LESSONS LEARNED FROM PAST NOTABLE DISASTERS

RUSSIAPART 1: FLOODS

Walter Hays, Global Alliance for Disaster Reduction, Vienna, Virginia, USA 

NATURAL HAZARDS THAT HAVE CAUSED NATURAL HAZARDS THAT HAVE CAUSED DISASTERS IN RUSSIADISASTERS IN RUSSIA

NATURAL HAZARDS THAT HAVE CAUSED NATURAL HAZARDS THAT HAVE CAUSED DISASTERS IN RUSSIADISASTERS IN RUSSIA

FLOODS

WINDSTORMS

EARTHQUAKES

WILDFIRES

ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE

GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE

HIGH BENEFIT/COST PROGRAMS FOR BECOMING DISASTER RESILIENT

HIGH BENEFIT/COST PROGRAMS FOR BECOMING DISASTER RESILIENT

GOAL: PROTECT PEOPLE GOAL: PROTECT PEOPLE AND COMMUNITIESAND COMMUNITIES

GOAL: PROTECT PEOPLE GOAL: PROTECT PEOPLE AND COMMUNITIESAND COMMUNITIES

Natural Phenomena that Cause Disasters

Planet Earth’s atmospheric-hydrospheric-lithospheric interactions cause:

FLOODS

RUSSIA

Russia, the largest country in the world, and the only one

surrounded by twelve seas and spread out on two continents,

has many communities that are at risk from riverine flooding, flash floods, and floods from

windstorms.

RUSSIA’S RIVERS: AMONG THE IMPORTANT RIVERS OF THE WORLD

RUSSIA’S RIVERS

RUSSIA HAS MANY RIVERS THAT HAVE EXPERIENCED FLOODING

• Russia’s rivers in Europe include: the Volga, the Don, the Kama, the Oka, and the Northern Dvina.

• In Asia, Russia’s rivers include: the Ob, the Irtysh, the Yenisev, the Angara, the Lena, the Amur, the Yana, the Indiqirka, and the Kolyma.

ELEMENTS OF RISK AND DISASTER

HAZARDSHAZARDSHAZARDSHAZARDS

ELEMENTS OF FLOOD RISK ELEMENTS OF FLOOD RISK ELEMENTS OF FLOOD RISK ELEMENTS OF FLOOD RISK

EXPOSUREEXPOSUREEXPOSUREEXPOSURE

VULNERABILITYVULNERABILITYVULNERABILITYVULNERABILITY LOCATIONLOCATIONLOCATIONLOCATION

RISKRISKRISKRISK

FLOOD HAZARDS (AKA

POTENTIAL DISASTER AGENTS)

• TOO MUCH WATER DISCHARGED WITHIN THE DRAINAGE SYSTEM TO BE ACCOMMODATED NORMALLY IN THE REGIONAL WATER CYCLE

• EROSION

• SCOUR

• MUDFLOWS

THE VOLGA, “MOTHER VOLGA,” IS EUROPE’S LONGEST RIVER

FLOOD ON THE VOLGA: APRIL 2012

THE FLOOD HAZARDS

ARE POTENTIAL DISASTER AGENTS

A DISASTER CAN HAPPENWHEN THE

POTENTIAL DISASTER AGENTS OF A FLOOD INTERACT WITH

RUSSIA’S COMMUNITIES

A DISASTER CAN HAPPENWHEN THE

POTENTIAL DISASTER AGENTS OF A FLOOD INTERACT WITH

RUSSIA’S COMMUNITIES

LOSS OF FUNCTION OF STRUCTURES IN FLOODPLAIN

FLOODSFLOODS

INUNDATION

INTERACTION WITH HAZARDOUS MATERIALS

STRUCTURAL/CONTENTS DAMAGE FROM WATER

WATER BORNE DISEASES (HEALTH PROBLEMS)

EROSION AND MUDFLOWS

CONTAMINATION OF GROUND WATER

CAUSES OF RISK

CAUSES OF RISK

CASE HISTORIESCASE HISTORIES

A DISASTER is ---

--- the set of failures that overwhelm the capability of a community to respond without external help  when three continuums: 1)  people, 2) community (i.e., a set of habitats, livelihoods, and social constructs), and 3) complex events (e.g., floods, earthquakes,..) intersect at a point in space and time.

Disasters are caused by single- or multiple-event natural hazards that, (for various reasons), cause

extreme levels of mortality, morbidity, homelessness,

joblessness, economic losses, or environmental impacts.

THE REASONS ARE . . .

• When it does happen, the functions of the community’s buildings and infrastructure will be LOST because they are UNPROTECTED with the appropriate codes and standards.

THE REASONS ARE . . .

• The community is UN-PREPARED for what will likely happen, not to mention the low-probability of occurrence—high-probability of adverse consequences event.

THE REASONS ARE . . .

• The community has NO DISASTER PLANNING SCENARIO or WARNING SYSTEM in place as a strategic framework for early threat identification and coordinated local, national, regional, and international countermeasures.

THE REASONS ARE . . .

• The community LACKS THE CAPACITY TO RESPOND in a timely manner to the full spectrum of expected and unexpected emergency situations.

THE REASONS ARE . . .

• The community is INEFFICIENT during recovery and reconstruction because it HAS NOT LEARNED from either the current experience or the cumulative prior experiences.

FLOODS IN RUSSIAMARCH 2010

SPRING RUNOFF AFTER A HARSH WINTER INCREASES FLOOD RISKS

ACROSS RUSSIA

Prime Minister Vladimir Putin warned that thousands of Russian

towns and villages could be affected by "unusually strong"

spring floods as record snowfall melted after the harshest winter in

years.

