Vulnerability Factors [U1]

Question 1

What are the 5 vulnerability factors?

Answer 1

Social, Economic, Demographic, Political and Geographical

Question 2

What do social factors entail?

Answer 2

• Awareness - How aware people are of potential hazards
• Education - People get educated on procedures for hazards so they know how to evacuate/stay safe.

Question 3

What do economic factors entail?

Answer 3

• Wealth - People with more money are able to afford cars (for evacuation) and insurance for their homes
• Technology - Countries can have better technology used for communication and warning
• Development - HICs can afford better building standards that lead to more resilient buildings.

Question 4

What do demographic factors entail?

Think about what demographic means

Answer 4

Demographic factor is the population structure

• Age - Very young or very old people rely on others for mobility majority of the time
• Disability - Physically disabled people rely on others for mobility
• Gender - Stay at home women are likely to be vulnerable to building collapse

Question 5

What do geographical factors entail?

Answer 5

• Magnitude/VEI - The strength/destructive ability of a hazard
• Time of day - When a hazard happens at night, more people are at risk due to sleeping
• Location - Depending on the location of the hazard, the vulnerability can vary.

Question 6

What do political factors entail?

Answer 6

• Communication - How effectively can the government alert people of hazards/procedures
• Readiness of emergency personnel - Availability of rescue teams, ambulances and firefighters