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The damage caused by natural disasters has doubled in the last ten years compared to previous years. This seems to be a report of the International Red Cross.
3715 Natural Disasters
The year 2017 was one of the most costly disasters of all natural disasters. Major disasters, such as hurricanes in the United States, have caused more than $ 330 billion worth of damage. If we look at the last ten years, there was about $ 1,700 billion worth of damage. Between 2008 and 2017, there were 3,715 natural disasters, of which 5 out of 6 were climate related. China, the United States, the Philippines, India and Indonesia are most often affected by natural disasters.
According to Maarten van Aalst, director of the Red Cross Climate Center, there are several reasons for doubling the damage. "Three factors have indeed caused the enormous increase in the damage caused by natural disasters: First of all, it is the number of people on the planet: there are more people and more of economic growth, there is simply more damage possible. "More houses or offices for example.
Vulnerabilities
The second cause is climate change. "The weather is becoming more and more erratic.In 2018, for example, there are still more extreme and unexpected events than ten years ago." In addition, according to Van Aalst we are not smart enough to manage places where there are a lot of people and buildings. ""
For example, a vulnerable area refers to a city on the coast. Or a city located on a large estuary, where floods could occur. "Cities are growing, but they do not take into account the vulnerability of the location," says Van Aalst. "Or enough for urban planning or prevention."
Less Concrete
He's talking about Hurricane Harvey, the largest expense item in 2017. "Houston has grown enormously, but too little attention has been paid to urban planning. For example, the city is mostly made of concrete, which means the water can not flow properly and Houston has suffered very large floods. "The risks of extreme rainfall due to climate change are also become "three times more important". These factors make sure that Aalst becomes a major disaster.
Van Aalst is of the opinion that if cities did more with disaster prevention, the costs would increase to a lesser extent. "If steps are taken in advance, you will reduce the vulnerability of a city.For example, if there was less concrete in Houston, the city would have been less vulnerable to heavy rains. Prior arrangements prevent suffering. "In fact, much is already done in prevention." Investments in warning systems, for example, have saved many lives in recent years. "[19659011]
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