Disclaimer
This report was compiled by an ADRC visiting researcher (VR) from ADRC
member countries.
The views expressed in the report do not necessarily reflect the views of theADRC. The boundaries and names shown and the designations used on themaps in the report also do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the
ADRC.

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MONEER ABDULLAH MOHAMMED AL-MASNIGEOLOGICAL SURVEY & MINERAL RESOURCES BOARD(SEISMOLOGICAL AND VOLCANOLOGICAL OBSERVATORY CENTER)

2

1. General information
1.1 Physiography
Yemen is a Middle Eastern country located on the Arabian Peninsula in southwest Asia
between latitudes 12° and 19° N and longitudes 42° and 55° E. The country is borderedby Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Adento the south and Oman to the east. The Bab-al-Mandab strait in the south-west of Yemen
is divided by Mayoon Island into two parts that control the passage to the strait.
Yemen’s territory includes a number of Red Sea islands, including the Hanish Islands,
Kamaran and Perim, as well as Socotra - the largest Yemini Island (3,650 sq. km) in the
Arabian Sea, which is 510 km from the mainland coast

1.2 Topography
The country’s topography consist of Coastal plains, Mountains highlands, Mountains
Basins, plateau area andDeserts area. It is divided
to several regions as show
in the map and explain as
following bellow:
The Coastal Plains
The coastal plain is anextension of the southerncoast of Yemen overlooking

Figure 1-2 Topography map of Yemen

3the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea. The coastal plains comprise of the following:
Tihamah Plain, Tuban-Abyan plain, Maifa'a Ahwar plain and the Eastern Coastal plain,
which lies in Al Mahara governorate. The Tihamah, on the east coast of Yemen, also
known as hot lands, forms a very arid and flat coastal plain. It is characterized byextensive crescent shaped sand dunes. The Tihamah ends abruptly at the escarpment of
the western highlands. There are perennial streams in the highlands but these neverreach the sea because of high evaporation in Tihamah. The elevation of the coastal plain
gradually rises and it crosses the wide wadis that spring from the mountains and therunoff beds and flow into the sea.
In view of the abundant marine resources that characterize the coasts, the people of thisarea are predominantly engaged in fishing. Significant fishing centers include Al-Shihr,
Al-Hami, Al-Mukalla, Eastern Al-Dais, Al-Raida, Qusai‟ir, Al-Musaina‟ah and the city ofAden. People also engage in trade, while Bedouin nomads rear livestock in the interiormountainous area and the depths of the eastern wadis.
The Mountain Highlands
This region stretches along the farthest borders of Yemen on the north to the farthest
point in the south. This region underwent many formation movements that resulted in
major and minor fractures some of which are parallel to the Red Sea while others areparallel to the Gulf of Aden. These in turn resulted in the formation of high plateaus
within which some mountainous basins formed. The central highlands are an extensive
high plateau over 2,000 m (6,562 ft) in elevation. The highest point in Yemen is Jabal AlNabi Shauib at 3,760 m. This area is drier than the western highlands because of rainshadow influences, but still receives sufficient rain in wet years for extensive cropping.
The mountain highlands include some major valleys like Mawr, Haradh, Zabeed, Seham
and Raisan valleys whose waters flow into the Red Sea. The Wadi Tuban, Wadi Bana andHadramout Wadi pour into the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea.
The Mountainous Basins
This region has mountainous plains and basins located in the Mountain Highlands,
mostly located in the eastern section of the water division line, which stretches from thefarthest north to the farthest south. The main basins are Yareem, Dhamar, Abar, Sana'a,
Amran, and Sa'ada.

