Hazards- Categorisation and Perception Flashcards
1
Q
Cultural factors affecting hazard perception
A
- people have lived for generations with the threat (part of their daily lives)
- peoples lives are intrinsically linked to the hazard eg. Iceland’s geothermal energy
- people feel they have enough knowledge that their vulnerability is low
2
Q
Economic factors affecting hazard perception
A
- people in the developed world are educated about hazards
- people are exposed to news reports in MICs, skewing their views
- poorer nations may consider risk vs reward
- LICs may have a lack of perceived danger
- uneducated on the risks the hazards pose
- richer nations can adapt and may have mitigated the risks
3
Q
Avalanches
A
- slide of large snow mass down a mountainside
- caused when a build up of snow
- major danger faced in winter
4
Q
Landslides
A
- elements of the ground (eg. Rocks, trees etc.)
- caused by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions or ground instability
5
Q
Mudflows
A
- a special case of landslides
- heavy rainfall causes lose soil on steep terrain to collapse
- lahars are related to these
6
Q
Floods
A
- result of prolonged rainfall from a storm
- causes widespread damage to areas downstream
- tropical cyclones can result in extensive flooding
7
Q
Wildfires
A
- uncontrolled fire burning in woodland areas
- common causes include lightening, droughts, human negligence or arson
- can produce ember attacks (floating embers set fire to buildings)
8
Q
Cyclonic storms
A
- a system that forms over oceans
- hurricane used for Atlantic and eastern Pacific
- tropical cyclone in the Indian Ocean, typhoon in western Pacific
9
Q
Tornado
A
- natural disaster resulting from a thunderstorm
- violent rotating columns of air (50-300mph)
10
Q
Fatalism
A
- people are used to experiencing the hazard and may have lived through events many times (eg. Typhoons in the Philippines)
- as such these events are normal to them so they don’t fear them
11
Q
Adaptation/adjustment
A
- when a town/city starts to change their way of living to fit natural disasters into their everyday lives
- building structures, types of research, way governments react all change due to past experience
12
Q
Prediction
A
-knowing when a hazard will occur significantly improves the chances of a lower death toll
Predicting hazards may be done in many ways:
-satellite monitoring around volcanoes
-geological ground changes-earthquakes
The most common response resulting from these is evacuation
13
Q
Mitigation
A
- any action taken to reduce or eliminate the threat to property or human life as a result of a natural hazard.
- this includes the ideas of adoption and preparation, but can also include anything done on an individual level
- any mitigation carried out goes through CBA to ensure that it is economically viable
14
Q
Risk sharing
A
- works on the principle that spreading the risk reduces any one individuals risk, therefore making it more acceptable
- may also involve spreading the financial burden imposed by possible management or adaptation strategies (so MORE EXPENSIVE ones can be put in place)
15
Q
Management
A
- the degree of management carrier out depends on the wealth of the nation eg. Japan spends billions on its tsunami warning systems, while the Philippines relies on basic weather reports
- this shows great disparity in how nations at different stages of development manage natural hazards
- little can be done about some hazards eg. Wildfires
