Disasters and Management

ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTERS
AND MANAGEMENT
By Nancy Schwartz

1. DEFINITIONS
2. TYPES AND FACTORS
3. DISASTER CYCLE
4. FOUR-STAGE MODEL
5. SIX-STAGE MODEL
6. ORGANIZATION
7. SOCIAL MEDIA
8. DISASTER SCALE
9. STATISTICS
AGENDA
Environmental Disasters and Management

This is defined as any
catastrophic situation in which
usual patterns of life or
ecosystems are disturbed, and
extraordinary emergency
measures become necessary
to save and preserve human
life or the environment.
DISASTER
Definition

DISASTER
United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction's Definition
“A serious disruption of the functioning of
a community or a society involving
widespread human, material, economic or
environmental losses and impacts, which
exceeds the ability of the affected
community or society to cope using its own
resources.”

DISASTER MANAGEMENT
International Federation of Red Cross and
Red Crescent Society's Definition
"The organization and management of
resources and responsibilities for dealing
with all humanitarian aspects of
emergencies, in particular preparedness,
response and recovery in order to lessen
the impact of disasters."

DISASTER
Key Factors
UNPREDICTABILITY UNCERTAINTY UNFAMILIARITY SPEED URGENCY VULNERABILITY

DISASTER TYPES
CLASSIFICATIONS BASED ON CAUSE
 Natural hazards
 Man-made hazards
CLASSIFICATIONS BASED ON SPEED
 Sudden onset hazards
 Slow onset hazards

DISASTER TYPES
Environmental Disaster and Management
BY
NATURAL
CAUSES
BY HUMAN
CAUSES
SUDDEN
OCCURRENCE
Monocausal
SUDDEN
OCCURRENCE
Monocausal
PROGRESSIVE
OCCURRENCE
Multicausal
PROGRESSIVE
OCCURRENCE
Multicausal
Storm
Heat wave
Freeze
Earthquake
Volcanic eruption
DISASTERINSUFFICIENT CAPACITY OF
RESPONSE
Landslide
Drought
Flood
Epidemic
Test
Collision
Shipwreck
Environmental pollution
Collision
Shipwreck
Structural collapse
War
Economic crisis

NATURAL DISASTERS
Serious Destruction Caused by a Natural Hazard
HYDRO-METEOROLOGICAL
natural processes or phenomena of
atmospheric, hydrological or
oceanographic nature
GEOLOGICAL
natural earth processes or phenomena
often caused by shifts in tectonic plates
and seismic activity
BIOLOGICAL
processes of organic components or
those transmitted by biological vectors

NATURAL DISASTERS
Chain Reaction
INTENSE
THUNDER-
STORM
Lightning
High Winds
Short-Term
Heavy
Precipitation
Street
Flooding
Increased
Streamflow
Increased
Stream Depth
INCREASED
STREAM
VELOCITY
Increased
Debris Flow
Streambank
Erosion
Channel
Redefined
Increased
Debris
Capacity
Roadways
Undermined
Power Poles
Undermined
UNDERGROUND
UTILITIES
EXPOSED
Severed
Electrical Lines
Ruptured
Pipeline
Exposed Live
Power Lines
Power Outage
Severed
Telephone
Cables
Communications
Failure
Fire
Environmental
Contamination
Water Supply
Contaminated
Water Service
Disrupted
ElectrocutionFire
Ruptured Natural
Gas Lines
Ruptured
Petroleum Lines
Ruptured Water
Mains

MAN-MADE DISASTERS
Serious Destruction Caused by a Man-made Hazard
TECHNOLOGY
Hazards caused by technical or
industrial accidents,
infrastructure failure or human
activities can lead to the loss of
life, destruction of property,
social or economic disruption or
environmental damage.
 INDUSTRIAL POLLUTION
 NUCLEAR SPREAD AND
RADIOACTIVITY
 TOXIC WASTE
 DAM BREACHES
 INDUSTRIAL AND
TECHNOLOGICAL ACCIDENTS
 FIRES
 EXPLOSIONS
 LEAKS

MAN-MADE DISASTERS
Serious Destruction Caused by a Man-made Hazard
ENVIRONMENT
Human behavior-induced
processes can destroy the natural
resource base and change
natural processes or ecosystems
in a negative way. Potential
effects vary and may contribute
to increased vulnerability,
frequency and intensity of
natural hazards.
 LAND DEGRADATION
 DEFORESTATION
 DESERTIFICATION
 WILD FIRE
 LOSS OF BIODIVERSITY
 LAND
 WATER AND AIR POLLUTION,
 CLIMATE CHANGE
 SEA-LEVEL RISE AND OZONE
DEPLETION

