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     The country of Fiji is an island country that attracts a large number of tourists every year. In addition to the popular vacation destination, the islands also have many islanders who call Fiji home. Of the over 300 island, and 500 islets, 110 of them are currently inhabited. In order to keep all of the people visiting, and permanently living, on the islands safe, it is important to address these key natural disasters that this country deals will on a regular basis. 

The first naturally occurring disaster that I would like to address is the current temperature change across the world. Due to the large amounts of green house gases that are being produced and released into the atmosphere, the world has become warmer. The reason this is such a big deal for Fiji is not the direct weather change becoming hotter, but is a more indirect affect. The increased earths temperature is melting the ice that is on both ends of the earths axis. The melting glaciers are then adding more water into the ocean causing a rise in sea level and this is what directly affects the islands of Fiji.

     Having an increase in sea level brings a very negative affect to Fiji because the current geography is being changed. As already stated, the country of Fiji consists of many islands of varying sizes. As the sea levels increase the land space decreases because more and more land will be below the tides of the ocean. This has already caused many problems in this country and will continue to cause more as time passes. Entire villages have been moved because they their homes have been flooded, or the land is eroding and creating an unstable environment for their homes. 

Flooding and land erosion are serious naturally occurring disasters that occur all over, but in Fiji they are currently causing a large problem. Flooding occurs in Fiji not only from rain, but also the rise in sea level. Flooding is bad because it can destroy crops, damage buildings, and damage the overall productivity of the space being flooded. Flooding Fiji also makes if harder to get to certain people and insure that all the islanders have living essentials at their disposal. Land erosion occurs when there is soil detachment, and then the top layer, or possibly more layers than one, get moved to a new location and then deposited elsewhere. In Fiji’s case, the main eroding problem occurs when the soil is being moved into the ocean and the land above the ocean is decreased. 

     Because of these issues in Fiji, I recommend that the government and individual families and businesses prepare in advance as much as possible. The islands need to closely monitor the buildings near the seas edges to make sure that their foundations hold strong and can support the people within the homes. Making sure that there is public awareness, both in adults and children, about what to do and how they personally need to prepare and respond. Individuals need to make sure to store water and food in case they are ever flooded in. Also, first aid, radio, batteries, and other home essentials should be stored. Not relying on government employees to cheek the foundations of homes but taking it upon the home owners themselves to insure their property is safe. Having all of these things will help insure safety. However, in the future if the sea level continues to rise, there were be more villages that will need to move. Though some have already starting migrating to other locations, Fiji needs to have a plan for where their people can live in the future with the growing population and decreasing land space.

     While I understand that there are a number of natural disasters that Fiji, and any other country, has to consider as being a major threat, I believe that Fiji should closely monitor the sea level changes. Though it may not seem as important as hurricanes and fires, I believe it is. Due to the lack of preparedness that the island currently has for the future of this matter, I hope that people will begin to see the real danger that the climate change could potentially bring to the islands of Fiji.

http://www.fiji.gov.fj/

http://tedxtalks.ted.com/video/TEDx-Perth-Curt-Stager-Deep-Fut

http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/engineer/facts/12-053.htm

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/01/29/3222641/fiji-climate-change-refugee/

http://www.climatechangenews.com/2016/02/15/fiji-first-to-ratify-paris-climate-change-pact/

http://www.go-fiji.com/naturaldisasters.html

http://fijiweatherforecast.com/yearly-weather-in-fiji/

http://fijimarinas.com/climate-weather-fiji/

Coastal Hazards

     Winds above the seas surface travel at fast rates and have energy that can be transferred. When friction between the wind and the oceans surface have enough energy it creates waves that can travel long distances and hit land. When multiple waves pile up, they can form rip currents that can be very dangerous. The islands of Fiji can have hazardous currents around them that make for dangerous swimming conditions. Unfortunately for beach goes, rip currents may not have any warning signs. Most people do not realize there is a rip current until they find themselves caught in one. It is said that if you get caught in a rip current that you should swim on a diagonal so you can escape the powerful currents. 

