Management of Tectonic Hazards Flashcards
define hazard
percieved natural/ geophysical event that has the potential to threaten both life and property
define disaster
the realisation of a hazard when it causes a significant impact on vulnerable population
when does a hazard become a disaster
The CRED (centre for research on the epidemology of disasters) states that a hazard becomes a disaster when 10 or more people die or 100 people effected
what does deggs model show
hazardous geophysical events such as floods earthquakes ect when together with vulnerable or susceptable population to economic loss due to where they live means its a disaster
what is the hazard risk formula
(hazard x vulnerability) / capacity to cope = Risk
what does the level of risk depend on
- linked to hazard itself eg magnitude and duration
- human factors eg capacity to cope
how can you reduce vulnerability
- putting protective measures in place eg defences
- providing aid to people in poor countries
- specialised infrastructure
what is resilience
the ability to protect lives/ livlihoods and infrastructure from destruction and restore areas after a natural hazard has occured
name some political factors which determine how vulnerable a country is
- the existence of building codes and regulations
- quality of communication systems
- level of gov corruption
- existence of disaster preparation plans
- quality of infrastructure
name some economic factors which determine how vulnerable a country is
- level of wealth
- lack of income opportunities
name some social factors which determine how vulnerable a country is
- people without access to education
- poor quality housing
- age of population
- communities with poor health care
name some environmental factors which determine how vulnerable a country is
- rapid urbanisation creates a need for more housing
- accessibility of area
- population density corresponds to poor quality housing
describe myanmars hazard and exposure score
significantly high natural hazard component due to potential for tsunami and earthquakes, floods and storms
describe myanmars vulnerability
moderate risk but relative low score
-been few natural shocks in recent years
describe myanmars coping capacity
poor coping capacity low level of internet/mobile phone signal access for older people and education is poor
describe the overal risk of myanmar to hazards
ranked 7th of 190 nations so disaster risk to elderly is very high
describe japans hazard and exposure score
subject to range of natural hazards
describe japans vulnerability
vulnerability is high compared to other wealthy nations due to aging population but is still low risk
describe japans coping capacity
coping capacity is good
the elderly tend to be educated
high internet connectivity
effective gov and low gender equality
describe the overal risk of japan to hazards
although exposed to hazards it is ranked 133rd of 190 nations thanks to strong coping capacity and lower levels of vulnerability
what is the PAR model
pressure and release model
- to protect people from hazard govs and organisations must first understand how vulnerable a country is +why
- tool used to work out underlying causes of disaster
-based on idea that when disaster occurs it happens when two opposing forces interact (1 side is hazard other is factors making people vulnerable)
what is the richter scale
what does it measure
0-9 scale used to measure the amplitude of waves created by earthquake
what is the mercalli scale
what is bad about it
- measures experienced impacts on a roman numeral scale of I-XII measures peoples experience from chairs moving or awakening
- relative and doesnt give statistical data so hard to directly compare
what is the moment magnitude scale
- modern measure showing earthquakes in terms of energy released.
- the magnitude is based on seismic movement calculated from: the amount of slip on fault, area affected and the earth rigidity factor
- used for larger earthquakes
what is the VEI
volcanic explosivity index
-relative measure of explosiveness of volcanic eruption
-which is calculated from volume of products (ejecta), height of eruption cloud and qualitative observations
(both quantitative and qualitative)
-an increase in one index indicates earthquake is 10x more powerful.
