✅Case Study - Caracas Local Hazards Flashcards

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1
Q

Where is Caracas?

A

Venezuela

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2
Q

How does infrastructure make Caracas vulnerable?

A

Infrastructure is poor and run across seismic faults

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3
Q

How many main water pipes run across a seismic fault?

A

3

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4
Q

How many people live per km2 in barrios?

A

25,000/km2

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5
Q

How is the population of the city growing?

A

Rapidly, 3.1% per year

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6
Q

Why may the main bridge have to be rebuilt?

A

Due to a slip in the plates

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7
Q

What is a major inequality in Caracas?

A

Economic, unequal wealth

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8
Q

Is there any planning around hazards in the city?

A

No, and none in the country as a whole

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9
Q

What is the issue with the government in Caracas?

A

There is a lack of stability

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10
Q

What hazards is Caracas exposed to?

A
Tropical storms
Earthquakes
Drought
Cyclones 
Sea level rise
Landslide/rockfall
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11
Q

What are social class divisions reflected by?

A

The occupancy of residential areas

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12
Q

How did members of the upper class gain wealth?

A

Through sale of land and real estate

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13
Q

Where do the upper class live?

A

On the Eastern margins of the valley and the Caribbean coast

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14
Q

What do the upper class homes avoid?

A

Landslide and earthquake risk

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15
Q

Where do lower class people live?

A

In hillside shanty towns overlooking the West and South

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16
Q

How do building regulations differ between the city centre and shanty towns?

A

On the hillside there are no building regulations and no means of escape, everything would be destroyed. In city centre, international building regulations and flat land provides safety

17
Q

What is high in Caracas?

A

Unemployment

18
Q

What percentage of Venezuela’s GDP is based on oil sales?

A

50%

19
Q

What has the city focused its service in?

A

Banks, NGOs and shops

20
Q

How do planned responses vary around the city?

A

Each company has its own individual planned responses, rather than city wide, common plans

21
Q

What are the areas most at risk in Caracas?

A

Transportation and utilities as well as squatter settlements

22
Q

Which university recently developed a framework plan for building disaster resilience?

A

Columbia Univeristy

23
Q

What are the immediate disaster avoidance goals?

A

Strengthening critical infrastructure, housing stock and emergency services

24
Q

What are the more intermediate goals?

A

Upgrading fragile housing units, creating detailed hazard maps and incorporating disaster education into cultural activities

25
Q

What are the long term goals?

A

A fully redundant transport and water delivery framework, establishing legitimate land title for squatters and re-locating critical facilities

26
Q

Which plate boundary is Caracas located on?

A

The South American and Caribbean boundary

27
Q

At what rate are the plates moving?

A

2cm/year

28
Q

How is flooding risk increased by the environment?

A

The steep slopes of the valley decrease movement time of run off

29
Q

How could Caracas be cut off from the rest of the world in a major event?

A

If the single highway that links it to the airport and seaport is damaged. It is located in steep, landslide prone valleys.

30
Q

What is the preferred hazard response by the government?

A

Risk zoning, due to lack of funds

31
Q

Why is the city prone to landslides?

A

It is at the base of a valley, and tropical storms or tectonic activity can cause them

32
Q

Why is the city prone to liquefaction?

A

Alluvial fans make up the valley floor, which are prone to liquefaction

33
Q

What type of view do residents of the barrios have?

A

Fatalistic

34
Q

Why do different groups respond to hazards in different ways?

A

Due to a lack of equality in the city

35
Q

How are residents instructed to build their homes?

A

To orientate them parallel to any debris flows so to minimise the amount of material hitting the building

36
Q

How are the streets laid out?

A

In a parallel pattern