Chapter 4ADRC-Natural Disasters Data Book-2003

4.2 Asian and ADRC Member Countries and their Disaster Characteristics:
Table 11:Natural Disasters in Asia and ADRC Member Countries (2003 Summary)(Disaster Type/Country/Disaster Characteristics)

Country
Afghanistan

DisTypeCount ofDisNo
1

1

1,001

Flood

8145

3,750

9146

4,751

Flood

Azerbaijan Total
Bangladesh

131,500

131,500

Earthquake

122,525

ExtremeTemperature

2215

0

Flood

2252

550,000

Wind Storm

3584208527

552,945

Bangladesh Total
China P Rep

Sum ofDamage
US$ ('000s)

Sum ofTotAff

Earthquake

Afghanistan Total
Azerbaijan

Sum ofKilled

Drought

2

Earthquake

11311

2,881,973

488,968

Flood

6695

152,724,340

8,144,640

Slides2460

Wild Fires

1Wind Storm

561

9,480,045

437,938

27

1,113

216,086,658

9,071,546

2

3

1,000

2

3

1,000

2

43,533

Hong Kong (China) Total

243,533

India

Epidemic

1

ExtremeTemperature

2

1,610

0

Flood

6735

7,564,545

Slides1250

Wind Storm7

164531,31444,00017

2,534

8,098,044

213,000

China P Rep Total
East Timor

Flood

East Timor Total
Hong Kong (China)

Wind Storm

India Total

５２51,000,000

300

2,185

169,000

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ADRC-Natural Disasters Data Book-2003

CountryIndonesia

DisTypeCount ofDisNo
1

Earthquake

3

1

3,249

Flood

7266

88,428Slides4119

231,328

3,298

15386

338,005

3,298

Earthquake

543,201

113,191

1,021,666

Flood

1

1,370

838

Slides120

4743,221114,565

Iran Islam Rep Total
Iraq

Epidemic

Iraq Total
JapanFlood

1

23814

7,000

Wind Storm

2162,400

64124,481

1336,626

1336,626

113080,000

5,500,000

1130

80,0005,500,000

138211138211

Earthquake
Wind Storm
SlidesFlood
Flood1018,800

3818,800

1151,650

270

1151,650

270

ExtremeTemperature

1480

Flood

123959,254

228759,254

13001300

Flood

Nepal Total
Oman

08

Mongolia Total
Nepal

11,214,000

3

Malaysia Total
Mongolia

01,207,000

Lebanon Total
Malaysia

121,267

Kyrgyzstan Total
Lebanon02

Korea Rep Total
Kyrgyzstan

1

1,022,504

3

Kazakhstan Total
Korea Rep

15,000Earthquake

Japan Total
Kazakhstan

Sum ofDamage
US$ ('000s)

Sum ofTotAff

DroughtIndonesia Total
Iran Islam Rep

Sum ofKilled

Wind Storm

Oman Total

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ADRC-Natural Disasters Data Book-2003

Country
Pakistan

DisTypeCount ofDisNo

Sum ofKilled

Sum ofDamage
US$ ('000s)

Sum ofTotAff

Drought

1

ExtremeTemperature

1200

0

Flood

3266

1,266,243

Slides1120

Wind Storm

1512,557

7529

1,322,800

213621

Papua New Guinea Total

213621

Philippines

Flood

1Slides

1255

217,988

7,000

Wind Storm

385

155,319

30,4685340

376,80737,468

Pakistan Total
Papua New Guinea

SlidesPhilippines Total
Russia1Earthquake

1Flood1600

Wild Fires

10

Wind Storm

10

Flood

Saudi Arabia Total
Sri Lanka

Flood

Sri Lanka Total
Taiwan (China)

