Enquiry Question 3 : How successful is the management of tectonic hazards and disasters?

Question 1

How have trends in hazardous events (deaths, population growth, infrastructure changes, preparedness) occurred overtime? e.g. less deaths, more floods, etc… (4+1)

Answer 1

-Improvements in monitoring/recording events, has contributed to a rise in reported events
-Improvements in communications technology
-The global population has increased
-An increase in occupied living space
+An increase in concrete/impermeable building materials

Question 2

In 2011, what disaster did the world watch live coverage of?

Answer 2

Tohoku (earthquake) and tsunami

Question 3

How many people were there in the world in 1960?

Answer 3

Less than 3 billion

Question 4

Explain data sources: BBC News, social media. Are they reliable?

Answer 4

• BBC News - independent, newspapers are heavily biased

- Social media - less reliable as extra information could be added that is false, can’t fact-check everything

Question 5

Factors affecting data reliability (5)

Answer 5

• Differences in the definition of some key terms (‘disaster’, ‘damage’)
• When a disaster strikes, the immediate focus is rescue efforts
• No single organisation is responsible for collecting data, therefore methods may vary
• Remote areas affected can be difficult to access, therefore deaths and damage could be under-reported
• Declaration of disaster deaths/injuries may be subject to political bias - e.g. the impact of the 2004 Boxing dat tsunami were later downplayed by the Thai government for fear it would affect the tourist industry

Question 6

What is a tectonic mega-disaster?

Answer 6

Usually large scale disasters (spatially or economic/social impacts), pose serious problems for effective management to minimise their impacts, scale many mean that communities (and governments) will require international support both instantly and in the long-term aftermath

Question 7

Japan (2011) regional impact facts (3+knock-on effects)

Answer 7

-Nuclear power stations close to the epicentre were shut down
-44 nuclear reactors closed down
-Due to inactive nuclear reactors, Japan started importing more fossil fuels…
•Electricity prices rose by 20%
•Government debt rose
•Greenhouse gas emissions increased

Question 8

Japan (2011) global impact facts (2+1 knock-on effect)

Answer 8

-Started importing fossil fuels from other countries:
•Led to an increased demand for natural gas, which also increased prices
-Events in Fukushima led Germany to permanently shut down all of its nuclear plants

Question 9

Iceland regional impact facts (3)

Answer 9

• Ash plume spread over Iceland, reducing air quality
• More than 100,000 flights were cancelled
• No direct deaths

Question 10

Iceland global impact facts (3+1 knock-on effect)

Answer 10

-Impacted many countries, including Italy
-More than 100,000 flights were cancelled..
•This affected imports/exports all over Europe
-African countries many have lost US$65 million due to airspace shutdown on perishable exports

Question 11

What is a multiple-hazard zone/disaster hotspot?

Answer 11

Places where a number of physical hazards combine to create an increased level of risk for the country and its population

Question 12

Examples of multiple-hazard zones?

Answer 12

• Indonesia
• Philippines
• Japan
• India
• Caribbean countries

Question 13

What are hydro-meteorological hazards?

Answer 13

Weather hazards = hurricanes, tornadoes, intense rainfall, etc…

Question 14

Location of the Philippines

Answer 14

• South-East Asia
• In the Pacific Ring of Fire
• Its location makes it particularly vulnerable to hazards as it is on a fault line, meaning its susceptible to earthquakes, etc…

Question 15

What makes the Philippines particularly vulnerable? (8)

Answer 15

• Poverty
• Very isolated
• Coastal settlements
• Rivers prevent communication
• Frequent storms
• Poor education
• Poor infrastructure
• ‘Power is in the hands of the few’ - government control a lot of land

Question 16

How many islands make up the Philippines/

Answer 16

7107

Question 17

Difference between prediction and forecasting?