MAN-MADE DISASTERS
Chain Reaction
Release of Toxic Cloud
Sabotage Human Error Valve Failure
RELEASE OF CHEMICALS THROUGH RELIEF VALVE BREACH IN CONTAINMENT VESSEL
Sabotage Vessel Failure
Structural Damage of
External Source

DISASTER FACTORS
Disasters result from a combination of hazards,
vulnerable conditions and insufficient capacity
or insufficient measures to reduce the potential
negative consequences of risk.
𝑣𝑢𝑙𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑏𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑦 + ℎ𝑎𝑧𝑎𝑟𝑑
𝑐𝑎𝑝𝑎𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦
= 𝑑𝑖𝑠𝑎𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟

HAZARDS
Phenomena that pose a danger to people,
structures or assets can cause a disaster. They
can be influenced by humans as well as occur
naturally in the environment.
Hazards are potentially destructive physical
events or human activities that can lead to the
loss of life, destruction of property, social or
economic disruption or environmental damage.

VULERABILITY
Vulnerability refers to a situation of
physical, social, economic and
environmental factors or processes
that increase the susceptibility of a
community from the impact of a
hazard.

CAPACITY
Capacity is the combination of all
forces and resources that are
available within the community,
society or organization which can
reduce the level of risk or the
consequences of the disaster. This
includes physical, institutional, social
or economic means as well as skilled
employees or common
characteristics such as leadership
and management. Endurance can
also be described as capability.

RISK
Risk is the probability of harmful consequences or expected losses (death, injuries, property, livelihoods,
economic activity disturbances or environmental damage) resulting from the interaction between natural or
man-made hazards and vulnerable conditions.
The load capacity is identified as an element which can reduce the consequences of hazards and
vulnerabilities at a dramatic rate so that the risk is minimized.
For example, a hazard caused by an intense earthquake would vary in degrees of destruction of human life,
property and economic activity in a sparsely populated village compared to a densely populated city.
𝑅𝑖𝑠𝑘 = 𝑉𝑢𝑙𝑛𝑒𝑟𝑎𝑏𝑖𝑙𝑖𝑡𝑦 ∗ 𝐻𝑎𝑧𝑎𝑟𝑑

RISK FORMULA
Natural causes Human causes
NATURAL HAZARDS TECHNOLOGICAL HAZARDS
VULNERABILITY
(physical, economic, environmental, and social factors)
Disaster risk on…
Humans Fauna and Flora Soil Water Climate Cultural Goods

RISK CONDITIONS
UNDERLYING
CAUSES
 Poverty
 Limited access to power
structures and resources
 Economic systems
 Ideologies
 Age
 Gender
 Illness and disabilities
DYNAMIC
PRESSURES
Lack of:
 Training
 Education
 Appropriate skills
 Local investments
 Local markets
 Services
 Population expansion
 Urbanization
 Environment
degradation
UNSAFE
CONDITIONS
 Fragile physical
environment
 Dangerous locations
 Dangerous buildings
 Fragile local economy
 Low levels of income
 Livelihoods at risk
 Public actions
TRIGGER EVENT
 Earthquake
 High winds, storm
 Floods
 Landslide
 Volcanic eruption
 Drought
 War, civil strife
 Economic crisis
 Technological accident
VULNERABILITY HAZARDDISASTER

DISASTER LEVEL
DISASTERS CAN BE CLASSIFIED BY SIZE ACCORDING TO THEIR ASSETS OR
COMMUNITY'S COPING CAPABILITIES. DISASTERS ARE CLASSIFIED AS FOLLOWED:
LEVEL1
The organization, institution or
community is able to contain
the incident using its own
resources and can respond
effectively.
LEVEL 2
Assistance can be required by
external resources, however it
can be obtained from nearby
authorities.
LEVEL 3
The magnitude of the disaster
exceeds the capacity of the
local community or region and
support is needed at the
district or provincial level.

