LESSONS LEARNED FROM PAST NOTABLE DISASTERS AUSTRALIA PART 4: WILDFIRES

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LESSONS LEARNED FROM PAST NOTABLE
DISASTERSAUSTRALIAPART 4 WILDFIRES
Walter Hays, Global Alliance for Disaster
Reduction, Vienna, Virginia, USA 
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AUSTRALIA
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NATURAL HAZARDS THAT HAVE CAUSED DISASTERS IN
AUSTRALIA
FLOODS
GOAL MOVE PEOPLE OUT OF HARMS WAY
CYCLONES
EARTHQUAKES
HIGH BENEFIT/COST FOR SAVING LIVES, BUT LOW
BEMEFIT/COST FOR PROTECTING PROPERTY
WILDFIRES
ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE
GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE
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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., floods, wildfires, ...,)
  intersect at a point in space and time.

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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.
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Natural Phenomena that Cause Disasters

• Planet Earths atmospheric-lithospheric
  interactions create situ-ations favorable for
  Wildfires (AKA BUSHFIRES)

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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
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WILDFIRE HAZARDS
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SCIENCE OF WILDFIRES
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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)

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WILDFIRE HAZARDS (AKA POTENTIAL DISASTER AGENTS)

• SUNDOWNER WINDS
• LOCAL CHANGES IN AIR QUALITY
• LOCAL CHANGES IN WEATHER

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CAUSES OF DAMAGE
LIGHTNING STRIKES
MANMADE FIRES
PROXIMITY OF URBAN AREA TO THE WILDLAND FIRE
WIND SPEED AND DIRECTION (DAY/NIGHT DIFFERENCES)
WILDFIRES (AKA BUSHFIRES)
DRYNESS
DISASTER LABORATORIES
HIGH TEMPERATURES
LOCAL FUEL SUPPLY
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AUSTRALIAS COMMUNITIES
DATA BASES AND INFORMATION
HAZARDS GROUND SHAKING GROUND FAILURE
SURFACE FAULTING TECTONIC DEFORMATION TSUNAMI RUN
UP AFTERSHOCKS
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LESSONS LEARNED ABOUT DISASTER RESILIENCE

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

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LESSONS LEARNED ABOUT DISASTER RESILIENCE

• ALL WILDFIRES TIMELY EMERGENCY RESPONSE IS
  ESSENTIAL FOR DISASTER RESILIENCE

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HIGH POTENTIAL LOSS EXPOSURES TO WILDFIRES

• People, property, infrastructure, business
  enterprise, government centers, wildlife, and
  natural resources.

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AUSTRALIAS WORST WILDFIRE OUTBREAK
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WORST WILDFIRES IN AUSTRALIAS HISTORY 400
FIRES BURNED FOR WEEKSVICTORIA STATE FEBRUARY
2009
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The deadliest wildfires in Australia's history
burned people in their homes and cars and wiped
out entire towns

• 173 DEAD 2000 HOMES DESTROYED

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WILDFIRES 2009
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WILDFIRES ON AUSTRALIAS TASMANIA ISLAND BURNED
100 HOMES AND FORCED THOUSANDS TO FLEE JANUARY
4, 2013
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WILDFIRES ON TASMANIA (TEMPERATURE REACHED 40
DEGREES C)
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OTHER WILDFIRES BURNED SIMULTANEOUSLY

• Bushfires were also burning in other parts of
  Australia, including South Australia, Victoria,
  New South Wales and Queensland.

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IMPACT IN TOWN OF DUNALLEY

• A SCHOOL AND A POLICE STATION WERE DESTROYED,
  ALONG WITH ONE-THIRD OF ALL BUILDINGS.

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LESSONS LEARNED ABOUT DISASTER RESILIENCE

• ALL WILDFIRES
• EARLY WARN-ING (THE ISS) AND EVACU-ATION ARE
  ESSENTIAL FOR DISASTER RESILIENCE

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WILDFIRES REACHED CATASTROPHIC LEVEL IN
AUSTRALIA JANUARY 8, 2013
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HIGH TEMPERATURES AND DRYNESS CAUSE WILDFIRES TO
REACH CATASTROPHIC LEVEL
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EVACUATION

• Further south on the Tasman Peninsula east of
  Hobart, the capitol, as many as 2,000 people took
  refuge in the town of Nubeena overnight, while
  another 700 were sheltered at the nearby historic
  Port Arthur site.
• Others were ferried to safety.

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LABETOUCHE, AUSTRALlA 93 KM (56 MILES) EAST
OF MELBOURNE
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SOUTH NEW WALES
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FIGHTING THE FIRE FROM THE AIR
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LESSONS LEARNED ABOUT DISASTER RESILIENCE

• ALL WILDFIRES
• RECOVERY AND RECON-STRUCTION USUALLY MEANS
  STARTING OVER.

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WILDLIFE IMPACTED
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KEEPING A SURVIVOR OF THE FIRE ALIVE