1. Adjustment And Responses

2. Coping With Hazards How people adjust to hazards depends on…
Type of hazard.
Risk (probability) of the hazard – several factors influence how people view risk.
Ways of managing the consequences of a hazard include…
Modifying the hazard event, through building design, building location, and emergency procedures.
Improved forecasting and warning.
Sharing the cost of loss, through insurance or disaster relief.

3. Building Design
A single-storey building has a quick response to earthquake forces.
A high-rise building responds slowly, and shockwaves are increased as they move up the building.
If the buildings are too close together, vibrations may be amplified between buildings and increase damage.
The weakest part of a building is where different elements meet.

4. Building Design
Elevated motorways are therefore vulnerable in earthquakes because they have many connecting parts.
Certain areas are very much at risk from earthquake damage – areas with weak rocks, faulted (broken) rocks, and on soft soils.
Many oil pipelines and water pipelines in tectonically active areas are built on rollers, so that they can move with an earthquake rather than a fracture.

5. Early Alternative Adjustments
Affect The Cause
Modify The Hazard
Modify Loss Potential
Adjust To Losses
No known way of altering the earthquake mechanism.
Stable site selection: soil and slope stabilisation; sea wave barriers; fire protection.
Warning systems; emergency evacuation and preparation; building design; land-use change; permanent evacuation.
Public relief; subsidised insurance.
Insurance and reserve funds.
Individual loss-bearing.
Earthquakes

6. Early Alternative Adjustments
Affect The Cause
Modify The Hazard
Modify Loss Potential
Adjust To Losses
Reduce flood flows by: Land-use treatment; cloud seeding.
Control flood flows by: reservoir storage; levees; channel improvement; flood fighting.
Warning systems; emergency evacuation and preparation; building design; land-use change; permanent evacuation.
Public relief; subsidised insurance.
Insurance and reserve funds.
Individual loss-bearing.
Floods

7. Early Alternative Adjustments
Affect The Cause
Modify The Hazard
Modify Loss Potential
Adjust To Losses
Change geographical distribution by cloud seeding.
Reduce impact by snow fences; snow removal; salting and sanding of highways.
Forecasting; rescheduling; inventory control; building design; land-use change: permanent evacuation.
Public relief; subsidised insurance.
Insurance and reserve funds.
Individual loss-bearing.
Snow

8. Northern Nigeria Adjustments to drought suggested by peasant farmers…
Change Location
Nothing permanent.
Change Use
Nothing.
Prevent Effects
Store food for next year; seek work elsewhere temporarily; seek income by selling firewood, crafts, or grass; expand fishing activity; plant late cassava; plant additional crop.
Modify Events
Consult medicine men; pray for end of drought.
Share
Turn to relatives; possible government relief.
Bear
Suffer and starve; pray for support.

9. Tanzania Adjustments to drought suggested by peasant farmers…
Change Location
Nothing permanent.
Change Use
Drought-resistant crops, irrigation.
Prevent Effects
More thorough weeding; Cultivate larger areas; work elsewhere; tie ridging; planting on wet places; sending cattle to other areas; sell cattle to buy food; staggered planting.
Modify Events
Employ rainmakers; pray.
Share
Send children to kinsmen; government relief; store crops; move to relative’s farm; use savings.
Bear
Do nothing.

10. Changing Priorities
In the immediate aftermath of a disaster the main priority is to rescue people.
This may involve the use of search and rescue teams and sniffer dogs.
Thermal sensors may be used to find people alive among the wreckage.
The number of survivors decreases very quickly.
Few survive after 72 hours, although there were reports from Sichuan of people surviving nearly 20 days – the number is extremely low however.

11. Rehab
Rehabilitation refers to people being able to make safe their homes and be able to live in them again.
Following the UK floods of 2007, some people were unable to return to their homes for over a year.
For some residents in New Orleans, rehabilitation was not possible, so reconstruction (rebuilding) was necessary.
This can be a very long, drawn-out process, taking up to a decade for major construction projects.

12. Hazard Mitigation
As well as dealing with the aftermath of a disaster, governments try to plan to reduce impacts of future events.
This is sometimes called Hazard Mitigation.
This was seen after the 2004 Tsunami in S. Asia.
Before the event, a tsunami early warning system was not in place in the Indian Ocean.

13. The Future
Following the event, as well as emergency rescue, rehabilitation, and reconstruction, governments and aid agencies in the region developed a system to reduce the impacts of future tsunamis.
It is just part of the progress needed to reduce the impact of hazards and to improve safety in the region.

14. Model Of Disaster Recovery
Periods
Emergency
Restoration
Reconstruction I
Reconstruction II
Capital Stock
Damaged or destroyed.
Patched.
Rebuilt (replacement).
Major construction (commemmoration, betterment, development).
Normal Activities
Ceased or changed.
Return and function.
Return at pre-disaster levels or greater.
Improved and developed.

15. Activity
You are to use the A3 blank copy of the “Adjustments And Damage Limitation” Worksheet and complete it to manage all the disasters you have studied.