5.1 hazards in geography

  1. What is a hazard

The threat of substantial loss of life, substantial impact upon life or damage to a property that can be caused by an event.

 

  1. Impacts

Geophysical: Driven by the earths own internal energy sources like plate tectonics, volcanoes and seismic activity

 

  1. Perception

Perception is determined by affect in our lives

Direct experience and long term effects increase perception

The presence of people makes a natural event a hazard

Need for land and buildings due to population causes building on areas that are at risk

Population expansion increases the threat of hazards like large urban areas increasing risk of wildfires

There are advantages, such as the fertility of volcanic soil

Hazards can have global effects on economy

There is less effect in HDEs but long lasting impacts in LDEs

Many people underestimate hazards even after exposure

Age, social status and religion can affect this

 

  1. Human responses

    1. Fatalism

Doing nothing

Acceptance that it is a natural event

Little can be done to control it

Accepting losses

Fires considered a natural regenerative process

 

  1. Prediction

Technological advances aid prediction

Remote sensing and seismic monitoring can help prediction

Communication advances can help global preparation

 

  1. Adaptation

Acceptance of the inevitable

Adapting to minimize losses

Most realistic option

More effective and cost effective

 

  1. Hazard Management Cycle

Preparedness:

Can't prevent but can raise awareness

Adjust behavior to minimize losses and impact

Speed up recovery

 

Response:

Effectiveness of emergency plan dictates speed of response

Immediate response focusses on saving lives and medical aid

Damage assessment to aid recovery

 

Recovery:

Restoring area to as much normality as possible

Mainly restoration of services to aid long term planning

Long term will be to restore to pre event standards

 

Mitigation :

Reducing the severity and lessening impacts

Buildings that can withstand earthquakes are direct intervention

Defensible zones, barriers can stop wildfires from advancing

Natural barriers like coral reefs are most desirable

Aid and insurance helps after the event but this is less available in LDEs

 

  1. Park Model

Relief: Immediate loyal and potentially global response as aid, expertise and search and rescue

Rehab: Infrastructure and services are restored to allow for reconstruction

Reconstruction: Restoring to pre event standards or better and often including mitigation factors