Enhance Community Resilience to Landslide Hazards

Enhance Community Resilience to Landslide Hazards

Workshop for 3rd International Disaster and Risk Conference
IDRC Davos 2010
June 2010

Philip W K CHUNG
Head of Public Education and
Community Advisory Services Unit
Geotechnical Engineering Office (GEO)
Hong Kong SAR Government

Part-time visiting professor of
Department of Earth Sciences and
Department of Civil Engineering
Hong Kong University

Contents of the Workshop (1)

Introduction Hyogo Framework for Action and
the term “Resilience”

Topic 1 Landslide hazard - a long term problem in
Hong Kong

Topic 2 Hong Kong Slope Safety System

Enhance Community Resilience Geotechnical Engineering Office
to Landslide Hazards Hong Kong SAR Government


Topic 3 The four key elements in enhancing community
resilience to landslide hazards

- Proactive public communication and education
- Comprehensive information services
- Early warning
- Effective emergency response



Topic 4 The solution strategies under a new 5-year
strategic plan to enhance community

- Promote understanding of the nature and size of
the landslide problem;
- Win public trust and confidence and
- Maintain public awareness of landslide danger.



Topic 5 A note on the community based approach

Topic 6 Brief discussions on the measures to manage
challenges of climate change and major
geohazards


As put forward by the Chairman of the
Organizing Committee of this Conference
Dr Ammann Walter :


Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015 (HFA)
- Building the resilience of nations and communities to disasters

2005-2015年兵库行动纲领：加强国家和社区的抗灾能力

Formulated as a comprehensive, action-
oriented response to international concern
about the growing impacts of disasters on
individuals, communities and national
development.

UN ISDR


UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction
HFA identifies 5 specific Priorities for Action

1. Ensure that disaster risk reduction is a national and a local priority with a
strong institutional basis for implementation.
2. Identify, assess and monitor disaster risks and enhance early warning.
3. Use knowledge, innovation and education to build a
culture of safety and resilience at all levels.
4. Reduce the underlying risk factors.
5. Strengthen disaster preparedness for effective response at all levels.


A note on the term “resilience”

UN/ISDR Terminology :

The capacity of a system, community or society
potentially exposed to hazards to adapt, by resisting or
changing in order to reach and maintain an acceptable
level of functioning and structure.

This is determined by the degree to which the social
system is capable of organizing itself to increase its
capacity for learning from past disasters for better future
protection and to improve risk reduction measures.


A note on the term “resilience”

Prof David Alexander:

 Aim for the optimum combination of ability to resist and absorb
shocks

 Risk = Hazard x Vulnerability x Exposure
Resilience

 Lies in anticipating changes before they occur


Topic 1


General landscape of Hong Kong Island

Area of Hong Kong = 1100 sq. km
>70% are natural terrain with
slope angle > 15 degree

Building platforms are formed by cutting into the hillside


Roads are formed by cutting into the hillside


Buildings and roads are constructed close to steep slopes


Slopes are found everywhere
amidst HK’s urban developments


7 million population
1100 sq km land area
(densely populated ~7,000 / sq km)
60% of land on hilly terrain
(more and more developments extend into hilly terrain)
60,000 man-made slopes
2,300 mm annual rainfall
Slope forming materials are mostly deeply weathered soils
Slopes very close to build-up areas
A large no. of sub-standard slopes formed before 1977


No. of Fatalities each year

1949 1972


Location of landslides (mainly at built up areas or along roads)

1972 landslide at Po Shan
Road, Hong Kong Island (67
dead)

1972 landslide at Sau Mau
Ping, Kowloon (71 dead)


1976 landslide at Sau Mau
Ping, Kowloon (18 dead)


1999 Shek Kip Mei
(permanent evacuation
of 700 residents in Blocks
35, 36 and 38)


Topic 2


A video show on the general introduction of the
Hong Kong Slope Safety System


Key strategies
Overall Landslide
Risk in HK Contain the
increased
HK Slope Safety System risk arising from
Set up by GEO new
Check new slopes developments
Plan land use

Upgrade & maintain
government slopes Reduce the risk
by improving
Promote private
slope maintenance slope stability

Clear squatters on Reduce the risk
hilly terrain
by Reducing
Educate the public landslide
to take precaution consequences

1977 Year

The following three elements in the HK Slope Safety System
not directly related to the community based approach will be
described very briefly in the following few slides:


Land use planning is a cost-
effective means to mitigate
potential impacts of natural
hazards

GEO provides input in the early planning stage to identify
geotechnical constraints on land developments


Scale of mitigation measures could be
substantially reduced by special provisions
(e.g.) :

 Designating part of the land as non-
building areas

 Change of the foundation layout to avoid
difficult areas

 Change of the proposed land use (from
residential to open playground)


In 1990, 22,000 cu.
metres of debris
released from a
natural slope. The
landslide extended
to a length of over 1
km.

