Part 1 – Risk Profile & Disaster Management
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TONGA EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS OPERATIONAL LOGISTICS CONTINGENCY PLAN PART 1 – RISK PROFILE & DISASTER MANAGEMENT GLOBAL LOGISTICS CLUSTER – WFP MAY – JUNE 2012 PROGRAM FUNDED BY: A. SUMMARY A. SUMMARY 2 B. CONTEXT 4 INTRODUCTION 4 BACKGROUND INFORMATION 5 REVIEWS OF THE DISASTER MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK 5 C. TYPES OF HAZARDS IN TONGA 5 DEFINITION 5 TYPES OF DISASTERS 5 CLASSIFICATION OF DISASTERS 6 DISASTER PROBABILITY 6 D. TYPOLOGY OF HAZARDS 7 CYCLONES 7 CHARACTERISTICS TROPICAL CYCLONES 8 STORM SURGE & FLOODING 9 CHARACTERISTICS OF FLOODS 10 EARTHQUAKES 11 SOURCE: AIR WORLDWIDE CORPORATION – WORLD BANK 13 CHARACTERISTICS OF EARTHQUAKES 13 TSUNAMIS 14 CHARACTERISTICS OF TSUNAMIS 16 DROUGHTS 18 CHARACTERISTICS OF DROUGHTS 18 E. TONGA DISASTERS RISK PROFILE 20 CLIMATE SUMMARY OF TONGA 22 RECENT DISASTERS 24 F. DISASTER RISK MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK 28 NATIONAL DM POLICY 28 STATE OF EMERGENCY 28 ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE 28 NATIONAL DISASTER COUNCIL 29 MINISTER RESPONSIBLE 29 NATIONAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE 29 NATIONAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT OFFICE 30 DISTRICT AND TOWN OFFICERS 30 PREPAREDNESS 30 NATIONAL DISASTER MANAGEMENT PLAN 30 OPERATIONAL SUPPORT PLANS 31 ORGANIZATIONAL PLANS 31 WARNING, ACTIVATION AND ALERTING SYSTEMS 31 NATIONAL ACTIVATION SYSTEM 32 RESPONSE 33 NATIONAL DISASTER CONTROLLER 33 CENTRAL CONTROL GROUP 33 NATIONAL EMERGENCY OPERATIONS CENTRE 34 AIRPORT CLEARANCE 35 CUSTOMS AND QUARANTINE 35 THE VILLAGE EMERGENCY COMMITTEE 35 MINISTRY OF HEALTH DISASTER MANAGEMENT PLAN 35 FU’AMOTU INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT EMERGENCY PLAN 35 UNITED NATIONS DISASTER ASSESSMENT AND CO-ORDINATING (UNDAC) 36 B. CONTEXT INTRODUCTION Tonga is highly vulnerable to climate change and natural disasters, especially on the outer islands. The effects of climate change have exacerbated naturally occurring phenomenon, such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, cyclones, coastal flooding and droughts. Low-lying areas of the islands are affected by rising sea levels, with extensive tidal flooding affecting coastal villages, particularly on Nuku’alofa. Impacts of sea level rise will be significant for ground water supplies and agricultural production. In addition to sea level rise, coastal erosion is a critical issue for Tonga. The increased denudation of mangroves and coastal trees, illegal mining of beach sands and off-shore sand dredging for construction purposes, as well as live coral removal, have also had some impact on coastal infrastructure. The flow-on social and economic dislocation that could be caused by a natural catastrophe in a small island nation is extreme. Tonga’s vulnerability to climate change is further increased by the fact that its economy is based largely on agriculture. Over 58% of economically active Tongan’s are reliant on primary production for their livelihoods. Industries such as tourism, fisheries and forestry are also important contributors to GDP and would be adversely impacted by projected change in climate and sea level rise. Tonga’s archipelago is situated at the subduction zone of the Indian-Australian and the Pacific tectonic plates and within the Ring of Fire where intense seismic activities occur. It is about 200km to the west of the Tonga Trench which is a potential source of tsunami. Most of its atoll islands including the main island are very flat with average altitude of 2–5 meters hence highly vulnerable to storm surges and tsunami inundation. Tongatapu and ‘Eua are limestone capped islands which with low islands form the Tongatapu group. The south of the Vava’u Group is generally composed of high volcanic and elevated limestone islands with reef communities or fringing reefs. Ha’apai has high volcanic and low limestone islands. The Niuas are high volcanic islands surrounded by fringing and barrier reefs. According to the 2006 census Tonga’s population was 101,991 distributed amongst 17,529 households. Tongatapu is the most populous and has the highest population density. Its population totaled 72,045 in 2006 which accounted for 71% of the total population, for Vava’u 15,505 (15%), 7,570 (7%) for Haapai, 5,206 (5%) for Eua and 1,665 (2%) for the Niuas. BACKGROUND INFORMATION The National Emergency Management Plan (NEMP) has been developed by the Planning Working Group of the National Emergency Management Committee, and provides a framework through which holistic and comprehensive emergency management can be undertaken within the Kingdom. The focus, as required by the Emergency Management Act 2007 is on minimising the effects of hazards on Tonga by ensuring a coordinated effort in risk management within the community utilising partnerships