MOST COMMON CATASTROPHES
EXPLOTION HURRICANE TORNADO STORMTSUNAMI FIRE FLOOD

DISASTER CYCLE
Simplified Flowchart
IMMEDIATELATENCY EMERGENCY
LEVEL OF
SUFFERING
POLITICAL
AWARENESS
the length of the
latency will be a
function of
preparedness
and readiness
recovery and resumption of
development
death extinction disintegration
disappearance of the community
PRE-DISASTER POST-DISASTERDISASTER
DISTANT IMMEDIATE
POPULATION
ENVIRONMENT
HAZARDS
IMPACT
DISTANT

DISASTER CYCLE
Interaction
1 Reconstruction (i.e. land use panning) can be influenced by risk
assessment and vice versa.
2 Pre-impact scenario analysis is often conducted based on
previously constructed emergency planning scenarios.
3
Lessons learned from emergency experience feeds back into pre-
impact planning as well as perhaps exploiting existing
communication strategies.
4
Emergency management can prioritize the restoration of services
during the response. Service restoration can support the
management of the current emergency situation.
5
After temporary restoration of the most relevant services,
reconstruction might be necessary to guarantee a better quality of
the service or to recover all non functional services.
AFTERTHEEVENT
EVENT IMPACT
BEFORETHEEVENT
REHABILITATION MITIGATION
RESPONSE PREPARATION
Reconstruction
1
2
3
4
5

DISASTER PHASES
Action Examples
PRE-DISASTER PHASE
DESIGN SHELTERS
INFORM THE PUBLIC
ASSESS RISKS
PROTECT CRITICAL
INFRASTRUCTURES
RUN REGULAR DRILLS
DISASTER PHASE
ALARM PRE-PLANNED
STRUCTURES
WARN THE PUBLIC
FORM CRISIS TEAMS
CONTROL HAZARDS
PUBLIC RELATIONS
POST-DISASTER PHASE
CLEAR THE DAMAGE
RECONSTRUCT
GATHER PEOPLE AFFECTED IN
SOCIAL STRUCTURES
RESTORE SERVICES
RESEARCH SAFETY

FOUR-STAGE MODEL
Definition
PREVENTION
Actions for reducing or
avoiding disaster
consequences.
RESPONSE
Imminent disaster
repercussions if things do
not go as normal.
PREPARATION
Planning and training for
possibilities that cannot
be avoided or reduced.
REHABILITATION
Long-term after-effects of
a disaster when
restoration efforts run
parallel to everyday
procedures.

FOUR-STAGE MODEL
Process
DISASTER MITIGATION AND
PREVENTION
 Multi-hazard risk assessment and
mapping
 Manage the hazards,
vulnerabilities and risks
 Enforce DRR-related laws/ orders/
regulations such as building and
structural codes, fire codes, mining
laws, etc.
DISASTER PREPAREDNESS
 Capacity building through training
orientation, drills and exercises
 Establish and operate an end-to-
end early warning system;
 Conduct of IEC/ Advocacy
campaign
 Maintain a database of DRRM
resources, location of critical
infrastructures and their capacities
such as hospitals and evacuation
centers
 Organize, train, equip and
supervise local emergency
response teams and accredited
community volunteers
 Promote and raise public
awareness of compliance with RA
10121
DISASTER RESPONSE
 Continuous disaster monitoring
and mobilizing instrument abilities
and entities of the LGUs, CSOs,
private groups and organized
volunteers for response
 Respond to and manage the
adverse impacts of emergencies;
 Provision of emergency relief (food
and non-food items, shelter,
medical supplies, evacuation camp
management, CISD)
 Declaration of state of calamity;
suspension of classes and work
 Conduct of rapid damage needs
assessment and incident
command system
DISASTER REHABILITATION
AND RECOVERY
 Food and cash-for-work program
 Permanent housing
 Livelihood
 Healthcare and wellness programs

SIX-STAGE MODEL
Cycle Overview
DISASTER MANAGEMENT
RECOVERYPROTECTION
REHABILITATION RECONSTRUCTION
RESPONSE
Disaster
MITIGATION
Non-structural
measures
Structural
measures
PREVENTION
Vulnerability
assessment
Hazard
assessment
PREPAREDNESS
Contingency
planning
Warning and
evacuation
Search & rescue
Security
Medical supplies: food
water, shelter &
clothing

PREVENTION AND MITIGATION
Practical Perspective
This stage focuses on long-term
actions for eliminating or
reducing risks and includes a
risk analysis.
The objective is to prevent
hazards from developing into
disasters, or to reduce their
potential effects.
These are steps that are
required in order to weaken
the effect of a disaster.
It is about knowing and
avoiding unnecessary risks on a
basic level.

