Hazards Case Studies

• Eyjafjallajokull, Iceland, 2010

  • Over 30 mins warning via mobile.
  • Sparse population, educated
  • Wind direction was different
  • 700 evacuated, 0 deaths
  • Under ice cap - meltwater caused flooding. Sections of Highway 1 bulldozed to allow floodwater to reach sea.
  • Goggles/face masks (ash)
  • Airline industry lost £130 mil+ per day.
  • Over 10 million ppl impacted by travel disruption - European air space closed
  • Kenyan farmers lost £2 mil/day - couldn’t transport goods to Europe.
  • Aviation industry developing infrared sensors to detect ash.
• Mt Etna, Sicily (Italy), 1991

  • Slow lava flow - advanced 1m per hour
  • Earth barrier built to stop lava reaching town Zafferana. Overflowed - US marines helped to slow down the lava (diverted).
• Mt St Helens, USA, 1980

  • 20 mile exclusion zone - reduced to 5 miles when no eruption.
  • 56 killed (low population density)
  • Forest area and ecosystem surrounding destroyed
• Mt Nyiragongo, DRC, 2002 - anomaly in lava hazard

  • Basaltic (runny) lava
  • Fissure spewed lava 60km/h towards Goma.
  • 400000 evacuated, many villages destroyed
  • 1 month after 35000 people dependent on aid.
• Nevado del Ruiz, Colombia, 1985

  • Pyroclastic flows melted snow and glaciers (Andes) - fast lahars.
  • Flowed into 6 different river valleys, flooding into towns eg. Armero wiped out
  • 23,000 killed. Biggest death toll in last 100 yrs.
  • Unclear warning and preparation
• Japan Earthquake + Tsunami March 2011

  • 9.0 magnitude
  • Tsunami wave up to 12m high at 800km/h
  • Warnings by text, TV, internet - 60 seconds in Tokyo.
  • Coastline subsided by over 1m in places (lowered tsunami walls)
  • 19,000 deaths (10% earthquake), 150,000 homeless
  • 60,000 acres of land flooded and contaminated
  • Radiation leaks Fukushima - 200,000 evacuated. 30 mile exclusion zone.
  • £133 billion total cost - most costly natural disaster ever.
  • Japanese Red Cross received £1.5 billion
  • Within 1 month main road reopened, upgraded tsunami detection, warning and defences - 15m high tsunami wall in some places
• Bam, Iran, 2003

  • 26000+ killed, 30000+ injured
  • 85-90% of all buildings damaged/destroyed - traditional construction of buildings.
  • 100000 homeless.
  • Occurred around 5:30am - people crushed while sleeping.
• Haiti, 2010

  • Poorest country in Western hemisphere
  • 250,000 deaths
  • 1.3 million homeless
  • 1/3 of the population affected.
  • Within a year only 5% of rubble cleared, 800,000 still in refugee camps
  • Cholera outbreak the year after
• Indian Ocean Tsunami (Boxing Day tsunami), 2004

  • Earthquake off west coast of Sumatra
  • 9.1 magnitude - 3rd largest earthquake in recorded history
  • Tsunami - waves up to 30 m high
  • Deaths in 14 countries around Indian Ocean - total 250,000+
  • Indian Ocean had no tsunami warning system
  • Highest death toll on Sumatra - 130,000, 500,000 homeless
  • Diseases in refugee camps due to bad sanitation - 150,000 deaths
  • Over $7 billion in aid
  • Tsunami warning system installed in Indian Ocean
• Hurricane Katrina, USA, 2005

  • Category 5 hurricane
  • 1,400 deaths
  • Costliest tropical cyclone at the time (damage $125 billion) 
  • Majority of deaths due to flooding - levees broke
  • 80% of New Orleans flooded. Water up to 8m high.
  • Evacuation left to population - 1/4 of city’s residents didn’t have car to evacuate (poverty - racial)
  • People trapped in city - resources running out. Crime.
  • Superdome to support 15,000 people. Overrun - unsanitary conditions.
  • Response criticised - slow and badly coordinated. Took a long time for water to be pumped out
• Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda, Philippines, 2013

  • 195mph winds
  • Category 5 Super Typhoon
  • 11 million affected
  • 7m storm surge
  • 1.1 million houses damaged
  • 1.1 million tonnes crops destroyed
  • 6,300+ deaths, most in Tacloban city (worst hit)
  • 90% of buildings in Tacloban destroyed
  • 2/3 of country affected
  • $85 million lost from farm damage.
• Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada, 2016

  • 12 month long drought
  • Erratic spread and movement of fire. Jumped 1km river.
  • 88,000 evacuated. 0 deaths, 0 injured.
  • 2,400 homes and businesses destroyed
  • 60,000 hectares of land burned
  • Ash contaminated water supplies
  • CAN $9billion damage
  • 90% of city saved, 25,000 buildings saved. 
  • 5,000 people didn’t move back in
• Australian Wildfires - 2019/2020 ‘The Black Summer’

  • Southern and eastern coasts (where population highest) incl. cities Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide. Worst affected New South Wales.
  • High dryness and heatwave in December - average temps over 40 degrees
  • Over 46 million acres of land burned (Syria)
  • Impacted almost 3 billion animals. 
  • 3,500 homes destroyed 
  • Spread of smoke from fires impacted air quality - incl. in New Zealand
  • Cost Australian agriculture $4-5 billion.
  • 2000 firefighters in NSW - volunteers outnumbered firefighters.
• The Philippines: Multi-hazardous environment

  Highest disaster risk:

  • Ring of Fire (90% of all earthquakes, 75% active volcanoes)
  • Cyclone belt - 20 typhoons every year, 5 destructive.
  • Destructive plate margin
  • 300 volcanoes - 22 active, rest dormant
  • Warmest ocean temps in the world
  • 60% of the population live on the coast 
  • 18% of population in poverty
  • Youthful population (more vulnerable) 30% under 14.
  • 13th most populated country in the world
  • 25% work in agriculture
  • NEE (middle income)
• 1991 Eruption of Mt Pinatubo - multi hazardous event

  1990 7.7 magnitude earthquake reawakened Mt Pinatubo by moving magma source. (Had been dormant for 600 yrs)

  VEI 6 eruption - second largest of 20th century.

  Tropical Storm Yunya’s heavy rains mixed with volcanic ash to form lahars.

  • Around 900 killed
  • 94% of deaths in refugee camps were Aetas - isolated group prior to eruption
  • 2 million affected
  • 200,000 evacuated
  • Global temps cooled by 0.5°C for 3 years due to ash and sulphur dioxide emissions
• The Philippines - Hazard Management

  • Created extensive hazard maps (educate and prepare population, identify where to invest in management strategies) and disaster plan (based on Hazard Management Cycle)
  • New organisations to manage hazards (warning, training etc) eg. Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology
  • Land use planning and building regulation
  • ‘Build Back Better’ project after Typhoon Haiyan. Diversifying food sources, rebuilding to better structural standards etc.
• Case Study at local scale hazard -

  • Typhoon Haiyan
  • Hurricane Katrina
  • Fort McMurray