Tuen Mun Area 19
originally proposed
for residential
development


Tuen Mun Foothills Bypass and a golf driving range
were finally developed


The site was proposed for
small house development

The costs of required
mitigation measures far
out-weighted the economic
benefits of such small
development

The project was dropped


Residential
building
Major
road

School

Upgrade substandard high risk
government slopes
Hospital


Government Slopes upgrading expenditure under
5-year Accelerated LPM Programme (1995-2000)
and 10-year Extended LPM Programme (2000-2010)
1400

1200

~US$125 million per year 993
1000 921
966
932 940
889 882 894 890
HK$ Million

868
831

800  upgrade 250 government 772

man-made slopes 681

600
 safety screen 300 private
400
slopes 393

195
200
107
63 71 69 81 72 56 62 63 63 75 69 62 64 69
37 37 46
0 Financial
1977/78 1979/80 1981/82 1983/84 1985/86 1987/88 1989/90 1991/92 1993/94 1995/96 1997/98 1999/2000 2001/02 2003/04 2005/06 2007/08 2009/10
Year


Annual maintenance expenditure of 40,000 government slopes
is about HK$600 million (~US$ 77 million)


Squatter structures in hilly areas are particularly vulnerable to
landslide hazards


Works approach is normally not practical because:

- Works cannot be done without first demolishing the structure to provide access
- Severe problems with construction safety and subsequent maintenance


Before After

Non-Development Clearance

About 75,000 squatters have been cleared

Great contribution to the reduction
of overall landslide risk in Hong Kong


Topic 3

- Proactive public communication & education
- Comprehensive information services
- Early warning
- Effective emergency response


4 key elements in enhancing community

Proactive public
Comprehensive
Communication and
information service
Education
發放全面資訊
主動與公眾溝通及教育

Effective emergency
Early warning
Response
及早預警有效緊急應變


Key element 1 : Public Communication and Education

Public education plays two key roles in enhancing slope
safety :

 to reduce the probability of landslides by reminding
the owners to regularly maintain their slopes;

 to reduce the consequences of landslides by
promoting personal precautionary measures during
heavy rain


What exactly are we doing?
Roving exhibitions (schools and local shopping centres)
Fiesta or major exhibition (with special theme)
TV and radio API (i.e. advertisement)
Seminars
Talks (target groups & public)
Promotional
Community services with NGOs materials
Unauthorized hillside cultivation
Educational materials for
students and teachers


Venue for roving exhibitions in
the past
- Schools
- Universities
- Public housing estates
- Private housing estates
- Popular commercial
shopping centres
- Central Library
- Our Office



School Talks



Fiesta


TV and Radio API (Advertisement)

1995 - Thriller 1997 - Tender love 1998 - Target group 2000 - Computer
and care approach animation

2001 - Direct 2003 - 3 humour / 2007 - warning sign 2009 – Specific topic
instructional approach suspense stories with physical model on illegal dumping



Common topics for seminars/talks:
 Landslip Warning and Personal precautionary measures
 Slope maintenance
 Landslide risk in HK
 Introduction to slope safety in HK
 Introduction to geology in HK
 Landscaping of Slopes



Organize a one year project on “Saving Living – Reducing
Natural Disaster”

Events / Activities



Organize a one year project on “Saving Living – Reducing
Natural Disaster”

Dr David Roger of World
Meteorological Organisation

Mr Andrew Maskrey, Head of
Disaster Reduction Unit of UNDP

Ms Madeleen Helmer, Head of the Red
Cross/Red crescent Centre on Climate
Change and Disaster Preparation



Promulgate 2 major messages to
morning walkers :

 Landslip Warning Signal
 No illegal cultivation along hillside



Educational material prepared for the New Senior
Secondary Geography and Chemistry curriculum

The “Teaching Support Materials
Kit” consists of 14 booklets, 4
posters, 3 CDs and other
supplementary information sheets.



