A generic decision model for developing concentrated rural settlement in post-disaster reconstruction: a China study

The increasing impacts of natural disasters on disadvantaged rural areas, especially in developing countries, have led to concerns regarding post-disaster rural settlement reconstruction. Various approaches, including resettlement and in-situ reconstruction, have been adopted, both of which disregard changing the pattern of dispersed settlement in villages. Against a pattern of dispersed settlement, developing a concentrated rural settlement (CRS) within a village is argued to enable the resilience of rural villages and provide a basis for sustainable development after a disaster. Nevertheless, this has received little attention when determining a plan of actions for post-disaster reconstruction. No specific guidelines can be referenced when developing CRS in post-disaster reconstruction due to the lack of a generic decision model. Therefore, this study examines the process of developing CRS in post-disaster reconstruction by mapping four cases selected in Dujiangyan, China, after the 5.12 Sichuan Earthquake in 2008. The examination leads to establishing a generic decision model for developing CRS in post-disaster reconstruction, which incorporates all the proficiencies embodied in the existing practices. This model provides an alternative tool for planning CRS in post-disaster reconstruction. It can also serve as a vehicle for identifying both effective practices and weak areas by comparing varying cases.     

Simulation of strong ground motion for a potential Mw7.3 earthquake in Kopili fault zone,northeast India

Natural Hazards - The occurrence of major natural disasters in recent years has impacted large cities worldwide and boosted the need of assessing urban resilience. As a key factor of resilience,...     

Reconstruction management policies in residential and commercial sectors after the 2003 bam earthquake in Iran

In the very early hours of 26th December 2003, a devastating and strong earthquake with a magnitude of 6.5 struck Bam, one of the historical cities of Kerman province in the south of Iran. According to the official reports, more than 30,000 were killed and about 25,000 injured. More than 80% of the town’s buildings were also destroyed. After the disaster, Bam’s reconstruction management process was presented with a lot of challenges and faced many fundamental questions. The number of human losses and related social issues, extensive destruction of the historical town, and also the lack of good experience in the reconstruction of a city or town made the reconstruction project of Bam more complicated. The reconstruction of Bam was the most important post-disaster reconstruction project among recent reconstructions in Iran. Many factors, such as concern over the government and international agencies, the new managerial approaches, and the application of appropriate reconstruction methods, made it different from the other reconstruction programs. Thus, the post-earthquake reconstruction of Bam is investigated in this research with respect to the importance of this issue. The aim behind this article is to give a brief explanation of the earthquake reconstruction management policies in Bam and also the plans for the reconstruction and rebuilding of urban residential and commercial units.     

汶川地震次生地质灾害分析与灾后调查

在实地考察和收集相关资料的基础上,从工程地质角度,分析了汶川地震灾情及其次生地质灾害的成因,阐述了灾后重建中工程地质调查的重要性和主要内容,为灾后重建工作提供科学依据。     

Regional effects of natural disasters in China: investing in post-disaster recovery

We examine the effects of natural disasters on income and investment in China. Using macroeconomic province-level data and the provincial history of disaster exposure over the past two decades, we describe the relationship between disaster mortality and morbidity, disasters’ economic damages, government investment and regional economic activity, and infrastructure development. The Chinese government’s aggressive investment in post-disaster reconstruction is discussed, and the implications of this investment for post-disaster private sector economic activity are analyzed empirically. We further investigate the differential effects of natural disasters on economic activity in China’s diverse geographical regions.     

四川芦山地震灾区次生地质灾害主要特征及防灾对策

“4·20”芦山强烈地震诱发了大量次生地质灾害。据震后初步统计,仅在纳入灾后重建规划的21个县（市、区）内排查核实的5361处地质灾害隐患中,地震诱发新增的就达1490处,相较震前增加达38．5％。为科学指导灾后恢复重建地质灾害防治工作,本文在对灾区防灾形势及次生地质灾害发育分布规律和主要特征分析的基础上,有针对性地提出了监测预防、动态巡查、综合整治及防灾能力建设为主的综合防治措施和建议。     

Regional effects of natural disasters in China: investing in post-disaster recovery

We examine the effects of natural disasters on income and investment in China. Using macroeconomic province-level data and the provincial history of disaster exposure over the past two decades, we describe the relationship between disaster mortality and morbidity, disasters’ economic damages, government investment and regional economic activity, and infrastructure development. The Chinese government’s aggressive investment in post-disaster reconstruction is discussed, and the implications of this investment for post-disaster private sector economic activity are analyzed empirically. We further investigate the differential effects of natural disasters on economic activity in China’s diverse geographical regions.

