Cyprus Civil Defense and Disaster Management Arrangements - Report Example

Background on Cyprus Cyprus is an island found in the Mediterranean Sea in Eastern Basin. The country is sometimes taken as being part of Europe with the Republic of Cyprus being considered as a member state of European Union in 2004. Cyprus is 249km lengthwise with a width of 100km with Turkey 75km of its North (Cyprus Mail, 2008, 17). Also in the neighborhood or Cyprus are Syria, Lebanon to the east, Egypt to the South, Israel in the southeast and Greece is in west-northwest. By the year 2014 the population of Cyprus was approximated at 1 172 458 with a growth rate of 1.48%. The country had a birth rate of 11.48 births in 1000 population while the death rate stood at 6.57 deaths in 1000 population. Also in the urban population was approximated at 70.5% in 2011 with the rate of urbanization being approximated at 1.36% from 2010-2015. The population’s life expectancy in Cyprus is 78.34 years with the male’s expectancy being 75.54 years while female being 81.27 years in 2014. The coastline of Cyprus is about 735 km1 of which 50% is under the control of the Republic of Cyprus and 50% under Turkish occupation (Loizidou , 2000,23). Hazards and Vulnerabilities Even though Cyprus has had a number of emergencies the scale has not been as large as that experienced in other countries. Draughts Even though are not termed as being disaster factor in Cyprus, there occurrence has become more frequent with their occurrence having adverse impacts on the environment, social life and the economy. Between 1990 and 2005, the country has experienced three meteorological drought events, the first being that that was experienced in 1990-1992, the second occurred in 1997 -2000 and the third occurred in 2004-2006 (Cyprus Mail, 2008,19). The first two droughts incidents brought about a serious shortage of water that adversely affected the total population under the jurisdiction of Government of the Republic of Cyprus, but the third case did not result to hydrological drought, owing to the fact that the previous yearly just before the drought even were relatively wet with surface reservoirs being filled with water. In the summer months in Cyprus temperatures have been reported to go beyond 40 C, and these results to frequent forest fire outbreaks which spread very fast in presence of wind (Rowe, 1980,37). With most of the areas concerned being remote and inaccessible and also there being the need for prompt response, the Government has put in place two helicopters and a light fire fighting aircrafts to be in standby incase of fire in addition to regular fire services. The helicopters that are used in fire fighting have large water capacities and refilling of water can be done in flight in any reservoirs located island. Refilling of water buckets calls for use of fresh water only due to the adverse effect sea water may have on local trees and plants. The light aircraft is equipped with type of water jets on its wings referred to as crop spraying, and it also have in addition water tanks on its belly. When such method of extinguishing fire is used it is found to be very effective with large blaze being brought under control within a very short time. The British RAF Griffin helicopters which have a fire fighting capability are also available and may be called upon assist in emergency of fire (European Commission, 201, 29). Even though civil defense is not a direct response force just as the case of the police and the Fire service, it is supposed to be prepared so as to be able to act and give assistance to other services where major disasters are reported. The Civil Defense Rescue Department is organized in away that it is able to give immediate response where assistance is needed from remaining authorized state services. The Rescue Teams are required to undergo training and exercise in training grounds that are adequately equipped and this make them useful in fire fighting and also in water pumping in incidents of flooding. Earth Quakes When natural disasters are being addressed in Cyprus thoughts are directed towards earth quakes since the country is located in an area that is ranked second on earth in earthquake zoning. The fact that Cyprus is the most inactive in the zone is a relief. The country usually experiences numerous tremors each year with most seismic threat being linked to what is referred to as the Cyprian Arc. Even though very little is known about the Cyprian Arc, there is a belief that it passes along south coast of Cyprus, with an alternative research indicating that it actually passes across Cyprus (Zhang Baohong, 1994,46). With this background on earthquake proneness, there has been need of establishing a seismic monitoring network in the country that comprises of a total of seven seismic stations, two relay stations and a total of twenty nine accelerometer stations. The headquarters of the monitoring networks are in Nicosia where the building also serves as a recording station. According to Government statistics, a total of five hundred events are experienced each year while the regional events recorded per year are in the tune of one thousand. The history of the Island has shown that powerful earthquakes which occurred in