PREVENTION AND MITIGATION
POWER FAILURE
Emergency generators can
be installed and
maintained for the event
of a power outage.
FLOOD
Houses can be built on
stilts to avoid a flood.
STORM
Storm or fallout shelters
can be built to survive in
these incidents.
EARTHQUAKE
Earthquake-resistant,
automatic gas valves can
be attached for sealing.

PREPAREDNESS
This next stage is for
developing an action plan
to deal with disasters.
Its communication plan
has understandable
terminology and a clear
chain of command.
This also involves
coordinating the
development and
exercise of an
interagency task force.
It includes proper
handling and training of
emergency services as
well as stockpiling,
inventory, and
maintenance of supplies
and equipment.
Methods are developed
and practiced for
population alerts,
evacuation plans, and
emergency shelters.

RESPONSE
The response stage involves mobilizing necessary
emergency services and first responders within the disaster
area. This phase is the implementation of the disaster plan.
The best response plans are relatively easy to drill and
modify for improvement.
A well-drilled emergency plan enables efficient search and
rescue coordination. Drilling is essential for providing
optimum performance with limited resources.
Response activities have to be able to adapt according to
every situation. In this phase, medical supplies are used
according to the priority.
EVENT
This is a real-time hazard occurrence
and its effect on risk elements. The
duration of the event depends on
the type.
DURATION
Earthquakes can, for example, last
for a few seconds, while a flood can
take a long time to complete.

REHABILITATION
BASIS
The objective of rehabilitation is the short-term removal of debris,
construction of housing units, and the restoration of livelihoods and
infrastructure.
REQUIREMENTS These are the decisions and issues that are required once immediate
needs are met.
MEASURES Implementing preventive measures is an important aspect and begins as
soon as the danger to human life has ceased.

RECONSTRUCTION
The objective of this stage is to
reconstruct the community
back to the state before the
disaster.
It starts after fundamental
rehabilitation when the entire
situation is mitigated.
During this phase, the rest of
the social infrastructure is
restored and the economy is
revived.
It can take several years and
has the long-term goal of
building secure and sustainable
livelihoods.

PROCESS SEQUENCE
Chart
Disaster management
RE-EVALUATION OF MEASURES
VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT
MITIGATION RESPONSE
HAZARD ANALYSIS
Exposure
identification
Process
identification
HAZARD ASSESSMENT
PREVENTION
Structural
measures
identification
Non-structural
measures
identification
PREVENTION ASSESSMENT
PREPAREDNESS
Identification of
warning and
evacuation
structures
Identification of
awareness and
information
structures
Identification of
disaster relief
structures
PREPAREDNESS ASSESSMENT
VULNERABILITY ANALYSIS
RISK MANAGEMENT
RISK ASSESSMENT
HAZARD MODIFICATION PREVENTION MODIFICATION PREPAREDNESS MODIFICATION
Humanitarian assistance
Rescue and relief
Rehabilitation and reconstruction
RELIEF AND RECONSTRUCTION
MODIFICATION

ORGANIZATION
Staff Organization and Operations
Directors
ADVISORS AND CONTACT REPRESENTATIVES
1 2 3 4 5 6
INFORMATION AND
COMMUNICATIONS
PRESS AND MEDIA
RELATIONS
SUPPLIESOPERATIONSLOCATION
STAFF/ INTERNAL
SERVICES

Disaster Coordinator
ORGANIZATION
Coordinator Supervisors
FOOD
COORDINATOR
DATA COLLECTION
COORDINATOR
MEDICAL
COORDINATOR
TRANSPORT
COORDINATOR
CLOTHES
COORDINATOR
EDUCATION
REHABILITATION
COORDINATOR

ORGANIZATION
Vehicles
Management Squad Hazmat and Sanitation Squad

ORGANIZATION
Vehicles
Supervision Squad

ORGANIZATION
Vehicles
Technology and Safety SquadFiremen and Medic Squad

SOCIAL MEDIA
The Next Generation of Disaster Management
35
%
send a request for help
directly on the
Facebook profile of the
emergency service
25
%
send direct Twitter
messages
EXPECT HELP TO SHOW UP WITHIN 60
MINUTES OF A POSTING ON SOCIAL
MEDIA PLATFORMS1/3HAVE USED AN EMERGENCY APP1 in
5
37
%
use info on social
media to buy
supplies and find
shelter
18
%
retrieve
emergency
information
through Facebook
76
%
contact friends to
make sure they
are safe
24
%
let loved ones
know they are
safe
During
disasters,
social
networks
often replace
911 as the
go-to source
for help.
44
%
ask their online
friends to
contact
responders
SURVIVORS CONTACT
EMERGENCY RESPONDERS
VIA SOCIAL MEDIA,
WEBSITES OR EMAIL
1 in
5 80
%
expect emergency response
agencies to monitor and respond
to social media platforms
DOWNLOAD DISASTER-RELATED APPS
25%

