1.2 - Tectonic hazards & disaster

Question 1

What is a natural hazard?

Answer 1

A perceived nautral/geophysical event that has the potential to threaten both life and property

Question 2

What is a natural disaster?

Answer 2

The realisation of a hazard, when it causes significant impact on a vulnerable population

Question 3

What is a natural disaster?

Answer 3

The realisation of a hazard, when it causes significant impact on a vulnerable population

Question 4

What is Degg’s model?

Answer 4

Venn diagram stating that a disaster is the intersection of a hazardous geophysical event, and a vulnerable population

Question 5

Why is vulnerability important?

Answer 5

Vulnerability is directly linked to resilience, and a region’s capacity to cope with tectonic hazards

-More vulnerable populations are susceptible to worse impacts from tectonic hazards.

Question 6

What is risk?

Answer 6

The probability of a hazard occurring that leads to the loss of lives and/or livelihood

Question 7

What is resilience?

Answer 7

The ability of a system, community or society exposed to hazards to resist, absorb and recover from the effects of a hazard

Question 8

What is the resilience of a community determined by?

Answer 8

The degree to which the community has the necessary resources and is capable of organising itself both prior to and in times of need

Question 9

What is the hazard-risk equation?

Answer 9

risk = hazard x exposure x (vulnerability/manageability)

Question 10

What is the basis for the Pressure and Release model?

Answer 10

A disaster is the intersection of processes:

generating vulnerability on one side

and the natural hazard event on the other

Question 11

What 3 factors are involved in the progression of vulnerability from the PAR model?

Answer 11

root causes- limited access to; power, resources

dynamic pressures- lack of training, appropriate skills, deforestation

unsafe conditions- vulnerable society, fragile environment,

Question 12

What are some examples of root causes, dynamic pressures and unsafe conditions?

Answer 12

Root causes - limited access to resources, structures

Dynamic pressures - lack of training, local investment, rapid urbanisation, deforestation

Unsafe conditions - fragile physical environment, vulnerable society

Question 13

What are the social impacts of tectonic hazards?

Answer 13

death/injury
destruction of homes
displacement, people made homeless

Question 14

What are the economic impacts of tectonic hazards?

Answer 14

buildings/infrastructure damage
economic losses
growth of economy prevented

Question 15

Why are the impacts of tectonic hazards often greater in less developed countries?

Answer 15

Less developed countries = poorly built infrastructure, poor healthcare, lack of resources to properly protect property, overpopulation, poverty
This creates a vulnerable society with a lack of ability to be resilient to tectonic hazards

Question 16

What are the 4 different scales to measure earthquakes?

Answer 16

Richter
Moment Magnitude scale
Mercalli
Volcanic Explosivity Index

Question 17

How does the Richter scale measure earthquakes?

Answer 17

Scale = 0-9

Measurement of height (amplitude) of waves produced by an earthquake. It is an absolute scale.

Question 18

How does the Mercalli Scale measure earthquakes?

Answer 18

Scale = I-XII

Measures the experienced impacts of an earthquake. It is a relative scale

Question 19

How does the Moment Magnitude Scale measure earthquakes?

Answer 19

Scale = 0-9

Measurement based on ‘seismic moment’ of the earthquake.

Question 20

What scale is used to measure volcanic eruptions?

Answer 20

Volcanic Explosivity Index

Question 21

How does the VEI measure volcanic eruptions?

Answer 21

Scale = 0-8

Relative measure of the explosiveness of a volcanic eruption (includes qualititive observations)

Question 22

What is a tectonic hazard profile?

Answer 22

A technique used to understand physical characteristics of different types of hazards (earthquakes, tsunamis)

-used to analyse same hazards in contrasting locations

Question 23

What 6 characteristics are compared in a tectonic hazard profile?

Answer 23

▪ Frequency – How often it happens

▪ Magnitude – How extensive an area the event could affect

▪ Duration – How long the event lasts

▪ Speed of onset – How much warning time before event occurs

▪ Fatalities - Number of deaths caused

▪ Economic Loss - Value of assets damaged, lack of industry or economic productivity,
insurance policies.

▪ Spatial Predictability - The predictability of where would be affected.

Question 24

What are the 3 difficulties with hazard profiling?

Answer 24

degree of reliability when comparing different event types

don’t take into account vulnerability/ resilience of affected communities

don’t take into account duration of hazard

Question 25

What inequalities can affect vulnerability and resilience?

Answer 25

Inequalities in access to:

education
housing
healthcare
income opportunities

Question 26

What is inequality?

Answer 26

Unfair situation or distribution of assets and resources

Question 27

Why do less developed countries find themselves limited by the impacts of tectonic disasters?

Answer 27

Infrastructure is damaged, and livelihoods and savings are destroyed. Death or migration of productive labour force means economy takes a huge hit.
Tectonic disasters worsen development, and make it difficult for recovery to happen in LICs/NEEs

Question 28

Why do more developed countries sometimes actually benefit from tectonic disasters?

Answer 28

Tectonic disasters create a favourable environment for advocacy for disaster-risk reduction measures. Decision makers are also more willing to allocate resources in the wake of a disaster. Reconstruction and rehabilitation create opportunities for integrating disaster-risk measures.

Question 29

What is governance?

