What question did this study set out to answer?

The aim is to explore the hidden costs associated with coastal hazards and improve understanding of true disaster impacts.

April 1, 2001Open Access

The Hidden Costs of Coastal Hazards; Implications for Risk Assessment and Mitigation

Key Points

The aim is to explore the hidden costs associated with coastal hazards and improve understanding of true disaster impacts.
Review of literature on coastal disasters and their economic impacts.
Framework development to categorize impacts into built, business, social, and natural environments.
Analysis of existing reporting mechanisms and policy environments related to disaster costs.
Identified significant differences between reported and actual costs of coastal disasters.
Proposed a new framework for understanding the various impacts of disasters beyond monetary values.
Recommended measures for local communities and governments to implement effective mitigation strategies.

Abstract

Review: The Hidden Costs of Coastal Hazards; Implications for Risk Assessment and Mitigation By H. John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics, and the Environment H. John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics, and the Environment. The Hidden Costs of Coastal Hazards: Implications for Risk Assessment and Mitigation. Washington, DC: Island Press, 2000. 220 pp. ISBN 1-55963-756- 0 (paper). US 30. 00 On September 22, 1989, my wife and I were eastbound on Amtrak's Empire Builder, enjoying a relaxing ride through Montana and North Dakota. As we were reflecting on our just completed vacation in Glacier National Park, Hurricane Hugo was laying waste to a large portion of South Carolina. But it was not until I returned home to Northeast Columbia two days later that I saw the details the news reports could only allude to. Columbia is 183 kilometers inland from Charleston, scene of the most publicized effects of Hugo, yet the destruction for many of us east of town was significant. Reading The Hidden Costs of Coastal Disasters brought back many memories and at the same time filled a void. I expect that most people who have experienced a major, wide-spread disaster are left believing the official damage estimates greatly understate the actual costs. The Hidden Costs of Coastal Disasters documents the results of a study funded and managed by The H. John Heinz III Center for Science, Economics and the Environment. One of the founding hypotheses of the study is that all major disasters carry both reported and unreported costs. The reported may be the smaller of the two, and the unreported are typically difficult to quantify. The study asserts that sometimes it is the nature of the impacts that they cannot be easily described in terms of dollar value, but many times it is simply that adequate reporting mechanisms are not in place to gather the needed data. The Heinz study sought to re-characterize coastal disasters in a more comprehensive manner, to thoroughly document unstated costs, and to suggest ways that mitigation strategies can be developed and implemented by local communities and governments. The first chapter provides context for the remainder of the book. The concept of hidden costs is introduced and distinguished from reported costs, financial and other impacts are summarized, the human and natural landscapes are characterized, and the current insurance and regulatory/non- regulatory policy environments are described. The book is not confined to a study of Hurricane Hugo, but that event is used to build a framework for discussing the broader topic. The second chapter of the book describes in some detail the effects of Hugo. The framework divides impacts into four categories: (1) the built environment; (2) the business environment; (3) the social environment, and; (4) the natural environment. …

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