3.1 Achieving sustainable development through diaster risk managment

Question 1

Tectonic disaster risk

Answer 1

• refers to the potential damage to properties, injuries and loss of lives from a disaster in a given period of time.
• it is determined as a product of the interaction between tectonic hazard, vulnerability and exposure to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

Question 2

Disaster risk management

Answer 2

• refers to the plans and actions that are put into place to:
  1. Prevent disaster risk before the occurrences of tectonic hazards
  2. Reduce disaster risks as tectonic hazards occur
  3. manage disaster risks after the occurrences of tectonic hazards
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• Disaster risk management strengthens resilience as it enables communities and countries to resist, adapt and recover from the impacts of tectonic hazards in a timely and efficient manner.

Question 3

How do we prevent disaster risks before the occurrences of tectonic hazards?

Answer 3

• Strategies include designing hazard-resistant buildings to ensure structures can withstand hazards and do not collapse easily, hence preventing disaster risks.
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  Example:
• Taipei 101 is a skyscraper built in an earthquake-prone zone.
• It has a weighted damper near the top of the building to balance out ground shaking from earthquakes.
• This reduces the sway of the building during an earthquake and therefore the threat of the building collapsing.

Question 4

How do we reduce disaster risks as tectonic hazards occur?

Answer 4

• Strategies include tsunami and earthquake early monitoring and warning systems.
• This enables timely evacuation and reduces potential loss of lives.

Question 5

How do we manage disaster risks after the occurrences of tectonic hazards?

Answer 5

• Strategies include insurance coverage, which offers financial payouts to rebuild when properties are damaged or destroyed.
• brings about quicker recovery from the impacts of a tectonic hazard.

Question 6

How do disaster risks and losses hinder development?

Answer 6

• Disaster risks can bring serious environmental, social and economic consequences, affecting both individuals and countries.
• These consequences may hinder the development of countries.
• countries have to channel money to handle aftermath of tectonic disaster
• money is not used for development, which slows development down ➡️ developing countries will be affected the most
• Poverty reduction progress may be affected as people are driven into poverty and their standards of living drop when they lose their source of income and homes.
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  Example:
• The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami pushed the proportion of people living below the poverty line in Aceh, Indonesia, from 30 to 50%.
• Many lost their homes, jobs and sources of income, hindering Aceh’s development.
• Countries’ economic growth may also be slowed down, affecting their development progress.
• For instance, their entire tourism industry may be severely affected due to damage to infrastructure, facilities and amenities, resulting in loss of revenue to people and the government.

Question 7

Environmental consequences of disaster risks

Answer 7

• Tectonic hazards such as landslides caused by volcanic eruptions can bury huge areas of forests and wetlands, destroying entire ecosystems and causing biodiversity loss.
• The debris from landslides pollutes rivers, killing aquatic life.
• The debris may block rivers, causing floods that can damage nearby ecosystems.

Question 8

Social consequences of disaster risks

Answer 8

• Tectonic hazards such as tsunamis can result in injuries and loss of lives as people drown and get hit by fast-moving debris carried by the waves.
• People may become homeless as houses are destroyed. They may be forced to live in temporary housing which lacks proper sanitation, resulting in poor standards of living.
• The sea water brought inland by tsunami may contaminate wells and other sources of drinking water, causing water pollution. This may result in the spread of diseases such as cholera.
• Individuals may suffer from psychological trauma from the loss of their homes or loved ones. In addition, the constant threat of losing their lives and being physically harmed while living in these areas can affect their mental well-being.

Question 9

Economic consequences of disaster risks

Answer 9

• Tectonic hazards can cause the destruction of homes and properties.
• Individuals may suffer financially as it is costly to repair or rebuild their damaged homes.
• Business owners can lose incomes caused by damage to their properties.
• Governments need to spend money to repair and rebuild because of the damage from tectonic hazards.

Question 10

Why it is impt to reduce disaster risks

Answer 10

Especially impt for developing countries because:
- The social, economic and environmental consequences can be very severe, and may hinder development.
- they are often disproportionately affected by tectonic hazards because they often lack the capacity to adequately prevent, reduce and manage disaster risks.
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Example:
- During the Mw 7.0 Haiti earthquake in 2010, most of the city was destroyed. This is because they lacked the finances to invest in earthquake-resistant buildings, leading to many collapsed buildings and over 220,000 deaths.
- In comparison, the Mw 9.0 Tohoku, Japan earthquake and tsunami in 2011 had a lower death toll (about 19,000 deaths) even though it was higher in magnitude. As a developed country, Japan had more earthquake-resistant buildings. While the tsunami led to devastating damage, Japan was also in a better position to recover due to their available resources.
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- However, there are developing countries which do manage to reduce their disaster risk through investment and planning.
- Reducing disaster risk is a cost-effective investment in preventing future losses, and therefore contributes to sustainable development.
- The additional investments to reduce disaster risks are often small compared to the costs incurred from disasters.
- With less losses, the money to rebuild will be minimised, and development gains achieved will not be lost, thereby contributing to sustainable
development.
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Example:
- The Mw 8.8 Chile earthquake in 2010 resulted in lesser building damage and a lower casualty count of about 500 when compared to the 2010 Haiti earthquake which had a lower magnitude. One reason was due to Chile’s modern earthquake-resistant buildings.