An Economic and Geographic Appraisal of a Spatial Natural Hazard Risk: A Study of Landslide Mitigation Rules

1988 ◽  
Vol 20 (5) ◽  
pp. 621-631 ◽  
Author(s):  
R L Bernknopf ◽  
D S Brookshire ◽  
R H Campbell ◽  
C D Shapiro
Keyword(s):  
Natural Hazards ◽  
Physical Science ◽  
Spatial Representation ◽  
Natural Hazard ◽  
The United States ◽  
Physical Parameters ◽  
Hazard Risk ◽  
Related Development ◽  
Landslide Mitigation ◽  
Underlying Soil

Natural hazards in the form of landslides are pervasive throughout the United States. Efficient mitigation of natural hazards requires a spatial representation of the risk, based upon the geographic distribution of physical parameters and man-related development activities. Through such a representation, the spatial probability of landslides based upon physical science concepts is estimated for Cincinnati, Ohio. Mitigation programs designed to reduce loss from landslide natural hazards are then evaluated. An optimum mitigation rule is suggested that is spatially selective and is determined by objective measurements of hillside slope and properties of the underlying soil.

scholarly journals Living on the Ring of Fire: Perspectives on Managing Natural Hazard Risk in Pacific Rim Countries

2009 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas Paton
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Sea Level ◽  
Natural Hazard ◽  
The United States ◽  
Pacific Rim ◽  
Hazard Risk ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Alter Ego

AbstractFrom the perspective of studying natural hazards, the peace and tranquillity that might be expected from a literal translation of its name does not always capture the reality of life for communities on the Pacific Rim. This reality is more readily discerned in its alter ego: the Ring of Fire. The latter leaves one in less doubt as to the hazardous circumstances likely to prevail in this region. In addition to the hazards posed by the numerous volcanoes that resulted in the ‘Ring of Fire’ appellation, communities situated around the Pacific Rim also have to contend with earthquakes, tsunami, storms, cyclones/typhoons, flood and bushfire. To this list of acute events can be added hazards of a chronic nature such as salinity, environmental degradation and sea-level rise that represent growing threats to many Pacific Rim countries. The region also faces increased risk from health-related hazards. Sydney, for example, has been identified as a pandemic hotspot as a result of it being a hub linking the airways of Asia and the United States.

scholarly journals Social integration matters: factors influencing natural hazard risk preparedness—a survey of Swiss households

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisabeth Maidl ◽  
David N. Bresch ◽  
Matthias Buchecker
Keyword(s):  
Risk Management ◽  
General Population ◽  
Natural Hazards ◽  
Natural Hazard ◽  
Nationwide Survey ◽  
Individual Risk ◽  
Hazard Risk ◽  
Integrated Risk ◽  
Risk Preparedness ◽  
Integrated Risk Management

Abstract Building a culture of risk is an essential objective within the integrated risk management paradigm. Challenges arise both due to increasing damage from natural hazards and the complexity in interaction of different actors in risk management. In Switzerland, the Strategy for Natural Hazards Switzerland, aims to establish efficient protection of the population, natural resources and material goods. This requires that all responsible actors are recognized and aware of their role in risk management. However, previous studies indicate that risk awareness and preparedness levels are rather low within the general population. For the first time, our nationwide survey provides empirical data on factors that influence individual risk preparedness in the general population. Multivariate analysis shows that taking responsibility for natural hazard risk prevention is not only related to personal experience and perceived probability of hazard events, but also crucially influenced by social forms of communication and integration. Therefore, we conclude that social capacity building needs to include such factors in order to render integrated risk management strategies successful.

Damages Done: The Longitudinal Impacts of Natural Hazards on Wealth Inequality in the United States

2018 ◽  
Vol 66 (3) ◽  
pp. 448-467 ◽  
Author(s):  
Junia Howell ◽  
James R Elliott
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Natural Hazards ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Natural Hazard ◽  
Panel Study ◽  
Wealth Inequality ◽  
The United States ◽  
Income Dynamics ◽  
Nationally Representative ◽  
Research And Policy

Abstract This study investigates a largely ignored contributor to wealth inequality in the United States: damages from natural hazards, which are expected to increase substantially in coming years. Instead of targeting a specific large-scale disaster and assessing how different subpopulations recover, we begin with a nationally representative sample of respondents from the restricted, geocoded Panel Study of Income Dynamics. We follow them through time (1999–2013) as hazard damages of varying scales accrue in the counties where they live. This design synthesizes the longitudinal, population-centered approach common in stratification research with a broad hazard-centered focus that extends beyond disasters to integrate ongoing environmental dynamics more centrally into the production of social inequality. Results indicate that as local hazard damages increase, so does wealth inequality, especially along lines of race, education, and homeownership. At any given level of local damage, the more aid an area receives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the more this inequality grows. These findings suggest that two defining social problems of our day – wealth inequality and rising natural hazard damages – are dynamically linked, requiring new lines of research and policy making in the future.

scholarly journals Culture matters: Factors influencing natural hazard risk preparedness – a survey of Swiss households

