[Unit 1: Enquiry Question 2]

Question 1

Definition of disaster

Answer 1

interaction of tectonic hazard with vulnerable population

Question 2

Degg’s model

Answer 2

Degg’s model states that there are two factors that must overlap for a disaster, size of the hazard and the vulnerability of the population.

Risk: Exposure of people to a hazardous event which may present a potential threat to people or their possessions, including buildings and structures.

Vulnerability: The degree which you are susceptible to a hazard. (environment, local scale, macro scale, situation of country)

Question 3

why do some people remain exposed to hazard?

Answer 3

unpredictability
lack of alternatives
changing levels of risk
russian roulette
costs vs benefits

Question 4

definition of hazard vulnerability

Answer 4

capacity to anticipate, cope, resits and recover impact of hazard

Question 5

risk equation

Answer 5

(frequency or magnitude x vulnerability) / capacity to cope

Question 6

definition of reselience

Answer 6

capacity to cope after a disaster

Question 7

resilience framework

Answer 7

shows that countries should build resilience and adapt after each exposure to hazard

Question 8

Parks disaster response model

Answer 8

shows how countries performance is affected after a disaster.

do they make a full recovery, never get back to what it was before, or improve to what they were before.

Question 9

Apply the PAR model to Haiti 2010

Answer 9

Hazards:
Earthquake (7.0)

Root causes:
-debt to USA
-corruption
-poverty

Dynamic Pressures:
-lack of preparation
-lack of education
-informal housing

Unsafe Conditions:
-housing on hill sides
-poor infrastructure
-little access to safe water and proper sanitation

Question 10

vulnerability categories [5]

Answer 10

social (unable to help people in houses)

knowledge (lack of education and training)

physical (living in hazard prone area)

environmental (overcrowding while fleeing)

economic (risk losing assets)

Question 11

what are the three magnitude and intensity scales for earthquakes

Answer 11

Richter (Ml)
Moment Magnitude Scale (Mw) (MMS)
Mercalli scale

Question 12

what is the MMS scale

Answer 12

uses energy released by shockwaves and area of rupture

judges impact of earthquake

Question 13

what is the mercalli scale

Answer 13

uses amount of damage caused by seismic waves
judges intensity of earthquake
goes up to XII
Qualitive.

Question 14

what is the magnitude scale for volcanoes?

Answer 14

volcanic explosivity index (VEI)

Question 15

What is the VEI scale

Answer 15

uses energy released and type of eruption

goes up to 8

Question 16

What determines severity of hazard

Answer 16

duration, magnitude, predictability, regularity, frequency, speed of onset, spatial concentration, areal extent, number of hazards

Question 17

what is the definition of inequality

Answer 17

unfair situation or distribution of assets or resources. People, nations and players have different levels of authority, competence and outcomes.

Question 18

What are the 4 main components of vulnerability

Answer 18

Social
Economic
Environmental
Political

Question 19

Explain social reasons for vulnerability

Answer 19

high pop density
lack of education
lack of health care
crime
ageing pop
availability of tech

Question 20

explain economic reasons for vulnerability

Answer 20

high debt
unstable economy
low GDP
low GNI
-low standards of living
-less likely to be able to evacuate

Question 21

explain environmental reasons for vulnerability

Answer 21

poor infrastructure
access to country
physical location
access to people
natural barriers
urbanisation
-informal housing

Question 22

explain political reasons for vulnerability

Answer 22

no building regulations
corruption
conflict
political systems
debt
geopolitical relationships
colonialism
preparedness (Japan always ready)
efficiency and effectiveness of emergency services
communications (India go round with a megaphone)

Question 23

definition for governance

Answer 23

ways players take agreed action based on joined interests

Question 24

name two disaster management agencies

Answer 24

FEMA - usa

PHIVOLCS - phillipines

Question 25

what is Reason’s swiss cheese model

Answer 25

-each “slice” represents a layer of defence against disasters (e.g. building codes and governance policies)

-when holes in all layers line up, they create a pathway which disaster can pass through causing losses.

Question 26

what are the effects of governance on a global scale?

Answer 26

-increase in economic activity creates interdependence on other countries

-increased activity of organisations like WHO are good but useless if the country has weak governance

-Rise of neo-liberal ideology means sectors are privatised meaning government investment in disaster preventions are limited

-spread of information technology helps provide early warning systems, but can also create new issues if a cyber attack e.g. takes place too.