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1 Tectonic Processes and Hazards > EQ3 - How successful is the management of tectonic hazards and disasters? > Flashcards

EQ3 - How successful is the management of tectonic hazards and disasters? Flashcards

1
Q

What are the 2 broad categories of ‘natural hazard’?

A
  1. Hydro-met hazards (floods, cyclones, drought etc.)
  2. Tectonic disasters
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2
Q

The amount of tectonic HAZARDS (earthquakes, volcanos etc.) has increased over time.

True or False?

A

False - the number of tectonic events is broadly the same decade over decade

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3
Q

The amount of tectonic DISASTERS has stayed the same over time.

True or False?

A

False - whilst the number of HAZARDS has remained the same, the number of DISASTERS (hazard + vulnerability) has risen

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4
Q

How have disaster-related deaths changed over time, and why?

A

Deaths have fallen due to better response management, preparation and prediction.

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5
Q

By what number have disaster-related deaths globally dropped from 1975 to 2015?

A

Dropped by 100,000

120,000 (1975) to 20,000 (2015)

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6
Q

Why did global natural disaster reports increase from 90 (1975) to 450 (2003)?

A

Better data technology and coverage

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7
Q

By how much has the number of people affected by disasters risen between 1975 and 2015?

A

55m affected in 1975
260m affected in 2015

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8
Q

Why are we experiencing a trend of significantly more people being affected by natural disasters?

A

Rapid population growth and density
- many are forced to live in vulnerable locations

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9
Q

What is the typical range in number of earthquake events annually (hasn’t changed since 1980)?

A

15-40 events annually

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10
Q

Why do earthquake deaths vary so much?

A

Due to rare megadisasters

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11
Q

What are earthquake ‘megadisasters’?

A

High-magnitude, infrequent disasters with regional and global impacts

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12
Q

How many earthquake deaths were there worldwide in 2014 compared to 2010

A

2014 = less than 1000 deaths
2010 = more than 200,000

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13
Q

Overall there are fewer earthquake deaths now than there were 30-40 years ago.

True or False

A

True

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14
Q

What is the average economic loss due to earthquakes (mostly accounted for by recent megadisasters)

A

$20-40bn per year

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15
Q

Why are economic losses from tectonic disasters continuing to rise as the world develops?

A

More people are becoming wealthy and have more property to lose

  • This is increasingly true in emerging countries as well as developed nations
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16
Q

Volcanos are more frequent and more deadly than earthquakes.

True or False?

A

False - deaths from eruptions are now rare

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17
Q

When was the last time a volcanic eruption killed more than 1000 people?

A

Cameroon 1986

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18
Q

Though deaths from volcanos are usually very low, what statistic is very high?

A

Number of people affected

  • mostly due to mass evacuations of people living around volcanos
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19
Q

Though only 300 people died in Mt. Merapi eruption in Indonesia 2010, how many people were affected (evacuated) by the disaster?

A

350,000 people evacuated

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20
Q

MEGADISASTER CASE STUDIES HERE : volcano and tsunami’s

A
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21
Q

What is the name of a place where 2 or more natural hazards can occur and sometimes interact?

A

Multiple Hazard Zones

  • if multiple hazards interact, they can produce complex disasters
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22
Q

What are 3 examples of places where Multiple Hazard Zones exist?

A
  1. California
  2. Indonesia
  3. Japan
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23
Q

What do all of California, Indonesia and Japan possess that makes them Multiple hazard zones? (4 characteristics)

A
  1. Tectonically active (along fault lines)
  2. Geologically young (mountains prone to landslides)
  3. Risk of Tropical cyclones (due to latitude)
  4. Vulnerable to El Nino/El Nina events
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24
Q

What nation did a multiple hazard zone develop after the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo in 1991?

A

The Philippines

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25
Q

What was the name of the typhoon that struck the Philippines during the 1991 eruption of Mt. Pinatubo, creating a Multiple Hazard Zone?

A

Typhoon Yunga

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26
Q

What destructive secondary hazard was created by heavy typhoon rainfall during the Mt. Pinatubo eruption in the Philippines (1991)?

A

Lahars - volcanic ash became waterlogged

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27
Q

What is a common secondary impact in areas of high relief following an earthquake?

A

Landslides - where slopes are weakened by tremors and fail

  • this is especially common in times of heavy rainfall
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28
Q

A multiple hazard zone with COMPLEX hazards requires a combination of what 2 types of hazard?

A
  1. Hydro-meteorological (floods, storms etc.)
  2. Tectonic (earthquakes, volcanos, tsunami’s)
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29
Q

What does prediction mean in regard to natural hazards?

A

When and where a natural hazard will occur on a spacial and temporal scale

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30
Q

Why is prediction important in terms of natural hazards?

A

So successful evacuation to take place

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31
Q

What is natural hazard ‘forecasting’ as opposed to prediction?

