Global Hazards Flashcards
What is a hazard
Something that is a potential threat to human life or property
What are natural hazards caused by
Natural processes, eg lava flow from a volcanic eruption
Hydro-meteorological hazards
Caused by climatic processes
Droughts, floods, tropical cyclones and storms
Geophysical hazards
Caused by land processes
Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and landslides
What is a disaster
When a hazard seriously affects humans
What is a risk
The likelihood that humans will be seriously affected by a hazard
What is vulnerability
How susceptible a population is the damage caused by a hazard
Disaster risk equations
Risk(R) = ( Vulnerability(V) x Hazard(H) ) / Capacity to Cope(C)
The risk of a disaster increases as
The frequency or severity of hazards increases (eg. more or worse flooding)
Peoples vulnerability increases (eg. higher population densities in areas vulnerable to flooding, like flood plains)
Peoples cap it to cope is decreased-capacity to cope is the ability to deal with the consequences of a hazard, eg. people in remote areas are further from help than people in central areas, so have a lower capacity to cope
What can the disaster risk equation be used to explain
Why similar hazards can cause disasters of different degrees
Example of similar sized earthquakes in Kashmir (Pakistan, 2005) and Izmit (Turkey, 1999)
Although the hazards were similar (both earthquakes), the disasters they caused were different-Kashmir suffered more loss of life with over 75,000 deaths compared to around 18,000 in Izmit
The people of Kashmir had a lower capacity to cope-it’s a remotes mountainous location, which makes access difficult, access was made even worse by landslides that burned roads into the region
The population of Kashmir is vulnerable-the people are poor and buildings are often badly constructed, when some of these buildings collapsed after the earthquake people were buried