Answer 29

The process by which a country/region is run

Question 30

What geographical factors influence vulnerability/resilience?

Answer 30

population density
isolation/accessibility
degree of urbanisation

Question 31

What is economic governance?

Answer 31

Decision-making processes that affect a country’s economic activities and its relationship with other economies.
Major implications for equity, poverty and people’s quality of life

Question 32

What is adminstrative governance?

Answer 32

The system of policy implementation.

Disaster risk reduction = building regulations, landuse planning etc

Question 33

What is political governance?

Answer 33

The process of decision making to create policies, including national disaster reduction and planning

Question 34

What does the disaster risk and age index highlight

Answer 34

highlights;

-ageing populations
-acceleration of risk in a world increasingly exposed to a range of hazard types

-> highlights how age is important factor in understanding vulnerability & coping capacity

Question 35

Compare Myanmar & Japan in terms of:

-hazard & expsoure score
-vulnerability
-coping capacity
-overall risk

Answer 35

Myanmar
-hazard & ES - high natural hazard component -> earhquakes, tsunami
-vulnerability - moderate risk, low score
-coping capacity- poor - low internet, phone access for elderly, poor education
-overall risk - 7th/190 disaster risk = ^ for elderly

Japan
-hazard & ES - range of natural hazards, ^ exposed
-vulnerability - high -> ageing pop, low risk
-coping capacity - good, educated elderly, internet
-overall risk - 133/190 - lower vulnerability, strong coping capacity

Question 36

Name 4 non-economic aspects of development which are significant in determining how impactful tectonic hazards are

Answer 36

-access to education -> educated ppl understand/ aware of hazard risks of living where they do & what to do if there is a hazard

-access to healthcare -> better ppls health -> better they are at withstanding health & food risks resulting from hazard

-housing -> poor housing can’t withstand earthquake -> injury, death

-governance -> poor governance - corrupt, weak -> lack of preparation for hazards -> ^ risk, and poor infrastructure in first place

Question 37

What is the World Risk Index

Answer 37

it assesses risk of disaster

-calculated on a country-by-country basis

Question 38

Give an example of a hazard with high risk according to a tectonic hazard profile

Answer 38

-high magnitude but low frequency -> unexpected so country wont be prepared

-rapid onset events with low spatial predictability -> could occur in numerous places without warning

-widespread areal extent -> affects large numbers of ppl in wide range of locations

Question 39

Why may developing countries be more impacted by hazards because of their government

Answer 39

-govs in developing countries may not prioritise investing money in hazard mitigation

-want to focus their resources on development, economic growth

-> lack of hazard management -> ^ vulnerability

Question 40

What is the Risk Poverty Nexus

Answer 40

-shows link between poverty and impacts of a hazard

-

Question 41

Name the 4 types of inequalities low income ppl suffer from which affects their resilience to a hazard

Answer 41

▪ Asset inequality – Relates to housing and security of tenure and also agricultural
productivity.

▪ Political inequality – Where certain groups of people, usually the wealthy and elite, hold
quite a lot of power and political influence.

▪ Social status inequality – Often directly linked to space and has a bearing on other
dimensions of inequality, including the ability of individuals and groups to secure regular
income and access services.

▪ Entitlement inequality – Refers to unequal access to public services and welfare
systems as well as inequalities in the application of rule of law.

Question 42

Name 4 factors that can contribute to a populations vulnerability

Answer 42

▪ Unstable political governance and/or corruption - a lack of political cohesion
impacts preparation for hazard -> can impact response and recovery efforts after the event.

▪ Population density - ^ population density ^ people affected by a
hazard.

▪ Geography isolation and accessibility - remote, rural areas often have poor transport links which can negatively effect rescue efforts.

▪ Level of urbanisation - urban areas more affected by hazards:
- densely populated
- have larger amounts of
infrastructure -> more economic damage.

Question 43

Name 4 ways governments have a role in the extent to which a country is impacted by tectonic hazards

Answer 43

▪ Meeting basic needs - When food supply, water supply and health needs are met, the
population is generally less vulnerable to secondary hazards such as diseases.

▪ Planning - Land-use planning can reduce risk by preventing people living in areas of high risk. Secondary hazards may be made worse by deforestation.

▪ Preparedness - Education and community preparation programmes raise awareness and teach people how to prepare, evacuate and act when a disaster strikes.

▪ Corruption - If government politicians accept bribes and do unethical things, then vulnerability would increase as money would be invested in crucial areas like emergency
services.

Question 44

If the earthquake in Bam, southern Iran in January 2003 only had a magnitude of 6.6 why were 26,000 ppl killed

Answer 44

-timing of event -> 5.26am - most ppl asleep

-poor infrastructure -> ancient buildings, poor quality seismic building code not effectively enforced -> easily damaged
-> 3 main hospitals were destroyed in the earthquake

Question 45

What are aseismic buildings

Answer 45

buildings designed to withstand/ minimise destruction during earthquake

Question 46

What is a hazard mitigation cycle

Answer 46

the sequence of governance of a natural hazard: monitoring & prediction, mitigation, prepardness

Question 47

What is Park’s Model

Answer 47

model describing the decline and recovery pf a country over time, following a natural disaster

Question 48

What is a volcanic island arc

Answer 48

series of volcanoes that are formed consecutively as a tectonic plate moves across a magma plume