SOCIAL MEDIA
Tornados in the USA
AN EMPLOYEE OF A HOSPITAL IN
JOPLIN USED FACEBOOK TO
SUCCESSFULLY LOCATE 1,100 MISSING
HOSPITAL WORKERS.
TUSCALOOSA, AL, CREATED
"TUSCALOOSA FORWARD" – A SOCIAL
MEDIA WEBSITE THAT LET RESIDENTS
SHARE IDEAS FOR REBUILDING
300IdeasWERE SHARE
BY 4000 VISITORS
8
0VOLUNTE
ERS
ARRIVEDINUNDER
A SCHOOL SYSTEM IN TUSCALOOSA
POSTED REQUEST FOR VOLUNTEERS
TO HELP WITH SCHOOL CLEANUP
EFFORTS ON SOCIAL NETWORKS
3
0MINUTE
S
THAT RAVAGED THE
U.S., MADE 2011 THE
DEADLIEST TORNADO
YEAR IN THE U.S. EVER
1,665
TORNADOS
THE PAGE MOBILIZED VOLUNTEERS &
ASSISTED IN THE SEARCH FOR SURVIVORS.
123,000
members within days of
a devastating tornado.
A Facebook page
dedicated to tornado
recover in Joplin, MO
attracted

SOCIAL MEDIA
An Earthquake in Haiti
SURVIVORS TOOK TO SOCIAL MEDIA TO ALERT AID AGENCIES OF THEIR NEED. COUNTLESS
LIVES WERE SAVED BY VOLUNTEERS MONITORING SOCIAL NETWORKS
189,024OF THOSE CONTAINED THE NUMBER
“90999”
10,000 Tweets
TEXTING THAT NUMBER SENT A
$10 DONATION TO THE RED CROSS
THIS RAISED
$3 million
THE FIRST 48
HOURS
2.3 Million
of Tweets containing the
words "Haiti" or "Red
Cross"
between January 12
and January 14,
2010:

SOCIAL MEDIA
A Tsunami in Japan
ONE HOSPITAL IN JAPAN, LOCATED JUST 27
MILES FROM THE FUKUSHIMA NUCLEAR
PLANT, DESPERATELY NEEDED TO MOVE 80
PATIENTS AWAY FROM THE DANGER.
1,188TSUNAMI-RELATED TWEETS
SENT EACH MINUTE
DURING THE TSUNAMI AND
RESULTING NUCLEAR
FALLOUT
27MILES
4.5
MILLIONSTATUS UPDATES FROM
AROUND THE WORLD
CONTAINING THE WORDS
WERE RECORDED BY
FACEBOOK ON MARCH 11,
2011
JAPAN
TSUNAMI
EARTHQUAKE
A HOSPITAL STAFFER TOOK TO TWITTER, MESSAGING U.S.
AMBASSADOR JOHN ROOS, WHO WAS ABLE TO ALERT THE
EMBASSY AND COORDINATE WITH JAPAN'S GROUND SELF-
DEFENSE FORCES WHO EVACUATED THE PATIENTS

SOCIAL MEDIA
Hurricane in the USA
23 RED CROSS STAFFERS
monitored 2.5 million Sandy-related social media postings
AT ITS PEAK,
INSTAGRAM USERS
UPLOADED SANDY-
RELATED PHOTOS AT A
RATE OF:
Ten every
second
FACEBOOK MENTIONS OF
"HURRICANE SANDY"
AND "FRANKENSTORM"
INCREASED BY
1,000,000
%
TOP 5 SHARED TERMS ON FACEBOOK:
we are ok
power
damage
hope everyone is ok
trees
FEMA TWEETED TO ITS TWITTER FOLLOWERS:
"Phone lines may be congested during/ after #Sandy. Let loved ones
know you're OK by sending a text or updating your social networks."
They tagged 4,500 of them for officials to follow up on, providing
aid for those in need.
From raising money to locating survivors, it's clear that social media is
quickly becoming the most efficient outlet for managing disaster response