Wind Storm

Taiwan (China) Total
Tajikistan

1,000,000
31,805

10,60053

1,002,405

10,60021213,050

21213,050

1235

695,000

29,0001235

695,000

29,000130130Epidemic

1Flood16

1,755

20,000Slides2

16,181

41,000

4

78,19261,000Flood39107,700

26,400Wind Storm

1

Tajikistan Total
Thailand

3,500

Drought

Russia Total
Saudi Arabia

54,000Thailand Total

4５４2565,000
9112,700

26,400Chapter 4ADRC-Natural Disasters Data Book-2003

Country
Viet Nam

DisTypeCount ofDisNo

Sum ofKilled

Sum ofDamage
US$('000s)

Sum ofTotAff

Epidemic

1157Flood

3128416,823

Wind Storm

1

Viet Nam Total

5,018

5143

421,848

1150

Yemen Total

1150

Grand Total

14349,795

229,405,446

Yemen

Flood

105,000
105,000

17,294,086

Source: ADRC, Japan and CRED-EMDAT, Universite Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium, 2003

Table 10 shows the effect of various types of natural disasters according to member country andTable 11 shows the make up of natural disasters within each Asian and ADRC member country.
In Afghanistan earthquake and flood made considerable impact on human sufferings.
In Bangladesh, earthquake, extreme temperatures, floods, and windstorms occurred and almost
all of these disasters caused considerable human suffering and loss of life.

The most severe disaster was

the flood in 2003. It is known that Bangladesh is a path for cyclones spawned in the Bay of Bengal,
making the country prone to hydro-meteorological disasters.
In China, almost every type of disaster was recorded, as China encompasses a vast land with apopulation. The most severe disasters in China in the year 2003 were floods and windstorms followed byearthquake. Also, drought considerably affected the population.

For 2003, the largest natural disaster in

China in terms of affected population was flood.
East Timor also recorded floods and subsequent human sufferings.
The year 2003 brought the most disaster to India, where the most severe flood in Assam, Bihar
and West Bengal states affected more than 7 million people.

This was one of the most serious disasters inthe year 2003. Windstorms also seriously affected the people. India is geographically located in a５５

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ADRC-Natural Disasters Data Book-2003

natural disaster prone area that is affected by windstorms spawned in the Bay of Bengal and the ArabianSea, earthquakes caused by active crustal movement in the Himalayan Mountains, floods brought bymonsoons, and drought happening in arid and semi arid areas.
Floods, earthquakes, droughts and slides were the disasters that most affected Indonesia in theyear 2003. These were found to be the most serious disasters in terms of affected population.

Sincethere are seismic belts running through the country, Indonesia is an earthquake prone country. Moreover
there are 129 active volcanoes and volcanic eruptions often happen in the country.
record any disasters in relation to volcanic activity.

But 2003 did not

Floods tend to occur along with windstorms in therainy season in Indonesia.
The worst disaster in 2003 in terms of human loss occurred in Iran.

The Bam Earthquake

destroyed almost entire historical town of Bam and claimed the highest human loss by single disaster in theyear 2003. More than 43,000 people died (Ministry of Interior in Iran estimates 26,200 of people killed)and 113,191 people were affected. The economic damage is also huge amounting to 1 billion US$.
In Japan, year 2003 was not good year as previous one in terms of damage.

Earthquake in

Hokkaido caused more than I billion US$ damage and affected more than 20,000 people. Floods andwindstorms also caused considerable effect on the population.
Most of the natural disasters that occur in Korea are characterized as floods in the rainy season
and windstorms.

The year 2003 also recorded windstorm (Typhoon Maemi) in Korea, and the humansuffering and economic loss caused by this were also quite high.

Typhoon Maemi caused damage morethan 5 billion US$, which was the highest damage caused by single disaster in the year 2003.
Almost 90% of the land of Kyrgyz is covered with mountains that are over 1,000 meters above
sea level, and about 40% of the mountains are in alpine areas over 3,000 meters high.

The distinctive

natural disasters of Kyrgyz are earthquakes accompanied by active crustal deformation; floods caused by５６

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ADRC-Natural Disasters Data Book-2003

snowmelt and landslides.

In 2003, Kyrgyz also recorded slide disasters causing human sufferings.

