Chapter 4

ADRC-Natural Disasters Data Book-2007

Chapter 4: Overview of Natural Disasters in the ADRC-Member andOther Asian Countries
4.1 Types of Disasters and Their Effects on the ADRC-Member and Other AsianCountries
This section discusses the disaster patterns in the ADRC-member and other Asian countries,4using the 2007 disaster data from 20 of the ADRC’s 27 member countries (excluding Armenia, Bhutan,
Kazakhstan, Lao PDR, Mongolia, Singapore, and Uzbekistan). There were no significant 2007 disasters
recorded for the excluded countries in the CRED-EM-DAT database.5 It also discusses other non-member
Asian countries that reported disasters in 2007. All the ADRC-member countries are located in Asia except
for Papua New Guinea (in Oceania) and Russia (in Europe). Table 16 shows the disasters that occurred ineach member country, by disaster type.
Drought was reported from Philippines only and none of the other countries of Asia, suffered
droughts in 2007. This drought did not cause any human or economic damages. In previous years drought
inflicted heavy damages, especially, in Asian countries.
Earthquakes had a strong impact on countries like China, Indonesia, Japan, Russia, andTajikistan in terms of both the number of people affected and the economic ramifications in 2007. The
earthquake that hit Indonesia inflicted heavy human sufferings in 2007 while the economic damage causedby the earthquake (Japan-Niigata earthquake) was high in Japan.

Apart from Indonesia and Japan, China,

Russia and Tajikistan also sustained considerable loss of life and economic damage due to earthquakes. The
earthquakes that hit Japan produced some of the highest levels of economic damage in the world andaccounted for nearly 44% of the total economic damage sustained by the ADRC-member and other Asian
countries in 2007. But the human losses sustained by earthquake are considerably low in 2007 in contrast to
the previous years.
Epidemics occurred in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia, Iraq, Malaysia, Myanmar and Viet
Nam and had a significant impact in terms of total numbers of people affected. Also, a large number of
those affected by epidemics were concentrated in Bangladesh.
Extreme temperatures caused human losses and affected many people in Bangladesh, India andJapan. No economic damages were reported by this disaster in Asia but economic damages wereparticularly serious in Europe.
As in previous years, the most frequent disasters in member countries in 2007 were floods and

The ADRC consists of 27 member countries, five advisory countries (Australia, France,
New Zealand, Switzerland and the US) and one observer organization (ADPC). (Visit
http://www.adrc.asia for further details.) The member countries considered here wereBangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea (South), Kyrgyz, Malaysia,
Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Russia, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan,Thailand, Viet Nam, and Yemen
5
See Note 1 on page ii.
4７６Chapter 4

ADRC-Natural Disasters Data Book-2007

wind storms. In the year 2007, this figure rose to nearly 61% of total human losses in the world, and about
91% of the total affected people also from Asia-ADRC member countries in 2007. When we look at theprevious year trends, while the ADRC member countries accounted for more than 80% of the total humanlosses in 2003, they accounted for only 2% of human losses in 2004. In 2005, however, this figure
increased to about 7%. But in 2006 the death toll skyrocketed, with the Asian and ADRC member countries
accounting for nearly 46% of all human losses.
Furthermore, floods and wind storms accounted for about 99% of the disaster-affected populationin the Asian and ADRC member countries in 2007, much as they did about 90% in 2005 and

80% in 2006.