EARTHQUAKE RICHTER SCALE
Developed in 1935 by Charles F. Richter of the California Institute of Technology as a mathematical
device to compare the size of earthquakes.
MAGNITUDE STRENGTH FREQUENCY
< 2,0 Micro ≈ 8000 times a day (> Magnitude 1.0)
2,0 … < 3,0 Very minor ≈ 1000 times a day
3,0 … < 4,0 Minor ≈ 49,000 times a year (estimated)
4,0 … < 5,0 Light ≈ 6200 times a year (estimated)
5,0 … < 6,0 Moderate ≈ 800 times a year
6,0 … < 7,0* Strong ≈ 120 times a year
7,0* … < 8,0* Major ≈ 18 times a year
8,0* … < 9,0* Great ≈ Once a year
9,0* … < 10,0* Very great ≈ every 1 to 20 years
≥ 10,0* Massive Unknown

STORM SCALE
Beaufort Wind Scale was developed in 1805 by Sir Francis Beaufort, U.K. Royal Navy.
Herbert Saffir, a civil engineer, and Robert Simpson, a meteorologist, developed the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale in the early
1970’s. There have been several modifications since the original scale was developed.
Dr. T. Theodore Fujita first introduced the Fujita Scale in 1971.
Beaufort Wind Scale Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale Fujita Scale
LEVEL DESCRIPTION WIND SPEED LEVEL WIND SPEED LEVEL DESCRIPTION WIND SPEED
Km/h Mi/h Mph Km/h Km/h MI/h
0 Calm 0-1 0-1 Tropical depression < 39 < 63 0 Light 104-137 65-85
1 Light air 1-5 1-3 Tropical storm 39-73 63-118 1 Moderate 139-177 86-110
2 Light breeze 6-11 4-7 Hurricane: category 1 74-95 119-153 2 Considerable 178-217 11-135
3 Gentle breeze 12-19 8-12 Hurricane: category 2 96-110 154 -177 3 Severe 218-265 136-165
4 Moderate breeze 20-28 13-18 Hurricane: category 3 111-129 178-208 4 Devastating 264-322 166-200
5 Fresh breeze 29-38 19-24 Hurricane: category 4 130-156 209-251 5 Incredible >322 >200
6 Strong breeze 39-49 25-31 Hurricane: category 5 > 157 > 252
7 High wind 50-61 32-38
8 Gale 62-74 39-46
9 Strong gale 75-88 47-54
10 Storm 89-102 55-63
11 Violent storm 103-
117
64-72
12 Hurricane >117 >72

INTERNATIONAL NUCLEAR EVENT SCALE
INES was developed in 1990 by international experts convened jointly by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
and Nuclear Energy Agency of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD/NEA).
Major accident
Serious accident
Accident with wider
consequences
Accident with local consequences
Serious incident
Incident
Anomaly
No safety significance

NATURAL DISASTERS
Damaging Events Worldwide in 2014
980 Damaging Events
8%
41%
42%
9%
Total Damages 110
Billion US Dollars
7%
46%
27%
20%
7.700 Fatalities
11%
17%
66%
6%
Insured Damages 31
Billion US dollars
2%
69%
11%
18%
GEOPHYSICAL EVENTS
(earthquake, tsunami, volcanic activity)
METEOROLOGICAL EVENTS
(tropical storm, extratropical storm,
convective storm, local storm)
HYDROLOGICAL EVENTS
(flood, mass movement)
CLIMATOLOGICAL EVENTS
(extreme temperatures, drought, forest
fires)
Source: Munich Re, NatCatSERVICE

NATURAL DISASTERS
980 Damaging Events
20%
9%
16%
10%
37%
8%
Total Damages 110
Billion US dollars
29%
7%
16%
1%
46%
1%
7.700 Fatalities
5%
5%
4%
10%
75%
1%
Insured Damages 31
Billion US dollars
58%
1%
21%
>1%
17%
3%
NORTH AMERICA,
Including Central
America And Caribbean
SOUTH AMERICA EUROPE AFRICA ASIA AUSTRALIA /
OCEANIA
Source: Munich Re, NatCatSERVICE

