When Strikes ….
When Disaster Strikes………
Dr. Iraphne Childs
Geography of hazards
Now more important than ever !
What do you already know about
hazards?
The Geographical Perspective…
• hazard/ risk - spatial distribution
• people & hazards: relative location, perception
• landscapes - adaptation to hazards
• communities - risks, vulnerability & resilience
How can we describe / identify hazards?
Hazard Geography
Some questions to consider…..
• What are “extremes”, “hazards” & “disasters”?
• How can we describe hazards?
• What makes people & places vulnerable or
resilient to hazards?
• How do we respond to hazards?
What are “extremes”, “hazards”, “disasters”…?
Some definitions…..
•Extremes
– beyond what we would normally expect
•Hazards
– a potential threat to humans & their welfare
•Disaster
– levels of disruption and loss beyond a community’s ability to
cope by themselves
•Risk
– probability of occurring & resulting in a given level of damage
How many major hazards do you think
occurred last week ? Where?
http://www.earthweek.com/
Which hazards may affect where you live ?
Tropical Cyclone Yasi, Feb.2011
Bureau of Meteorology
January 2011 - Brisbane Flooding
Queensland, 2012 Events
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South West Flooding 4 – 10 February
– Feb 4 Maranoa River at Roma and Mitchell
– Feb 8 Balonne River at St George peaks at 13.96m
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Sunshine Coast Region Flooding 25 – 27 February
– Feb 25 Six Mile Creek flood peaks at 11.1m
– Feb 26 Mary River flood peaks at 15.7m at Gympie
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East Coast Low – Sunshine Coast to Fraser Coast 4 – 7 March
– March 5 Mary River flood peaks at 5.35m at Maryborough
– March 6 Mary River flood peaks at 14.65m at Gympie
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Townsville Storm 20 March
– 162 buildings storm-damaged
– 22 buildings severely impacted including 18 homes
– Thousands without power
St George
When Disaster Strikes….
What can geographers do ?
AEM Handbook #2 Community Recovery. Fig. 4.1: Effect of disaster on ongoing community development and
interface with relief and recovery
How do we respond to hazards?
Emergency Management
Risk Assessment
“PPRR” Framework
Prevention
Emergency Management
Australia
Preparedness
Response
Recovery
Links to Geography syllabus…
• geographic setting (phys. & human landscape features)
e.g.
− settlement patterns
− vulnerable populations
− lifelines
− land-use planning
What makes people & places vulnerable
or resilient to hazards ?
• Severity of exposure to
hazards (the event)
• Physical & landscape & type of landuse (situation)
• Knowledge & experience of hazards; risk perception
• Ability to respond & recover
• Planning& preparedness; resources & wealth; mobility;
resourcefulness & social networks;,
• Geography of key infrastructure
• Warnings
Population Patterns
Over 65 & living alone
Socio-economic disadvantage
People, Settlement and Landuse
Spatial Science – Mapping / GIS
How Prone is Cairns to Natural Hazards?
AGSO / Granger,K. Cities Project 1996 Community risk in Cairns: a
multi-hazard risk assessment
• Who will need help?
• Where are they?
• How, where & when to evacuate
• Will hospitals, power, water
(“lifelines”)be affected?
Community Vulnerability
Analysis
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topographic maps
google earth
air photos
written reports
• scenario of 2m storm surge
• what are the disaster management options ?
vulnerable groups? evacuation ? lifelines? critical infrastructure?
AGSO / Granger,K. Cities Project 1996 Community risk in Cairns: a
multi-hazard risk assessment
How do we responds to hazards?
Emergency Management
Risk Assessment
“PPRR” Framework
Prevention
Emergency Management
Australia
Preparedness
Response
Recovery
St George resident pumps water over his fence to
protect his house from the rising Balonne River
http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/gallery-e6frer9f-1226261605051?page=2
SES ON THE JOB
When Disaster Strikes….
 Response and recovery
What can geographers do ?
