physical geography - natural hazards

vulnerability, hazard perception and HMC + Park model

what is the definition of a natural hazard?

natural hazard: a natural event that has the potential to harm people and their property.

what are hydrological hazards?

hydrological hazards: caused by the occurrence, movement and distribution of surface and underground water

what are geomorphological hazards?

geomorphological hazards: hazards that can be caused by internal earth processes of tectonic activity

what are atmospheric hazards?

atmospheric hazards: hazards that are caused by processes operating in the atmosphere resulting in extreme weather or atmospheric conditions

what are some common impacts of natural hazards?

loss of sanitation and lack of hygiene, no clean water source, loss of businesses, loss of family, education gaps, crime, damaged environment - cleaning, increase in vulnerability.

what are the four categories for impacts?

social, economic, environmental and political

what are the spatial scale impacts?

local, regional, national, international/global

what are temporal scale impacts?

hours, days, weeks, months, years

how do age and gender impact people’s vulnerability to hazards?

• children + elderly

  less physical strength + more susceptible to diseases. fewer financial resources and often are more dependant on others.

• women

  more vulnerable than men - more likely to be poor and less educated due to sexism. women protecting children during disasters leaving them less mobile.

how do levels of economic development effect people’s vulnerability to hazards?

• growth in population + economies means more money lost in disasters.

• less developed = more vulnerable to disasters:

  economies relying on the tertiary sector are less affected than relying on agriculture - crops often devastated. Rural economies have sparsely distributed populations - isolated + less well-built homes.

how does leadership and willingness to invest in precautionary measures effect people’s vulnerability to hazards?

policies should encourage development that allows for the quick delivery of aid - aid flows differ depending on the policy in the country.

affected by quality and efficiency of government + corruption

e.g. Japanese tsunami 2011: Japanese people and authorities responded rapidly and back to normal within months. one year after disaster signs saying ‘stand firm and hang in there’ - resilience of people helped recovery and reduced vulnerability.

how does population and distribution increase vulnerability to hazards?

increased population density and urbanisation = increased disaster vulnerability

growth of costal populations raises concerns about increases human exposure to costal flooding, hurricanes and tsunamis

how do poverty levels effect vulnerability to hazards?

high levels of poverty = more likely poor quality housing making them more vulnerable

less access to healthcare

lack of clean water + sanitation = spread of disease

how can hazard vulnerability be reduced?

studying hazards and taking necessary precautions can reduce vulnerability and damage caused.

why are fewer people generally dying?

improvements in science + tech means we are better at forecasting disasters and buildings + others structures are more able to withstand physical impacts

• increases our resilience to hazards

why is managing hazards more costly?

the growth in population + economies - society has more of value that is exposed to hazards

• even though more of this is resistant to damage, the total dollar amount of damage is increasing

how does space contribute to vulnerability?

earthquake + volcanic eruptions are associated with tectonic plate boundaries

floods are more common in regions where rainfall is high or have rapidly melting snow

low-lying areas tend to be more vulnerable to flooding

drought is a problem in areas e.g. near the tropics

how has science and technology reduced vulnerability to hazards?

• forecasting of disasters has improved: no reliable methods for earthquakes, probabilities can be calculated + scientists studying patterns of earthquake activity. volcanoes showing signs of unrest before they erupt; changes in gas emissions, swelling of a volcano, small earthquakes - detected with monitoring equipment.

• avalanches/landslides are mapped so risky areas are identified

• tech changed architecture and construction - buildings + infrastructure are more able to withstand impacts of natural events

what is hazard perception?

the way in which people interpret their level of threat from natural hazards

how can hazard perception factors be grouped?

economic or cultural

what is a fatalistic perception (acceptance)?

hazards are natural events that are part of living in an area. some communities believe they are part of ‘god’s will’.

what is an adaptive perception?

people see that they can prepare for and therefore survive the events by prediction and protection, depending on the economic and technological circumstances of the area.

what is a fear perception?

people feel so vulnerable to an event that they can no longer face living in an area and move away to unaffected regions

what are some of the factors that influence hazard perception?

• socio-economic status

• level of education

• occupation/unemployment status

• religion, cultural/ethnic background

• family and marital status

• past experience

Morocco earthquake - case study:

• more than 2,000 killed

• epicentre in mountains - search and rescue focusing on remote areas

• Madinah world heritage site- tourism/mosques

• moving people away from potential aftershocks and collapsing buildings

• lots of psychosocial care

what are some factors that effect vulnerability?

• geographic location

• quality of infrastructure

• poverty levels

• climate change

• population density

how does geographic location effect vulnerability?

• areas on plate margins will experience more frequent earthquakes and tsunamis

• this makes the area more vulnerable as they may still be recovering from the last disaster

• typhoons can only form in areas where the ocean is over 28 degrees

how does quality of infrastructure effect vulnerability?

• building collapse is one of the biggest causes of death

• if people’s homes are preserved it provides comfort for them and there is no need to set up temporary housing + can focus on rescue efforts

• reduces casualties overall

how do we use monitoring + protection to respond to hazards?

• track storms and map paths

• use weather maps to predict where and who will be impacted

• volcanoes are monitored

• wildfires can be predicted using weather data

• strong ability to predict - level of development isn’t a factor.

how do we use adaptation to provide safety from hazards?

• emergency response is ready and prepared

• planned evacuation

• planting mangroves to provide costal protection

• strengthen infrastructure and buildings - building codes and regulations

how does preparing the population help us adapt to hazards?

• training drills in schools, workplaces and other public areas

• fire exits

• public education on the risks

• giving out emergency kits to the population

how does having management plans and systems in place help us adapt to hazards?

• evacuation routes

• emergency service preparation

• building codes

• monitoring + predicting and sharing that information

what is the hazard management cycle?

preparedness strategies that illustrate the ongoing process by which governments and society plan for and reduce the impact of disasters, react during and immediately after the event.

what are the three stages of the hazard management cycle?

pre-disaster, response and post disaster

what happens after the cycle is completed?

planners revisit the cycle and review and amend the aspect of preparedness in light of the success of response to the recent hazard - e.g. shaping public policies

what is the Park model?

a model that plots the quality of life after a disaster against the time after the disaster has occurred?

what are the four stages of the Park model?

pre-disaster (preparation, prediction, warnings+evacuation), relief (immediate responses+emergency services), rehibition (clear-up begins) and reconstruction (rebuilding, planning for future events).

what are the differences between the HMC and the Park model?

• HMC doesn’t show QOL, whereas Park model shows QOL to describe impacts and the severity of impacts

• Park model shows how effective long-term responses are

• Park model is highly subjective in terms of QOL

• Park model shows period of time

• HMC is a cycle- shows learning and continued improvement/development in mitigation strategies

• Park model is linear and HMC is cyclical

• HMC is qualitive and Park model quantitative.

what is protection?

using historical evidence along with live data to estimate when and where a natural hazard might happen.

what is prediction?

using historical evidence along with live data to estimate when and where a natural hazard might happen.

what is planning?

identifying and avoiding places most at risk, preparing for a disaster.

what is monitoring?

using scientific equipment to detect warning signs of events.