Floods, earthquakes, wildfires and heat waves: the worst natural disasters of 2015

Floods, cyclones, wildfires, heat waves, earthquakes and landslides made 2015 a devastating year for a lot of people around the world. We take a look at some of the worst natural disasters of the past year.

January 2015

Flooding in southeastern Africa

Unusually heavy rains hit Malawi and caused widespread flooding, leaving 200 people dead or missing and 120,000 forced from their homes, according to UNICEF. The aid agency said it was "a race against time" to reach displaced communities, as stagnant water and poor sanitation threatened to kill children in one of the poorest countries in southern Africa. In neighbouring Mozambique, the rains caused extreme flooding of river basins and cut off communities. Twenty-five people were reportedly killed in that country.

March 2015

Cyclone Pam rips through Vanuatu

Winds of 270 kilometres an hour tore through the 65-island South Pacific archipelago, home to about 267,000 people. One of the heavily damaged areas was the capital, Port Vila, where 47,000 people live. The destruction was even worse on the outer island of Tanna, where the Australian military estimated about 80 per cent of the buildings were flattened, and the hospital and airport were damaged. To complicate matters, the island's remote location made it difficult for rescuers to get through. Throughout Vanuatu, an estimated 11 people were killed and thousands were left homeless.

April 2015

Deadly earthquake devastates Nepal

On April 25, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake left more than 8,000 people dead in Nepal and turned much of the country, including the capital, Kathmandu, into a disaster zone. The earthquake triggered an avalanche on Mount Everest that killed 19 climbers. About three weeks later, a 7.3 magnitude earthquake rocked Nepal again, killing dozens more people, injuring hundreds and terrifying the country's citizens just as they were trying to rebuild from the first disaster.

May/June 2015

Heat waves kill thousands in India and Pakistan

By the end of May, about 2,200 people in India were dead from a raging heat wave that began in April. Temperatures went up to 47 C. Most of the people killed were in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana states in the southern part of the country.

In June, the worst heat wave in at least a decade hit southern Pakistan, particularly the port city of Karachi. More than 830 people died as temperatures reached as high as 45 C. Karachi's inefficient power grid and shortage of potable water were blamed for worsening the situation. On the worst days, people in the city of 20 million tried to get water from broken pipes.

July 2015

Flash floods hit Pakistan

Triggered by monsoon rains, flash floods killed more than 100 people in various parts of Pakistan and left tens of thousands homeless, according to the country's National Disaster Management Authority. More than 2,000 villages were flooded.

Pakistan Flooding

Almost 3,000 homes collapsed or suffered damage. In the northwestern city of Chitral, homes, mosques, hotels, bridges and a power station were destroyed.

Wildfires force largest evacuation in Saskatchewan's history

Hot weather, very dry conditions and lightning strikes contributed to hundreds of wildfires in western Canada during the summer of 2015. In Saskatchewan, more than 13,000 people were forced from their homes in the largest evacuation effort in the province's history. The Canadian military was dispatched to help in the hard-hit La Ronge area, about 380 kilometres north of Saskatoon.

The increased wildfire activity in 2015 — and the ballooning firefighting costs — prompted Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall and B.C. Premier Christy Clark to call for a national forest fire plan by next year.

September 2015

California wildfires

California suffered one of its worst forest fire seasons on record in 2015 as wildfires raged in northern parts of the state. One fire, north of San Francisco, was the fourth-worst blaze in California's history, with three people killed and more than 1,000 homes destroyed.

A separate fire in the Sierra Nevada foothills killed two people and ruined more than 500 homes. A volunteer firefighter lost his own home while out battling blazes. Thousands of people were evacuated from dozens of communities. According to the Cal Fire website, there were more than 6,200 wildfires throughout the state in 2015, burning about 125,000 hectares of land. Compare that to 2014, when Cal Fire documented about 4,200 wildfires that burned about 77,000 hectares.

Chile earthquake

On Sept. 16, an 8.3 magnitude earthquake killed 11 people in central Chile and triggered tsunami warnings as far away as Hawaii and California. More than one million people fled their homes and waves up to 4.5 metres high slammed into Chile's northern port city of Coquimbo, washing large fishing boats up onto the streets.

Still, many people who remember the devastating 8.8. magnitude quake of 2010, which caused a massive tsunami and killed more than 500 people, were relieved the death toll and destruction wasn't worse. When September's earthquake struck, the Chilean government ordered evacuations from coastal areas and said it had learned from previous disasters.

Japan floods

Heavy rain after Tropical Storm Etau pummelled Japan in September and triggered huge floods, forcing thousands of people from their homes. When the Kinugawa River broke through a flood berm in Joso near Tokyo, it washed away entire houses and left hundreds of people stranded. Many waited on rooftops to be rescued.

October 2015

U.S. floods

U.S. President Barack Obama declared a state of emergency after Hurricane Joaquin-related storms slammed South Carolina with floods. Streets and roads turned into rivers, leaving many people trapped in their cars. A dozen people died of weather-related causes in South Carolina and neighbouring North Carolina.

