LESSONS%20LEARNED%20FROM%20PAST%20NOTABLE%20DISASTERS%20NEW%20ZEALAND%20PART%201:%20FLOODS

1
LESSONS LEARNED FROM PAST NOTABLE DISASTERSNEW
ZEALANDPART 1 FLOODS
Walter Hays, Global Alliance for Disaster
Reduction, Vienna, Virginia, USA 
2
Natural Phenomena that Cause Disasters

• Planet Earths Atmospheric-lithospheric
  Interactions Cause
• Floods

3
NATURAL HAZARDS THAT HAVE CAUSED DISASTERS IN NEW
ZEALAND
FLOODS
GOAL PROTECT PEOPLE AND COMMUNITIES
WINDSTORMS
EARTHQUAKES
HIGH BENEFIT/COST PROGRAMS FOR BECOMING DISASTER
RESILIENT
VOLCANOES
ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE
GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE
4
ELEMENTS OF RISK AND DISASTER
5
ELEMENTS OF FLOOD RISK
RISK
6
RUGGED TOPOGRAPHY AND THE WAIMAKARIRI RIVER
FLOODPLAIN
7
The combination of torrential rain from summer
rain storms and occasional cyclones, and the
steep slopes favorable for flash floods leads to
opportunities for disaster.
8
FLOOD HAZARDSARE POTENTIAL DISASTER AGENTS
9
FLOOD HAZARDS

• TOO MUCH WATER DISCHARGED WITHIN THE DRAINAGE
  SYSTEM TO BE ACCOMMODATED IN THE REGIONAL WATER
  CYCLE
• INUNDATION
• EROSION
• SCOUR
• MUDFLOWS

10
A DISASTER CAN HAPPENWHEN THE POTENTIAL
DISASTER AGENTS OF A FLOOD INTERACT WITH THE
VULNERABLE BUILT ENVIRONMENTS OF NEW ZEALANDS
COMMUNITIES
11
NEW ZEALANDS CITIES
12
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, earthquakes,..)
  intersect at a point in space and time.

13
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.
14
THE REASONS ARE . . .

• When it does happen, the functions of the
  communitys buildings and infrastructure will be
  LOST because they are UNPROTECTED with the
  appropriate codes and standards.

15
THE REASONS ARE . . .

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

16
THE REASONS ARE . . .

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

17
THE REASONS ARE . . .

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

18
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.

19
NOTABLE FLOOD DISASTERS FEBRUARY 13, 2004
20
FLOOD DISASTER OF 2004

• The flooding began on February 13, when a series
  of unusual summer storms that brought heavy rain
  and strong winds to the lower North Island.

21
FLOOD DISASTER OF 2004

• The floods damaged at least 19 bridges, affected
  water and sewer systems, and knocked out power
  and communications for several days.

22
FLOOD DISASTER OF 2004

• Instead of being beneficial to agriculture by
  adding rich soil, the 2004 floods destroyed crops
  and devastated cattle and sheep farmers.

23
FLOOD DISASTER OF 2004

• As a result of 2004s flooding, vegetable prices
  increased more than 200 percent.

24
ECONOMIC LOSS ESTIMATED AT 200 million.
25
NOTABLE FLOOD DISASTERSSOUTH ISLAND DECEMBER
13, 2011
26
THE CAUSE FIVE DAYS OF TORENTIAL RAIN

• The flood started on 12/13/2011 and ended on
  12/17/2011 115959 PM, a duration of 5
  days.
• This flood was assigned a severity class 2 (i.e.
  this is an extreme event with an estimated
  recurrence interval greater than 100 years).

27
IMPACTS

• The damage was widespread and in some cases
  spectacular, as walls of water and mud smashed
  through some houses and across roads, rendering
  them impassable, but no deaths.

28
DEC. 13 FLOODING
29
DEC. 13 FLOODING
30
DEC. 13 FLOODING
31
THE IMPACTS

• More than 100 people were evacuated from their
  homes.
• Collingwood was cut off for three days after a
  large portion of State Highway 60 was washed away
  by the one-in-100-year rainfall event.

32
DEC. 13 FLOODING
33
THE IMPACTS

• "Nelson and Tasman faced a massive clean-up bill
  from the destructive torrential downpour, which
  produced nearly three months' rain in just 24
  hours.

34
NOTABLE FLOOD IMAGES
35
HIGH DISCHARGE AFTER A STORM
36
FLOODING WHAKATANE RIVER
37
INUNDATION
38
CHRISTCHURCH FLOODING
39
FLOODING SOUTH ISLAND
40
CYCLONE BOLA PASSED NEAR NEW ZEALAND MARCH 1988
41
FLOODING AFTER CYCLONE BOLA
42
FLOODING
43
FLOOD INDUCED LANDSLIDE
44
ROAD WASHED OUT
45
NEW ZEALANDS NEXT FLOOD IS INEVITABLE

• ---SO, START IMPLEMENTING MEASURES FOR BECOMING
  MORE RESILIENT TO A FLOOD DISASTER NOW.

46
THE ALTERNATIVE TO A FLOOD DISASTER ISFLOOD
DISASTER RESILIENCE
47
NEW ZEALANDS COMMUNITIES
DATA BASES AND INFORMATION
HAZARDS GROUND SHAKING GROUND FAILURE
SURFACE FAULTING TECTONIC DEFORMATION TSUNAMI RUN
UP AFTERSHOCKS
48
LESSONS LEARNED ABOUT DISASTER RESILIENCE

• ALL FLOODS PREPAREDNESS FOR ALL OF THE LIKELY
  FLOOD HAZARDS IS ESSENTIAL FOR DISASTER
  RESILIENCE

49
LESSONS LEARNED ABOUT DISASTER RESILIENCE

• ALL FLOODS PROHIBITING THE CONSTRUCTION OF
  BUILDINGS AND LIFELINE SYSTEMS IN A RIVER
  FLOODPLAIN IS ESSENTIAL FOR DISASTER RESILIENCE

50
LESSONS LEARNED ABOUT DISASTER RESILIENCE

• ALL FLOODS EARLY WARNING AND EVACUATION
  PLANS TO MOVE PEOPLE TO SAFE HAVENS ARE ESSENTIAL
  FOR DISASTER RESILIENCE

51
LESSONS LEARNED ABOUT DISASTER RESILIENCE

• ALL FLOODS EFFICIENT AND TIMELY EMERGENCY
  RESPONSE IS ESSENTIAL FOR DISASTER RESILIENCE

52
LESSONS LEARNED ABOUT DISASTER RESILIENCE

• ALL FLOODS TIMELY RECONSTRUCTION AND
  RESTORATION OF SERVICES TO NORMAL IS ESSENTIAL
  FOR RECOVERY AND DISASTER RESILIENCE