Nature, Form and Potential Impacts of Natural Hazards Flashcards
What is a hazard
A hazard is a threat to life and property
When does a hazard become a disaster
If there is a significant impact on people and property
What do impacts of a natural hazard depend on
- proximity of the hazard to areas or pop
- density of the pop in affected area
- level of development of the affected area
- magnitude or size of hazard
- duration or frequency of hazard
What are primary impacts
They have an immediate effect on the affected area and are a direct result of the event
an example of a primary impact
destruction of infrastructure or buildings
What are secondary impacts
They happen after the disaster has occurred or are a knock on effect of the disaster
examples of secondary impacts
Disease, economic recession and contamination of water supplies
What is the criteria to judge whether a hazard is recorded as a disaster
10 or more people are killed
100 or more people are affected
Gov declares a state of emergency or requests international assistance
What are the 3 main types of hazard
Geophysical
Atmospheric
Hydrological
What is geophysical hazard
Driven by the Earth’s own internal energy sources e.g. plate tectonics, volcanoes, seismic activity (earthquakes)
What is atmospheric hazard
Driven by processes at work in the atmosphere e.g. tropical storms, droughts
What are hydrological hazards
Driven by water bodies, mainly oceans e.g. floods, storm surges, tsunamis
