Gauging the societal impacts of natural disasters using a capability approach

There is a widely acknowledged need for a single composite index that provides a comprehensive picture of the societal impact of disasters. A composite index combines and logically organizes important information policy‐makers need to allocate resources for the recovery from natural disasters; it can also inform hazard mitigation strategies. This paper develops a Disaster Impact Index (DII) to gauge the societal impact of disasters on the basis of the changes in individuals’ capabilities. The DII can be interpreted as the disaster impact per capita. Capabilities are dimensions of individual well‐being and refer to the genuine opportunities individuals have to achieve valuable states and activities (such as being adequately nourished or being mobile). After discussing the steps required to construct the DII, this article computes and compares the DIIs for two earthquakes of similar magnitude in two societies at different levels of development and of two disasters (earthquake and wind storm) in the same society.     

自然灾害对深圳城市建设发展的影响

随着灾害科学研究的深入，城市自然灾害已经成为其重要的研究领域。对于快速城市化的深圳，其自然灾害方面的研究更有必要。深圳市的自然灾害主要有气象灾害、地质灾害和海洋灾害等3类，它们是自然变异因素与人类活动共同作用的结果。在深圳的建设发展中，自然灾害的影响表现在两个方面：一是限制了土地利用和开发的规模，加大了城市土地开发利用的成本；二是对城市的经济建设造成了危害，使深圳的生态环境和工程地质条件造成退化。最后针对深圳市自然灾害的特点，阐述了它们的防治原则。     

Establishing moral bearings: ethics and expatriate health care professionals in humanitarian work

Expatriate health care professionals frequently participate in international responses to natural disasters and humanitarian emergencies. This field of practice presents important clinical, logistical and ethical challenges for clinicians. This paper considers the ethics of health care practice in humanitarian contexts. It examines features that contribute to forming the moral landscape of humanitarian work, and discusses normative guidelines and approaches that are relevant for this work. These tools and frameworks provide important ethics resources for humanitarian settings. Finally, it elaborates a set of questions that can aid health care professionals as they analyse ethical issues that they experience in the field. The proposed process can assist clinicians as they seek to establish their moral bearings in situations of ethical complexity and uncertainty. Identifying and developing ethics resources and vocabulary for clinical practice in humanitarian work will help health care professionals provide ethically sound care to patients and communities.     

50年来我国自然灾害变化对粮食产量的影响

根据我国近50年的粮食产量统计资料,分析了各个年代主要粮食作物产量与影响和促进粮食产量的因素(耕地资源、化肥施入量、农机动力、农用水资源、自然灾害)之间的关系,结果表明,自然灾害对我国粮食产量的影响极大,要确保我国粮食生产的安全,不仅需要有外部资源及投入,而且在粮食生产过程中要积极进行防灾减灾.     

Trust via disasters: the case of Chile's 2010 earthquake

Chile has a long‐standing history of natural disasters and, in particular, earthquakes. The latest big earthquake hit Chile on 27 February 2010 with a magnitude of 8.8 on the Richter scale. As an event that had a profound impact on significant portions of the population, the earthquake could theoretically have served to build trust by promoting new trust networks through the enhancement of distant family ties and the interaction between affected neighbours. This study offers an empirical analysis of this theory in the Chilean case. It finds that if initial social capital is very low (thus allowing for post‐disaster looting and violence), then the impact of the trust‐increasing effect is smaller. It also shows that the effect of the disaster was not transitory, but that it persisted and actually increased over time.     

两宋时期自然灾害的文学记述与地理分布规律

两宋320年间共发生灾害1739次,灾害种类14种,如此深重的灾害是导致两宋"积贫积弱,国力不强"的一大主要因素.由于宋朝时期的地理气候特点,水灾、旱灾接连不断发生,并且成为两宋最主要的自然灾害.古代自然灾害研究主要依据史书记载,中国是世界上少数灾害多发的国家之一,文学作品中反映出来的灾难与救世观念可以给人们很多启发.以王禹偁为代表的宋代文学家给后世留下了许多记述灾害的文学作品,从文学作品的记述中可以提取古代灾害的准确信息.北宋都城位于开封,南宋京都在杭州,由于史料对当时中央政府所在地省份的记述颇为翔实,两宋自然灾害的省区分布,以河南、浙江灾害次数最多.     

Travelling without a helmet: tourists' vulnerabilities and responses to disasters in Indonesia

Tourists are particularly vulnerable when natural disasters occur in regions that they are visiting. It is assumed that they lack awareness and understanding of the actions that they need to take in such circumstances. This study examines the responses of tourists in times of disaster, building on empirical data collected through large‐scale surveys conducted in Bali and Yogyakarta, Indonesia, in 2015. Both are important tourist destinations in the country that have suffered major disasters in recent years. The different types of responses to these events are framed using a grid/group analysis stemming from cultural theory. The study resulted in three key findings: (i) current disaster management planning largely follows a single rationale; (ii) tourists are not a homogeneous group, but rather a complex, diverse, and dynamic body of stakeholders; and (iii) the focus of disaster management planning should shift from a single rationale to a polyrational methodology. Disaster managers need to consider, therefore, these different aspects in the context of preparedness.     

