GAR 2015 Main Report

Part I - Chapter 3

(Graham and Riebeek, 200619). Storm surges can be severely destructive, and losses are highly dependent on exposure, especially in areas without coastal protection works.

As in the case of earthquakes, the absolute AAL from tropical cyclones (wind and storm surge) is concentrated in large countries like Japan and the United States of America, which have a large stock of exposed capital (Figure 3.16). However, this is equivalent to only 1 and 2 per cent (respectively) of their capital investment. In contrast, while the AAL in the Philippines is less than a quarter of that of the United States of America, it is equivalent to almost 12 per cent of the former’s capital investment. With the exception of SIDS, the Philippines and Madagascar are the countries with the largest proportion of their capital investment at risk, again highlighting the importance of prospective disaster risk management.

Accurate estimates of storm surge risk require detailed data on exposure and the morphology of the seabed. As such, detailed risk assessments are necessary in areas prone to storm surges, such as Belize City (Box 3.2).

Tsunami

The global AAL for tsunamis is estimated at US$530 million. This figure is significantly lower than that associated with other hazards due to the fact that tsunami impacts are very localized along coasts and that while tsunamis are highly destructive, they are also highly infrequent.

More than 80 per cent of tsunami events are caused by earthquakes. However, other phenomena such as submarine and sub aerial landslides or volcanic eruptions can also produce or contribute to tsunami occurrence. For example, the 1998 Papua New Guinea tsunami, which killed 2,182 people (EM-DAT, 201420), was caused by a

(Source: UNISDR with data from Global Risk Assessment and the World Bank.)

Figure 3.16 Top 15 countries: Tropical cyclone AAL in relation to capital investment (excluding SIDS)

	68 Part I - Chapter 3 (Graham and Riebeek, 200619). Storm surges can be severely destructive, and losses are highly dependent on exposure, especially in areas without coastal protection works. As in the case of earthquakes, the absolute AAL from tropical cyclones (wind and storm surge) is concentrated in large countries like Japan and the United States of America, which have a large stock of exposed capital (Figure 3.16). However, this is equivalent to only 1 and 2 per cent (respectively) of their capital investment. In contrast, while the AAL in the Philippines is less than a quarter of that of the United States of America, it is equivalent to almost 12 per cent of the former’s capital investment. With the exception of SIDS, the Philippines and Madagascar are the countries with the largest proportion of their capital investment at risk, again highlighting the importance of prospective disaster risk management. Accurate estimates of storm surge risk require detailed data on exposure and the morphology of the seabed. As such, detailed risk assessments are necessary in areas prone to storm surges, such as Belize City (Box 3.2). Tsunami The global AAL for tsunamis is estimated at US$530 million. This figure is significantly lower than that associated with other hazards due to the fact that tsunami impacts are very localized along coasts and that while tsunamis are highly destructive, they are also highly infrequent. More than 80 per cent of tsunami events are caused by earthquakes. However, other phenomena such as submarine and sub aerial landslides or volcanic eruptions can also produce or contribute to tsunami occurrence. For example, the 1998 Papua New Guinea tsunami, which killed 2,182 people (EM-DAT, 201420), was caused by a (Source: UNISDR with data from Global Risk Assessment and the World Bank.) Figure 3.16 Top 15 countries: Tropical cyclone AAL in relation to capital investment (excluding SIDS)	Page 1 Page 10 Page 20 Page 30 Page 40 Page 50 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 ->Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 90 Page 100 Page 110 Page 120 Page 130 Page 140 Page 150 Page 160 Page 170 Page 180 Page 190 Page 200 Page 210 Page 220 Page 230 Page 240 Page 250 Page 260 Page 270 Page 280 Page 290 Page 300 Page 310