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisabeth Maidl ◽  
David N. Bresch ◽  
Matthias Buchecker
Keyword(s):  
Risk Management ◽  
Natural Hazards ◽  
Natural Hazard ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Individual Risk ◽  
Hazard Risk ◽  
Integrated Risk ◽  
Nation Wide Survey ◽  
Risk Preparedness ◽  
Integrated Risk Management

Abstract. Building a culture of risk is an essential objective within the integrated risk management paradigm. Challenges arise both due to increasing damage from natural hazards and the complexity in interaction of different actors in risk management. In Switzerland, the Strategy for Natural Hazards Switzerland, aims to establish efficient protection of the population, natural resources and material goods. This requires that all actors are recognized and aware of their responsible role in risk management. However, previous, non-representative studies indicate that risk awareness and preparedness levels are rather low within the general population. For the first time, our nation-wide survey provides empirical data on factors that influ-ence individual risk preparedness. Multivariate analysis shows that taking responsibility for natural hazard risk prevention is not only related to personal experience and perceived probability of hazard events, but also crucially influenced by social forms of communication and integration. Therefore, we conclude that social capacity building needs to include such factors in order to render integrated risk management strategies successful.

scholarly journals Review article: Natural hazard risk assessments at the global scale

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 1069-1096 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip J. Ward ◽  
Veit Blauhut ◽  
Nadia Bloemendaal ◽  
James E. Daniell ◽  
Marleen C. de Ruiter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Natural Hazards ◽  
Natural Hazard ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Risk Assessments ◽  
Economic Losses ◽  
Global Risk ◽  
Future Projections ◽  
Hazard Risk

Abstract. Since 1990, natural hazards have led to over 1.6 million fatalities globally, and economic losses are estimated at an average of around USD 260–310 billion per year. The scientific and policy communities recognise the need to reduce these risks. As a result, the last decade has seen a rapid development of global models for assessing risk from natural hazards at the global scale. In this paper, we review the scientific literature on natural hazard risk assessments at the global scale, and we specifically examine whether and how they have examined future projections of hazard, exposure, and/or vulnerability. In doing so, we examine similarities and differences between the approaches taken across the different hazards, and we identify potential ways in which different hazard communities can learn from each other. For example, there are a number of global risk studies focusing on hydrological, climatological, and meteorological hazards that have included future projections and disaster risk reduction measures (in the case of floods), whereas fewer exist in the peer-reviewed literature for global studies related to geological hazards. On the other hand, studies of earthquake and tsunami risk are now using stochastic modelling approaches to allow for a fully probabilistic assessment of risk, which could benefit the modelling of risk from other hazards. Finally, we discuss opportunities for learning from methods and approaches being developed and applied to assess natural hazard risks at more continental or regional scales. Through this paper, we hope to encourage further dialogue on knowledge sharing between disciplines and communities working on different hazards and risk and at different spatial scales.

scholarly journals Review article: Natural hazard risk assessments at the global scale

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philip J. Ward ◽  
Veit Blauhut ◽  
Nadia Bloemendaal ◽  
James E. Daniell ◽  
Marleen C. de Ruiter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Natural Hazards ◽  
Natural Hazard ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Global Scale ◽  
Risk Assessments ◽  
Economic Losses ◽  
Global Risk ◽  
Future Projections ◽  
Hazard Risk

Abstract. Since 1990, natural hazards have led to over 1.6 million fatalities globally, and economic losses are estimated at an average of around $260–310 billion per year. The scientific and policy community recognise the need to reduce these risks. As a result, the last decade has seen a rapid development of global models for assessing risk from natural hazards at the global scale. In this paper, we review the scientific literature on natural hazard risk assessments at the global scale, and specifically examine whether and how they have examined future projections of hazard, exposure, and/or vulnerability. In doing so, we examine similarities and differences between the approaches taken across the different hazards, and identify potential ways in which different hazard communities can learn from each other. For example, we show that global risk studies focusing on hydrological, climatological, and meteorological hazards, have included future projections and disaster risk reduction measures (in the case of floods), whilst these are missing in global studies related to geological hazards. The methods used for projecting future exposure in the former could be applied to the geological studies. On the other hand, studies of earthquake and tsunami risk are now using stochastic modelling approaches to allow for a fully probabilistic assessment of risk, which could benefit the modelling of risk from other hazards. Finally, we discuss opportunities for learning from methods and approaches being developed and applied to assess natural hazard risks at more continental or regional scales. Through this paper, we hope to encourage dialogue on knowledge sharing between scientists and communities working on different hazards and at different spatial scales.

scholarly journals As Disaster Costs Rise, So Does Inequality

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 237802311881679 ◽  
Author(s):  
Junia Howell ◽  
James R. Elliott
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Natural Hazards ◽  
Random Sample ◽  
Natural Hazard ◽  
Social Inequalities ◽  
The United States ◽  
County Level ◽  
The Social ◽  
Damage Data ◽  
Over Time

Across the United States, communities are experiencing increases in the frequency and severity of natural hazards. The pervasiveness and upward trajectory of these damages are worrisome enough, but equally disconcerting are the social inequalities they can leave in their wake. To examine these inequalities, the authors linked county-level damage data to a random sample of American households. The authors visualize the pervasiveness of natural hazards as well as their influence on racial wealth gaps over time. The results show that natural hazard damages and how relief is provided afterward exacerbate the growing gap between white and black wealth.