One woman died when her SUV was swept away by floodwaters; another man drowned after he drove around a barricade. A transportation worker was also among those killed. South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley said 550 roads and bridges had to be closed across the state.

November 2015

Deadly Australian wildfires

Four people were killed and hundreds of homes were evacuated as wildfires raged across southwest Australia in November. Fierce winds and a heat wave were blamed for making the fires worse as firefighters tried to contain them. November is summertime in the southern hemisphere, and wildfires are common across much of Australia during the season.

Burma landslide

On Nov. 21, a landslide in Burma, also known as Myanmar, killed more than 100 people when a 60-metre high mountain of dirt discarded by mining companies collapsed. The disaster happened in the mining community of Hpakant in the jade-rich northern part of the country.

At first, officials said the dead were mostly men picking through the mining waste looking for jade to sell — a common occurrence in the extremely poor town. Later, they said the landslide happened in the middle of the night and buried more than 70 makeshift huts where the miners slept.

December 2015

Chennai floods after heaviest rainfall in 100 years

Massive floods in India drove thousands of people from their homes in December after the heaviest rainfall in more than a century hit the state of Tamil Nadu. More than 250 people died — some by electrocution before authorities turned power off in some areas.

Vast swaths of Chennai — India's fourth-largest city — were under up to three metres of water. Homes and cars were submerged, and people escaped their homes using ladders or jumping out windows onto makeshift rafts.

Thursday 31 December 2015

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/year-end-2015-natural-disasters-1.3346639

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Living with earthquakes

There is one thing all of us in Nepal have struggled to do since 25th April: live with uncertainty.

The hundreds of aftershocks that followed the 7.8 magnitude earthquake on that Saturday had been slowly decreasing in their intensity. I had come to keep calm at the new jolts that would punctuate our days and nights, even not noticing the “mild” ones when I was concentrated on the tasks at hand.

Then, I was in front of my computer in the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Kathmandu last Tuesday when the ground started shaking again. I ran to the nearest door frame, previously identified as a safe area. A colleague joined me. We waited there for what seemed like a terrifyingly long time, as the building swayed, the floor creaked and, worse than anything, the movement got increasingly violent.

When we could finally get outside, thoughts started rushing in: is everyone here? Are my husband and son safe? What happened to our teams in the field, to our staff in the south of the country?

Around me, colleagues were frantically trying to reach loved ones, battling jammed networks. One staff member was hugging someone who was desperately sobbing. As details on the epicenter of the quake trickled in, the tension became even more palpable on the faces of the colleagues who had their families there. Their houses had already been destroyed in the first quake. What news would they learn now?

Flocks of birds rose in the sky, and someone shouted: “Earthquake!” We regrouped at the center of the open space, as a second powerful tremor shook the ground.

Birds know.

When everyone had been accounted for, I finally felt relief. One of our staff was blocked in Chautara by a huge landslide that had cut the main road, but he was safe.

Driving home at night, the streets that had come back to life over the past days were again deserted, the shops that had reopened were again shuttered. It was a bad night. There were three more powerful tremors. People were screaming, others were blowing whistles. My colleagues and I all have whistles, meant to attract the attention of rescuers if you are trapped under debris.

I lay awake, thinking of those living under tents, of colleagues taking their elderly parents to the relative safety of open spaces. Of those brave Nepalis who had already started rebuilding their destroyed houses, of the children who so badly needed to go back to school, to engage in any activity that would take their minds off the disaster.

The next day, all were back to work at the ICRC delegation, but many faces showed exhaustion. Everyone was affected by the stories of grief coming from newly hit areas. More deaths, more injuries, more houses crumbling like a pack of cards. What could we answer to anxious survivors who asked “what next”, when not even geologists could predict when the aftershocks would be over?

Yet as I was poring over reports from the field and listening to colleagues, hope started creeping back. Nepal Red Cross Society (NRCS) teams were providing first aid services to the injured and continuing relief distributions. One hospital, in Dhulikhel, with which we had developed a partnership on the Emergency Room Trauma Course, was operating on patients airlifted from remote areas. Our Nepali psycho-social professionals and community based psychosocial workers, together with their NRCS colleagues, continued helping survivors cope with their uncertainty, fear and sadness. Others were striving to restore links between separated family members. The two physical rehabilitation facilities we have supported for years, in Kathmandu and Pokhara, were already treating patients from the earthquake.

Helping hands were at work everywhere.

Continuity. This was it, I thought. The ICRC has been in Nepal since 1998, responding to the needs arising from the internal conflict between the Maoists and the Government. For the last 16 years, we have contributed to strengthen the emergency preparedness capacity of the NRCS and of state institutions, give hope to separated families through Red Cross messages, provide comprehensive psycho-social support to family members of those missing in the conflict, train forensic specialists to identify dead bodies. Now, this longstanding collaboration was being put to work for the earthquake victims.

I deeply hope continuity will prevail. The famed Nepali resilience does not need be put to the test yet again.