what does the n stand for in spearmans rank
number of items
what does the d^2 in spearmans ranks stand for
rank difference squared
when talking about factors influencing vulnerability and resilience of a community which 3 factors should you include
Development-
education, housing, healthcare, income oppertunities
Governance-
local, national
Geographical location factors-
pop. density, isolation/accesibility, degree of urbanisation
what does a tectonic hazard profile show
shows the characteristics of hazard (single or multiple) allowing comparisons to be made to help governments make disaster preparedness plans
factors such as the magnitude, speed of onset, duration, areal extent, spatial predictability and frequency of a tectonic event
advantages of displaying a tectonic event on a tectonic hazard profile
easy to follow, and compare between countries
helps with disaster plans for government
disadvantages of displaying a tectonic event on a tectonic hazard profile
comparing hazards may not be reliable as they have different impacts on people and communities
subjective and qualitative w/ no figures
why does an increase in population mean a more hazardous world
increased occupied living space means more concrete and impermeable building materials so flood risk increases
more people affected especially those on coasts
compare the death toll in Japan earthquake to economic cost
lower death toll in comparison 15,893
higher cost $240 billion
compare the death toll in Haiti earthquake to economic cost
compare the death toll in Haiti earthquake to economic cost
what is the overall trend with death tolls in natural disasters
where are numbers still high and by how much more
fewer deaths/ global number falling due to better protection systems, improved building codes, disaster preparedness plans
-3x higher in lower income countries
what is the overall trend with economic cost in natural disasters
increasing cost
in 1990 $20 billion
this increased by $100 billion a year between 2000 and 2010
explain why some disasters are more economically costly, while others are more costly in terms of human life
-level of economic development
japan-infrastructure costs more when damaged
-lack of resources-
haiti- majority live in poverty, many struggled with after effects of 2010 earthquakes cholera outbreak
killed 7000 affected 720,000
what characterises a tectonic mega disaster
- large scale spatially/ economically
- pose serious threats
- scale of impact may mean communities and gov need international support in immediate and long term
what is a multiple hazard zone/ disaster hotspot
places where a number of physical hazards combine to create an increased level of risk for the country + population
examples of multiple hazard zones
iceland, nepal, japan, usa, Philippines
what are the two types of natural hazard group
tectonic
hydrometeorological caused by climatic processes such as drought hurricanes floods and storms
how is the phillipines a multiple hazard zone
- along philippine plate and eurasion plate
- pacific ring of fire
- near the equator tropical monsoon climate so heavy rain (can also cause landslides)
- sits on major plate boundary so faces volcanoes and earthqaukes
- northern coast on pacific ocean very tsunami prone
- south east asia typhoon belt 15 typhoons a year
how many deaths do typhoon caused between 1960-2015
45,246
what is the landscape of the phillipines like
mostly mountainous, coastal lowlands and many people living and working on steep slope land
how many flights were effected by the 2010 iceland eruption
what and how did this effect trade
how did this effect perishable goods
100,000
airfreight holds great value to world trade
0.5% UK trade by weight but 25% by value
countries such as Kenya and Zambia who provide fruit to Europe had delays in transportation so fast-perishing fruit rotted and cost them over $65 million
what made the 2011 Japan tsunami/earthquake high profile
the effects of the fukishima power plant on Honshu.
the earthquake disabled the power supply leading to cooling of 3 reactors causing high radioactive releases and contaminated water going to fishing grounds.
how has the view of nuclear power changed since 2011 tsunami
loss of acceptability
germany and italy shut down plants and abandoned plans to build new ones.
how did japans energy mix change after the earthquake
before 27% was from nuclear
after- 44 reactors shut down and only 1% of energy was from a nuclear source
how did japans changing energy mix effect fossil fuel consumption
more fossil fuels imported
- price of electricity went up by 20%
- government debt rose as they were importing fossil fuels
- greenhouse gas emissions increased
by 2014 how was japans energy mix changing
high electricity prices from FFuels led to the reintroduction of nuclear power which now makes up 20-22%
how is rapid urbanisation effecting the Philippines
as it is only a lower middle income country, a fast growing population has led to rapid urbanisation and high population density which means that:
»>more poorl built, cheap and fast houses built that can’t withstand impacts of monsoon
where are most of the Philippine population situated
in coastal areas where effects of tsunamis and monsoons are hit worst
what factors have increased the Philippines vulnerability to events
- fast growing population and rapid urbanisation
- poverty
- high population density
what were the effects of the 2006 earthquake in the Philippines
deaths
injured
damaged or destroyed buildings
15 deaths
inhured 100
destroyed 800
what were the secondary impacts of the 2006 earthquake in Philippines
- generated a tsunami which was 3m high
- triggered a landslide which breached a crator wall of a volcano and fell into a lake creating a flood which washed away houses.
how many natural disasters was the Philippines hit by in 2013
three within three months
- earthquake in october killed 223
- typhoon haiyan in November killed 6201
- floods from tropical depression kiled 64 people in jan 14
left gov in near constant state of emergency
what are the challenges of living in a multiple hazard zone
-lack of advances in other areas eg) education
-depletion of resources due to consecutive strain
»»3 natural disasters in 3 months
-contribution of one hazard leads to consecutive successive hazards such as earthquake triggered landslide in 2006
how do the effects of multiple hazard zones differ in MEDC and LEDC eg California USA and Philippines
California
>last time more than 100 died in disaster was 1933 Long beach earthquake
>frequent landslides, drought 2012-15, earthquakes and rarely volcanoes and floods
Philippines
>common earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides, cyclones and floods but few droughts caused by El Nino
why is forecasting important?