the past destroyed cities. Earthquakes in the tune of 5.5 on the Richter scale have been found to occur after every 26 years while those in the tune of 6.0 on the Richter scale have been found to be occurring after 75 years (Zhang, 1994,32). Paphos has been identified as being the area with highest risk, where we have had the last three major earthquakes one that occurred in 1953 that measured 6.5 and claiming lives of 63 people, the 1995 earthquakes that measured 5.8 and claimed the lives of 2 people and the third being that of 1996 whose magnitude was 6.5 with no life being lost. The fact that Cyprus is close to Cyprian Arc, it means that evacuation procured cannot be effected. Tsunamis Most of the Tsunamis that are experienced in European waters come as a result of earthquake activity with 10% of all the Tsunamis that occur worldwide being reported to happen in the Mediterranean with the average occurrence of major Tsunami being a century (European Commission, 2010, 19). The areas in the neighborhood of Greece and Southern Italy have been found to be the most affected where thousands of lives have been lost over the centuries where Tsunamis with heights of fifty metres have been reported. An earthquake happening in the Mediterranean has a possibility of causing a Tsunami to be experienced in Cyprus coast, something that has been experienced in the past, even though the risk to Cyprus is categorized as very low. In order to address this low risk a Buoy powered ocean observatory located off the south coast of the country, which has been fully been equipped with a state of the art equipment and is able to provide an early warning to the country. The observatory has been expanded extensively a result of which has seen a prototype Tsunami Warning and Early Response System for Cyprus (TWERC) being put into operation. The CYCOFOS observatory has two MCS OceanNET surface buoys that produce electrical power and satellite telemetry backhaul used in transmitting data to shore. Marine Pollution With Cyprus being an island nation, the sea surrounding it is considered to be a very important resource. The Cyprus maritime area is made a coastal boundary in tune of 735km and this has economic, social as well as environmental value. In the modern society life is not imaginable when shipping is brought out of the picture. There are consequences that come as a result of global trade and travel with sea accident being seen to be inevitable. Some of the potential hazards that are likely to be countered include a rescue scenario that may involve a ferry or a cruise vessel off the coast, a shipping transportation accident occurrence or sea vessel approaching ashore without control due to severe weather. Most of maritime incidents are likely to lead to oil spillage or toxic pollutants release. So far Cyprus has been lucky enough since there has not been any major accident that has been reported so far. Occurrence of a major accident that is likely to result to pollution is inevitably to result serious consequences being felt in aquaculture and in the coastal leisure and tourism sectors. The Fisheries Department in the Ministry of Agriculture, Natural resources and environment has been given the responsibility of looking after the marine environment. There is a Contingency Plan in place that has been given the responsibility of establishing the necessary infrastructure that can ensure there is effective and timely response where occurrence of maritime pollution accident is reported. As part of dealing with the issue of pollution there is a regional agreement in place involving Cyprus, Egypt and Israel this being with the aim of combating pollution accidents that are likely to happen in Eastern Mediterranean (Calow,1998,47). Improvement in safety at sea involves development, implementation and enforcement of international regulations. Historically it has been established that the key drivers of change that whose manifestation is inform of new or amended safety regulation have been driven by large scale shipping accidents (Charlebois, 2012,33). A good demonstration of this is the case of the safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) convention that came about as result of the Titanic accident. There has also significant updates on the SOLAS with an introduction of ISM Code this being to the lessons that were learned from Herald of Free Enterprise that occurred in 1987. Radiation Incident (Domestic) When there is an accident that could lead to breach of radioactive source containment may result to people in the immediate vicinity being exposed to the radiation or there may be a spill that would contaminate the surrounding area with the danger of exposure to people in the surrounding or the emergency workers in charge. In Cyprus there is an early warning system that whose operation is in charge of the General Hospital of Nicosia. The system consists of a number of sensors which transmits data on line under the operation of Civil Defense force and is under a 24 hour basis. The utilization, storing, disposal and the transportation of radioactive sources with or outside the country is licensed. A number of mitigation measures have been put in place where some categories of licensees, need some intervention