     

宝兴县两河口山体崩塌应急治理方案设计

“4.20”四川芦山地震诱发了大量次生地质灾害,导致宝兴县两河口崩塌危岩体发育,威胁进出地震灾区的生命线工程省道S210,威胁周边企事业单位及居民人数超过500人,严重影响了抗震救灾和灾后的恢复重建。在充分考虑治理区自然情况的基础上,采取预应力锚索锚杆支护,桩板拦石墙与钢轨障桩联合治理,解除了在暴雨作用下,治理区危岩体顶部、崩坡积层和下部坡面上存在的危石灾害,解决了被动网立柱抗弯能力较弱的问题,形成障桩起保护作用。为宝兴县灾后重建赢得了时间。     

Household recovery strategies in Longmen Mountain area,Sichuan, China,following the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake disaster

After the Wenchuan earthquake, the overall post-reconstruction of the affected area was completed in 2 years with significant achievements in a top-down fashion. However, the secondary large-scale mass movements and floods that followed the earthquake have shattered mountain settlements and resulted in serious loss of life and property over the last ten years. Local people have taken their own initiative for house reconstruction and recovery. Having taken the tremendous government-driven reconstruction into consideration, the current study aims to understand the contribution of bottom-up approach in whole reconstruction process in Jianjiang River, Longmen Mountain Town of Sichuan, China. This study reveals that in the process of individual rebuilding, local households have tried to construct houses by using more contemporary structures and local resources to rebuild smaller buildings. Such reconstruction activities have changed their lifestyle and source of income to cope with future disasters and adapt with the post-disaster recovery process. Rural households shifted their income sources from tourism to labour migration while revitalizing farming for food and additional income. More than half of residents have no worry about the risk of disasters in reconstruction areas. The bottom-up adaptation can be more sustainable in Longmen Mountain area and provide a reference for other rural areas under recovery after disasters.

     

Critical determinant factors (CDFs) for developing concentrated rural settlement in post-disaster reconstruction: a China study

Housing reconstruction is always the top priority issue in post-disaster reconstruction of rural areas in developing countries. However, the traditional reconstruction approaches, including reconstruction in situ, and resettlement are not sustainable enough for post-disaster reconstruction. Against the dispersion pattern of settlement, this study argues that developing concentrated rural settlement is able to increase the resilience of rural villages and to provide a basis for sustainable development post-disaster. Little study has reported developing concentrated rural settlement in post-disaster reconstruction until the reconstruction post 5.12 Sichuan Earthquake. Yet, there is still an unclear understanding of the factors taken into account when developing concentrated rural settlement in post-disaster reconstruction. This study aims to explore the critical determinant factors to be considered for developing concentrated rural settlement in post-disaster reconstruction with particular reference to the reconstruction post of 5.12 Sichuan Earthquake in China. Through content analysis, a preliminary list of determinant factors was firstly identified. Interviews with the local government officers, planners, and rural victims were conducted to collect opinions on the critical factors. It was found that governmental guidance, victims’ willingness, and economic development condition are three critical dimensions. The findings from this research can help understand the preconditions for developing concentrated rural settlement in post-disaster reconstruction and promote this approach in future.     

中国城市主要自然灾害风险评价研究

本文依据灾害系统理论和中国自然灾害数据库,构建了反映城市承灾体的综合城市化水平（CL）指标,并在此基础上得到城市脆弱性水平指数。考虑对城市具有结构性破坏和易于造成交通灾情的主要灾种,即水灾、地震、滑坡—泥石流、台风、沙尘暴,构建了反映城市主要致灾因子的综合自然灾害强度（QC）指标,并得到城市综合自然灾害强度指数。据此,在定性分析的基础上,通过半定量计算,将中国城市主要自然灾害风险划分为高风险、较高风险、中等风险、较低风险、低风险5个等级,编制了中国城市自然灾害风险评价图,并对灾害链的综合风险评价作了进一步的探讨。     

The impact of severe natural disasters on the livelihoods of farmers in mountainous areas: a case study of Qingping Township,Mianzhu City

The ‘5.12’ earthquake in 2008 and the ‘8.13’ debris flow in 2010 brought huge losses of life and property to Qingping Township. Farmers’ livelihoods assets were also seriously affected and damaged. These led to a change in farmers’ livelihood styles and reduction in their income. A study of the impact of natural disasters on farmers’ livelihoods in mountainous areas would have significant importance for policy making. Based on field survey data from sample households, this study comparatively analyzed the assets, livelihood styles and income of farmers over three periods—2007, 2009 after the ‘5.12’ earthquake, and 2 months after ‘8.13’ debris flows. It presents the following findings: (1) livelihood assets suffered heavy losses; (2) livelihood styles were significantly changed; and (3) the sustainability of farmer income was adversely influenced. These results suggest that, during the process of post-disaster reconstruction work, affected farmers’ security, the carrying capacity of livelihood assets, and the enhancement of employment and livelihood choice are worthy of much attention from policy makers.     