      Sea-level changes are a consistently changing all over the world. In Fiji, the sea-level has been on the rise. In villages in Fiji, farms have been flooded as well as about 30 homes relocated because of the change in sea-level. The country has spent $879,000 moving these homes and the village owners. 

http://www.go-fiji.com/oceansafety.html

http://repository.usp.ac.fj/7463/

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/01/29/3222641/fiji-climate-change-refugee/

Extreme Weather

The tropical islands of Fiji enjoys a weather pattern that does not become extremely hot or cold. Winds passing the islands go from south-east and head to the north-west parts of the islands. The wind creates a sea breeze are stronger in the winter when it is not as hot out and have fewer hours that the sun is out. There is rain fall in the wet regions of Fiji as well as some dryer areas. It is said that from November to April there is rain while May to October there is less rain. Heavy rainfall may result in flooding. Flash flooding in wet seasons can be common between November to April. Because Fiji is surrounded by water, storms can also result in flooding. The dry zones however are at risk of having droughts. As we all know well living in California right now, droughts can have negative affects on the economy and agriculture. There was a drought in Fiji during 1997 until 1998 that was said to have caused $104 million. 

http://www.go-fiji.com/naturaldisasters.html

http://fijiweatherforecast.com/yearly-weather-in-fiji/

http://fijimarinas.com/climate-weather-fiji/

Mass Wasting

As defined by our text, mass wasting is, “ a comprehensive term for any type of downslope movement of earth materials” (p216). A landslide is, “the earth-flows and debris flow, rockfalls, and avalanches” (p.216). Not needing any specific trigger, a landslide is fighting is the giving into gravity that causes the event to take place at anytime. Warnings of a landslide include but are not limited to soil moving away from foundation, offset fence lines, leaning telephone poles or fences, sunken road beds, or a faint rumbling sound that increases as a landslide gets closer. Overall, while in a landslide it is important to remember to stay alert and awake. Because things are shifting it is important to be aware that the path of moving debris might shift and you might be in the path of the change. Also, it is advised to evacuate as soon as possible saving yourself not your belongings that can be repurchased at a later safer time.

In 2004, Fiji experienced a landslide affected many people during their easter break. I found this landslide the best to talk about since we will all be on easter break next week as easter is on Sunday. Unfortunately, the landslide killed ten people and according to the article I found there were still many missing people right after the disaster. Fiji’s National Emergency Operations Centre believed that approximately 10,000 were directly affected by the storm and lots of damage was done to crops and buildings. Fortunately the Fiji Red Cross was extremely fast at getting into the disaster zones and helping people evacuate and tend to the wounded. Most injuries were on the feet of the victims from running and sharp object embedded into the mud piercing the skin. Another major concern was clean drinking water and the spread of HIV/AIDS virus. Other types of precautions that Fiji takes include the Fiji Roads Authority advising people of travel plans and what roads to avoid. Alert radio systems help to notify people of actions taking place and what to do in their own area.

http://landslides.usgs.gov/learn/prepare.php

http://www.ifrc.org/ar/news-and-media/news-stories/asia-pacific/fiji/landslides-ruin-fijis-easter-break/

http://fijisun.com.fj/2015/01/05/villages-cut-off-by-landslide/

http://thewatchers.adorraeli.com/2016/02/19/fiji-on-high-alert-severe-tropical-cyclone-winston-set-to-strike-with-violent-force/

Volcanos

The textbook says that most volcanic activity is related to tonic plate movement. The book also talks about how two thirds of the above sea level earthquakes occur in the ring fire. My country of Fiji is located in the ring of fire. There are four volcanos on different islands in Fiji. Nabukelevu is one of Fiji’s volcano on the island of Kadavu and has three fault lines running through it. This volcano has said to have not erupted in over 10,000 years. The largest of the four volcanos is Taveuni but has not erupted since 1658 AD. 

A disaster readiness campaign was launched because Fiji is a very disaster prone country. There have been 36 natural disasters in Fiji since 1980 that have said to have a death toll of 221 people. ‘Get Ready Disasters Happen’ is a campaign designed to make people aware and and promote key messages in order to get the community ready in the even of a disaster like a volcanic eruption. 

https://theextinctionprotocol.wordpress.com/2011/03/31/6-4-fiji-quake-sends-more-warning-signs-for-pacific-ring-of-fire/

http://www.go-fiji.com/volcanoes.html

http://reliefweb.int/report/fiji/disaster-preparedness-campaign-launched

Earthquakes

      Magnitude is the size of an earthquake, this is the measured amount of ground that has moved and amount of energy being released. Intensity however is in a specific place determining how strong the earthquake is. So a single earthquake will have an over all magnitude and then different levels of intensity depending on the location. 

