Forgetting about hazard

Abstract

This paper examines long-term recovery outcomes of businesses impacted by major natural disasters. Data were collected via two large-scale mail surveys—one administered to Santa Cruz County, California businesses 8 years after the Loma Prieta earthquake and the other administered to businesses in South Dade County, Florida, 6 years after Hurricane Andrew. Based on the results of OLS regression models, we argue that long-term recovery experiences of businesses are affected by various factors, including the economic sector in which a business operates, its age and financial condition, and the scope of its primary market; direct and indirect disaster impacts, including physical damage, forced closure, and disruption of operations; and owner perceptions of the broader economic climate. Previous disaster experience, level of disaster preparedness, and use of external sources of aid were not found to significantly affect the long-term economic viability of businesses in the two study communities.     

Vulnerability of community businesses to environmental disasters

Business plays important roles in community functioning. ² However, disaster research has been disproportionately focused on units of analysis such as families, households and government agencies. This paper synthesises the major findings within the business development research field and the disaster research field. It constructs a framework for evaluating business vulnerability to natural disasters. Our theoretical integration of the research conducted to date addresses five major issues. First, it defines the ways in which businesses are subject to the impacts of natural disasters. Second, it identifies the factors that determine the magnitude of business impacts after a disaster. Third, it identifies how and when businesses return to their pre-disaster level in the disaster stricken community. Fourth, it describes measures that can be taken by individual firms and community planners to reduce the impacts of environmental disasters. Fifth, it identifies needs for public policy and future research to reduce business vulnerability to environmental disasters.     

The continued operation of businesses after an earthquake: a case study from Lushan County,China

This study performed a comparative analysis of changes in the operating status of initial surviving disaster‐stricken businesses and non‐disaster‐stricken businesses in Lushan County, China, after a devastating earthquake on 20 April 2013. It used a logistic regression model to explore the key factors associated with ‘post‐disaster continued business operation’ in the long term. Field data were collected from 1,078 businesses and questionnaire data from 263 small businesses between 2013 and 2017. The results indicate that a higher proportion of initial surviving disaster‐stricken businesses than non‐disaster‐stricken businesses managed to remain operational in each observation period. The continued operation of disaster‐stricken businesses after the earthquake was positively associated with the owner's age, previous disaster experience, pre‐disaster financial conditions, closure duration, and borrowing money from family or friends. A negative association was found with the size of the business. The findings serve as a vital reference for strategies to promote post‐disaster continued business operation.     

Factors affecting post-disaster location choices of businesses: an analysis of the 1999 earthquake

Despite global policies advocating risk reduction and community level recovery, post-disaster implementations usually focus on households, but fail to focus on businesses in spatial terms. Due to the lack of appropriate policy and tools, businesses often make their own location choices as part of their recovery strategy. In view of this, this study aims to establish the factors affecting the location choices of businesses challenged by disasters in the absence of any specific spatial strategies designed for them. In order to determine these factors, empirical research was conducted in Adapazari, Turkey on 232 firms selected as a result of a stratified random sampling procedure. According to the analysis of the results, the most notable impacts on business location choices after a disaster shock are associated with occupancy status, education level, and extent of damage. In line with these findings, the impacts of business location choices are discussed to highlight the role of businesses in spatial decisions.     

Understanding the causes of vulnerabilities for enhancing social-physical resilience: lessons from the Wenchuan earthquake

ABSTRACT

In an effort to understand the social-physical vulnerabilities from the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, this research established and validated a conceptual model for natural disaster analysis. The earthquake severely impacted the built environment, with many buildings being destroyed in the earthquake and from secondary impacts. This vulnerable environment exacerbated the poverty in the local residents because of the lack of flat land and the inaccessibility of the mountainous areas. Therefore, there was an interactive relationship between the built environment vulnerability and the social vulnerability. Due to general poverty and low education levels, social vulnerability in rural areas is often the result of poor quality building construction; in the event of an earthquake, therefore, most economic losses and casualties are the result of building destruction. To enhance social-physical resilience, measures should be adopted to mitigate the vulnerability of the built environment and society through actions such as land use planning, the use of seismic-resistant technologies, and investment in infrastructure, education, industrial development, and environmental protection. This research extracts the reasons for the vulnerabilities through an examination of the interactions between the natural environment, the built environment, and the local society. The insights gained have significant theoretical and practical implications in assisting vulnerable communities resist and adapt to natural hazards to achieve sustainable development.     

The impact of disasters on small business disaster planning: a case study

A major flood in 1997 forced the evacuation of Grand Forks, North Dakota and caused damage of USD 1 billion. Despite this recent disaster there is only marginal evidence of an increase in disaster recovery planning by businesses that experienced the flood. This finding is consistent with the results of other business-related disaster research. Statistical tests of survey results from 2003 indicate that there is a significantly higher rate of disaster recovery planning in businesses started since the 1997 flood than in businesses started before the flood and still in business. Such an outcome indicates a need for public policy actions emphasizing the importance of disaster planning. Improved disaster planning is an aid to business recovery and the results demonstrate the need for more widespread efforts to improve disaster recovery planning on the part of smaller businesses, even in areas that have recently experienced disasters.     

