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OVERVIEW OF RECENT HISTORY OF DISASTERS IN LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN

OVERVIEW OF RECENT HISTORY OF DISASTERS IN LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN. David A. Novelo. OBJECTIVES. To understand the diversity of natural disaster, hazards, and vulnerabilities in LAC. To become familiar with several real-world scenarios.

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OVERVIEW OF RECENT HISTORY OF DISASTERS IN LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN

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  1. OVERVIEW OF RECENT HISTORY OF DISASTERS IN LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN David A. Novelo

  2. OBJECTIVES • To understand the diversity of natural disaster, hazards, and vulnerabilities in LAC. • To become familiar with several real-world scenarios. • Review of Hurricanes Georges and Mitch, Venezuela Floods and El Salvador Earthquakes.

  3. ALL KIND OF DISASTERS IN LAC: Earthquakes, Hurricanes, Volcanic Eruptions, Landslides, Wildfires..

  4. MEXICO 1985 EARTHQUAKE

  5. HURRICANE GEORGES

  6. Mitch Landslides North Norte Rio Choluteca Landslide Derrumbe

  7. EL SALVADOR EARTHQUAKES

  8. VENEZUELA FLOODS

  9. HURRICANE GEORGES

  10. Georges struck the eastern Caribbean. The countries affected were: St. Kitts and Nevis and Antigua and Barbuda on September 20 and 21, and the Dominican Republic and Haiti on September 22, 1998.

  11. HURRICANE GEORGES:Damage Report • DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: At least 210 people reported dead, dozens missing. About 100,000 homeless. About 70 % of bridges were damaged; 90% of banana and other plantations were destroyed. Heavy flooding in Santo Domingo. Damages estimated at more than $1 billion. • HAITI: 167 deaths reported. Sixty missing. Flooding in Port-au-Prince, Artibonite Valley, northern coast around Cap-Haitien. Dozens of homes destroyed. • CUBA: Five deaths, thousands of homes destroyed. Nearly 20,000 homes flooded in Holguin province. Damage to coffee, cacao and banana crops. Electricity knocked out in some areas. 200,000 people evacuated. • PUERTO RICO: At least three people killed directly by the storm, nine others by heart attacks and other health complications, 28,000 people in shelters. Hundreds of homes lost, near-total blackout, most water service lost. Damages surpass $2 billion.

  12. HURRICANE GEORGES:Damage Report • ANTIGUA: Two dead, roofs ripped off hundreds of homes and businesses, main marinas damaged. Flooding along south coast towns. Hurricane caused island-wide power outage. • GUADELOUPE: Flooding in northern towns, especially Anse-Bertrand. Moderate damage to homes. • ST. KITTS AND NEVIS: Three dead, two missing. 85% of homes damaged, 3,000 homeless. Damage estimated at $402 million. Hospitals, police stations, schools damaged. Severe damage to airport terminal, control tower. Both islands without electricity. • ANGUILLA: Minor damage, temporary power outages. • BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS: Flooding, temporarily closed some roads, temporary power outages. • U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS: Several injured, moderate damage to homes, piers, some hotels, shops on St. Croix. 55 boats sunk. Widespread crop damage.

  13. HURRICANE GEORGES:Damage

  14. HURRICANE GEORGES:Damage

  15. HURRICANE MITCH

  16. HURRICANE MITCH • Hurricane Mitch was one of the strongest and most damaging storms to ever hit the Caribbean and Central America. Mitch grew to become the Atlantic basin's fourth strongest hurricane ever with sustained winds of 180 mph on October 26 into early October 27, 1998, dumping heavy rains over Central America. • It was the strongest storm in the western Caribbean since Hurricane Gilbert in 1988. Mitch stalled off the coast of Honduras from late on Oct. 27 until the evening of Oct. 29 before moving slowly inland.

  17. HURRICANE MITCH

  18. HURRICANE MITCH • Honduras suffered the brunt of Hurricane Mitch. After being stalled for more than two days off the country's northern coast, the storm traveled inland on October 30 and 31. Extensive wind damage and devastating floods occurred nationwide, particularly along the northern seaboard and in the Bay Islands. As of December 1, the National Emergency Committee of Honduras (CONEH) reported that 5,657 persons were killed, 8,052 were missing, 11,762 were injured while approximately 1. 9 million were affected.

  19. HURRICANE MITCH: Damage Report • In Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Guatemala, infrastructure (bridges and roads) was destroyed and damaged. This isolated entire communities making access by emergency aid workers extremely difficult hampering efforts to supply the larger cities with food, water and other essentials. • Thousands of homes were also affected by high winds and flooding • Severe impact on food security. Initial reports estimated that nearly 2 million people were in immediate need of food assistance. Emergency food aid was most critical during the first few weeks of the disaster response. • Negative impact on the agricultural sector as well. Cash crops were most severely affected, with the banana industry losing an estimated 90% of its plants. • Serious health problems, due largely to lack of potable water and contamination of water sources. • More than 10 000 persons were killed; 15,000 were missing; 20 000 were injured while more than 3 million were affected.

