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Natural Disasters and their

Impact on People

Natural Disasters
Natural Disasters strikes countries (both
developed & developing),
Consequences includes;
death or injury to humans,
damage or loss of ‘goods’, e.g.
buildings, communications, agricultural
land, forest, and natural environment
Due to diverse geo-climatic conditions
prevalent in different parts of the world.
Different types of natural disasters strike
according to the vulnerability of the area.

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The big picture…

The earth is a complex, interdependent system


that includes the atmosphere, hydrosphere,
biosphere and lithosphere.
The earth system is driven externally by the sun
and internally by many factors including
interactions between its component parts.
Since the 19th century, human activities have
been building to the point where they now are
a significant influence forcing the system.

Characteristics of the Disaster

Natural Disasters: flood, fire, earthquake, Tsunami


– Act of nature
– Unintended
Technological Disasters: chemical spills, nuclear
plant accident, plane crash
– “Accident”
– Failed technology
– Human error
– No high impact phase
War/Terrorism/Civil Unrest/Bioterror:
– Intended
– Act of man

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Effect on Developing Countries

Coupled Human/Natural Systems

• Mainstream thinking about ecosystems has


departed increasingly from the development
of equilibrium models and the derivation of
stability conditions
– Non-linear changes/cascades
– Thresholds/tipping points/bifurcations
– Phase changes/regime shifts

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Coupled Human/Natural Systems

• Much the same can be said about new


research dealing with social systems
• This opens up the prospect of approaching
the Earth System as a single dynamic system
in which interactions between ecosystems
and social systems play a central role

Coupled Human/Natural Systems

• What is new:
– The global scale of these interactions and
their impacts
• lack of replicates
– The prospect of irreversible changes
• No going back
– The time horizons of consequences
• abrupt changes and consequences over decades
to centuries

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Managing Natural Disasters
Multidisciplinary endeavour
Different stakeholders with different interests
Systemic
approach in
managing skills
and
competencies

Subsystems of the Human System

The Physical Subsystem: Body, health, nutrition,


sleep & rest, physical activity
The Social Subsystem: Community, teams,
culture, religious activity, communicating
Economic Subsystem: Producing, building,
earning, traveling, transacting
Psychological Subsystem: Satisfaction, sense of
wellness, affection, cognition
Spiritual Subsystem: Sense of purpose, hope,
meaning of life, meaning of religion

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Subsystems of the Skills System
Recruitment & Mobilization: Identifying critical
competencies and maintaining a person(s)/skills
inventory for disaster management phases
Training and Development: Public & targeted
programmed interventions for building hard/soft skills
needed to prevent and act on disasters
Economic Subsystem: Keeping track of demographics
indicating degree of vulnerability and interventions to
mitigate risk, and prevention of vulnerability
Appraising Preparedness/Action: Public drills, and
demonstrations of skills at all levels of activity
Identification of and Availability: Contactability of
specialists and knowledge of locations
Payment and Rewards: Remuneration and
compensation for services.

Disaster Management Cycle

Resources & Pre, during


Services in Disaster & post
place if a Actions,
disaster
Relief

Preparedness Response

Need for Information


Mitigation Rehabilitation

Measures to
prevent
disasters or the
effects
Prevention Development
mitigated

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Information Management Activities

Data Access and Processing Capacity


Continuous availability of data and regular and
pertinent visual and auditory operational, relational
and transformational information

Decision Support Systems


Capability of giving alternatives to action or
prevention

Expert Systems
Two-way access to global expert systems and
speedy transmission of information to target
locations

Information Management Activities


Information Management Capacity Building
a) Survey Teams trained in:

field surveys techniques Interpreting physical, Aerial


photographs, topographic maps,
data collection using standard & satellite imagery
forms
Info technology Database development & Mgt

Image processing

b) Survey Teams trained in Natural Disaster assessments


methods
Natural hazards assessments
Vulnerability assessments
c) Standard training modules developed and translated into
Sinhala, Tamil

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Information Management Activities

Detailed User Requirements Analysis


a) Streamlining data acquisition, storage, management, &
data and information exchange,

Develop, test and install DMIS in disaster prone


centres
a) Define system boundaries
b) Spatial and non-spatial data modeling, system testing, &
implementation,

