1.9 Modifying Events

Question 1

How was the eruption at Mt. Etna modified, and how has it been modified now?

Answer 1

• in 1993 Italian workmen created earth mounds to divert the lava flows as a sort of land barrier, they channeled the lava away from the local villages
• now the area has been assessed by engineers and hazard planners to zone the area’s around the volcano in terms of vulnerability, where being on the crater is the most vulnerable. This is provided to property developers, however it is made redundant if they choose to simply not listen

Question 2

What aseismic building designs help modify the risk of hazards?

Answer 2

• Taipei 101 in Taiwan has a large steel counterweight ball (700 tons) that allows the building to sway 5ft in any direction
• bass isolation in New Zealand means many governmental building and the police HQ are built on flexible bearings of thick rubber and lead which absorb the seismic waves before they reach the building reducing the likelihood of collapse

Question 3

What strategies have been implemented by New Zealand to modify their losses?

Answer 3

-property developers, and the government made a total $935 billion in property insurance claims in the city of Christchurch, this meant that the economic losses were greatly reduced allowing the economy to be more resilient and recover faster as they were less dependent on aid

Question 4

How did Iceland modify its volcanic eruption (not 2010 eruption)?

Answer 4

-Iceland authorities got local fishermen to spray the lava with sea water to help it cool faster, otherwise it would destroy the small coastal islands fishing port on the isle of Elderfell in 1973

Question 5

How did volcanologists modify the pinatubo volcano to reduce the risk of a hazard in 2001?

Answer 5

• During the monsoon season the crate had filled with water

- volcanologists had the crater lake drained to stop the chance of a large Lahar drowning the towns at the base

Question 6

How can tsunamis be modified to reduce the risk of a disaster and make the population less vulnerable?

Answer 6

• sea walls eg. In japan there are plans for a 250 mile long sea wall on its east coast which could reach heights of 12.5 metres constructed of cement
• mangroves act as natural ecosystem buffers eg. In the Philippines it helped slow and reduce the power of the impact of tsunamis whilst also acting as a new Carbon sink