Why do people die in earthquakes?
Permanent Link:

Material Information

Title:
Why do people die in earthquakes? the costs, benefits and institutions of disaster risk reduction in developing countries
Series Title:
Policy Research Working Papers
Creator:
Kenny, Charles
Disaster Risk Reduction Program, Florida International University (DRR/FIU) ( summary contributor )
Place of Publication:
Washington, D.C.
Publisher:
The World Bank
Publication Date:
Copyright Date:
2009
Language:
English
Physical Description:
International government publication

Subjects

Subjects / Keywords:
Earthquakes -- Developing countries ( lcshac )
Natural hazards and disasters ( lcshac )
Sustainable urban development ( lcshac )
Earthquakes -- mortality ( lcshac )
Genre:
non-fiction ( marcgt )

Notes

Summary:
This document looks at the variables hindering the construction of earthquake resistant structures in developing countries, and presents a number of measures to overcome these barriers. The document begins by reminding the reader that 60,000 people die every year due to the effects of natural disasters. There are plenty of examples to illustrate this fact: the 8.0 magnitude Sichuan earthquake (70,000 deaths), the Marmara earthquake in Turkey (17,000 deaths); and the 6.8 earthquake in Algeria (2,700). While engineering solutions have greatly reduced the number of deaths due to disasters worldwide, developing countries still struggle to overcome infrastructure deficiencies and most victims of disaster die from building collapses during earthquakes. The report acknowledges that often engineering solutions are too expensive to implement that the cost-benefit ratio is unfavorable. It also underscores the deficient building regulations, low quality public construction, and negative effects of corruption in most of the developing world. Property damage is also a component that is not often taken into consideration when preparing for disasters. In the developing world, where legal requirements are rarely enforced, only a limited number of people living in risk-prone areas actually carry property insurance. It is worth noting the gap between developing and developed countries in regard to property insurance, while in developing countries insurance covered approximately 1% of the cost of natural disasters between 1984-2000, in developed countries it covered around 30% (Linnerooth-Bayer and Mechler, 2007). In conclusion, the report suggests a strategy to construction stakeholders in developing countries aiming at reducing the number of deaths due to disaster: 1) dissemination of low-cost techniques to strengthen existing structures, 2) the passing of simple regulation on construction practices, and 3) the incorporation of mitigation measures in government contracts. ( English )
Subject:
General Disaster Risk Reduction ( English )
Citation/Reference:
Kenny, C. (2009). Why do people die in earthquakes?—the costs, benefits and institutions of disaster risk reduction in developing countries. The World Bank.
General Note:
This paper is prepared as a background paper to the joint World Bank-UN Assessment of the Economics of Disaster Risk Reduction.

Record Information

Source Institution:
Florida International University
Rights Management:
Refer to main document/publisher for use rights.
Resource Identifier:
FI13042499
327698804 ( oclc )

dpSobek Membership

Aggregations:
Disaster Risk Reduction