A

Forecasting provides a % chance of a hazard occurring

  • it is less precise

(e.g 25% chance of a magnitude 7.0 earthquake in the next 20 years)

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32
Q

Can earthquakes be predicted?

A

No (despite decades of research) - they can only be forecasted

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33
Q

Only which areas can be identified for earthquake risk forecasting?

A

Only high risk areas

-also areas susceptible to severe ground-shaking or liquefaction (for land-use zoning purposes)

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34
Q

How can ‘seismic gaps’ be used to predict areas of high risk?

A

These are areas that have not experienced an earthquake and are ‘overdue’

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35
Q

Can volcanos be predicted?

A

Yes - unlike earthquakes

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36
Q

How does advanced monitoring equipment measure when a volcano is close to eruption?

A

It measures when the magma chamber fills up

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37
Q

What devices are used to record volcanoes ‘bulging’ as magma rises?

A

Tiltmeters and strain meters

38
Q

How are seismometers used to monitor volcano eruption risk?

A

They identify minor earthquakes often caused by magma movement

39
Q

What is the function of Gas spectrometers in measuring volcano eruption likelihood?

A

They analyse gas emissions, some of which are indicative of eruption

40
Q

Despite 60-80 eruptions per year, what is the biggest reason why death tolls from volcanos are minimal?

A

Developments in prediction and monitoring technology

(e.g seismometers, gas spectrometers, tiltmeters)

41
Q

How do seismometers help to detect tsunami’s?

A

They can tell and earthquake has occurred - ocean monitoring equipment can detect tsunami’s in the open sea

42
Q

Why can coastal areas sometimes be evacuated in the event of a tsunami, despite their rapid speed?

A

Ocean monitoring equipment can detect tsunami’s up to 1000km away

43
Q

How far from the shore can tsunami detection equipment locate tsunami’s?

A

Up to 1000km away

44
Q

There was tsunami monitoring equipment present in the Indian Ocean 2004, but this was still not fast enough to warn people on distant coasts.

True or False?

A

False - there were no warning systems in place

45
Q

Why are developing nations less likely to be able to access volcano and tsunami monitoring and warning systems?

A
  1. Cost of technology is too high to install
  2. More isolated rural areas with limited communication infrastructure
46
Q

What does the hazard management cycle illustrate?

A

The different stages of managing hazards to attempt to reduce the SCALE of a disaster

47
Q

What are the 4 steps involved with the Hazard Management cycle?

A
  1. Response
  2. Recovery
  3. Mitigation
  4. Preparedness
48
Q

What does the (1) Response stage of the Hazard Management Cycle involve?

A

Immediate action to save lives

  • this includes emergency shelter, medical assistance, food and water
49
Q

What does the (2) Recovery stage of the Hazard Management Cycle involve?

A

Rebuilding infrastructure and services and rehabilitating the injured

50
Q

What does the (3) Mitigation stage of the Hazard Management Cycle involve?

A

Action to reduce the scale of the next disaster

  • this includes land-use zoning and hazard-resistant building design
51
Q

What does the (4) Preparedness stage of the Hazard Management cycle involve?

A

Community education on how to act before, during and after an event

  • Includes prediction, warning systems and evacuation plans
52
Q

Which stage of the Hazard Management Cycle may be considered the ‘returning to normal’ state?

A

The (2) Recovery stage

  • However the time this takes varies, from a couple of months to many years
53
Q

What 4 factors does the successfulness of the (2) Recovery stage depend upon?

A
  1. Magnitude
  2. Level of development in affected area
  3. Quality of Governance
  4. Amount of external help
54
Q

What model best illustrates disaster-response?

A

The Parks Model

55
Q

What makes Park’s model unique compared to other hazard models?

A

It includes a ‘pre-disaster’ stage, focusing on preparedness prior to a hazard event

56
Q

How can Parks Model be used to compare countries with different levels of development?

A

It illustrates how developed countries often recover faster and to a higher baseline than less developed countries

57
Q

According to the Parks Model, developing countries are likely to recover to a higher level of ‘preparedness’ than they had pre-disaster.

True or False?

A

False - Parks model says developing countries rarely recover fully from disasters making them more vulnerable in the long-term

58
Q

What are the 3 approaches to modifying tectonic hazards?

A
  1. Modify the Event
  2. Modify the Vulnerability
  3. Modify the Loss
59
Q

What is said to be the biggest killer during a natural disaster?

A

The collapse of buildings

60
Q

What is the difference micro and macro methods in Hazard Management?

A

Micro - strengthening individual buildings and structures

Macro - Large-scale protective measures for entire communities (e.g tsunami walls)

61
Q

Are micro or macro civil engineering methods mostly used to manage earthquakes?