Financing rapid community reconstruction after catastrophic disaster: lessons from the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake in China

Catastrophic disasters can change the course of urban development and challenge the long-run sustainability of cities and regions. How to rapidly reconstruct communities impaired by catastrophic disaster is a world-wide challenge. The reconstruction after the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake in China was an unusual case of very rapid reconstruction after a catastrophic disaster. Over US$147 billion was invested to rebuild the damaged areas within 3 years. The reconstruction was not simply building back what was destroyed, but was used as an opportunity to advance national goals for urbanization, rural transformation, and poverty reduction. In this article, we review how the reconstruction was planned, budgeted, and financed in the sociopolitical context of 2008 China. Particularly, we discuss two innovative programs, namely pair assistance and land-based financing. Despite the unique circumstances of China, lessons can be learned to speed up post-disaster reconstruction and urban development in other countries. Conversely, this case illustrates that a narrow focus on physical reconstruction may overlook broader economic and social issues.

     

Multi-criteria vulnerability analysis to earthquake hazard of Bucharest, Romania

The expansive infrastructure, along with the high population density, makes cities highly vulnerable to the severe impacts of natural hazards. In the context of an explosive increase in value of the damage caused by natural disasters, the need for evaluating and visualizing the vulnerability of urban areas becomes a necessity in helping practitioners and stakeholders in their decision-making processes. The paper presented is a piece of exploratory research. The overall aim is to develop a spatial vulnerability approach to address earthquake risk, using a semi-quantitative model. The model uses the analytical framework of a spatial GIS-based multi-criteria analysis. For this approach, we have chosen Bucharest, the capital city of Romania, based on its high vulnerability to earthquakes due to a rapid urban growth and the advanced state of decay of the buildings (most of the building stock were built between 1940 and 1977). The spatial result reveals a circular pattern, pinpointing as hot spots the Bucharest historic centre (located on a meadow and river terrace, and with aged building stock) and peripheral areas (isolated from the emergency centers and defined by precarious social and economic conditions). In a sustainable development perspective, the example of Bucharest shows how spatial patterns shape the ??vulnerability profile?? of the city, based on which decision makers could develop proper prediction and mitigation strategies and enhance the resilience of cities against the risks resulting from the earthquake hazard.     

How resilient is the labour market against natural disaster? Evaluating the effects from the 2010 earthquake in Chile

Natural disasters are one of the main channels through which ecological and socio-economic systems interact. In particular, the severe impacts of earthquakes could disrupt activities in the labour market. However, the literature barely researched the long-term effects of such events. To investigate this issue, this article is concentrated in Chile that is subject to recurring seismic movements. The 27 February 2010 Bío-Bío Chile earthquake (M_w 8.8) was the second strongest in the history of the country. This natural disaster can be used to evaluate the response of the labour market to an exogenous shock. Besides, the capacity for resilience in the labour market is crucial for people who rely on their job. This document analyses the impacts of the 2010 Bío-Bío earthquake and tsunami on Chilean labour market outcomes, in particular, the quality of employment. With this objective, different data are combined for analysing the effect in the short and long term. Also, distinct econometric techniques and exogenous measurements of seismic acceleration are used. The evidence shows that these catastrophes harmed the labour market in the short term. However, in the long term, the government’s reconstruction efforts and other factors could have attenuated the adverse effects over some variables in the most affected zones.

     

Housing crisis after natural disaster: the aftermath of the November 1980 southern Italian earthquake

The problems of mass-homelessness created by the earthquake of 23 November 1980 in southern Italy were tackled by the Italian government in two phases, respectively involving resettlement of the survivors in temporary prefabricated homes and reconstruction of permanent housing. This paper firstly describes and evaluates the programme of temporary shelter provision, showing that, although it was successful in rehousing survivors, it has helped to alter the urban layout and architectural style of villages in the disaster area and, coupled with indiscriminate demolition of damaged buildings, has reduced the emphasis on permanent reconstruction. Special powers adopted by the government to achieve the resettlement are also evaluated. Next, the main reconstruction laws, which were passed about 6 months after the disaster, are examined. Large-scale financial provision for the reconstruction process is shown to have been tempered by bureaucratic delays, legal complexities and a certain amount of inequity in the distribution of funds. Aftershocks and subsequent earthquakes are described in terms of how they prolonged the psychological and physical emergency and helped to stimulate official preparedness for disaster relief. Finally, landslides, floods and other natural disasters occurring during the aftermath of the 1980 earthquake are shown to have had a cumulative effect that resulted in the formation, in 1982, of a Ministry for Civil Protection and the belated strengthening of national measures for disaster relief and prevention.     

