Hazards Flashcards
What is a geophysical hazard?
-linked to the movement of earths tectonic plates
Examples of geophysical hazards
-earthquakes
-volcanoes
-avalanches
-tsunami
What are Atmospheric hazards?
Linked to atmoshperic weather and climate
Examples of atmospheric hazards
-heatwaves
-extreme weather
-drought
-hurricane
-tropical storm
What are hydrological hazards?
Linked to water and water logging of the land
Examples of biological hazards
-covid
-wildfire
What is risk?
The exposure of people to a hazardous event presenting a potential threat to themselves, their possessions and the built environment
Why do people put themselves at risk?
-cost/ benefit
-lack of alternatives
-changing level of risk
-hazards are unpredictable
What are the costs/ benefits of living nest a hazard ?
Due to social, political, economic and cultural people can’t simply uproot themselves from one place and move to another, giving up their home, land and employment
Why are there a lack of alternatives?
-there are many hazardous areas that offer advantages that in people’s minds outweigh the risk that they are taking living in that past
-in Californian cities people see that the advantages outweigh the disadvantages of living in the earthquake prone area
Why is there a changing level of risk with hazards?
-Places that were once’s relatively safe have become more of a risk.
-deforestation in the Himalayas, for example, could result in more flooding from monsoon rains leading to a greater risk of landslides
What is vulnerability?
-the potential for loss
-since losses vary geographically over time among different social groups
-vulnerability therefore varies over time and soace
are some people more vulnerable than others?
-people who experience a greater disparity in wealth are more vulnerable to a hazard as they experience a limited lack of resources that could be used in prevention of reducing the risks by doing things such as building earthquake proof buildings in a triangular shape.
-those less wealthy are Alamo more vulnerable after the event has taken place as they rely heavily on financial aid and resources abroad.
-LICS lack educated people in industries such as healthcare
What is perception?
The way in which something is regarded understood or interpreted
What is fatalism?
-hazards are natural events that are part of living in that area
-some communities believe it’s gods will
-losses are accepted as inevitable and people remain where they are
What is adaptation ?
Anticipating the adverse effects and taking appropriate action to prevent or minimise damage they can cause.
-take advantage of opportunities that may arise
What is fear ?
-the perception of the hazard is such that people feel so vulnerable to an event that they are no longer able to face living in the area and move away to regions perceived as to be unaffected by the hazard
What is resilience?
- determination of strength of character of community to pull through and counteract the disastrous events that could have human consequences
What is integrated risk management?
-set of processes/ practices that allow organisations to properly identify, mitigate and manage risk
What is prediction ?
-estimating that a specific thing will happen in the future or will be a consequence of something
What is prevention?
-the methods we can put in place as humans to prevent a hazard entirely or some of the negative impacts it might have
What is protection?
-the pre-empt method put in place to reduce the risk of hazard when it does inevitability arrive such as boarding up windows and building up earthquake buildings
What is the first stage of the hazard management cycle?
Preparedness
What are examples of preparedness?
-education and raising public awareness
-knowing what to do in the immediate aftermath to speed up recovery
What is the second stage of the hazard management?
Responses
What are some examples of responses?
-speed of responses will depend on the effectiveness of the emergency plan put in place
-search and rescue teams
-damage assessments
What is the third stage of the hazard management cycle?
Recovery
What are examples of recovery?
-restoring the affected area to somewhere near normality
-short one -> restore services
-long term -> construction to pre event levels
What is the last stage of the hazard management cycle?
Prevention/ mitigation
Example of mitigation
-actions aimed at reducing the severity of the event and lessening its impacts
-building design
-insurance
What does the park model include?
-pre disaster
-relief
-rehabilitation
-reconstruction
-return to normal
What does relief include?
-hours and days after the event
-search, rescue, care
What does rehabilitation include ?
-days and weeks
-temporary housing and services