4The Plateau Areas
This region lies to the east and north of the Mountain Highlands and runs parallel tothem. However, this topography is wider towards the Empty Quarter and begins a
gradual decline. The surface slides toward the north and the east mildly. The majority ofthe surface of this region is formed from rocky desert surface, which is cut through bysome valleys - especially the Hadramout and Hareeb valleys.
The Desert Areas
This is a sandy region almost devoid of flora except in the areas of rainfall courses
where rain runs through after descending from mountainous areas adjacent to thisregion. The height of the region ranges between 500-1000 m above sea level and it
slopes without terrainous discontinuity towards the north east to the center of the
Empty Quarter. The Rub al Khali in the east is much lower, generally below 1,000 m(3,281 ft), and receives almost no rain. It is populated only by Bedouin herders ofcamels. The desert plain situated at the edge of the northern plateau of Wadi Hadramout
extends westward to Ramlat Al-Sab‟atain. These plains form the territory of the desert
districts of Thamud, Al‟Ibr, Rima wa Al-Qif, Zamkh, and Manoukh. The northern part isfamous for livestock grazing and rearing. The peripheries of the area converge with theborder of Saudi Arabia and some overland international inlets, such as Al-'Ibr/, AlWadi‟ah, and Al-Bude‟i.
Apart from the above major divisions, many islands spread along the Yemen territorial
waters with their distinctive terrain, climate and environment. Most of these islands lie
in the Red Sea. The most significant ones are Kamaran which is the largest inhabitedisland in the Red Sea, the Hunnish Archipelago, and the Meon island, which has astrategic location in Bab Almandab strait - the southern gateway of the Red Sea. Some of
the main islands on the Arabian Sea are the Socotra Archipelago. Socotra island is thelargest island in this archipelago. The other islands in this archipelago are Samhah,Darsah and Abduljori

51.3 Climate
The climate of Yemen is hot and humid along west coast; temperate in western
mountains affected by seasonal monsoon; and extraordinarily hot, dry and harsh in thedesert to the east.
Rainfall is highly
erratic and occurs
in two periods - thefirstfrom Marchthrough May, andthesecond

from

July

until

September.

Thelatter is the season
with the heaviest
rainfall. The main
ecosystems

inFigure 1-3 Estimated mean annual rainfall for 1989-1999 for major basins based on the TRMM satellite data
(Wallingford 2010) Topography map of Yemen

Yemen are desert, dry Montana woodlands, grasslands and shrub lands.
Rainfall in Yemen, as in most arid zones, varies widely due to the local character ofconnective storms, typically of short duration, coupled with relatively high intensity andlimited aerial extent. However, low intensity frontal-type rains are sometimes
experienced, usually during the winter season. As a result, rainfall in Yemen ischaracterized by marked spatial variability. In the northern area, annual rainfall varies
between 100 mm in the eastern desert and more than 800 mm in the central highlands.
In the southern part, rainfall varies between 150 mm and 450 mm in agricultural areas.
Areas that receive less than 500 mm per year are considered marginal for agriculture,with unreliable production.
1.4 Demography
Yemen, with a population of more than 20 million, is the world’s 49th largest country
with an area of 527,970 sq. km and is comparable in size to Thailand and somewhat
larger than the state of California. Sana’a is the capital of Yemen located in the central

6western part of the country (15°21' N, 44°12'E).
In spite of being a large country, Yemen has an extremely low average population
densityof42

persons /sq. km
with

an

annualgrowth rate of 3.5
per

cent.

This

extremely

lowaveragepopulation density
is due to extremely
low population ineastern

Yemen,

which is largely
Figure 1-4 Distribution of population in Yemen (2009)a desert area. The population density is higher in the western part of Yemen. For
example, the Sana’a Basin has a population density of more than 1,000 persons/ sq. km,
with an annual growth rate of about 7 per cent. Yemen is characterized by the diversityof aspects of the surface and the country can be geographically divided into five main
regions: the coastal plains; the mountain highlands; the mountainous basins; the plateau
areas; and the desert.