Flood mapping under uncertainty: a case study in the Canadian prairies

In April 2013, a 7.0 Mw earthquake struck along the Longmen Shan fault in the city of Ya’an, Sichuan Province, China, causing serious damage. The invaluable contributions of the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in dealing with this disaster highlighted the significance of government–NGO relationships in post-disaster reconstruction and the effect this has on the efficiency and quality of post-disaster reconstruction. This paper examines government–NGO relationships (GNR) in the post-Lushan earthquake period as a multi-stakeholder collaborative problem based on organizational lifecycle perspectives through the birth, growth, stability, and saturation stages. Two-year field research was conducted in the affected areas which identified the GNR as a bridged government–NGO relationship (BGNR) during the reconstruction period, with the Ya’an service center acting as the bridging organization. The BGNR’s experience was compared to the previous Wenchuan earthquake, and the general BGNR post-disaster reconstruction situation is discussed on two dimensions: mutuality and organizational identity.     

Coupling sentiment and human mobility in natural disasters: a Twitter-based study of the 2014 South Napa Earthquake

Understanding population dynamics during natural disasters is important to build urban resilience in preparation for extreme events. Social media has emerged as an important source for disaster managers to identify dynamic polarity of sentiments over the course of disasters, to understand human mobility patterns, and to enhance decision making and disaster recovery efforts. Although there is a growing body of literature on sentiment and human mobility in disaster contexts, the spatiotemporal characteristics of sentiment and the relationship between sentiment and mobility over time have not been investigated in detail. This study therefore addresses this research gap and proposes a new lens to evaluate population dynamics during disasters by coupling sentiment and mobility. We collected 3.74 million geotagged tweets over 8 weeks to examine individuals’ sentiment and mobility before, during and after the M6.0 South Napa, California Earthquake in 2014. Our research results reveal that the average sentiment level decreases with the increasing intensity of the earthquake. We found that similar levels of sentiment tended to cluster in geographical space, and this spatial autocorrelation was significant over areas of different earthquake intensities. Moreover, we investigated the relationship between temporal dynamics of sentiment and mobility. We examined the trend and seasonality of the time series and found cointegration between the series. We included effects of the earthquake and built a segmented regression model to describe the time series finding that day-to-day changes in sentiment can either lead or lag daily changed mobility patterns. This study contributes a new lens to assess the dynamic process of disaster resilience unfolding over large spatial scales.     

Megacities and natural disasters: a comparative analysis*

Natural disasters are a worsening problem in many of the world's largest cities. Since an increasing majority of the world's population will soon live in cities, and mostly in large cities, the trend towards increasing urban hazard poses serious societal challenges for the future. Beginning in the mid-1990s, the International Geographical Union's Study Group on the Disaster Vulnerability of Megacities undertook a series of case studies of megacities that have been – and are – exposed to major natural disasters. These include: Tokyo, Seoul, Sydney, Lima, Mexico City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, London and Dhaka. Case studies focused on reviewing the historic record of major disasters in each city and on documenting recent changes in different components of hazard including, risk, exposure, vulnerability and response. It was found that exposure and vulnerability are the components of hazard that are changing fastest and with the gravest implications for urban populations. Because hazards are only one part of the typical urban management agenda, hazards management in large cities should be pursued with careful regard to the context of general urban policy manking and management. Sustainability has become a guiding principle of urban management but the relationship between hazard and sustainability is little understood and little explored. The way lies open for hazard researchers to develop alternative contextualized approaches to the analysis and resolution of urban hazard issues. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

"5.12"震后区域地质灾害危险性评价研究——以青川、平武县为例

四川省"5.12"地震影响区,诱发了大童滑坡、崩塌、泥石流等地质灾害,给人民生命财产造成了重大损失.震后要相当长的余震期,加之降雨大,地质灾害还有进一步恶化的趋势.运用地面调查方法很难满足要求,尤其是很难满足时效性,结合研究区地质背景特征和多源遥感数据解译结果,确定地质灾害评价的指标体系,综合运用数学方法、GIS技术,...