DISASTER STATISTICS
Top Ten World's Deadliest Events from 1980 to 2014
DATE EVENT REGION
TOTAL DAMAGES IN
US DOLLARS
INSURANCE DAMAGES
IN US DOLLARS
FATALITIES
Jan. 12, 2010 Earthquake
Haiti: Port-au-Prince, Petionville, Jacmel, Carrefour,
Leogane, Petit Goave, Gressier
8 Billion 200 Million 222,570
Dec. 26, 2004 Earthquake, tsunami
Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Thailand, India, Bangladesh,
Myanmar, Maldives, Malaysia
10 Billion 1 Billion 220,000
May 2–5, 2008
Cyclone Nargis,
storm surge
Bangladesh: Gulf of Bengal, Cox's Bazar, Chittagong, Bola,
Noakhali regions, esp. Kutubdia
4 Billion ---- 140,000
Apr. 29–30, 1991
Tropical cyclone,
storm surge
Myanmar: Ayeyawaddy, Yangon, Bugalay, Rangun,
Irrawaddy, Bago, Karen, Mon, Laputta, Haing Kyi
Oct 8, 2005 Earthquake Pakistan, India, Afghanistan 5.2 Billion 5 Million 88,000
May 12, 2008 Earthquake
China: Sichuan, Mianyang, Beichuan, Wenchuan, Shifang,
Chengdu, Guangyuan, Ngawa, Ya'an
July–Aug. 2003 Heatwave
Europe, esp. France, German, Italy, Portugal, Romania,
Spain, United Kingdom
13.8 Billion 1.12 Billion 70,000
July–Sep. 2010 Heatwave Russia: Moscow region, Novgorod, Ryazan, Voronezh 400 Million ---- 56,000
June 20, 1990 Earthquake
Iran: Caspian Sea, Gilan Province, Manjil, Rudbar, Zanjan,
Sefid, Qazvin
7.1 Billion 100 Million 40,000
Dec. 26, 2003 Earthquake Iran: Bam 500 Million 19 Million 26,200

ECONOMIC DAMAGE
Top Ten Most Expensive Natural Disaster Events from 1980 to 2014
DATE EVENT REGION
TOTAL DAMAGES IN
US DOLLARS
INSURANCE DAMAGES
IN US DOLLARS
FATALITIES
Mar. 11, 2011 Earthquake, tsunami
Japan: Aomori, Chiba, Fukushima, Ibaraki, Iwate, Miyagi,
Tochigi, Tokyo, Yamagata
210 Billion 40 Billion 15,880
Aug. 25–30, 2005
Hurricane Katrina,
storm surge
USA: LA, MS, AL, FL 125 Billion 62.2 Billion 1,322
Jan. 17, 1995 Earthquake Japan: Hyogo, Kobe, Osaka, Kyoto 100 Billion 3 Billion 6,430
May 12, 2008 Earthquake
China: Sichuan, Mianyang, Beichuan, Wenchuan, Shifang,
Chengdu, Guangyuan, Ngawa, Ya'an
Oct. 23–31, 2012 Hurricane Sandy, storm surge
Bahamas, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica,
Puerto Rico, USA, Canada
68.5 Billion 29.5 Billion 210
Jan. 17, 1994 Earthquake
USA: CA, Northridge, Los Angeles, San Fernando Valley,
Ventura, Orange County
44 Billion 15.3 Billion 61
Aug. 1–Nov. 15, 2011 Floods
Thailand: Phichit, Nakhon Sawan, Phra Nakhon Si Ayuttaya,
Pathumthani, Nonthaburi, Bangkok
43 Billion 16 Billion 813
Sep. 6–14, 2008 Hurricane Ike
USA, Cuba, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Turks and Caicos
Islands, Bahamas
Feb. 27, 2010 Earthquake, tsunami
Chile: Concepción, Metropolitana, Rancagua, Talca,
Temuco, Valparaiso
Oct. 23, 2004 Earthquake Japan: Honshu, Niigata, Ojiya, Tokyo, Nagaoka, Yamakoshi 28 Billion 8 Billion 46