In Malaysia, Floods and landslides caused by rainfall during the monsoon season, and rainstorms
triggered by tropical low pressure often recorded.

Year 2003 also recorded floods but the human loss andeconomic damage caused by these disasters was relatively small though the affected population by thesedisasters is considerably high.
Mongolia is a land locked country in Asia between Russia and China and major disasters are Zud,heavy snowfalls, sandstorms, floods, and so on.

In the year 2003, Mongolia recorded floods which caused

human suffering and economic damage.
Nepal is located in the Himalayan region where the Indian plate is wedging under the Eurasia
plate and depending upon the crustal formation earthquakes frequently occur.
temperatures also often pose a threat to Nepal.

Floods, slides, and extreme

Seen from the Table 11 in the year 2003, Nepal sufferedsignificantly under floods, which caused heavy human loss and made many families totally affected which
includes homeless, injured and affected.
Pakistan is often hit by drought, extreme temperatures, floods, slides and windstorms.

In theyear 2003, Pakistan’s floods had caused reasonably large amounts of human suffering with more than 1.2
million affected people.
Papua New Guinea is also highly vulnerable to many kinds of natural disasters like earthquakes,
tsunamis, volcanic activities, floods, and windstorms.

Majority of the natural disasters that occurred in theyear 2003 were hydro meteorological disasters with slides in contrast to 2002 and these disasters caused
reasonable numbers of totally affected people.

Human loss from these slides was also high in the Oceania

region.
The Philippines is located on the Pacific Rim of Fire, making it vulnerable to natural disasters ofboth kind hydro meteorological and geo-physical type. As in the previous years, the damage caused by５７

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ADRC-Natural Disasters Data Book-2003

hydro-meteorological disasters grew in 2003, with quite large populations affected by floods, slides andwindstorms.

Economic damage by windstorms and slides was also noticeable.

Russia has a vast area of land where disaster affected population and the economic losses arealso noticeable.

Droughts, earthquake, floods, wildfires and windstorms caused considerably large

affected populations in the year 2003.

Also, these types of disasters caused noticeable economic losses.

Saudi Arabia also suffered by flood in 2003 causing more than 13,000 people affected.
Sri Lanka is located in the Indian Ocean just south of India and droughts in the dry seasons andwindstorms, floods and subsequent landslides in the rainy seasons due to cyclones from the Bay of Bengal
are the prime concerns of Sri Lanka.

In 2003, Sri Lanka was hit severely by historical flood andlandslides. The human loss and the affected population by these were considerably quite high.
of this affected population was quite high in the region.
landslide was also huge as it severely.

NumberEconomic damage caused by this flood andSuch human and economic loss triggered massive international

assistance to that country in 2003.
Tajikistan’s prime concerns are earthquakes and floods as mountains cover a majority of theland in Tajikistan. As such earthquakes and floods are the major threats to the country.

But in 2003,

slides and floods occurred in Tajikistan causing human sufferings and economic damages.
Thailand is highly prone to natural disasters because of its location and terrain.

Thenortheastern area is prone to floods and droughts and the south has storms, floods and slides. Thailand
was severely hit by these disasters in the year 2003, and population affected by hydro meteorologicaldisasters was quite large.
Vietnam is located in the southeast monsoon climate area and the majority of the annual rainfall
is in rainy season, which causes heavy human and economic loss every year. Epidemic, floods andwindstorms caused severe human suffering and loss in Vietnam in 2003.

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ADRC-Natural Disasters Data Book-2003

According to the above tables, it can be concluded that majority of ADRC member countries andthe countries in the Asian region suffered from hydro-meteorological disasters, which inflicted heavy
human and economic loss on society and hindered economic development.

Further, the heavy effects ofdisasters on the population deprived people of socio-economic advancement thus slowing national andregional development.

The most severe disasters in the world in 2003 were in the Asian region (Iran,China, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam and Japan), affecting great number of people in theregion.

Hence, it is imperative to design and implement proper disaster mitigation and preparedness plansto reduce human and economic loss and human suffering, in order to contribute positively to global
sustainable development.

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