Nature Form And Impacts Of Hazards

Question 1

Hazard definition

Answer 1

Is a threat to life or property, can be caused by natural or human factors

Question 2

Disaster

Answer 2

A hazard becomes a disaster if there is a significant impact on people and property

Question 3

Factors affecting impacts of hazards

Answer 3

Proximity of hazard to area
Density of population
Level of development
Magnitude of hazard
Frequency or duration of hazard

Question 4

Primary impacts

Answer 4

Have an immediate impact on the affected area e.g. destruction of infrastructure

Question 5

Secondary impacts

Answer 5

Have an affect after the hazard has occured or a knock on effect e.g a diseases

Question 6

Criteria to judge whether a hazard is a disaster

Answer 6

10 or more people killed
100 or more people affected
Request of international aid

Question 7

Three main types of hazard

Answer 7

Geophysical e.g. tectonic and seismic activity
Atmospheric e.g. tropical storms
Hydrological e.g. tsunamis and floods

Question 8

Economic and cultural factors of perception

Answer 8

Socio-economic status
Level of education
Occupation and employment status
Cultural and ethnic background
Family
Past experiences

Question 9

Approaches to hazard perception

Answer 9

Acceptance - people accepts natural hazards are part of their life
Prediction - improvements in technology has made it easier to predict hazards
Adaption - people adapt their behaviour for the hazard

Question 10

Ways of approaching a natural hazard

Answer 10

Mitigation - aims to lessen the impacts of the natural hazard
Management - e.g. identification of hazard, analysing risks, establishing priorities
Community risk sharing - involves measures to reduce loss of life and property damage through public education and awareness programmes

Question 11

Distribution

Answer 11

This is the coverage of a hazard. Refers to the area affected by a single hazard

Question 12

Frequency

Answer 12

this refers to the distribution of a hazard through time and how often an area
experiences a hazard.

Question 13

Magnitude

Answer 13

this assesses the size of the impact of a hazard. This can be given using a scale, for
example the Richter scale for earthquakes, the Saffir-Simpson scale for tropical storms and the Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) for volcanic eruptions.

Question 14

The park model

Answer 14

Park’s aim was to show how hazard events have varying impacts over time. He shows how people’s quality of life is likely to change through different phases of a disaster

Question 15

Stage 1 of park model

Answer 15

this occurs before the hazard (pre-disaster), where the quality of life is at ‘normal’ levels

Question 16

Stage 2 of park model

Answer 16

this occurs at the same time as the hazard event. The quality of life of the the local population dramatically deteriorates

Question 17

Stage 3 of park model

Answer 17

in the hours and days after the hazard the relief effort occurs.

Question 18

Stage 4 of park model

Answer 18

this is the rehabilitation phase, where people attempt to return the quality of life to normal levels.

Question 19

Stage 5 of park model

Answer 19

in the longer term, reconstruction takes place, where property and infrastructure are rebuilt, and crops are replanted.

Question 20

The hazard management cycle

Answer 20

it attempts to minimise the drop and increase the speed of recovery in quality of life shown in the Park Model.

Question 21

Stages of the hazard management cycle

Answer 21

Preparation, responses, recovery and mitigation