Joint Community Service with
Hong Kong Red Cross

Main Theme : maintain good health –
body and slope



Stamp chops
and
stamp pane



Organize
competitions to suit
different ages



About US$ 200 million was spent each year to
maintain and upgrade government man-made slopes.

Expenditure on public education is around US$ 0.25
million each year.


Key element 2 : Early Warning

The provision of timely and effective
information, through identified institutions, that
allows individuals exposed to a hazard to take action
to avoid or reduce their risk and prepare for effective
response.

UN/ISDR Terminology


Key element 2 : Early Warning

Framework

Risk Monitoring & Dissemination & Response
Knowledge warning service Communication Capability
• Systematically • Develop • Communicate • Build national
collect data hazard risk and
and undertake monitoring and information community
risk early warning and early response
assessments services warnings capabilities

Source: Platform for the Promotion of Early Warning (PPEW)

Key element 2 : Early Warning Risk
Knowledge
• Systematically
collect data
and undertake
risk
assessments

Continuous automatic
rainfall data collection
from 86 GEO raingauges
and 24 HKO raingauges

Knowledge
• Systematically
collect data
and undertake
risk
assessments

Correlation of landslide frequency
with 24 hr maximum rolling
rainfall for different types of slopes

Knowledge
• Systematically
collect data
and undertake
risk
assessments

Each cell
measures
1.2 km x 1.5 km

Total 681 cells
on land in the
40x40 Grid


Knowledge
• Systematically
collect data
and undertake
risk
assessments


Monitoring &
Key element 2 : Early Warning warning service
• Develop
hazard
The Geotechnical Engineering Office (GEO) and the monitoring and
early warning
Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) jointly operate the services
Landslip Warning System to alert the public to the
landslide danger during periods of heavy rainfall and
typhoon.

The Landslip Warning is issued when it is
predicted that numerous landslides will occur.


Monitoring &
Key element 2 : Early Warning warning service
• Develop
The criterion for the issue of the Landslip Warning hazard
monitoring and
is related to the size of the area receiving heavy early warning
rainfall, the rainfall intensity and the number of services

slopes within the affected area. The latest weather
information available, including short-term rainfall
forecast, is also considered.

The criteria for the issue and cancellation of the Landslip
Warning are reviewed regularly to take account of the
gradual improvement in slope safety with time.


Key element 2 : Early Warning Dissemination &
Communication

• Communicate
When the Landslip Warning is issued, local radio and risk
information
television stations are notified and broadcast the and early
Warning to the public at regular intervals, together warnings
with advice on the precautions that should be taken by
the general public.

The Hong Kong Slope Safety Website
(http://hkss.cedd.gov.hk) also publishes the
warning message and the number of
landslide incidents reported to the GEO at
regular intervals.


Communication

• Communicate
risk
information
Important and early
Messages warnings

When the Landslip Warning is in force, the public
should stay away from slopes and watch out for
signs of landslide danger. The Home Affairs
Department opens temporary shelters for the public
including anyone whose dwelling is endangered by
unstable slopes or boulders.


Communication

• Communicate
risk
information
Important and early
Messages warnings

Members of the public are advised to cancel
non-essential appointments and to stay at
home or in a safe shelter.

Motorists are advised to avoid driving in hilly
areas or along roads with landslip warning
signs.


Communication

Important Messages • Communicate
risk
information
and early
warnings

Warning Signs for Natural Terrain Hazards


Communication

• Communicate
risk
information
and early
Neither weather forecasting nor landslide warnings
prediction can be regarded as an exact science.
There will inevitably be occasions when the
Landslip Warning is in force and not
many landslides occur.

Equally, if heavy rain develops suddenly and
unexpectedly, landslides could occur before the
Landslip Warning is issued.


Key element 2 : Early Warning Response
Capability
• Build national
and
community
Are people prepared and ready to react to response
warnings? capabilities

Conduct annual Public Opinion Survey

Are response plans up to date and tested?
Are local capacities and knowledge made use of?

More work can be done on this aspect.


Key element 2 : Early Warning Response
Capability
• Build national
and
community
More than 90% landslide fatalities in last 20 response
years occurred when Landslip Warning was in capabilities
force.

This fact shows that Landslip Warning is reliable
and effective and general public should not take
it light-hearted.