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2. Natural Hazard in the country
2.1 DISASTER RISK PROFILE:
The country’s topography of rugged mountains, highlands, deserts, and coastal plains,coupled with arid weather conditions, render Yemen highly susceptible todesertification, landslides, earthquakes and floods, and make it a disaster prone country
that has experienced at least one disaster per year over the last three decades as shownin the following photos. These various disasters left significant economic damages that
occur due to loss of lives, damage to livelihoods, property and infrastructure.
2.2 SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF DISASTERS IN YEMEN
Floods: The most recent major floods occurred in 1996, 2000, and 2008. The areas thatare at risk from flooding are largely the densely populated areas of western Yemen, that
include governorates of Sada’a, Sana’a, Dhamar, Ibb, Taiz, Lahz, Mareb, and Abyan.
In central and eastern Yemen, the Hadramout Valley and the southern coastline of
Yemen are also at risk from flooding.
Floods in Yemen mostly result from high-intensity rainfall, and sometimes from coastal
storm surges and tsunamis such as tsunami resulted form Sumatra earthquake in 2005.
Earthquakes: Yemen is located in the seismically active zone between the Arabian and
African tectonic plates which are pulling apart. The western and southern portions of
Yemen around the rifts of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden represented by volcanic
mountains over magma tic champers. These portions are the most active zones and at
risk from earthquakes. Although the magnitudes of events are small but it is felling bypeoples living in that areas..
The largest destructive earthquake was in 13,Dec.,1982 with magnitude Mw6.2 stroke
the central part of Yemen at Dhamar region ..
Landslides: Unstable geological conditions, including the development of extensive
cracks due to natural aging and extreme weather conditions, exist in several
mountainous regions of Yemen such as Al-Dhafeer in 2006 Al Gayah and Al-Semah. In
such regions, heavy rains, storms, earthquakes, or volcanic eruptions, as well as mining
and inappropriately sited infrastructure, can combine to trigger landslides. Since theterrain of Yemen is mostly mountainous, the entire country is at risk of landslides.
Volcanic eruptions: As mentioned above the central and western plateau of Yemen
located in the volcanic fields which consists of quaternary volcanic cones. These volcanic
cones have similar age with that located along the axial of Red Sea and characterized by
it’s active and gases case. The last new eruptions was in 2007 at Al- Tair island at Red

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Sea. Table 1 provides an overview of the natural disasters reported in Yemen over thelast 30 years,

Photo show Earth Fissures at Gahran Basin caused by earthquake 1982
and water withdrawing ,2007

Photo show heavy flooding in Hadramut area 2008

Photo show Land slides at al-Dhafeer area,2006

Photo show Volcanic Eruption at Gabal Al-Tair Island –Red
sea,2007

Photo show Earthquake Building damage in Dhamar area,1982 .

9Table 1: Top 12 natural disasters reported (1982-2010)
Disaster
Date
Affected
Earthquakes
Drought
Earthquake
Flood
Flood
Flood
Flood
Flood
landslides
Flood
Volcanic eruption
Flood
Flood

1982
1988
1991
1991
1993
1996
1998
1999
2005
2006
2007
2007
2008

2020000-40093
30000
21500
5000
3000
19750
2000
2000
700.000

killed
2800
-70
65
50
33
32
36
65
31
6
28
73

3. Disaster Management System (DMS)The Yemen Country Note is based on vigorous consultations undertaken with various
governmental agencies, the UN agencies, and the World Bank country office staff tounderstand the current organizational structure for managing disasters in Yemen andidentify possible areas of support for strengthening Disaster Risk Management (DRM).
Major governmental agencies consulted include the ministries of Planning andInternational Cooperation, Oil and Minerals, Communications and Information
Technology, Transport, Public Works and Highways, Civil Defense, Water andEnvironment, Agriculture and Irrigation, Health, and Local Administration. The findingsof the consultations were presented to a cabinet level meeting, held on April 23rd 2009,chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister, Ministry of Planning and International
Cooperation. During the meeting, the Government of Yemen provided guidance andidentified priority areas of interventions for DRM.







3.1 Progress of implementation of Hyogo Famework for Action (HFA)
Yemen is a signatory to the Hyogo Framework for Action and in keeping with the fivepriority areas for action, Yemen has committed to:Ensuring that the reduction of risks from disasters is a national and a local priority witha strong institutional basis for implementation;
Identification, assessment, and monitoring of risks from disasters, and enhancing its
early warning system;
Use of knowledge, innovation, and education to build a culture of safety and resilienceat all levels.
Reduction in the factors that make Yemen more vulnerable to disasters; andStrengthening disaster preparedness for effective responses at all levels.

