Disasters and Their Impact Lecture Notes

This flashcard set covers historical and modern disasters, including their causes, casualties, and the lessons learned regarding safety, preparedness, and disaster management cycles.

Chernobyl

A 1986 nuclear disaster where a reactor exploded at a power plant, releasing radioactive material and exposing weaknesses in safety procedures and government secrecy.

Bhopal Disaster

A 1984 industrial accident in India where methyl isocyanate gas leaked from a pesticide factory, highlighting the need for safety regulations and corporate responsibility.

Methyl Isocyanate

The toxic gas released during the Bhopal disaster (2–3 December 1984) that caused widespread respiratory illness and thousands of deaths.

Pompeii

A Roman city buried by volcanic ash from the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79, which preserved an extraordinary insight into Ancient Roman life.

Indian Ocean Tsunami

A 2004 disaster caused by a magnitude $9.1$ undersea earthquake that killed around $230,000$ people and led to improved global warning systems.

Hurricane Katrina

An August 2005 storm that struck the U.S. Gulf Coast, where failed flood defences in New Orleans exposed inequalities in disaster response and emergency planning.

RMS Titanic

A passenger ship that sank on 15 April 1912 after hitting an iceberg; the disaster resulted in major improvements to maritime safety and lifeboat requirements.

Mary Rose

A Tudor warship that sank in 1545 and was recovered in 1982, providing valuable archaeological evidence about Tudor technology and naval warfare.

Mitigation

The phase of the disaster management cycle focused on reducing the long-term risk and impact of hazards before they happen, such as through strict building codes.

Preparedness

The phase of the disaster management cycle involving training people, creating emergency plans, and ensuring resources are available before a disaster occurs.

Response

Immediate short-term actions taken during and after a disaster to save lives, provide aid, and protect communities.

Recovery

The long-term process of rebuilding and restoring homes, services, and livelihoods after a disaster has occurred.

SASMEX

Mexico's early warning system designed to alert the public approximately $20$ seconds before earthquake shaking begins.

“Drop, Cover, and Hold On”

The educational protocol taught to the public to describe the immediate actions they should take when earthquake shaking occurs.

Cascading Hazards

A chain of events where one disaster triggers another, making the overall impact worse, such as an earthquake causing a tsunami.

Compound Disasters

When two or more disasters happen at the same time or in close succession, such as a heatwave occurring during a drought.

Volcanic Winter

A global drop in temperature caused by ash clouds blocking sunlight from reaching Earth, such as the one following the Toba super eruption.

Costa Concordia

A passenger ship that sank in 2012 after hitting rocks near the shore; unlike the Titanic, it was near rescue teams and modern evacuation technology like helicopters.