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Guidebook for Assessing Risk Exposure to Natural Hazards in Central America - El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua

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Guidebook for Assessing Risk Exposure to Natural Hazards in Central America - El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua The Guidebook for Assessing Risk Exposure to Natural Hazards in Central America - El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua - was produced under the aegis of the Project of Technical Cooperation Mitigation of Georisks in Central America between the Servicio Nacional de Estudios Territoriales (SNET), El Salvador Instituto Nacional de Sismología, Vulcanología, Meteorología e Hidrología (INSIVUMEH), Guatemala Comisión Permanente de Contingencias (COPECO), Honduras Instituto Nicaragüense de Estudios Territoriales (INETER), Nicaragua and Bundesanstalt für Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe (BGR), Germany Key word list for indexing CARA-GIS, Central America, Disaster Risk Management, El Salvador, Georisk, Guatemala, Guidebook, Hazard Map, Honduras, Inundation, Landslide, Potential Loss Assessment, Nicaragua, Technical Cooperation, Risk Exposure Map, Seismic Hazard, Socio-Economic Vulnerability, Spatial Planning, Susceptibility, Volcanic Hazard Recommended citation of this document BALZER, D.; JÄGER, S. & D. KUHN (2010): Guidebook for Assessing Risk Exposure to Natural Hazards in Central America - El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. – Project of Technical Cooperation ‘Mitigation of Georisks in Central America’: 121 pages; 26 figures; 44 tables; 35 maps; San Salvador, Guatemala-City, Tegucigalpa, Managua, Hannover. This book is also available in Spanish (ISBN 978-3-9813373-8-9). Project of Technical Cooperation - Mitigation of Georisks in Central America Foreword Central America with its project relevant countries of El Salvador (SV), Guatemala (GT), Honduras (HN), and Nicaragua (NI) covers an area of about 371.500 km² with approximately 34 Mio inhabitants. This central part of the Central America isthmus is situated between longitude 92° 14’ W and 83° 9’ W and latitude 17° 50’ N and 10° 40’ S. It is located at the interaction between the sea floor tectonic plates, namely Cocos and Nazca to the west and the Caribbean plate to the east. Due to the ongoing subduction at the convergent margin, the Cocos plate bends north-eastward to the Caribbean plate and Central American volcanic arc. This tectonic setting leads to Central America being prone to geohazards, such as earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, and/or subsequent landslides. To mitigate the impact of natural disasters in Central America caused by geological and associated hydro- meteorological events like hurricanes both a national and a supra-regional risk analysis and a corresponding mapping are imperative. The risk analysis comprises integrating knowledge of topographic and demographic conditions, infrastructure, economic and social aspects, such as the availability of healthcare facilities. The incorporation of this information results in the assessment of risk exposure whose findings can be implemented in spatial development planning processes afterwards. The task of the national line authorities • Servicio Nacional de Estudios Territoriales (SNET), El Salvador; • Instituto Nacional de Sismología, Vulcanología, Meteorología e Hidrología (INSIVUMEH), Guatemala; • Comisión Permanente de Contingencias (COPECO), Honduras; • Instituto Nicaragüense de Estudios Territoriales (INETER), Nicaragua involved in the project of ‘Mitigation of Georisks in Central America’ is to carry out research focusing on geohazards, vulnerability and georisks in their own countries, among others. However, in many cases the impact of natural hazards and resulting disasters in Central America are of supra- regional nature. ‘Lessons learned’ from a disaster like hurricane ‘Mitch’ means to align Disaster Risk Management strategies and policies in a more cross-national context. Therefore, the intention of this guidebook is to point ways out how to tackle risk assessment to geohazards at a supra-regional level as well. The main purpose of this guidebook is to support national and intergovernmental geoscientific and spatial planning authorities to strengthen their capacities in mapping and assessing risk exposure to geohazards and thus to give support toward a sustainable risk assessment procedure in Central America at all. The ‘Guidebook for Assessing Risk Exposure to Natural Hazards in Central America’ was published under cooperation between SNET, INSIVUMEH, COPECO, INETER, and BGR through the project of ‘Mitigation of Georisks in Central America’. We greatly acknowledge all who have contributed to publish this guidebook. The Project Team ‘Mitigation of Georisks in Central America’ San Salvador, Guatemala-City, Tegucigalpa, Managua, Hannover, June 2010 Guidebook for Assessing Risk