NATURAL DISASTERS
FROST DAMAGE,
USA, Canada, Jan. 5-8
FLASH FLOOD,
USA, Aug.11-13
FLOODS, United
Kingdom, Dec. 2013-
Feb. 2014
FLOODS, Bosnia and
Herzegovina, Serbia,
Croatia, Romania
May 13-30
TYPHOON, Rammasun,
China, Philippines,
Vietnam, July 11-22
THUNDERSTORM,
USA, May 18-23
DROUGHT,
USA, 2014
HURRICANE ODILE,
Mexico, Sep. 11-17
THUNDERSTORM,
USA, Apr. 2-4
THUNDERSTORM,
USA, Apr. 27-May 1
THUNDERSTORM,
USA, June 3-5
DROUGHT,
Brazil, 2014
THUNDERSTORM,
France, Belgium,
Germany, June 7-10
FLOODS,
India, Pakistan, Sep. 3-15
CYCLONE
Hudhud, India,
Oct. 11-13
EARTHQUAKE,
China, Aug. 3
FROST DAMAGE,
Japan, Feb. 7-16
TYPHOON KALMAEGI,
China, Philippines,
Vietnam, Sep. 12-20
Damaging event Selected disasters Total
damages> $ 1,500 M
GEOPHYSICAL EVENTS
(earthquake, tsunami, volcanic
activity)
METEOROLOGICAL EVENTS
(tropical storm, extratropical storm,
convective storm, local storm)
HYDROLOGICAL EVENTS
(flood, mass movement)
CLIMATOLOGICAL EVENTS
(extreme temperatures,
drought, wildfire)

ECONOMIC DAMAGE
Top Ten Most Expensive Natural Disaster Events in 2014
DATE EVENT REGION
TOTAL DAMAGES IN
US DOLLARS
INSURANCE DAMAGES
IN US DOLLARS
FATALITIES
Oct. 11–13
Cyclone Hudhud,
storm surge
India 7 Billion 530 Million 84
Feb. 7–16 Frost damage, blizzard Japan 5.9 Billion 3.1 Billion 37
Sep. 3–15 Floods India, Pakistan 5.1 Billion 300 Million 665
Aug. 3 Earthquake China 5 Billion ---- 617
2014 Drought Brazil 5 Billion ---- -----
July 11–22 Typhoon Rammasun (Glenda) China, Philippines, Vietnam 4.6 Billion 250 Million 195
May 18–23
Thunderstorm,
hail storm
USA 3.9 Billion 2.9 Billion ----
May 13–30 Floods Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Romania 3.6 Billion 70 Million 86
June 10
Thunderstorm,
hail storm
France, Belgium, Germany 3.5 Billion 2.8 Billion 6
Jan. 5–8 Frost damage USA, Canada 2.5 Billion 1.7 Billion ----

REFERENCES
Alabaster, J. (2013). Japan quake and tsunami put social networks on stage. Retrieved from
http://www.pcworld.com/article/2030478/japan-quake-and-tsunami-put-social-networks-on-stage.html
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. (2011). About disaster management.
Retrieved from http://www.ifrc.org/en/what-we-do/disaster-management/about-disaster-management/
LSE. (2016). Philippine disaster reduction and management act. Retrieved from
http://www.lse.ac.uk/GranthamInstitute/law/philippine-disaster-reduction-and-management-act-ra-10121/
Maron, D. (2013). How social media is changing disaster response. Retrieved from
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-social-media-is-changing-disaster-response/
Masters, J. (2015). The 25 billion-dollar weather disasters of 2014. Retrieved from
https://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/the-25-billiondollar-weather-disasters-of-2014
Munich RE. (2016). Significant disasters since 1980. Retrieved from http://www.munichre.com/en/reinsurance/
business/non-life/natcatservice/significant-natural-catastrophes/index.html

REFERENCES
National Oceanic and Atmosphere Administration (NOAA). (2015). Billion-dollar weather and climate disasters:
Table of events. Retrieved from http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/billions/events
NOAA. (2016). The enhanced fujita scale. Retrieved from http://www.spc.noaa.gov/efscale/
NOAA. (2016). Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale. Retrieved from http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/aboutsshws.php
SPC. (2016). Beaufort wind scale. Retrieved from http://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/beaufort.html
The American National Red Cross. (2016). Types of emergencies.
Retrieved from http://www.redcross.org/get-help/prepare-for-emergencies/types-of-emergencies
The Weather Channel. (2015). The world's 5 most expensive natural disasters in 2014.
Retrieved from https://weather.com/science/nature/news/largest-natural-disasters-2014-munich-re#/1
UNISDR. (2007). Terminology. Retrieved from https://www.unisdr.org/we/inform/terminology
USGS. (2016). Earthquake glossary. Retrieved from http://earthquake.usgs.gov/learn/glossary/?term=Richter%20scale

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