Describing Storm Xaver in Disaster Terms

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Describing Storm Xaver in Disaster Terms Author’s Accepted Manuscript Describing Storm Xaver in disaster terms Dorota Rucińska www.elsevier.com/locate/ijdr PII: S2212-4209(18)30572-7 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2018.11.012 Reference: IJDRR1023 To appear in: International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction Received date: 4 May 2018 Revised date: 6 November 2018 Accepted date: 12 November 2018 Cite this article as: Dorota Rucińska, Describing Storm Xaver in disaster terms, International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2018.11.012 This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting galley proof before it is published in its final citable form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain. Describing Storm Xaver in disaster terms Dorota Rucińska* University of Warsaw, Faculty of Geography and Regional Studies, ul. Krakowskie Przedmieście 30, 00-927 Warszawa *Corresponding author: Dorota Rucińska, [email protected] Abstract The aim of this paper is to understand the relationship between the types of losses incurred in the context of Storm Xaver, and the use of the term ‘disaster’ for a winter storm that occurred in 2013. This understanding is important as regards disaster risk reduction policy. This case study of the social-economic impact of Storm Xaver and the criteria that defined the 'disaster' in Poland, Germany, the UK and the Netherlands allows us the opportunity to understand and assess whether such a term is justified. This investigation reveals that affected populations are key when it comes to justifying the ‘disaster’ term. This study looks into those hidden meanings within the description for those affected by such a disaster, with quoted figures provided for the numbers of individuals affected subject to correction. However, it soon became clear the importance of separating the impact of such an event over the short and long-term as regards the study of disaster risk reduction on these groups. On the one hand, this case study reveals an imprecise use of the term ‘disaster’, and on the other misinformation in the numbers of those affected, which in turn leads to a misinterpretation in data and misleading optimism. If the approach is focused on "affected people" and the consequential effects of living in the area, then this can be used as a tool to put together more responsible activities for 1 action towards Disaster Risk Reduction, e.g. an allocation of budget funds in the regions and locally. Keywords: Disaster, term, criteria, affected, winter storm, Europe 1. Introduction Natural disasters may include such natural event as floods, hurricanes, winter storms, and earthquakes where a serious disruption of the functioning of a community or a society. The term ‘disaster’ has been given as a definition by international organisations such as the Emergency Events Database (EM-DAT) [1] and the World Bank [2], although there is no regular criteria that allows detailed analysis of the term that would prove useful long-term. In fact, the lack of criteria is often the reason for the complications that occur when analysing differences as regards the impact upon various nation states. These complications can amount to the effect of misunderstanding a disaster, the limited available data to the public, or even being random or selected. Generally there are differences when it comes to describing losses, and in turn, what can be defined as a disaster. Most of the previously mentioned criteria for disaster is used by the EM-DAT [1]. Other criteria is used for assessing the size and impact of disasters in countries by other institutions such as the World Bank [2], and the Munich Re [3]. Considerations are continued in many contexts [4,5,6,7]. In general, damage from natural disasters in Europe in 2013 (16.9 billion EUR) was the fourth highest of the decade. The damage caused by the 2013 storm was also the fourth worst of the same period [8], with insured losses of €763 million and €1 billion in total damage [9]. Storm Xaver itself brought a significant storm surge to northern Europe, leaving at least 15 people dead and dozens of others injured. Damage was heaviest in Scotland, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Scandinavia, and Poland, with more than 650,000 power outages occurring which also led to the suspensions of flight and rail services. Although insured losses were estimated at roughly €800 million, total economic losses were even higher [10]. Predictions show that in the next few decades the amount of strong winds in Central Europe will increase by about 20%, and that the wind speed could be 7-10% higher [11]. Confidence in any future changes as regards wind speeds is 2 relatively low, but it seems increasingly likely that there will be an increase in average and extreme wind speeds in northern Europe [12]. There is widespread acceptance that a wind speed of 17 metres a second (m/s) is considered strong (World Meteorological Organization, WMO) [13] and can cause damage. The winds are the reasons why we need to be able to understand the impact of winter storms better and use this understanding for DRR adaptation policies. In more extreme examples, Cyclone Quimburga in 1972, Storm Vivian in 1990, Cyclone Oratia in 2000 and Cyclone Kyrill in 2007 each caused significant losses in Europe. The research problem is the use of (or not) criteria for defining what is or what is not a "natural disaster"; that is, the description of a natural event based on wind speed, or tidal wave, and the height of the water level treated as an extreme event; but more often or not it is not on criteria based on the number of fatalities