A

Mainly Micro

  • Emphasis on protecting public buildings (e.g hospitals, police stations etc.)
62
Q

What is the most common example of hard engineering used to manage tsunami’s?

A

Tsunami Walls

63
Q

What is one disadvantage of Tsunami walls as a management method?

A

They only work up to a given amplitude and threshold of wave

64
Q

What is the most common example of soft engineering used to manage tsunami’s?

A

Replanting and reforestation of coasts (e.g mangroves)

  • vegetation dissipates energy from waves
65
Q

What 2 ways can volcanoes be modified/managed?

A
  1. Diverting flows of lava
  2. Reinforce house roofs (to withstand deposits of ash)
66
Q

What is one advantage and disadvantage of land-use zoning as a hazard modification method?

A

Advantage: Low cost, reduces vulnerability

Disadvantages: Stop development on valuable land, requires strict enforcement

67
Q

What is one advantage and disadvantages of resistant buildings as hazard modification methods?

A

Advantage: prevents collapse (protects people and property)

Disadvantage: High cost for large buildings + unaffordable for low-income families

68
Q

What is one advantage and disadvantage of tsunami defences as a hazard modification method?

A

Advantage: Reduces damage, provides security

Disadvantage: Very high cost, unattractive, can be overtopped

69
Q

What is one advantage and disadvantage of lava diversion as a hazard management method?

A

Advantage: Diverts lava away, low cost

Disadvantages: Only works for low VEI lava

70
Q

What does modifying vulnerability involve?

A

Increasing the resilience of a community to increase their capacity to cope

71
Q

What are the advantages of Hi-Tech Volcano monitoring in reducing the vulnerability of a hazard?

A

Predicting an eruption is usually possible and warning and evacuations save lives

72
Q

What are the limitations of Hi-tech volcano monitoring in reducing the vulnerability of a hazard?

A
  • Equipment is costly and so developing countries can rarely afford
  • Even if all are evacuated, property is still heavily damaged
73
Q

What is ‘cry-wolf syndrome’ in regard to hazard warning?

A

Where predictions (and evacuations) are wrong, so people are less likely to believe the next time a warning is issued

74
Q

What are examples of community preparedness and education in regard to reducing vulnerability?

A

Evacuation plans in schools, earthquake kits, essential supply kits

75
Q

What is an advantage of education and community preparedness in reducing vulnerability?

A

Low cost option, often provided by NGOs (e.g Red Cross)

76
Q

What is a limitation of education and community preparedness in reducing vulnerability?

A

Harder to implement in isolated areas/communities

77
Q

What is a geographical adaptation that can be made to reduce/stop vulnerability entirely?

A

Relocation - populations move out of danger zones permanently

78
Q

Why is relocation, as a method to reduce vulnerability, rarely ever used?

A
  • High population densities in some areas
  • Disrupts traditional settlements and communities may be unwilling
79
Q

What can loss modification informally be referred to as?

A

‘Picking up the pieces’ AFTER a disaster has occurred

80
Q

If event and vulnerability modifications have been used effectively, losses from natural disasters should be small.

True or False

A

True - previous modifications SHOULD reduce the impact

81
Q

Why is loss modification often used as the main management strategy in developing countries, rather than ‘picking up the pieces’ ?

A

As they do not have the resources to implement effective event or vulnerability modifications

(e.g 2010 Haiti Earthquake and 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami)

82
Q

What are the 3 most common methods used to modify loss after a disaster?

A
  1. Short-term emergency aid
  2. Long Term aid
  3. Insurance
83
Q

What is short-term emergency aid?

A

Search and rescue operations, followed by food, water and shelter

84
Q

What is an advantage of short-term emergency aid in modifying losses after a disaster?

A

Can reduce death toll - keeps people alive until longer-term help arrives

85
Q

What are 3 disadvantages of short-term emergency aid in modifying losses after a disaster?

A
  1. Very Costly
  2. Difficult to distribute in isolated areas
  3. Poor emergency services in developing countries
86
Q

What is long term aid?

A

Longer term projects to help a country recover

(e.g reconstruction plans for an affected area)

87
Q

What is an advantage of long term aid in modifying losses after a disaster?

A

Reconstruction can ‘build-in’ greater resilience

(e.g land-use zoning or building standards)

88
Q

What is a disadvantage of long term aid in modifying losses after a disaster?

A

Very high costs - often dependent on financial support from developed nations

89
Q

What is insurance, in terms of modifying losses after a disaster?

A

Financial compensation given to people to replace their losses

90
Q

What is an advantage of insurance as a method to modify losses after a disaster?

A

Allows people to recover economically by paying for the assets they lost

91
Q

What are 2 disadvantages of insurance as a method to modify losses after a disaster?

A
  1. It does not save lives
  2. Few people in developing nations have insurance
92
Q
A

1 Tectonic Processes and Hazards (3 decks)

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