Overview of deaths associated with natural events, United States, 1979-2004.

Analysis of the National Center for Health Statistics' Compressed Mortality File showed that between 1979 and 2004, natural events caused 21,491 deaths in the United States. During this 26-year period, there were 10,827 cold-related deaths and 5,279 heat-related deaths. Extreme cold or heat accounted for 75 per cent of the total number of deaths attributed to natural events--more than all of deaths resulting from lightning, storms and foods, and earth movements, such as earthquakes and landslides. Cold-related death rates were highest in the states of Alaska, Montana, New Mexico, and South Dakota, while heat-related deaths were highest in the states of Arizona, Missouri, and Arkansas. These deaths occurred more often among the elderly and black men. Other deaths were attributed to lightning (1,906), storms and foods (2,741), and earth movements (738). Most deaths associated with natural events are preventable and society can take action to decrease the morbidity and mortality connected with them.     

基于GIS技术的雷电监测系统

雷电是发生在大气中的瞬间放电过程，并同时伴有声、光的出现，是一种能引起严重灾害的自然现象。雷电灾害是一种严重的气象灾害，不仅能造成人员伤亡和建筑物、电子设备、输电线路、通信设备等受损，而且还能诱发火灾和爆炸事故，严重威胁人类生命和财产的安全。与其它灾害性天气相比，雷电有发生时间短、频率高和影响范围广等特点。因此，进行有效的雷电监测和雷电活动规律分析对雷电灾害的预测预警和防灾减灾工作有重要意义。文章介绍了基于GIS技术的雷电监测系统的设计及实现。     

Analysis of hazardous material releases due to natural hazards in the United States

Natural hazards were the cause of approximately 16,600 hazardous material (hazmat) releases reported to the National Response Center (NRC) between 1990 and 2008-three per cent of all reported hazmat releases. Rain-induced releases were most numerous (26 per cent of the total), followed by those associated with hurricanes (20 per cent), many of which resulted from major episodes in 2005 and 2008. Winds, storms or other weather-related phenomena were responsible for another 25 per cent of hazmat releases. Large releases were most frequently due to major natural disasters. For instance, hurricane-induced releases of petroleum from storage tanks account for a large fraction of the total volume of petroleum released during 'natechs' (understood here as a natural hazard and the hazardous materials release that results). Among the most commonly released chemicals were nitrogen oxides, benzene, and polychlorinated biphenyls. Three deaths, 52 injuries, and the evacuation of at least 5,000 persons were recorded as a consequence of natech events. Overall, results suggest that the number of natechs increased over the study period (1990-2008) with potential for serious human and environmental impacts.     

Vehicle-occupant deaths caused by tornadoes in the United States, 1900–1998

Abstract

Occupants of vehicles encounter an uncertain degree of risk during tornadic storms. The current National Weather Service guidelines suggest we abandon vehicles to lie in a ditch if no sturdy shelter is available. However, these guidelines were developed without the benefit of supporting research. As we are an increasingly vehicle-dependent society, it is important to explore the historical record of vehicle-occupant deaths to see if the National Weather Service guidance is appropriate. The objective of this paper is to investigate the number, distribution, and broad spatial and temporal trends associated with vehicle-occupant deaths that have occurred as a result of tornadoes, and to define the proportion of tornado-induced deaths that have occurred in vehicles.

There were 15,047 deaths caused by tornadoes from 1900 through 1998. Of those, 5685 occurred at a defined site, and 270 were known to have occurred in vehicles. The number of vehicle-occupant deaths, as a proportion of all site-known, tornado-induced deaths, was constant from 1959–1979, but decreased significantly between 1980–1998. The number of deaths was related to several influencing factors. Linear regressions and correlations were employed to determine the degree of relationship between the number of deaths and several explanatory factors. While population, number of vehicle registrations, and number of tornadoes all seemed to influence the number of deaths to some degree, the most significant factor to influence the number of deaths appeared to be vehicle safety features. Most vehicle-occupant deaths occurred during rare F4 tornadoes, when vehicles where thrown from roadways. Regionally, the Great Plains had the highest number of vehicle-occupant deaths from tornadoes.     

