Natural Disaster Risk Monitoring for Immovable Cultural Relics Based on Digital Twin

Natural disaster risk monitoring is an important task for disaster prevention and reduction.In the case of immovable cultural relics,however,the feedback mechanism,risk factors,monitoring logic,and monitoring indicators of natural disaster risk monitoring are complex.How to achieve intelligent perception and monitoring of natural disaster risk for immovable cultural relics has always been a focus and a challenge for researchers.Based on the analysis of the concepts and issues related to the natural disaster risk of immovable cultural relics,this paper proposes a framework for natural disaster risk monitoring for immovable cultural relics based on the digital twin.This framework focuses on risk monitoring,including the physical entities of natural disaster risk for immovable cultural relics,monitoring indicators,and virtual entity construction.A platform for monitoring the natural disaster risk of immovable cultural relics is proposed.Using the Puzhou Ancient City Site as a test bed,the proposed concept can be used for monitoring the natural disaster risk of immovable cultural relics at different scales.

Strategy for Protection of Cultural Heritage Exposed to the Natural and Man-Made Activity Disasters in Serbia

Natural disasters and the adverse human activities are the key events in the history of mankind that form our history and shape our collective memory to this day.People on the planet Earth are not obsessed only with natural hazards,caused by earthquakes,floods and volcanic eruptions,and troubles unlikely come solely from the action of nature.Disasters threatening the human race can be caused also by people themselves.Both types of disasters cause vast human suffering,at the same time destroying cultural heritage as well,that has the function of determining the identity of social communities.These sufferings should be added to those that can be determined only by in-depth analyses which are derived from the synergy of natural forces and mistaken choices made by the humans,when it comes to their habitat.The proposed strategic plan for protection of built heritage in emergency situations may become the powerful catalyst for the process of revitalization by which the social tissue of community is maintained and restored,creating the symbol of resistance by which it endures each and every natural element and evil men behaviour.

Prototyping low-cost automatic weather stations for natural disaster monitoring

Weather events put human lives at risk mostly when people might occupy areas susceptible to natural disasters.Deploying Professional Weather Stations(PWS)in vulnerable areas is key for monitoring weather with reliable measurements.However,such professional instrumentation is notably expensive while remote sensing from a number of stations is paramount.This imposes challenges on the large-scale weather station deployment for broad monitoring from large observation networks such as in Cemaden—The Brazilian National Center for Monitoring and Early Warning of Natural Disasters.In this context,in this paper,we propose a Low-Cost Automatic Weather Station(LCAWS)system developed from Commercial Off-The-Shelf(COTS)and open-source Internet of Things(IoT)technologies,which provides measurements as reliable as a reference PWS for natural disaster monitoring.When being automatic,LCAWS is a stand-alone photovoltaic system connected wirelessly to the Internet in order to provide real-time reliable end-to-end weather measurements.To achieve data reliability,we propose an intelligent sensor calibration method to correct measures.From a 30-day uninterrupted observation with sampling in minute resolution,we show that the calibrated LCAWS sensors have no statistically significant differences from the PWS measurements.As such,LCAWS has opened opportunities for reducing maintenance costs in Cemaden's observational network.

Historical Changes of Ningxia Natural Disasters and Its Reason Analysis

A quantitative model is built and the historical variation of natural disasters is analyzed in this paper,by using materials as affected area(damaged area),affected population(dead and injured),casualty of livestock,collapsed houses(damaged houses),decrease of crops yield,economic loss(direct and indirect) and price index over the same period of Ningxia natural disasters(include drought,flood,gale and hail,frost,pest disasters and other disasters) during 1978-2007,and applying gray correlation analysis method.The long-term changes trend of natural disasters is analyzed by the application of the least squares method for linear trend,and the oscillation period is analyzed by using the maximum entropy statistical method.It is found that natural disasters have basically 2 to 3 years of variation period either in the whole region or in the individual regions;from the mid 1980s to the late 1990s,Ningxia is in an oscillation period with disasters attacked frequently in decadal and interannual scale under the background of climate;the increase of damage intensity of natural disasters slow down and tends to decrease since 2000.