of Government and Regional agencies, and non-government bodies with a responsibility or capability in emergency risk management and emergency response. The plan has been designed around the Risk Management Standard, engaging the philosophy of a multi-agency, multi- sectoral approach to risk minimisation, using the CHARM (Comprehensive Hazard and Risk Management) process developed by SOPAC. The plan identifies the risk environment for the Kingdom and outlines the key institutional and programming components relative to effective risk management and emergency response. The Plan is not designed to usurp the incident management responsibilities of the various emergency services or other organisations within the community that respond to events which fall within their normal daily activities. Instead the plan is designed to enhance the capacity of Government to more effectively plan for and respond to emergency situations. This is achieved through the combined processes of hazard and risk analysis, which provides a more realistic base of information upon which to frame operational plans and procedures. REVIEWS OF THE DISASTER MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK The Plan is a dynamic document which may be extended in the future to incorporate any additional risk treatment options as they are identified following formal hazard and risk analysis. The Plan will also be amended in line with changes in legislation and current best practice, and to reflect lessons learned from the impact of hazards and other emergency situations that may arise. C. TYPES OF HAZARDS IN TONGA DEFINITION DISASTER – “a natural or human caused event that causes intense negative impacts on people, goods, services and/or the environment exceeding the affected community’s coping capability to respond adequately. ” TYPES OF DISASTERS Disasters are often classified according to their causes (natural or human-caused) and their speed of onset (sudden or slow). Causes –Natural- caused or human caused Types -- Sudden onset or slow onset CLASSIFICATION OF DISASTERS Natural Disasters Hazard Primary Disasters Secondary Disasters Type Earthquake Earthquake Tsunami Sudden onset Floods Sudden onset Marine Slump Slide Tsunami Coastal Erosion Sudden onset Cyclones Cyclone Landslides Slow onset Monsoon Rain Flood Sudden onset El Nino/Droughts Drought Bush Fire Slow onset Volcano Volcanic eruptions Slow onset Ash Falls Sudden onset Pyroclastic Flow Sudden onset Mud Flow Sudden onset Marine Volcanic Tsunami Sudden onset Eruption Landslide Landslide Dam build-up Sudden onset Pest Infestation Agricultural Infestation Food shortages Slow onset Bird Flue Epidemic Epidemic outbreak Manmade Disasters Hazard Primary Disaster Secondary Disaster Type Accident Road Accident Sudden onset Fire Sudden onset Political / Social Cause Riots Slow onset Tribal Conflict Slow onset Civil unrest Slow onset Biological / Chemical HIV-AIDS Slow onset Cause Pollution Slow onset Chemical spills Sudden onset DISASTER PROBABILITY Tonga is exposed to a range of natural and climate- related hazards. Tonga’s climate pattern is greatly affected by El Ninos, which have resulted in serious drought events (in 1983, 1998 and 2006). This has had a significant impact on food security and economic performance. Considerable Government resources have been spent on shipping water to outer islands, diverting resources from socio- economic development. Tonga also experiences occasionally heavy rainfall causing flooding in low-lying areas. Since the 1960s, five major tropical cyclones and related storm surges have severely affected Tonga. These events caused severe damage to crops, food supply, infrastructure, housing, tourism and other service sectors. Tonga is also at risk from seismic hazards. A major event was reported in 1977 of 7.1 magnitude and volcanic eruptions and tsunamis occurred. The Niuatoputapu tsunami in 2009 reached a maximum height of 16.9m on the southeast coast, causing damage to human settlements and the environment and killing nine people. Extreme weather events and climate change will lead to an increase in vector-borne diseases and acute respiratory infections, decreased access to safe drinking water and threats to food and security. The groups most vulnerable to the impacts of disasters and climate change include children, widows, single mothers, and populations on outer islands. Increased natural disasters and displacement also puts children’s access to education and protection at risk. D. TYPOLOGY OF HAZARDS Here we will take an overview of just few 'Natural Hazards': Cyclones Storm Surge & Flooding Earthquakes Tsunamis Droughts CYCLONES There is an increasing trend in the occurrences of tropical cyclones in Tonga on a decadal basis. There is also evidence that the intensity of cyclones has increased since the 1980’s in Tonga. Since the 1960’s 4 cyclones have severely affected Tonga. Cyclone Flora in March, 1961 affected Vava’u and Haapai