plans with regards to the licensing system. The preparation are undertaken by the licensees then submitted to relevant Local Authorities (Rowe, 1980,31). Measures around packaging and labeling and making appointment for radiation protection advisor and dangerous goods safety are the other safe guards which have been put in place. Cyber Incident In many countries the daily undertakings in the government, health, transport, manufacturing, generation of power, finance, education and many other commercial and social interactions are facilitated by the national and commercial information and communication technology (ICT) infrastructure. There is significant dependency on ICT at individual, national and transnational levels. It is from this background that protecting the cyber space is seen to be a primary issue in many countries Cyprus included (European Commission, 2010,23). Cyber threats in the recent years have been seen to be increasingly sophisticated and potentially damaging and this has made it necessary to have a response from the state that is well-planned and with good coordination. Infectious disease including pandemic Pandemics that have occurred over the centuries affecting the entire globe include influenza. A typical case being the case in April 2009 where there was issuance of a public health alert by the World Health Organization announcing that human pandemic influenza (HIN1) had been identified in Mexico and USA (European Commission,2011,25). The department of health activated the national plan pandemic influenza. The department also had to maintain close contact with European Centre for Disease Control and with public health officials the European Member States and also with World Health Organization. Loss of Critical Infrastructure When it comes to national level critical infrastructure includes ports, airports, and power and communication networks, water supply transport networks among others. Each Department has the responsibility of managing their own risks ensuring that the Agencies or Bodies falling within its remit have a risk management system that is robust. With essential services being inter dependant it means that the “the domino effect” of disruption at one point in critical infrastructure may be of significant effect when it comes to smooth functioning of the other important services. Events such as bad weather can expose critical infrastructure such as roads network or electricity supply under strain. Severe cold weather or very hot temperatures have been reported to have a great impact on social, commercial and domestic life. A Severe weather coordination Group that involves Government Departments, Specialist Agencies and Principal Response Agencies may be convened so that they can work during periods of severe weathers so that they can deal with cross cutting issues at national level (Coccossis, 2008,37). This approach that involves the entire Government type of approach is essential in ensuring that critical infrastructure which is essential for smooth running of daily life is maintained. Terrorism In terms of terrorism threat Cyprus is considered to be at low risk even though some sporadic incidents of low level bombings have been reported on the Island. There have also been some postulations of there being terrorism elements in the Northern sector which is under the Turkish administration(Cyprus Storms Live, 2014,9). But so far no information exists that indicates there being a campaign against foreign or western interests in Cyprus. Animal Diseases Diseases that are transmissible and having potential for very serious and very rapid spreading with no respect to national borders, the diseases also having serious socio-economic or public health concern and having major importance with regards to international trade in animals and their products are under European legislative control measures. Such diseases include avian influenza, foot and mouth disease, classical swine fever, Newcastle disease and bluetongue (Calow, 1998,36). The control measures which require implementation for majority of these diseases include slaughtering of the infected animals or birds, proper disposal of the carcasses, cleaning and disinfecting the premises, tracing of animals and their products, people as well as vehicles to prohibit spread of disease and introducing movement control zones. For some diseases especially those that are vector bone, introduction of vaccination is seen as being the most appropriate step for cases where there are suitable vaccines. There is need to put in place contingency measures so as to manage outbreaks of what are considered as the most significant of the previously listed diseases. Outbreaks of diseases such as foot and mouth diseases may have a big impact on trade in animals and their products. The level of the impact will be dependent on the nature of the disease, the time at which it breaks, area of outbreak the extent and duration f the outbreak and the prevailing trading situation during the time of the outbreak. Outbreak of animal diseases may also have effect on the tourism industry while some diseases such as avian influenza may have direct impact on human health. The impact of there being an outbreak of foot and mouth disease in the country