LESSONS LEARNED FROM PAST NOTABLE DISASTERS AUSTRALIA PART 4: WILDFIRES Walter Hays, Global Alliance for Disaster Reduction, Vienna, Virginia, USA.
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LESSONS LEARNED FROM PAST NOTABLE DISASTERS
AUSTRALIAPART 4: WILDFIRES
Walter Hays, Global Alliance for Disaster Reduction, Vienna,
Virginia, USA
AUSTRALIA
NATURAL HAZARDS THAT HAVE CAUSED NATURAL HAZARDS THAT HAVE CAUSED DISASTERS IN AUSTRALIADISASTERS IN AUSTRALIA
NATURAL HAZARDS THAT HAVE CAUSED NATURAL HAZARDS THAT HAVE CAUSED DISASTERS IN AUSTRALIADISASTERS IN AUSTRALIA
FLOODS
CYCLONES
EARTHQUAKES
WILDFIRES
ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE
GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE
HIGH BENEFIT/COST FOR SAVING LIVES, BUT LOW BEMEFIT/COST FOR PROTECTING PROPERTY
HIGH BENEFIT/COST FOR SAVING LIVES, BUT LOW BEMEFIT/COST FOR PROTECTING PROPERTY
GOAL: MOVE PEOPLE OUT GOAL: MOVE PEOPLE OUT OF HARM’S WAYOF HARM’S WAY
GOAL: MOVE PEOPLE OUT GOAL: MOVE PEOPLE OUT OF HARM’S WAYOF HARM’S WAY
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, wildfires, ...,) 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.
Natural Phenomena that Cause Disasters
Planet Earth’s atmospheric-lithospheric interactions create situ-ations favorable for Wildfires (AKA BUSHFIRES)
WILDFIRES are conflagrations caused by
lightning discharges (or acts of man) in wilderness areas close enough to one or more urban
interfaces that they threaten people, property, infrastructure, and
business enterprise
WILDFIRES are conflagrations caused by
lightning discharges (or acts of man) in wilderness areas close enough to one or more urban
interfaces that they threaten people, property, infrastructure, and
business enterprise
WILDFIRE HAZARDS
SCIENCE OF WILDFIRES
WILDFIRE HAZARDS (AKA POTENTIAL DISASTER AGENTS)
• FIRE
• HOT GASES AND SMOKE
• HOT SPOTS
• BURNED OUT SLOPES (with increased susceptibility to insect infestation, erosion, and landslides)
WILDFIRE HAZARDS (AKA POTENTIAL DISASTER AGENTS)
• SUNDOWNER WINDS
• LOCAL CHANGES IN AIR QUALITY
• LOCAL CHANGES IN WEATHER
LIGHTNING STRIKES
WILDFIRES (AKA BUSHFIRES)
WILDFIRES (AKA BUSHFIRES)
MANMADE FIRES
PROXIMITY OF URBAN AREA TO THE WILDLAND FIRE
WIND SPEED AND DIRECTION (DAY/NIGHT DIFFERENCES)
DRYNESS
HIGH TEMPERATURES
LOCAL FUEL SUPPLY
CAUSES OF DAMAGE
CAUSES OF DAMAGE
DISASTER LABORATORIES
DISASTER LABORATORIES
AUSTRALIA’S AUSTRALIA’S COMMUNITIESCOMMUNITIESAUSTRALIA’S AUSTRALIA’S COMMUNITIESCOMMUNITIES
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
•HAZARDS•INVENTORY AT RISK•VULNERABILITY•LOCATION
WILDFIRE RISK WILDFIRE RISK
RISK
ACCEPTABLE RISK
UNACCEPTABLE RISK
WILDFIRE DISASTER WILDFIRE DISASTER RESILIENCERESILIENCE
•PREPAREDNESS•PROTECTION•EARLY WARNING•EMERGENCY RESPONSE•RECOVERY and RECONSTRUCTION
POLICY OPTIONSPOLICY OPTIONS
LESSONS LEARNED ABOUT DISASTER RESILIENCE
ALL WILDFIRES PREPAREDNESFOR THE EXPECTED AND UNEXPEDTED IS ESSENTIAL FOR DISASTER RESILIENCE
LESSONS LEARNED ABOUT DISASTER RESILIENCE
ALL WILDFIRES TIMELY EMERGENCY RESPONSE IS ESSENTIAL FOR DISASTER RESILIENCE
HIGH POTENTIAL LOSS EXPOSURES TO WILDFIRES
People, property, infrastructure, business enterprise, government centers, wildlife, and natural resources.
AUSTRALIA’S WORST WILDFIRE OUTBREAK
WORST WILDFIRES IN AUSTRALIA’S HISTORY
400 FIRES BURNED FOR WEEKSVICTORIA STATE FEBRUARY 2009
The deadliest wildfires in Australia's history burned people in their homes and cars and wiped out entire
towns173 DEAD; 2000 HOMES
DESTROYED
WILDFIRES: 2009
WILDFIRES ON AUSTRALIA’S TASMANIA ISLAND BURNED 100 HOMES AND FORCED THOUSANDS TO FLEE
JANUARY 4, 2013
WILDFIRES ON TASMANIA: (TEMPERATURE REACHED 40 DEGREES C)
OTHER WILDFIRES BURNED SIMULTANEOUSLY
• Bushfires were also burning in other parts of Australia, including South Australia, Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland.
IMPACT IN TOWN OF DUNALLEY
• A SCHOOL AND A POLICE STATION WERE DESTROYED, ALONG WITH ONE-THIRD OF ALL BUILDINGS.
LESSONS LEARNED ABOUT DISASTER RESILIENCE
ALL WILDFIRES
EARLY WARN-ING (THE ISS) AND EVACU-ATION ARE ESSENTIAL FOR DISASTER RESILIENCE
WILDFIRES REACHED “CATASTROPHIC LEVEL” IN
AUSTRALIA
JANUARY 8, 2013
HIGH TEMPERATURES AND DRYNESS CAUSE
WILDFIRES TO REACH “CATASTROPHIC LEVEL”
EVACUATION
• Further south on the Tasman Peninsula east of Hobart, the capitol, as many as 2,000 people took refuge in the town of Nubeena overnight, while another 700 were sheltered at the nearby historic Port Arthur site.
• Others were ferried to safety.
LABETOUCHE, AUSTRALlA: 93 KM (56 MILES) EAST OF MELBOURNE
SOUTH NEW WALES
FIGHTING THE FIRE FROM THE AIR
LESSONS LEARNED ABOUT DISASTER RESILIENCE
ALL WILDFIRES
RECOVERY AND RECON-STRUCTION USUALLY MEANS STARTING OVER.
WILDLIFE IMPACTED
KEEPING A SURVIVOR OF THE FIRE ALIVE
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