Essays
Tsunami Awareness Kit
General Tsunami Resources
Tsunami Mitigation Strategies
Introduction
While tsunamis can not be prevented, or their destructive effects entirely avoided, actions can be taken to mitigate the risks of this hazard, thereby reducing the impacts on life, physical structures and livelihoods. The first step in mitigating the tsunami hazard and reducing vulnerability is to gain an understanding of the threat and potential effects should a tsunami occur. Some of the more direct physical effects of tsunami include: • Loss of life; • Damage to, or destruction of buildings, boats, critical facilities and coastal infrastructure; • Loss of coastline; and • Excessive scattered debris. Less direct effects, and those with sometimes long-term consequences, can include: • Contamination of coastal soils; • Diminished domestic water supply due to contamination of shallow wells and aquifers (with salt water and other toxic substances); • Disease outbreaks; • Interruption of business and economic processes; and Disruption of education and social services. • It can take many years for communities to recover from the effects of tsunamis, rebuild homes and physical infrastructure, and regain economic stability. Oftentimes disasters and subsequent recovery processes reveal complex inter-relationships and dependencies. For example, seawater over inland areas due to a tsunami increases salinity of soils and can render land unsuitable for cultivation. If arable land is reduced, food supply is diminished and farmers must seek other employment, which dramatically affects their livelihoods. Tsunami risks can be mitigated through many of the same actions that minimize the effects of other coastal hazards such as flooding, storm surge and high surf. By no means an exhaustive list of all possible mitigation strategies, those outlined here serve as a starting point for consideration. Additionally, because the Tsunami Awareness Kit was developed specifically for the Pacific
General Tsunami Resources
Tsunami Mitigation Strategies
Introduction
While tsunamis can not be prevented, or their destructive effects entirely avoided, actions can be taken to mitigate the risks of this hazard, thereby reducing the impacts on life, physical structures and livelihoods. The first step in mitigating the tsunami hazard and reducing vulnerability is to gain an understanding of the threat and potential effects should a tsunami occur. Some of the more direct physical effects of tsunami include: • Loss of life; • Damage to, or destruction of buildings, boats, critical facilities and coastal infrastructure; • Loss of coastline; and • Excessive scattered debris. Less direct effects, and those with sometimes long-term consequences, can include: • Contamination of coastal soils; • Diminished domestic water supply due to contamination of shallow wells and aquifers (with salt water and other toxic substances); • Disease outbreaks; • Interruption of business and economic processes; and Disruption of education and social services. • It can take many years for communities to recover from the effects of tsunamis, rebuild homes and physical infrastructure, and regain economic stability. Oftentimes disasters and subsequent recovery processes reveal complex inter-relationships and dependencies. For example, seawater over inland areas due to a tsunami increases salinity of soils and can render land unsuitable for cultivation. If arable land is reduced, food supply is diminished and farmers must seek other employment, which dramatically affects their livelihoods. Tsunami risks can be mitigated through many of the same actions that minimize the effects of other coastal hazards such as flooding, storm surge and high surf. By no means an exhaustive list of all possible mitigation strategies, those outlined here serve as a starting point for consideration. Additionally, because the Tsunami Awareness Kit was developed specifically for the Pacific
References: Davies, Hugh. Tsunami PNG 1998 – Extracts from Earth Talk. University of Papua New Guinea. Port Moresby, (revised 1999). Everingham, Ian B. Preliminary Catalogue of Tsunamis for the New Guinea/Solomon Islands Region, 1768-1972. Australia Bureau of Mineral Resources Report 180 (1977). Everingham, Ian B. Tsunamis in Papua New Guinea. Science in New Guinea (1976). National Tsunami Hazard Mitigation Program report: Designing for Tsunamis. (2001). Pacheco, K., Robertson, I., and Yeh, H. Engineering Structural Response to Tsunami Loading: The Rationale for Vertical Evacuation. University of Hawaii at Manoa. Oregon State University. March, 2005. Ripper, I.D. Seismicity and Tsunami Warning in Papua New Guinea. Department of Minerals and Energy, Geological Survey of Papua New Guinea Report 79/19 (1980). Prepared by the Pacific Disaster Center. 2005. 7