Hazard, Risk, & Disaster Management

Reading Smith Chapters 1-5

Hazard Naturally-occurring/human-induced event with potential for loss

Risk Exposure to a hazard

Disaster Occurrence of hazard resulting in serious damage/loss of life

Human-Centred Viewpoint People see hazards to environment as less important than risks to people or property

Human-Centred Viewpoint People more impressed by rapid-onset events with big, visible, impacts than by slow-acting events with subtle impacts.

Risk Assessment Assessing the risks which are probable –counting, probability –judgement –appears scientific

Risk Assessment Done by “experts” –presented as “objective” Done by ordinary people –presented as “poorly-informed”

Lay Risk Assessment People more prepared to tolerate voluntary risks than involuntary ones –by a factor of 1000 (pp. 57-9)

Risk Assessment In reality, expert risk assessments are not objective –require judgements –tendency to use technical detail to hide the partisan judgements No “value-free” risk assessment

Ralgreen Crescent, Kitchener 1960s suburban subdivision Built on old city dump Landfill-related explosion demolishes house in 1969 City hires Heath Consultants to measure methane

1990s Houses cracking, tilting Basements leaking smelly liquids and vapours People getting sick –Leukemia cases Residents discover history of property

1990s City gets Heath Consultants to do risk assessment –soil and other tests –uses industrial criteria –reports contaminants at acceptable levels Residents unimpressed

1990s Residents seek their own risk assessment Hard to hire a consultant –costs money –consultants reluctant to offend the city Eventually succeeds: –uses new residential criteria for contamination –finds significant health risks in several properties

2000s Residents sue City settles with residents –buys the worst affected houses –bulldozes them Other alarmed residents not bought out –risk assessment does not justify it

Disaster Management Where should we spend whose money to undertake what programmes to save which lives with what probability? (Zeckhauser & Shepard 1984)

Disaster Management Levels of intervention –Educate people to avoid disaster –Subsidise people to avoid disaster –Force people to avoid disaster

Disaster Management Safety has a price People don’t want to pay Example: –TFD wants Ontario Building Code altered to require sprinklers in new residential construction –Emergency Measures Ontario given virtually no money pre- Sept 11

Disaster Management Pre-Disaster Protection Post-Disaster Recovery

Pre-Disaster Protection Risk assessment Mitigation Preparation

Post-Disaster Recovery Relief & rescue Rehabilitation Reconstruction

Plastimet Fire July 1997 Hamilton waterfront Plastics recycler burns –after multiple earlier fires, 39 previous fire-code violations

Hamilton FD fails to evacuate/protect areas downwind –Hamilton General Hospital –Hamilton-Wenworth Detention Centre places fire-fighters in unnecessary danger –air supply runs out while above fire no disaster pre-planning inadequate hazardous materials equipment, training, planning

Adjustment to Hazard Modify the loss burden Modify hazard events Modify human vulnerability

Modify the loss burden Insurance Disaster relief Emergency aid

Modify hazard events Engineering Hazard-resistant designs

Modify human vulnerability Community preparedness Forecasting, warning & evacuation systems Land use planning