Chapter 5 Flashcards
What percentage of New Orleans is below sea level?
80%
When did Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans?
August 29, 2005
What was the height of the storm surge caused by Hurricane Katrina?
3 to 6 m (9 to 20 ft)
What was the diameter of the serious damage path caused by Hurricane Katrina?
About 160 km (100 mi)
What were the 5 risk factors that led to the devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina?
- Regional subsidence
- Rising sea level
- Vulnerable geographic location
- Insufficient funds for the monitoring and maintenance of levees and floodwalls
- Poor coordination in initial emergency response efforts
What are the criteria to be classified as a natural disaster?
- 10+ people are killed
- 100+ people are affected
- A declaration of emergency is declared OR there is a request for international assistance
What are some examples of dangerous natural processes?
Earthquakes, floods, volcanic activities, landslides, and hurricanes
On average, how much human life is lost to natural disasters worldwide per year?
150,000
How much property damage is inflicted by natural disasters per year, on average?
$50 billion
What is a natural hazard?
A natural process that occurs in areas where people live or work and that may potentially negatively impact the people or infrastructure in the region
What contributes to natural hazards?
Urbanization, deforestation, consumption of energy resources, and climate change
What environmental planning concept reduces the likelihood of natural hazards?
Not building on floodplains, earthquake prone areas, or other areas where dangerous natural processes occur
What is hazard magnitude?
Intensity of a natural hazard in terms of the amount of energy released
What is hazard frequency?
Recurrence interval of a disastrous event
What is the relationship between hazard magnitude and frequency?
Generally inverse relationship
What frequency and magnitude is associated with the most damage?
Moderate damage and moderate frequency
What are magnitude and frequency largely controlled by?
Natural processes and factors
What is impact risk?
Risk associated with both natural and human factors
Are low-magnitude and high-frequency hazards always destructive?
No
Are high magnitude hazards always catastrophic?
Almost certainly
What are some benefits of natural hazards?
- Creation of new land
- Supplying nutrients to soil
- Flushing pollutants
- Changing local landscape
- Creation of new water reservoirs (fault gouge)
Why are there clumps of palm trees in the Coachella Valley, CA, in what is otherwise a desert landscape?
Fault dams were created by the San Andreas fault, which led to the formation of water reservoirs and artesian springs
Which types of countries see greater loss of life from major natural disasters?
Developing countries
Which types of countries see greater property damage from major natural disasters?
Developed country
What is considered a catastrophe?
Disastrous situations requiring a long process of recovery to recover from grave damages
What is risk analysis, in reference to natural hazards?
A critical process by which the impacts of natural hazards are analyzed to determine their possible impacts
Are different hazards linked? Provide an example if so.
Yes; volcanoes and mudslides
What historic data is used to determine how, when, and where hazards will repetitively occur in an area?
- Occurrence and recurrence intervals
- Location and effects of past hazards
- Observations of present conditions
- Measuring the changes or rates of change
- Historic trends of hazards
Is a playground a possible good land use of a flood plain?
Yes, if natural plants are planted to prevent soil erosion and concrete foundations are minimized to ensure flood waters soak into the soil
What types of hazard linkages exist?
- Linkages between adjacent locations
- Linkages over time
- Linkages between hazards
- Linkage between geologic setting and hazards
What is a forecast?
The certainty of an event given as the percent chance of it occurring
What is a prediction?
Accurate determinations of when, where, type, and size of certain natural hazardous events
What is a warning?
A public announcement stating that a natural hazard has been forecast or predicted
What is a precursor?
An event or sign indicating an eminent natural hazard
What is the media generally interested in concerning natural hazards?
Impact of a particular event on people and property
Do scientists have an obligation to inform the public with information about natural hazards?
Yes
How should reports concerning people’s lives and property be evaluated?
Conservatively, with verified evidence on hand
What is a risk determination?
Part of risk assessment that indicates type of natural hazard, location, probability of natural hazard occurring, and consequences if natural hazard does occur
What is a risk estimate?
Variable dependent on probability of natural disaster occurring and potential consequences; factored by organizations and individuals
What is the risk threshold?
Acceptable risk an organization is willing to take given knowledge of natural hazards and the risks associated with them
What is used in estimating risk impact?
- Potential loss and injury of life
- Damage and destruction of property
- Impact on services and normal function of society
- Impact on manufacturing, mining, commercial activities, etc.
- Direct or indirect adverse impact on environment
What is a reactive response?
Responses made primarily after a hazardous event has occurred
What activities occur in the recovery phase?
Search and rescue, restoration, and reconstruction
What is a recovery period?
How long recovery activities take before a region is returned to it’s original state; length dependent on the magnitude of the hazard and the impact intensity
What are critical needs in the recovery phase?
Emergency operations, critical infrastructure, hospitals, shelter, food, and water supplies
What are essential functions in the recovery phase?
Transportation and communication
What are the four phases of disaster recovery?
- Emergency
- Restoration
- Reconstruction I
- Reconstruction II
What is an anticipatory response to a natural hazard?
Activities related to the perception, avoidance, and adaptation of infrastructure and processes to avoid or minimize the impact of disasters
What are some anticipatory responses?
- Land-use planning
- Insurance
- Safety regulations and measures
- Evacuation
- Disaster awareness and preparedness
What are three types of human responses to natural disasters?
- Combination of reactive and anticipatory responses
- Prevention, circumvention, or mitigation via artificial control of natural processes
- Little to no action taken
How is population growth related to natural disasters?
- Higher population means more people at risk from natural hazards, especially in densely populated areas
- Land conversion may intensify consequences of natural hazards
What caused the high loss of life (11000+) during Hurricane Mitch in Honduras in 1998?
Deforestation and fire in Honduras prior to Hurricane Mitch
What caused the high loss of life (4000+) during the Yangtze River flooding in 1998?
85% forest loss in Yangtze River basin
What caused the high loss of life (300,000) during the Iran earthquake in 2003?
Inappropriate construction code in a tectonic earthquake zone
What caused the high loss of life (300,000+) during the Haitian earthquake in 2003?
Poor construction
