Natural Hazards Flashcards
What is a natural hazard?
A natural hazard is a natural event or process which has potential to affect people eg) causing loss of life or injury, economic damage, disruption to people’s lives or environmental degradation.
What 3 types can natural hazards be divided into?
Geophysical hazards - (caused by land processes) - include earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides, tsunamis.
Atmospheric hazards - (caused by climatic processes) - include tropical cyclones, storms, droughts, wildfires, extreme hot or cold weather.
Hydrological hazards - (caused by water movement) - include floods and avalanches.
Define disaster
When a hazard actually seriously affects humans.
Define risk
The likelihood that humans will be seriously affected by a hazard.
Define vulnerability
How susceptible a population is to the damage caused by a hazard.
How do people’s circumstances affect their perception of hazard? ( affected by social, economic and cultural background)
Wealth - eg) richer may be able to afford to move to areas less hazard prone, or build homes to withstand so may perceive risk as smaller.
Religion - eg) some view hazards as acts of God sent to punish.
Education - eg) people with more education may have a better understanding of hazard risks.
Past experience - eg) people living in hazard-prone areas may have experienced hazards before which may affect perfection.
Personality - eg) some fear hazards and others might think of them as exciting.
What does the park model show?
How responses progress during a disaster
What are the stages of the park model?
Pre-disaster - before event, normal situation
Disruption - during and directly after hazard event occurs, destruction.
Relief - aftermath of event, rescue efforts focus on saving people and preventing further damage.
Rehabilitation- people start to resolve longer-term problems once immediate impacts are under control.
Reconstruction- involves rebuilding permanent houses can return area to normal if same standard as before or improve vulnerability if higher standard than before.
What are the four stages of the hazard management cycle?
Mitigation
Preparedness
Response
Recovery
What is mitigation? (Hazard management cycle)
Aims to minimise impacts of future disasters, and can happen before or after a hazard occurs.
Eg) building flood defences
What is preparedness? (Hazard management cycle)
About planning how to respond to a hazard
Eg) making sure there are warning systems in place or educating people
What is response? (Hazard management cycle)
How people react when a disaster occurs.
Eg) emergency services or evacuation
What is recovery? (Hazard management cycle)
About getting the affected area back to normal
Eg) repairing or rebuilding houses and restoring services
What do the impacts of a hazard depend on?
the proximity of the hazard to areas of population
density of the population in the affected area
the level of development of the affected area
the magnitude or size of a hazard
the duration or frequency of a hazard
Why is the potential threat of a hazard less if people have a more accurate perception of it?
Minimise risk and aid survival - people know what to do and when to
What is meant by a person’s ‘perception’ of something?
How people respond to a hazard links to their perception
What factors can affect a person’s perception to hazard ?
Socio-economic status
Level of formal education
Occupation/employment status
Region, cultural/ethnic background
Family and marital status
Past experience
Values, personality and expectations