it can encourage governments to enforce better building regulations in areas of high stress, or create improved evacuation porcedures in areas of high risk.
what is prediction? and forecasting
stating when an earthquake is going to take place and forecasting is giving a timeframe of when an earthquake could happen
is planning always reliable, why might it not always work
- event is bigger than expected
- unexpected secondary impacts
- regualtions are ignored (eg corruption china)
- other hazards interfere eg multiple haz zones philippines
how are earthquakes predicted and forecasted
- global seismic monitoring networks and historical records
- warning signs/precursors which can identify a pattern of seismic activity such as animal behaviours or radon emissions
are predictions always useful
(to enable evacuationof affected areas)
must be highly accurate, however many geoscientists believe that this wont happen in foreseeable future
which are more relaible/accurate to predict eruptions or earthquakes
volcanic eruptions
how is an eruption predicted
placing equipment and remote equipment on volcano such as GPS and satallite based radar scientists can monitor
>small earthquakes-caused by magma breaking rock
>changing shape of surface due to swelling of magma
>change in tilt of volcano caused by magma movement inside which can change slope angle or tilt
What caused the 2015 nepal earthquake
sudden release of pressure from the indian and eurasian plate boundary
how many died in nepal earthquake
8633
how many left homeless in 2015 nepal earthquake
3 million
what can catagorise a “disaster”
when a natural hazard strikes a vulnerable population that can’t cope using it’s own resources. The greater the scale the more vulnerable
assess nepals level of vulnerability
- low population density although earthquake hit kathmandu
- one of poorest countries 197 out of 229
- weak infrastruture
- nepal in himalayas and landslides caused by earthquake cutting off rural areas
- very earthquake prone
how much did 2015 nepal earthqauke cost
$5 billion 25% of their gdp
what is the hazard management cycle
process where governments and other organsiation work together to protect people, avoid poverty and loss of life and help those effected
- divided into 4 stages
- involves key players at all levels: governments, international organisations, businesses and community groups
what are the 4 stages of the hazard management cycle
mitigation, preparedness, response, recovery
describe mitigation strategies in HMCycle
preventing hazard events/ minimising impacts
»»identify potential hazard that causes poverty/loss of life to make communities less vulnerable
-zoning/land-use planning
-developing and enforcing building codes
-building protective structures such as tsunami sea defence walls
BEFORE and AFTER
describe preparedness strategies in HMCycle
minimising loss of life/poverty and facillitating the response and recovery phases >>>emergency plans implemented -preparedness plans -early warning systems -creating evacuation routes -stockpiling aid equipment and supplies
describe response strategies in HMcycle
coping with disaster and responding to event
»>save lives, protect property, make affected areas safe and reduce economic loss
-search and rescue efforts
-evacuation where needed
-restoring infrastruct.
-ensure critical services like medical care still continue
describe recovery strategies in HMcycle in short term
focusses on poeples immediate needs and overlaps with response phase, can last a few weeks
- providing essential health and safety services
- restoring permanent power and water supplies
- re-establishing transportation routes
- providing shelter and food
describe recovery strategies in HMcycle in long term
same actions but may continue for months or years
»>taking steps to reduce further vulnerability which overlaps with mitigation phase and cycle continues
-rebuilding homes
-repairing infrastructure
-reopen businesses and school
compare management techniques of Japan/China/Haiti/Nepal
JAPAN- strict building regulations, offices equiped w/ emergency kits, early warning systems, earthquake drills practised at schools+work, help accepted fast
CHINA-quick reponse,medical services deployed quickly, fast rebuilding, 2 weeks temporary homes/bridges built
HAITI+NEPAL none from gov, high reliance on international aid
Issues ignored that increased level of impact in Japan/China/Haiti/Nepal
JAPAN-lack of prep at Fukishima powerplant, severe damage
CHINA-ignored building regulations, several days of delay meant international rescue teams couldnt get in
HAITI-lack of investment in infrastructure and disaster planning
NEPAL-lack of investment in hazard prep, weak infrastructure, lack of coping strategies
whats is the Parks model
a curve showing how a country responds after a hazard event and can be used to directly compare how areas at different levels of development might recover
shows deterioration and improvement >pre-disaster >relief (hours/days) >rehabilitation (days/weeks) >Reconstruction (weeks/years)
what are the key things to think about when looking at the Parks Model
- impacts of hazard change over time, dependig on size of hazard, level of development and amount of aid recieved
- all hazards have different impacts so all curves different
- recovery depends of wealth (faster)
- in hazard events involvig many countries there is a curve for each
what are the 3 theoretical frameworks in understanding the prediction, impact and management of tectonic hazards
- hazard prediction and forecasting
- hazard management cycle
- parks model
what are hazard mitigation strategies described as
strategies meant to avoid, delay or prevent hazard events
what are hazard adaption strategies described as
reduce impacts of event
what mitigation strategies has nepal used
volunteers w/ GPS trackers went to remote villages to collect data about the location of roads and tracks and quality of buildings
»» this data is used to help build an idea of how vulnerable communities are and helps build basis for projects to improve preparedness
name some hazard adaptation strategies in high tech monitoring
high tech monitoring -tech plays a role in monitoring volcanoes to predict in advance and tsunamis
>GIS tocreate hazard maps
>Early warning systems - detect signs of tsunami and volcano
One was used in Thailand in 2004 indian ocean tsunami which alerted tourists+residents
>satallite communication tech - transmit data from early warning equipment so early warnings can be given.
