Natural Hazards

• New Zealand


  • 7.8 magnitude earthquake in 2016
  • Kaikoura, New Zealand
  • GDP per capita: US $40,331
  • Destructive plate boundary - Pacific plate subducting beneath Australian plate
• Nepal


  • 7.8 magnitude earthquake in 2015
  • Gorkha, Nepal
  • GDP per capita: US $690
  • Destructive plate boundary - Indo-Australian plate subducting beneath Eurasian plate
• Primary Effects of New Zealand earthquake

  1. 2 people died

  2. Over 50 people injured

  3. Tens of thousands of homes damaged or destroyed

  4. 60 people needed emergency housing

  5. US $8.5 billion in total damage

  6. Over 200 km of road and 190 km of rail line destroyed

  7. Communications, water, sewerage and power supplies cut off
• Secondary Effects of New Zealand earthquake

  1. Up to 100,000 landslides blocked roads and rail

  2. Major landslide blocked Clarence River, leading to flooding and evacuation

  3. Tsunami with 5 m waves left debris up to 250 m inland
• Primary Effects of Nepal earthquake

  1. Around 9,000 people died

  2. More than 22,000 injured

  3. 800,000 buildings damaged or destroyed

  4. 4 million people left homeless

  5. Over US $5 billion in damage

  6. Roads and bridges destroyed

  7. Water tanks and pipes destroyed, leaving 2 million without clean water and sanitation
• Secondary Effects of Nepal earthquake

  1. Avalanches on Mount Everest killed 18 people

  2. Mountain roads blocked by landslides, preventing aid reaching remote areas

  3. Lack of clean water caused typhus outbreaks, killing at least 13 people
• Immediate Responses in New Zealand

  1. Tsunami warning issued, residents told to move to higher ground

  2. Hundreds housed in emergency shelters

  3. 200 vulnerable people evacuated by helicopter within 24 hours

  4. Power restored and temporary water supplies set up

  5. International warships sent with supplies
• Long-Term Responses in New Zealand

  1. $3.3 million funding for rebuilding water systems and harbour

  2. Most roads and rail repaired and reopened within 2 years

  3. Kaikoura Mayoral Earthquake Relief Fund set up

  4. Permanent water main laid, designed to move with future earthquakes
• Immediate Responses in Nepal

  1. India and China sent rescue teams, but lack of tools and machinery slowed efforts

  2. People tried to recover the dead and treat the injured, but damaged roads hindered emergency workers and aid

  3. Charities provided medicine, food and temporary water

  4. Red Cross set up emergency shelters for 130,000 families
• Long-Term Responses in Nepal

  1. World Bank financed $5 million in projects to build earthquake-resistant housing, repair roads and irrigation

  2. Road to Tibet reopened 2 years later, many other routes remain damaged

  3. Heritage sites reopened in June 2015 to encourage tourism

  4. Water supply being restored, but many still lacked access 2 years later

  5. NGOs working to increase disaster resilience, e.g. providing alternative energy
• Immediate Responses

  1. PAGASA broadcast warnings about Typhoon Haiyan two days before it made landfall

  2. Fishermen were warned not to go to sea

  3. The Philippines declared a state of emergency

  4. Plan International constructed pit latrines for 100 000 people
• Long-Term Responses

  1. The UN appealed for over $300 million to help fund rebuilding and relief

  2. Charities built new storm-resistant houses

  3. The Philippines' tourism board encouraged people to visit the country
• Many homes needed rebuilding after Typhoon Haiyan
• Typhoon Haiyan made landfall in the Philippines

  8th November 2013
• Typhoon Haiyan

  • One of the most powerful storms ever recorded
  • Tacloban and Cebu were among the worst affected areas
  • Up to 280 mm of rain and winds reaching a maximum of 314 km/hour
  • A storm surge with waves of up to 2.3 m, combined with a high tide, meant that Tacloban was hit by waves of up to 5 m
• Storm surge

  A temporary rise in water level caused by wind pushing waves