Indian Ocean Tsunami
December 26th 2004, 9.1 magnitude off the coast of Sumatra (the region is made of mostly LDCs). Lack of technology meant most people were unaware the tsunami was about to strike
Social Impacts: 228k dead, 1.7 million homeless, 80% of those affected in India experienced symptoms of psychological disorders like PTSD
Economic Impacts: $10 billion of damage, 600,000 jobs destroyed in Aceh, Indonesia
Environmental Impacts: 50% of beaches in West Sumatra damaged, 30% coral reefs, 30% wetlands, 90% mangroves damaged
Response: $14.5 billion in aid given by donors, 60% from governments and 40% from private donors
Training was given in Indonesia to prepare for similar future scenarios
Tohoku Tsunami
11th March 2011, 9.0 magnitude richter off the east coast of Japan, people were prepared with resilient buildings, regular evacuation drills and survival kits in homes
Social Impacts: 18k dead, 450k homeless,
Economic Impacts: $400 billion damage, $180 of which was from Fukushima Power Plant damages
Environmental Impacts: Some beaches dropped by 50cm destroying habitats for crabs
Response: Issued emergency warnings within minutes of the initial earthquake to allow evacuation, built about 52,000 temporary hosuing units and set 100,000 people to help rescue
$2.7 billion given in foreign aid to fuel response
Indian Ocean vs Tohoku
Indian Ocean: More social impacts due to more vulnerable population due to less development (think pressure and release model), meaning less resilient buildings and infrastructure and worse evauation communication and plans, but less economic impacts as the buildings were cheaper to replace
Tohoku: More economic impacts due to higher level of development, meaning infrastructure and buildings were more expensive to rebuild, but also had less social impacts as they were better protected
Reasons for difference in impacts:
- Level of Development
- Cost of Infrastructure
- Warning Systems
- Ability to Respond
Haiti Earthquake
12th January 2010, 7.0 magnitude around 25km from Port-au-Prince, Haiti is an LIC with 0.535 HDI and low development which could not withstand an earthquake
Social Impacts: 220,000 dead, 1.5 million homeless, the only major health facility, Aquin Hospital, was badly damaged increasing danger of illnesses and wounds
Economic Impacts: $7.8 billion damage (20% more than Haiti’s GDP)
Environmental Impacts: Killed 1 million animals (livestock/pets) and damaged soil which also ruined crop yield of bananas and yams
Response: $16.3 billion was donated to relieve Haiti although corruption meant that not all money was accounted for in recovery spending
Most on-the-ground responses were done by volunteers abroad, although damaged inrastrcture made rescue efforts difficult. After 1 year only 20% of rubble had been cleared
Christchurch Earthquake
22nd February 2011, 6.3 on richter scale within the suburbs of Christchurch, HIC of 0.924, very developed. It’s buildings were weakened by the 2010 Canterbury earthquake previously
Social Impacts: 185 dead and 6000 injured, 10,000 made homeless
Economic Impacts: $40 billion of costs, 40% of buildings damaged by soil liquefaction
Environmental Impacts: River courses altered and 30 million tonnes of glacier ice broken off
Response: Temporary housing and sanitation facilities set up, Australia set policemen to help people, $6-7 million of international aid despite the high costs
Haitian Earthquake vs Christchurch
Haiti: More social impacts due to more vulnerable population due to less development (think pressure and release model), meaning less resilient buildings and infrastructure and worse government response, but less economic impacts as the buildings were cheaper to replace
Christchurch: More economic impacts due to higher level of development, meaning infrastructure and buildings were more expensive to rebuild, but also had less social impacts as people were better protected by better quality buildings
Reasons for difference in impacts:
- Level of Development
- Cost of Infrastructure
- Ability to Respond
Nevado Del Ruiz
13th November 1985, seismic activity had been noticed since September and evacuation plans had been created but poorly communicated leaving many locals unaware of the threat. The eruption (VEI 3) led to pyroclastic flows melting glaciers which led to Lahars flattening the town of Armero.
Social Impacts: 20,000 out of 29,000 people died, the survivors experiencing trauma and grief. Mass immigration into nearby towns causing strain on services
Economic Impacts: $1 billion, huge decrease in agriculture industry due to destruction of farms and death of workers
Environmental Impacts: Vegetation was flattened and did not regrow in the town for years, 15k animals killed
Response:
The government was unprepared and struggled to reach Armero due to every road and bridge connected it being destroyed. It took 12 hours for the first survivor to be rescued. Survivors were relocated and had housing paid for by the government
International aid was $50 million - this was limited as it occurred only 2 months after an earthquake in Mexico City
Eyjafjallajokull
A series of eruptions from 20th March - 23rd June 2010, the most notable on 14th April which had a VEI of 4. Evacuation plans were put in place ahead of time leading to 700 evacuations
Social Impacts: 0 deaths or injuries, people lost out on ability to travel
Economic Impacts: Approximately $3 billion lost from 100,000 flight cancellations due to the ash clouds, lost Kenya $1.3 million a day from reducing its flower exports showing its wide impact
Response: None needed past the evacuations beyond closing European airspace
Nevado del Ruiz vs Eyjafjallajokull:
Nevado del Ruiz: Far higher social impacts in terms of death due to worse planning, communication and evacuation. Higher economic damage for Colombia than Iceland due to the large quantity of people and infrastructure lost
Eyjafjallojokull: No social impacts and little economic impacts for Iceland itself by modifying the vulnerability by evacuating people and their livestock. However, economic impacts for airlines and businesses was far larger due to restrictions on flights
Reasons for Difference:
- Preparation
- Environmental Vulnerability (Density)
- Global Impacts