  20. HURRICANE MITCH:Damage

  21. HURRICANE MITCH:Damage

  22. HURRICANE MITCH:Damage

  23. HURRICANE MITCH:Damage

  24. VENEZUELA FLOODS: flash flood damage to Universidad Bolivar campus. One-story buildings in foreground are buried to rooftops with sediment

  25. Two weeks of unrelenting rain led to flash flooding in northern Venezuela during December, 2000. On December 16, the Government of Venezuela declared a State of Emergency for eight states and the Federal District of Caracas. The states of Miranda and Vargas were particularly hard hit: Tanaguarena community

  26. VENEZUELA FLOODS • Venezuela is one of the most urbanised countries in Latin America, with 85% of its people living in cities and towns. That figure is matched only by Argentina, Chile and Uruguay. • In several LAC countries the loss of forests has worsened the impact of heavy rains, as the water rushes quickly down to the nearest stream, unimpeded by tree roots and the soil. • It has been Venezuela's worst natural disaster in a half-century. • Around 190,000 persons were evacuated and 326 military shelters were set up to house more than 100,000 evacuees. In addition, 63,000 people received assistance in 280 shelters in different parts of the country and numerous families took in family members and friends.

  27. Venezuela Floods: Flashfloods transformed streets into raging rivers and mudslides brought houses crashing down hillsides: Aerial view of Carballeda showing massive deposition of sediment delivered by flash floods

  28. VENEZUELA FLOODS • Authorities declared nine northern states and Caracas disaster areas. Schools, banks and government offices were ordered closed, and officials urged residents to stay home.

  29. VENEZUELA FLOODS • About 80,000 troops were mobilized to help in the rescue operation by air, sea and road.

  30. VENEZUELA FLOODS Joint Task Force played an important role for a fundamental and proper response.

  31. VENEZUELA FLOODS: Aerial view of Carballeda showing newly opened channels in foreground and center right of photograph • Today, it is estimated that the death toll stands at some 30,000 people and that 81,000 houses were affected, of which 30,000 were totally destroyed. In addition, the country suffered major economic losses and incurred significant environmental damage since massive mud slides swept away vegetation, leaving huge bare spaces on the mountain slopes

  32. EL SALVADOR EARTHQUAKES

  33. EL SALVADOR EARTHQUAKES • The largest earthquake occurred 13 January, 2001 with a magnitude of 7.6. More than 800 deaths and thousands of injured people were reported. More than 1 000 000 people were affected and there was about 1 billion USD in material losses. • The second earthquake of 13 February (M=6.5) caused approximately 305 deaths, more than 3000 injured, 36 674 houses destroyed and large material losses.

  34. EL SALVADOR EARTHQUAKES: DAMAGE • Economical losses equivalent to 13% GNP. • Approximately 20% of houses were destroyed or damaged. • Ample destruction of the road network. • Great impact to the health and education sectors. • About 20% of losses to the coffee sector. • Great damage to the small and medium industry.

  35. DEATHS BY MUNICIPALITY

  36. DIFERENT CIVIL SOCIETIES RESPONDED TO THE EMERGENCY

  37. HOUSES DESTROYED

  38. LANDSLIDES

  39. STRONG SUPPORT FROM NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL MILITARY FORCES

  40. SOME PROBLEMS DURING THE EMERGENCY • Need for better national coordination. • Lack of rapid and reliable scientific information. • Need of seismic monitoring and analysis. • Need of professionals (sociologists, earth scientists, etc.) • Strong pressure from society to be informed (considering right to information and education for prevention and response)

  41. LACK OF ADEQUATE SHELTERS

  42. IMPORTANT CONSEQUENCES FROM EL SALVADOR EARTHQUAKE • Creation of a new governmental institution for disaster reduction, prevention and mitigation. • Greater regional integration for risk management. • More participation of Civil Society. • Proposal to consider risk reduction as a national and regional priority for sustainable development.

  43. SOMETIMES DISASTERS DAMAGE SEVERAL COUNTRIES AT THE SAME TIME: HURRICANES, EARTHQUAKES: Transnational Disasters

  44. TRANSNATIONAL DISASTERS • Common in small regions in which disasters affect several countries at the same time. Examples are the extreme climate events (droughts, floods, hurricanes) and earthquakes. • TD REQUIRE MANAGEMENT AT THE REGIONAL LEVEL

  45. MAIN PROBLEM: VULNERABILITY • Defined as the susceptibility of a Community or Nation to suffer damage and losses due to natural phenomena.

  46. Physical: Environmental Geological Technical Social: Economical Social Political Ideological Cultural Educative Institutional Fragility of human settings KIND OF VULNERABILITIES

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