Exposure to Natural Hazards in Central America i Proyecto de Cooperación Técnica - Mitigación de Geo-riesgos en Centroamérica Contributors Contact Manuel Diaz, B.Sc. SNET Project Coordinator – SNET Luis Menjivar, B.Sc. Giovanni Molina, M.Sc. Giovanni Molina, M.Sc. Phone: + (503) 2267-9533; e-mail: [email protected] Project Coordinator – INSIVUMEH Ing. Xiomara León INSIVUMEH Ing. Xiomara León Phone: + (502) 2261-3238; e-mail: [email protected]; [email protected] Project Coordinator – COPECO Ing. Gonzalo Funes COPECO Ing. Gonzalo Funes Phone: + (504) 229-0606; e-mail: [email protected] Ing. Alex Castellon INETER Project Coordinator – INETER Angélica Muñoz, M.Sc. Angélica Muñoz, M.Sc. Phone: + (505) 2249-2761 ext. 122; e-mail: [email protected] Ing. Norwin Acosta Consultants of the Project, Managua Dr. Dirk Kuhn ([email protected]) Lic. Walter Espinoza German Project Leader (8/2009 – 7/2010) Dr. Wilfried Strauch, Dipl.-Seism. Author of the section Project ‘Mitigation of Georisks in Central America’ Geohazards and Georisks in Central America http://www.georiesgos-ca.info/ Registered Project Office: Arq. Rhina Palucho Consultant of the Project, San Salvador Instituto Nicaragüense de Estudios Territoriales (INETER) Frente a la Clinica Metropoli Xolotlan Managua/Nicaragua Dr. Stefan Jäger, Dipl.-Geogr. Consultant of the Project, geomer GmbH/FRG Phone: + (505) 2249-9174 Fax: + (505) 8375-4075 Dr. Dirk Balzer ([email protected]) Dr. Dirk Balzer, Dipl.-Geol. BGR/Project ‘Mitigation of Georisks in Central Head of Section ‘Engineering Geological Hazard Assessment’ Dr. Dirk Kuhn, Dipl.-Geol. America’ (06/2009 – 07/2010) Bundesanstalt für Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe GEOZENTRUM HANNOVER Stilleweg 2, 30655 Hannover, Germany Phone: + (49) 511 643-2742 Fax: + (49) 511 643-3694 http://www.bgr.bund.de/ ii Manual para la evaluación de la exposición al riesgo frente a amenazas naturales en Centroamérica Project of Technical Cooperation - Mitigation of Georisks in Central America Content Introduction .......................................................................................................................................................... 1 Vulnerability / Capacity ...................................................................................................................................... 59 Background ............................................................................................................................................................ 1 Modified Population Density, Supra-Regional .................................................................................................... 60 Risk Assessment and Mapping ............................................................................................................................... 2 Economic Potential, Supra-Regional ................................................................................................................... 62 Purpose of risk mapping on national / supra-regional level in Central America ................................................... 2 Health System Capacity: Example El Salvador ..................................................................................................... 64 Making Development / Land Use Planning Risk-Sensitive ..................................................................................... 2 Intended Audience ................................................................................................................................................. 3 Risk Exposure ...................................................................................................................................................... 67 Conceptual Background ......................................................................................................................................... 3 Single Hazard Approach: Population Exposed to Volcanic Hazard, Example Nicaragua ..................................... 68 How to read this Guidebook? ................................................................................................................................ 3 Single Hazard Approach: Population Exposed to Inundation Hazard, Example El Salvador ............................... 70 Map Notice / Disclaimer ........................................................................................................................................ 4 Single Hazard Approach: Infrastructure Exposed to Volcanic Hazard, Example Nicaragua ................................ 72 Single Hazard Approach: Infrastructure Exposed to Inundation Hazard, Example El Salvador .......................... 74 Geohazards and Georisks in Central America ........................................................................................................ 5 Single Hazard Approach: Infrastructure, Case Study Loss Potential Assessment, Example Nicaragua .............. 76 Overview
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