These figures in years 2007, 2006 and 2005 stand in contrast to 2004 when that figure was only 21%.
The data also shows that nearly 56% of the total economic losses in member countries were due
to floods and wind storms in 2007, and this is slightly less when compared to the 2006 figure of 67% and
71% in 2005. Though the entire Asian region was severely affected by windstorms and floods in 2007, themost severe damage in terms of human casualties and economic losses occurred in Bangladesh, China,
India, Indonesia, the Philippines and Sri Lanka. It is noteworthy to mention that most member countries
were impacted to some degree by floods and wind storms.
Landslides caused considerable human sufferings in Indonesia in 2007 while China, Pakistan
and Tajikistan were also affected by landslides. In previous years, landslides caused considerable humansuffering in Afghanistan, Nepal and Philippines. It is also noteworthy to mention that impact of slides in
Philippines was one of the worst in the world and recorded one of the highest human losses in the world in2006.
Volcanic eruptions in the Philippines, and Indonesia affected large numbers of people, but the
CRED-EMDAT data show that they caused relatively smaller amount of human loss and did not cause any
economic losses. In previous year, volcanic eruptions occurred in Indonesia, Philippines and Papua New
Guinea, causing extensive human suffering in terms of the total affected population.
Wild fires were not reported in Asia and ADRC member countries in 2007. In 2006, wildfires
caused moderate human sufferings in Indonesia.
Wave/Surge also inflicted considerable human sufferings in Philippines in 2007. In 2006,
earthquake that hit Indonesia and the consequent tsunami (wave/surge) was one of the world’s worst
disasters in 2006 in terms of human losses and economic damage. Wave/surge (tsunami) haunted South
Asia in 2004 and inflicted heavy economic and human losses.

７７Chapter 4

ADRC-Natural Disasters Data Book-2007

Table 16: Natural Disasters in the ADRC-member and other Asian Countries by Disaster Type (2007)

DisTypeDrought
Drought Total
Earthquake

Earthquake
Total
Epidemic

Epidemic Total
Flood

Flood Total

Sum ofDamageUS$ ('000s)

Count of
DisNo

Sum ofKilledSum of TotAff

1
1
1
4
3
1
1

3
95
10
11
2

329
619,477
74,2287,000
167

310,000
164,000
12,500,000

10

121

701,201

12,974,000

Bangladesh
Cambodia
Indonesia
Iraq
Malaysia
MyanmarViet Nam

2
1
3
1
1
1
1

86
182
403
14
56
30
27

284,910
17,000669
30,000Afghanistan
Bangladesh
Cambodia
China, P Rep
India
Indonesia
Japan
Kyrgyzstan
Malaysia
Myanmar
Nepal
Pakistan
Philippines
Sri Lanka
Tajikistan
Thailand
Viet Nam
Yemen
Iran Islam Rep
Korea Dem P Rep
Maldives
Timor-Leste
Russia

10
7
2
1
12
15
7
1
1
2
4
1
5
4
3
2
5
4
3
1
1
1
1
1

798
297
1,230
2
996
2,011
429
2

332,579
29,955
13,851,440
19,000111,106,600
27,043,000
560,411
10,000845
166,533
166,664
640,706
2,500
53,176
406,000
17,309183,000
682,130
2,600

84

6,749

Country
Philippines
China, P Rep
Indonesia
Japan
Tajikistan
Russia

７８

46
5
214
439
40
33
22
53
214
93
12
610
1

100,000
1,000
4,887,785
376,151
879,000
200
385,568
80,000327,118
6,600
50
1,500
502,451
22,0001,170,518
1,649
947
14,00025,752

156,128,983

7,595,175

Chapter 4

ADRC-Natural Disasters Data Book-2007

DisType
Slide

Slide Total
VolcanoVolcano Total
Wild fire
Wild fire Total
Wind storm

Wind storm
Total
Extreme temp

Extreme temp
Total
Wave / Surge
Wave / Surge
Total
Grand Total

Count of
DisNo

Sum ofKilled
29
43
140
16
228

Bangladesh
China, P Rep
India
Japan
Pakistan
Philippines
Taiwan (China)
Viet Nam
Iran Islam Rep

1
2
3
1
7
2
1
1
4
1
1
2
6
1
3
1
9
2
1
1

Korea Dem P Rep

1

Korea Rep
Oman
Papua New
GuineaRussia

1
1

19
76

740
20,0001

164

143,000

31

5,082

22,610,924

1
2
1

130
119
62

100,000

4

311

103,000

Country
China, P Rep
Indonesia
PakistanTajikistan
Indonesia
Philippines
Yemen
LebanonBangladesh
India
Japan

Philippines

Sum of TotAff

Sum ofDamageUS$ ('000s)