or affected people. Furthermore, any descriptions of losses as results are presented as accidents and not on the impact on relationships. Losses can be hidden in kinds of data; it is reason to identify gaps. The term ‘disaster’ is a very real subject because the safety of the population has to be taken into consideration, according to the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR) (2015-2030) [14], along with risk management and the implementing of DRR in those affected nation states. The SFDRR aims are placed in the centre of interests and discussions [15, 16, 17, 18] which are a continuation of 'disaster' studies that are talked up as social topics [19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24]. These authors emphasize the quality of data about natural disasters according to the SFDRR [25], for example: “Data and statistics are important in understanding the impacts and costs of disasters. Systematic disaster data collection and analysis can be used to inform policy decisions to help reduce disaster risks and build resilience.” "Access to information is critical to successful disaster risk management. You cannot manage what you cannot measure." - Margareta Wahlström, United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction [26]. “Global and national databases for monitoring losses from national hazards suffer from a number of limitations, which in turn lead to a misinterpretation in hazard loss data” [27]. Before the creation of the SFDRR there were comments as regards the differences and the lack of standardization as regards the term "disaster", as well as disaster 3 typology/classification and their primary and secondary effects which complicate any comparisons of data and decreased accuracy in reporting disaster related impact [28]. These sentences and citations show the direction for the article and focus on the data and the term ‘disaster’. The paper addresses the term “disaster” within the context of the European winter storm Xaver in 2013. The aim of the study is to know whether the use of the term "disaster" is justified, in the case of Storm Xaver in those selected countries. What criteria determines that Xaver is a disaster? This question is important because such criteria indicates those serious effects that should be used in social education to reduce the risk of any losses. Therefore, studies were conducted in Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Poland; those countries where Storm Xaver was an extreme event. This storm was considered a meteorological disaster because the highest ever ocean levels were recorded, along with very high wind speeds. Those highest wind speeds were restricted to the islands and coastline in the north of Germany, and Storm Xaver was deemed as a meteorological disaster. Although the resulting storm surge reached six metres above mean sea level, fortunately for the area, it was protected by an eight-metre high dyke. The water in the River Elbe in Hamburg was at its second highest level since measurements were first recorded. The storm produced a storm surge over the North Sea that was 3.5 metres above mean high water. As a result of Storm Xaver, people in the north of the country were without power; public schools were closed, along with Christmas markets and many roads; several flights out of Hamburg were cancelled, and the high-speed rail line between Hamburg and Berlin was closed because of fallen debris on the tracks. There were significant costs to the public, private and economic sectors, with floods and hailstorms accounting for 77% of all disaster damage in 2013 [8]. Also in the Netherlands, Storm Xaver was considered a meteorological disaster, along with the UK. The Netherlands had never recorded winds of such intensity since 1910, with speeds of 38 m/s recorded in Stavoren on the coast.
Recommended publications
  • Article Is Structured As Follows
    Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 14, 2867–2882, 2014 www.nat-hazards-earth-syst-sci.net/14/2867/2014/ doi:10.5194/nhess-14-2867-2014 © Author(s) 2014. CC Attribution 3.0 License. A catalog of high-impact windstorms in Switzerland since 1859 P. Stucki1, S. Brönnimann1, O. Martius1,2, C. Welker1, M. Imhof3, N. von Wattenwyl1, and N. Philipp1 1Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research and Institute of Geography, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland 2Mobiliar Lab for Natural Risks, Bern, Switzerland 3Interkantonaler Rückversicherungsverband, Bern, Switzerland Correspondence to: P. Stucki ([email protected]) Received: 17 April 2014 – Published in Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci. Discuss.: 28 May 2014 Revised: 12 September 2014 – Accepted: 23 September 2014 – Published: 4 November 2014 Abstract. In recent decades, extremely hazardous wind- The damage to buildings and forests from recent, extreme storms have caused enormous losses to buildings, infrastruc- windstorms, such as Vivian (February 1990) and Lothar (De- ture and forests in Switzerland. This has increased societal cember 1999), have been perceived as unprecedented and and scientific interest in the intensity and frequency of his- unanticipated (Bründl and Rickli, 2002; Holenstein, 1994; torical high-impact storms. However, high-resolution wind Schüepp et al., 1994; Brändli, 1996; WSL, 2001). data and damage statistics mostly span recent decades only. Public perception of a potentially increasing windstorm For this study, we collected quantitative (e.g., volumes of hazard (Schmith et al., 1998) motivated several studies on windfall timber, losses relating to buildings) and descriptive the intensity and occurrence frequency of high-impact storms (e.g., forestry or insurance reports) information on the impact (e.g., Pfister, 1999).
