Hazards - physical Flashcards
what is a hazard?
something that has the potential to harm things
can cause injury, loss of life, damage to property, etc
can be caused by nature and / or humans
what is a disaster?
must meet one or more of the following criteria:
10 or more people killed
100 or more people affected
state of emergency declared by relevant government
international assistance requested by relevant government
how can we classify hazards?
by their:
nature - how they occur (natural / human)
magnitude - how strong they are
frequency - how often they occur
geographical location - where they are found
scale of impact - how bad the effects are 
what are the subclassifications of natural hazards?
tectonic
geomorphological
atmospheric
biological
(boundaries between these can blur)
what is the relationship between magnitude and frequency?
inverse relationship
the smaller the magnitude, the more frequent the event & vice versa
what are the common characteristics of natural hazards?
clear origins and distinctive effects
little or no warning
exposure to the risk maybe involuntary
most damage and loss of life occurs shortly after the hazard
impact may last into the future
scale and impact requires an emergency response
what is hazard perception?
people respond to hazards based on their perception of the risk involved
accurate perception can minimise how the event impacts people
what is the most effective way of ensuring accurate hazard perception?
education and experience
education is more important as experience can be unreliable
cultural and economic factors affect the quality of education provided
what are the three perceptions of hazards?
acceptance
domination
adaptation
what is the hazard perception acceptance?
hazards are unavoidable, parts of life & ‘acts of god’
what is the hazard perception domination?
hazards are predictable and can be better understood through scientific research
what is the hazard perception adaptation?
magnitude and frequency can be estimated
learn to live with hazards and protect from them
what are the three hazard responses and examples?
prevention - slow down lava flows with water jets
prediction - warning systems
modifying loss - insurance / aid
what is the park hazard response model?
a disaster response curve
steep decline of deterioration
relatively steady incline towards improvement 
not fully accurate or reliable as it does not account for LIC countries
what are the components of the hazard management cycle?
preparedness - planning how to respond (emergency drills)
response - efforts to minimise impacts of hazards
recovery - start to return to normal standard of life
mitigation - minimise the effects of future hazards through experience (public education)