Dragana Kojic is head of the International Committee of the Red Cross Nepal delegation.

Wednesday 20 May 2015

http://www.greaterkashmir.com/news/opinion/story/186804.html

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America's worst worksite disasters

When measured in lives lost during concentrated periods of time, these accidents are the worst ones in America.

April 16, 1947: Texas City, Texas, dockside explosion takes close to 600 lives

One of the largest non-nuclear explosions in American history, this accident began early in the day when a fire broke out on the French-registered ship, the SS Grandcamp, detonating the docked ship's cargo – approximately 2,300 tons of ammonium nitrate.

Its cargo exploded, starting a chain reaction of fires and explosions in other ships and nearby oil-storage facilities and killing at least 581 people, including all but one member of the Texas City Fire Department. Not all the bodies were recovered, rendering an accurate fatality count impossible.

Sept. 11, 2001: The World Trade Center towers collapse, burying 403 public safety workers

Terrorists attacking the World Trade Center killed 2,973 persons, including 403 New York City public safety responders. While the deaths could be construed as occupational, the deaths of public safety workers were most definitely arising out of and in the course of employment. Their deaths were all the more painful given that New York City was put on notice during a 1993 bomb attack that its fire and police departments were dangerously unable to communicate easily, but they had failed to remedy the problem.

1927: Hawks Nest, West Virginia, tunnel leads to hundreds of deaths from dust

As part of a dam project, a tunnel was constructed to handle the flow of a diverted river. Construction on the three-mile tunnel began in 1927, employing largely black workers, who were not provided protective equipment to guard against dust. Many contracted silicosis-related diseases and soon died. The minimum death count was 201, but total estimates exceeded 476.

Dec. 6, 1907: Fairmont Coal Company mine explosion in Monongah, West Virginia, takes 362 lives

The nation’s worst mining disaster killed 362 miners at the Consolidation Coal Company mine. Mining has remained for decades the most likely location of multiple workplace deaths from single incidents. The Sago Mine collapse on Jan. 2, 2006, in Sago, West Virginia, killed 12 workers. The worst mine disaster in the past 40 years occurred on April 5, 2010, at the Upper Big Branch underground mine in Montcoal, West Virginia, killing 29 of the 31 miners who were underground at the time.

Feb. 2, 1982: Offshore oil rig founders, causing 84 deaths

The Mobil-operated Ocean Ranger rig, 166 miles east of Newfoundland, failed, and the entire crew sought to escape by life rafts. Nobody was wearing protective suits, which have since become standard equipment on rigs and watercraft, and they all perished. When the Gulf of Mexico-based Deep Water Horizon rig blew up on April 20, 2010, 11 workers died.

Lesser but not forgotten tragedies include:

- The Willow Creek Power Plant in St. Marys, West Virginia, the largest vertical construction disaster, killed 45 workers in 1978 when scaffolding collapsed.
- The Texas City British Petroleum refinery explosion in 2005, which took 17 lives.
- The Imperial Sugar explosion in Port Wentworth, Georgia, killed 13 in 2008.
- A train collision in Granite, South Carolina, ripped open a Norfolk and Southern Railroad tank car containing chlorine, killing nine workers, in 2005.
- A South Canyon wildfire near Glenwood Springs, Colorado, killed 14 firefighters in 1994, prompting a major overhaul of emergency response guidelines through America.
- A small passenger plane crash in 2005, caused by a plane stalling on its approach to the Pueblo, Colorado, airport, killing eight passengers on a corporate visit and crew.
- A fertilizer plant explosion in West, Texas, in 2014, killing 15 people, some of whom were workers.
Thursday 9 October 2014

https://ww3.workcompcentral.com/columns/show/id/cba986a82f9dce28908798f0930327b4564c21ab

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5 deadliest disasters in the Philippines in 2013

The year 2013 proved to be one of the most challenging years for the country because of the sheer number of fatalities the Philippines had sustained from earthquakes, cyclones and even a military crisis.

But the year only tested our capacity as Filipino people. Truly, we are resilient, our spirit remain disaster-proof.

Here is a list of the deadliest disasters the country has been through this year:

Skyway bus accident

A speeding bus toppled over Skyway in Bicutan, Taguig City, fell over a closed van underneath the highway, and claimed 18 lives in an instant.

The video footage looks like it was taken from a movie scene. Only, there were no actors.

Who would have thought that in an instant, by simply riding a bus, 18 lives will be taken?

One thing is for sure, their families will be spending their Christmases and New Year longing for them.

The authorities suspended the Don Mariano Bus company and inspected every single bus unit it owns. The driver, who supposedly had to face criminal charges, died a few days after the incident.

Maritime mishap

A collision of two sea vessel happened on the evening of August 16 at the vicinity of Lawis Ledge, Talisay City in Cebu, killing more than a hundred people.

The cargo ship M/V Sulpicio Express 7 bound for Davao City and the passenger ship M/V St. Thomas Aquinas 1 of 2Go Shipping bound for Cebu were involved in the incident.