    [Show full text]
  • Coping with the Long Term
    Coping with the Long Term An Empirical Analysis of Time Perspectives, Time Orientations, and Temporal Uncertainty in Forestry Coping with the Long Term An Empirical Analysis of Time Perspectives, Time Orientations, and Temporal Uncertainty in Forestry Marjanke Alberttine Hoogstra Marjanke A. Hoogstra Coping with the Long Term An Empirical Analysis of Time Perspectives, Time Orientations, and Temporal Uncertainty in Forestry Marjanke Alberttine Hoogstra Promotoren: Prof. dr. H. (Heiner) Schanz Hoogleraar Märkte der Wald- und Holzwirtschaft Institut für Forst- und Umweltpolitik Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Duitsland Prof. dr. B.J.M (Bas) Arts Hoogleraar Bos- en Natuurbeleid Leerstoelgroep Bos- en Natuurbeleid Wageningen Universiteit, Nederland Promotiecommissie: Prof. dr. ir. G.M.J. Mohren (Wageningen Universiteit, Nederland) Prof. dr. G. Oesten (Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, Duitsland) Dr. M. Pregernig (Universität für Bodenkultur Wien, Oostenrijk) Prof. dr. B.J. Thorsen (Københavns Universitet, Denemarken) Dit onderzoek is uitgevoerd binnen Mansholt Graduate School of Social Sciences Coping with the Long Term An Empirical Analysis of Time Perspectives, Time Orientations, and Temporal Uncertainty in Forestry Marjanke Alberttine Hoogstra Proefschrift ter verkrijging van de graad van doctor op gezag van de rector magnificus van Wageningen Universiteit, Prof. dr. M.J. Kropff, in het openbaar te verdedigen op dinsdag 16 december 2008 des middags te half twee in de Aula Hoogstra, M.A. [2008] Coping with the Long Term - An Empirical Analysis of Time Perspectives, Time Orientations, and Temporal Uncertainty in Forestry. PhD thesis Forest and Nature Conservation Policy Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, the Netherlands. With references - with summary in Dutch and in English. ISBN 978-90-8585-242-1 The Road goes ever on and on Down from the door where it began.
    [Show full text]
  • Monitoring Black Grouse Tetrao Tetrix in Isère, Northern French Alps: Cofactors, Population Trends and Potential Biases
    Animal Biodiversity and Conservation 42.2 (2019) 227 Monitoring black grouse Tetrao tetrix in Isère, northern French Alps: cofactors, population trends and potential biases L. Dumont, E. Lauer, S. Zimmermann, P. Roche, P. Auliac, M. Sarasa Dumont, L., Lauer, E., Zimmermann, S., Roche, P., Auliac, P., Sarasa, M., 2019. Monitoring black grouse Tetrao tetrix in Isère, northern French Alps: cofactors, population trends and potential biases. Animal Biodiversity and Conservation, 42.2: 227–244, Doi: https://doi.org/10.32800/abc.2019.42.0227 Abstract Monitoring black grouse Tetrao tetrix in Isère, northern French Alps: cofactors, population trends and potential biases. Wildlife management benefits from studies that verify or improve the reliability of monitoring protocols. In this study in Isère, France, we tested for potential links between the abundance of black grouse (Tetrao tetrix) in lek–count surveys and cofactors (procedural, geographical and meteorological cofactors) between 1989 and 2016. We also examined the effect of omitting or considering the important cofactors on the long–term population trend that can be inferred from lek–count data. Model selections for data at hand highlighted that the abundance of black grouse was mainly linked to procedural cofactors, such as the number of observers, the time of first observation of a displaying male, the day, and the year of the count. Some additional factors relating to the surface of the census sector, temperature, northing, altitude and wind conditions also appeared depending on the spatial or temporal scale of the analysis. The inclusion of the important cofactors in models modulated the estimates of population trends. The results of the larger dataset highlighted a mean increase of +17 % (+5.3 %; +29 %) of the abundance of black grouse from 1997 to 2001, and a mean increase in population of +47 % (+16 %; +87 %) throughout the study period (1989–2016).