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The next section describes the state of progress that Yemen has made in the above
mentioned five Hyogo Framework priority action areas, along with the gaps andpossible next steps.
HFA Priority # 1 : Ensure that disaster risk reduction is a national and a local
priority with a strong institutional basis for implementation

Yemen has accorded high priority to disaster risk reduction, and has established two focal
agencies to take the lead in this area. These are:(i) The National Disaster Management Unit (NDMU), housed within the Civil Defense
General Directorate (CDGD) under the Ministry of Interior (MoI); and(ii) The Directorate of Environmental Emergencies and Disasters (DEE) under the
Ministry of Water and Environment (MWE), established in 2004 through a ministerial
decree.
The Unit in the Civil Defense Directorate has the mandate to focus on disastermanagement and response in Yemen, while the Department of Environmental
Emergencies under the Ministry of Water is responsible for reporting on progress in
Yemen on the five priority areas of action outlined in the Hyogo Framework for Action,
to the UN International Strategy for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNIS DR) – UNIS DR being
the agency that is responsible for monitoring progress on the Hyogo Framework.
Although the DEE has represented Yemen at several international forums, it has limited
resources.
The Unit in the Civil Defense Directorate, on the other hand, is better resourced as it has
been responsible for providing emergency relief after disasters.
Yemen has established an institutional basis for implementation of actions related todisaster risk reduction. There is a legal foundation for the creation of an organizational
structure for managing the risks from disasters, and Yemen has designated its Ministryof Interior to lead the structure. The 1997 Civil Defense Law defines the responsibilitiesof the Civil Defense General Directorate with respect to for disaster management.
Subsequently, the Executive Bylaw and the Republican Decree (N°386) became the basis
for the Supreme Council of Civil Defense.
The Council is responsible for providing policy direction, approving plans for disaster
preparedness and response, and defining the tasks and responsibilities of eachministry/agency, actors and stakeholders before and during any emergency. It ischaired by the Minister of Interior, and includes key ministries as members. However,when the floods occurred in 2008, the Supreme Council was chaired by the Prime
Minister himself on two occasions.

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There is progress on the identification, assessment, and monitoring of risks from disasters,
and the establishment of an early warning system is in its infancy. The UN agencies andthe Government of Norway have provided support to initiate disaster risk management
related activities in Yemen. They supported the Disaster Preparedness, Management
and Recovery project in 2003, which established under the Civil Defense General
Directorate the National Disaster Management Unit. However, the Unit needs technical,
and financial strengthening, in addition to an improved internal re-organization thatenables it to develop the necessary vertical mechanisms for coordination withsubnational entities and communities (which will also need strengthening). In order todevelop an effective, comprehensive and integrated disaster risk management system,
the Civil Defense General Directorate was accorded the status of an authority, withgreater managerial and financial autonomy. However, it still functions as a ministerial
department, and its budget is approved by the Ministry of Interior. The National
Disaster Management Unit has a National Disaster Management Team that consists offocal staff from various ministries. It developed a National Disaster Management Plan in
2006. This Plan, in addition to proposed initiatives for capacity building, GIS mapping,and rescue operations, includes a checklist of activities to be undertaken in the event of
a disaster, as well as a list of key contacts. This Plan is awaiting approval by Yemen’s
Cabinet.
There is a need to further strengthen the organizational structure for managing the risks
from disasters, streamline agencyfunctions, and improve functional coordination andinformation sharing for an early warning system. Other prominent agencies that play animportant role in disaster risk management are the Public Works Program, theGeological Survey and Mineral Resources Board, the National Water Resources Agency,
and the Vulnerability Assessment Mapping Unit under Ministry of Health. These
agencies are active in risk assessment, early warning, and post disaster reconstruction &recovery according to their specific institutional mandate and implementation
capabilities. Figure (3) provides an institutional map of agencies that are active within
the different categories of activities that together constitute a comprehensive
disaster risk management program, and their relationship with the National Disaster
Management Unit.
Yemen has to make rapid progress towards making disaster risk management a priority at
the local level. Sub national governments, their agencies, and local communities need to
be integral to the planning and execution of disaster risk management activities, so that
there is more ownership which can lead to more effective implementation.
There is already progress towards decentralization in Yemen, and Yemen’s
decentralization policy has mandated local governments with disaster risk management
12and reduction. The legal foundation for developing and implementing disaster risk
management programs at the local level already exists.
Figure(3)HFA Priority # 2 : Identify, assess, and monitor disaster risks, and enhance early
warning systems

