Emerging Issues and Challenges: Natural Hazards

Abstract

Indeed the impacts of disasters continue to increase worldwide, with more people affected by floods and droughts than any other category of natural hazard events (International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies 2007). With a global annual average of 162 floods and 32 droughts between 2000 and 2005, more than 100 million people worldwide were affected by these events, with droughts having a wider reach with respect to numbers whose lives were adversely impacted (Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters 2006). If we are going to reduce losses, the future research agenda of water resources geographers must address the issues that will influence both the occurrence of and response to such events. With increasing population, particularly in less developed regions, the demand for land is also increasing, thus exacerbating the hazardous situation for those who are already marginalized in a society. At the same time, in other places, some people choose to live in hazardous areas because of the amenities they offer. Indeed, water-based locations, whether riverine, creekside, or coastal, are frequently popular choices. Many times, the residents have the resources to cope with a disastrous event, but that is not universal. While they may have financial resources, other aspects of their situations, including their age, their mobility, and their social networks, can contribute in major ways to their vulnerability (see Montz and Tobin 2005 for an example). While research has shown rather clearly why people live at risk, the complexities and scope of flood and drought management, which reflect the complexities and scope of water resources management, have made addressing the issue from a societal, rather than a hydrologic, perspective very difficult. Yet, we need to get better at addressing both.