DISASTER RISK REDUCTION A PRIMER OF KNOWLEDGE THAT CAN MULTIPLY AND SPILL OVER FOR THE BENEFIT OF MILLIONS Walter Hays, Global Alliance for Disaster Reduction, University of North Carolina, USA

REMEMBERING 2O10: PART 3 JULY - AUGUST OIL LEAK (CONTINUED), SEVERE WINDSTORMS (CONTINUED), FLOODS (CONTINUED), WILDFIRES, LANDSLIDES,…

IMPACTED NATIONS Pakistan, Mexico, Russia, USA (Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, California), Bolivia, …

SOCIETAL IMPACTS DURING 2010 Record flooding following monsoon rains affected 2.5 million people in Pakistan and Afghanistan. 600 Wildfires affected 7 regions in Russia and burned 309,000 acres Oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico that continued for over 105 days caused an environmental disaster, costing tens of billions, and changing the way of life for millions.

SOCIETAL IMPACTS DURING wildfires in Southern California near Los Angeles affected tens of thousands. Tropical storm season continued to develop with large rainmakers. Rain-triggered landslide buries villages in Zhonqu County, China.

OIL SPILLS AND LEAKS GULF OF MEXICO (CONTINUED)

THE DISASTER STARTED BIG AND GREW WORSE OVER THE NEXT 105 DAYS The leak became a serious long-term threat to fishermen's livelihoods, marine habitats, beaches, wildlife, human health, tourism, and the way of life itself

FLOODS PAKISTAN

NORTHWEST PAKISTAN (AND AFGHANISTAN) HIT BY FLASH FLOODS AFTER PROLONGED MONSOON RAINS JULY 28-AUGUST 2, 2010

Summer floods are common in Pakistan as a result of monsoon rains that swell rivers and streams across the country, but 2010’s floods were the worst in 80 years and set new records.

The rains paused on Monday, August 2, for a time, but survival for thousands was a race with time as evacuation, search and rescue, mass care (food, clean water, and short- and long-term health care to prevent disease) was severely hindered by the widespread inundation and loss of infrastructure.

The survival of some of the poorest of the poor living in the districts of Nowshera, Charsadda, Peshawar, Swat, and Lower Dir became problematic because of the extent and catastrophic nature of the disaster.

Probably more than 1,500 died and more than 20 million in one-fifth of Pakistan were impacted as rains swelled rivers, inundated villages, and triggered landslides, causing entire villages, roads, and bridges to be swept away, leaving thousands isolated, and 6 million homeless.

DERA ISMAIL KHAN: INUNDATED

MUZAFFARABAD: RISING FLOOD WATERS

THOUSANDS OF MUD BRICK HOMES COLLAPSED

NOWSHERA: DAMAGED MUD HOUSE

COLLAPSED HOUSE

TRYING TO DIVERT WATER

SOME LIVESTOCK WERE SAVED, BUT THOUSANDS DROWNED

PESHAWAR: MELONS BECAME PRECIOUS

CLINGING TO DEBRIS

NOWSHERA: SEEKING HIGHER GROUND

SEEKING HIGHER GROUND

SEEKING A SAFE HAVEN

CHARSADDA: TRYING TO EVACUATE

EVACUATION: CARRYING SELECTED POSSESSIONS

NOWSHERA: EVACUATION

NOWSHERA: EVACUATION TO A SAFE HAVEN

EVACUATION: A DIFFICULT TASK

The people complained to the government, because of the perception that the urgent need for adequate temporary shelters, and clean drinking water and toilets to avert a public health catastrophe was NOT being met

MUZAFFARABAD: INADEQUATE TEMPORARY SHELTER

INADEQUATE TEMPORARY SHELTER

30,000 Pakistani troops rescued 28,000 people using helicopters and other means, and distributed water and food.

NOWSHERA: PAKISTANI ARMY DISTRIBUTING WATER

The United Nations and the United States announced Saturday, July 31, that they would provide $10 million dollars each in emergency assistance, but other international aid was slow developing.

The USA also provided rescue boats, water filtration units, prefabricated steel bridges and thousands of packaged meals, which Pakistani soldiers tossed from helicopters

In Afghanistan, NATO and Afghan troops flew dramatic helicopter rescue missions in militant-held territory, displaying "acts of heroism that were awe inspiring," according to a spokesman for the Combined Air Power Transition Force.

WILDFIRES SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA RUSSIA

WILFIRES IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA: LEONA VALLEY AND KERN COUNTY JULY 27 – AUGUST ?, 2010

LEONA VALLEY, CA Two jumbo planes, three water- dropping helicopters, and 1,700 firefighters worked to get ahead of the blaze that broke out around 3 p.m. on Tuesday (27 th ) in Leona Valley, southwest of Palmdale.

