Geography - EQ 3 Flashcards
Rise in reported natural disasters?
Humans - Anthropogenic
Tectonic activity
Population - high population density
Technology advancements
Corruption - weak infrastructure
Why is duration of a natural hazard important?
Vulnerability increases with duration
Longer goes on = more secondary impacts - famine, disease
Disaster trends
2.2% human fatalities directly from earthquakes
0.1% secondary hazards
Majority from famine and drought
Earthquake - trends
No change in number since 1980 - 15 to 40 each year
Variable deaths 1000 deaths 2012 and 2014 and 200,000 deaths in 2010 and 2004
Volcano - trends
Last time over 1000 died was in 1986 (Lake Nyos) only seven have killed 100+
Number affected is very large though
Guatemalan earthquake 1976 - class quake
Only the poor died and were mainly affected
The rich were safe as
Reliability of disaster statistics
Corruption - downplay affects
Location - remote events under recorded
Political bias
Secondary impacts - not recorded sometimes
What’s a mega disaster
A disaster with several characteristics
Involves multiple countries
Massively affects countries
Mega disaster - characteristics
Large scale disasters
Pose serious problems
Often require international support
What is HILP
High Intensity Low Possibility
What’s a multiple hazard zone
Places where 2 or more hazards occur
They can produce complex hazards
What can make a country vulnerable to disasters
Low GDP
High population density
Have repeated events
High corruption
What’s the park disaster response model
Shows the quality of life, how it’s impacted by tectonic events and the ability of a country to recover
The relief phase
This is immediate, trying to save lives, teams like MSF (medicine sans frontier) help with search and rescue
The rehabilitation phase
Days to months, efforts made to restore physical and community structures, food water and temporary shelter provided
The reconstruction phase
Can last months to years, permanent changes introduced to restore quality of life and economy
What are the 4 steps in hazard management cycle
Preparedness
Response
Recovery
Mitigation
3 ways of disaster modification
Modify the event
Modify vulnerability
Modify loss
What’s is modify the event
Before hazard occurs and during hazard
Mitigate impact of hazard
Use technology and planning systems
What is modify vulnerability
Before hazard occurs
Get people out of hazard area
Involved prediction, warning and evacuation
What is modify loss
‘Picking up pieces’ after disaster occurred
After hazard occurs
Reduces short and long term losses