Answer 17

• Prediction is stating when a hazard is going to take place

- Forecasting is giving a timeframe of when a hazard could happen (e.g. years to decades)

Question 18

Earthquake - hazard prediction and forecasting (long answer)

Answer 18

• This is based on a statistical likelihood of an event happening at a particular location
• These forecasts are based on data and evidence gathered through global seismic monitoring networks, as well as historical records
• Warning signs (precursors) are used which can identify a characteristic pattern of seismic activity (foreshocks) or some other physical, chemical or biological change (such as animal behaviors of changes in radon emissions)
• For predictions to be useful - this is, to enable evacuation of affected areas - they must be highly accurate, both spatially, and temporally. This at present is impossible and many geoscientists do not believe that there is a realistic prospect of this happening in the foreseeable future

Question 19

Volcanoes - hazard prediction and forecasting (long answer)

Answer 19

-Can be predicted with some accuracy
-By placing equipment on a volcano as well as using remote equipment (such as GPS and satellite-based radar), scientists can monitor a volcano for signs that it might erupt, such as:
•Small earthquakes - rising magma breaks rock, causing small quakes
•Changes of the shape of the surface - as it pushes upwards, the magma builds pressure causing the surface to swell
•Changes to the ‘tilt’ of the volcano - magma movement inside the volcano can change the slope angle or tilt
-Despite this accuracy, predictions aren’t 100% correct and not all volcanoes around the world are monitored

Question 20

Despite its inaccuracies, why is forecasting important?

Answer 20

It can encourage governments to enforce better building regulations in areas of high stress or create improved evacuation procedures in areas of highest risk

Question 21

Management techniques that were used in Japan (7)

Answer 21

• Strict building regulations (low levels of corruption)
• Offices/homes equipped with emergency kits
• Early warning systems in place
• Emergency drills practiced in schools and businesses
• Quick response - troops mobilised within 24 hours
• Radio and TV switched to official earthquake coverage
• Help quickly accepted from international rescue and recovery teams

Question 22

Issue that was ignored in Japan that increased the level of impact

Answer 22

-Lack of preparation at the Fukushima nuclear power plant - resulted in severe damage and the release of dangerous levels of radiation

Question 23

Management techniques that were used in China (4)

Answer 23

• Quick response - soldiers and relief workers sent to affected areas
• Medical services quickly restored
• US$10 billion pledged for rebuilding
• Within two weeks, temporary homes, roads and bridges had been built

Question 24

Issues that were ignored in China that increased the level of impact (2)

Answer 24

• Lack of building regulations - resulted in lots of building being damaged or destroyed
• Several days worth of delays with acceptance meant international rescue teams weren’t allowed to enter the country

Question 25

Management technique that was used in Haiti

Answer 25

None from the government (due to its corruption) - relied heavily on international help

Question 26

Issues that were ignored in Haiti that increased the level of impact (2)

Answer 26

• Lack of investment in infrastructure and lack of building regulations - poor quality buildings couldn’t withstand shaking
• Lack of investments in living standards and disaster planning - high levels of poverty and a lack of resources in the community

Question 27

Management technique that was used in Nepal

Answer 27

None from the government - relied heavily on international help

Question 28

Issues that were ignored in Nepal that increased the level of impact

Answer 28

• Lack of investment in hazard preparation (due to having a very low GDP)
• Weak infrastructure - led to roads, bridges and safe water supplies being damaged or destroyed
• Lack of coping strategies - led to Nepal’s emergency services not being able to cope

Question 29

In 2016, where was Nepal ranked in terms of GDP per capita?

Answer 29

197th, this makes it an extremely poor country

Question 30

Name the 4 stages of the hazard management cycle

Answer 30

• Mitigation - preventing hazard events or minimising their effects
• Preparedness - preparing to deal with a hazard event
• Response - responding effectively to a hazard event
• Recovery - getting back to normal

Question 31

Why might planning (for an event) not always work?

Answer 31

• The event is bigger than anticipated
• Unexpected secondary impact
• Regulations are ignored (e.g. corruption in China)
• Other hazards interfere (multiple hazard zone)

Question 32

How does Park’s model help us to understand disaster impact?

Answer 32

• Shows a country’s resilience to a disaster (how effective government’s response is)
• Shows long and short term impacts of the disaster
• It can be used to directly compare how areas at different levels of development might recover from a hazard event

Question 33

What are the timescales along the x-axis of the Park’s model? (4)

Answer 33

• Pre-disaster
• Relief (hours-days)
• Rehabilitation (days-weeks)
• Reconstruction (weeks-years)

Question 34

What is hazard mitigation?

Answer 34

Strategies meant to avoid, delay or prevent hazard events

Question 35

What is hazard adaption?

Answer 35

Strategies designed to reduce the impacts of hazard event