Hazard and Vulnerability Analysis Disasters in Australia.

Hazard and Vulnerability Analysis

Disasters in Australia.

Disaster

Extreme Temperatures

Wildfire

Flooding

Storm

Frequency

Killed

Affected

Cost

Advance Warning

Priority

Source of data EM-DAT (2012)

The above table is a summary of the disasters that have taken place in Australia over the last thirty years and the damage they have left behind in terms of deaths and property destroyed. It is worth noting that there are other disasters that in smaller scales hence may not have been captured but the above is a general reflection of the actual picture of what happens in Australia. It is also worth noting that some disasters exacerbate other, for instance the storms .often result in storms due to water disposed into the landmass from the oceans, an event that is possible due to earthquakes as well. Extremes temperatures have also been noted to create conditions suitable for the wildfires which are here above categorized as a different disaster. The frequency of a disaster does not necessarily result in high deaths, for instance the temperature surges are seen to be rarer that storms, yet it has killed more people over the last 30 years than storms.

This is a coverage of the various disasters some of which are rampant like the storms and some which are rare yet their effects are dire like the temperature surges that rarely happens but the effects are very disastrous on human life loss. Most of the disasters cannot be prevented but their effects on human life can be curtailed through effective warning system put in place and activated in good time. This though is still a tricky affair since most of the disasters that are very catastrophic like the cyclones and earthquakes happen so fast, even with a good warning system in place, it would be hard to avert human casualties. The fact that the surge in temperatures has the best and regular warning systems and detection still does not make it any easier to deal with since the entire region escalates in temperature hence making all those in the area be susceptible to its effects unlike the storms and floods that people can run away from and be safe.

Vulnerabilities and effects of disaster

Storms are noted here to be the disaster of choice to be used in the SLP henceforth. The choice was informed by the fact that it is the most frequently experienced disaster in Australia and one that normally results in the highest number of monetary costs in form of damages and the highest number of people affected directly or indirectly by the storms. There are three types of storms that are experienced within the Australian region; these are the unspecified storms, the local storms and the tropical cyclones. The tropical cyclones are the most frequent and most destructive costing millions of dollars at each wake of these storms. These are followed by local storms and the unspecified types of storms (EM-DAT, 2012).

To realize the magnitude of the destruction in costs, it is worth considering data that was obtained fro the period running from 1967 to 1999 where it was averaged that the total cost of natural disasters in Australia was pegged at $1.4 billion reflecting an average of $41 million per year. Of this figures, the storms catered for a significant $284 million per year (Australian Journal of Emergency Management, 2001). This serves to further emphasize the reason for picking on this particular disaster that has always been a common phenomenon in this region. According to records of storms noted down from the 1970s, a higher percentage of these storms to occur in the East and Western sides of Australia making these regions bear the highest burden in terms of reconstruction each year.

The reason why storms or the cyclones become the most expensive since it has the destructive power from the winds that at time go as fast as 280 km/h and the rampant floods that usually result from cyclonic occurrences as well as the accompanying heavy rains in the regions of coverage (Commonwealth of Australia, 2013).