Public Awareness of Landslide Risk in HK
1997 1998 1999 2000
90% 88% 88% 2001 2002 2003 2004
84% 83% 87% 2005 2006 2007 2008
85%
82% 81% 83% 81%
83%
80%
77%
80% 78% 78%
76% 76%
73% 73%
75% 75%
73% 71% 70%
71% 72% 71%
70% 70% 70%
70%
66%
63%
62% 62%
59%
60%
56%

50%

40%
Concerned with Understanding of the Aware of Owners’
Slope Safety Importance of Slope Responsibility
Maintenance

Key element 3 : Comprehensive information service

Existing services are briefly illustrated.
More new initiatives are covered under Topic 4



Videos

Hong Kong Slope Safety Website

A book on hundreds years of landslides in HK


Press conference
Manuals

Cartoon books
Leaflets



Member of public might not possess the required
information, knowledge or expertise in slope improvement or
maintenance works, to encourage community participation on
slope safety matters.

To assist private slope owners to better understand the technical
requirements, a “Community Advisory Unit” (CAU) has been set
up in the GEO of the Government to assist private slope owners to
discharge their slope maintenance responsibility through direct
community outreach advisory and information services.


Meet the owners corporations
Slope safety seminar

Advice on slope
maintenance
works

Advice to owners who Meet-the-public
receive a DH Order outreach activities

Key element 4 : Effective emergency Response

Mission of GEO emergency services:

 Maintaining a 24-hour service to provide advice to
Government departments on danger due to landslides

 Assisting rescue and works departments to protect life
and property and restore suspended public service as
soon as possible



Service targets

 Government Departments, mainly Fire Services, Police
and Works Departments (e.g. Highways, Drainage,
Water Supplies, Building, Lands, etc)

 General Public



Give professional advice on :

 Road closure
 Building closure
 Evacuation
 Emergency slope works
 Rescue work



Landslide Emergency Phases

1. Rescue Phase
remove immediate danger, protect life & property,
rescue work safely carried out.

2. Restoration Phase
maintain stability of slopes and restore essential public
services (transport and utilities)



Service Hours (24 hours all year around)

 Mobilisation of Emergency Control Centre (ECC)
When Landslip Warning or Tropical Cyclone
Signal No. 8 (or above) is in force

 ECC is manned by an emergency team (about 13
members) and where necessary, the Team Controller will
dispatch professional staff to landslide sites. GEO has 13
teams on the roster and each team works for an 8-hour
shift.


Integrated Landslide Information System (ILIS)

Via “Lotus
Notes”

Professional staff responsible
ECC staff
to different districts

Landslide data
management
(ILIS)

2008 June Rainstorms
Landslides Reported to GEO Total no. of
reported
350
landslide : 326
Landslip Warning
No. of landslides

300
In force 35 hours
土木工程拓展署

250

200

150
Landslip Warning
In force 20 hours
土力工程處

100
Emergency Control Centre was in
50
operation for over 140 hours and over
200 team members participated
0
7/6 8/6 9/6 10/6 11/6 12/6 13/6 14/6 15/6 16/6
Geotechnical
Enhance Community Resilience Date
Engineering Office, CEDD
to Landslide Hazards


Training

 Pre-wet season briefing to all staff
 Pre-wet season emergency drill for each team
 Communication Drill with other Bureau and Departments
 Experienced staff coach new staff with no prior landslide
inspection experience



A video show on the GEO emergency
service


Summary

Since the Slope Safety System was set up 30 years
ago, significant improvement on slope safety in
Hong Kong has been achieved by this approach.

In particular, we have successfully achieved two
major results.


Summary

 The overall landslide risk to the community arising from
the pre-1977 man-made slopes had been reduced to
about 25% compared with the risk level in 1977.

1977 2000 2010


Summary

 The fatalities have been reduced to a level which is as low as
reasonably practicable. Acknowledging the fact that
landslide risk can never be zero.
Landslip Fatalities in Hong Kong
160
No. of Fatalities in the year

140
Establishment of GEO
and implementation
120
of the HK Slope
100
Safety System
Fatalities
80
increasing Fatalities
60
decreasing
40

20

0
1949
1951
1953
1955
1957
1959
1961
1963
1965
1967
1969
1971
1973
1975
1977
1979
1981
1983
1985
1987
1989
1991
1993
1995
1997
1999
2001
2003
2005

Summary

Our Strategies and approaches to reduce
landslide disasters meet most of the “Ten
essentials for making cities Resilient”
suggested in the UN ISDR campaign –
“My city is getting ready”.


Summary

Incidentally, we noted that one of the
USGS 2008 publications, The Landslide
Handbook, lists out 18 items on

We have been implementing 17
items in the past 15 years !