1
3,990
2

6
6
1
1
4,275
95

3,993
31,912
14,03615
45,96350
50
8,978,766
9,005,154

13
242
72
18
96
12

40,994
1,650,000
1,922,303
2,879
685,430
160,0092,300,000
1,561,755
1,000,000
8,225
60,000191,000

1,649
70,0003,900,000

1

3,000

1

33,571

1

33,571

153

13,296

179,960,264

Source: CRED-EMDAT, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium, 2007

７９

9,090,980

29,660,155

Chapter 4

ADRC-Natural Disasters Data Book-2007

4.2 Disaster Profiles of the ADRC-Member and Other Asian Countries
Table 17: Natural Disasters in the ADRC-Member and Other Asian Countries by Country (2007)

Country

Afghanistan
Afghanistan Total
Bangladesh

Bangladesh Total
Cambodia
Cambodia Total
China, P Rep

China, P Rep Total
India

India Total
Indonesia

Indonesia Total
Iraq
Iraq Total
Japan

Japan Total
Kyrgyzstan
Kyrgyzstan Total

DisType

Flood
Epidemic
Flood
Wind storm
Extreme temp
Epidemic
Flood
Earthquake
Flood
Slide
Wind storm
Flood
Wind storm
Extreme temp
Earthquake
Epidemic
Flood
Slide
VolcanoEpidemic
Earthquake
Flood
Wind storm
Extreme temp
Flood

Count of
DisNo

Sum ofKilledSum of
TotAff

7
7
2
2
2
1
7
1
1
2
1
12
1
6
20
15
1
2
18
4
3
7
2
2
18
1
1
3
1
3
1
8
1
1

297
297
86
1,230
4,275
130
5,721
182
2
184
3
996
29
95
1,123
2,011
0
119
2,130
95
403
429
43

29,95529,955284,910
13,851,440
8,978,766
100,000
23,215,116
17,00019,00036,000329
111,106,600
19,005,154
120,112,084
27,043,000

８０

970
14
14
10
2
13
62
87

27,043,000
619,477
669
560,411
3,990
31,912
1,216,459
30,00030,00074,22810,00040,9943,000
128,222845
845

Sum ofDamageUS$ ('000s)

100,000
2,300,000
2,400,000
1,000
1,000
310,000
4,887,785
1,561,755
6,759,540
376,151

376,151
164,000
879,000

1,043,000

12,500,000
1,000,000
13,500,000
200
200

Chapter 4

ADRC-Natural Disasters Data Book-2007

Country
Malaysia
Malaysia Total
Myanmar
Myanmar Total
Nepal
Nepal Total
Pakistan

Pakistan Total
Philippines

Philippines Total
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka Total
Taiwan (China)
Taiwan (China)
Total
Tajikistan

Tajikistan Total
ThailandThailand Total
Viet Nam

Viet Nam Total
Yemen
Yemen Total
Iran Islam Rep
Iran Islam Rep Total

DisType
Epidemic
Flood
Epidemic
Flood
Flood
Flood
Slide
Wind storm
Drought
Flood
VolcanoWind storm
Wave / Surge
Flood
Wind storm

Earthquake
Flood
Slide
Flood
Epidemic
Flood
Wind storm
Flood
Volcano
Flood
Wind storm

Sum of
TotAff

Sum ofDamageUS$ ('000s)

