1.4 - Hazard Risk And Vulnerability Flashcards
What is a hazard
an event which has the potential to cause harm to the environment, people or the economy
What is a disaster
occurs when harm actually occurs to the environment people or the economy
How does the UN define a disaster
The UN defines a hazard as ‘a serious disruption of the functioning of a community or a society involving widespread human, material, economic or environmental losses and impacts, which exceeds the ability of the affected community or society to cope using its own resources’
What is the Deggs model
- This shows the intersection between a hazardous natural event, such as an earthquake, hurricane or landslide and a vulnerable population which experiences human and/or economic loss, to create a disaster.
- When a hazard meets a vulnerable population a disaster happens, the larger the hazard the more vulnerable the population the bigger the disaster
- For example, japan has a a high hazard level however they are very prepared so have a low level of vulnerability. On the other hand, Haiti is very vulnerable as they have a low level of development so if they have a small hazard, it causes a large disaster.
What does vulnerability mean
how susceptible an area or population is to damage from a particular hazard event
Factors affecting vulnerability
- Demographic factors: size of vulnerable population, population density
- Socio-economic factors: a country’s level of development, an individual’s wealth
- Community preparedness: public education, recent hazard events, early warning systems, building codes
- A community’s ability to deal with a hazard event: governance, effective lines of communication, emergency personnel, insurance cover
Types of vulnerability
- social
- environmental
- physical
- economic
- knowledge
- Social vulnerability: disadvantaged people young, elderly, disabled etc.) are not able to be supported by the community
- Environmental vulnerability: buildings offer very little protection
- Physical vulnerability: population pressure forces
- Economic vulnerability: loss of jobs, assets and money
- Knowledge vulnerability: there is a lack of education and training, so no warning systems and therefore no evacuation procedures
Hazard risk equation
Risk = (hazard x vulnerability)/capacity to cope
hazard - magnitude or earthquake, depth or focus, tsunami wave height etc
exposure – number of people and assets exposed to a hazard vulnerability and how each exposed element responds to the level of hazard
manageability - what can be done about the hazard through planning, training, education
What is resilience
The capacity to withstand or to recover quickly from an event such as an earthquake or volcanic eruption
Factors affecting resilience
- Population density
- Level of urbanisation
- Emergency services
- Education
- Level of corruption
- Building construction/infrastructure
PAR model
The PAR model suggests that the socio-economic context of a hazard is important. In poor, badly governed (root causes) places with rapid change and low capacity (dynamic pressures) and low coping capacity (unsafe conditions), disasters are likely.
- Root causes - related to resources, decision making and governance, these lead to dynamic pressures
- Dynamic pressures - relate to education, urbanisation and population change which create unsafe conditions
- Unsafe conditions - poor quality housing and infrastructure, poverty
Social and economic impacts of volcanic eruptions in developed and developing countries
- Developed – EFJ, Iceland 2010 VEI=4
- Developing/emerging – merapi, Indonesia 2010 VEI=4
Developed – EFJ, Iceland 2010 VEI=4
- No injuries or deaths
- 700 people evacuated
- Disruption to flights in and out of Europe affecting 10 million passengers and costing airlines an estimated £130million a day
- Flooding caused by ice melt
- Contamination of local water supply with fluoride
Developing/emerging – merapi, Indonesia 2010 VEI=4
- 353 deaths
- 300,000 people evacuated
- Crops destroyed - loss of £13 million
- Food prices increased
- Sulphur dioxide gas caused skin irritation and breathing problems
- About 2500 flights cancelled
Social and economic impacts of earthquakes in developed and developing countries
- developed Amatrice, Italy 2016 6.2 magnitude
- developing/emerging Gorkha, Nepal 2015 7.8 magnitude
Amatrice, Italy 2016 6.2 magnitude
- 296 deaths
- Over 50% of all buildings in Amatrice were damaged and destroyed
- 296 people died
- Landslides blocked the roads
- Tourism was negatively affected
- Cost of damage €23 billion
Gorkha, Nepal 2015 7.8 magnitude
- Over 8,500 deaths
- Over 20,000 people injured
- Electricity and water supplies cut
- 7,000 schools and 1,000 health facilities damaged or destroyed
- Almost 3.5 million people displaced
- Damages estimated at between US$7-10billion and about 35% of the GDP
Social and economic impacts of tsunamis in developed and developing countries
- japan 2011
- Indian Ocean 2004
Japan 2011
- 15, 853 deaths
- 6,023 people injured
- 330,000 people homeless
- Over 300,000 buildings destroyed
- Economic cost estimated at US$235 billion
- Damage to the Fukushima Nuclear power plant led to radiation leaks
Indian Ocean 2004
- 230,000 deaths
- 650,000 people injured
- 1.7 million people homeless
- 1500 villages in Sumatra destroyed
- Tourism was negatively affected - in Thailand losses reached US$25 million a month
- Total cost of economic damage estimated at US$9.4 billion