M/V St. Thomas Aquinas was about to reach the Cebu port when it collided with M/V Sulpicio Express 7, which was about to leave the port.

The passenger ship carried 870 passengers, while the cargo ship had 38 crew onboard.

M/V St. Thomas Aquinas sank 30 minutes after the collision, which happened at night while some passengers were asleep. Some, thus, found it hard to find their way out because of darkness. Many did not survive.

As of now, several bodies are still missing.

Zamboanga attack

On September 9, before dawn, a faction of the Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) infiltrated Zamboanga City and engaged in a series of firefight with government troops.

The 30-day crisis in Zamboanga took 140 lives. Twenty-four were reported dead in the defense team, 11 were civilians and 105 were from the MNLF faction allegedly led by MNLF founding chair Nur Misuari. [See the related story.]

Civilians were taken hostage while the MNLF rebels took over some houses, buildings and barangays and exchanged gun shots with the defense team.

Some victims died of bullet strains amid the encounter and some hostages were intentionally killed.

People in the area were helpless, everyone was rushing to evacuate. Relief was immediately sent to address the affected population’s needs.

As of now, there were 117 MNLF members under the custody of the government, though their Misuari has not been captured yet.

The trauma and experience will stay in the victim’s heart and mind, especially to the young children who experienced and witness violence.

Bohol quake

Two hundred twenty-two people died after a 7.2 magnitude earthquake hit Bohol and nearby provinces, including Cebu, in the morning of October 15.

The earthquake occurred around 8:12 a.m. with the epicenter located in Sagbayan, Bohol.

As reported, 209 people were confirmed dead in Bohol, 12 in Cebu and 1 in Siquijor.

Buildings collapsed in a second and claimed the lives of many and some were buried alive in a landslide.

The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) recorded 3,198 aftershocks from the 7.2 magnitude quake, 94 of which were felt in the areas nearby.

Around 700 families were affected by the tremor and the cost of damage went up to P3 billion.

Until now, people were tensed with the threat that another strong earthquake can happen again.

Megastorm

But ultimately, the deadliest disaster the country has experienced this year is Super Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan).

Yolanda flattened the Visayas area, destroying houses, uprooting trees, toppling down electrical posts, and leaving more than 6,000 people dead.

Most of the victims died in storm surges, while some were killed by falling debris.

Storm surges were unbelievable; houses were like a toy being carried and crushed by angry waves and strong winds.

Typhoon Yolanda made landfall six times in the provinces of Samar, Leyte, Cebu (Bantayan Island and Daanbantayan), Iloilo and Palawan.

On November 11, President Benigno Aquino III placed the country under a state of calamity due to the massive effect of the super typhoon.

The National Risk Reduction Management Council’s (NDRRMC) latest report showed that the number of affected people is at 17 million. Yolanda left 6,155 dead and the number of families who remained in the evacuation centers remained at 890,895.

Tuesday 31 December 2013

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/breaking-news/2013/12/31/5-deadliest-disasters-philippines-2013-321102

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2012 in Bangladesh marked by disasters, political confrontations

Along with confrontational politics, Bangladesh witnessed thousands of casualties from natural and man- made disasters in 2012, casting a shadow on its development.

In one of the worst tragedies in Bangladesh's history late in the year, at least 112 workers of a factory at Ashulia on the outskirts of capital Dhaka were killed.

Dozens of workers also sustained injuries as a fire on Nov. 24, claimed to be "an act of sabotage," raged through the eight-storey Tazreen Fashion Limited, where global brands, including U.S. retail giant Wal-Mart, were manufactured.

Data from the Fire Service and Civil Defense Directorate (FSCDD) showed that about 200 people lost their lives in 6,659 fire incidents in Bangladesh during the year, with hundreds being injured.

The Tazreen tragedy happened after a boat with over 110 passengers capsized on Nov. 7 in the Bay of Bengal near Shah Porir Island in Teknaf close to Bangladesh's southeastern border with Myanmar, leaving an unknown number of people missing.

Rescuers said those passengers were going to Malaysia in search of work.

A week earlier another motorboat with 135 illegal migrants on board capsized in the Bay of Bengal, leaving dozens of people missing. Their destination was also Malaysia.

According to the FSCDD, some 1,000 people were killed and about 3,000 others injured in hundreds of road and sea accidents including a fatal ferry collision in March which claimed 138 lives.

Ferry accidents, often blamed on overcrowding, faulty vessels and lax rules, are common in Bangladesh, which also has one of the highest fatality rates of road accidents in the world mainly due to shoddy highways, poorly maintained vehicles, violation of traffic rules by abusive drivers and a lack of monitoring of the traffic department.

Officials say the death toll in man-made disasters such as fire, road and waterway accidents in 2012 could be much higher if the figures from other sources, including those from the police, are added up.

"The accuracy of our statistics is in a very tough position. But it can be assumed. According to police and various data, every day the number of fatalities in road accidents varies from 15 to 50. On average the figure is around 30," said Hasib Mohammed Ahsan, director of the Accident Research Institute of the Bangladesh University of Engineering Technology.