    [Show full text]
  • EGU2014-6135, 2014 EGU General Assembly 2014 © Author(S) 2014
    Geophysical Research Abstracts Vol. 16, EGU2014-6135, 2014 EGU General Assembly 2014 © Author(s) 2014. CC Attribution 3.0 License. Dynamic aspects of windstorm Kyrill (January 2007) Patrick Ludwig (1), Joaquim G. Pinto (1,2), Simona A. Hoepp (1), Andreas H. Fink (3), and Suzanne L. Gray (2) (1) Institute for Geophysics and Meteorology, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany ([email protected]), (2) Department of Meteorology, University of Reading, Reading, United Kingdom, (3) Institute for Meteorology and Climate Research, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), Karlsruhe, Germany Several dynamical and mesoscale aspects concerning severe windstorm Kyrill (January 2007) are analysed by results of high-resolution simulations with the regional climate model (RCM) COSMO-CLM. After explosive cyclogenesis south of Greenland takes place while crossing a very intense upper-level jet stream, Kyrill underwent secondary cyclogenesis over the North Atlantic Ocean just west of the British Isles. The secondary cyclogenesis (Kyrill II), was located on the occlusion front of the mature cyclone (Kyrill I), which is very unusual compared to typical frontal cyclogenesis generally occurring along the trailing cold fronts of existing cyclones. The mechanisms of secondary cyclogenesis are investigated based on moderate-resolution (0.0625◦ grid spacing) RCM simulations. The formation of Kyrill II along the occlusion front follows common mechanism for secondary cyclogenesis like breaking up of a local, low tropospheric PV strip along the front and diabatic heating with associated development of a vertical extended PV tower. Kyrill II propagated further towards Europe, and its development was favoured by a split jet structure aloft the surface cyclone, which maintained the deep core pressure (around 961 - 965 hPa) for at least 36 hours.
    [Show full text]
  • Downloaded 10/05/21 02:25 PM UTC 3568 JOURNAL of the ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCES VOLUME 74
    NOVEMBER 2017 B Ü ELER AND PFAHL 3567 Potential Vorticity Diagnostics to Quantify Effects of Latent Heating in Extratropical Cyclones. Part I: Methodology DOMINIK BÜELER AND STEPHAN PFAHL Institute for Atmospheric and Climate Science, ETH Zurich,€ Zurich, Switzerland (Manuscript received 9 February 2017, in final form 31 July 2017) ABSTRACT Extratropical cyclones develop because of baroclinic instability, but their intensification is often sub- stantially amplified by diabatic processes, most importantly, latent heating (LH) through cloud formation. Although this amplification is well understood for individual cyclones, there is still need for a systematic and quantitative investigation of how LH affects cyclone intensification in different, particularly warmer and moister, climates. For this purpose, the authors introduce a simple diagnostic to quantify the contribution of LH to cyclone intensification within the potential vorticity (PV) framework. The two leading terms in the PV tendency equation, diabatic PV modification and vertical advection, are used to derive a diagnostic equation to explicitly calculate the fraction of a cyclone’s positive lower-tropospheric PV anomaly caused by LH. The strength of this anomaly is strongly coupled to cyclone intensity and the associated impacts in terms of surface weather. To evaluate the performance of the diagnostic, sensitivity simulations of 12 Northern Hemisphere cyclones with artificially modified LH are carried out with a numerical weather prediction model. Based on these simulations, it is demonstrated that the PV diagnostic captures the mean sensitivity of the cyclones’ PV structure to LH as well as parts of the strong case-to-case variability. The simple and versatile PV diagnostic will be the basis for future climatological studies of LH effects on cyclone intensification.
