DISASTER EMERGENCY RESPONSE A PILLAR OF DISASTER RESILIENCE A Focus on Evacuations

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DISASTER EMERGENCY RESPONSEA PILLAR OF DISASTER
RESILIENCEA Focus on Evacuations
Walter Hays, Global Alliance for Disaster
Reduction, University of North Carolina, USA
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The Timely And Intelligent Concentration of a
Citys Resources to Meet Extremely Urgent Needs
During the Initial Hours, Days, and Weeks After
a Natural Hazard Strikes
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AN INTELLIGENT CITY KNOWS WHAT IS HAPPENING AND
WHAT TO DO WHEN PEOPLE, BUILDINGS AND
INFRASTRUCTURE ARE THREATENED
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COMMUNITY
DATA BASES AND INFORMATION
HAZARDS GROUND SHAKING GROUND FAILURE
SURFACE FAULTING TECTONIC DEFORMATION TSUNAMI RUN
UP AFTERSHOCKS
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DISASTER RESILIENCE REQUIRES PUBLIC POLICIES
THAT INTEGRATE RESEARCH, SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE,
AND EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES ON THE FOUR PILLARS OF
DISASTER RESILIENCE WITH THE CITYS POLITICAL
PROCESS
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A DISASTER OCCURS WHEN A CITYS PUBLIC POLICIES
ALLOW IT TO BECOME

• UNPREPARED
• UNPROTECTED
• UNABLE TO RESPOND EFFECTIVELY
• NONRESILIENT IN THE RECOVERY PHASE

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NATURAL HAZARDS THAT CREATED AN URGENT NEED
FOR EMERGENCY EVACUATIONS
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CAUSES OF DAMAGE/DISASTER
INADEQUATE RESISTANCE TO HORIZONTAL GROUND SHAKING
SOIL AMPLIFICATION
PERMANENT DISPLACEMENT (SOIL FAILURE AND SURFACE
FAULTING )
IRREGULARITIES IN MASS, STRENGTH, AND STIFFNESS
EARTHQUAKES
FLOODING FROM TSUNAMI WAVE RUNUP AND SEICHE
CASE HISTORIES
POOR DETAILING OF STRUCTURALSYSTEM
FAILURE OF NON-STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS
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CAUSES OF DAMAGE AND DISASTER
LOSS OF FUNCTION OF STRUCTURES IN FLOODPLAIN
INUNDATION
INTERACTION WITH HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
STRUCTURAL/CONTENTS DAMAGE FROM WATER
FLOODS
WATER BORNE DISEASES (HEALTH PROBLEMS)
CASE HISTORIES
EROSION AND MUDFLOWS
CONTAMINATION OF GROUND WATER
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CHINA, 2008 SISCHUAN EARTHQUAKE CREATED
EMERGENCY FLOODING SITUATIONS

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SISCHUAN EARTHQUAKE IN CHINA

• Magnitude 7.9
• 228 PM, MAY 12, 2008

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WHEN THE EARTHQUAKE LAKES FORMED IN THE HOURS
AND DAYS, AFTER, THE MAY 12TH SISCHUAN
EARTHQUAKE, THE NEED FOR EMERGENCY EVACUATIONS
BECAME URGENT

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EARTHQUAKE LAKES REPRESENTED A COMPLEX
EMERGENCY COMBINING ELEMENTS OF RISK FROM1) A
MAJOR EARTHQUAKE2) LANDSLIDES 3) FLOODING FROM
FAILURE OF QUAKE LAKES, CRACKED DAMS, AND 4)
FLOODING FROM SEASONAL RAINS
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THIS COMPLEX EMERGENCY HAD FAR- REACHING IMPACTS
FOR 15 DAYS

• Forty-four of the counties and districts of
  Sishuan Province and one-half of its 20 million
  people were directly or indirectly affected.

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WHAT HAPPENED?

• In less than 1 month, more than 1.2 million
  people were forced to flee their homes across
  nine provinces (including Sichuan), because of
  the landslides, quake lakes, and flooding
  threat.

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CRACKS IN ZIPINGPU DAM 1 OF 341
WEAKENED DAMS
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ONE OF 69 "QUAKE LAKES" BEI HE RIVER DAMMED
BY LANDSLIDE DEBRIS
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TANGJIASHAN, LARGEST OF 69 "QUAKE LAKES"
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DAY 4 FRIDAY,MAY 16, 2008

• The Chinese Government increased the number of
  soldiers to 130,000
• Large magnitude aftershocks caused additional
  landslides that contributed to formation of
  quake lakes.

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DAY 5 SATURDAY 17, 2008

• Survivors in the epicentral area were evacuated
  and/or encouraged to leave any way they could to
  escape perceived threats of more landslides and
  major flooding from the Min and other rivers.

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EVACUATING LANDSLIDE AREAS
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EVACUATIONS TO ESCAPE FLOODING THREAT
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DAYS 14-17 RISK REDUCTION FOR THE 69 "QUAKE
LAKES" BECAME A TOP PRIORITY

• Sixty-nine Quake Lakes created in mountainous
  areas by the debris from landslides appeared
  ready to burst their banks.
• Continuing rainfall exacerbated the threat.

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RISING WATER IN TANGJIASHAN CAUSED CONCERN
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BEICHUAN 3.3 KM (2 MI) DOWN-STREAM FROM A
"QUAKE LAKE"
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QUAKE-STRICKEN SICHUAN PROVINCE NOW AT HIGHER
RISK FROM FLOODING
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DAYS 14-17 GOVERNMENT ASSIGNS TOP PROIORITY FOR
THE TASK

• Prime Minister told ministers that alleviating
  the risk of flooding from the quake lakes was
  the most pressing task for the government and
  allocated 28 million to do it.

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QUAKE-STRICKEN SICHUAN PROVINCE NOW FACING
SEASONAL FLOODS

• JUNE 15, 2008

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SOLDIERS REPAIRING CRACKS IN ZIPINGPU
DAMDUJIANGYAN
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CHANGING RIVER GRADIENTS AND GREATING DIVERSION
CHANNELS
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THIRTY GIANT EARTHMOVERS FLOWN IN TO QUAKE LAKES
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GOAL CREATE A DIVERSION CHANNEL IN FIVE DAYS OR
LESS
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DAYS 14-17 GOVERNMENT PLANS EVACUATIONS TO
REDUCE RISK

• Knowing that the rock-and-mud embankments of the
  quake lakes will eventually fail, authorities
  announced plans to evacuate more than a million
  people.

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DAYS 14-17 EVACUATION IS A MAJOR CHALLENGE!

• Considering the locations of the 69 quake lakes
  and the people at risk, evacuation will have to
  be accomplished within one to four hours.

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DAYS 14-17 EVACUATION WINDOW

• One to four hours is the time for the wall of
  water to reach and inundate scores of cities and
  rural villages, which are already devastated from
  the earthquake.

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DIVERSION WAS SUCCESSFUL
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KEY ELEMENTS OF INTELLIGENT EMERGENCY RESPONSE

• Communication
• Evacuation
• Mass Care
• Search and Rescue

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KEY ELEMENTS OF INTELLIGENT EMERGENCY RESPONSE

• Emergency Medical
• Emergency Transportation
• Local, Regional, and International Assistance