Experts say Bangladesh, situated by the Bay of Bengal, has become more vulnerable in recent years to man-made and natural disasters because of the government's apparent lack of a political will and resourcefulness in protecting its people.

Tornado and cyclones, killing hundreds of people every year, are common occurrences in this calamity-prone South Asian country of about 153 million people whose per capita income is still less than 850 U.S. dollars.

Super cyclone Aila swept across southern Bangladesh on May 25, 2009. It caused widespread damage and affected around 3 million people, leaving at least 179 dead.

Though the country did not suffer from a big cyclone in 2012 like that, a total of 131 people lost their lives in natural disasters that occurred in about a dozen districts across the country in three weeks of June and July.

Most of the deaths were caused by landslides and the others by collapse of walls, lightning and floods caused by violent windstorms, SM Golam Kibria, senior spokesman of Bangladesh's Ministry of Food and Disaster Management, told Xinhua.

Analysts blamed the country's confrontational politics for a lack of planning and of contingency measures in times of calamities.

Friday 4 January 2013

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/article/article_xinhua.asp?id=117106

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Indonesia to see more disasters as global warming continues

Indonesia has experienced more frequent cyclones due to persisting impacts of global warming in the past few years, and the phenomenon is predicted to continue next year.

The frequency of cyclones this year, according to data gathered by the country's disaster mitigation agency, was 28 times that for the year 2002.

"Global warming has resulted in the formation of more cumulonimbus clouds that could incite cyclones," said Sutopo Purwo Yuwono, spokesperson with the Indonesian disaster mitigation agency BNPB.

According to Sutopo, cyclone was responsible for 36 percent of the 1,200 disasters experienced by the country throughout this year.

The agency learned that most of the disasters, including floods, landslides, droughts, forest fires and cyclones, could be attributable to the persistent impact of global warming.

Sutopo predicted that cyclones would occur in Indonesia in March to April next year, while floods and landslides would hit many parts of the country from January to March.

He said a total of 60.9 million people living in 315 cities and regencies would face risks from floods and 124 million people in 270 cities and regencies would be vulnerable to landslides.

He also predicted forest fires in eight provinces during the dry season next year and drought in Java, Bali and East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) provinces from August to October.

Earthquakes might affect the life of some 157 million people in 386 cities and regencies, and tsunamis would follow and affect 5 million people in 233 cities and regencies in coastal areas next year.

The Indonesian government has allocated 1 trillion rupiah ( about 103.6 million U.S. dollars) for the implementation of a master plan to improve the public awareness of tsunami.

Indonesia, a country that sits in the earth's "ring of fire", may also face risks from volcano eruption next year as many volcanoes have been seen in escalating activities, according to the agency.

Tuesday 25 December 2012

http://www.china.org.cn/environment/2012-12/24/content_27504707.htm

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IFRC: World Disasters Report 2012

According to the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED), 336 natural disasters and 234 technological disasters were reported worldwide in 2011.The number of natural disasters is the lowest of the decade and is 15 per cent below its decade’s average.

The number of technological disasters (234) is the second lowest of the decade, after 2009, far below the numbers reported during the first five years of the decade. The number of deaths caused by natural disasters (31,105) is the fourth lowest of the decade, much lower than the peaks of 2004 (242,010 deaths), 2008 (235,272) and 2010 (297,730). The deadliest natural disaster was the earthquake and subsequent tsunami in Japan in March, which killed 19,846 people. The number of deaths is much lower than those caused by the Indian Ocean tsunami in December 2004 (226,408 deaths) and the earthquake of January 2010 in Haiti (222,570 deaths). Tropical Storm Washi (Sendong), which killed 1,439 people in December in the Philippines, is the second deadliest natural disaster of 2011.

The technological disaster that resulted in the highest number of deaths (203) was the sinking of a ferry in September in Tanzania. A total of 2,085 people died in 45 shipwrecks in 2011, accounting for 50 per cent of all deaths from transport accidents and almost one-third of all technological disasters. Among industrial accidents, an oil pipeline explosion caused 120 deaths in Kenya and the explosion of a fuel reserve led to the deaths of 100 people in Libya.

The number of people reported affected by natural disasters (209 million) is the fourth lowest of the decade, but is much higher than the minimum of 2006 (147 million). In 2011, almost 70 per cent of people reported affected were victims of floods. The most severe occurred in June and September in China (68 and 20 million, respectively). Fifteen other floods affected 1 to 9 million people for a total of 45 million. One hailstorm affected 22 million people in April in China and eight other storms, all in Asia, affected 1 to 3 million people for a total of 14 million. Seven droughts, of which five were in Africa, affected 1 to 4 million people for a total of 14 million. By comparison, the total number of people affected by earthquakes and tsunami (1.5 million) is the second lowest of the decade. The earthquake which affected the highest number of people (575,000) occurred in India in September. The earthquake and tsunami in Japan, in March, affected 369,000 people and the February earthquake in New Zealand affected 300,000 people.

