midnight - Saturday, August 7, 2010

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A massive landslide triggered by heavy rainfall
in Zhouqu County set in motion the side of a
mountain, that damaged, toppled, and buried
buildings and their sleeping residents on
Sunday, August 8th.
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An estimated 1.8 million cubic meters of mud and
debris flattened three villages in Zhouqu In
Yueyuan village, not a single structure was left
intact by the landslides.
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MUDSLIDE ZHONGU, CHINA
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DAMAGED BUILDINGS
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In addition, rock, mud, and debris from the
landslide blocked the Bailong River which passes
through the area, creating a 3km (2-mile) long
temporary lake.
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Water in the temporary lake overflowed, sending
waves of water, mud and rocks crashing down on
the town, inundating low-lying neighborhoods with
up to 4 meters of water.
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FLOODED STREETS
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EXPLOSIONS RELEASED THE BLOCKED BAILONG RIVER
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PRIME MINISTER WEN JIABAO CALLED FOR ACTION AUG
8TH
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The Chinese army deployed 5,300 soldiers with 150
vehicles, 20 speed boats and four helicopters,
and rescued 1,240 people had been rescued from
the landslide mud and debris, or rescued from the
tops of buildings where they had taken refuge..
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RESCUE WORKERS
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Over a meter of mud in many parts of the impacted
area and rugged terrain made it almost impossible
for rescue teams to bring in vital heavy
equipment and specialists needed for search and
rescue operations.
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A SURVIVOR AWAITING RESCUE
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SEARCH AND RESCUE
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A SUCCESSFUL RESCUE
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A SUCCESSFUL RESCUE
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Streams of refugees left the area, carrying a
few possessions they had managed to salvage
others carried the bodies of loved ones. .
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Power lines were down in two-thirds of the county
.
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Thousands of homeless residents were forced to
live in the open, or in the rubble of unsafe
buildings, as dry, stable areas were not
available to establish temporary shelters using
tents provided by the Government..
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At least 45,000 people were evacuated, including
the residents of downstream towns thought to be
at risk from new landslides that may be triggered
in conjunction with the continuing rainfall..
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VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS

• ICELAND

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DROUGHT

• CONTINUES IN THE CARIBBEAN
• CONTINUES IN WESTERN CHINA

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EARTHQUAKES
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FLOODS

• BRAZIL (RIO DE JANEIRO)
• EUROPE