Implementation of initiatives that identify disaster risks is well underway, although aformal early warning system does not so far exist.
Several agencies are preparing digital risk maps of Yemen (Table 3). There is, however,no mechanism to either ensure compatibility between the data formats being developedby the agencies, or to avoid duplication of functions for optimizing the use of resources.
There is also no institutionalized mechanism that links these agencies which are thecritical suppliers of critical data, with the subnational agencies and communities that are the users of this data. Unless such
coordination and integrative mechanisms are in place, the design and implementation ofdisaster risk management activities will be ineffective and yield sub-optimal results.

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In 2010 National Probabilistic Risk Assessment of Yemen is issued as show in figures (4A-D )below , as well as detailed risk assessment for the Governorate/s of Hadramout &Al-Mahara governorate, and Sana’a are underway. These studies will provide a risk atlasfor various kinds of hazards , and be the basis for planning and execution of various
initiatives for disaster risk management in the country. The atlas will enable informed
political debate on difficult choices that Yemen may have to make for both planning andretrofitting sectoral infrastructure in various spatial locations, and help the country
develop a strategy that can be supported by donors, including possibly throughadditional IDA operations.

Figure(4.A ) . show Earthquake PGA hazard of 100 year return period

Figure(4.C ) .Lava Flow probability for 50 years return period - North
Sana’aFigure(4.B ) . Land slid Susceptibility map

Figure(4.D ) . Wadi- Hadramut 25 year return period flood hazard map

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The Government of Yemen has allocated funds for the development of a formal early
warning system.
Although there is no formal early warning system at the national or local level, theGovernment has allocated US $7.5 million to the Civil Defense General Directorate forthe development of emergency control rooms in fifteen governorates.
An emergency room, possibly for an early warning system and rescue operations, has
become partially operational in Aden. A control room established in Sana’a is not yet
operational due to financial and technical constraints. There are plans to establish
emergency rooms are in Mukalla, Taiz, and Hodeida.
An initiative to strengthen the capacity of the National Disaster Management Unit toenable it to deliver early warnings to coastal communities and enhance their preparedness
is underway. This initiative, known as the Disaster Preparedness, Management, andRecovery Project is being supported by the UN DP. An initial assessment report fromthis project highlights a list of priority actions and priority intervention locations which
are Al- Mahara, Hadramout, Aden, Shabwa, Abyan, Lahz, Taiz, Hodeidah, and Hajja. It
also lists the key players that need to be involved in these areas. The project has
supported community awareness programs in two pilot areas - Al Mahara and Socotra
Island. The National Disaster Management Unit may partner with Oman to share early
warnings about tsunamis with coastal communities.
HFA Priority # 3 : Use knowledge, innovation, and education to build a culture ofsafety and resilience at all

