Identification, and Assessment of Natural and technical Hazards
Identification, and Assessment of Natural and technical Hazards, Risk, Vulnerabilities, and Consequences
Select one of the hazards described in this chapter that interests you. Search media and disaster websites to find a recent example of a disaster caused by this hazard. Describe the following in your forum posting:
· The type of hazard;
· The country where the disaster occurred;
· The consequences of the event;
· The cause of the event (e.g., excessive rainfall caused the flood; an earthquake caused the landslide);
· Any secondary disasters that occurred because of the event;
· Any interesting facts about the event; and
· A URL that provides a link to more information about the disaster.
· Was any warning possible? Was a warning issued?
Sample Solution
The hazard I am selecting is floods. A recent example of a disaster caused by this hazard occurred in Thailand in October 2020. The flood began when tropical storm Saudel made landfall to the country, bringing torrential rain and excessive amounts of water to the area. This combined with high river levels due to monsoon season caused the flooding to become particularly severe in areas such as Nakhon Sawan province.
The consequences of the event were devastating; over 7 million people were affected by the floods, 477,000 homes and 59 districts were damaged or destroyed and at least 68 deaths have been attributed to it. Agricultural land was also heavily impacted, resulting in losses amounting up 1 billion baht (32 million UDS).
In addition secondary disasters such as landslides and environmental destruction have also been reported along with cases of trapped animals struggling for survival after their habitats are destroyed. For example, two wild elephants required rescue from a mud-filled ravine in which they had become stuck near Chachoengsao province after being swept away during one of the floods peak points.
Interesting facts about this event include that although Thailand had experienced similar flooding events before due to monsoon rains, it was rarely so severe that it affected more than 3 different provinces simultaneously; however, 2020's establishment saw five provinces experiencing extensive damage all at once - this has never happened before! In response several aid projects have already been launched along with an initial fund allocation worth 550 million baht (17 million USD) specifically set aside for those affected by this particular storm surge alone - an unprecedented move indicating how serious authorities took this disaster's affects on its victims and environment alike.
Finally any warnings issued are still being investigated but some sources suggest that there may not have been enough alert signalling prior too drastic mass evacuation measures taking place within local communities exposed most directly too flooding risks such as low-lying settlements located close too rivers banks etcetera .
URL: https://www.voanews.com/east-asia-pacific/thailand-floods-deaths