DISASTER MITIGATION AND ECONOMIC
DEVELOPMENT
DISASTERS AND DEVELOPMENT ARE INHERENTLY
LINKED
- IN AREAS SUBJECT TO NATURAL
HAZARDS, DEVELOPMENT PUTS INFRASTRUCTURE, HOUSES, COMMERCIAL
BUILDINGS, AND OTHER STRUCTURES IN HARM’S WAY
- IN HAZARD PRONE AREAS, THE
SITING, DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF BUILDINGS AND INFRASTRUCTURE
LARGELY DETERMINE THE RISK OF DAMAGE
- EXPERIENCE HAS SHOWN THAT
UNLESS CONSCIOUS STEPS ARE TAKEN TO MITIGATE THE RISK, DEVELOPMENT
WILL INCREASE THE FREQUENCY AND SEVERITY OF DISASTERS AND
THEIR COST
- WITHOUT MITIGATION BUILT INTO
REGULATORY SYSTEMS IN HAZARD PRONE AREAS, EVERY LAND USE
DECISION, BUILDING PERMIT ISSUED, AND DOLLAR SPENT ON INFRASTUCTURE
INCREASES THE DISASTER RISK
IN THE LATE
1980s, PERCEPTIONS ABOUT THE RISK OF NATURAL DISASTERS IN THE
UNITED STATES STARTED TO CHANGE
INSURANCE LOSSES FROM
DISASTERS IN THE US SKYROCKED IN THE LATE 1980s AND EARLY 1990s:
- HURRICANE HUGO=$4.9 BILLION
- HURRICANE ANDREW=$15.5 BILLION
- THE 1993 NORTHEAST WINTER
STORM=$1.8 BILLION
- NORTHRIDGE EARTHQUAKE=$7 BILLION
- HURRICANE INIKI=$1.6 BILLION
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
DISASTER COSTS HAVE ALSO INCREASED:
- TOTAL FEDERAL SPENDING FOR
HURRICANE INIKI=$2.4 BILLION
- FEMA OBLIGATIONS (ALONE) FOR
HURRICANE ANDREW TOTALED ALMOST $1.8 BILLION
- FEMA OBLIGATIONS FOR THE NORTHRIDGE
EARTHQUAKE TOTALED ALMOST $2.5 BILLION
- IN 1994, FEMA DISASTER AID
TOTALED $3.4 BILLION
- DURING THE FIRST SIX WEEKS
OF 1996 , THERE WERE MORE FEDERALLY DECALRED DISASTERS (25)
THAN FOR THE FIRST SIX WEEKS OF THE PREVIOUS 20 YEARS. ONLY
45 DISASTERS DECLARED IN 1992
THE INSURANCE INDUSTRY
AND THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND HAVE INDEPENDENTLY DECIDED SOMETHINGS
HAS TO CHANGE
- THE INSURANCE AND THE REINSURANCE
INDUSTRY HAVE PULLED OUT OF MANY MARKETS AND THE COST OF
REINSURANCE HAS INCREASED MARKEDLY—IN SOME AREAS INSURANCE
FOR CERTAIN HAZARDS IS NOT AVAILABLE
- THE FEMA DIRECTOR HAS MADE
MITIGATION A CORNERSTONE OF HIS ADMINISTRATION AND A NATIONAL
DISASTER MITIGATION STRATEGY HAS BEEN DEVELOPED
- THE CONGRESS HAS BEEN DEBATING
THE NATURAL
DISASTER PROTECTION AND INSURANCE ACT, A MAJOR PART OF WHICH
WAS DISASTER MITIGATION.
DISASTERS PROVIDE
OPPORTUNITIES FOR BOTH MITIGATION AND DEVELOPMENT
WHEN BUILDINGS AND
INFRASTRUCTURE ARE DESTROYED, GOVERNMENTS, BUSINESSES, AND INDIVIDUALS
HAVE OPPOTUNITIES FOR RELOCATION AND BUILDING TO A HIGHER STANDARD
- PEOPLE ARE MORE MOTIVATED
TO SPEND MONEY TO REDUCE THE RISK OF FUTURE DAMAGE WHEN
THEY ARE LIVING WITH THE AFTERMATH OF A DISASTER
- INSURANCE SETTLEMENTS MAY
NOT PAY THE FULL COST OF BUILDING TO A HIGHER STANDARD OR
RELOCATING BUT THEY PROVIDE FUNDS FOR RECONSTRUCTION
- FEMA PROVIDES MITIGATION FUNDING
FOLLOWING FEDERALLY DECLARED DISASTERS
- EDA PROVIDES SUDDEN AND SEVERE
ECONOMIC DISLOCATION GRANTS THAT CAN SUPPLY FUNDS TO REDUCE
THE RISK OF FUTURE DAMAGE
- STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS
SPEND MONEY ON REBUILDING THAT CAN BE DEDICATED TO MITIGATION
- RETROFITTING BUILDINGS AND
INFRASTRUCTURE TO REDUCE THE RISK OF FUTURE LOSSES IS OFTEN
LESS EXPENSIVE THAN RETROFITTING UNDAMAGED STRUCTURES
IN THE PACIFIC ISLANDS
REGION THERE ARE SOME EXAMPLES OF SEVERAL MITIGATION ACTIVITIES
THAT CONTRIBUTED TO SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
FOLLOWING CYCLONE
TUSI IN AMERICAN SAMOA, PBDC CONDUCTED AN SSED THAT FOCUSED
ON
- REDUCING THE RISH OF FUTURE
DAMAGE TO HOUSES IN THE MANU’A ISLANDS THROUGH IMPROVED
DESIGN AND SITING
- DEVELOPMENT OF MARKET INFRASTRUCTURE
OF GARDEN VEGETABLES TO GENERATE CASH INCOME; AND
- BUSINESSES ASSISTANCE TO SMALL
STORE AND HOTEL OPERATORS
FOLLOWING CYCLONE
VAL IN AMERICAN SAMOA, FEMA FUNDED A SELF-HELP DISASTER RESISTENT
HOUSING RECONSTRUCTION PROGRAM THAT IMPROVED THE OVERAL QUALITY
OF HOUSING
THE FEDERATED STATES
OF MICRONESIA HAVE PROPOSED TO BURY THE POWER LINES TO REDUCE
THE RISK OF FUTURE HURRICAN DAMAGE
FOLLOWING HURRICANE
INIKI, TWO PRIVATE SECTOR BUSINESSES HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED TO
PROVIDE HURRICANE PROTECTION:
- A CABLE TIE DOWN SYSTEM WAS
DEVELOPED BY AN ENTREPRENEUR THAT IS NOW SELLING SYSTEMS
IN HAWAII AND FLORIDA
- HURRICANE HAWAII IS RETROFITTING
BUILDINGS WITH HURRICANE CLIPS AND FASTENER
DURING THE PERIOD
FROM 1983 TO 1992, WHEN GUAM’S ECONOMY WAS GROWING AT AN
AVERAGE RAGE OF 10% PER YEAR, THEY MADE SUBSTANTIAL IMRPOVEMENTS
IN THEIR BUILDING CODES
- WHEN GUAM SUFFERED A 8.2 RICHTER SCALE EARTHQUAKE IN 1993,
ONLY THREE OUT OF 22 MAJOR HOTELS SUFFERED DAMAGE
- ONLY ONE GOVERNMENT BUILDING SUFFERED MAJOR DAMAGE AND
THREE BRIDGES REQUIRED REPAIRS