PCRAFI AIR Brochure: Cook Islands

In this country risk profile, Cook Island's earthquake and tropical cyclone risk profiles are derived from an estimation of the direct losses to buildings, infrastructure assets and major crops that are caused by all the simulated potential future events. The direct losses include the cost of repairing or replacing the damaged assets, but do not include other losses such as contents losses, business interruption losses and losses to primary industries other than agriculture. The direct losses for tropical cyclones are caused by wind and flooding due to rain and storm surge, while losses for earthquakes are caused by ground shaking and tsunami inundation. After assessing the cost of repairing or rebuilding the damaged assets due to the impact of all the simulated potential future events, it is possible to estimate in a probabilistic sense the severity of losses for future catastrophes. The Cook Islands are expected to incur, on average, about 5 million USD per year in losses due to earthquakes and tropical cyclones. In the next 50 years, the Cook Islands have a 50 percent chance of experiencing a loss exceeding 75 million USD and casualties larger than 130 people, and a 10 percent chance of experiencing a loss exceeding 270 million USD and casualties larger than 200 people. The risk information can help identify existing vulnerable areas and communities located in or adjacent to these areas. It can also assist in supporting more targeted intervention in community-based disaster risk management and climate change adaptation actions. In the occurrence of a natural disaster the database also provides extremely useful baseline data and information for conducting timely and effective post-disaster damage assessments.