Deaths in natural hazards in the solomon islands

Archival and library search techniques have been used to establish extensive databases on deaths and damage resulting from natural hazards in the Solomon Islands. Although the records of fatalities are certainly incomplete, volcanic eruptions, tropical cyclones, landslides, tsunami and earthquakes appear to have been the most important. Only 22 per cent of the recorded deaths have resulted from meteorological hazards but a single event could change this proportion significantly. Five events in the fatality database account for 88 per cent of the recorded deaths. Future death tolls are also likely to be dominated by a small number of events. While the expected number of deaths in a given period is dependent upon the length of record considered, it is clear that a disaster which kills one hundred or more people in the Solomons can be expected more frequently than once in a hundred years.     

雷击参数在线监录与SPD动态预警管理——“黑匣子”研究与应用

人类赖以生存的地球表面每小时约连续发生2000个雷暴。随着科学技术发展到如今的信息时代,任何场所(特别是雷电多发地区)都有可能发生雷击灾害,许多雷击事故往往是由于低压供、配电线路与信息传输线路感应传导雷电高电压引起的。尽管闪电定位系统得到了广泛的应用,雷电防护有相应的国际、国家与行业技术规范,但发生雷击事故现场仍然不能获取实质性的雷击参数,某些雷灾鉴定缺乏科学的定量数据,人们希望能有像飞机黑匣子那样的智能设备。所研究的黑匣子是一种在线监测、记录、还原雷击参数的智能仪表,对特定环境设施(如:避雷针、低压供、配电线路与信息传输线路)入侵的雷击具备在线实时监测、记录并还原雷击参数雷电流幅值、持续时间、极性(雷击电流走向)与波形的功能;且具有对在线电涌保护器(surge protective device,SPD)的动态预警管理效能。     

Hurricane storm surge in Volusia County,Florida: evidence of a tipping point for infrastructure damage

Storm surge often is the most destructive consequence of hurricanes and tropical storms, causing significant economic damage and loss of life. Many coastal communities that are located in high‐risk areas vis‐à‐vis hurricanes and tropical storms are prepared for moderate (between six and eight feet) storm surges. Such preparation, though, is not commensurate with more severe, but less frequent, storm surges (greater than eight feet). These gaps in preparedness have serious implications for community resilience. This paper explores elements of the vulnerability and resilience of coastal communities during major storm surge events, drawing on Volusia County, Florida, United States, as a case study. It simulates the impacts of five hurricanes (Categories I–V) and their associated storm surges on local infrastructure systems, populations, and access to resources. The results suggest that Volusia County is subject to a ‘tipping point’ , where surge damage from Category IV storms is significantly greater than that from Category III and lower hurricanes.     

Normalised insurance losses from Australian natural disasters: 1966–2017

ABSTRACT

The paper updates normalisation of the Insurance Council of Australia’s Disaster List in the light of debate about the contribution of global warming to the rising cost of natural disasters. Normalisation estimates losses from historical events in a common year, here ‘season’ 2017 defined as the 12-month period from 1 July 2017. The number and nominal cost of new residential dwellings are key normalising factors and post-1974 improvements in construction standards in tropical cyclone-prone parts of the country are explicitly allowed for. 94% of the normalised losses arise from weather-related perils – bushfires, tropical cyclones, floods and severe storms – with the 1999 Sydney hailstorm the most costly single event (AUD5.6 billion). When aggregated by season, there is no trend in normalised losses from weather-related perils; in other words, after we normalise for changes we know to have taken place, no residual signal remains to be explained by changes in the occurrence of extreme weather events, regardless of cause. In sum, the rising cost of natural disasters is being driven by where and how we chose to live and with more people living in vulnerable locations with more to lose, natural disasters remain an important problem irrespective of a warming climate.     

初议防疫-减灾综合体制

危害生命健康的自然灾害和疫病的发生,既有内因,也有外因;既有自然因素,也有社会因素,而根本上是由地球气圈、水圈、岩石圈、生物圈和人类社会圈等诸圈层的运动、变异和相互影响造成的.自然灾害和疫病各自具有独特的属性与表象特征,然而总体来看,无论是在时间分布与空间分布上,还是在灾因、病因上,两者又具有广泛的联系性.因此应以系统整体观为指导,研究自然灾害与疫病的发生、发展规律,并建立以保护资源、保护环境、减少各种致灾因素和推动防疫减灾系统工程为基础的社会防疫-减灾综合体制.为了维护国家安全,防疫与减灾要协调并进.     