Topic 4


 Outcome of the SWOT (Strength, Weakness,
Opportunity, Threat) analysis carried out in 2009 for GEO

Major Threat

Serious landslides with
multiple fatalities


Solution Strategies

 Promote understanding of landslide problem

 Win public trust and confidence

 Maintain public awareness of landslide danger


Strategy 1 - Foster good public understanding  4 initiatives
of landslide hazards

Strategy 2 - Promote public response to
 3 initiatives
landslip warnings

Strategy 3 - Enlist public support in times of
 3 initiatives
serious landslides


Example of an initiative under Strategy 1

Promulgate slope safety messages through cyber networking
platforms and related technology

GEO

Plurk a social journal

for your life
Webinars


Success Criteria

 The level of public awareness of landslide hazards in HK
as revealed by independent annual opinion survey > 70%

 Satisfaction level of the slope safety in HK >
baseline % as conducted in 2010


Success Criteria

 Confidence on Government’s effort in reducing HK
landslide hazards > baseline % as conducted in 2010

 Survey from focus groups (e.g teachers) and Media
review after serious landslide events (general
satisfaction as revealed from the results)


Topic 5


“Prevention policy is too important
to be left to Governments
alone.
To succeed, it must also engage
civil society, the private sector
and the media”
Kofi A Annan
Nobel Peace Prize 2001
Ex UN Secretary General


 Government alone cannot solve the whole slope
safety problem. Community involvement is essential.

 Community involvement and participation are
essential to bring about substantial risk reduction.

 GEO undertakes ongoing community-based
activities on slope safety as one of the key strategies
to reduce the landslide risk in Hong Kong.


Expected benefits from the
Community-based approach

 Maintain public awareness of landslide risk
 Ensure that slope owners take responsibility
for slope safety
 Promote public response in slope safety
 Provide information and training


The role of Public Education
Effectiveness in Reduce public
reducing in closing the gap expectation
landslide risk
Promote
Public Education personal
precautionary
measures
Expectation from Promote slope
the community maintenance

Gap

Technological
Government services advancement and
and efforts continuous
improvement of
landslip warning
Time


The role of Public Education
in slowing down the falling trend of public awareness

There is a general trend of decreasing
public awareness in uneventful years
without serious landslides


Topic 6


“Climate change is expected to
cause severe and more frequent natural
hazards. As our cities and coasts grow
more vulnerable, these hazards can lead
to disasters that are far worse that
those we have ever seen to date.”

Ban Ki-moon
Secretary-General of the
United Nations


The measures are documented in the new GEO 5-year Strategic Plan
Understand the Take stock of findings of studies on
climate change
impacts of climate
change and Identify major geohazards & understand
identify relevant the impacts of climate change
major geohazards
Enhance emergency preparedness
for extreme events
Manage Review and revise standards and guidelines
challenges of Develop strategies to enhance the robustness and resilience of
climate and measures for upgrading/mitigation works
change and managing the risk
major arising from the Strengthen land-use planning of new
geohazards major geohazards developments to avoid major geohazards

Review local and international good
practices in sustainable construction
Promote
sustainable Recommend sustainable construction
construction practices in geotechnical works
practices in
geotechnical works Promote recommended practices


Concluding Remarks

Our Slope Safety System and associated
strategic plans are evolutionary and
revolutionary attempts to enhance community

Landslide hazards cannot be avoided.
However, landslide disasters can!


Concluding Remarks

Despite the success in past 30 years, the
Government and community should not be
complacent.

Everyone should always maintain
vigilant and plays his/her part
diligently to maintain the
highest standards of slope safety


Concluding Remarks

Constant vigilance is the key
to safety, and without this
vigilance, disaster will
continue to take Hong Kong
(and your country) by surprise!


Enhance Community Resilience to Landslide Hazards

謝謝
Thank You


Av. Annual rainfall = 2300 mm

Av. Reported no. of
landslides = 300 per year


Enhance Community Resilience to Landslide Hazards

Recommandé

Recommandé

Contenu connexe

Tendances

Tendances (20)

En vedette

En vedette (9)

Similaire à Enhance Community Resilience to Landslide Hazards

Similaire à Enhance Community Resilience to Landslide Hazards (20)

Plus de Global Risk Forum GRFDavos

Plus de Global Risk Forum GRFDavos (20)

Enhance Community Resilience to Landslide Hazards