Chapter 3

Accumulation and Provision of Information on Natural Disasters and Disaster Reduction□■3-8. Gathering and Providing Information of Emergency Risk
Assessment System
3-8-1. Emergency Risk Assessment Systems of Various Countries
The major earthquakes which hit Taiwan and Turkey in 1999 resulted in massive deaths. Emergency
risk assessment of buildings, etc. was implemented after both earthquakes. However no emergency risk
assessment was carried out for the West India Gujarat Earthquake.
Emergency risk assessment aims to promote the safety of people immediately after disasters such asearthquakes, by surveying the damage of buildings, preventing secondary disasters caused by thecollapse of buildings and falling objects by secondary tremors, etc. Technical criteria for assessment andsystems composed of the organizations implementing the assessment at the disaster site are necessary.
Such a system was developed by the U.S. and Japan in 1990, after which many countries are said tohave established emergency risk assessment systems tailored to the construction criteria of theirrespective countries.
Risk assessment was also implemented during the earthquake which hit the Lijiang, Yunnan Province in
China in 1994.
This system is recognized to be an important method to ensure the safety of lives after disaster, andthough it is therefore gradually being constructed in Asian countries, it is not that common yet.
From this perspective, the ADRC is considering accumulating information on the emergency risk
assessment system in Asian countries, and providing technical criteria for assessment on its homepage,
with the purpose of enabling countries to refer to criteria and implement emergency risk assessments.
At the second International Meeting in December 1999, the ADRC reached a consensus with member
countries on its plan and has decided to commence preparations.
Currently, the ADRC is reviewing the technical assessment criteria as part of this preparation. It
considers the emergency risk assessment criteria ATC20 (Criteria for Emergency Assessment for
Damaged Buildings) developed in the U.S. as the ideal standard criteria for assessment because it is inEnglish.
The ADRC has also requested member countries to provide information on the current situation of theiremergency risk assessment systems.

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■□ ADRC Annual Report 2000

3-8-2. Hazard Maps of Various Countries
Though hazard map examples of various countries have yet to be collected sufficiently, the ADRC plans
to continue collection and analysis, and disclose examples to which the disaster reduction measures anddisaster measures of various countries can be applied appropriately using methods such as its homepage,etc. It will collect and disclose several cases in 2000.

1) Vietnam
This shows the flood and storm hazard map of Vietnam. It was compiled by the Ngo Van Singh, visiting
researcher at the ADRC (2000).
Hazard Map of Vietnam

River flood prone area
Rain-induced flood prone area
Typhoon prone area
Storm prone area

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Chapter 3

Accumulation and Provision of Information on Natural Disasters and Disaster Reduction□■2) Bangladesh
This shows the drought hazard map of Bangladesh. It was compiled by Babul Ahkter, visiting researcher
at the ADRC (2000).

Drought Hazard Area in Bangladesh

BorderLocal BoundaryRiver
Water Area

Level of Damage
Very Serious
Great Damage
Moderate Damage
Sundarban

Bay of Bengal

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■□ ADRC Annual Report 20003) JapanThe following shows examples of volcano hazard maps of Japan, the Mount Iwate Volcano DisasterReduction Map and Mount Sakurajima Volcano Disaster Reduction Map.
Mount Iwate Volcano Disaster Reduction Map

Edited by: Mount Iwate Volcanic Disaster Countermeasures Survey Committee
Published by: Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport Tohoku District Bureau Iwate Contsruction
Office, Iwate Prefecture, Morioka City, Shizukuishi and Nishine towns, and Takizawa, Matsuo, andTamayama villages

Mount Sakurajima Volcano Disaster Reduction Map
Though this map shows only one portion, it indicates areas affectedby the pyroclastic flow during previous eruptions, and positions ofports of refuge, evacuation centers, and trenchers. It also forecasts
disaster areas in major eruptions in the future for use inevacuations.
Published by: Kagoshima, Tarumi, and Sakurajima cities

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Chapter 3Accumulation and Provision of Information on Natural Disasters and Disaster Reduction□■

3-9. Disaster Data of 2000
By analysing the CRED data for the year 2000, the following facts were obtained.
••••

In 2000, 537 disasters occurred in the world. Of this, 32% occurred in ADRC member
countries (23 countries). The number of deaths amounted to 46% and number of injuries to72% in member countries. The tendency was more or less the same throughout Asia, indicatingthat member countries and Asian countries are a disaster-prone area. However due to theinfluence of the drought in nonmember country, Iran and typhoon damages in North Korea, thepercentage of damage costs in the world differed between member countries and the whole ofAsia.
With regard to the types of disasters which occurred in the world, droughts, floods, and storms
made up 90% of all victims and 94% of damage costs. Likewise, these three disasters made up
99% of the victims and 99% of damage costs in member countries.
Among member countries, China, Russia, India, Bangladesh, and Indonesia made up about
60% of the number of disasters which occurred, and about 90% of the number of victims.
In Cambodia, Mongolia, Philippines, Tajikistan, and Thailand, there were more than one
million victims.

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