Tectonic Hazards- EQ3: Hazard Management

Question 1

5 things the overall long term natural hazard trends show

Answer 1

-total number of recorded hazards has increased over the past 50 years
-number of reported disasters seems to be falling
-number of deaths lower than in recent past, but spikes with mega events
-economic costs increase significantly since 1960
-number of people affected is increasing for some hazard and disaster types

Question 2

5 reasons why disaster statistics are controversial

Answer 2

-depends whether direct or indirect deaths are counted
-local/regional events in remote places are often under-recorded
-declaration of disaster deaths and injuries may be subject to political bias
-statistics are hard to collect, especially in LICs
-time trend analysis is difficult

Question 3

What is a mega disaster? (3)

Answer 3

-high magnitude, high impact disaster
-infrequent
-impacts extend beyond country

Question 4

3 key characteristics of tectonic mega-disasters

Answer 4

-large scale disaster (spatially, or in terms of human/economic impact)
-pose serious problems for effective management due to scale
-international support in immediate aftermath and longer term recovery is required

Question 5

What is a HILP event (with example)?

Answer 5

High impact, low probability event such as 2010 Haiti earthquake

Question 6

Consequences of HILP events (2)

Answer 6

-impacts spread rapidly across both economic and geographic boundaries
-leads to other impacts which are difficult to plan for

Question 7

What is a multi-hazard zone?

Answer 7

-a place where a number of physical hazards combine to create an increased level of risk for a country and it’s population
-often made worse by vulnerable populations or if an area suffers repeated events

Question 8

Disaster hotspot

Answer 8

Area or country that is extremely disaster prone

Question 9

Characteristics of a hazard hotspot

Answer 9

Intersection of tectonic hazards and vulnerability, leading to a hotspot which is likely to be where plate boundaries intersect with major storm belts in areas of high human concentration in LICs/ NEEs

Question 10

3 reasons why large urban areas are often zones of multiple hazard risk

Answer 10

-economic cores
-centres of growing population
-many countries have huge areas of unplanned, poor quality housing where the growing number of poor live

Question 11

Can scientists forecast earthquakes?

Answer 11

Yes, since it is based on a statistical likelihood of an event occurring at a particular location

Question 12

Can earthquakes be predicted?

Answer 12

No, for this to happen it would be necessary to identify a diagnostic precursor- a characteristic pattern of seismic activity or another change that indicated the onset of an earthquake

Question 13

4 stages in the Hazard Management Cycle

Answer 13

-mitigation
-preparedness
-response
-recovery

Question 14

4 stages of Park’s Model

Answer 14

-pre-disaster
-relief
-rehabilitation
-reconstruction

Question 15

What does Park’s disaster response curve demonstrate?

Answer 15

A framework to better understand the time dimensions of resilience, from when a hazard strikes to when a place or community returns to ‘normal’ operation

Question 16

How are earthquake events modified?

Answer 16

Micro approaches:
-strengthening individual buildings and structures e.g. hospitals, school and public buildings

Question 17

How are tsunami events modified?

Answer 17

Macro approaches:
-tsunami walls
-planting mangrove forests which dissipates the waves energy

Question 18

How are volcanic events modified?

Answer 18

Diverting or chilling lava flows

Question 19

4 strategies used to modify the event

Answer 19

-land use zoning
-hazard-resistant design
-engineering defences
-diversion of lava flows

Question 19

3 strategies to modify vulnerability

Answer 19

-prediction, forecasting and warnings
-improvements in community preparedness
-working with groups and individuals to change behaviours to reduce disaster risk (education)

Question 19

2 strategies to modify loss

Answer 19

-emergency, short term and long term aid
-insurance

Question 19

What is modifying the event?

Answer 19

-long term before hazard strikes
-reducing areal extent or magnitude
-not always possible as it relies on high cost technology

Question 20

What is modifying the vulnerability?

Answer 20

-short term before hazard strikes
-get people out the way (prediction)
-help them cope with impacts (build resilience)

Question 21

What is modifying the loss?

Answer 21

-long and short term after hazard strikes
-reducing losses by acting to aid recovery and reconstruction