LESSONS LEARNED FROM PAST NOTABLE DISASTERS CHILE PART 2: WINDSTORMS Walter Hays, Global Alliance for Disaster Reduction, Vienna, Virginia, USA
NATURAL HAZARDS THAT HAVE CAUSED DISASTERS IN CHILE FLOODS WINDSTORMS EARTHQUAKES/TSUNAMIS VOLCANOES WILDFIRES GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE HIGH BENEFIT/COST FROM BECOMING DISASTER NRESILIENT GOAL: PROTECT PEOPLE AND COMMUNITIES
Natural Phenomena that Cause Disasters Planet Earth’s atmospheric- hydrospheric- lithospheric interactions create SEVERE WINDSTORMS
HIGH POTENTIAL LOSS EXPOSURES IN A SEVERE WINDSTORM Entire communities; People, property, infra- structure, business enterprise, government centers, crops, wildlife, and natural resources.
FORTUNATELY, CHILE’S WINDSTORMS, ALTHOUGH DAMAGING, ARE USUALLY NOT CLASSIFIED AS SEVERE
NOTABLE WINDSTORMS IN CHILE JULY 22, 2011 (“WHITE EARTHQUAKE”) JULY 6, 2011 (DESERT STORM) JUNE 8, 2011 (TORNADO) JULY 29, 2000 (RAINSTORM)
Natural Phenomena that Cause Disasters Planet Earth’s atmospheric- hydrospheric- lithospheric interactions create “WHITE EARTH- QUAKES”
“WHITE EARTHQUAKE” HITS EIGHT MUNICIPALITIES Eight municipalities of Chile were isolated by a 'white earthquake' of heavy snow with drifts of up to 2 meters or more of snow (equal to the normal snowfall in a 4 month period). The government declared these municipalities a "disaster area."
THE “WHITE EARTHQUAKE”
CHILE’S CITIES (NOTE: ATACAMA DESERT IN NORTH)
JULY 6, 2011
The Atacama is the world's driest desert, where wetting rains are truly rare visitors.
JULY 6, 2011 A winter storm with unusual rain, high winds, and mountain snow struck the northern desert regions of Antofagasta and Atacama only days after another rare desert storm.
JULY 6, 2011 Roads were cut off and flights disrupted in an area that holds some of the world's biggest, most productive copper mines.
JUNE 8, 2011 WINDSTORM This windstorm was a tornado, a rare event for Chile. It struck the heart of the town of Villarrica in southern Chile with winds of 125 to 183 kph (75 to 110 mph).
Villarrica, a city and commune in southern Chile, is located on the western shore of Villarrica Lake near the active Villarrica volcano, 746 km (464 mi) south of Santiago, the capital.
VILLARRICA
IMPACTS OF THE WINDSTORM Only damage and nine injuries this time.
SANTIAGO SKYLINE
This disaster exposed Chile’s lack of disaster planning and disaster-resilient infrastructure in 2000, and led to concerted efforts to improve.
JULY 29, 2000 WINDS AND FLOODING IMPACT THE CAPITAL A state of emergency was declared in the Santiago metropolitan region.
IMPACTS Schools were forced to close, train services were cancelled and electricity was cut to many areas due to the high winds.
IMPACTS Many homes were wiped out as a result of the 90 kph (54 mph) winds and the pouring rains, forcing thousands into shelters around Santiago.
JULY 29, 2000 FLOODING IMPACTED THE CAPITAL Some areas of the city were at a virtual standstill as roads were blocked and bridges collapsed
ELEMENTS OF HAZARDS AND RISK
HAZARDSHAZARDS ELEMENTS OF WINDSTORM RISK EXPOSUREEXPOSURE VULNERABILITYVULNERABILITY LOCATIONLOCATION RISKRISK
HAZARDS OF A SEVERE WINDSTORM (AKA POTENTIAL DISASTER AGENTS) WIND FIELD [CAT 1 (55 mph) TO CAT 5+ (155 mph or greater)] DEBRIS STORM SURGE/FLOODS HEAVY PRECIPITATION/FLOODS LANDSLIDES (MUDFLOWS) COSTAL EROSION
A DISASTER CAN HAPPEN WHEN THE POTENTIAL DISASTER AGENTS OF A WINDSTORM INTERACT WITH CHILE’S COMMUNITIES
WIND PENETRATING BUILDING ENVELOPE TYPHOONS UPLIFT OF ROOF SYSTEM FLYING DEBRIS STORM SURGE IRREGULARITIES IN ELEVATION AND PLAN SITING PROBLEMS FLOODING AND LANDSLIDES CAUSES OF DAMAGE “DISASTER LABORATORIES”
A DISASTER is the set of failures that overwhelm the capability of a community to respond without external help when three continuums: 1) people, 2) community (i.e., a set of habitats, livelihoods, and social constructs), and 3) complex events (e.g., windstorms, floods,…) intersect at a point in space and time.
Disasters are caused by s ingle- or multiple-event natural hazards that, (for various reasons), cause extreme levels of mortality, morbidity, homelessness, joblessness, economic losses, or environmental impacts.
THE REASONS ARE... When it does happen, the functions of the community’s buildings and infrastructure can be LOST
THE REASONS ARE... The community is UN- PREPARED for what will likely happen, not to mention the low-probability of occurrence— high-probability of adverse consequences event.
THE REASONS ARE... The community has NO DISASTER PLANNING SCENARIO or WARNING SYSTEM in place as a strategic framework for early threat identification and coordinated local, national, regional, and international countermeasures.
THE REASONS ARE... The community LACKS THE CAPACITY TO RESPOND in a timely and effective manner to the full spectrum of expected and unexpected emergency situations.
THE REASONS ARE... The community is INEFFICIENT during recovery and reconstruction because it HAS NOT LEARNED from either the current experience or the cumulative prior experiences.
THE ALTERNATIVE TO A WINDSTORM DISASTER IS WINDSTORM DISASTER RESILIENCE
CHILE’SCOMMUNITIESCHILE’SCOMMUNITIES DATA BASES AND INFORMATION HAZARDS: GROUND SHAKING GROUND FAILURE SURFACE FAULTING TECTONIC DEFORMATION TSUNAMI RUN UP AFTERSHOCKS WINDSTORM HAZARDS PEOPLE & BLDGS. VULNERABILITY LOCATION WINDSTORM RISK RISK ACCEPTABLE RISK UNACCEPTABLE RISK GOAL: WINDSTORM DISASTER RESILIENCE PREPAREDNESS PROTECTION EARLY WARNING EMERGENCY RESPONSE RECOVERY and RECONSTRUCTION POLICY OPTIONS
TECHNOLOGIES FOR MONITORING, FORECASTING, WARNING, AND DISASTER SCENARIOS ARE VITAL FOR SURVIVAL
LESSONS LEARNED ABOUT DISASTER RESILIENCE ALL WIND- STORMS PREPAREDNES FOR THE EXPECTED AND UNEXPEDTED IS ESSENTIAL FOR DISASTER RESILIENCE
LESSONS LEARNED ABOUT DISASTER RESILIENCE ALL WIND- STORMS EARLY WARNING (THE ISS) AND EVACUATION ARE ESSENTIAL FOR DISASTER RESILIENCE
LESSONS LEARNED ABOUT DISASTER RESILIENCE ALL WIND- STORMS TIMELY EMERGENCY RESPONSE IS ESSENTIAL FOR DISASTER RESILIENCE
LESSONS LEARNED ABOUT DISASTER RESILIENCE ALL WIND- STORMS RECOVERY AND RECONSTRUCTION USUALLY TAKES LONGER THAN THOUGHT