A catastrophic natural disaster chain of typhoon-rainstorm-landslide-barrier lake-flooding in Zhejiang Province, China

On August 10,2019,due to the effect of a rainstorm caused by Super Typhoon Lekima,a landslide occurred in Shanzao Village,China.It blocked the Shanzao stream,forming a barrier lake,and then the barrier lake burst.This is a rare natural disaster chain of typhoon-rainstorm-landslide-barrier lake-flooding.This study was built on field surveys,satellite image interpretation,the digital elevation model(DEM),engineering geological analysis and empirical regression.The purpose was to reveal the characteristics and causes of the landslide,the features and formation process of the barrier lake and the dam break flooding discharge.The results show that the volume of the landslide deposit is approximately 2.4×105 m3.The burst mode of the landslide dam is overtopping,which took only 22 minutes from the formation of the landslide dam to its overtopping.The dam-break peak flow was 1353 m3/s,and the average velocity was 2.8–3.0 m/s.This study shows that the strongly weathered rock and soil slope has low strength and high permeability under the condition of heavy rainfall,which reminds us the high risk of landslides and the importance of accurate early warning of landslides under heavy rainfalls in densely populated areas of Southeast China,as well as the severity of the disaster chain of typhoon-rainstorm-landslide-barrier lake-flooding.

A Relationship between Solar Activity and Frequency of Natural Disasters in China

The relationship between the length of the solar cycle, a good indicator of long-term change in solar activity, and natural disasters (drought, flood, and strong earthquakes) in China during the last 108 yearsis analyzed. The results suggest that the length of solar cycle may be a useful indicator for drought/flood and strong earthquakes. When the solar activity strengthens, we see the length of the solar cycle shorten and more floods occur in South China and frequent strong earthquakes happen in the Tibetan Plateau, but the droughts in East China as well as the strong earthquakes in Taiwan and at the western boundary of China are very few. The opposite frequencies occur when the solar activity weakens. The current study indicates that the solar activity may play an important role in the climate extremes and behavior in the lithosphere.

THEORY AND PRACTICE FOR COMPILING THE ATLAS OF NATURAL DISASTERS IN CHINA

This article inquires into theoretical and practical problems on compilation of an atlas of regional natural disasters. (1) The basic theory of compiling an atlas of regional disasters has been founded on the combination of the sciences of disasters, cartography and regional geogrphy. The content structure of a regional disaster atlas should be composed of at least the following five parts:hazard-formative environments and hazard-affected bodies,hazards, disaster effects, monitoring and warning system for natural disasters, and countermeasures for natural disaster reduction. (2) Contents of cartographic design of a regional disaster atlas should be composed of at least the following five parts: base map system, cartographic representation, Symbol System, color system, map edition and map layout system. (3) Based on theory and cartographic design of compiling an atlas of regional disaster, the Atlas of Natural Disater in China, which reveals objectively the temporal and spaial pattern of regional natural disasters of China,has been compiled and published.

An efficient framework for ensemble of natural disaster simulations as a service

Calculations of risk from natural disasters may require ensembles of hundreds of thousands of simulations to accurately quantify the complex relationships between the outcome of a disaster and its contributing factors.Such large ensembles cannot typically be run on a single computer due to the limited computational resources available.Cloud Computing offers an attractive alternative,with an almost unlimited capacity for computation,storage,and network bandwidth.However,there are no clear mechanisms that define how to implement these complex natural disaster ensembles on the Cloud with minimal time and resources.As such,this paper proposes a system framework with two phases of cost optimization to run the ensembles as a service over Cloud.The cost is minimized through efficient distribution of the simulations among the cost-efficient instances and intelligent choice of the instances based on pricing models.We validate the proposed framework using real Cloud environment with real wildfire ensemble scenarios under different user requirements.The experimental results give an edge to the proposed system over the bag-of-task type execution on the Clouds with less cost and better flexibility.

Investment Risks of Agricultural Listed Companies from Visual Angle of Natural Disasters

The essential feature of agriculture is the interweave- ment of natural reproduction and economic reproduction.In recent years,the natural disasters have become more frequent and badly affect the production management and investment benefits.This problem has been an important risk in managing agricultural listed companies and cannot be ignored.It is of great importance to evaluate and prevent the risks of the natural disasters to enhance the competitive ability and increase the profits of those listed companies,thereby keeping the sustainable development of agri- cultural companies.

The Bionic Anticipation of Natural Disasters

After major natural disasters, such as the recent earthquake-tsunami event in South Asia, reports appear about the mysterious ability of animals to anticipate and to escape the impending danger. This is an opportunity to recall the long history of this phenomenon in the traditions of different civilizations, to evaluate Chinese efforts, 30-40 years ago, to use this phenomenon for earthquake prediction, and to judge its state of acceptance in modem science. An effort is made to introduce this phenomenon as a research field of modem bionics. The timing is favorable since, increasingly, infrared thermal anomalies, monitored from satellite, suggesting litho-atmospheric processes, are found to precede earthquakes. They were unexpected by seismologists and are here suggested to essentially reflect the energy conversion patterns responsible for the signals monitored by animals. The aim is to learn from animals in the long term how natural disasters can better be anticipated, and how simple technical warning systems can be developed. Some challenges are analyzed. One is interpretation of the nature of energy release prior to the main earthquake disaster resulting in ＂macro-anomaly＂ precursors, another is better to understand the effect on animal senses. The role of non-linear cooperative phenomena including tsunamitype waves is emphasized.

