T 1.1-1.4 Flashcards
Hazard vs disaster differences
Hazard is an event that is a potential threat
Disaster is where losses are actually experienced
Hazard risk equation
Risk = (event x vulnerability)/ capacity to cope
What is the essence of capacity to cope?
- about governance
- empowerment of individuals
- drills/ faith in government
Garman - resilience in Japan
How can magnitude be measured?
- use Richter scales
- use p&s scales
- use moment magnitude scale (MMS) - measure of an earthquakes magnitude based on its seismic moment
- volcanic explosivity index (VEI) - a relative measure of explosiveness of volcanic eruptions
Different forms of vulnerability
Physical - where they live
Economic - lost jobs, incomes and assets
Social - disadvantaged groups
Knowledge - training and education
Environment - population growth into risky areas
At what point is a hazard event classed as a disaster?
Any one of: 2000 deaths 200000 homeless 5% gdp drop 1+ year of aid
What is urban resilience made up of?
- metabolic flows - production, supply and consumption chains
- governance networks - institutional structures and organisations
- social dynamics - demographics, human capital and inequity
- built environment
Stats of actual tohoku earthquake
- struck 80 miles from the coast
- epicentre 43 miles to east - 9 moment magnitude
- caused a 133ft tsunami that swept through miles of land
- 20 ft high wall of water
- 500mph
- overwhelmed best tsunami defences in the world
- 2.5 minutes of tectonic activity caused all of this
Impacts of tohoku earthquake
- 16000+ dead, 6000 injured, 2500 missing
- 3.5% gdp drop
- vast damage to infrastructure
- damage to oil refineries causing fires(port of Sendai)
- radioactive vapour leaked from Fukushima plant
- 4 of japans 11 nuclear plants shut down
What does the PAR model suggest about vulnerability?
- socio economic context of a hazard is extremely important as even a small hazard can result in a larger risk due to the numerous possible influences on vulnerabiiity
What does context consist of?
- unsafe conditions
- dynamic pressure
- root causes
Unsafe conditions in Kashmir
- poor building practises and code enforcement
- houses built on undesirable steep land
- lack of knowledge on correct seismic construction
- loss of traditional skills ( dhajji dewari)
- increase in modernised concrete construction
- access road blockages due to landslides
Dynamic pressures in Kashmir
- deforestation due to illegal felling and corrupt practises
- population growth over long period (increased resource demand
- cold climate
- high agricultural dependency
- Chinese built Karakoram Highway
root causes of Kashmir disaster
- relations with Indian government meant less aid
- Afghan war
- long term RUM - higher urban pop. Density
Main responses to Kashmir disaster
- army
- US 5.4bn
- Pakistani Britons said aid
- UN provide 2.4m blankets, 1.2m quilts and 170k plastic sheets and 200k tarpaulins to strengthen tents
- Dhajji Dewari - traditional strong house design
Main barriers to help in Kashmir
- unseasonal torrential rain/hail
- harsh Himalayan weather blocked access for 6+ months
- fresh landslides
- corruption, poor literacy and education
- during Ramadan school day, parents sleeping , children inside school
Impact of Kashmir earthquake
100k dead, 138 injured, 3.5m displaced
Pakistan corruption index
31/100 very corrupt
Use of Park’s model
- framework for looking at how quickly an area can recover from disasters and if they can build back their capacity to cope
- it is a curve
Stages of the park model
1 - modifying the cause I’d the event ( pre disaster)
2 - hazardous event (relief hours to days)
3 - search, rescue and care (relief hours to days)
4 - relief and rehabilitation period, modify the loss (rehabilitation days to weeks)
5. Recovery phase, permanent rebuild of physical and social infrastructure to prevent repeat (reconstruction weeks to years)
Christchurch earthquake facts and impacts
- South Island, 2nd city
- magnitude 7.1 2011, then 6.3 in 2010
- 185 killed (building collapses)
- significant liquefaction (infrastructure damage)
- £12Bil loss - 3rd most expensive in history
Define resilience
Ability to resist, cope, adapt and then recover from natural hazards
What affects resilience
- nature of the damage dealt
- quickness event (caught off guard?)
- gov relations with other countries
- amount of economic damage
- new technology
What is the theory of plate tectonics?
Proposed by Alfred Wegener
- contingents have drifted into their new positions from one continent called Pangea into the ones we have in our present time through continental drift