DRRM ♡ Hazards

Hazard

• harmful condition, substance, human behavior or condition

  • that can cause loss of life, injury, or other health effects

• any risk which is imminent is threat

Types of Hazard

• Natural Hazards

• Technological Hazards

• Socio-natural Hazards

Natural Hazards

• Geological/Geophysical Hazards

• Hydrometeorological Hazards

• Biological Hazards

Geological/Geophysical Hazards

• from internal earth processes

  ex.

  • earthquakes

  • volcanic eruptions

  • landslides (sometimes influenced by hydrometeorological factors)

  • tsunamis

  • surface collapses

Earthquake Hazards

• Ground Shaking

• Ground Rupture

• Liquefaction

• Earthquake-induced Ground Subsidence

• Earthquake-induced Landslides

Ground Shaking

• most widespread

• vibratory motion of the ground caused by seismic waves

• intensity and duration vary

  • based on magnitude and local geology

Ground Rupture

• occurs when an earthquake fault breaks through the Earth's surface

• creating a visible crack or displacement

• localized directly along the fault line

• from centimeters to meters

Liquefaction

• where saturated, loose soils temporarily lose strength

• behave like a liquid during strong ground shaking

• happens when pore water pressure increases

• cause buildings to sink, tilt, or collapse

• buried structures potentially floating

Earthquake-induced Ground Subsidence

• lowering of the land surface

• compaction of unconsolidated sediments

• can lead to flooding in low-lying areas

• damage to infrastructure due to uneven settlement

Earthquake-induced Landslides

• movement of rock, debris, or earth down a slope

• destabilize already vulnerable slopes by reducing frictional forces

• can rapidly bury communities, destroy infrastructure, and block vital routes

• posing immediate and long-term dangers

Hydrometeorological Hazards

• from atmospheric, hydrological, or oceanographic processes

  ex.

  • tropical cyclones (typhoons, hurricanes)

  • floods

  • droughts

  • heatwaves

  • storm surges

Biological Hazards

• organic origin or conveyed by biological vectors

  ex.

  • pathogenic microorganisms

    (bacteria, viruses, parasites)

  • disease outbreaks/epidemics/pandemics

  • pest infestations

  • venomous wildlife and insects

Technological Hazards

• originate from technological or industrial conditions

• caused by dangerous procedures, infrastructure failures, or human activities

• human-induced hazards

Technological Examples

• industrial pollution

• nuclear radiation

• toxic wastes

• dam failures

• transport accidents (e.g., plane crashes, chemical spills from vehicles)

• factory explosions

• fires (residential and industrial)

Socio-natural Hazards

• arise from natural processes and human activities

• often involve environmental degradation

• quasi-natural hazards

Socio-natural Examples

• smog

• desertification

• certain types of pollution

• some landslides (caused by human activities like deforestation)