Evacuation Center:Monday Feb.6,
2012, key agencies meetings….
daily, 8.00am& 4.00pm
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Police (chair)
Red Cross (centre management)
Dalby Mayor or Council rep. LGDMC
Daly showgrounds facilities manager
Dept. of Community Services (DOCs)
Centrelink
Lions Club/Zonta/Rotary/Salvo’s
– catering
• St.John’s ambulance
• Lifeline
• Chaplains
2011 Flood Event – Remote sensing & clever mapping - Alluvial Soils &
Vegetation Layer (Queensland Reconstruction Authority)
Recovery – planning for increasing resilience
• Focus on hazard areas – which areas of town ?
• Analyse results in levels of risk for land use
purposes – low, medium and high
• Which parts of town are at ‘high’ risk ? – retreat
from these areas
• Other properties closer to centre of town ‘low’ or
‘medium’ risk – adapt these areas to the risk
Queensland Reconstruction Authority
Geography deals with “real world” problems
What do you get?
• Where & how to get key information about places/regions
• How to interpret information & statistics, patterns & trends
• How to present & report information
• Using maps, new mapping & spatial technologies
• Working “in the field” - people or environment (surveys etc.)
• Working in teams, with other cultures, in other places
• Ability to integrate information & apply to practical problems
• A broad & practical knowledge base
WORK SMARTER WITH GEOGRAPHICAL SKILLS –
gives you the edge
Common Career Paths for Geographers:
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Local and state government
Hazard management
Natural resource management
Teaching
Mapping (Geographic Information Systems)
Government Policy Development/ Analysts
Demography
Tourism Industry
Town Planning
… and more
Jobs for geographers…
Geographers & Planners in the real world….
Some jobs for geographers …
Emergency Management Planning Officer (City of
Bendigo) … to use a risk based framework, to engage with
key stakeholders and plan within an agreed set of priorities
to prepare for, respond to and recover from fire and
emergency situations.
Project Officer, SA Department for Water, Land and
Biodiversity Conservation …responsible for providing
support to the Hazards Team for assisting in the project
management and delivery of water-related and emergency
management projects within South Australia.
Some jobs for geographers …
Land Resources Officer… knowledge of …GIS;
coordinate activities with multi-disciplinary teams;
knowledge of factors affecting land use and land suitability.
Extension Officer (ICM/Landcare)… ability to
facilitate the development of Community Based
Natural Resource Management Groups and solutions
to natural resource issues; communicate and network
effectively
Some jobs for geographers…
Project Officer (Riverine Assessment)… ability to work in
multi-disciplinary teams
Natural Resource Officer … ability to coordinate,
integrate, and disseminate information
Research Officer, Local Government Grants Commission Undertake collection, research and analysis of financial,
demographic and statistical data
Queensland Reconstruction Authority
Disaster recovery monitoring
Michael Kraus Business Analyst – GPEM Graduate
(Geography/Planning)
http://www.gpem.uq.edu.au/michael-kraus
Planning for a resilient Queensland
Land Use Planning
Manager, (GPEM graduate, Geography/Planning)
Senior Planner (GPEM Planning graduate)
28 May 2012
References
Queensland Government, Disaster Management http://www.disaster.qld.gov.au/
World Bank/ Queensland Reconstruction Authority (June 2011) Queensland Recovery and
Reconstruction in the Aftermath of the 2010/2011 Flood Events and Cyclone Yasi
http://www.qldreconstruction.org.au/publications-guides/reports/world-bank-report
AGSO / Granger,K. (1999) Cities Project 1996 Community risk in Cairns: a multi-hazard risk
assessment
Australian Emergency Management Handbook
http://www.em.gov.au/Publications/Australianemergencymanualseries/Pages/default.aspx
Queensland Reconstruction Authority (2012) Planning for stronger, more resilient
floodplains
http://qldreconstruction.org.au/publications-guides/land-use-planning/planning-forstronger-more-resilient-flood-plains
Thank you
Questions ?