Lecture #2 Flashcards

1
Q

Why can minting a database of disasters be difficult?

A
  • Disasters can co-occur
  • Mortality can be difficult to count
  • Lack of census taking
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2
Q

What events officially qualify as a disaster?

A
  • 10 or more deaths
  • 100 or more persons affected
  • Government declaration of disaster
  • Pleas for international assistance
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3
Q

What are the exceptions to the CRED threshold?

A
  • for drought/famine: at least 2000 persons affected

- for technological disasters: 5 or more deaths per event

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4
Q

Are the impact of losses felt the same in different places?

A

Impact of losses is felt differently, statistics must be placed in a community/regional context

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5
Q

What does the media tend to focus on in terms of a disaster?

A
  • human interest
  • visual impact
  • events close to home
  • Prioritizing according to a NA perspective
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6
Q

In terms of media attention, the death of one NA=

A

Deaths of

  • 3 eastern Europeans
  • 9 Latinos
  • 11 middle easterners
  • 12 Asians
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7
Q

Do all disaster create the same consequences?

A

No, the impact varies greatly by disaster type

-some cause more deaths, other affect more people, others have more economic losses

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8
Q

Where are technological disaster most likely to occur?

A

Industrialized countries

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9
Q

What are 4 impacts that disasters create?

A
  • property damage
  • economic losses
  • persons affected
  • deaths
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10
Q

Do all impacts happen at the same level?

A

Impacts do not increase in equal proportions

-some increase faster than others

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11
Q

What was the magnitude of the Haiti earthquake?

A
  1. 0

- Jan 12 2010

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12
Q

How many people died?

A

220,000

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13
Q

Where was the epicentre?

A

25 km from the capital city

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14
Q

What was one factor related to housing that made it one of the worst natural disasters in history?

A

all building collapsed. They should have been able to withstand a M7 but they have such poor building codes that they all crumbled

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15
Q

What kind of earth what was the Haiti earthquake?

A

Occurred along a transform fault

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16
Q

What were the problems with Haitis landscape that contributed more harm than good?

A
  • Poor country, sold all lumber= decrease in mangroves which are natural barriers fro storm surges
  • Soil erosion because of the lack of vegetation
  • Deforestation
17
Q

What type of living arrangements are growing at a quick rate in developing countries?

A

Slums

-house a lot of people and are most likely within hazard zones

18
Q

How do you determine the vulnerability of a location to a hazard?

A

Is a function of its resiliency and reliability

19
Q

Resiliency definition

A

The rate of recovery from the occurrence of an event

20
Q

Reliability definition

A

The frequency which which protective devices against disaster are able to withstand the disaster

21
Q

What is a risk assessment?

A

Involves estimating the likelihood that a particular event will harm human nealth

22
Q

What is risk management?

A

Involves deciding whether or not hot to reduce a particular risk and at what costs

23
Q

What is the problem with risk?

A

Its very subjective from individual to individual

-we one person considers risky someone else might not

24
Q

Whats the best amount of data to have for a risk assessment?

A

at least 100 years, but we don’t have that much data for all hazards

25
Q

What is the statistical analysis of risk?

A

R= P * L

  • P probability of hazard occurrence
  • L loss (economic, health etc)
26
Q

What do you need in order to use a risk analysis event tree?

A

You need to know the chain of events leading to a disaster

-probabilities within the chain

27
Q

What is the risk associated with a technological system?

A

System reliability= technology reliability x human reliability

28
Q

Which is more reliable, human or technology?

A

Technology

-Human reliability is only 75%

29
Q

If we made technology be 100% reliable what would the overall system reliability be?

A

Still only 75%

1.00 x 0.75 x 100=75

30
Q

What is the greatest risk factor leading to a reduction in life expectancy?

A

Poverty

  • linked to malnutrition
  • increased susceptibility to diseases
  • lack of access to health care
  • contaminated water
31
Q

What are 3 indirect benefits of reducing poverty?

A
  • Stimulates economic development
  • reduces environmental degradation
  • Improves human rights
32
Q

Risks from hazards are more accepted by people if the riots are perceived to be…?

A
  • volunaty vs imposed
  • under our control vs controlled by others
  • clear benefits vs little/no benefit
  • natural vs. anthropogenic
  • statistical vs catastriphic
  • familiar vs exotic
  • affects adults vs children
33
Q

How do we get better at perceiving risks?

A
  • Carefully evaluate what the media presents
  • Compare risks
  • Worry only about risks that affect your own health (don’t worry about risks you can’t control)
34
Q

What are the 3 shifts in the nature of risks over the last few generations?

A
  • infectious–> chronic diseases
  • more workplace accidents–> improved safety regulations
  • Deaths from natural disasters have decreased compared to the past
35
Q

As technology advances, what are the new hazards being introduced?

A
  • Nuclear
  • Chemical spills
  • Pesticides
  • O3 depletion
  • Acid Rain