Comparative Public Finance Approaches to Natural Hazards Management

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammed Alkhurayyif ◽  
Julie Winkler ◽  
Simon Andrew ◽  
Skip Krueger
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Economic Impact ◽  
Natural Hazards ◽  
Natural Hazard ◽  
Developing Economies ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Other ◽  
Economic Damage ◽  
Economic Output ◽  
Other Hand

An important challenge of natural hazards is that they inflict the greatest total economic damage in large, developed countries, where wealth is aggregated, but they create the greatest economic impact in smaller and developing countries, where a disaster caused by a natural hazard can easily overwhelm a national government’s ability to respond and its economy to recover. Thus, a common understanding in the literature is that the fiscal effect of a natural hazard is a function of the size of the disaster relative to the size of a nation’s economy at the time of the disaster. At the international level, the economic impact of disasters, for example, has been estimated to be US$2.9 trillion between 1998 and 2017, and approximately $945 billion of that occurred in the United States. With a 2019 gross domestic product (GDP) of $21 trillion, the total economic effect for those 20 years is close to 5% of the value of economic output for a single year. Developing country losses, on the other hand, can be overwhelming, especially as measured against the size of the economy. For example, Hurricane Maria’s impact on Dominica is estimated to have been approximately US$1.37 billion, which was equivalent to 225% of Dominica’s GDP. While an appreciation for the connection between the size of a national economy and natural hazards is clearly critical, the literature points to a number of additional factors that are important to understand about how government financial conditions are affected by natural hazards and vice versa. Debates continue about the role of foreign direct investment, government and private debt levels, investments in education, and internationally sponsored protective actions and insurance pools in improving the resilience of smaller and developing countries to disasters. For example, structural approaches to understanding the linkage between disasters and economic development suggest that countries with a limited number of sources of income have economies that are more vulnerable to disasters than more diversified economies, which might suggest that fiscal policies designed to increase economic diversity are important. Neoclassical approaches, on the other hand, argue that economic recovery is slowed by government intervention in the economy, and suggest that the best way for developing economies to recovery quickly is to reduce the amount of regulation in the economy. Whatever the theoretical approach, what remains most clear is the ongoing challenge of decoupling the emotional need to participate in responses to the human tragedy associated with disasters caused by natural hazards from the strategic imperative to invest in hazard mitigation at much higher rates globally and plan toward disaster risk reduction.

Natural hazard risk management for cultural heritage assets: advances in the context of the RIACT research project

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xavier Romão ◽  
Rui Figueiredo ◽  
Esmeralda Paupério ◽  
Gerardo Salazar ◽  
Olha Tikhonova
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Heritage ◽  
Natural Hazards ◽  
Natural Hazard ◽  
Heritage Management ◽  
Risk Indicators ◽  
Research Project ◽  
Ongoing Research ◽  
Hazard Risk ◽  
Loss Data ◽  
Post Disaster

<p>Cultural heritage is universally recognized as an essential part of the socio-cultural and economic capital of a country. Current policies emphasize the strong contribution and cross-cutting nature of cultural heritage to achieve strategic goals for a smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. Furthermore, the important role that cultural heritage plays in creating and enhancing social capital has been particularly highlighted, as well as its economic impact. Nevertheless, natural hazards cause serious threats to cultural heritage, and severe damage and losses are recurrently seen to affect it due to these types of events. While such impacts can be seen to stem from a variety of sources, their physical characteristics play a significant role in their vulnerability to natural hazards. Therefore, it is imperative to explicitly consider cultural heritage in natural hazard risk reduction and management initiatives, from local to national and global scales, supported by rational and knowledge-based vulnerability and risk assessment studies.</p><p>However, the development of such assessments for a large number of cultural heritage assets in a region presents several challenges. Firstly, there is a shortage of methodological approaches to model the vulnerability and risk of cultural heritage assets to different natural hazards. Secondly, performing detailed vulnerability/risk analyses for every cultural heritage asset on a large scale (i.e. across a region or a country) would require resources that are unavailable in most cases. Finally, adequate post-disaster damage and loss data to support the development of methodologies is almost inexistent in this sector, namely due to a lack of approaches to do so, and to the difficulties in expressing intangible losses in quantitative terms.</p><p>In this context, this presentation will showcase recent advances in these fields developed within the ongoing research project RIACT (Risk Indicators for the Analysis of Cultural Heritage under Threat). These include the development of simple but robust approaches for the analysis of the vulnerability and risk of cultural heritage at various scales and their application in pilot case studies, the development of a database for collecting disaster damage and loss data in the cultural heritage sector, and the development of methodologies for cultural heritage disaster damage valuation and value-based post-disaster recovery prioritization. Ultimately, these research efforts aim to support stakeholders responsible for cultural heritage management and preservation in improving their adaptive capacity to plan for and respond to natural hazards.</p>

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