Lesson 1 - Hazards in a Geographical Context Flashcards
Define the term ‘Natural Hazard’
The threat of substantial loss of life, substantial impact upon life or damage to property that can be caused by a natural event
What are some basic causes of hazards?
Human actions e.g. explosions or nuclear incidents
Natural: Earthquake, storm, volcano or wildfires
How does a natural disaster occur? Give examples
As a result of a natural hazard
E.G. Living on a tectonic fault line is a hazard.
An earthquake on a fault that has a huge impact on people and property is a disaster.
What is the impact of a natural hazard dependent on?
Location, population density and the magnitude of an event.
What are the 2 types of impacts that natural hazards have?
Primary and secondary
What are the 3 types of natural hazards? Explain what they are.
Geophysical - Driven by Earth’s own internal energy sources, such as volcanoes and seismic activities
Atmospheric - Driven by processes at work from the atmosphere, such as tropical storms and droughts
Hydrological - Driven by water bodies, mainly oceans, such as floods and storm surges
What causes a natural event to become a natural hazard?
The presence of people
What has caused construction on areas at risk
Greater populations and demand to build
Why would a person choose to live on an area at risk?
The advantage of living in the area outweighs the disadvantage, e.g. fertile soil on a flood plain or near volcanoes
Some old people have lived in an area at risk for many years and experienced natural disasters before, so they think they’ll be fine to remain living there
How do natural disasters affect HICs and LICs differently? (simple answer)
Natural disasters have huge financial consequences but HICs cope better, whereas LICs are more reliant on short-term and long-term aid
What are 2 other perceptions of hazards?
- Many underestimate the risk of a natural hazard
2. Age, social status and religious beliefs can determine how people approach hazards
How do people respond locally to natural hazards?
Save possessions and safeguard property
How do people respond globally to natural hazards?
Coordinate rescue and humanitarian aid
What is the speed of response to a natural hazard dependent on?
The magnitude of the event
The original state of the infrastructure and how badly it has been damaged
Explain what AMAD is
Automatic Disaster Analysis and Mapping System, reduces response times
AMAD is a database that gathers information from the US Geological Survey, the World Bank and the World Food Programme.
This allows immediate info such as the scale of the disaster, what supplies are available locally and what the state of the local infrastructure is.
