EQ2- Why Do Some Tectonic Hazards Develop Into Disasters

Question 1

Define a natural hazard

Answer 1

Is a natural process with potential to cause loss of life, injury, property damage or socio-economic disruption

Question 2

Define a disaster

Answer 2

Is a serious disruption of the functioning of a society involving human, economic or environmental losses, exceeding a societies ability to cope.

Question 3

Define a catastrophe

Answer 3

Is a disaster which has impacts on life and property, with over 2000 deaths, or over 200,000 made homeless, or the GDP reduced by 5%, or dependence on overseas aid for a year or more.

Question 4

Define Risk

Answer 4

Is the probability of a hazard event causing harmful consequences

Question 5

Define Vulnerability

Answer 5

Is the geographical conditions that increase the susceptibility of a community to a hazard, dependent on the ability to anticipate, cope and recover.

Question 6

Define Resilience

Answer 6

Is the ability of a community exposed to a hazard to resist, absorb and recover , dependent on the resources available and organisation.

Question 7

State why the social and economic impacts of a hazard could vary (3)

Answer 7

Over time
From place to place
From minor nuisance to major disaster

Question 8

State why the economic impact of a hazard could vary (5)

Answer 8

Level of development and GDP per capita
Total number of people affected 
Speed of recovery
Degree of urbanisation
Amount of uninsured losses

Question 9

Describe the impacts different tectonic hazards have on people

Answer 9

The impacts of earthquakes and their secondary hazard are greater than those of a volcanic eruption. Less than 1% of the world’s population will suffer the impacts of a volcano, compared to 5% for earthquakes.

Question 10

Explain how social and economic impacts of a tectonic hazard can vary across region.

Answer 10

Generally Developing/Emerging countries have frequent disasters and high vulnerability. Compared to Developed countries they have infrequent disasters and have a low vulnerability to tectonic hazards.

Question 11

Explain the Deggs model when explaining the impacts of a tectonic hazard

Answer 11

Shows disasters only occur when a vulnerable population is exposed to a hazard. Shows interaction between hazards, disasters and human vulnerability and how they combine to create a level of risk.

Question 12

Give the formula for risk

Answer 12

Risk(R)= Hazard(H) x Vulnerability(V)

Question 13

Explain the pressure and release model explaining the impacts of tectonics on people

Answer 13

Risk faced by people is a combination of vulnerability and hazards.

The PAR model helps geographers to mitigate the risk of a hazard. Actions and interventions can be taken to reduce vulnerability in advance of a hazard

Question 14

Explain root causes, dynamic pressure and unsafe conditions as processes generating vulnerability.

Answer 14

Root causes:
poor infrastructure, lack of preparation plans, inefficient emergency services, poor communication systems, poor hazard response, corruption of the government

Dynamic Pressure:
low level wealth reducing their ability to protect themselves, lack of access to education, poor quality of housing, poor healthcare, lack of income opportunities.

Unsafe conditions:
high population density, rapid urbanisation (quickly built poor quality housing), inaccesible areas (slow response by rescuers and aid)

Question 15

Explain the Japan earthquake hazard

Answer 15

Occurred in 2011 and was a 9.0 magnitude earthquake which struck under the pacific ocean on the East coast

A tsunami spread in all directions at hundreds of km a hour and waves reached 10m high and surged 10km inland.

Question 16

Explain the impacts of the Japanese earthquake

Answer 16

The Fukishima nuclear plant was severely damaged and released dangerous levels of radiation into the air, forcing 47,000 people to be evacuated and a 20km exclusion zone being set up.

Had fewer deaths and injuries than the Hati and Sichuan earthquakes.

There was severe flooding more than 500m inland in the north east

$240 billion cost

Question 17

Explain governmental factors that helped before during and after the earthquake in Japan that helped reduce impacts (5)

Answer 17

Had strict building regulations meaning they were better able to withstand an earthquake(75% were constructed with earthquakes in mind).

Low levels of corruption meaning building regulations were strongly enforced.

Government responded immediately, within 24 hours 110,000 defence troops had been mobilised

Quickly accepted help from rescue and recover teams from other 20 countries

After the earthquake all power stations were shut down

Question 18

Explain developmental factors that helped before, during or after the earthquake in Japan to reduce impacts (5)

Answer 18

As a highly developed country, Japan had the financial resources and commitment to prepare for acid a hazard event.

Had well developed disaster plans with 10m high Tsunami walls, evacuation routes and shelters, earthquake emergency kits and a one minute early warning system.

Had education and preparedness with emergency drills regularly practiced.

Immediately after the earthquake, all radio and TV stations were switched to earthquake coverage which told people what was happening and what to do.

The bank of Japan offered $183 billion to Japanese banks so they could keep operating to protect the Japanese economy.

Question 19

Explain the China earthquake hazard

Answer 19

Occurred in 2008 and was a 9.7 magnitude struck in Sichuan, a mountainous region in Southwest China

Question 20

Explain the impacts from the Chinese earthquake

Answer 20

Over 45.5 million people in 10 regions were affected and 5 million were made homeless, the highest homeless count from a disaster in history.

The earthquake triggered landslides that led to a quarter of the earthquake related deaths.

Had a $125.6 billion economic cost

Question 21

Explain the governmental factors that might have affected the impacts of the Chinese earthquake(5)

Answer 21

Corrupt government officials often ignored building regulations and accepted bribes to allow builders to take shortcuts. This resulted in poorly constructed buildings that could not withstand ground shaking.