LEONA VALLEY, CA

The winds generated by the fire pushed the flames north and east toward the suburbs of Los Angeles County's inland desert, causing orange flames to explode through the dry grasses, jump roads and viaducts, and speed across the rural foothills that connect Los Angeles and the high desert..

15 M (50 FT) FLAMES: LEONA VALLEY, CA

LEONA VALLEY, CA

DC-10 DROPPING FLAME RETARDANT: PALMDALE CA

On Friday, there was zero containment of the Leona Valley wildfire.

About 2,300 threatened homes in the community of Leona Valley and parts of Palmdale were evacuated on Friday (July 30th).

Further north in Kern County, good weather helped firefighters achieve 44 % containment for two wildfires burning in remote mountain communities near Tehachapi, on the western edge of the Mojave Desert.

KERN COUNTY WILDFIRE: JULY 28

FIREFIGHTERS: KERN COUNTY WILDFIRE

KERN COUNTY WILDFIRE

There is no history of any fires on record, which means that vegetation that hasn't burned in more than a century is now fuel for the current Kern County fire.

RUSSIAN PRESIDENT DECLARES STATE OF EMERGENCY FOR WILDFIRES 600 WILDFIRES IN 7 REGIONS RELATED TO PROLONGED HEATWAVE JULY 29 – AUGUST ?, 2010

The hottest temperatures in 130 years across much of western and central Russia topped 35 degrees Celsius (95 degrees Fahrenheit) during a 5- week period, causing peat bog fires, wildfires, and the conditions for the worst drought since 1972.

On July 29, forests in the Moscow region's Kolomna district caught fire.

Moscow was veiled in acrid smoke from the fires, causing landmarks to disappear from view and commuters to hold handkerchiefs to their faces

VORONEZH WILDFIRE

242,000 BATTLE WILDFIRES

ONE OF THE FIREFIGHTERS: VORONEZH FIRE

Several villages in the Nizhny Novgorod, Voronezh and Ryazan regions were reduced to ashes.

Nearly 86,000 people were evacuated from the fire- ravaged regions

WILDFIRES IN BOLIVA AUGUST 19- ?, 2010

LOCATION OF BOLIVIA

25,000 fire hotspots were burning in five of the country's nine regions on Friday, August 20, engulfing as much as 1.5 million hectares of land.

PRESIDENT EVO MORALES DECLARES STATE OF EMERGENCY

SEVERE WINDSTORMS Tropical Storm Colin: AUG 3 Tropical Storm Danielle: AUG 11

TROPICAL STORM COLIN: FORMS ON WED, AUGUST 3

TROPICAL STORM DANIELLE FORMS ON WED, AUGUST 11

LANDSLIDES ZHONQU COUNTY, CHINA

LANDSLIDE IN ZHONQU COUNTY, CHINA Over 700 dead, hundreds injured, and over 1,000 missing Midnight - Saturday, August 7, 2010

A massive landslide triggered by heavy rainfall in Zhouqu County set in motion the side of a mountain, that damaged, toppled, and buried buildings and their sleeping residents on Sunday, August 8 th.

An estimated 1.8 million cubic meters of mud and debris flattened three villages in Zhouqu; In Yueyuan village, not a single structure was left intact by the landslides.

MUDSLIDE: ZHONGU, CHINA

DAMAGED BUILDINGS

In addition, rock, mud, and debris from the landslide blocked the Bailong River which passes through the area, creating a 3km (2- mile) long temporary lake.

Water in the temporary lake overflowed, sending waves of water, mud and rocks crashing down on the town, inundating low- lying neighborhoods with up to 4 meters of water.

FLOODED STREETS

EXPLOSIONS RELEASED THE BLOCKED BAILONG RIVER

PRIME MINISTER WEN JIABAO CALLED FOR ACTION: AUG 8TH

The Chinese army deployed 5,300 soldiers with 150 vehicles, 20 speed boats and four helicopters, and rescued 1,240 people had been rescued from the landslide mud and debris, or rescued from the tops of buildings where they had taken refuge..

RESCUE WORKERS

Over a meter of mud in many parts of the impacted area and rugged terrain made it almost impossible for rescue teams to bring in vital heavy equipment and specialists needed for search and rescue operations.

A SURVIVOR AWAITING RESCUE

SEARCH AND RESCUE

A SUCCESSFUL RESCUE

Streams of refugees left the area, carrying a few possessions they had managed to salvage; others carried the bodies of loved ones..

Power lines were down in two-thirds of the county.

Thousands of homeless residents were forced to live in the open, or in the rubble of unsafe buildings, as dry, stable areas were not available to establish temporary shelters using tents provided by the Government..

At least 45,000 people were evacuated, including the residents of downstream towns thought to be at risk from new landslides that may be triggered in conjunction with the continuing rainfall..

VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS ICELAND

DROUGHT CONTINUES IN THE CARIBBEAN CONTINUES IN WESTERN CHINA

EARTHQUAKES

FLOODS BRAZIL (RIO DE JANEIRO) EUROPE