Hazards Flashcards
Hazard
A potential threat to human life and property caused by an event. An event will only become a hazard when it is a threat to people.
Geophysical hazard
hazards caused y land processes, tectonic plates. (earthquakes, volcanoes)
atmospheric hazards
hazards caused by atmospheric processes like weather systems (wildfires)
hydrological hazards
hazards causes by water bodies and movement (flooding)
hazard perception
people have different viewpoints of how dangerous hazards are and what risk they pose. These perceptions are dependent on lifestyles factors which include economic and cultural elements (wealth, experience, education, religion and beliefs, mobility)
wealth (hazard perception)
wealthier people may perceive hazards to be smaller as they are less vulnerable ( have the ability to evacuate with transport and build stronger houses/buy new house)
on the other hand they may also view a risk as greater as they have more to lose (property damage, financial loss)
experience
someone who has experienced more hazards are more likely to understand the effects
education
a person who is more educated are more likely to understand how dangerous a hazard may be, whereas those who are less educated may not understand the effects. and therefore not evacuate
religion and beliefs (hazard perception)
some view hazards as an act of god so may not perceive them to be negative, however those who believe strongly in environmental conservation may perceive hazards to be a huge rusk to the natural environment
mobility (hazard perception)
those who have limited access to escape may perceive hazards to be greater threats then they are or if people have a disability or illness it will be difficult to leave an area quickly.
human responses to hazards
hazards can be responded to in a passive way or in an active way, passive - fatalism. active - prediction, adaptation, mitigation, management, risk sharing.
fatalism
the viewpoint that hazards are uncontrollable natural events and any losses should be accepted as there is nothing we can do to stop them
prediction
using scientific research and past events in order to know when a hazard will take place, so that warnings can be delivered and impacts can be reduced.
adaptation
attempting to live with the hazards by adjusting lifestyle choices so that vulnerability to the hazard is lessened (earthquake proof houses)
mitigation
strategies carried out to lessen the severity of a hazard (sandbags to offset impact of flooding)
management
coordinated strategies to reduce a hazards effects
risk sharing
a form of community preparedness, whereby the community shares the risk posed by the hazard and invests colectively.
New Zealand is an example, insurance investment risk share so that strategies can be put in place before the disasters rather than investing more in a clean up
frequency
how often a hazard occurs
magnitude
the size of the hazard, this is how the intensity is measured
intensity
the power of a hazard ( how strong and how damaging the effects are)
level of development
economic development will affect how a place can respond to a hazard, so a hazard of the same magnitude may have very different effects in two places of contracting level of development
In Canada where wildfires have been increasing over the last few years (as a result of climate change), less money and resources have been available for earthquake and tsunami preparation. Even detailed evacuation routes and tsunami sirens are not available in popular tourist beaches such as Vancouver Island or Pacific Rim National Park. Text message systems are available to act as a warning system to suggest people to evacuate, but many people switch their phones off at night, reducing the effectiveness.
the park model
a graph representing human responses to hazards, shows the steps carried out in the recovery after a hazard
Relief - Stage 1 (park model)
immediate local response - medical aid, search and rescue
immediate appeal for foreign aid - beginning of global response
rehabilitation - stage 2 (park model)
services begin to be restored
temporary shelters and hospitals set up
food and water distributed
coordinated foreign aid
reconstruction - stage 3 (park model)
restoring the area to the same or better quality of life
ecosystems repaired, crops regrown
infrastructure rebuilt
mitigation efforts for future event
hazard management cycle
preparedness - being ready for an event to occur (education / training)
response - immediate action taken after event (evacuation / medical assistance, rescue)
recovery - long term responses (restoring services / reconstruction)
mitigation - strategies to lessen effects of another hazard (barriers / warning signals)
evaluating effectiveness of models
hazard models are useful but the unpredictability makes the models less effective at accurately representing human responses to hazards.
