hazards Flashcards
what is a disaster?
when a hazard causes a significant impact on a vulnerable population, serious, widespread social, economic, environmental losses exceeding the ability of the community to cope
what is a hazard?
perceived natural/ geophysical event that has the potential to threaten life and property
what is resilience?
ability of a community to cope with and recover from the effects of a hazard in a timely and efficient manner, including through the preservation and restoration of its essential basic structures
what is a risk?
probability of a hazard occurring creating loss of life and/or livelihoods
what is a risk assessment?
likelihood of damage and harm and the anticipation of the type and scale of these
what is vulnerability?
reduced capacity of an individual or group to anticipate, cope with, resist and recover form the impact of a natural or man-made hazard
what hazard categories are there?
geophysical, hydrological, atmospheric, geomorphic, biohazards
what is a geophysical hazard?
all tectonic hazards
what is a hydrological hazard?
water/ weather extreme
what is a atmospheric hazard?
storms
what is a geomorphic hazard?
changes in land shape
what is a biohazard?
associated with plant and animal life
what is an example of a geophysical hazard?
earthquake, tsunami
what is an example of a hydrological hazard?
drought, flood
what is an example of atmospheric hazard?
tropical storm, extra-tropical storm (over UK)
what is an example of geomorphic hazard?
landslide
what is an example of a biohazard?
wildfire
what were event profiles of the Asian Tsunami 2004
-large magnitude with a quick speed of onset
-short duration
-predictable, but rare
-large areal extent
-large, quickly happened and finished
what were the event profiles of Kilauea eruptions since 1983?
-small magnitude
-continuous, frequent, predictable
-limited areal extent
-small, but continuous
what are economic factors of hazards?
-poverty, means there is less money to have safer infrastructure, as well as less amount of doctors, resulting in more deaths
-inequality, means that there is/ could be less safe communal spaces for them
what are social factors of hazards?
-stronger houses, less deaths however if strong enough the hazard could potentially cause damage with debris
-population growing, more people to keep safe
what are political factors of hazards?
-conflict means that there will be less worry about hazards
-by having a strong and organised government, it means that there is more protection and safety plans put in place, saving lives
what are technological factors of hazards?
-good technology means that more predictions can be made before the hazard occurs, giving people time to prepare for it
-if a country has bad communication it means that less people could be warned about hazards, therefore increasing the risk
what hazard response models are there?
the park model
hazard management cycle
how does the park model show a hazard?
-predisaster, before the event, the situation is normal
-disruption, during and directly after the hazard event occurs
-relief, aftermath of the event
-rehabilitation, once immediate impacts under control
-reconstruction, involves rebuilding permanent houses, infrastructure
what are the four stages of the hazard management cycle?
-mitigation, minimising the impacts of future disasters
-preparedness, planning how to respond to a hazard
-response, how people react when a disaster occurs
-recovery, getting the affected area back to normal
how do people’s circumstances affect their perception of hazard?
wealth, religion, education, past experience, personality
how does wealth affect perception of hazard?
richer people can afford to move to areas that are less prone to hazards/ build homes to withstand hazards, perceiving risk as smaller
how does religion affect perception of hazard?
some people view hazards as acts of god, punishing people
how does education affect perception of hazard?
people with more education may have a better understanding of risks of hazards, reducing risks or mitigate impacts
how does past experience affect perception of hazard?
people who live in hazard prone areas may have experienced hazards before, may affect perceived risk from future hazards
how does personality affect perception of hazard?
some people fear hazards and others might think of them as exciting