    [Show full text]
  • Severe Storm Xynthia Over Southwestern and Western Europe
    Severe Storm Xynthia over southwestern and western Europe A severe storm named “Xynthia” affected Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, France, parts of south-east England, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany and Austria. Strong gusts on 27-28 February 2010 caused extended damage on traffic routes, electrical power outage, destruction due to flooding at the French Atlantic coast and more than 60 losses of lives. Most of the damage was in France and western Germany. The track of this storm and its rapid development were outstanding, but the magnitude of the gusts was comparable to other violent storms in the past. Synoptical development and weather conditions Xynthia arose from an initially shallow low pressure system which formed over the subtropical sea area south of the Azores Islands on Friday, 26 February 2010. The southward flow of colder air masses in the upper air caused the deepening of a broad trough over the central and eastern North Atlantic. A shortwave trough within this broader system and a high temperature difference between extremely warm air over Africa and colder air over the eastern Atlantic caused a strong cyclogenesis of Xynthia. On Saturday, February 27, the cyclone moved northeastwards over Portugal and the Bay of Biscay to the westernmost areas of France and intensified very rapidly to a core pressure of about 967 hPa around midnight which means a deepening of about 20 hPa within 24 hours (Fig. 1-3). During the following three days it began weakening and moved further northeastwards along the coastline of northern France and the North Sea, and then it crossed the southern Baltic Sea to southern Finland until March 3.
    [Show full text]
  • Hydrology, Drainage, & Flood Risk Assessment
    Proof of Evidence - ADDENDUM Hydrology, Drainage, & Flood Risk Assessment Produced by David Sawyer Rule 6 Party Peel Hall - APP/ M0655/W/17/3178530 Contents 1.0 Personal Details 2.0 Introduction 3.0 Storm Alex 3rd/4th October 2020 - Overview 4.0 Storm Christoph 18th to 20th January 2021 - Overview 5.0 Appeal Site Flooding - October 2020/January 2021 6.0 Comments and Discussion 7.0 Closing Statement Peel Hall February 2021 2 1.0 Personal Details My name is David Sawyer and I am a retired civil engineer. I was formerly employed at Warrington and Runcorn Development Corporation from 1974-1987. I have also worked for a number of major consulting engineers including: Rendel Palmer and Tritton Atkins Montgomery Watson Bullens Prior to retirement I was employed as a Project Coordinator at United Utilities I live at 4 Brathay Close Warrington WA2 9UY. Peel Hall February 2021 3 2.0 Introduction 2.1 In August 2020 the Peel Hall Rule 6 Party submitted a Proof of Evidence entitled ‘Hydrology, Drainage and Flood Risk Assessment’ together with a Proof of Evidence Summary to the Planning Inspectorate in respect of the Peel Hall public inquiry. The Proof of Evidence Summary was presented to the inquiry on 16th September 2020. 2.2 At the time of the inquiry in September 2020 the UK had suffered over 20 major storm events in the previous four years, and February 2020 was the wettest on record in the UK. The inquiry was adjourned in late September to enable further work to be carried out on highways modelling, and since then two further storm events have occurred which have greatly affected the UK in general and Warrington in particular.
