Enquiry Question 2 Flashcards
What is a hazard?
A perceived natural/geophysical event that has the potential to threaten both life and property
What is a disaster?
The realisation of a hazard, when it causes significant impact on vulnerable people
When does a hazard become a disaster?
When 10 or more people are killed and/or 100 or more are affected
Social human factors?
- People without access to education
- Poor-quality housing
- The quality of communication systems
- Communities with poor health care
- The age of a population
Economic human factors?
- Level of wealth
- A lack of income opportunities
Environmental/physical human factors?
- Rapid urbanisation creates a need for more housing
- The accessibility of an area
- Areas with high population density tend to have poorer quality housing
- The existence and enforcement of building codes and regulations
Political human factors?
- The efficiency of emergency services and response teams
- The existence of public education and practiced hazard responses e.g. earthquake drills
- The level of corruption of government officials and businesses
- The existence of disaster preparedness plans
- The quality of infrastructure (such as transport and power supplies)
What factors can we use to measure vulnerability?
- Where people live
- Infrastructure
- Higher GDP - more investment
- How capable the government is to cope with specific situations
What is the hazard risk formula?
Risk (R) = Hazard (H) x Vulnerability (V) / Capacity to cope (C)
The level of risk depends on a combination of factors…
- Some directly linked to the hazard itself (e.g. magnitude, duration, time of day)
- Human factors, which determine vulnerability and the capacity to cope
What is resilience?
The ability to protect lives, livelihoods and infrastructure from destruction, and to restore areas after a natural hazard has occurred
Why do less developed countries tend to be more vulnerable to hazard events?
They tend to have other, more pressing problems, such as poverty and disease, which means that they’ll spend less money on disaster preparation
Why is age a significant factor in people’s resilience?
Children and the elderly are much more likely to suffer from a range of hazards
What percentage of the world’s population over the age of 60 live in less-developed regions, and how much is this expected to rise by 2050?
Around 66% of the world’s population aged over 60 live in less-developed regions. By 2050, this is expected to rise to 79%
Myanmar hazard and exposure score
Myanmar has a significantly high natural hazard component due to the potential for tsunami and earthquakes (as well as floods and storms)
Japan hazard and exposure score
Japan is subject to a range of natural hazards and is highly exposed
Myanmar vulnerability
Moderate risk though a relatively low score - there have been few natural shocks in recent years
Japan vulnerability
Vulnerability is high compared to other wealthy nations due to the ageing population, bit it is still low risk
Myanmar coping capacity
Poor coping capacity; low level of internet/mobile phone access for older people; education is poor
Japan coping capacity
Coping capacity is good; the elderly tend to be educated, have high internet connectivity, effective government and low gender inequality
Myanmar overall risk
Myanmar is ranked 7th out 190 nations, which means that disaster risk to elderly citizens is vert high
Japan overall risk
Although Japan is highly exposed to hazards, it is ranked 133rd out of 190 nations thanks to its strong coping capacity and lower levels of vulnerability
What is meant by the term ‘failure of development’?
When less developed countries, who have a less developed economy, aren’t capable of educating people on widespread hazards - this is because there are more pressing issues such as poverty and disease that the government would rather spend money on
What is the PAR model (Pressure and Release)?
The PAR models incudes the root causes of why a country/region would by considered vulnerable. These root causes can create dynamic pressures, which can lead to unsafe conditions
Despite suffering the lowest magnitude earthquake, Haiti had the highest number of casualties. Why is this?
This is due to Haiti being one of the poorest nations in the world, meaning Haiti’s government simply can’t afford to give education to ensure safety to its population
What factors make a less-developed country more vulnerable?
- Lack of education
- High birthrate, no contraception
- Poor health care, can’t save many people affected by hazards
- Poor infrastructure
- High population density
- Corrupt government, investment not spent on where it should be