Studied by 2 people
what is a hazard?
a phenomenon that could become a problem/disaster
what is a disaster?
an event involving significant number of people and/or economic damage
why has the number of disasters increased over the years?
inc of hydrometeorological hazards due to climate change
disasters were more under recorded in the past
why has the overall number of people affected increased over the years?
population has grown as well
why have the number of deaths from disasters decreased over the years?
better tech
more awareness/education
better preventative measures (eg. better infrastructure)
what is an official disaster based on OFDA/CRED?
10+ deaths and/or
100+ people affected and/or
declaration of state of emergency
what is an official disaster based on UN?
serious disruption of a community
widespread human, material, economic or enviro impact
exceeds communities ability to cope on own
what is exposure?
the likelihood of a certain hazard occurring
what is sensitivity?
the degree to which a community/individual could be impacted and level of their preparedness
what is vulnerability?
vulnerability = exposure + sensitivity
what is probability?
the statistical likelihood of an event occurring
what is a recurrence interval (return period)?
the average number of years between an event of a certain size in a location
are natural hazards interconnected?
yes
are small, frequent events common or uncommon?
common
are big, unfrequent events common or uncommon?
uncommon
how does the news affect our perception of disasters?
“spectacular” disasters get more coverage despite not being as common or as devastating
what are rapid-onset disasters?
begin quickly
people dont have time to prepare
most are short duration
eg. earthquakes
what are slow-onset disasters?
take days or weeks to develop
people have tiem to prepare
most are long duration
eg. floods
what are very slow-onset disasters?
take months, years or decades to develop
eg. sea level rise, drought, climate change
why do people live where they are vulnerable to hazards?
can provide fertile soils and scenic views
memory of previous disasters is gone
community established before hazard was known
no option
what is mitigation?
taking actions to physically reduce exposure of community to hazard
what is adaptation?
accepting the hazard will occur and taking actions to reduce the impact, sensitivity and vulnerability of the community
what are the approcahes to mitigation?
1. affecting the cause - reducing likelihood of it occurring
2. modifying the hazard - constructing engineering solutions or relocation
3. modify potential loss - reduce economic and social sensitivity and vulnerability (eg. earthquake resistant buildings)
4. spread the loss - distribute economic loss to broader group
5. plan for loss - measure budget of damage that hazard could cause
6. bear the loss
what are the approaches to natural hazard assessments?
1. assessment of degree of exposure
2. evaluation of communities sensitivity to a hazard
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Flashcard (20)