Public Safety and Disaster Risk Management



Climate change is altering the face of disaster risk, not only through increased weather related risks and sea-level and temperature rise, but also through increases in societal vulnerabilities from stresses on water availability, agriculture and ecosystems. Disaster risk reduction and climate change mitigation and adaptation share a common space of concern: reducing the vulnerability of communities and achieving sustainable development [23].


Climate-related threats to public safety include; droughts; wildland fires, typhoons, hurricanes, and severe cyclones, floods, heavy rains, episodic high surf conditions; sea-level variation with associated coastal and beach erosion and nearshore flooding, and long-term sea-level rise with coastal inundation hazards. The vast majority of island communities and important infrastructure are on or very close to the coast and thus at risk from climate-related disasters. Disaster management addresses these hazards by assessing risks to people, communities, and governments and implementing measures to reduce impacts to livelihoods, critical facilities, structures, and community lifelines (such as infrastructure and utilities) to build resilient communities. 

Climate related disasters have been the most costly in the Pacific because of the frequency and magnitude. Because the strong ENSO signals in the Pacific Ocean, many hazards occur in relation to ENSO events. Besides the storms, floods, drought, and wildfires with the 1997-1998 event, Typhoon Chataan and Super Typhoon Pongsona occurred in 2002, an El Niño year, and resulted in damages exceeding $1.6 billion (2008 USD) with impacts in the FSM, Guam, and CNMI [7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 28]. Drought in Oceania from 1990-2008 has resulted in more than $10.7 billion (USD) in damage; floods were estimated at $4.13 billion (USD) [4]. Hurricane Iniki that impacted Kauai, Hawaii primarily in 1992 resulted in more than $1.8 billion (USD) in damages, but it took the economy and businesses more than ten years to recover [21].


Small islands are considered among the most vulnerable to climate variability and change, in large part because of the severe impacts of extreme events. Traditionally, Pacific Island communities survived natural disasters through a series of coping mechanisms, which included: food security through diverse crops, fragmentation of land, the production of surpluses and food preservation; cooperation and sharing among communities; building construction that could withstand the forces of nature; and traditional knowledge systems that included some predictive capabilities [3].

Sandbags used to prevent coastal inundation and erosion. Source: SPREP.

 

Incorporating gender analysis in disaster management programming can be especially effective in the Pacific Islands, where many gender roles are strong. “..Women often have untapped skills, coping strategies, and knowledge that could be used to minimize the impacts of crises, environmental change, and disaster. For example, during a drought in the small islands of the Federated States of Micronesia, it was local women, knowledgeable about island hydrology as a result of their land-based work, who found potable water by digging a new well that reached the freshwater lens. The everyday responsibilities of women and men in the small islands of Micronesia translate into gender-differentiated responses to warnings to oncoming climatic hazards, such as typhoons. Men are generally responsible of ocean-related activities, and women are responsible for land-based and near-shore or reef-based activities. Men typically secure the structures, canoes, and objects needed for fishing, and women gather plant clippings, prop banana trees, collect food and water, and direct families to a designated shelter where everyone awaits the storm. Afterwards, men rebuild structures and women and children gather salvageable palms and food. Women weave thatch and replant gardens. Without access to information about impending hazards, women cannot minimize risks to their critical sphere of land-based activities.” [1 (p.24, 25)]
 

As the climate warms, the number of intense cyclones may increase. If maximum tropical cyclone wind intensities increase by 5-10% by around 2050 [27], peak precipitation rates are likely to increase by 25% as a result, causing higher storm surges and impacting coastal communities. Recent studies demonstrate that wind-speed estimates for peak gusts should be increased to account for island topographic effects that cause wind speed increases up and down slopes, such as Diamond Head and in valleys on Oahu, Hawaii [5]. If storm events occur frequently, communities would be less likely to recover, resulting in long-term deterioration of infrastructure, freshwater resources, agricultural resources, and livelihoods [15]. Drought and other chronic disasters can have a profound effect on Pacific Island communities.

 

Unprecedented sea level rise in Sunaleilei, PNG. Source: Supin Wongbusarakum, 2007


Because of the extensive risk from multiple types of disasters and the wide variation among island communities and infrastructures that can be impacted, islands must plan in a multi-hazard, comprehensive risk reduction framework.  Mitigation plans and National Action Plans for Disaster Reduction in the Pacific have incorporated climate risks in planning [17, 18, 21, 23, 24, 25].  Using sustainability and human security frameworks, the comprehensive plans focus on building resilience to hazards in communities and governments.

  1. Disaster risk reduction measure and hazard mitigation actions to reduce climate-hazard impacts and to improve climate change adaptation include:

  2. Comprehensive, integrated, multi-hazard risk assessments: identifying and understanding hazard risks; identifying critical facilities, infrastructure and community lifelines, populations, and environments at risk; mapping hazards and risks; and, determining measures for addressing each risk;

  3. ntegrated disaster management including mitigation, preparedness, early warning, response, and recovery, at all scales (community to government levels), across all sectors (disaster, environment, economy, tourism, agriculture, coastal resources, forestry, water resources, health, etc.), with multiple stakeholders (general public, businesses, government, non-governmental organizations, communities, individuals, etc.), inclusive of gender, age, culture, class, and other socioeconomic factors;

  4. tructural evaluations, improved building codes, and assessments for sheltering during disasters;

  5. mproved land use, setbacks from coastal areas, streams, and mountain peaks, and ecosystem conservation;

  6. ncreased use of alternative energy sources;

  7. ater conservation measures and enhanced water storage capacity;

  8. atershed management and ahupuaʻa or integrated ecosystem management;

  9. iversified agriculture, ‘buying local,” and home gardening to improve local food security and to decrease dependence on shipping transportation, energy, and infrastructure for goods, services, and disaster relief;

  10. onservation of nearshore ecosystems;

  11. lternative and diversified livelihoods;

  12. ustainable development; and,

  13. ublic education, awareness, training, and outreach to empower communities to reduced hazard risks and develop adaptation strategies


References


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