Snowstorm catastrophes in the United States

Extremely damaging snowstorms, those causing more than $1 million in property losses across the US, were studied, and the spatial and temporal characteristics of the storm activity during 1949–2001 were defined. There were 155 catastrophic snowstorms and they caused insured losses of $21.6 billion (2001 dollars). The northeastern US had the nation's maximum storm occurrences (79 storms), greatest total losses ($7.3 billion), and highest storm intensity. Two-thirds of all US losses occurred in the Northeast, Southeast, and Central climate regions, and storm occurrences and losses were least in the western US. The incidence of storms peaked during the 1976–1985 period and exhibited no up or down trend during 1949–2001. However, losses had a significant upward time trend, as did storm sizes and intensity. New York and Pennsylvania had the greatest number of storms with fewest in Montana, Idaho, and Utah. Time distribution of losses in the northeastern and southeastern US were U-shaped with flat time trends for 1949–2001. Losses in the western regions and Deep South had distinct upward trends in losses, storm intensity, and storm size. More than 90 percent of all storm losses in the western US have occurred since 1980. These findings indicate that rapidly growing population and property at risk have been major factors in increasing losses as well as atmospheric changes leading to greater storm intensity and size.     

Social vulnerability and the natural and built environment: a model of flood casualties in Texas

Studies on the impacts of hurricanes, tropical storms, and tornados indicate that poor communities of colour suffer disproportionately in human death and injury.(2) Few quantitative studies have been conducted on the degree to which flood events affect socially vulnerable populations. We address this research void by analysing 832 countywide flood events in Texas from 1997-2001. Specifically, we examine whether geographic localities characterised by high percentages of socially vulnerable populations experience significantly more casualties due to flood events, adjusting for characteristics of the natural and built environment. Zero-inflated negative binomial regression models indicate that the odds of a flood casualty increase with the level of precipitation on the day of a flood event, flood duration, property damage caused by the flood, population density, and the presence of socially vulnerable populations. Odds decrease with the number of dams, the level of precipitation on the day before a recorded flood event, and the extent to which localities have enacted flood mitigation strategies. The study concludes with comments on hazard-resilient communities and protection of casualty-prone populations.     

2003-2008年河北省雷电灾害特征统计分析

雷电灾害是最严重的10种自然灾害之一,掌握雷电灾害的时空分布规律,对做好雷电防御工作具有重要的社会意义.根据2003-2008年河北省雷电灾害的统计结果,揭示了河北省雷电灾害的时空分布规律,并结合河北省实际情况,进一步分析了雷电灾害发生的可能原因,为全省防雷减灾工作提供参考.     

Local government,political decentralisation and resilience to natural hazard-associated disasters

Natural hazards affect development and can cause significant and long-term suffering for those affected. Research has shown that sustained long-term disaster preparedness combined with appropriate response and recovery are needed to deliver effective risk reductions. However, as the newly agreed Sendai framework recognises, this knowledge has not been translated into action. This research aims to contribute to our understanding of how to deliver longer term and sustained risk reduction by evaluating the role of political decentralisation in disaster outcomes. Specifically, we investigate whether countries which devolve power to the local level experience reduced numbers of people affected by storms and earthquakes, and have lower economic damage. Using regression analysis and cross-country data from 1950 to 2006, we find that, in relation to both storms and earthquakes, greater transfers of political power to subnational tiers of government reduce hazard impacts on the population. The downside is that more politically decentralised countries, which are usually wealthier countries, can increase the direct economic losses associated with a natural hazard impact after the storm or earthquake than those which are more centralised. However, overall, it seems advantageous to give subnational governments more authority and autonomy in storm and earthquake risk planning.     

