Background Information
When it comes to natural disasters, many communities are either unprepared for large events or plan only for the worst case scenario – a devastating flood, fire, or earthquake. This means that smaller but more frequent disasters are often ignored or assumed to be addressed by large-scale disaster plans. In addition, the effects of multiple events, such as a flood that triggers a landslide, are also often ignored. Furthermore, disasters such as Hurricane Katrina have shown in recent years that what might have been viewed as adequate preparation and response may not be enough, especially in the face of global climate change.
This approach to dealing with natural disasters is akin to treating only the advanced stages of a disease while ignoring decades of symptoms or, worse, failing to take preventative actions. Healthy communities are similar to healthy individuals – preventative care goes a long way. A preemptive approach to problems is part of “green”, or sustainable, community development, at least in terms of energy and resource use, but to date it has missed opportunities to allow long-term coexistence of humans and natural disturbances on the landscapes we inhabit. Our focus on large-scale disasters therefore has ramifications for the insurance, public health, and legal systems, as well as for the general public.
Gathering an interdisciplinary group of experts, we will address several questions using floods and fires as case studies:
- What are the effects of smaller, more frequent disturbances on ecosystems and communities?
- What are the differences and similarities between how we have planned for floods and fires? For example, how might flood zone planning inform the development of “fire zones”?
- What advances in building materials and other technologies will help us to build sustainably?
- How can we ensure that floods and fires are adequately included in climate change model scenarios?
- What are the societal implications of current approaches to natural disaster planning?
Floods, fires, and other natural disasters will continue to happen – we cannot prevent that. What we can prevent is building our communities in ways and locations that make us even more vulnerable to these events. While society reacts to large-scale disasters and momentum for change repeatedly builds, as time goes on, this focus shifts. Much of the opportunity for creating fundamental changes is quickly lost. By refocusing the debate onto small, frequent, and often ecologically necessary disturbances, we will create a new paradigm for managing and planning for resilient communities.
Given UC Berkeley’s distinguished history and current expertise in natural resource-related research and strong relationships with local, state, and federal agency and non-governmental organization partners, we offer a proven and realistic approach to integrating science into planning and policy approaches.