FLOOD03837 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

CHAPTER 3 the impacts of natural hazards. When several are pursued together, they can reduce a hazard's impact from a catastrophe to a moderate disrup- tion. The best mix of actions depends on the hazards faced by a community, the availability of scientific knowledge, and the resources and goals of the community. What is effective in one situa- tion or hazard may not work in another. For instance, tolerating physical damage from a hur- ricane might be appropriate for a large nation whose economy will likely decline only a few tenths of a percent from hurricane losses. But such a strategy is inappropriate for a tiny country like Dominica, where a single hurricane engulfed the island and affected every community in 1979. Likewise, a single earthquake affected virtually the entire industrial production of Nicaragua in 1972. Whatever the strategy, avoiding disasters must include anticipation of the hazard's impacts. Yet most measures now in use to cope with natural hazards are reactive: fire fighting, search and res- cue, emergency medical care, debris clearance, provision of food and temporary shelter, and provisions for temporary water supply and waste disposal. These emergency response measures may be planned in advance but are not put into effect until after a disaster occurs. It is clear, however, that major reductions in losses of life and property can only come when the emphasis shifts from reaction to anticipation. Emergency re- sponse and postdisaster relief are important and will still be needed, but on a declining scale as disaster preparedness, hazard-conscious land use The Hazard Reduction Process A common theme in the Chapter 2 case studies is that disasters can be avoided or minimized through application of science and technology. Without it, disasters are likely to increase as the pressures of population and commerce encourage the use of more hazard-prone areas. Science and technology applications that can be used to avoid disasters are of two types, physical adjustments and social adjustments. Physical ad- justments for avoiding a hazard's impacts include: . planning and building to withstand a hazard, ~ identifying and avoiding the sites where a hazard is likely to occur, ~ predicting the occurrence of a hazard, and ~ preventing or altering a hazard's characteris- tics. Social adjustments for avoiding a hazard's im- pacts consist of: . restricting the uses of land and establishing minimum standards for avoiding hazardous sites and conditions; ~ instituting public awareness campaigns in areas prone to hazards; ~ initiating emergency preparedness programs to protect life and property once a warning is issued or an event occurs; ~ spreading the economic loss among a larger population through insurance, taxation, and monetary grants; and ~ reconstructing a community so that it is less vulnerable to the next hazard. These avoidance strategies substantially alter 19