Alshadadi, Turki (2017) Evaluation for the Potential for Disaster Risk Reduction in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Doctoral Thesis, Northumbria University
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Citation: Alshadadi, Turki (2017) Evaluation for the potential for disaster risk reduction in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Doctoral thesis, Northumbria University. This version was downloaded from Northumbria Research Link: http://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/36267/ Northumbria University has developed Northumbria Research Link (NRL) to enable users to access the University’s research output. Copyright © and moral rights for items on NRL are retained by the individual author(s) and/or other copyright owners. Single copies of full items can be reproduced, displayed or performed, and given to third parties in any format or medium for personal research or study, educational, or not-for-profit purposes without prior permission or charge, provided the authors, title and full bibliographic details are given, as well as a hyperlink and/or URL to the original metadata page. The content must not be changed in any way. Full items must not be sold commercially in any format or medium without formal permission of the copyright holder. The full policy is available online: http://nrl.northumbria.ac.uk/policies.html Evaluation of the Potential for Disaster Risk Reduction in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Turki bin Hamad Alshadadi PhD 2017 Evaluation of the Potential for Disaster Risk Reduction in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Turki bin Hamad Alshadadi A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the University of Northumbria at Newcastle for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Research undertaken in the Faculty of Engineering and Environment July 2017 Abstract Disasters, both natural and human-made can have severe impacts on communities and infrastructure. The approach to minimising the impact of such events is Disaster Risk Reduction. This research looks at weather related disasters in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and methods used to reduce risk. The research was undertaken using a mixed methods approach. Some 200 people, both male and female, were sampled using questionnaires in four different provinces of the kingdom. The purpose was to gain an understanding of their knowledge of hazards and preparedness. Interviews were held with a number of key stakeholders in disaster management. Focus groups were conducted with religious leaders in order to gain an understanding of the role of Islam in risk reduction. The results showed that the majority of questionnaire respondents lacked knowledge and information about disasters in their places of residence. Further, they are not well prepared to face the risks of natural disasters and lacked knowledge of how to mitigate their risks. However, the majority of participants strongly believed they can minimize the risk of disasters and they were enthusiastic to participate in any efforts of disaster risk reduction in the kingdom. The Saudi government is building a disaster management system. However, it needs a greater focus on raising community awareness and preparedness. The research finds that the mosques has the opportunity to play an important role of in raising community awareness and preparedness. The Holy Quran teaches that protecting the environment and all creatures is part of Islamic worship. An extreme version of the fatalistic view of natural disasters is not fully supported in this study, which argues that natural disasters might have many other interpretations, such as a test from God, a natural process and a result of humankind’s negative intervention in nature. The role of the mosque, which has a special sacred place in the life of every Muslim, has been researched. The research shows that the mosque has a central role in the life of Muslims but this role seems to have declined recently. The strategic position of the mosque and its special status in the life of every Muslim make it a very important place for effective natural disaster risk reduction. This study suggested possible roles for the mosque to raise awareness and to help with preparedness. Some practical steps are suggested to integrate Islamic teachings into the policies and strategies of natural disaster risk reduction in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. i These steps are based on previous research about the role of religion in disaster risk reduction and the findings of this research. ii Table of Contents Abstract ................................................................................................................................................ i List of Figures ................................................................................................................................... vii List of Tables ..................................................................................................................................... ix Acknowledgement ............................................................................................................................. xi Declaration ........................................................................................................................................ xii Chapter One: Introduction ................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 Background of the Study......................................................................................................... 1 1.2 Problem Definition .................................................................................................................. 3 1.3 Research Importance ............................................................................................................... 3 1.4 Research Aims and Objectives ............................................................................................... 4 1.5 Research Questions ....................................................................................................................... 5 1.6 Research Journey .................................................................................................................... 5 1.7 Thesis Structure ...................................................................................................................... 6 Chapter Two: Literature Review of Hazards and Disasters ............................................................... 9 2.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................... 9 2.2 Conceptual Terminology .............................................................................................................. 9 2.2.1 Disaster ................................................................................................................................ 10 2.2.2 Risk ...................................................................................................................................... 11 2.2.3 Hazards ................................................................................................................................ 12 2.3 Types of Disasters ....................................................................................................................... 12 2.3.1 Man-Made Hazards .............................................................................................................. 16 2.3.2 Weather-related Natural Disasters ....................................................................................... 16 2.3.2.1 Windstorms ................................................................................................................... 18 2.3.2.2 Tornadoes ...................................................................................................................... 18 2.3.2.3 Hailstorms ..................................................................................................................... 18 2.3.2.4 Sea Surges ..................................................................................................................... 19 2.3.2.5 Floods ............................................................................................................................ 19 2.3.2.6 Drought ......................................................................................................................... 22 2.3.2.7 Heat and Cold Waves .................................................................................................... 23 2.3.2.8 Dust Storms ................................................................................................................... 24 2.4 Impacts of Disasters .................................................................................................................... 25 2.4.1 Economic and Social Impacts .............................................................................................. 25 2.4.2 Psychological Impacts.......................................................................................................... 26 2.5 Development of the Concept of Natural Hazards ....................................................................... 28 2.6 International Community Efforts in Disaster Risk Reduction .................................................... 35 iii 2.7 Summary ..................................................................................................................................... 40 Chapter Three: Literature Review of Science, Islam and Environment ......................................... 42 3.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................