166,533
166,533

385,568
385,568

Count of
DisNo

Sum ofKilled

1
2
3
1
4

56
46
102
30
5

5
1
1
5
3
1
9
1
4
1
9
1
16
3
3
2

35
214
214
439
140
242
821

166,664
640,706
640,7062,500
21,650,000
1,652,502

40

112
33
33
18

53,176
14,036
1,922,303
33,571
2,023,086
406,000
406,000
2,879

14,82550
50
60,000

2

18

2,879

60,000

1
2
1

11
22
16

7,000
17,309

4
5
5
1
4
1
6
3
1

49
53
53
27
214
96
337
93
6

24,309183,000
183,000

4
1
1
2

99
12
12
24

８１

72

166,664

682,130
685,430
1,367,560
2,600
15

80,00080,000327,118

327,118
6,600
8,225

1,500
1,500
502,451
191,000
693,451

2,615
22,000160,009
160,00922,000Chapter 4

ADRC-Natural Disasters Data Book-2007

Count of
DisNo

Sum ofKilledSum of
TotAffFlood
Wind storm
Korea Dem P Rep Total
Korea Rep
Wind storm
Korea Rep Total
LebanonWild fire
Lebanon Total
Maldives
Flood
Maldives Total
Oman
Wind storm
Oman Total
Timor-Leste
Flood
Timor-Leste Total
Papua New Guinea
Wind storm
Papua New Guinea Total
RussiaEarthquake
Flood
Wind storm
Russia Total

1
1
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
3

610

1,170,518
1,649
1,172,167
740
740
50
50
1,649
1,649
20,00020,000947
947
143,000
143,000
167
14,000Grand Total

153

Country

DisType

Korea Dem P Rep

610
19
19
1
1

76
76
1
1
164
164
2

Sum ofDamageUS$ ('000s)

70,00070,0003,900,000
3,900,000

25,752

2

14,16725,752

13,296

179,960,264

29,660,155

Source: CRED-EMDAT, Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium, 2007.

Table 17 shows the types of natural disasters that occurred by country. The following
country-specific discussions are based on Table 17.
In Afghanistan, floods caused considerable human sufferings with moderate human losses in
2007.
In Bangladesh, floods and wind storms caused considerable causalities. The affected populationin Bangladesh by these disasters was one of the highest in 2007. Particularly Bangladesh was hard hit by
the Cyclone Sidr and consequently the human loss, sufferings and economic impact and loss were severe in2007. Epidemic also affected many people in Bangladesh. Bangladesh lies along the path of cyclones
generated in the Bay of Bengal, making the country particularly prone to hydro-meteorological disasters.
Cambodia recorded human casualties, including some fatalities, due to epidemic and floods andleft many people affected in 2007.
China experiences almost every type of disaster through out the year, as the country covers avast area and has a large population. The most severe disasters in China in 2007 were floods and windstorms. Floods and windstorms proved to be the largest natural disasters in China in 2007 in terms of boththe affected population and economic damage. These disasters were also among the 25 worst disasters in

８２

Chapter 4

ADRC-Natural Disasters Data Book-2007

the world in 2007 in terms of human casualties and economic losses.
India experienced some severe disasters in 2007. In 2007 the flooding that resulted inparticularly heavy human casualties made this one of world's 25 worst disasters in the year. In previous
years, the massive Indian Ocean Tsunami struck in 2004, heavy floods and wind storms, and the South
Asian Earthquake in 2005 had tremendous impacts on India. Located in a natural disaster-prone area, India
is vulnerable to wind storms spawned in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea, earthquakes caused by
active crustal movement in the Himalayan Mountains, floods brought about by monsoons, and droughts inthe country's arid and semi-arid areas. India has also become much more vulnerable to tsunamis in the
Indian Ocean since the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami struck the coastal areas of Andaman and the Nicobar
Islands.
As in the previous years, Indonesia also became as one of badly hit countries in 2007, though thedamage in terms of human and economic factors seem to be lower to previous years. In previous years,
Indonesia was badly affected by almost every type of disaster in the world. In 2004, Indonesia wassignificantly affected by tsunamis, earthquakes, floods, wind storms, volcanic eruptions, and epidemics.
The year 2005 brought more disasters, including earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and floods. In 2006, thecountry experienced one of the world's 25 worst disasters, an earthquake and subsequent tsunami that
inflicted heavy causalities and economic damage. This caused the world's highest death toll due to a natural
disaster in 2006, and also resulted in the greatest economic damage that year. Comparatively, though theyear 2007 damage was relatively lower to previous year, still earthquake and floods badly affected the
population and caused considerable economic damage in the country. With seismic belts running
throughout the country, Indonesia is prone to earthquakes. It has 129 active volcanoes and regularly
experiences volcanic eruptions. As the world's largest archipelago, Indonesia is also prone to seismic
upheaval because of its location along the Pacific "Ring of Fire," an arc of volcanoes and fault lines
encircling the Pacific Basin. The year 2007 was also no exception in terms of disasters related to volcanic
activity. Floods and wind storms also tend to occur during the country's rainy season.
The year 2007 disaster statistics show that flood and windstorms caused human sufferings andeconomic damages in Iran. When we look at the previous years, the year 2006, like 2004 and 2005, wasdevastating for Iran, which experienced earthquakes and floods. In 2003, the historic Bam Earthquake
destroyed almost the entire historical town of Bam and accounted for the highest number of human lives
claimed in a single disaster that year. 2007 was comparatively disaster free year for disaster prone Iran.
Epidemic inflicted considerable human sufferings in 2007 in Iraq but there were no economic
damage.
In Japan, year 2007 was a disaster year as Niigata earthquake caused the highest economic
damage (12.5 billion US$) in the world in 2007. Affected population was also considerably high due to the2007 earthquake in Japan. Windstorms also inflicted heavy human sufferings and caused considerably higheconomic damages. In addition, floods and extreme temperatures also affected Japan in 2007. When we
look at previous years, the 2004 Niigata earthquake caused about US$28 billion in damage and affected
more than 62,000 people. Some major wind storms and floods also had a considerable impact on the

