Hazards Flashcards
Hazard
-a potential threat to human life and property caused by an event
-Hazards should not be confused with natural disasters. A
disaster will only occur when a vulnerable population is exposed to
a hazard.
three types of hazard
-geophysical (caused by tectonic plates eg volcanos)
-atmospheric (caused by conditions caused by atmospheric processes eg wildfires)
-hydrological (caused by water bodies eg floods)
Factors that effect hazard perception
wealth: Wealthier people may perceive hazards to be smaller as they are less vulnerable. wealthier people may also
view a risk as greater as there is more risk of property damage and financial loss
Experience: Someone who has experienced more hazards may be more likely to understand the full effects of a hazard
Education: A person who is more educated about hazards may understand their full effects on people and how devastating they have been in the past.
Religion: Some may view hazards as put there by God for a reason, or being part of
the natural cycle of life etc. so may not perceive them to be negative
Human responses to hazards
Fatalism: : The viewpoint that hazards are uncontrollable natural events, and any losses should be accepted as there is nothing that can be done to stop them.
Fear: panic and fleeing
Adaptation: Attempting to live with hazards by adjusting lifestyle choices
Example where risk sharing has worked
New Zealand:
-under threat from earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes
-huge cost
-now attempts to share the risk by insurance investment, so
strategies can be put in place before the disasters rather than investing more in a clean up.
Aspects of Hazards and How They Affect Human Responses
Incidence:
-harder to predict and have less management in place
- frequent hazards tent to be low intensity
Distribution:
-Areas of high hazard distribution have more management strategies, those living
there will be more adapted
Intensity:
-high intensity hazards will have worse effects, meaning they will require more
management
Level of development:
-will affect how a place can respond to a hazard
The park model
-a graphical representation of human responses to hazards
-shows the steps carried out in the recovery after a hazard
-The steepness of the curve shows how quickly an area deteriorates and recovers
- The depth of the curve shows the scale of the disaster (i.e. lower the curve, lower the
quality of life).
Park model stages
Stage 1: Relief
-immediate local response
-request for foreign aid
Stage 2: Rehabilitation
-Services begin to be
restored
-Temporary shelters
and hospitals set up
-foreign aid
Stage 3: Reconstruction
-Infrastructure rebuilt
-Mitigation efforts for
future event
The hazard management cycle
outlines the stages of responding to events, showing how the same stages take place after every hazard.
4 stages of the hazard management cycle
-Preparedness
-Response
-Recovery
-Mitigation
Evaluating the Effectiveness of Models
-Can they be applied to every hazard? Are some hazards more complicated and require a more complex model?
-Does the model take any aspects of hazards into account such as level of development?
- Could the model be less vague/ include more steps that can be applied to all hazards?
Structure of the earth
-Inner core
-outer core
-mantle
-asthenosphere
-lithosphere
-crust
inner core
-Solid ball of iron/nickel
-Very hot due to pressure and
radioactive decay
-This heat is responsible for
Earth’s internal energy
Outer core
-Semi-molten
-Iron/nickel
Mantle
-Mainly solid rock
-the very top layer of
the mantle is semi-molten
magma, which is known as the
asthenosphere
-The lithosphere rests on top.
