Download Sandy

The Implications of Hurricane
Sandy for Disaster Response
Thomas Chandler, PhD
National Center for Disaster Preparedness
The Earth Institute
Columbia 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?
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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