can be learned from what occurred in Co. Louth in 2001 when there was an outbreak of the disease. Large costs were incurred in the farming industry as a result of there being a restriction on livestock movement, exports bans being imposed to some non-EU markets, animal and animal product from Co-Louth being banned, substantial stocks being culled leading to losses and pushing livestock prices high (European Commission, 2010,29). Measures against risks There has been supply and installation of a new warning system that covers the entire Cyprus Island. A new central information and operation control centre with 24-hour access with a connection to a single number 112 have been established. The emergency number is already operated simultaneously by the police with the 199 number that was used previously. The civil defense has also put in place an electronic siren network in towns and communities, so that it is possible for the population to receive a warning whenever there is a threat be it a natural disaster or hostile activities. The siren network is such that it is capable of sounding an alarm, can send a signal for mobilization and can also send sound messages. Upon hearing a sound from the siren citizens would be expected to follow the Civil Defense instruction and those from other Essential Services dealing with disasters. The units which are located in urban areas and villages are under the care of conscripts and those volunteering, who have received some basic training, so that they can be able to serve the divisions of first aid, rescue, welfare, neighborhood watch, fire fighting and telecommunications. Based on International Humanitarian Law, passed in Geneva Conventions in 1949, Cyprus Civil Defense (CCD) are under International Protection suppose there is an international armed conflict. Upon being independent in 1960, Cyprus embarked on setting up its own mechanism of addressing natural and manmade disasters. The philosophy of operation is on the basis of mobilizing and utilization of the entire population whenever there is a disaster. This has translated to having a small number of professionals who are paid for their services with the part time volunteer officers being the majority. Additional to CCD members, all citizens of Cyprus are expected serve a mandatory of two years. In overall CCD membership 10,000m in every 800, 000 of Cyprus population cycle (Cyprus Storms Live, 2014,11). Civilian Measures CCD has improvement and training programmes open days and also undertake promotion of awareness of emergency procedures with the aim of comfort knowledge in civilians about Cyprus preparedness. All civilians are informed to record the emergency number 112 and the number is to be displayed in their homes, airports, restaurants, hotels and other public avenues cycle (Cyprus Storms Live, 2014,13). The civilians are also supposed to have one of their family members being trained in first aid. The command centre is in operation for 24 hours and is connected to monitoring and Information Centre of the European Union and for the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA). The CCD is recognized to be the only competent body in the country when it comes to development of policies and sound implementation that is linked to full disaster management cycle (Cyprus Storms Live, 2014,13). The experts for European Commission concerned with civil protection retain contact with some member states and work to ensure there is coordination in providing rescue services. The European Civil Protection Mechanism sees to it that that there is cooperation in disaster response in all the 31 European states that includes Liechtenstein, Croatia, Norway and Iceland. Participating countries usually bring their resources together so that the resources can be made available during time of disasters anywhere in the world. Upon activation, co-ordination of provision of assistance is through the Mechanism both inside and outside the European Union. The mechanism is under the management European Commission through the Monitoring and Information Centre (MIC). A number of natural occurrences have been recognized as being able to turn out as being major incidents and disasters that can be a big threat to human life in the country. Drought is seen as the most common as Cyprus regularly experience draught leading to water shortages and a long with Malta, the countries are termed as the “Water poor countries of Europe”. The problem of water has been a problem in Cyprus for centuries with history showing civilians evacuation due to shortage of water(European Commission, 2010,17). Cyprus also currently has water desalination plants, even though benefits are to be weighed the high energy use in the running of the desalination plants. In direct opposite of the drought there are storms that are experienced in the island where Tornadoes have been reported to cause a lot of damage. There has also been flooding incidences that have been reported in the recent past, with lightening causing damages to electrical installations and appliances. Numerous fires have also been reported in the summer months which are very hot most of which have been associated with negligence or deliberately being started. The national risk matric