W8 - Disasters and Displacement

Scale depends on

The scale (small, big, or overwhelming) depends on:

• Number of deaths and injuries

• Extent of infrastructure damage

• Size of displaced population

• Complexity of recovery and rehabilitation efforts

3 Major Categories of Disasters

• Natural Disasters – sudden-onset events such as earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, landslides, or floods.

• Man-Made Disasters – human-induced events like industrial or chemical accidents, oil spills, or nuclear leaks.

• Complex Emergencies – situations where a state’s legitimacy or control is weakened by internal conflict or civil war.

  • Governments may lose authority or collapse entirely.

  • Humanitarian agencies often negotiate with both state and non-state actors to deliver aid.

  • When a natural disaster occurs amid conflict, the situation becomes exceptionally difficult for responders

Understanding Displacement

• Displacement = forced movement of people.
  It causes dislocation from families, homes, regions, and sometimes entire countries.

• When people move within their own country, they are termed Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).
  Cross-border movements create refugee-like situations requiring international support.

Main causes of displcement

Natural disasters — the leading driver of displacement.

• Storms and floods cause over 80 % of global displacement.

• From 2015 – 2024, more than 264 million people were forced to move across 210 countries/territories.

• In 2024 alone, about 9.2 million IDPs were recorded across five South Asian countries.

• Source: Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC)

Conflict and Violence

• Conflict remains another major trigger of forced movement — e.g.,

  • Boat refugees crossing the Mediterranean from Africa to Europe

  • Rohingya exodus across Southeast Asia

  • The Hmong communities displaced from Laos into Asia, Europe, and the U.S.

• Complex humanitarian crises often involve both natural and conflict-related displacement.

Volcanic Eruptions in Asia - mt merapi

Mt Merapi (Indonesia, 2006)

• Continuous eruption led to mass evacuations of villages only 2 km from the crater.

• Volcanic ash made the soil highly fertile, attracting communities back to farm despite danger.

• The eruption also triggered a 6.8 magnitude earthquake in Yogyakarta, May 2006

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SAYING IS THAT MT MERAPI DIDNT SLEEP FOR A WHILE

Volcanic Eruptions in Asia - Mt Sinabung

Mt Sinabung (Indonesia, 2013 – 2016)

• Renewed eruption on 12 April 2013 displaced ≈ 5 000 families (~ 17 000 people).

• 31 temporary shelters set up in churches, mosques, markets, community halls (jambur), and a university campus.

• Daily life persisted:

  • Schools resumed under ashfall.

  • Farmers continued crop spraying and livestock care.

• Pyroclastic ash reached ≈ 1 200 °C, burning everything in its path.

• The volcano remained active for several years; temporary camps became semi-permanent

• .

School continues against Mt. Sinabung Continued Eruption in 2014, Indonesia

The Leyte Landslide

The Leyte Landslide (Philippines, 17 Feb 2005)

• Caused by three weeks of heavy rain saturating volcanic-ash soils.

• A huge mass of mud liquefied and buried three villages, killing ~ 2 000 people.

• Mud reached depths of ≈ 60 ft; search-and-rescue operations were impossible.

• After weeks with no survivors, the mayor declared the site a memorial ground and ended rescue operations — despite grieving families waiting for miracles

Gujarat Earthquake

Gujarat Earthquake (India, 26 Jan 2001)

• Magnitude 6.9; epicentre Bhoj (Kutch District bordering Pakistan).

• Exposed weaknesses in India’s disaster preparedness.

• Prompted creation of the Gujarat State Disaster Management Authority (GSDMA).

Key Statistics

• ≈ 20 000 deaths (88 % in Kutch)

• ≈ 160 000 injured

• 245 000 houses collapsed, 923 000 damaged

• 70 high-rise buildings collapsed in Ahmedabad

• 53 000 schoolrooms and 5 000 health centres destroyed

• 442 villages flattened

• 1.7 million truckloads of debris removed

• 26 international search-and-rescue teams deployed

RESILIENCE IN BIHAR FLOODS

Bihar Floods (India, 2017)

• Heavy rain (Aug 12 – 20) caused breaches in embankments; four rivers overflowed (Gandak, Kambala, Kosi, Mahananda).

• 7.3 million people affected, 270 000 evacuated, 850 000 homes lost.

• Displaced families immediately settled on embankments, building temporary shelters.

• Despite inundation, communities maintained routines — “business as usual.”

  • Teachers and students arrived by boat to continue classes.

  • Officials relocated offices to upper floors and worked via boats

RESILIENCE DURING BANGLADESH FLOODING AND RESILENCE

Bangladesh Flooding & Resilience

• Sundarbans Delta is flooded annually; waters remain 4 – 6 months knee- to chest-deep.

• Families evacuate when floods reach danger levels.

• Traditional survival strategy: banana-raft construction — four banana stems tied together and pushed with bamboo to carry children and the elderly to safety.

• Relief centres (schools on high ground) provide shelter and food.

• Families collect drinking water from hand pumps still above water level.

• Symbolic resilience: children celebrating Independence Day in neck-deep water, showing life must continue

RESILIENCE IN WUHAN - CHINA “SPONGY CITY PROJECT”

• Designed to prevent flood-related displacement.

• Located on the Yangtze and Hankou rivers, Wuhan floods annually.

• The project (initiated ≈ 2015 – 2016 with UN partnership 2017) creates water-absorbent urban environments:

  • Underground storage tanks collect, purify, and reuse rain/flood water.

  • Drainage channels built across streets and housing areas to reduce standing water and minimise future displacement

Social and Human Impacts

Social and Human Impacts

• Loss of shelter and livelihood → daily survival uncertainty.

• Disrupted education and fragmented families.

• Rising social-protection concerns – property theft, safety risks, gender-based violence.

• Mental health issues and trauma common

Governance and Administrative Challenges

Governance and Administrative Challenges

• Critical infrastructure damage cripples government functions.

• Procedural delays in delivering aid and compensation.

• Settlement camp issues: overcrowding, limited privacy, resource shortages.

• Cross-border migration creates additional risks: deaths en route and management pressure on host countries.

• Humanitarian appeals essential for funding relief and rehabilitation.

Case: Nepal Earthquake 2015

Case: Nepal Earthquake 2015

• 3 million people received shelter assistance (CGI sheets + cash).

• 1.3 million received early recovery aid.

• 100 % of health facilities damaged.

• 189 000 people in camps.

• 300 000 children in temporary classrooms.

• 500 000 pregnant women counselled.

• Protection cluster addressed threats of young girls being lured into prostitution after family displacement.

• Creative camp solutions included “conjugal comfort rooms” to support family privacy and morale

CONCLUSION

• Displacements are constant and affect every region.

• The poorest are hit hardest, lacking resources to recover.

• Despite their frequency, there is hope for improvement through better data, early warning systems, preparedness, and resilient urban planning.

• Governments, researchers, and humanitarian agencies must work together to lessen the long-term impacts of disasters and displacement