Communicating Agencies＇ Humanitarianism in Natural Disaster and Armed Conflicts＂ Differences, Challenges, and Dilemmas

The literature on disasters mainly focuses on natural disasters and looks at their coverage by the media. The paper argues that armed conflicts are also disasters and that Western relief agencies intervening in natural disasters and conflict are also proactive communicators. Taking a different approach from much of the available research, it explores agencies＇ communication work in these two types of crises and analyses the differences, challenges and dilemmas that they face in communicating their humanitarianism. It outlines the distinguished inherent characteristics of natural disasters and conflicts, and examines their impact on the understanding of the crises, the perception of affected populations, and the implementation of agencies＇ actions. It also investigates how, in turn, all these features influence agencies＇ communication practices that in natural disasters emergencies and conflict-related crises perform a different role and show different parameters. In this sense, the paper distinguishes between ＂humanitarian communication＂ to refer to the former, and ＂humanitarian advocacy＂ to refer to the latter. The paper briefly explores the operational challenges engendered by the contested interpretations of humanitarian advocacy, shows that the use of the parameters of humanitarian communication in conflict-related crises to overcome these problems caused additional concern, and presents two forms of humanitarian advocacy engendering less challenges and dilemmas.

The Recurrence of Natural Disasters in Jowhar, Middle Shabelle Region, Somalia: The Causes and Impacts

Natural disasters usually involve a phenomenon with consequences that exceed the response capabilities of local communities and have a significant impact on the region’s socioeconomic development. Droughts, floods, and hurricanes are all natural disasters that jeopardize the environment and the lives of Somalis. Severe floods have devastated the south and central parts of the country multiple times, destroying infrastructure and homes and killing many vulnerable people. Droughts in the south and central parts of the country, particularly in the Middle Shebelle region, have killed a number of children and mothers. It also had a negative influence on crops and cattle. Objective of this study is to know the recurrence of Natural Disasters in Jowhar, Middle Shabelle region, Somalia: The Causes and Impacts. The Somali people are completely aware of natural disasters such as droughts and floods, and they are self-sufficient in dealing with the consequences of these disasters. Furthermore, the Somali government has not fully created environmental laws to protect and conserve the environment, and the majority of laws, rules, acts, and regulations are not used or administered effectively. We also found that the Somali government is not yet financially prepared to deal with these crises, and that there are no strategic plans in the central government or even state administrations to prevent or at least control these disasters from causing extreme harm to the community and the environment.

Trust and Structural Response to Natural Disaster： Some Implications to Government Reform

The Philippine government is a representative democracy. It has three co-equal branches of government namely the executive, legislative, and judicial, operating on the principle of check and balance. Issues that had riddled top officials of government remained unresolved hitherto; and, the local government units had their own lingering issues. The government structure therefore did not seem to have the mechanism to correct itself. This paper argues that responses to, as well as the ensuing conditions of the survivors of natural disasters, are affected by how much trust the incumbents of relevant government structures have of each other and that actors outside of the government hierarchy can offer avenues for reform. Tropical Storm Washi that hit Cagayan de Oro City could be a case in point. It left thousands of people dead or missing, millions of dollars in damages, and thousands of internally displaced persons （IDPs）. The local government, tasked by the local government code to handle matters related to social welfare, did not seem to have performed as expected. In an apparent lack of trust, donor agencies preferred to course cash and relief items through conduits others than the local government. While the system remained unable to correct itself, the victims of the disaster continued to suffer. Civil society organizations and non-government organizations were trying to re-establish people’s trust in the system through legal measures, and hope that electoral reforms could be instituted.

Areas vulnerable to natural disasters and damage estimation of infrastructure in Busan, Korea

Since the damages caused by disasters associated with climate anomalies and the diversification of the social structure increase every year, an efficient management system associated with a damage assessment of the areas vulnerable to disasters is demanded to prevent or mitigate the damages to infrastructure. The areas vulnerable to disasters in Busan, located at southeastern part of Korea, were estimated based on historical records of damages and a risk assessment of the infrastructure was performed to provide fundamental information prior to the establishment of the real-time monitoring system for infrastructure and establish disaster management system. The results are illustrated by using geographical information system(GIS) and provide the importance of the roadmap for comprehensive and specific strategy to manage natural disasters.

