3.1.5.1 The Concept Of A Hazard In A Geographical Context

Question 1

What’s a hazard

Answer 1

A perceived event that threatens both life + property

Question 2

What’s a natural hazard

Answer 2

A natural event which is perceived by people as a threat to life, property + the natural environment

Question 3

What’s a disaster

Answer 3

The realisation of a hazard which has enormous impacts on people + property (result)

Question 4

What are the 3 main types of hazard

Answer 4

Geophysical
Atmospheric
Hydrological

Question 5

What’s a geophysical hazard

E.g

Answer 5

Driven by earth’s own internal energy

E.g plate tectonics, volcanoes, seismic activity

Question 6

What’s an atmospheric hazard

E.g

Answer 6

Driven by processes at work in the atmosphere

E.g tropical storms, droughts

Question 7

What’s a hydrological hazard

E.g

Answer 7

Driven by water bodies (the oceans)

E.g floods, storm surges, tsunamis

Question 8

Define risk

Answer 8

The exposure of people to a hazardous event presenting a potential threat to themselves, their possessions and the built environment

Question 9

5 reasons why people put themselves at risk from natural hazards

Answer 9

1. Hazard events are unpredictable
2. Lack of alternative
3. Changing level of risk
4. Cost/benefit
5. Perception

Question 10

What 2 things can you not predict of a hazard event

Answer 10

Frequency

Magnitude / scale

Question 11

Example of how a place over time can become more vulnerable to a hazard

Answer 11

E.g deforestation can cause more flooding/landslides

Question 12

What’s vulnerability to hazards the potential for

Answer 12

Loss

Question 13

Often before a hazard, how long is the warning time

Answer 13

Mostly only short

Question 14

What’s risk exposure mostly like in LICs compared to HICs

Answer 14

LICs - involuntary

In HICs - most people are well aware of the risks which they choose to ignore/minimise

Question 15

Example of an effect that can be felt long after the natural hazard

Answer 15

Disease

Question 16

What perception would someone living in a hazardous area have

Answer 16

Vulnerable

Question 17

Example of an area people live in as they think the advantages outweigh the risk

Answer 17

California

Question 18

What will affect the degree to which the hazard event will impact them
Explain

Answer 18

People’s wealth + level of technology

Richer people + countries - protect themselves more e.g sea defences, earthquake resistant buildings, better emergency services. Also can be better prepared

Poorer people - more vulnerable as more people have been forced to live in hazardous areas e.g very steep hillsides prone to landslides, low lying areas at risk from tsunamis + tropical storms

Question 19

Define perception

Answer 19

The way someone views the threat of a hazard event

Will determine course of action taken

Question 20

5 factors perception is influenced by

Answer 20

1. Socio-economic status
2. Level of education
3. Occupation/employment status
4. Religion, cultural/ethnic background
5. Family + marital status
6. Past experience
7. Values, personality + expectations

Question 21

How does socio-economic status effect perception

Answer 21

Less wealthy - more perceptive as fear more

Question 22

How does level of education effect perception

Answer 22

More educated - better perception

Question 23

How does occupation/employment status effect perception

Answer 23

Better occupation/employed - better perception

Question 24

How does religion, cultural/ethnic background effect perception

Answer 24

More religious - worse perception as believe it’s god

Question 25

How does family/marital status effect perception

Answer 25

Better perception - may not want kids growing up in hazardous area

Question 26

How does past experience effect perception

Answer 26

If event is previously experienced - more perceptive

Question 27

3 ways people may perceive natural hazards

Answer 27

Fatalism (acceptance)
Adaptation
Fear

Question 28

Define community resilience

Answer 28

Ability of a community to utilise available resources to respond, withstand + recover from natural hazards

Question 29

What process is used for community resilience

Answer 29

Integrated risk management

Question 30

What is prediction helped by

E.g

Answer 30

Helped by improved monitoring to give predictions allowing warnings to be issued

E.g the national hurricane centre in Florida uses satellites + land, sea + air based recordings

Question 31

What are the 2 management cycles

Answer 31

The hazard management cycle

The park model of human response to hazards

Question 32

How 2 situations does the hazard management cycle manage

Answer 32

Both pre- and post- event

Question 33

4 categories in the hazard management cycle

Answer 33

Preparedness
Response
Recovery
Mitigation

Question 34

2 examples of preparedness that can speed up recovery process of an event

Answer 34

Education

Raising public awareness

Question 35

What will speed of response depend on

Answer 35

The effectiveness of the emergency plan put in place

Question 36

Define recovery

Answer 36

Restoring the affected area to something close to normality

Question 37

What’s a typical short-term response

Answer 37

Restoration of services do long-term planning + reconstruction can begin

Question 38

Define mitigation

Answer 38

Actions aimed at reducing the severity of an event + lessening impacts

Question 39

How does incidence affect response to an event

Answer 39

More frequent - faster responses due to management + adaption
Less frequent - slower responses

Question 40

How does intensity + magnitude affect response to an event

Answer 40

Bigger - faster mitigation

Smaller - slower

Question 41

How does distribution affect response to an event

Answer 41

More in an area - faster adaptation + management

Less - slower

Question 42

How does level of developement affect response to an event

Answer 42

More developed - faster (predict,mitigate,manage,risk share)

Less developed - slower (fatalism,adapt)

Question 43

Describe the start of the park model

Answer 43

Early stage before disaster where areas quality of life is normal and people prepare in case

When event happens, quality of life suddenly drops with people taking immediate action to preserve life + build the environment

Question 44

3 steps in park model after disaster occurs

Answer 44

Relief
Rehabilitation
Reconstruction

Question 45

What happens to the line in the park model after the event occurs

Answer 45

After relief, it goes back up

Question 46

What happens in relief (park model)

How long can this last

Answer 46

Medical attention + care is delivered

Few hours -> several days

Question 47

What happens in rehabilitation (park model)

How long can this last

Answer 47

People try to return to normal providing food, water + shelter for the most affected.

Few days -> few weeks

Question 48

What happens in reconstruction (park model)

How long can this last

Answer 48

Infrastructure + property are reconstructed
Crops are regrown

Weeks -> several years

Question 49

2 positives of hazard management cycle

Answer 49

• Shows steps in effective hazard management

- Shows continuous nature of recovery + preparation which is true for many hazard prone countries

Question 50

3 negatives of the hazard management cycle

Answer 50

• a little basic
• focuses on actions of management but not impacts on people which shapes response
• difficult to know how long each stage takes as doesn’t include temporal dimension
• doesn’t show level of recovery,just presumes return to previous situation + level of development

Question 51

3 positives of the park model

Answer 51

• sense of time + scale
• more complex
• also shows social/economic factors
• shows level of response

Question 52

2 negatives of park model

Answer 52

• doesn’t show continuity
• not all disasters will be as straight forward (some places never return to normal)
• doesn’t show mitigation procedures in place