Technological disasters affect, proportionally, very few people. Among the five technological disasters affecting the most people were four fires in slums. The two most severe occurred in the Philippines, affecting 20,000 and 10,000 people, and the two others in Kenya affecting 9,000 and 6,000 people. The explosion of an ammunition depot in Tanzania affected 1,500 people.

Wednesday 17 October 2012

Report downlaodable from: http://www.ifrc.org/PageFiles/99703/1216800-WDR%202012-EN-LR.pdf

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In the event of a catastrophe, San Diego County has a plan for mass burials

Less than half a mile west of the San Diego Convention Center, just past the Manchester Grand Hyatt and next to the Seaport Village sign, lies the marker for a mass grave. Somewhere beneath the soil of La Punta de los Muertos, “Dead Men’s Point,” rest the bodies of an indeterminate number of Spanish sailors who perished from scurvy on a 1782 survey mission commanded by Don Augustín de Echeverria.

Some historians claim the ground holds the bones of another 100 sailors who succumbed to scurvy and dysentery during the first expedition to San Diego, led by explorer Gaspar de Portolà and Father Juniper Serra in 1769.

Mass burials have been part of San Diego history from the beginning, and, if catastrophe were to destroy the city, mass burials would likely mark the city’s end, too. And local government is somewhat ready for it—Section VI of Annex F of the regional “Operational Area Emergency Plan” describes the conditions that would necessitate mass burial, names those who would make the decision and identifies suitable locations for large graves.

In its field manual for first responders, Management of Dead Bodies After Disasters, the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) cautions against jumping too quickly to this measure. Done haphazardly, it could traumatize families and pose significant legal liabilities.

While decaying bodies may be putrid, PAHO says that, contrary to popular belief, the presence of dead bodies doesn’t present a health risk. Instead, mass burials should be used primarily to preserve bodies temporarily for identification purposes in situations where adequate refrigeration isn’t available.

However, in the long term, PAHO acknowledges communal graves may be the only option. But a lot would have to happen for San Diego to get to that point—starting with a “Level 3” event, such as a natural disaster, terrorist attack or nuclear accident (or zombie outbreak), in which the local agencies are overwhelmed with bodies.

Medical examiner 

In a mass-fatality situation, the San Diego County Department of the Medical Examiner would be the lead organization for managing dead bodies, coordinating the identification process and manning family-assistance centers.

Management of Dead Bodies After Disasters 

The medical examiner opened a new building in 2009, which currently has a capacity for 500 bodies. The department also owns a “mobile morgue” that can refrigerate 12 more.

Two morgue trailers each hold 22 bodies. When the medical examiner’s capacity reaches its brink—approximately 556 bodies—the department is authorized to open temporary morgue facilities in locations such as airport hangars and empty warehouses.

According to the emergency plan, these facilities must be secure, equipped with showers and have front-office reception areas.

The medical examiner can call for backup via the federal-level Disaster Mortuary Operational Response Team. According to Dr. Amado Alejandro Baez, a national specialist in mortuary services in disaster scenarios, displaying 1,000 bodies would require approximately 2,000 square meters of space.

Baez estimates decomposition may render a body unidentifiable within 48 hours, creating a small window for establishing identity and photographing the bodies. Mass burial According to the regional emergency plan, a mass burial could become necessary when the dead can’t be refrigerated or embalmed, properly processed or released to next of kin and area cemeteries aren’t able to shoulder the extra load.

The decision to invoke the mass-burial protocol would fall to three county officials in particular: Chief Medical Examiner Glenn Wagner, Public Health Officer Wilma J. Wooten and Emergency Services Director Holly Crawford. The California Emergency Management Agency would need to sign off on it, as would local officials, including the San Diego County Board of Supervisors.

PAHO’s field manual lays out the specifications for a mass-burial trench. A mass grave should be between 1.5 and 3 meters deep, at least 200 meters from drinking water sources and 2 meters above the water table. Each body should be placed in a body bag or wrapped in a sheet and laid in a single layer with about .4 meters between each body. The bodies should be meticulously documented in a grid for later identification.

Cremation, according to PAHO, should be avoided because it destroys evidence, often results in partially incinerated remains that would have to be buried anyway and requires an enormous amount of fuel (300 kilograms of wood per body, Baez says).

Gravesites 

The first choice for a mass-burial site, of course, would be an existing cemetery. Assuming that’s not an option, the regional plan identifies six alternative types of locations: county landfills, parks and recreational areas, flood-control basins (“weather permit ting”), sides of freeways or river beds, areas beneath power lines and rail yards or along rail lines.

But while geographically feasible, most would be a tough sell politically, says Michael Pallamary, who runs the local land-use consulting and surveying firm Pallamary & Associates. “Contemporary land-use planning has a lot to do with the political implications, so [with a mass grave], you’d either have to face political stigma or the environmental implications,” he says. “You’re not going to bury them in Mission Valley near hotels or golf courses.