COMPREHENSIVE STUDY OF NATURAL DISASTERS IN BEIJING AREA

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Sand and dust storms: underrated natural hazards

Sand and dust storms (SDS) are wind erosion events typically associated with dryland regions, although they can occur in most environments and their impacts are frequently experienced outside drylands because desert dust haze often is transported great distances. SDS represent hazards to society in numerous ways, yet they do not feature prominently in the disasters literature. This paper considers SDS in a hazard context by examining their ramifications in economic, physical, and social terms, with a focus on agriculture, health, transport, utilities, households, and the commercial and manufacturing sector. There are few assessments of the economic consequences of SDS and those studies that have been conducted lack consistency in data collection methods and analysis. SDS do not result in the significant damage to infrastructure usually associated with many disasters, but the cumulative effects on society can be significant because SDS occur more commonly than most other types of natural hazard.     

Spatial and temporal analysis of natural hazard mortality in Nepal

The impacts of natural hazards are typically measured in terms of loss of human lives and economic damage, and recent studies demonstrate that deaths attributed to natural hazards have increased. Using the publicly available DesInventar database, we examined spatial and temporal patterns of natural hazard mortality from 1971 to 2011 at the district and village levels of Nepal and identified natural hazards that contributed most to mortality. Spatial clusters of mortality at the district and village levels were detected using local and global spatial autocorrelation measures (Moran's I). Landslides (41.91%) and floods (32.52%) accounted for approximately three quarters of natural hazard mortalities over the study period. A Global Moran's I test positively confirmed clustering at both the district (0.199, p?p?相似文献   

土工建筑物地震永久滑移变形计算方法研究进展评述

在地震动作用下,土石坝等土工建筑物与地基将产生不可恢复的瞬时失稳滑移或永久变形。从国内外发展现状及所取得的主要研究进展和近期发展动向等角度,对土工建筑物地震永久滑移变形的各种简化计算方法进行了系统的综述和总结,进而对各种分析方法及其适用条件进行了评述,最后对今后关于这一专题所应开展的研究提出了建议。     

The vulnerability of small island States to sea level rise: the need for holistic strategies

There is uncertainty about climate change and its socioenvironmental implications, but the vulnerability of small island states to hazardous events is likely to become increasingly significant. It will not be a normally benign sea that rises but the incidence of storms and cyclones can be assumed to increase with tropical sea-surface temperatures. The proportional socioeconomic impact of tropical cyclone disasters makes these of crucial significance to small islands and small island states. Sea-defences are of little use (and may not be feasible at all) against the damage caused by tropical cyclones and some sea-surges. Social and economic adjustments are also required to parallel erosion control; and disaster preparedness "longstops" must be further developed as a matter of urgency. Apparently small measures must not be displaced by images of ultimate, massive catastrophe; adjustments may serve other functions in society as well. International and bilateral measures are required to take account of migration and"ecological refugees" and national administrations may require modification to take appropriate account of this most crucial of environmental phenomena.     

西北地区雷暴气候特征分析

雷电产生于中尺度对流天气系统,具有明显的局地和时效特征,对西北地区气象站点历史雷暴资料的统计发现,夏季最强,春秋次之,冬季几乎无雷暴发生;地理分布呈三大中心区;与海拔高度、经度、纬度的相关分析及年际变化分析表明,地形地势是影响该地区雷暴的主要因子.高原上的雷暴云较其它地区容易产生冰雹,冰雹日数与雷暴日数比值最大为0.36.西北夏季大部分地方的闪电密度小于1个.km-2.a-1,夏季3个月的闪电密度有3个最强中心,新疆西部是最强的闪电密度中心,超过9个.km-2.a-1,7月中心最强,6月次之,8月较弱.     

海南文昌火箭发射场雷电环境分析

利用海南省18个气象台站的雷暴人工观测资料和海南闪电定位网的观测资料,分析了海南文昌火箭发射场的雷暴特征和雷电环境,结果表明:海南岛的中部和北部雷暴活动较强,西部、东部和南部近海地区的雷暴活动较弱,文昌发射场处在北部较强的雷暴区;采用Krigine(克里格)方法拟合的结果为文昌火箭发射场雷暴日数的年变化从1982年以后逐渐减少,发射场一年中各月都有雷暴发生,4-10月为雷暴高发期;发射场西部、西北部和北部区域雷暴活动较其它区域要强,79%的雷电流强度小于40 kA,而只有5.9%的雷电流强度大于60 kA,一天中闪电的发生有两个高峰时段,一个出现在凌晨5时到6时,另一个时段出现在14时到18时,午后15时左右是闪电活动最频繁的时段。