Vulnerability and Resilience

Question 1

What is a ‘hazard’?

Answer 1

An event which has the potential to cause harm to the environment, people or the economy

Question 2

What is a ‘natural hazard’?

Answer 2

It is an event which is caused by environmental processes and can occur without the presence of humans
- A disaster occurs when harm occurs to the environment and/or people

Question 3

What is a ‘disaster’?

Answer 3

A serious disruption to a community and/or society hindering it’s ability to cope causing human, environmental and economic losses and impacts

Question 4

What is ‘vulnerability’?

Answer 4

How likely an area is to face damage from a hazard or an event
- This can be affected by a number of different factors:
1. Level of development
2. Population density
3. Size of hazard
4. Preparation and planning

Question 5

What is the hazard risk equation?

Answer 5

Risk = Hazard X Vulnerability /Capacity to cope
- The equation allows a judgement to be made on an areas ‘resilience’
- The greater the vulnerability and the lower the capacity to cope, the greater the risk is to the population/area
- The greater the hazard magnitude and the lower the capacity to cope, the greater risk of disaster

Question 6

What are some factors that affect resilience?

Answer 6

• Population density
• Level of urbanisation
• Wealth
• Infrastructure -high, or low?
• Healthcare system is it equipped? Well staffed?
• Emergency services?
• Education
• Levels of corruption - does money go to the places it’s intended to go to
• Building construction - are building codes enforced

Question 7

Pressure and release model:

Answer 7

Takes into account the socioeconomic context of a hazard

Question 8

Pressure model:

Answer 8

• Demonstrates how there are a range of factors which increase vulnerability and why some areas lack resilience
• Within the pressure model there are:
  1. Root causes
  2. Dynamic pressures
  3. Unsafe conditions

Question 9

What is the release model?

Answer 9

• Release model demonstrates vulnerability can be reduced and resilience increased by addressing:
  1. Safety
  2. Reducing the pressures
  3. Addressing the root causes
  4. Hazard mitigation

Question 10

Root causes:

Answer 10

Related to resources, decision making, and governance these lead to dynamic pressures

Question 11

Dynamic pressures:

Answer 11

Related to education, urbanisation and population change which create unsafe conditions

Question 12

Unsafe conditions:

Answer 12

Poor quality housing and infrastructure, poverty