Professional Documents
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• A physical event that does not affect human beings is a natural phenomenon and not a natural
hazard.
• A hazardous event that causes unacceptably large numbers of fatalities and/or overwhelming
property damage is a natural disaster.
• In areas where there are no human interests, natural phenomena do not constitute hazards nor
do they result in disasters.
• This idea contradicts the perception of natural hazards being unrestrained forces of nature that
wreak unavoidable havoc. It shifts the burden of cause from purely natural processes to the
concurrent presence of human activities and natural events.
• Although humans can do little to change the incidence and intensity of most natural
phenomena, they have an important role to play in ensuring that natural events are not
converted into disasters by their own actions.
Hurricanes and how they are formed
• Jamaica
• Haiti / Dominican Republic
• Dominica
• St Lucia
• St Kitts & Nevis
• St Vincent
• Grenada
Hurricane related hazards
1. Wind Damage:
Within the Caribbean there are some entities responsible for managing
hazards and disasters such as:
1. CDEMA – Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency
2. UWI Disaster Risk Reduction Centre
3. PCDPPP – Pan Caribbean Disaster Preparedness & Prevention
Project
At the National Level
Agencies set up in countries to give public education and guidance with respect
to
disaster preparedness and management:
1. ODPM – Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management (Trinidad &
Tobago)
2. DEM – Department of Emergency Management (Barbados)
3. CDC – Civil Defence Commission (Guyana)
• The Hurricane Disaster Risk Index (HDRI) is a composite index that rates East and Gulf Coast
counties in the United States according to the risk that they will experience a hurricane disaster.
• The index considers four major factors that contribute to a county's risk: Hazard, Exposure,
Vulnerability, Emergency Response and Recovery Capability
The HDRI can be used in two ways:
(1) To compare the overall hurricane disaster risk of different counties
(2) To determine the causes of the risk by examining the four main factor values for a particular
county.
• These two uses are helpful in making resource allocation and high-level planning decisions, in
educating the public and decision makers about the different factors that contribute to the overall
hurricane disaster risk.
Engineering aided mitigation strategies for
hurricane hazards
Geomatics Engineering Civil Engineering
Cadastral Surveying
TAOS : The Arbiter of Storms
What is TAOS?
TAOS/L is a storm hazard model for use in the Caribbean that can be used to assess the impact of storm
surge and wave action on coastal areas throughout the region. The TAOS storm model relies on solving
flow equations for air and water via coupled finite difference solutions. The model is capable of giving
output data such as maximum wind at surface, maximum still water height, maximum wave height, etc.
Application of the TAOS Model:
Within the Caribbean Disaster Mitigation Project (CDMP), TAOS/L has been used to map storm-related
hazards at various locations throughout the Caribbean. For example A 1995 study of Parham Harbour,
Antigua, included modelling of storm surge and inland flood hazards. In Jamaica, TAOS has been used to
model storm surges in Montego Bay and is currently being used to map wind and storm surge hazards in
the Kingston metropolitan area.
Case Study: Hurricane Luis, Antigua &Barbuda
(1995)
Hurricane Luis struck Antigua & Barbuda on the 4th and 5th September 1995. Luis was a Category-4 storm, large in extent with a
very distinct eye of 70 km in diameter and a forward motion of 17 km/h.
Because of its overall size and slow forward motion, the hurricane impacted on Antigua for an uncommonly long period. Severe
storm conditions lasted for about 30 hours during which time about 250 mm of rain fell.
The level of damage in Antigua was equivalent to two-thirds of the gross domestic product (GDP) of the country. Such an event
has the potential to set back the development of a small island independent state by several years. In particular, much damage was
done to essential facilities in the country. These facilities include telecommunications; water supply and distribution; electricity
generation, transmission and distribution; and the public health services.
Damage to buildings was mainly due to weak connections of light-weight roofing and siding materials, impact damage to glazed
openings from flying objects, inadequate fixings of windows and external doors and water damage from the torrential rains. There
were also examples of catastrophic collapse of entire buildings due to unsound structural concepts. The lack of maintenance of
building components contributed significantly to the damage. In the cases of structures not associated with buildings (e.g.
telecommunication towers and transmission systems) inadequate specification of performance criteria at the procurement and
design stages was an important factor in the failures. The actual wind speeds were not greater than should have been expected in a
1-in-50-year event. The introduction of mandatory building standards and codes would have a significant, positive impact in
reducing losses in future hurricanes.
References
"Case Study Of The Effects Of Hurricane Luis On The Buildings And Other Structuresof The Electricity Section Of The Antigua Public Utilities Authority". 2017. Oas.Org.
http://www.oas.org/cdmp/document/apua/apu.htm.
"CDMP Storm Hazard Modeling -- TAOS Overview". 2017. Oas.Org. http://www.oas.org/cdmp/hazmap/taos/taosdoc/taosfull.htm.
"CHAPTER 12 - HURRICANE HAZARDS". 2017. Oas.Org. http://www.oas.org/dsd/publications/unit/oea66e/ch12.htm.
Conservation, Global. 2017. "Rebounding From Hurricane Otto In Nicaragua’S Most Ecologically Sensitive Rainforests". National Geographic Society (Blogs).
http://voices.nationalgeographic.com/2016/12/12/rebounding-from-hurricane-otto-in-nicaraguas-most-ecologically-sensitive-rainforests/.
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Tilanus, Alexander and Alexander Tilanus. 2017. "Hurricanes In The Dominican Republic - Background Info". Seavisbayahibe.Com. http://www.seavisbayahibe.com/articles/Hurricanes-
in%20the%20Dominican-Republic.htm.
Tuttle, Hilary and View →. 2017. "The Long-Term Economic Impact Of Hurricanes | Risk Management Monitor". Riskmanagementmonitor.Com. http://www.riskmanagementmonitor.com/the-
long-term-economic-impact-of-hurricanes/.
Watson, Charles C. 2017. "The Arbiter Of Storms : A High Resolution, GIS Based System For Integrated Storm Hazard Modeling | VHL Search Portal". Pesquisa.Bvsalud.Org.
http://pesquisa.bvsalud.org/oncologiauy/resource/en/des-11017.
"What Made Hurricane Matthew So Strong?". 2017. Cbsnews.Com. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/hurricane-matthew-what-made-storm-so-strong/.
Questions