Caracas (Venezuela) Flashcards
Name the types of hazards Caracas is prone to
Seismic
Landslides
Storms
Floods
GDP?
$17,000
Venezuela is the _______ wealthiest country
How it the wealth distributed?
70th
Uneven
Social: Where do the wealthy build their homes?
Away from earthquake prone areas
Built to international building standards
Social: Where do the middle class build their homes?
City centre
Mainly flat- deepest part of the basin = most shaking
Mainly apartments- high population density
Social: Where do the poor build homes?
Hillsides
Landslides + flooding
Shanty towns (barrios)
Social: How much of the city’s water is from 3 pipes?
How much is stored in the city?
95%
1 days supply in the city
Economic: Why does the building quality vary?
Wealth varies
50% of economy is oil
Most of the rest is services- low paid
Economic: How close is the bridge that connects Caracas to its sea and airports from collapsing?
Problems this would create?
23cm
Transport and commerce gone
Political: What has allowed squatters to build shanti towns?
Lack of building codes
Lack of regulation
Political: How long does the transport minister stay on average?
Problems with this?
6 months
Doesn’t stay long enough to do anything
Community responses to the risk?
Build in different areas
Government doesn’t have money to implement building codes
Local government response to risk?
Told to organise and plan disaster management plan- more coordinated and effective response
Include military, NGOs, public
Why is the local government disaster management plan unlikely to work?
Faces strong opposition from parties involved
So they won’t agree
Recommended that slums residents are educated in ….
Safer building techniques
