tectonic hazards and disasters Flashcards
1
Q
what does deggs model attempt to show
A
shows the interaction between hazards, disasters and human vulnerability
- that a disaster may only occur when a vulnerable population is exposed to a hazard
2
Q
what is a hazard
A
- a perceived hydro-meteorological/ geophysical event that has the potential to threaten both life and property
3
Q
what is a disaster
A
- when a hazard causes a significant impact on a vulnerable population
- 10 or more people are killed and/or 100 or more people are affected
4
Q
why do people take the risk to live in hazardous areas
A
- unpredictability- many hazards not predictable so people get caught out
- lack of alternatives
- dynamic hazards- threat of a hazard is not always constant
- cost benefit- fertile land, tourism etc.
- russian roulette reaction- the acceptance of the risk just being something that could happen whatever you do
5
Q
the hazard risk equation
A
hazard x exposure x vulnerability
_________
manageability
6
Q
what is resilience in the context of hazards
A
- can be thought of as the ability of a system, community or society exposed to hazards to resist, absorb and recover from the effects of a hazard
7
Q
the PAR ( pressure and release model)
A
- basis is that a disaster is the intersection of two processes, processes generating vulnerability on one side and the natural hazard event on the other
- root causes such as limited access to power and resources, create vulnerability through different pressures such as inadequacies in training, local institutional systems, or capacity and standards in government.
- These dynamic pressures produce unsafe conditions in the physical and social environments of the people and groups most susceptible to vulnerability and risk.
- physically unsafe conditions include dangerous buildings and locations with low resilience
- socially unsafe conditions include risk to local economies as well as inadequacies in disaster preparedness measures
8
Q
what are the different scales used for different types of tectonic hazards
A
- richter scale- measurement of the amplitude of the waves produces by an earthquake
- mercalli scale- measures the experienced impacts of an earthquake
- moment magnitude scale- describes earthquakes in terms of energy released
- volcanic explosivity index- relative measure of the explosiveness of a volcanic eruption.
9
Q
what is a tectonic hazard profile
A
- a technique used to try and understand the physical characteristics of different types of hazards
can also be used to analyse the same hazards which take place in contrasting locations or at different times - hazard profiles are developed for each natural hazard and are based on criteria such as frequency, duration and speed of onset.
