Natural Hazards Flashcards
what are natural hazards
naturally occurring physical phenomena caused either by rapid or slow onset events which can be geophysical, hydrological, climatological
what are examples of geophysical hazards
earthquakes landslides tsunamis and volcanoes
what are examples of hydrological hazards
avalanches floods and droughts
what are examples of climatological hazards
extreme temperatures cyclones and storms/wave surges
what makes a natural event a haazard
if it occurs in an inhabitated area
what makes a hazard a disaster
serious disruptions to functioning of a community that exceed the communities capacity to cope using its own resources
eg more than 10 people killed
100 people affectes
state of emergency
international assisstance
what are the trends with hazard events
meteoroligcal, climatological and hydrological events are genrally increasing and geophysical are consistent
what are the human reasons for increased natural catastrophes
increased population so more people at risk
higher density in vulnerable locations
technology means settlement to more extreme environemtns
what are some social impacts of earthquakes
loss of life
spread of disease
mental health
civil unrest
what are some economic impacts of warthquakes
cost of rebuiliding
damage to infrastructure
damage to transport
what are some environmental impacts of earthquakes
landslides
surfuce rupture avalanche
tsunami
fire
floodinf
agtershocks
what are some economic impacts of volcanoes
damage to infrastructure and communication links
airport closures
rebuilding
what are some environmental impacts of volcanoes
lava flows
tephra
pyroclastic flows
gasses
what are some environmental impacts of tsunamis
damage to landscape
destruction of marine life
nuclear disaster potential
what is vulnerability
combination of factors arising from
physical, economic, environmental and political circumstances which
increases the susceptibility of a community to the impact of
environmental hazards, as well as reducing their ability to respond to the
event
what is risk
represents the possibility that a hazard event could occur and its
likelihood/consequences
what is risk management
a way of preparing a community using measures intended to
minimise the impact of a hazard (i.e., emergency plans, measures to protect the
most vulnerable people in the community etc)
what is dreggs disaster model
the amount of interacton between an extreme natural event and vulnerable population relates to how big a disaster it is
what are the vulnerable groups in a community
women
elderly
disabled