RISK IDENTIFICATION QUALITATIVE RISK ASSESSMENT RISK ID# Risk event Effect P R O B A B I L I T Y IMPACT OV E R A L L S COR E Risk Matrix 1 Radiation Population weakened by disease; high medical bills; deaths to the population; loss of productivity to the industry L H 18 18 2 Marine pollution Destruction of people’s livelihoods; loss of lives; alteration of the natural environment; spread of waterborne diseases H H 36 36 3 Earth quake Destruction of property, loss of lives H H 36 36 4 Animal diseases Interferes with supply of food to the population, affects trading L M 10 10 5 Loss or critical infrastructure Disruption of transport and other critical services M M 15 15 6 Infectious disease Population weakened by disease; high medical bills; deaths to the population; loss of productivity to the industry M H 20 20 7 Draught Interferes with agricultural production, high expense in water provision by the government to affected population M H 21 21 8 Tsunamis Destruction of property, loss of life. Interference with economic activities M M 15 15 9 Cyber incident Loss of money, loss access to confidential information by unauthorized persons M M 15 15 10 Terrorism Loss of lives due to attack, low tourism L M 21 21 Fault tree Figure 1 Fund allocation on risks Cyprus GDP=$23 269 000 000 Allocation for risk is 1%= 0.01X23 269 000 000 = 232 690 000 Risk Fund allocation Activities Terrorism 2326900 Ensuring that country borders are not porous to allow bad elements from entering the country Allocate funds towards intelligence gathering Buying up to date security equipment to be used in combating terrorism Collaboration with other world countries in addressing terrorism Draughts 2646000 Investing in Rescue Team training to undergo training and exercise in training grounds that are adequately equipped and this make them useful in fire fighting that come as a result of draughts By more fire fighting planes Earth quakes 2327800 Deliberations on centralization of critical infrastructure Allocating funds to be used in setting up high technical standards that are at par with international best practice Tsunamis 2326900 Engage in multi-hazard risk assessments, strengthening safeguards, exchanging information, expertise and equipment. Deliberations on centralization of critical infrastructure Allocating funds to be used in setting up high technical standards that are at par with international best practice Marine pollution 2006900 Ensure that all marine operation laws are adhered to avoid sea accidents Allocate have funds that are to be used in cleaning polluted sea waters Radiation 2326900 Allocation of funds for strengthening and maintenance of the monitoring system Increasing the number of personnel dealing with issues to do with radioactive substances licensing and also invest in advancement of education in this area. Cyber incident 2326900 Offering training in ICT Infectious diseases 2326900 Investing in modern technologies for detecting infectious diseases Loss of critical infrastructure 2646900 Deliberations on centralization of critical infrastructure Allocating funds to be used in setting up high technical standards that are at par with international best practice Animal diseases 2006900 Increasing personnel and training Conclusion From this risk analysis the risks that Cyprus is prone to has been clearly been given. Some of the events that have been rated as being of high risk include draughts, cyber incidences, infectious diseases, and marine pollution and earth quakes. These risk rating are mostly due to geological location of Cyprus. While Cyprus has not been previously been rated highly with regards to terrorism the events that are unfolding in the Middle East countries (Arab spring) makes the country to be vulnerable and thus high terrorism rating. The occurrence of a natural catastrophe like earth quake is seen to have the ability of affecting the country’s economic activities (Loizidou, 2000,23). This clearly indicated the need for the country to invest funds in risk management. References Coccossis H. (2008). CAMP Cyprus: ICAM Methodology and proposed ICAM strategic framework Cyprus Mail. ( 2008). Drought-hit Cyprus anticipates emergency aid from EU Cyprus Storms Live. (2014). Cyprus Civil Defense and Disaster Management Arrangements Dusik J. (2008). CAMP Cyprus: Pilot testing of the CAMP guidelines on SEA for the CAMP pilot study area Loizidou X.( 2000). Coastline management and erosion control in Cyprus, proceedings of SURVAS expert workshop on European vulnerability and adaptation to impacts of accelerated Sea-Level Rise (ASLR). (2000). Hamburg, Germany, 19 -21 Ministry of Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment, (2006). A strategic approach to the management of the Cyprus coastal zone WL Delft Hydraulics. (1999). Coastal zone management for Cyprus: project description Rowe, E. D. (1980). Risk Assessment Approaches and Methods // Society, Technology and Risk Assessment / J. Conrad (ed.). London: Academic Press,.P. 3–29. Calow, P. (1998). Handbook of Environmental Risk Assessment and Management. –Oxford, Blackwell Science. European Commission. (2011). Council conclusions on Further Developing Risk Assessment for DisasterManagement within the European Union, , 8068/11. Read More