经常性暴雨内涝区域房屋财(资)产脆弱性研究——以温州市为例

基于洪涝灾害脆弱性研究基本思路,选择经常性暴雨内涝区域——温州市麻步镇和水头镇,就0908号台风"莫拉克"影响开展"暴雨内涝灾后房屋财产和商业资产损失"抽样问卷调查。结果表明:淹没区域平均水深1.7m,平均淹没时间超过2 d,房屋财(资)产损失较大;经常性暴雨内涝区域30%住户和商铺灾害损失值和灾损率接近0,房屋财产和商业资产灾损率呈现乘幂函数曲线。     

Prospects for disaster management in China and the role of insurance

ABSTRACT

Natural disasters have serious negative consequences for China and it is necessary to build an effective and efficient disaster relief system. This paper aims to provide suggestions for how to restructure and optimise China’s disaster relief system. This paper first discusses the four main channels through which relief funds are currently distributed in China while also examining the relative share of relief funds directed through each channel. Then, the advantages and disadvantages of these relief channels are compared. Finally, suggestions for how China can reduce the negative economic and social impacts of natural disasters by restructuring and optimising its current disaster relief system are provided. The paper presents several main findings. Currently, government-channelled funds are the most important source of disaster relief in China. However, the actual ratio of relief funds from the government to the total amount of losses and the ratio of relief funds from the four channels added together are both very low. This paper argues that the role of commercial insurance in disaster relief is far from sufficient. Importantly, suggestions are also provided on how to restructure the system and on the relative role that each of these channels should play in China’s disaster relief system.     

基于GIS的台风灾害损失评估模型研究

由于台风灾害所造成的损失有些是无法用精确的数学模型来描述,其损失可能是一个区间值。为准确及时地了解台风灾害过程中可能造成灾害损失等级的大小,选择了降水量、降水强度、最大风速、经济易损性作为评价的指标。采用可拓分析方法,将评价指标及其特征值作为物元,通过计算综合关联度判断灾害损失的等级;建立基于GIS的台风灾害损失评估模型,以实现台风灾害的动态评估。     

Building community resilience: business preparedness lessons in the case of Adapazarı, Turkey

The lack of attention paid to businesses in disaster management systems from the standpoint of state policies hampers efforts to build community resilience. This paper examines, therefore, the extent of business preparedness for disasters. Empirical research was conducted in Adapazarı, Turkey, 13 years after the İzmit earthquake, which struck the northwest of the country on 17 August 1999, claiming the lives of some 17,000 people. For the study, 232 firms were selected to inquire about their preparedness before and after the event. It is hypothesised that business preparedness is influenced by the following set of variables: business size; business sector; business age; financial condition prior to the disaster; occupancy tenure; market range; education level; and previous disaster experience. In line with the findings of the research, a policy framework is constructed to rationalise the allocation of resources for building resilience at the aggregate level by facilitating business preparedness.     

Livelihoods,precarity, and disaster vulnerability: Nicaragua and Hurricane Mitch

How livelihoods determine vulnerability to disasters is a recent topic of inquiry. Few quantitative works have been produced to date. The empirical analysis that follows draws on household‐level data available for Nicaragua, preceding and following Hurricane Mitch, a devastating Category 5 storm that made landfall in Central America in October 1998, to examine differentials in disaster recovery outcomes vis‐à‐vis household livelihood profiles. Livelihoods are distinguished according to economic sector along with ownership of productive means, a central mechanism of vulnerability under sociological labour frameworks. The findings indicate uneven recovery outcomes in relation to livelihoods. During the year immediately following the event, agricultural wage earners and agricultural owner‐producers experienced marked losses owing to the disaster, whereas business owners saw an improvement in condition. Analysis of long‐term recovery reveals that households reliant on agricultural wage employment exhibit lagged recovery relative to other livelihood profiles. The findings are discussed with respect to the dynamic pressures posed by contemporary developmental processes.     

区域承灾体脆弱性指标体系与精细量化模型研究

灾害损失的严重程度由致灾环境的危险性、承灾体的脆弱性,以及区域的应急能力决定的。承灾体脆弱性研究对灾害风险管理、区域防灾减灾、减灾投资,以及灾害保险等有着重要的意义。建立了针对自然灾害的区域承灾体脆弱性评估指标体系;在此基础上,引入精细化土地类型,基于GIS对承灾体脆弱性做了基于精细网格的量化模型研究;并以浙江德清县自然灾害区划为例进行了试验。     