８３Chapter 4

ADRC-Natural Disasters Data Book-2007

population in 2005. However, the year 2006 was not as bad a year as 2004 in terms of natural disasterdamage and human casualties. Since Japan's geographical position makes it highly prone to earthquakes,
wind storms, floods, landslides, and tsunamis, it has some of the best disaster management systems andcountermeasures in the world. Though these countermeasures have proven to be highly effective in
reducing human casualties and losses, the recent disasters like Niigata earthquake that created the largest
economic damage in the year 2007 warranted more pro-active and damage reduction system.
Most of the natural disasters that occur in Korea (North and South) consist of floods in therainy season, as well as wind storms. In 2007 there were also floods and windstorms affected thesecountries but, similar to the year 2006, there were also floods but the related human casualties andeconomic losses were not as high as in 2005 or 2004.
Almost 90% of Kyrgyzstan is covered with mountains that are more than 1,000 meters above
sea level, and about 40% of those are situated in alpine areas higher than 3,000 meters in elevation. The
distinctive natural disasters of Kyrgyzstan are earthquakes accompanied by active crustal deformations, andfloods caused by snowmelt and landslides. In 2006, unlike previous years, Kyrgyzstan reported anearthquake and wind storm that caused moderate human casualties. But in 2007 Kyrgyzstan reported only aflood and the human sufferings and economic damage caused by this disaster was considerably low.
Lebanon, in the middle-east Asia, experienced a wildfire disaster but the human sufferings wererelatively low in 2007.
Malaysia often experiences floods and landslides caused by rainfall during the monsoon season
and rainstorms triggered by tropical low pressure systems. In 2007, the country experienced floods that
resulted in little loss of life and economic damage, in spite of high numbers of affected population. Thissituation was almost similar to the previous year 2006.
Maldives, an island country in the India Ocean, also experienced a flood in 2007 and the affected
population was relatively low. But Maldives faced huge disaster damages in 2004 Indian ocean tsunami and
it is still in the recovery phase.
Though flood hit in Myanmar in 2007, they produced very little human and no economic losses
reported. But there were considerable amount of affected people.
Nepal is located in the Himalayan region where the Indian plate is subsiding under the Eurasianplate. This crustal formation causes frequent earthquakes. Floods, landslides, and extreme temperatures
also often pose a threat to Nepal. In 2007, Nepal experienced a flood that caused considerable human losses
and a high total affected population.
Oman, another middle-east Asian nation, recorded windstorms in 2007 and the damages, bothhuman and economic, caused by this disaster was relatively high. In fact the economic damage of 3.9
billion US$ was one of the highest in the world in 2007.
Pakistan is often hit by drought, extreme temperatures, floods, landslides, earthquakes, and windstorms. The year 2007 was also comparatively disaster affected year as windstorms struck the country andcaused considerable human losses and affected many. Though floods affected relatively less people, theireconomic impact was considerably high. In recent years, the 2005, the South Asian earthquake caused

