Rapid Damage, Loss and Needs Assessment of Winter Storm Alexa : A Report by the Palestinian Authority
Winter storm Alexa, which hit the West Bank and Gaza from December 11 to 14, 2013, was one of the strongest storms to arrive in five decades. Coordination during the emergency highlighted the inadequacy of the region's disaster preparedness pl...
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| Language: | English en_US |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2014
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| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/2013/12/19756137/rapid-damage-loss-needs-assessment-winter-storm-alexa-report-palestinian-authority http://hdl.handle.net/10986/20120 |
| Summary: | Winter storm Alexa, which hit the
West Bank and Gaza from December 11 to 14, 2013, was one of
the strongest storms to arrive in five decades.
Coordination during the emergency highlighted the inadequacy
of the region's disaster preparedness plans - neither
the West Bank nor Gaza had a disaster risk management (DRM)
framework or policies in place. The report lays the
groundwork for implementing a longer-term DRM framework
within the West Bank and Gaza, and for international
partners' assistance in doing so. It estimates the
physical damages and economic losses in the water and
sanitation, transport, energy, housing, and agriculture
sectors because they endured most of the storm's
impacts. Furthermore, the report explores ways to
strengthen emergency management capacity, improve
coordination between central and local governments, and
establish a decentralized decision-support system. One of
the major findings of the report was that agriculture and
livestock was the most affected sector, accounting for 65
percent of the total damages and losses. Given the
increased frequency of extreme weather events, and the
increased economy shocks that follows, the assessment
strongly recommends developing and adopting a DRM policy,
which would comprise of both a legal framework and risk
reduction activities across sectors. The assessment is
organized into four sections: (i) an introduction that
includes an overview of disaster facts and an assessment
methodology; (ii) economic and social impacts; (iii) damage
and losses and impact on human development, broken down into
sectors; and (iv) recovery and needs, broken down into
sectors. There are also two appendixes, one on
"Participants in the Rapid Assessment," and the
other on "Existing DRM Initiatives in West Bank and
Gaza." Included are also maps, photographs from a
spacecraft, tables, and charts. |
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