IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/nathaz/v75y2015i1p71-94.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Deriving information on disasters caused by natural hazards from limited data: a Guatemalan case study

Author

Listed:
  • Agnes Soto

Abstract

This work proposes a method to overcome data limitations encountered when analyzing disasters at a local scale in disaster-prone areas. Research is required to understand the processes underlying the disasters in disaster-prone areas. However, many such areas lack sufficient data for the statistically significant studies that would strongly support disaster risk-reduction measures. Disasters are studied extensively at the national scale, but local-scale disaster research is greatly needed, specifically because the hazard exposures and vulnerabilities of populations are mainly site specific. The proposed method compiles data using two databases: the System of Information Management in case of Emergency or Disaster (SISMICEDE) and the Disaster Inventory System (DesInventar). SISMICEDE has a short time span and high spatial resolution, while DesInventar has a longer time span but low spatial resolution. SISMICEDE’s spatial distribution was used to sort DesInventar disaster data, analyzing them spatially and temporally at a local scale. The Samala River basin in Guatemala was selected to exemplify a disaster-prone area for which there are insufficient disaster data. The results indicate that it was useful to combine the two databases to optimally describe disasters over time and space in the studied area. The refinement of the disaster data highlighted the discrepancies between administrative boundaries and local particularities. The results indicate that the municipal scale is too sparse for spatial analyses and that specific location details are needed. According to the limited data available, disasters, during the rainy season, are increasing over time in the study area. This work demonstrates a way to perform local-scale disaster studies of areas for which data are not readily available. These local-scale studies would enable research and actions intended to improve disaster risk-reduction management and measures. This study could also help promote an improved information system in Guatemala that includes complete information useful for emergency response and post-disaster analyses. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2015

Suggested Citation

  • Agnes Soto, 2015. "Deriving information on disasters caused by natural hazards from limited data: a Guatemalan case study," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 75(1), pages 71-94, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:nathaz:v:75:y:2015:i:1:p:71-94
    DOI: 10.1007/s11069-014-1305-2
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1007/s11069-014-1305-2
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s11069-014-1305-2?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Tesliuc, Emil D. & Lindert, Kathy, 2004. "Risk and vulnerability in Guatemala: a quantitative and qualitative assessment," Social Protection Discussion Papers and Notes 30154, The World Bank.
    2. Samia Amin & Markus Goldstein, 2008. "Data Against Natural Disasters : Establishing Effective Systems for Relief, Recovery, and Reconstruction," World Bank Publications - Books, The World Bank Group, number 6511, December.
    3. Mary Downton & Roger Pielke, 2005. "How Accurate are Disaster Loss Data? The Case of U.S. Flood Damage," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 35(2), pages 211-228, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Trong-Anh, TRINH & Simon FEENY & Alberto POSSO, 2021. "The Impact of Natural Disasters on Migration: Findings from Vietnam," JODE - Journal of Demographic Economics, Cambridge University Press, vol. 87(3), pages 479-510, September.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Dapeng Huang & Renhe Zhang & Zhiguo Huo & Fei Mao & Youhao E & Wei Zheng, 2012. "An assessment of multidimensional flood vulnerability at the provincial scale in China based on the DEA method," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 64(2), pages 1575-1586, November.
    2. Emilio Zagheni & Raya Muttarak & Erich Striessnig, 2015. "Differential mortality patterns from hydro-meteorological disasters: Evidence from cause-of-death data by age and sex," Vienna Yearbook of Population Research, Vienna Institute of Demography (VID) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences in Vienna, vol. 13(1), pages 47-70.
    3. Giesbert, Lena & Steiner, Susan, 2011. "Perceptions of (Micro)Insurance in Southern Ghana: The Role of Information and Peer Effects," GIGA Working Papers 183, GIGA German Institute of Global and Area Studies.
    4. Ali Naqvi & Miriam Rehm, 2014. "A multi-agent model of a low income economy: simulating the distributional effects of natural disasters," Journal of Economic Interaction and Coordination, Springer;Society for Economic Science with Heterogeneous Interacting Agents, vol. 9(2), pages 275-309, October.
    5. Montalbano, Pierluigi, 2011. "Trade Openness and Developing Countries' Vulnerability: Concepts, Misconceptions, and Directions for Research," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 39(9), pages 1489-1502, September.
    6. World Bank, 2005. "Afghanistan - Poverty, Vulnerability, and Social Protection : An Initial Assessment," World Bank Publications - Reports 8522, The World Bank Group.
    7. Emiliano Magrini & Pierluigi Montalbano, 2012. "Trade openness and vulnerability to poverty: Vietnam in the long-run (1992-2008)," Working Paper Series 3512, Department of Economics, University of Sussex Business School.
    8. Yoshito Takasaki, 2012. "Natural Disasters, Gender and Handicrafts," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 48(1), pages 115-132, February.
    9. Donadelli, M. & Jüppner, M. & Paradiso, A. & Ghisletti, M., 2020. "Tornado activity, house prices, and stock returns," The North American Journal of Economics and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 52(C).
    10. Sandra Sydnor & Linda Niehm & Yoon Lee & Maria Marshall & Holly Schrank, 2017. "Analysis of post-disaster damage and disruptive impacts on the operating status of small businesses after Hurricane Katrina," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 85(3), pages 1637-1663, February.
    11. Balbi Stefano & Giupponi Carlo & Mojtahed Vahid & Olschewski Roland, 2015. "The Total Cost of Water-Related Disasters," Review of Economics, De Gruyter, vol. 66(2), pages 225-252, August.
    12. Yuki Higuchi & Nobuhiko Fuwa & Kei Kajisa & Takahiro Sato & Yasuyuki Sawada, 2019. "Disaster Aid Targeting and Self-Reporting Bias: Natural Experimental Evidence from the Philippines," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-13, February.
    13. Md. Shafiul Azam & Katsushi S. Imai, 2012. "Measuring Households' Vulnerability to Idiosyncratic and Covariate Shocks – the case of Bangladesh," Discussion Paper Series DP2012-02, Research Institute for Economics & Business Administration, Kobe University.
    14. Bodenmann, Lukas & Reuland, Yves & Stojadinović, Božidar, 2023. "Dynamic post-earthquake updating of regional damage estimates using Gaussian Processes," Reliability Engineering and System Safety, Elsevier, vol. 234(C).
    15. Yoshito Takasaki, 2011. "Do Local Elites Capture Natural Disaster Reconstruction Funds?," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 47(9), pages 1281-1298, May.
    16. Silvio Schmidt & Claudia Kemfert & Peter Höppe, 2008. "The Impact of Socio-economics and Climate Change on Tropical Cyclone Losses in the USA," Discussion Papers of DIW Berlin 824, DIW Berlin, German Institute for Economic Research.
    17. Günther, Isabel & Harttgen, Kenneth, 2009. "Estimating Households Vulnerability to Idiosyncratic and Covariate Shocks: A Novel Method Applied in Madagascar," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 37(7), pages 1222-1234, July.
    18. Lena Giesbert & Susan Steiner, 2015. "Client Perceptions of the Value of Microinsurance: Evidence from Southern Ghana," Journal of International Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 27(1), pages 15-35, January.
    19. Enes Yildirim & Ibrahim Demir, 2019. "An integrated web framework for HAZUS-MH flood loss estimation analysis," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 99(1), pages 275-286, October.
    20. Alison Buttenheim, 2010. "Impact evaluation in the post-disaster setting: a case study of the 2005 Pakistan earthquake," Journal of Development Effectiveness, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 2(2), pages 197-227.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:nathaz:v:75:y:2015:i:1:p:71-94. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.