Resident preferences for augmented rainstorm disasters management strategies: the case of Nanjing in China

In recent years, rainstorm disasters have enormously negative effect on property safety and life safety in Nanjing. In order to achieve the consistency of optimal social supply of rainstorm disasters prevention management strategies and public sector supply, this paper studies citizens’ preferences for augmented strategies in Nanjing. Using a choice experiment approach, we consider willingness-to-pay (WTP) for augmented efforts for non-structural reform strategy of rainstorm runoff control, structural reform strategy of rainstorm drainage and non-structural education. Our results showed that citizens were generally in favor of augmented rainstorm disaster prevention management strategies, but with varying degrees. They were most favorable to increased educational effort that does not physically affect rainstorm, with the WTP of ¥134.29 a year. Followed by improvements in Non-structural Reform Strategy of Rainstorm Runoff Control, its WTP was ¥88.08 a year. The improving Structural Reform Strategy of Rainstorm drainage was less influential, but still significantly affected policy choice with the WTP of ¥55.42 a year. Specifically, the results of latent class model best confirmed the assumption that individual preference is heterogeneous. Furthermore, in order to gain the support of the public, policy-makers should advance publicly linked strategies such as mentioned in this study that appear most useful.     

The future of disasters studies: new disasters and the case of the Horn of Africa

Past disasters have been well studied, but the challenge of using the findings to improve the management of future events remains a daunting task. This paper argues that there are new and complex disasters of which the state itself has become the main source, as reflected in the Horn of Africa. This region is characterised by increasing vulnerability owing to the alarming decline of democracy and the rise of authoritarianism. These new disasters are less researched because of the hazard of conducting fieldwork in such environments. However, there is mounting evidence to highlight the possibility of performing research in these settings, but not by employing traditional methods; rather, these tools may need to be customised for use. One key policy implication here is that donors may need to invest more money in analysing these new disasters and they may need to consider building and strengthening genuine partnerships between Northern and Southern research institutions     

古代黄河中游的环境变化和灾害——对都城迁移发展的影响

都城的选址、建设和迁移发展必须以环境资源为基础。我国古代的国家都城在黄河中游反复迁移，以至最后东迁南迁。在这个过程中，环境变迁和灾害一直是重要的驱动因素之一。通过统计分析历史时期洪涝和干旱灾害，以及气候水文变化资料，结合古都所在地的环境资源条件分析讨论，揭示了黄河中游环境变化和灾害对都城迁移发展的影响。都城在长安与洛阳之间的反复迁移，以及后来的东移开封，和南移到长江下游平原，环境的变迁是重要的驱动力之一。     

Natural hazard events and social capital: the social impact of natural disasters

This study investigates if and to what extent natural disasters affect social capital. Twelve different events in Europe are examined in a quantitative analysis, using data derived from the European Social Survey and the EM‐DAT International Disaster Database. The study uses social trust as an indicator of social capital and offers evidence that a change in social trust is a possible occurrence during or after a disaster, but that it is not an inevitable consequence of it. The results reveal that social trust decreases after a disaster with a death toll of at least nine. Changes in social capital, therefore, are found to be more probable as the severity of the event increases. National, rather than regional, disasters lead more frequently to significant shifts in social trust. This evaluation of 12 separate cases pinpoints several disasters that have had an effect on social trust, but it does not identify any general patterns, underlining the significance of contextual dependency.     

Race, Ethnicity and Disasters in the United States: A Review of the Literature

In this paper we synthesise past disaster research that addresses issues of race and ethnicity in the United States. Using an eight-stage typology to organise the findings, this literature review presents the results from a wide range of studies. The synthesis shows how various racial and ethnic groups perceive natural hazard risks and respond to warnings, how groups may be differentially affected, both physically and psychologically, and how disaster effects vary by race and ethnicity during the periods of emergency response, recovery and reconstruction. We show that studies have important findings, many illustrating that racial and ethnic communities in the US are more vulnerable to natural disasters, due to factors such as language, housing patterns, building construction, community isolation and cultural insensitivities. By presenting these studies together, we are able to witness patterns of racial and ethnic inequalities that may be more difficult to see or interpret in individual studies that take place in one specific time and place. We conclude the review with policy and research recommendations.     

新疆1950～1997年洪旱灾害的统计与分形特征分析

基于新疆1950～1997年的洪旱灾害统计资料,运用一般统计学方法与分形理论分析了新疆这段时期内相应的洪旱灾害特征。分析发现,20世纪80代年以来新疆洪旱灾害呈急剧扩大的态势,20世纪80年代和90年代与50年代相比,洪水与干旱灾害成灾面积都增大了约6～7倍;1950～1997年新疆洪旱灾害时间序列具有明显的分形特征,相应的饱和分维数分别为d=2.9733与d=3.6921,饱和关联维数对应的嵌入空间的最小维数为9。     

Responding to crises and disasters: the role of risk attitudes and risk perceptions

Discussions are taking place both in the United States and in Europe about how governments should respond to both disasters and crises, and how citizens' non-desirable behaviour might be managed with respect to such disasters. Here we examine the role that risk attitudes and risk perceptions play in decision making behaviour of individuals in times of crises and disasters and how knowledge about individual behaviour and its drivers may be helpful when developing policy. The proposed framework complements the existing literature, thereby further enriching the knowledge of crises and disaster management.     

