Resilience to Volcanic and Tsunami Hazards within Indigenous Communities: Savo Volcano Solomon Islands and applications to other archipelago nations

世界上有数以百万计的人容易因自然灾害而死亡、受伤和财产损失。最近的例子包括巴基斯坦的洪灾(2010年)影响了2000万人，以及2004年的节礼日海啸，造成30多万人死亡。这项研究侧重于一种类型的自然灾害(火山灾害)，尽管许多研究可以应用于其他形式的灾害。从危害和风险的角度来看，火山对人民生活的影响有很多方面，最显著的是，这包括通过火山喷发和相关事件(如火山泥石流)、火山引发的山体滑坡、与喷发有关的地震活动以及火山活动引发的海啸造成的死亡、受伤、疏散和破坏。对灾害和风险的研究还涉及受影响的社区、决策和政策制定者以及在灾害发生时提供援助的紧急服务。我们工作的一个主要部分是分析构成自然灾害“人类方面”的所有这些因素。我们将特别审查脆弱社区以及减灾和减灾的规划者和管理者。我们工作的最大目标是减少风险和生命损失，并将对基本基础设施的影响降至最低。我们的工作重点是太平洋西南部所罗门群岛的萨沃火山。这个国家是“岛屿群岛”国家的一个例子--这些国家由分布广泛、相对较小的岛屿组成。这些国家在管理自然灾害方面面临着许多挑战，这是它们自己独有的。这些挑战包括广泛的人口、相对较低的教育水平、无法获得现代通信、交通困难、有限的空间和发生灾害时的行动选择等。美拉尼西亚社区(西南太平洋地区的人被称为“美拉尼西亚人”)传统上在依靠当地环境(农业、牲畜、建材、海洋资源、供水等)满足其需求的村庄中过着维持生计的生活方式。他们几乎没有物质财富，而且经常缺乏电力供应和现代西方世界的许多便利设施。在萨沃，大约有4000人生活在一座6公里宽的火山上，这座火山每隔100-200年就会喷发一次，在整个岛屿上造成了大规模的疏散、死亡和破坏。此外，这座火山距离该国首都霍尼亚拉只有35公里，霍尼亚拉包括约20%的人口和大部分国家基础设施。霍尼亚拉不仅容易受到火山灰坠落等直接火山灾害的影响，而且还容易受到海啸的影响，海啸可能会摧毁该镇的大部分地区。我们的团队研究了这座火山的地质和过去的行为--但我们需要更深入的了解。我们知道，当它喷发时，它会形成巨大的火山灰柱，并猛烈地阻挡和火山灰流动，迅速离开火山口，冲过山谷，扩散到靠近海岸的地方。至少70%的岛上居民面临着积雪、火山灰和火山灰喷发的风险。我们还了解到，由于热液和水的剧烈活动削弱了火山，并可能导致重大山体滑坡，进而引发海啸，进而袭击霍尼亚拉和其他地区，火山的部分区域正在被侵蚀。我们工作的一个关键组成部分将集中在萨沃的弱势村民--他们的经济、社会、决策方式、教育和意识以及应对重大灾难的能力。我们将试图了解他们的“韧性”--在计划、应对和恢复自然灾害方面，他们的社会中有哪些因素特别薄弱或特别强大。一旦我们确定了这些要素，我们就可以有针对性地提高它们适应不断变化的环境的能力。我们将利用这项工作来适用于印度尼西亚、菲律宾、汤加、加勒比海等地的其他类似弱势群体。我们相信这对人类来说是非常宝贵的研究。

There are millions of people in the world vulnerable to death, injury & loss of property due to natural disasters. Recent exemples include flooding in Pakistan (2010) affecting 20 million people and the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami that killed over 300,000 people. This study focuses upon one type of natural hazard (volcanic hazard) although much of the research can be applied to other forms of hazard. Volcanoes affect peoples' lives in many ways, most dramatically, from a hazard and risk perspective, this includes causing death, injury, evacuation and damage through explosive eruptions and related events such as volcanic mudflows (lahars), volcanic-induced landslips, seismic activity related to eruptions, and through tsunamis generated by volcanic activity. The study of hazard and risk also involves affected communities, decison and policy makers and emergency services that assist when disasters occur. A major part of our work is to analyse all these elements that make up the 'human side' of natural disasters. We will particularly examine vulnerable communities and the planners and managers of disaster-mitigation and reduction. The big aim of our work is to reduce risk, loss of life and minimise the impact on essential infrastructure. The area of focus for our work is Savo volcano in the Solomon Islands, SW Pacific. This country is an example of 'island archipelago' nations - countries made up of widely distributed, relatively small islands. Such countries face many challenges to managing natural hazards, unique to themselves. These challenges include widespread populations, relatively low levels of education, lack of access to modern communication, transport difficulties, limited space and options for movement when disasters occur, etc. Melanesian communities (the people of the SW Pacific are termed 'Melanesians') traditionally live a subsistence lifestyle in villages that rely on their local environment to provide their needs (agriculture, livestock, building materials, marine resources, water supplies etc.). They have few material possessions and often lack electricity supplies and many of the conveniences of the modern Western world. On Savo around 4000 people live on a 6km wide volcano that erupts at periods of c. 100-200 years and has caused mass evacuation, death and destruction throughout the island. Furthermore the volcano is only 35km from the nation's capital town (Honiara) that includes c. 20% of the population and the bulk of national infrastructure. Honiara is vulnerable not only to direct volcanic hazards such as ash fall but also from tsunamis that can potentially destroy much of the town. Our team has looked at the geology and past behaviour of the volcano - but we need a much deeper understanding. We know that when it erupts it forms large columns of ash and violent block and ash flows that rapidly exit the volcanic crater, rush through valleys and spread out close to the coast. At least 70% of islanders are at risk from block and ash and ash-fall eruptions. We have also learned that parts of the volcano is being 'rotten away' through the vigorous activity of hot fluids and water that weaken the volcano and may cause major landslides that in turn cause the tsunamis that will hit Honiara and other areas. A key component of our work will focus on vulnerable villagers on Savo - their economy, society, styles of decision making, education & awareness and ability to respond to major disasters. We will attempt to understand their 'resilience' - what elements of their society are particularly weak or strong with respect to planning for, responding to, and recovering from natural disasters. Once we have identified these elements we can target ways of increasing their capacity to adapt to a changing environment. We will use this work to apply to other similar vulnerable groups in places like Indonesia, the Phillipines, Tonga, the Caribbean etc. We believe this is invaluable research for mankind.