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The Implications of Hurricane Sandy for Disaster Response
Thomas Chandler, PhDNational Center for Disaster Preparedness
The Earth InstituteColumbia University
1,000 miles long
The 700 Year Storm?• Knocked power out for 8 million people• 32 ft wave recorded in New York Harbor• 3 feet of snow in West Virginia
Linkage to Climate Change?
• Sea levels have risen 1 ft since 1900• Intensity vs frequency• Insurance industry: Munich Re: Weather risks
are changing faster in North America than anywhere else in the world.
But, Wait…
• Recent IPCC report downplayed linkage between hurricanes and climate change
• Historical record of hurricanes in the Atlantic is not extensive
• Monstrous hurricanes have always threatened the US east coast: The Great Miami Hurricane of 1926 would have cost $180 billion today
What We Know
• 1/3 of all Americans live in counties immediately bordering the oceans
• The sea level will continue to rise this century and impact storms like Hurricane Sandy
Risk Communication: What Happened?
• NYC residents expected strong winds, not flooding
• 1/3 of residents did not have flood insurance• Uncertainty about evacuation zones• Underestimation of power failures and lack of
fuel
Why Didn’t People Evacuate?
• Lack of family or financial support network• NYC Shelter System: Concerns about safety• Fear of looting• Religious fatalism • Inability to leave: Eg, Elderly residents in the
Far Rockaways. • -> Take Away: Government messages need to
be decentralized
Typhoon Haiyan
• How do we define a disaster?• Haiyan affected 11.3 million people and
displaced at least 673,000 Filipinos. In contrast, the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami killed perhaps 250,000 people throughout Southern Asia but affected roughly 5 million.
• Strongest tropical storm ever recorded at landfall, packing sustained winds of at least 195 mph with gusts of 235 mph
Building a Culture of Preparedness
• In many nations, disaster preparedness is part of the school curriculum
• 2004: Hurricane Ivan struck Cuba as a category 5, no deaths
• 2005: Hurricane Katrina, 1,833 deaths
You Are Your Own First Responder
• Misperception that help will arrive immediately
• Need 3 day supply of water and food
Resources
• ready.gov• fema.gov• ncdp.columbia.edu Preparedness Wizard
In Conclusion
• 1/3 of all Americans live in counties immediately bordering the oceans
• The sea level will continue to rise this century and impact storms like Hurricane Sandy