The Government of Yemen is extremely receptive to integrating knowledge and innovation
into its disaster management program. The recently completed 2008 Damage and Loss
Needs Assessment was well received by the Cabinet of Yemen and is being widely
disseminated within the country. Similarly, the Government of Yemen is seeking tocollaborate actively with Gulf Cooperation Countries in developing a regional
mechanism in areas related to disaster mitigation like early warning systems and postdisaster response.
Initial educational efforts to start building a culture of resilience is underway in Yemen. A
national strategy for awareness, targeting school children specifically and the publicmore generally, is being developed by the National Disaster Management Unit. The
literature that is being developed for the awareness campaign includes advice on ‘what
to do during emergency’. Also included are interactive games for children.
Much progress remains to be made on building a culture of resilience at all levels. So far
there exist no formal institutions or programs that can deliver training on adapting toclimate change at a scale that is needed to build resilience at all levels. The National
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Disaster Management Unit is trying to include the concept of disaster risk management
as well as the importance of environmental protection in reducing risks from disasters,in the curriculum of schools. The Ministry of Water and Environment, the Ministry of
Health, and the Ministry of Social Welfare are also developing communication material
that can effectively reach out to the larger public and inform on the appropriate
response needed during a disaster or an emergency. With multiple agencies developing
communication strategies and tools, efforts are needed to ensure adequate coordination
and avoid duplication so that there is optimum impact on building a culture of resilienceat all levels.
HFA Priority # 4 : Reduce the underlying risk factors

Sectoral ministries are working towards reducing the risks posed by the three main factorsthat exacerbate Yemen’s vulnerability to natural disasters: (i) climate change, (ii) depletionof water resources, and (iii) ineffective land use planning that are contributing todevelopment in hazard prone areas. Table 4 maps the various national and sub-national
entites that have a crucial role in limiting risks from the three underlying factors. Thereis a need to develop clear guidelines for mainstreaming disaster risk reduction into thesectoral planning and investment cycles of these ministries. Discussions amongst policy
makers are underway to include in the institutional mandates of these agencies, anexplicit focus on reducing the risks from disasters, so that appropriate initiatives can bemainstreamed and supported. These agencies have already embarked on some steps toreduce the risks from disasters, for example, the incorporation of flood plain protection
in strategic land use planning, the development of appropriate building codes, andenvironmental impact assessment procedures.

Implementation of specific measures that impact the underlying risk factors will not be
possible without significant ownership of necessary actions at the community level. At
present disaster risk reduction efforts in Yemen are far from being coherently organizedvertically. Without decentralization, there will be little empowerment of sub national levels ofgovernment and their communities to develop an effective and balanced program to reducerisks. Effective disaster risk management strategies will be difficult to develop, and theimplementation of policies and programs developed centrally will be difficult and inefficient.

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HFA Priority # 5: Strengthen disaster preparedness for effective response at alllevelsDisaster preparedness for effective response at all levels has not as yet received attention in
Yemen, as the planning focus has been on disaster relief and recovery operations. Although
there is no institutional mechanism to ensure adequate preparedness levels for natural
disasters and an emergency response to them, as stated earlier, the National Disaster
Management Unit in the Ministry of Interior has developed a National Disaster
Management Plan. This plan spells out in detail, the role of key line ministries before,
during, and in the post disaster emergency phase. It provides checklists for essential
activities to be executed in the different phases of a disaster, as well as a list of essential
contacts. This plan, however, is yet to be approved by Yemen’s cabinet.
In the absence of attention to the pre-disaster planning, the only central government
practice that exists is for an area to be declared a “Disaster Affected Area” before resources
can be mobilized. In the event of a disaster, the President of Yemen declares the affectedareas as “Disaster Affected Areas”. Only after this declaration can relief funds areallocated, with relief efforts coordinated through a high level inter-ministerial committee.
Such a committee was organized under the Prime Minister’s Office after 2008 floods tocoordinate national and international relief efforts. This committee coordinates theefforts of the army, international relief agencies, the branches of technical ministries, andutility agencies at governorate level, which are the main actors during the disaster relief
phase of disaster operations. Immediate recovery and reconstruction activities, i.e. post
emergency relief, are coordinated at the governorate level by branches of line ministries(chief being Ministry of Public Works) and local NGOs. Long-term recovery andreconstruction activities are mostly coordinated by specialized Recovery andReconstruction Funds (e.g. recently established Fund for Recovery and Reconstruction in
Hadramout and Al Mahara). There is a need to develop and adopt early warning
protocols and preparedness plans at regional and local levels.

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