Hazards Flashcards
define a hazard
the threat of substantial loss of life, substantial impact upon life or damage to property that can be caused by an event
what general factors determine the impacts of a hazard?
these factors may include location of the hazard relative to areas of population and magnitude and extent of event
each type of hazard can have its own determining factors that affect the impact such as volcanoes - type and explosivity
what are the three types of hazards and their definitions?
geophysical - driven by the earth’s own internal energy sources e.g volcanoes and plate tectonics
atmospheric - driven by processes at work in the atmosphere e.g tropical storms and droughts
hydrological - driven by water bodies, mainly in oceans e.g tsunamis, floods and storm surges
types of impacts of hazards?
primary - the immediate effect on the affected area such as the destruction of buildings, damage to infrastructure
secondary - as a result of the primary impact such as economic recession or disease
how does perception link to hazards?
how we perceive a hazard is determined by the effect it may have on our lives, this increases if people have a direct experience of a particular hazard and how long term the impact of the experience has been
it is only by the presence of people that a natural event becomes a hazard
how has population increase affected the hazard in that area
the pressure of an increasing population and subsequent land has resulted in building in areas that are at an increased risk
population increase itself can increase the threat of a hazard, such as increasing population at the peripheries of a large urban area can increase the risk of wildfires
what are advantages of living in an area with the threat of natural hazards?
fertile soils on flood plains or vicinity of a volcano can be considered a risk worth taking and this threat is accepted as part of everyday life
how does economic development impact the affect if a hazard?
in HICs the effects tend to do little long-term damage to the economy - there is enough wealth and potential for redevelopment to be able to rebuild infrastructure and support those directly impacted
LICs are much more reliant on support from aid, both in the immediate and aftermath of a hazard, in the long term they need to repair the physical, social and economic damage.
what factors influence the impact of a natural hazard?
mitigation, population density, magnitude (size), extent of hazard, climate, economic development, predictability and preparedness
what is the natural response of a human to a hazard?
to reduce the risk to life and equity
what has been developed to reduce disaster response times?
ADAM (automatic disaster analysis and mapping)
-> allows immediate access to such information as the scale of the disaster, what supplies are available locally and local infrastructure
define fatalism
the belief that all events are predetermined and therefore inevitable
such as wildfires: whilst they are hazardous to human life, they are also a regenerative process within the forest ecosystems and should be allowed to take their course
what is the hazard management cycle?
- preparedness - education and raising public awareness can reduce the human causes and adjust behaviour to minimise the likely impact of the hazard, knowing what to do in the aftermath can help the recovery process
- response - will depend on the effectiveness of the emergency plan that has been put in place.
- recovery - the restoration of services so that long-term planning and reconstruction to the pre-event levels can begin
- mitigation - actions aimed at minimising the severity of an event and lessening its impacts, involves direct intervention such as building design to withstand earthquakes. as well as support after the disaster in form of aid and insurance can reduce long-term impacts -> insurance isn’t available in all countries
what factors determine the type of disruption of a hazard?
type of hazard
the intensity or magnitude
the immediate environment and infrastructure
what is the park model?
describes three stages following a hazard event
1. relief -> immediate local and global response in the form of aid, expertise and search& rescue
- rehabilitation -> longer phase lasting weeks or months, when infrastructure and services are restored
- reconstruction -> restoring to the same, or better quality of life as before the event took place. likely to include methods to mitigate against a similar level of disruption if an event occurs again
