LESSONS LEARNED FROM PAST NOTABLE DISASTERS

AUSTRALIAPART 2: CYCLONES

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 FROM BECOMING DISASTER NRESILIENT

HIGH BENEFIT/COST FROM BECOMING DISASTER NRESILIENT

GOAL: PROTECT PEOPLE GOAL: PROTECT PEOPLE AND COMMUNITIESAND COMMUNITIES

GOAL: PROTECT PEOPLE GOAL: PROTECT PEOPLE AND COMMUNITIESAND COMMUNITIES

Natural Phenomena that Cause Disasters

Planet Earth’s atmospheric-hydrospheric-lithospheric interactions create situations favorable for CYCLONES

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., cyclones, floods,...) 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.

SEVERE WINDSTORM HAZARDS

HIGH POTENTIAL LOSS EXPOSURES IN A CYCLONE

A communities people, property, essential and critical infrastructure, business enterprise, government centers, crops, wildlife, and natural resources.

HAZARDS OF A SEVERE WINDSTORM (AKA POTENTIAL DISASTER AGENTS)

• WIND FIELD (CLOCKWISE DIRECTION; CAT 1 (55 mph) TO CAT 5 (155 mph or greater)

• STORM SURGE

• HEAVY RAINFALL

• LANDSLIDES (MUDFLOWS)

• COSTAL EROSION

• TORNADOES (SOMETIMES)

WIND PENETRATING BUILDING ENVELOPE

SEVERE WINDSTORMS

SEVERE WINDSTORMS

UPLIFT OF ROOF SYSTEM

FLYING DEBRIS

STORM SURGE

IRREGULARITIES IN ELEVATION AND PLAN

DESIGN PROBLEMS

FLOODING AND LANDSLIDES

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

CYCLONE RISK CYCLONE RISK

RISK

ACCEPTABLE RISK

UNACCEPTABLE RISK

CYCLONE DISASTER CYCLONE DISASTER RESILIENCERESILIENCE

•PREPAREDNESS•PROTECTION•EARLY WARNING•EMERGENCY RESPONSE•RECOVERY and RECONSTRUCTION

POLICY OPTIONSPOLICY OPTIONS

LESSONS LEARNED ABOUT DISASTER RESILIENCE

ALL CYCLONES PREPAREDNESFOR THE EXPECTED AND UNEXPEDTED IS ESSENTIAL FOR DISASTER RESILIENCE

LESSONS LEARNED ABOUT DISASTER RESILIENCE

ALL CYCLONES EARLY WARNING IS ESSENTIAL FOR EVACUATION AND PREPARATION OF THE LAST LINE OF DEFENSE, WHICH ARE ESSENTIAL FOR DISASTER RESILIENCE

LESSONS LEARNED ABOUT DISASTER RESILIENCE

ALL CYCLONES

TIMELY EMERGENCY RESPONSE IS ESSENTIAL FOR DISASTER RESILIENCE

SOME OF AUSTRALIA’S WORST CYCLONES

Cyclone TRACY: 1974

Cyclone LARRY: 2006

Cyclone HAMISH: 2009

CYCLONE TRACY

CYCLONE TRACY’S PATH

IMPACTS OF CYCLONE TRACY

• Cyclone Tracy devastated the city of Darwin in Australia’s Northern Territory from Christmas Eve to Christmas Day, 1974.

IMPACTS OF TRACY

• Tracy killed 71 people, caused AS837 million in damage (1974 dollars) and destroyed more than 70 percent of Darwin's buildings, including 80 percent of the houses.

IMPACTS OF TRACY

• More than 30,000 of Darwin’s 47,000 inhabitants were evacuated from Adelaide, Whvalla, Alice, Springs, and Sydney.

• Many never returned to Darwin.

AFTER TRACY

Darwin was rebuilt using modern materials and updated building practices

that incorporated wind engineering

CYCLONE LARRY

QUEENSLAND

Larry made landfall in far North Queensland close to

Innisfail on 20 March 2006 as a Category 4 with wind gusts reaching 240 kilometers per

hour (150 mph), and dissipating over land soon

afterward.

CYCLONE LARRY: MARCH 15-20, 2006

CYCLONE LARRY’S TRACK: MARCH 15-20, 2006

LARRY’S IMPACTS

• Throughout Queensland, Cyclone Larry resulted in A$1.5 billion ($1.1 billion USD) in damage, making Larry, at that time the costliest tropical cyclone to ever impact Australia, surpassing 1974’s Cyclone Tracy’ loss.

CYCLONE HAMISH

CYCLONE HAMISH: MARCH 4-11, 2009

CYCLONE HAMISH‘ TRACK MARCH 4-11, 2009

CYCLONE HAMISH

CYCLONE HAMISH’S IMPACTS

• Hamish was a CAT 4 storm with 290 kph (175 mph) winds• Coal exports were disrupted•The tourist industry was slowed.• It caused a major oil spill.

HEAVY RAINFALL

• Hamish produced heavy rainfall over North Queensland with accumulations of 300 mm (12 in) in some areas.

• Mackay recorded 284 mm (11 in) in 2 days, and in combination with high tide, Hamish produced a 6.3 m (20.6 ft) tide in Mackay, flooding some streets.

CYCLONE HAMISH: OIL SPILL IMPACTS BEACHES

THE NEXT CYCLONE SEASON IS ON THE WAY

THE NEXT CYCLONE SEASON IS ON THE WAY

• CYCLONE DISASTER RESILIENCE IS NOT AN IMPOSSIBLE DREAM!

LESSONS LEARNED ABOUT DISASTER RESILIENCE

ALL CYCLONES

RECOVERY AND RECON-STRUCTION IS ABOUT KNOW-ING WHAT TO DO DIFFFERENTLY WHEN START-ING OVER AGAIN.