Enquiry 3 How Successful Is The Management Of Tectonic Hazards And Disasters?

Question 1

Tectonic disaster trends and patterns

Answer 1

Global scale
Deaths have decreased and economic losses have increased

International aid and preparedness= less people are affected

Number of tectonic disasters have fluctuated (peak 2000 and low in 2012)

Estimated that hydro-meteorological hazards and human induced disasters caused more fatalities than tectonic disasters (due to slow onset)

Question 2

Mega disasters

Answer 2

Large scale- areal/spatial

VEI6 eruption
Weeks/months after = global supply chain disrupted
Years later= climate effects in areas 10,000km away

EYJAFJ eruption
Global effects= imports/exports into Europe effected by air travel shutdown 
Car manufacturing (Nissan plant stop cube production)

Question 3

Disaster statistics

Answer 3

Statistics hard to collect

Particularly in rural/remote of LHD countries (Kashmir)

Declaration of disaster deaths may be subject to political bias (2004 tsunami played down for tourism)

Direct/indirect deaths (associated diseases/subsequent hazards)

Question 4

Since 1960s

Answer 4

Rapid urbanisation

Increased vulnerability

Squatter settlements

1980 $10b

2010 $350b

Question 5

Prediction and forecasting (volcanoes)

Answer 5

Thermal imaging (Mt St. Helens bulge 1980)

Earthquake/Lamar sensors

Satellite surveying cameras

Question 6

Prediction and forecasting (seismic gap)

Answer 6

Records movements

Predicts relative size/frequency of earthquakes in given area

Question 7

Prediction and forecasting (earthquakes)

Answer 7

Tiltometers (changes in mountain shape as magma moves)

Seismometers (still into plate and out sensors)

Question 8

Prediction and forecasting (tsunamis)

Answer 8

Time depends on proximity to epicentre

Early warning stations (deep ocean)

Pressure sensors seabed (height/speed)

Sensor send data to tsunami centre

Issues warning (3 minute in Japan)

Question 9

Hazard management cycle

Answer 9

Hazard

Rescue (aid to keep people alive)

Relief

Rebuilding

Rehabilitation (rebuild infrastructure)

Mitigation (acts to reduce scale of next disaster)

Prevention

Preparation (death toll reduced when prepared)

Warning (community education/building resilience)

Question 10

Parks model

Answer 10

Different hazard events have different impacts so vary in duration, speed and destruction of quality of life

Relief (weeks) immediate response/ saving lives/ teams from outside area

Rehabilitation last several months to restore physical/community structures

Reconstruction permanent changed to restore quality of life

Question 11

Modify the event

Answer 11

Land use zoning (safe to build infrastructure) prevents development in high value land

Hazard resistant design (invest construction which have safety designs) high costs for tall

Engineering defences (tsunami wall) v high cost

Diversion of lava flows (spray seawater to cool and solidify flow- mount Etna) only low vei basaltic

KEY PLAYERS- engineers/ scientists/ planners

Question 12

Modify resilience and vulnerability

Answer 12

Hi tech monitoring (international satellites monitor changes in earth)

Prediction -changes in volcanic shape/ low mag earthquakes

Education- teach communities about hazards

Community preparedness- earthquake drills and alarms

Community actions and strong governmental policies improve capacity to cope

Question 13

Modify loss

Answer 13

Short term emergency aid- reduce death toll : high cost/technical difficulty

Insurance- recover economically : does not save lives

Question 14

Multiple hazard zone

Answer 14

No of physical hazards combine

Taiwan has 4

Japan has 4

May be recovering from one when another hits

Question 15

Multiple hazard zone (Californian coast)

Answer 15

Drought 2008-11 & 2012-15

Earthquakes (san Andreas) usually shallow

Volcanoes (cascades subduction zone)

Last time 100+ died in disaster 1933

Question 16

Multiple hazard zone (Philippines)

Answer 16

Earthquakes- frequent and vary in depth

Drought- rare but El Niño does cause (1999& 2010)

Volcanoes- very common/ frequent and violent (Lahars and ash)

Question 17

Tohoku tsunami Japan 2011

Answer 17

Mag 9

Eroded trust in gov

Fukushima nuclear power plant (Release radioactive and contaminate Pacific Ocean)

63% died = 60+

15,749 dead

Asian market impact (quickest rate of increasing energy consumption)

Question 18

Forecasting

Answer 18

Much less precise than predicting and provides a percentage chance of a hazard occurring

Question 19

Prediction

Answer 19

Knowing when and where a natural hazard will strike on a spatial and temporal scale and can be acted on meaningfully in terms of evacuation

Question 20

Recovery stage of hazard management

Answer 20

Depends on:

Magnitude of the disaster

Development level

Governance

External help

Question 21

Hazard resistant design

Answer 21

Constructing and buildings/ infrastructure that are strong enough to resists tectonic hazards

Aseismic buildings