The concept of burying in a flood-control channel and having it wash up, that’s hardly an attractive venture.” Pallamary knows a place that meets many of those criteria: the uninhabitable area to the southeast of Mission Bay, near Sea World Drive and Friars Road. It used to be a toxic dump and is near the San Diego River, two freeways and an electricity substation.

The proposed Gregory Canyon Landfill would also be an obvious location, but, based on the county’s list, Pallamary thinks the best options are easements under power lines owned by San Diego Gas & Electric. “I think the power lines would be the only contemporary viable site,” he says. “A lot of these power lines are extraordinarily wide so they could accommodate significant burial sites, and you’re probably never going to use those areas anyway.”

Thursday 12 July 2012

http://www.sdcitybeat.com/sandiego/article-10735-where-will-the-bodie.html

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The doctor will sea you now: Hospital boat could rescue victims of natural disasters

We've all heard of the flying doctors - now we could soon have the floating doctors thanks to a hospital boat developed by an Italian yacht designer.

Marino Alfani, 29, came up with the concept after talking to his childhood friend Dr Taddeo Baino, who had just returned from a medical mission in Africa.

The hospital boat would be able to come close in to shore and ferry passengers to it by ambulance and helicopter

Mr Alfani realised that a hospital boat could treat people from coastal areas that have no or ill-equipped hospitals and could also respond to emergencies at sea like the recent Costa Concordia wreck. It could also provide relief to victims of natural disasters like the 2004 tsunami, which wiped out whole road networks.

So he designed a catamaran that would be equipped with state-of-the-art medical examination areas, operating theatres, laboratories, recovery rooms and a hyperbaric chamber (for oxygen therapy). There would be a small helipad on the bridge and a garage accessible from the stern to store an ambulance.

The boat would accommodate three crew members and nine doctors and nurses and could treat 50 people a day - which would be 1,500 a month. As a catamaran it could come close in to shore.

Speaking to L'Eco Di Bergamo, Mr Alfani said: 'The earth is surrounded by water and it is unthinkable that there is no tool that allows immediate first aid at sea.'

He added that the boat was modeled on the emergency room of the Bergamo Hospital in Italy.
The boat, made from aluminium alloy would measure 115ft long, 48ft wide and stand 25ft tall. It would be propelled by two 1200 diesel electric motors and travel at a top speed of 10knots. The boat would have a fuel capacity of 50,000l.

Mr Alfani has an architecture degree from the Politecnico di Milano as well as a Masters in Yacht Design and now has his own studio where he can tackle boat design to construction. He is also an experienced interior designer.

The hospital boat concept won a prize this month at the 2012 Millennium Yacht Design Awards.

22 February 2012

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2104254/Hospital-boat-designed-Marino-Alfani-rescue-victims-natural-disasters.html#ixzz1nAXZR0S6

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Honduras Prison Fire: International Forensics Teams To Help Probe

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras -- Countries are reaching out to Honduras after its deadly prison fire, sending medical aid and forensic doctors, with the United States dispatching an investigative team to help find the cause of the blaze.

Mexico and Chile are sending forensic experts to help identify the 355 dead, many of whom were burned beyond recognition in the inferno at the Comayagua prison north of Honduras' capital. France and Spain are offering medical aid for survivors of the deadliest prison fire in a century.

The fire that began late Tuesday night exposed a dysfunctional and underfunded prison system with overcrowded facilities, and insufficient staff. Honduran President Porfirio Lobo issued a plea for international assistance in carrying out a thorough investigation "to determine beyond any doubt what led to this tragedy and determine responsibility."

The U.S. State Department said Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigators arrived Thursday in Honduras. The team includes forensic chemists, explosives enforcement officers and dogs that can sniff out explosives and accelerants.

"The purpose of the mission is to establish how the fire started," the U.S. Embassy said in a statement.

Five forensic doctors who work for the Mexican Attorney General's Office arrived Thursday to help identify the dead, that country's Foreign Relations Department said in a statement.

The department said Mexico also sent medical supplies and medicine to treat burn victims after Lobo requested the aid in a telephone conversation with Mexican President Felipe Calderon.

Chile announced plans to send a team of 14 experts to also help identify the dead. The team helped in the aftermath of a fire that killed 81 in a Chilean prison and was set during fighting between rival gangs in 2010.

France and Spain have sent medical supplies to help treat survivors, and Spain offered to send a police team to help with the investigation.


Jose Miguel Insulza, secretary-general of the Organization of American States, said he has asked the president of the Inter-American Human Rights Commission to send a delegation to Honduras to investigate the fire. He expressed "deep shock at the dramatic events."

Israel's ambassador to Honduras, Eliau Lopes, said he planned to meet with Lobo on Friday to present a proposal by an Israeli company to build four modern, safe, high-security prisons.

Lopes said the cost of the project is high but "it can be achieved with international aid."

"We are talking about facilities where no one will escape, where there won't be fires," he said.