Military planes and helicopters were called in to help cope with floods in the basins of the Ob, Angara, Yenisei, Lena and Amur Rivers by carrying out surveillance missions and breaking up ice jams.

2012 FLASH FLOOD DISASTER

JULY 2012

JULY 2012 FLASH FLOOD DISASTER

• The 2012 Russian floods occurred in Krasnodar Krai (southwest Russia near the coast of the Black sea as the result of the equivalent of five months of rain (275 mm (10 inches) falling overnight.

JULY 2012 FLASH FLOOD DISASTER

• 144 people died during the floods.

• The floods damaged the homes of nearly 13,000 people.

JULY 2012 FLASH FLOOD DISASTER

• Approximately 30,000 people were adversely impacted by the floods.

JULY 2012 FLASH FLOOD

JULY 2012 FLASH FLOOD

RECORD FLOODING ALONG AMUR RIVER NEAR KHABAROVSK,

RUSSIAAugust 23, 2013

LOCATION MAP

RECORD FLOODING IN EASTERN RUSSIA

The water in the Amur River near

Khabarovsk reached 720 cm (24 ft), exceeding the historic level of 642 cm set during the flood of 1897 over a century ago.

RUSSIA’S AMUR RIVER

PREPARING FOR A RECORD CREST OF THE AMUR RIVER

BUT . . . , THE RAIN AND RUNOFF AFTER A DIMINISHED SUPER

TYPHOON UTOR MADE LANDFALL IN CHINA

EXACERBATED FLOODING IN EASTERN RUSSIA

TYPHOON UTOR: AUGUST 14

IMPACTS IN RUSSIA

• The flooding devastated the homes of more than 31 thousand people, and adversely affected more than 21 million people in various ways.

• More than 15 thousand people were evacuated.

• Economic losses exceeded 3 billion rubles.

HEALTH CARE CONCERNS

• As flooding conditions worsened, unfavorable sanitary and epidemiological conditions developed throughout the area, exacerbating the risk of water-borne diseases.

• The flooding also created an urgent need for safe drinking water.

INUNDATION

WITH ITS MANY RIVERS,RUSSIA’S NEXT FLOOD IS INEVITABLE

WITH ITS MANY RIVERS,RUSSIA’S NEXT FLOOD IS INEVITABLE

• ---SO, DON’T WAIT FOR ANOTHER REMINDER OF THE IMPORTANCE OF BECOMING FLOOD DISASTER RESILIENT.

THE ALTERNATIVE TO A FLOOD DISASTER IS

FLOOD DISASTER RESILIENCE

THE ALTERNATIVE TO A FLOOD DISASTER IS

FLOOD DISASTER RESILIENCE

RUSSIA’S RUSSIA’S COMMINITIESCOMMINITIES

RUSSIA’S RUSSIA’S COMMINITIESCOMMINITIES

DATA BASES DATA BASES AND INFORMATIONAND INFORMATIONDATA BASES DATA BASES AND INFORMATIONAND INFORMATION

HAZARDS: GROUND SHAKING GROUND FAILURE SURFACE FAULTING TECTONIC DEFORMATION TSUNAMI RUN UP AFTERSHOCKS

• FLOOD HAZARDS•INVENTORY•VULNERABILITY•LOCATION

FLOOD RISK FLOOD RISK

RISK

ACCEPTABLE RISK

UNACCEPTABLE RISK

FLOOD DISASTER FLOOD DISASTER RESILIENCERESILIENCE

•PREPAREDNESS•PROTECTION•FORECASTS/SCENARIOS•EMERGENCY RESPONSE•RECOVERY and RECONSTRUCTION

POLICY OPTIONSPOLICY OPTIONS

DISASTER RESILIENCE STRATEGIES FOR FLOODS

DISASTER RESILIENCE STRATEGIES FOR FLOODS

• PURPOSE

• PROTECTION

• THREAT IDENTIFICATION AND WARNING

• PURPOSE

• PROTECTION

• THREAT IDENTIFICATION AND WARNING

• TECHNIQUE

• WETLANDS, RESERVOIRS, LEVEES, DAMS

• REMOTE SENSING;

COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES

• TECHNIQUE

• WETLANDS, RESERVOIRS, LEVEES, DAMS

• REMOTE SENSING;

COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGIES

LESSONS LEARNED ABOUT DISASTER RESILIENCE

ALL FLOODS TECHNOLOGIES THAT FACILITATE THREAT IDENTI-FICATION FOR SMART COUNTER-MEASURES IS ESSENTIAL FOR DISASTER RESILIENCE

EXAMPLE OF FLOOD PROTECTION: A DAM

LESSONS LEARNED ABOUT DISASTER RESILIENCE

ALL FLOODS PREPAREDNESS FOR

ALL THE LIKELY FLOOD HAZARDS (E.G., HAZARDOUS MATERIALS SPILL) IS ESSENTIAL FOR DISASTER RESILIENCE

LESSONS LEARNED ABOUT DISASTER RESILIENCE

ALL FLOODS TIMELY EMERGENCY RESPONSE IS ESSENTIAL FOR DISASTER RESILIENCE

DISASTER RESILIENCE STRATEGIES FOR FLOODS

DISASTER RESILIENCE STRATEGIES FOR FLOODS

• PURPOSE

• DO NOT BUILD IN THE FLOODPLAIN

• FACILITATE RECOVERY AND RECONSTRUCTION

• PURPOSE

• DO NOT BUILD IN THE FLOODPLAIN

• FACILITATE RECOVERY AND RECONSTRUCTION

• TECHNIQUE

• URBAN PLANNING

• A FLOOD INSURANCE PROGRAMME

• TECHNIQUE

• URBAN PLANNING

• A FLOOD INSURANCE PROGRAMME