hazard adaption strategies2)what is crisis mapping
used days after the 2010 Haiti earthquake
live map made with info given by locals such as where people are trapped in rubble which help rescue workers to see where to direct resources.
accurately maps areas struck
this links to GPS trackers by cyclists in Nepal who went to remote villiages and got info on quality of buildings.
hazard adaption strategies 3) modelling hazard impact
> computer models allow scientists to predict the impacts of hazard events on communities .
Info fed to computer and allows scientists to compare effects of different scenarios such as if a community will benefit from the building of a sea wall.
this can help to aid in reducing impact of hazard.
hazard adaption strategies 4) public education?
> helps reduce vulnerability and prevent hazards from becoming disasters.
japan regularly practice earthquake emergency procedures and have a disaster prevention day every year.
also encourage production of emergency kits
hazard mitigation strategies
1) land use zoning
2) diverting lava flows
3) GIS mapping
4) hazard resistant design and engineering defences
what is land use zoning
regulate how land used in areas at risk from eg volcanic eruptions
used at Mount Taranaki in New Zealand
»»any settlements tend to be limitted/none
»»certain structures/facillities prohibited
»»some communities resettled such as those move upland from tsunami region
»»development in some areas that provide protection limitted such as mangrove forests which reduce impact of tsunami
what is GIS mapping
can be used in all stages of hazard management cycle
can identify evacuation routes and combine information on areas affected, locations of airports/strips and locations+populations of towns
what does diverting lava flows entale
buildings barriers, digging channels to try divert
successful in 1983 Mount etna
path taken by lava difficult to predict
terrain has to be suitable to divert
stopping lava from flowing towards one community may send towards another
what are hazard resistant designs and engineering defences
as collapsing buildings are the main cause of death and damage from tectonic events
- designing new buildings that can resist earthquake eg)latticework foundations deep in bedrock and rubber shock absorbers
- elevated buildings from tsunami
- sloped roofs near volcanoes reduces amount of ash build up so they don’t collapse
- protective structures such as sea walls
what have they done in pakistan to protect buildings from earthquakes
-houses built from bales of straw held with plastic netting sandwiched between layers of plaster which is cheaper and doesnt collapse just cracks.
who are the key players in managing loss after a disaster
- aid donors
- non- governmental organisations eg christian aid providing shelters/water and first aid
- insurance companies
- communities
what role do aid donors play in managing loss
- provide emergency aid- food water and shelter
- short term aid- restoring water supplies and temp shelters
- long- term aid- reconstructing buildings and infrastructure
it can be given straight to government or aid agencies eg Haiti
what role do NGOs play in managing loss
-play crucial role in disaster management and are especially important in disasters where local government is struggling to repspond or dont have resources to do so
»>can provide funds, coordinate search and rescue efforts and help with reconstruction plans
many are involved in hazard management cycle
how did ngos help in the 2005 Pakistan earthquake
- 3.5 million left homeless
- provided over 500,000 tents and blankets and safe water for 700,000 and helped w/ emergency medical care eg Red Cross
however aid agencies helped too
what is the role of insurance in managing loss
- in developed countries insurance companies and governments work together to provide insurance for economic loss from disaster
- these services are either not available in devloping or are too expensive
- there is little insurance for tectonic disasters as more focussed on other priorities
what is the role of communities in managing loss
- locals first to respond
- crucial in immediate search and rescue
- in 2015 afghanistan quake locals joined to look for those in need of rescue
- build resillience and also buildings :)