19 Febr 2012
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/18/honduras-prison-fire-international_n_1286315.html

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Analysis technique could help to identify bodies more reliably

A new corpse-analysis technique could help forensic scientists identify bodies more reliably and cheaply than with current methods.

Researchers from the University of Granada in Spain developed a method of comparing a set of reference points on a skull and those on a picture of the subject while they were alive to see if they match.

Lead researcher on the project Fernando Merino said this craniofacial superimposition technique was faster and more reliable than other forensic identification methods.
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‘As this technique is much less expensive, forensic scientists might use it firstly and, only when necessary, resort then to other techniques.

‘This technique can be complementary to other techniques, as it can serve to discard potential identities before using more expensive or slower identification techniques, such as DNA analysis.’

In particular, the researchers think the new technique could be useful for identifying a corpse from among multiple bodies, for example following a mass disaster, by significantly reducing possible candidates.

To carry out the study, the researchers used a sample of CAT scan images from 500 people and determined the spatial relationship between each point on both the skull and the photo of the face to obtain a vector between them that could be applied to any sample.

The researchers then applied this technique to real cases where only a skull was available in order to verify their results using a 3D virtual model of the skull.

15/02/2012

Read more: http://www.theengineer.co.uk/sectors/medical-and-healthcare/news/analysis-technique-could-help-to-identify-bodies-more-reliably/1011702.article#ixzz1mRwYScE1

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UN: 2010 among deadliest years for disasters, urges better preparedness

24 January 2011 – 2010 was one of the deadliest years for natural disasters in the past two decades and unless better preparations are put in place now, many more disasters can be expected in years to come, the UN’s top disaster reduction official said today.

Some 373 natural disasters claimed the lives of more than 296,800 people last year, affecting nearly 208 million and costing nearly $110 billion, according to annual data compiled by the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED) of the Université catholique de Louvain in Belgium, and supported by the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR), the UN body charged with helping coordinate efforts to achieve substantive reduction in disaster losses and build resilient nations and communities.

“These figures are bad, but could be seen as benign in years to come,” said the head of UNISDR and Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s Special Representative for Disaster Risk Reduction, Margareta Wahlström. “Unless we act now, we will see more and more disasters due to unplanned urbanization and environmental degradation. And weather-related disasters are sure to rise in the future, due to factors that include climate change.”

According to the data, the 12 January earthquake in Haiti killed more than 222,500 people, while the Russian summer heat wave caused about 56,000 fatalities – making 2010 the year with the highest disaster-related casualties in at least two decades.

Currently, moderate to strong La Niña conditions are well-established in the equatorial Pacific Ocean, and are likely to continue until the first quarter of this year, according to the El Niño/La Niña update issued recently by the UN World Meteorological Organization, the data notes. El Niño is a large-scale warming of water in the Equatorial Pacific Ocean every three to five years and can last up to 18 months, while La Niña refers to the large-scale cooling of the ocean temperatures in the same region.

La Niña is thought to be linked to the floods and landslides that occurred in Colombia last year, and more recently the floods in Queensland, Australia, triggered by rains that began in late December.

“It’s critical for local governments, city leaders and their partners to incorporate climate change adaptation in urban planning,” Ms. Wahlström said, stressing that disaster risk reduction was no longer optional. “What we call ‘disaster risk reduction’ – and what some are calling ‘risk mitigation’ or ‘risk management’ – is a strategic and technical tool for helping national and local governments to fulfil their responsibilities to citizens.”

According to CRED’s data, for the first time, the Americas became the world’s worst affected continents in terms of fatalities, with 75 per cent of total deaths caused by the earthquake in Haiti. Europe was the region with the second highest number of deaths, with the heat wave in Russia accounting for nearly a fifth of 2010’s total fatalities. Other extreme climate events in Europe included Storm Xynthia last February, floods in France in June and the extreme winter conditions all over Europe throughout December.

Asia experienced fewer disaster-related deaths with 4.7 per cent of total fatalities, but remained the region most prone to natural disasters. An estimated 89 per cent of the total number of people affected by natural disasters last year resided in Asia.

Five of the ten most deadly disasters occurred in China, Pakistan, and Indonesia. Earthquakes killed almost 3,000 people in China in April and 530 people in Indonesia in October. Between May and August, floods killed more than 1,500 people in China, and another 1,765 were killed by mudslides, landslides or rock fall triggered by heavy rainfall and floods in August. Nearly 2,000 people were killed by the massive floods in Pakistan.

Floods and landslides during the summer in China are estimated to have cost $18 billion in losses, while flood-related destruction in Pakistan was estimated at $9.5 billion. The Haiti earthquake caused damage worth $8 billion, according to the CRED data. The costliest event in 2010, however, was the earthquake in Chile in February, with damages valued at $30 billion.

The other two years when natural disasters caused higher losses were 2005, when damages from Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma alone amounted to $139 billion; and 2008, when the earthquake in Sichuan, China, caused $86 billion worth of damages, a figure than brought the total losses for that year to about $200 billion.

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=37357&Cr=disaster+reduction&Cr1

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