８４

Chapter 4

ADRC-Natural Disasters Data Book-2007

significant human casualties, with more than 73,000 dead and about three million people affected. Thisdisaster produced the highest death toll in the world in 2005. The year 2006 was not as bad a year as 2005,
but floods and extreme temperatures still had a significant impact on the population.
Papua New Guinea is highly vulnerable to all kinds of natural disasters, bothhydro-meteorological and geo-physical, such as earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic activity, floods, and windstorms. A windstorm was the main natural disasters that reported in 2007. This affected considerable
numbers of people, but caused relatively little loss of life. The affected population figure from the disasterwas some of the highest in Oceania in 2007.
The Philippines is located along the Pacific "Ring of Fire," making it vulnerable to bothhydro-meteorological and geo-physical natural disasters. As in previous years, the damage caused byhydro-meteorological disasters grew in 2007, with very large populations were affected by floods and windstorms. Wind storms and floods once again caused relatively high economic damage in 2007. Wave/surgeand Volcanic activities also significantly affected the population and inflicted human losses and economic
damages in 2007.
Russia is a vast land where the disaster-affected population and economic losses are relatively
large. The disasters reported for the year 2007 in Russia were earthquake, flood and wind storm. The flood
brought about some affected population and economic damages though the damages were relatively small.
But previous years experienced different types of disasters that caused considerable human losses andeconomic damages. Floods, landslides, extreme temperatures, and wind storms affected large numbers ofpeople in 2005. In 2006, however, an unusual cold wave occurred in Russia, and it was ranked among theworst disasters in Europe. Floods and earthquakes also caused considerable economic losses and affectedmany people in Russia in 2006.
Sri Lanka, located in the Indian Ocean just south of India, frequently experiences droughts
during its dry seasons, and wind storms, floods and subsequent landslides during its rainy seasons due tocyclones from the Bay of Bengal. However, the year 2007 was not nearly as disastrous with floods causing
affected people. When we look at the previous years, in the year 2004, Sri Lanka was devastated by therecord-breaking Indian Ocean Tsunami, which caused tremendous human losses and affected untold
numbers of people. The economic damage caused by this tsunami was so huge as to have severely affected
the country’s economic progress.
In the year 2007, the most significant economic damage was caused by windstorms which also
affected many people in Taiwan (China). Wind storms, a flood, and an earthquake also occurred in Taiwan(China) in 2006, yielding relatively high numbers of affected people and economic damage.
Tajikistan’s prime concerns are earthquakes and floods, as much of its terrain is mountainous. In
2007, earthquakes, floods and landslides were reported from Tajikistan and these disasters affectedconsiderably many people though the fatalities were relatively low. According to the CRED-EMDAT data
figures, no economic damage was reported from these disasters in 2007. In recent years, landslides andfloods in 2005 resulted in human casualties and economic damage. In 2006, an earthquake caused
considerable economic losses, but fewer fatalities than the landslides.

８５Chapter 4

ADRC-Natural Disasters Data Book-2007

Similar to previous years, Thailand suffered flooding but the impacts were relatively low.
Thailand is highly prone to natural disasters because of its location and terrain. The northeastern area isprone to floods and drought, while the south is vulnerable to storms, floods, and landslides.
Timor-Leste experienced human sufferings due to floods.
Viet Nam is located in the southeast monsoon climate area, where the majority of annual rainfall
occurs during the rainy season and regularly causes heavy human and economic losses. Floods and windstorms caused severe human casualties and economic losses in Viet Nam in 2007. These disasters caused
significant affected people and economic damages.
Human casualties in Yemen in 2007 were caused primarily by floods followed by volcanic
activity.