      The Fiji area has earthquakes apparently very often. According to the IRIS link we were given this week, their last earthquake was on Feb. 16 and had a magnitude of 4.4. The earthquake before that was on the same day but went up to a 4.5. Before those two, there was an earthquake on the 8th of February and two more on the 6th.

To prepare for earthquakes and associated tsunami hazards, Fiji has an approach that includes the following

1. Hazard Assessment
2. Vulnerability Assessment
3. Disaster Mitigation Measures
4. Emergency Response Planning
5. Public Awareness and Policy Support
6. Dissemination of Findings

      They have very specific codes for buildings and land-usage to set a higher standard for construction. They raise public awareness through their Disaster Risk Reduction program. Children are taught in schools to go underneath a table or desk, hold their bags over their head if they are not under a desk, use their hands and sit down in a ball with their head between their knees if necessary, and how to use emergency tools. 

http://ds.iris.edu/seismon/eventlist/index.phtml?region=Australia_NZ&lon=174.95&lat=-17

http://www.pacificdisaster.net/pdnadmin/data/documents/9773.html

http://www.redcross.com.fj/disaster/

http://www.preventionweb.net/files/2951_SESIOutcomeallfinal.pdf

Plate Tectonics -Week 2

According to our text, a plate tectonic is defined as, “a geological processes that deform Earth’s lithosphere, producing land forms such as ocean basins, continents, and mountains” (p. 33). There are different types mentioned in our lesson this week. Divergent plates separate from each other and form new ocean floor. Convergent boundaries are the loss of ocean floor when one side dips below the other. When there is no formation or loss, it is called transform boundary and this is when the two side move next to each other in opposite directions. 

Located near the Australian tectonic plate is the island of Fiji. It is said that there is some of the most activity happening here on the convergent plate line. An article I found titled, Tonic Activity and Plate Boundaries Along the Northern Flank of the Fiji Platform, stated that the observational study of the plate shows that there is movement of anti clockwise rotation. When I read this I was a bit confused because I thought that the plate would only move up and down so there would be no rotation. If I am understanding this correctly though, and I might not be, the plate is not a straight line but actually a curved line. Therefore, rotation happens because the line itself curves.

On November 1, 2014, Fiji had a 7.1 magnitude earthquake. Fortunately, it is said that there was not a great deal of damage and a resulting tsunami is not anticipated due to the earthquake. The quake was due to the convergent plate line and there is expected more earthquakes because of the location of the island in relation to the plate line.

http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2FBF01204551#page-1

http://www.earthscope.org/science/geo-events/m7.1-fiji

Post #1

       According to the summary given by Dr. Ana García-García, there are natural processes that occur in the world and will never be labeled as a hazard. To me this makes sense, a hazard is something that is considered dangerous and if there is no one near that can be affected by a natural process it can not be labeled as something that is putting people at risk. However, when there are people around the path of a natural process it then can have an affect on a person and be hazardous. 

       A natural hazard can then be further broken down into two categories that classify the magnitude of the hazard. First, a disaster is a hazard that “ten or more people die, a hundred or more people are affected, a declared state of emergency, or a requested international assistance has been made” (García-García). The other category of hazards is called a catastrophe. In a catastrophe, there is a much bigger disaster that consumes a large amount of money and time spent in order to restore the ares back into it’s original state or one similar. 

The first thing that ever came to my mind when I though of Fiji was an expensive bottle of water. Of course I knew it was an entire country and an island, I did not know much else other than it was beautiful. After some research, I found out that Fiji is located about 1,960 miles from Sydney, Australia in the southwest Pacific Ocean. There are 332 islands that make up the country of Fiji. It’s 849,000 (2010) islanders make up the population living on about 100 of the islands in Fiji. The final fact that I found particularly interesting, was that Fiji did not have it’s independence from Britain until just recently in 1970. (Fiji)

       I have decided that this semester I would take a closer look at the country of Fiji and relate what I have learned in class to the actual events that have happened here. In an article I found, one of the biggest natural processes that occurred in Fiji was in 1931 (Yeo). A hurricane and flood stole the life of approximately 225 people on the island. Because of this is well exceeds the ten people minimum for a natural disaster and took time and money to restore, I would think that this even would be labeled a catastrophe.

Fiji. (n.d.). Retrieved February 03, 2016, from http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/oceania/fj.htm#page

Yeo, S. W. and Blong, R. J. (2010), Fiji's worst natural disaster: the 1931 hurricane and flood. Disasters, 34: 657–683. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-7717.2010.01163.x