natural hazards

Question 1

What are catastrophes?

Answer 1

Any situation in which the damages to people, property, or society in general are so severe that recovery or rehabilitation becomes a long, involved process

Question 2

What causes catastrophes?

Answer 2

Natural disasters like floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, etc

Question 3

How can climate change and land-use change alter risks of natural hazards?

Answer 3

Increasing their frequency, intensity, and geographic distribution

Question 4

What are the links between magnitude and frequency of disturbances?

Answer 4

There is an inverse relationship
When a disturbance event has a high magnitude, it tends to occur less frequently, and vice versa

Question 5

How can we better manage risks from flooding and climate change?

Answer 5

• Build flood barriers to protect infrastructure
• Build infrastructure
• Relocate facilities to higher elevations

Question 6

How is risk determined?

Answer 6

Multiplying the likelihood of an event happening by the potential consequences if it occurs

Question 7

What is forecasting, prediction, and risk?

Answer 7

Forecast: includes ranges of certainty
Prediction: specifying date, time, and size
Risk: probability of an event multiplied by consequences

Question 8

What is the relationship between population growth and risks from natural hazards?

Answer 8

• Population increase leads to greater loss due to natural hazards
• Puts a greater number of people at risk
• Forces people to move to disaster-prone areas

Question 9

What specifically caused the Hurricane Katrina catastrophe?

Answer 9

• There was no second-tier protection to flood control
• Exceeded the design criteria of the flood protection structure
• Regional subsidence was faster than appreciated
• Height of floodwalls wasn’t adjusted to accommodate land subsidence