Evaluating Effective Pediatric Psychological Trauma Treatments Post-Traumatic Natural Disasters

What are the best treatment approaches for children experiencing trauma after natural disasters? Historically, the U.S. emergency response system has not provided psychological support to communities impacted by disasters. Instead, the traditional emergency response community focused on ensuring the physical survival of the individuals and communities that it protects. The goal of all disaster interventions, whether physical or psychological in nature, is to restore the individual to his/her level of pre-disaster functioning. Emphasizing psychological intervention and treatment after disasters is essential in restoring health in individuals post-trauma because mental health is necessary for proper physical health, forming of coping mechanisms, and the ability of individuals to move past the trauma and lead normal lives. At young ages, the body is still developing mentally and physically, meaning the impact of a traumatic event may be completely different from that of most adults. For example, children have greater thought suppression, which leads to an associated increase in PTSD and internalizing behaviors. Thus, children require a different treatment approach to ensure that trauma is not long-lasting and prevalent in future adult life, such as through trouble expressing and regulating emotions, as well as vulnerability to future exposure to stress, which may negatively impact individuals’ identity and interpersonal abilities. The purpose of this review paper is to evaluate various memory-related disorders to then explain the pros and cons of various treatment approaches based on their efficiency in treating PTSD-related symptoms post-natural disasters in children. This review identifies the best pediatric trauma treatment approaches used after natural disasters, highlighting a lack of efficient, effective, and specific psychological treatments. By comparing various existing psychological treatments, this paper provides future directions for research by identifying existing gaps in the field and explains contrasting approaches for various memory-related and natural disaster related psychological trauma disorders.

Primary Research on Emergency Self-Rescue Furniture Design for Natural Disasters

In recent years, a large number of natural disasters happened in China, which caused heavy casualties, property losses and destruction of social order. Emergency self-rescue furniture design for natural disasters was taken as the research object in this paper. The definition and meanings of emergency self-rescue furniture were discussed, then the design principles of emergency self-rescue furniture were analyzed, validity of emergency self-rescue furniture design principles and methods for earthquake and flood were verified through demonstrations, finally.

Geostatistical Analysis of the Colorada and Quimichule Canyons Located in Popocatépetl Volcano (Mexico) for the Prevention of Natural Disasters

This paper aims to contribute to the prevention of natural disasters and generate a complement to other similar studies. The Popocatépetl volcano has showed significant and constant activity since 1994. The Colorada and Quimichule canyons are located within its geologic structure;due to their topographic features, ejected volcanic material and torrential rains in the past recent years, they put nearby communities at risk. This work presents a geostatistical analysis to obtain the gravity acceleration, slope by the distance-elevation relation, height-gravity and the fluid force on the canyons. The conversion of UTM to geographical coordinates was made with the use of the program Traninv applying the ITRF2008 epoch 2010.0 Datum and the 14 Zone;the local gravity was calculated with the use of International Organization of Legal Metrology (OIML) and the statistical analysis was obtained with the use of the Geostatistical Environmental Assessment. The structural modeling was performed using Surfer, and the spending and force were calculated using hydrological models. The correlation analysis concluded that Quimichule has the greatest gravity and that it would transport lahars faster. Mapping, geomorphological and statistical techniques and models were applied in accordance with the study to obtain the results presented here.

Natural Disaster in Tbilisi City (Riv. Vere Basin) in the Year 2015

During 13-14 June 2015 heavy rainfall in the Riv. Vere basin area and its tributaries caused a drastic increase in the water level and triggered/activated large-scale landslide and debrisflow events. This put the Tskneti-Samadlo and Tsnketi-Akhal- daba motorways out of order. Residential buildings and miscellaneous infrastructural facilities, buildings and structures and Tbilisi Zoo located at the low elevations in the Riv. Vere Gorge were significantly damaged or/and totally destroyed. 23 persons died during the disaster. This study presents the results on an analysis of the landslides/ debrisflows in the riv. Vere catchment and discusses main triggering factors of natural disaster, statistics for the prior period, and geodynamic situation of Akhaldaba “big” landslide developed at the Tskneti-Samadlo road section. It is given recommendations for future activities to reduce landslide/debrisflow hazard in this catchment.

COMMUNAL VULNERABILITY ASSESSMENT FOR NATURAL DISASTERS

An integral part of risk assessment for natural hazards, communal vulnerability assessment (CVA) is now receiving considerable attention, with the on-going International Decade of Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR). This article expounds the definition of the CVA concept and its implication. In addition, it offers a brief discussion of the reasons why CVA has been neglected and its relationship with socio-economic and physical vulnerability assessment. The article also gives an explorative exposition of the methodology and application of communal vulnerability analysis in risk reduction.