Baseline Data collection and data validation and


entry
a) District profile, and on vulnerable communities

Conceptual Diagram of DMIS

Disaster
Physical Statistics History
Sub-Model Reports

Social
Sub-Model

Economic DMIS
Data
Sub-Model

Psychological
Sub-Model

Spiritual Early
Sub-Model Hazard & Disaster
Warnings &
Vulnerability assessment
Forecasting
Maps Maps

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Data Needs

Data Expected Provider


1 Satellite Image: Quickbird
2 Aerial photos of Provinces
3 Locations (depending on use and
availability).
4 Disaster history maps
5 Flood history maps (locations, flooding levels, etc)
6 Earthquake data (strength, frequency, epicentreetc)
7 Rainfall data (historical)
8 Disaster Management Systems
9 Elevation Data
10 Drainage System (rivers, streams, irrigation channels, etc
11 Watershed maps
12 Landcover & Land-use maps (existing)
13 Administrative Boundaries
14 Roads
15 Infrastructure data
16 Population density map
17 Population distribution
18 Agricultural production (crops, consumption, history etc)

Data Needs
19 Population and distribution of Livestock

20 Water Wells and other artificial water sources


21 Soil types map
22 Geology Map
23 Vegetation cover maps
24 Land-use potential maps if available
25 Risk factors (ethnic conflicts, access permissions) - History of it
26 Resource and supply centres (in an emergency)
27 Risk & Vulnerability data
28 Land mines distribution and risk areas
29 Market and market capacity, requirements, distances, etc
30 Agro-Ecological Zone Map (AEZ)
31 Socio-economic statistics
32 Epidemiological & Nutritional Data
33 Agricultural input to farmers
34 Relief Data
35 Food requirements data
36 MeteoSat data
37 Landforms

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Decreasing vulnerability...
Reconstruction
Meta-Stability
Integration
Community
Cohesion

ief
Gr
Heroism

h
ug
Disillusionment

ro
Th
Pre-disaster

ng
ki
or
s-W
Warning

rm
or Threat

Te
to
Impact

g
in
Inventory
m
Co
Trigger Events
Zunin/Meyers
Adapted from

One to Three Days One to Three Years

Decreasing vulnerability...
Increase preparedness for natural
disasters.
Increase adaptability (& efficiency) of:
agricultural systems,
municipal management,
water resources management,
public health systems.
Maintain healthy & resilient ecosystems.
Improve resources for conflict resolution.

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Decreasing vulnerability...
Identifying Trauma

Emotional Cognitive
– Shock – Poor concentration
– Emotional numbing – Difficulty making
– Denial decisions
– Dissociation/unreality – Perseverance
– Panic/fear
Behavioral
– Hopeless/helpless
– Guilt – Withdrawal
– Pacing,
Physiological
– Elevated BP, HR – Exaggerated startle
– Fatigue, – Regressive behaviors
– Hyperventilation
– Headache

Decreasing vulnerability...
Psychiatric Disorders Following Trauma
Review of 177 Studies – 130 Samples
(Norris, PTSD Fact Sheet, 2001)

100
90
80
Percent of Samples

70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
PTSD DEPRESSION ANXIETY

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Decreasing vulnerability...
Promising Early Intervention: Cognitive
Behavior Therapy
(Ehlers & Clark, 2003)

Characteristics of CBT Results to date:


– Offered to patients at risk – CBT speeds up recovery
(e.g., acute stress relative to assessment only
disorder) & supportive counseling
– Pts. With acute stress
– Educate about disorder show greater
psychologic effects improvement with CBT
– Imaginal reliving relative to supportive
– Cognitive restructure counseling
– Reversal of avoidance – High PTSD symptom
severity show greater
behaviors improvement relative to
– Anxiety management self-help or repeated
skills assessment

Decreasing vulnerability...
Interventions Are…

• Therapeutic
• Psychological First Aid
• A preventative measure
• Psycho-educational
• Supported by empirical evidence

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Decreasing vulnerability...
Interventions Are Not…

• Psychotherapy
• To alleviate immediate pain
• A critique of the response to the
disaster
• Necessarily one-time sessions

Decreasing vulnerability...
Lessons Learnt…
• Symbols, rituals and spirituality are
important in coping and healing process
• People have an enormous capacity to
heal through natural support systems-
don’t get in the way
• We need to overcome the stigma that
surround mental health services
• We need to trust in the resilience of the
human spirit!

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