    [Show full text]
  • Orkantief Sabine Löst Am 09./10. Februar 2020 Eine Schwere Sturmlage Über Europa Aus
    Abteilung Klimaüberwachung Orkantief Sabine löst am 09./10. Februar 2020 eine schwere Sturmlage über Europa aus Autor(inn)en: Susanne Haeseler, Peter Bissolli, Jan Dassler, Volker Zins, Andrea Kreis Stand: 13.02.2020 Zusammenfassung Orkantief SABINE (in Westeuropa CIARA und in Norwegen ELSA benannt) löste am 9./10. Februar 2020 deutschlandweit Sturmböen bis Orkanstärke (12 Bft) aus. Die höchste Böe meldete der Feldberg im Schwarzwald am 10. Januar mit 49,1 m/s bzw. 177 km/h. Der Kern des Orkantiefs zog vom Atlantik kommend über Schottland nach Norwegen, wobei der Kerndruck zeitweise unter 945 hPa lag. Zwischen Nord- und Südeuropa bestanden Luftdruckunterschiede von etwa 80 hPa. Das dadurch generierte Sturmfeld erfasste weite Teile West-, Mittel- und Nordeuropas. In Deutschland war der Sturm, der sich von der Nordsee in Richtung Alpen ausweitete, von teils kräftigen Schauern und Gewittern begleitet. An der Nordsee gab es vom 10. bis 12. Januar mehrere teils schwere Sturmfluten (Abb. 1 und 4). Die extreme Sturmlage war schon Tage vorher angekündigt und es wurde von Tätigkeiten im Freien sowie Reisen während dieser Zeit abgeraten. Sport- und Musikveranstaltungen wurden vorsichtshalber abgesagt. Am 9./10. Februar stellte die Bahn in Deutschland den Verkehr zeitweise ein. Flüge und Fährverbindungen fielen aus. Viele Schulen und Kindergärten blieben am 10. Februar geschlossen. Der Sturm ließ in den betroffenen Ländern Bäume umstürzen und deckte Hausdächer ab. Auf den Britischen Inseln kam es zu Überschwemmungen. In einigen Regionen (auch in Deutschland) gab es Stromausfälle. Abbildung 1: Sturmflut am Weststrand von Norderney. Die Wellen laufen bis auf die Promenade, die als Küstenschutz dient, herauf.
    [Show full text]
  • Disasters from 1970–2009 by Cost
    Tables showing the major losses 1970 –2009 Table 12 The 40 most costly insurance losses 1970–2009 Insured loss10 (in USD m, indexed to 2009) Victims11 Date (start) Event Country 71 163 1 836 25.08.2005 Hurricane Katrina; US, Gulf of Mexico, Bahamas, floods, dams burst, damage to oil rigs North Atlantic 24 479 43 23.08.1992 Hurricane Andrew; floods US, Bahamas 22 767 2 982 11.09.2001 Terror attack on WTC, Pentagon and other buildings US 20 276 61 17.01.1994 Northridge earthquake (M 6.6) US 19 940 136 06.09.2008 Hurricane Ike; floods, offshore damage US, Caribbean: Gulf of Mexico et al 14 642 124 02.09.2004 Hurricane Ivan; damage to oil rigs US, Caribbean; Barbados et al 13 807 35 19.10.2005 Hurricane Wilma; floods US, Mexico, Jamaica, Haiti et al 11 089 34 20.09.2005 Hurricane Rita; floods, damage to oil rigs US, Gulf of Mexico, Cuba 9 148 24 11.08.2004 Hurricane Charley; floods US, Cuba, Jamaica et al 8 899 51 27.09.1991 Typhoon Mireille/No 19 Japan 7 916 71 15.09.1989 Hurricane Hugo US, Puerto Rico et al 7 672 95 25.01.1990 Winter storm Daria France, UK, Belgium, NL et al 7 475 110 25.12.1999 Winter storm Lothar Switzerland, UK, France et al 6 309 54 18.01.2007 Winter storm Kyrill; floods Germany, UK, NL, Belgium et al 5 857 22 15.10.1987 Storm and floods in Europe France, UK, Netherlands et al 5 848 38 26.08.2004 Hurricane Frances US, Bahamas 5 242 64 25.02.1990 Winter storm Vivian Europe 5 206 26 22.09.1999 Typhoon Bart/No 18 Japan 4 649 600 20.09.1998 Hurricane Georges; floods US, Caribbean 4 369 41 05.06.2001 Tropical storm Allison;
    [Show full text]
  • Annual Report 2018 YEARS Local Leader, Global Partner CONTENTS
    Annual Report 2018 YEARS Local Leader, Global Partner CONTENTS General Information Financial Status 2 Vision-Mission 44 Economic Outlook 3 Shareholder Structure 50 Turkish Insurance Industry 4 Corporate Profile 52 Turkish Reinsurance Market and Milli Re in 2018 6 Milestones 56 Global Reinsurance Market and Milli Re in 2018 12 Chairman’s Message 63 Financial Strength, Profitability and Solvency 14 General Manager’s Message 64 Key Financial Indicators 20 Board of Directors 66 The Company Capital 23 Participation of the Members of the Board of Directors in 67 2018 Technical Results Relevant Meetings during the Fiscal Period 69 2018 Financial Results 24 Senior Management 71 General Assembly Agenda 25 Internal Systems Managers 72 Report by the Board of Directors 