Tectonic Hazards and Diasters Flashcards
Define natural hazard?
A physical event which has a negative impact on people, causing injury, death, loss of property or distruption to life
Define disaster
An event that disrupts normal conditions to a point where a place cannot adjust, with significant loss of life or economic cost
What does the UN state makes a mega disaster?
- more than 2000 deaths
- over 200,000 homeless
- GDP reduced by at least 5%
- dependence on aid for at least a year
What are the factors in a hazard profile? (6)
- magnitude
- speed of onset
- duration
- areal extent
- spatial predictability
- frequency
What is the disaster risk equation?
hazard times vulnerability divided by capacity to cope
What were the root causes of the Haiti earthquake? (4)
- heavily in debt to foreign banks
- government corruption
- 80% of population live below the povery line
- 30-40% of government budget from foreign aid
What were the dynamic pressures of the Haiti earthquake? (2)
- lack of urban planning, disaster prepardness and management and effect education
- rapid urbanisation (slum housing)
- population density of 306 people/ km^2
- deforestation
What was the result of deforestation in the Haiti earthquake?
increased the risk of landslides
What was the population density of Haiti?
306 people per km^2
What were the unsafe living conditions of Haiti?
- buildings on soft soil amplifying seismic waves
- illegal houses on hills
- GDP per capita of US$1300 means buildings were constructed cheaply resulting in vulnerable structures
- poor infrastructure
- poor sanitation
Evidence of poor sanitation before the Haiti earthquake?
39% of population had no clean water and only 20% had access to a toliet
What were the tectonic causes of the Haiti earthquake?
- shallow focus, 13km underground resulting in intense ground shaking
- 25km from Port-au-Prince
- Liquefaction on looser soil cuased many buildings to sink
What were the root causes of the Sichuan earthquake?
- government corruption and corrupt law enforcement leading to poorly constructed buildings
- lack of development in rural areas
What were the dynamic pressures of the Sichuan earthquake?
- people ignored strict building codes
2. limited infrastructure in rural areas
What were the unsafe living conditions of the Sichuan earthquake?
- poorly constructed buildings without steel frames wich could not withstand earthquakes
- people hard to access by relief workers
What was the government response to the Sichuan earthquake?
- 140,000 troops
- 100,000 volunteers including rescue and medical teams
- people in dangerous hilly areas quickly relocated
- pledged $10 billion for rebuilding works
- temporary homes, roads and bridges build in weaks
How many died in the Sichuan earthquake?
87,652
How many died in the Haiti earthquake?
230,000 plus 6900 due to Cholera
How many were made homeless due to the Haiti earthquake?
1.5 million
How many were made homeless due to the Sichuan earthquake?
5 million
what had happened to the $13 billion in aid donated to Haiti as of 2015?
90% remained in the hands of internatonal organisations and governments
What were the results of many Haitian government officals dying in the earthquake?
international organisations needed to provide emergency services
Why were aid organisations unwilling to channel aid money through the Haitian goverment?
political corruption and and mismanagement
Examples of Haitia’s failure to recover from the 2010 earthquake?
as of 2015, 80,00 people were still living in temporary housing and cholera was an ongoing problem
What were the effects of corruption in Sichuan?
thousands of schools fell down killing 5335 children while many government buildings nearby remained standing
Evidence of Japan’s high capicity to cope with a disaster?
- within 24 hrs 110,000 troops deployed
- by November 96% of electicity restored
- good infrasturcure meant international community could get in quickly
Why should Japan’s vulnerbility have been low?
- 75% of buildings asismic/ retrofited
- 40% of coast had tsunami wall
- high awareness/ education (1st September)
Why was Japan vulnerable to a disaster?
- worlds oldest population
- 65% of deaths of over 60 year olds - nuclear reactor on a plate boundary
Fact of the tectonic hazard of the Japan Tsunami?
- 9.0Mw earthquake
- 10m high wave moving at 800kmph
- epicentre 138km from Sendi
- made landfall in 10 minutes
How many died in the Japan tsunami?
15700
What was the cost of the Japan tsunami?
US$360 billion
What were the natural tectonic hazards that resulted in the Indian Ocean tsunami being a disaster?
- magnitude 9.1
- first tectonic activity in that region in 1000s of years
- moved 800kmph
- made landfall in 30 minutes (Sumatra)
Why have the number of recorded diasters increased?
- improvements in monitering
- improvements in communication
- increased global population
- urbanisation (large vulnerable population + impermeable surfaces)
- climate change
Why is the Indian ocean tsunami considered a globally significant mega disaster?
- large areal extent (14 nations affected)
- deaths of tourists
- affected predicition technology and global awareness (development of DART)
How many Swedish people died in the Indian Ocean tsunami?
543
Why is the Japan tsunami considered a mega disaster of global significance?
- could have climate implications due to moving of earths axis
- fukushima disaster effected global nuclear energy policy (Germany shut down all nuclear reactors)
Why is Eyjafjallajokull considered a disaster of global significance?
- large areal extent (ash covered much of western Europe
- airline companies collectivly lost £130 million per day
- Kenyan farmers
What was the effect of the Icelandic volcano on Kenyan farmers?
They were forced to dump stocks of fresh food due to disruption to exports, losing £3.8 million per day and the temporary loss of around 500 million consumers
