DRRR Flashcards
(25 cards)
What is a disaster?
A sudden, calamitous occurrence that causes great harm and devastation, disrupting the usual course of life
Includes human, material, economic, and environmental losses and impacts.
What are the components that often lead to disasters?
Disasters are often a result of the combination of:
* exposure to a hazard
* vulnerability
* insufficient measures to reduce or cope with the potential effects
What are natural disasters?
Disasters caused by natural forces, often characterized as rapid onset disasters
Example: droughts leading to famine.
What are man-made disasters?
Disasters that can be either intentional or unintentional
Examples include technological/industrial accidents, terrorism, and complex humanitarian emergencies.
Define disaster risk.
Potential (not realized) disaster losses, larger scale than risk
It is a product of possible damage by hazard and vulnerability within a community.
What are the three variables that determine risk?
Risk can be determined by the presence of:
* hazards (natural / anthropogenic)
* vulnerability
* coping capacity linked to reduction, mitigation, & resilience
What does the risk equation represent?
Risk = E x H x V
Where E = exposure, H = hazard, and V = vulnerability.
What is exposure in the context of disaster risk?
The number and presence of people, property, systems, or other elements in an area that could be affected by a hazard
Examples include volcanic and landslide hazard maps.
What are the two types of hazards?
- Natural hazards
- Human-made hazards
What does vulnerability refer to in disaster risk?
Conditions that may increase susceptibility to hazard/risk, determined by physical, social, economical, and environmental factors.
True or False: Disasters only occur in populated areas.
False
If a disaster occurs in an unpopulated area, it is considered a hazard.
What are the factors which underlie disasters?
- Climate change
- Environmental degradation
- Globalized economic development
- Poverty and equality
- Poorly planned & managed urban development
- Weak governance
How does climate change affect disaster risk?
Alters the frequency and intensity of hazards, affecting vulnerability and changing exposure patterns
It is attributed directly or indirectly to human activity.
What is the impact of poverty on disaster risk?
Impoverished people are more likely to live in hazard-exposed areas and are less able to invest in risk-reducing measures.
Define biological disaster.
Disturbing effects caused by a prevalent kind of disease/virus at epidemic or pandemic levels.
What are the primary effects of earthquakes?
Permanent features an earthquake can bring out, such as fault scraps, surface ruptures, offsets of natural/human-made objects.
What is liquefaction in the context of earthquakes?
A process where earthquake motion can turn loosely packed, water-saturated soil to liquid, leading to unstable structures.
What is the purpose of a seismograph?
An instrument that makes a record of seismic waves caused by an earthquake, explosion, or other earth-shaking event.
What is the anatomy of an earthquake?
Includes:
* Fault
* Epicenter
* Focus (hypocenter)
* Plates
* Seismic waves
What is the effect of urbanization on disaster risk?
Increased rate of urbanization leads to higher population density, concentrating people, poverty, and disaster risk in cities.
What are secondary effects of earthquakes?
- Landslides
- Tsunami
- Liquefaction
- Fires
Fill in the blank: The triangle of disease includes ______, favorable environment, and host susceptibility.
[pathogen (virus / fungi)]
What is the role of effective recording and interpretation of ground motion?
It assists in providing alerts and warnings for preparation and emergency response.
What happens during a tsunami?
A huge sea wave triggered by a violent displacement of the ocean floor, often caused by underwater earthquakes.