基于“3S”技术的村镇住宅洪灾脆弱性曲线研究

脆弱性曲线常用来表示各类承灾体的洪灾损失率与洪水特征之间的关系,是洪灾风险评价方法中的关键部分。为了构建村镇住宅洪灾脆弱性曲线,以2010年永吉县口前镇洪灾为案例,根据抽样理论运用GPS技术开展了村镇住宅洪灾损失的实地调查;运用RS技术和GIS技术提取出洪水淹没水深用以补充未调查房屋的淹没水深数据;采用回归分析方法建立了各类平房住宅水深-损失率之间的关系,用以表征脆弱性曲线。结果表明:居民住宅的洪灾损失率与水深高度相关,且在同一淹没水深下,平房住宅的使用时间越长损失率越大。脆弱性曲线的建立为计算洪灾潜在损失和区域防灾减灾提供了依据。     

二要素多部门CGE模型的灾害经济研究

根据一般均衡分析的思想,构建了一个二要素多部门的可计算一般均衡模型,用以分析和计算自然灾害的发生对经济系统的影响,研究结果表明,灾害的三种不同直接经济损失对经济系统的间接影响是不同的,一次具体的自然灾害的经济影响是三种损失后果的综合。     

河北省农业旱灾脆弱性区划与减灾

脆弱性是农业遭受干旱影响和旱灾损失的必要条件,它决定旱灾影响的强度。本文对河北省农业旱灾脆弱性进行了区划,分析了区域农业旱灾脆弱性变化的成因,针对区域农业旱灾脆弱性累进的动态压力,提出了调整人类行为、降低脆弱性、减轻灾害影响和损失的思路。     

Knowing better and losing even more: the use of knowledge in hazards management

Abstract

Although loss of life from natural hazards has been declining, the property losses from those causes have been increasing. At the same time the volume of research on natural hazards and the books reviewing findings on the subject have also increased. Several major changes have occurred in the topics addressed. Emphasis has shifted from hazards to disasters. There has been increasing attention to vulnerability. Views of causation have changed. Four possible explanations are examined for the situation in which more is lost while more is known: (1) knowledge continues to be flawed by areas of ignorance; (2) knowledge is available but not used effectively; (3) knowledge is used effectively but takes a long time to have effect; and (4) knowledge is used effectively in some respects but is overwhelmed by increases in vulnerability and in population, wealth, and poverty.     

The 2004 tsunami and mental health in Thailand: a longitudinal analysis of one‐and two‐year post‐disaster data

Some 280,000 people died in the Indian Ocean tsunami on 26 December 2004. This cohort study examined its impact on mental health one and two years later. It did so by investigating the association between six consequent variables (personal injury, loss of home, loss of business, death of a family member, injury to a family member, or loss of a family member's business) and mental health, as measured by the 36‐item Short Form Health Survey (SF‐36), among residents in four provinces of Thailand. One year later, participants who suffered a personal injury, the loss of a business, or the loss of a family member reported poorer mental health than those who were unaffected. Two years later, participants who experienced the loss of a family member reported poorer mental health than those who were unaffected. This research shows that such a disaster may have long‐lasting ramifications for mental health, and that diverse losses may influence mental health differently.     

The role of lifeline losses in business continuity in the case of Adapazari,Turkey

Despite the fact that one of the main reasons for business discontinuity after the shock of a natural disaster is lifeline outages, individual preparedness and recovery efforts have been given priority. This paper focuses on the significance of lifeline services for business continuity in order to highlight the necessity for collective action to achieve community recovery. Post-disaster research was conducted on a sample of business survivors in the town of Adapazari, which was severely affected by an earthquake in 1999. The study looked into the dependence of businesses on various infrastructure systems and the effects on those businesses of lifeline outages. The findings of the study address the need for community-level actions that are beyond the capability of any individual firm and which will ensure the continuity of business.     

Development policy: a driving force of environmental hazard in Russia

Abstract

The scale and severity of environmental deterioration in Russia—and its accompanying hazards—constitute a true environmental crisis. Its characteristic features are a gradual continuing loss of environmental quality accompanied by acute environmental impacts associated with industrial accidents and related emergencies. The underlying causes are a mixture of political and social factors in association with the unbridled technological development. These were along the main driving forces of environmental hazard in the former Soviet Union and they continue to play that role in contemporary Russia. But the current environmental crisis is not only a time of adversity; it also has the potential to provide the necessary conditions for improvements in the economic wellbeing and environmental quality.     

Towards an integrated approach of disaster and environment management: A case study of Thua Thien Hue province,central Viet Nam

Disasters and environmental degradation create serious problems all around the world. They are inherently linked, but little attention is paid to their interaction, particularly at local levels. The degree of integration of disaster management and risk analysis with environmental management programs in relation to human vulnerability has been examined in Thua Thien Hue Province, Central Viet Nam. Unsustainable agricultural practices, and inappropriate development programs have contributed substantially to the increase of disaster risks. On the other hand, disasters damage natural resources and reduce environmental quality, indirectly contributing to increasing poverty which in turn, adds to the vulnerability of both natural and human systems, so further increasing disaster losses. Notwithstanding, in Viet Nam, there is a big gap between disaster and environment management policies and programs. In order to bridge the gap, an integrated approach in which environment-disaster linkage, rural—urban linkage, and poverty are brought into focus as core aspects of disaster management.