Revealing the socioeconomic impact of small disasters in Colombia using the DesInventar database

Small disasters are usually the product of climate variability and climate change. Analysis of them illustrates that they increase difficulties for local development—frequently affecting the livelihoods of poor people and perpetuating their level of poverty and human insecurity—and entail challenges for a country's development. In contrast to extreme events, small disasters are often invisible at the national level and their effects are not considered as relevant from a macroeconomic standpoint. Nevertheless, their accumulated impact causes economic, environmental and social problems. This paper presents the results of an evaluation of the DesInventar database, developed in 1994 by the Network for Social Studies in Disaster Prevention in Latin America. In addition, it proposes a new version of the Local Disaster Index developed in 2005 within the framework of the Disaster Risk and Management Indicators Program for the Americas, with the support of the Inter‐American Development Bank.     

渤海西岸盐业气象灾害灾损评估方法研究

针对渤海西岸盐业生产中所遭受的暴雨、突发性的雷阵雨、大风(短时)、风暴潮、低温等气象灾害,阐述了其灾损评估的理论依据,全面分析了影响原盐生产的主要气象灾害的各种因素,选取了其合适的气象灾害指标,并进行分级,确定了灾害的评估方法,并建立了灾损评估模型,通过检验,说明其效果良好。     

Human rights and proactive displacement: determining the appropriate balance between the duty to protect and the right to remain

The proactive displacement by public authorities of populations from areas perceived to be exposed to a high risk of disaster presents complex human rights challenges. Provided that no ulterior motive is at play, the use of compulsory evacuations and relocations as policy responses to such risk is mandated by the duty to protect the right to life. However, proactive displacement in the interest of saving lives can be problematic as such measures can lead to the limitation of other human rights, resulting in an intricate assessment of whether compulsory evacuation or permanent relocation is proportional in any given circumstance. Such an analysis demands critical attention by public authorities to the perception of the disaster risk in question and problematises claims to objectivity of official risk assessments. Furthermore, it poses the question as to whether measures designed to address the disaster risk in question that are less intrusive than relocation may be available to public authorities.     

The influence of caste,class and gender in surviving multiple disasters: A case study from Orissa,India

Sociological and anthropological studies in India reveal that caste, class and gender in everyday life are both rigid and dynamic, but little is known about how they influence the survival mechanisms of women during ‘multiple disasters’, nor about how women negotiate with these structural mores to meet their cultural and biological needs. This is explored through the experiences of 12 women-headed households from different social castes in Orissa, India. Multiple disasters or disasters that occur in ‘one specific place’ (such as floods, cyclone and drought) are regular events in coastal parts of the state of Orissa. The super-cyclone of 1999, two floods of 2001 and 2003 and drought of 2000 and 2002 form the case study. Participant observation, in-depth interviews and documentary evidence complement the fieldwork. The findings suggest a complex interplay of caste, class and gender in surviving the multiple disasters including structural mutability under the purview of social organization. In doing so, women demonstrated their individual and collective agencies in order to meet their cultural and biological needs under severe crisis. This research stresses that gender and disaster studies must include a consideration of caste and class for effective disaster management and social vulnerability reduction.     

黄河下游历史泥沙灾害的宏观特征及其与流域因素及人类活动的关系（I）—历史气候及植被因素的影响

以历史上黄河下游的决溢频率为泥沙灾害的代用指标,研究了黄河下游历史泥沙灾害的宏观特征。研究表明,气候因素对黄河下游决溢频率有深远的影响。隋唐以前,天然植被尚未遭到显著破坏,当湿润指标增大时,有利于植被的生长,故黄河下游决溢频率减小。10世纪以后,二者的关系与此相反,当湿润指标增大时,决溢频率也增大,反之亦然。每世纪大旱年频次与每世纪决溢频次之间呈明显正相关,说明目前受到各方面广泛关注的黄河下游“小水大灾”现象,在历史上已经存在。干旱时期中,河槽萎缩,一旦在大水来临,很容易发生决溢。以华山松树木年轮指数为气温的代用指标,研究了气温变化与决溢频率变化的关系。结果表明,在50a的尺度上,当气温降低时,决溢频率增大,反之亦然,人类活动是影响黄河下游泥灾害的重要因素。     

全球气候变化情景下的河北省区域减灾建设

全球气候变化将导致一些地区自然灾害加剧,并将影响到区域的可持续发展.加强区域减灾建设,及早采取相应措施,是适应未来全球气候变化的明智选择.鉴于全球气候变化的影响存在区域差异,不同区域采取的对策也有所区别.本文以河北省为例,分析了该区域自然灾害的类型、历史时期和现在灾害的特点、发生规律及其原因,并根据该区域未来的全球气候变化趋势,提出了一些需要及早实施的战略性减灾对策.