26 Organization Chart 74 Dividend Distribution Policy 27 Human Resources Applications 75 Dividend Distribution Proposal 28 2018 Annual Report Compliance Statement 29 Independent Auditor’s Report on the Annual Report of the Board Risks and Assessment of the Governing Body of Directors 77 Risk Management 81 Assessment of Capital Adequacy Financial Rights Provided to the Members of the Governing 81 Transactions Carried Out with Milli Re’s Risk Group Body and Senior Executives 81 The Annual Reports of the Parent Company in the Group of 32 Financial Rights Provided to the Members of the Governing Body Companies and Senior Executives Unconsolidated Financial Statements Together with Research & Development Activities Independent Auditors’ Report Thereon 32 Research & Development Activities
    [Show full text]
  • The Case Study of Windstorm VIVIAN, Switzerland, February 27, 1990
    1 Published in Climate Dynamics 18: 145-168, 2001 S. Goyette á M. Beniston á D. Caya á R. Laprise P. Jungo Numerical investigation of an extreme storm with the Canadian Regional Climate Model: the case study of windstorm VIVIAN, Switzerland, February 27, 1990 Received: 6 July 2000 / Accepted: 13 February 2001 Abstract The windstorm VIVIAN that severely aected progress towards ®ner scales in the horizontal, the ver- Switzerland in February 1990 has been investigated tical and the nesting frequency enhancement helps to using the Canadian Regional Climate Model (CRCM). simulate windspeed variability. However, the variability This winter stormwas characterised by a deep cyclone in within the larger domain is limited by the archival fre- the North Atlantic and by strong geopotential and quency of reanalysis data that cannot resolve distur- baroclinic north-south gradients in the troposphere over bances with time scale shorter than 12 h. Results show Western Europe resulting in high windspeeds in Swit- that while the model simulates well the synoptic-scale zerland. Our principal emphasis is to demonstrate the ¯ow at 60-kmresolution, cascade self-nesting is neces- ability of the CRCM to simulate the wind®eld intensity sary to capture ®ne-scale features of the topography that and patterns. In order to simulate winds at very high modulate the ¯ow that generate localised wind resolution we operate an optimal multiple self-nesting enhancement over Switzerland. with the CRCM in order to increase the horizontal and vertical resolution. The simulation starts with down- scaling NCEP-NCAR reanalyses at 60 kmwith 20 ver- tical levels, followed by an intermediate 5-km simulation 1 Introduction with 30 vertical levels nested in the former.
    [Show full text]
  • Living with Storm Damage to Forests
    What Science Living with Storm Can Tell Us Damage to Forests Barry Gardiner, Andreas Schuck, Mart-Jan Schelhaas, Christophe Orazio, Kristina Blennow and Bruce Nicoll (editors) What Science Can Tell Us 3 2013 What Science Can Tell Us Lauri Hetemäki, Editor-In-Chief Minna Korhonen, Managing Editor The editorial office can be contacted at [email protected] Layout: Kopijyvä Oy / Jouni Halonen Printing: Painotalo Seiska Oy Disclaimer: The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of the European Forest Institute. ISBN: 978-952-5980-08-0 (printed) ISBN: 978-952-5980-09-7 (pdf) Living with Storm What Science Can Tell Us Damage to Forests Barry Gardiner, Andreas Schuck, Mart-Jan Schelhaas, Christophe Orazio, Kristina Blennow and Bruce Nicoll (editors) To the memory of Marie-Pierre Reviron Contents Contributing Authors and Drafting Committee .............................................................. 7 Foreword .............................................................................................................................9 Introduction ......................................................................................................................11 Barry Gardiner 1. Storm damage in Europe – an overview ......................................................................15 Andreas Schuck and Mart-Jan Schelhaas 2. Susceptibility to Wind Damage .................................................................................. 25 2.1. Airflow over forests ........................................................................................
    [Show full text]