The tables above show that the majority of ADRC-member and other Asian countries
experienced either hydro-meteorological disasters and/or geo-physical disasters that inflicted heavy humanand economic losses on society and created additional hurdles for economic development efforts.
Furthermore, the severe impact of these disasters deprived people of opportunities for socio-economic
advancement, thereby slowing down the pace of national and regional development. The most severe
disasters in 2007 occurred in Asia (China, Bangladesh, India, the Philippines, Indonesia, Japan, andPakistan) and affected large numbers of people. The earthquake in Japan and Indonesia, floods in India,
China, and Bangladesh, and wind storms and floods in the Philippines were particularly damaging, causing
destruction at home and hindering economic and development progress region-wide. As in the previous
years, Southeast Asia sustained heavy human and economic damage due to both hydro-meteorological andgeo-physical disasters in 2007, once again exposing it as the most disaster-prone region in the world. It isimperative that efforts be made to design and implement proper disaster mitigation and preparedness plansto reduce loss of life, human casualties, and economic losses, and to contribute to sustainable development
on a global scale.

８６Chapter 4

ADRC-Natural Disasters Data Book-2007

4.3 Conclusions
As previous years, the year 2007 brought severe natural disasters all over the world. The highest
death toll resulted from the windstorms and floods in Bangladesh, the highest affected population from thefloods in China and the countries of South Asia, and the highest level of economic damage from theearthquake and in Japan. The year 2007 was one of the most devastating for the Asian region in recent
years. Africa also suffered droughts, floods, and epidemics. Europe, especially UK experienced extreme
temperatures and floods which claimed many lives and caused casualties throughout the region. Oceania
sustained floods and wind storms, and was moderately impacted by earthquake and tsunami in Solomon
Islands. Solomon Island, Australia and Papua New Guinea were the most severely affected countries of
Oceania. The earthquake in Japan caused the highest economic damage in 2007. The UK, European region
and China were also hit by intense floods, which caused relatively high levels of economic damage.
An analysis of the long-term disaster data shows that low-income countries and less developed
countries were significantly affected in terms of their ratio of human losses to population, and their ratio of
damage to gross national income (GNI). The disaster figures and data for 2007 were consistent withpatterns from previous years, but the ratio of damage to the economy was higher in the upper-middle andhigh-income countries this year. This reinforces the lesson that even the developed countries cannot becomplacent about disaster reduction strategies and countermeasures. It also highlights the need forcontinuous review and monitoring of disaster reduction strategies, and underscores the need for effective,
practical regional cooperation, and investments in disaster reduction measures. Although many initiatives
have been launched and investments made in developing countries in regions vulnerable to disasters, theincreasing frequency and magnitude of natural catastrophes that result in economic loss and humancasualties have hindered those initiatives. This book has sought to derive conclusions from the analyticalevidence that can be used to integrate disaster risk management initiatives with development objectives.
The preceding chapters show that the human development and income levels of a country are crucial
determinants of the effective implementation of risk management approaches and post-disastermanagement initiatives. In addition, the active and effective participation of women in the risk management
process has been shown to be a crucial factor for any meaningful disaster countermeasures, especially inthe least developed countries.
These general phenomena can be seen not only in the ADRC-member countries, but also
throughout Asia in 2007 as in the previous years. The obvious vulnerability of this region to geo-physical andhydro-meteorological disasters given its demographic, socio-economic, and geo-physical factors justifies theneed for prudent development policies and proactive risk management practices, as well as further
investments in disaster reduction. This book also advocates the effective integration of disaster management
perspectives into national and regional sustainable development efforts. Disasters have a negative impact on
every aspect of a country. To reduce the damage caused by natural disasters, it is essential to promote
country-appropriate disaster prevention measures that take advantage of domestic personnel and material
resources as well as foreign assistance. The 2007 disaster data lends further support for this argument.

８７

Chapter 4

ADRC-Natural Disasters Data Book-2007

Natural Disaster Data Book-2007(An Analytical Overview)
2008

Authored and Edited by

Dr. SriGowri SANKER
Ms. Yumi SHIOMIThe Asian Disaster Reduction Center
Hitomiraikan 5F
1-5-2 Wakihamakaigan-doriChuo-ku, Kobe 651-0073
JAPAN
Tel: +81-78-262-5540

Fax: +81-78-262-5546

Website: http://www.adrc.asia
E-mail: rep@adrc.asia
Copyright 2008 The Asian Disaster Reduction Center. All right resrved

８８