Thousands of schools fell down, 5535 children died, while government buildings nearby remained standing.

Within hours, over 130,000 soldiers and relief workers were sent to affected areas

Medical services were quickly restored

The government pledged $10 billion for rebuilding works and saw the earthquake as an opportunity to rebuild, leading to 97% of planned 29,704 re-construction projects starting

Question 22

Explain the developmental factors that might have affected the impacts of the Chinese earthquake (2)

Answer 22

Within two weeks, temporary homes, roads and bridges were being built.

Chinese banks wrote off the debts of survivors who did not have insurance

Question 23

Explain the Haiti earthquake

Answer 23

Is located on a fault between the North American and Caribbean plate

Occurred in 2010 when a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck near the capital

Question 24

Explain the impacts of the Haiti earthquake

What were the geographical factors which made the impacts worse

Answer 24

Was one of the deadliest earthquakes on record with 222,576 deaths and 300,000 injuries.
1.3 million people were made homeless
Had a economic cost of $14 billion, a lot for a developing country

The earthquake had a shallow focus, which increased the amount of ground shaking
Liquefaction not lose the sale cause building foundations to sink
The epicentre was only 24 km from Port-au-Prince, its most densely populated city

Question 25

Explain the governmental factors which made the Hati earthquake worse (4)

Answer 25

A high level of corruption in the government led to a lack of resources and commitment to improve the country’s infrastructure and living standards

A lack of building regulations meant that most buildings in port-au-Prince were poorly built slum housing that could not sustain ground shaking.

A lack of preparation meant the government, emergency services and civilians didn’t know what to do.

Over 1/4 of government officials were killed and the government buildings collapsed meaning they could not organise recovery efforts.

Question 26

Explain the developmental factors which made the impacts of the Hati earthquake worse (5)

Answer 26

Is a developing country, it’s Paul and limited resources were being spent on more immediate issues, such as disease, rather than earthquake preparations

The dense urban environments made it a difficult place for rescue teams to work

Many Haitians were living in poverty so did not have the resources to prepare or cope with the effects of the earthquake

Haiti only had one airport, several ports and a few main roads, meaning that when they were damaged crucial aid supplies were prevented from arriving or being distributed.

A cholera outbreak and a lack of medical supplies and healthcare workers meant 720,000 people were affected

Question 27

Explain a hazard profile

Answer 27

Shows the main characteristics of different types of tectonic hazard, could be developed for one hazard or multiple allowing comparisons to be made.
Helps governments and other organisations to develop disaster plans and plan for future disasters.
However it does not determine the social and economic impact of a tectonic hazard

Question 28

Explain the use of the PAR model and Hazard profile bi-polar scale

Answer 28

Allows a greater understanding of the overall tectonic risk (vulnerability x hazard)

Question 29

Explain the alternative hypothesis between the link in the magnitude of a earthquake and the number of deaths and injuries

Answer 29

Spearman’s ranks shows that there is a correlation between the magnitude of earthquakes and deaths

Question 30

Explain developments importance in influencing vulnerability and resilience

Economic and non-economic aspects

Answer 30

Vulnerability and resilience often correlate with development

Economic development gives communities and countries access to the resources, organisations and technology needed to cope with hazard events.

With increasing income, people are better able to ensure their own safety by living in safe locations in hazard proof properties.

There are also non economic aspects of development that are significant : access to education (people are more aware of hazard risks), access to healthcare, housing (poor housing would be unable to withstand impact) and governance.

Question 31

Explain governance importance in influencing vulnerability and resilience

Answer 31

Is based on authority, decision making and accountability.

Good governance embodies the recognition and practice of a range of principles, such as transparency, equity, consensus and participation.

Poor governance in the form of corrupt local and national governments and weak political organisation increases hazard vulnerability by failing to invest in infrastructure and being ill prepared to deal with the emergency situation following a hazard

Question 32

Explain geographical factors importance in influencing vulnerability and resilience

Answer 32

Population density – higher density means more people are at risk

Urbanisation- more people and more businesses means more at risk and vulnerability

Isolation and inaccessibility- particularly critical in the aftermath when there is urgent need to provide emergency aid

Community spirit – strong spirit can boost morale and lead to a collective wish to survive the hazard

Question 33

Explain the Swiss cheese model in describing a communities risk and vulnerability to a hazard

Answer 33

Each layer of cheese is another way of preventing the disaster happening, each hole is a weakness and a disaster occurs when all holes align.

Widely used in risk management to predict the impact as it will have and the waste prevent the conditions of a loss of life

Question 34

List the 5 factors that influenced the scale of the Bam, Iran 2003 hazard (swiss cheese model)

Answer 34

Direction of rupture, shallow focus

Buildings were vulnerable to shaking

Recent constructions were poor quality

Poor weather conditions caused hypothermia

Poor emergency services infrastructure

Question 35

List the 5 factors that influenced the scale of the Nepal 2015 hazard (swiss cheese model)

Answer 35

Has a steep mountain landscape, exposed to landslides and floods from earthquake

Low development, old earthquake science

High population density and urbanisation

Vulnerable population, poor and excluded groups

Many houses were built without regulations

Question 36

List the 5 factors that influenced the scale of the New Zealand 2010 hazard (swiss cheese model)

Answer 36

Manufacturing hub escaped damage

Agriculture sector was largely unaffected

Rebuild costs were largely insured

Financial markets ignored the earthquake

Business activity was resilient