Hazards Flashcards
What are the two main classifications of hazards?
Hydrometerological
Geophysical
Name an example of a hurricane.
Hurricane Katrina 2005
What is an example of a flood?
Carlisle 2015
Name an example of a drought.
Ethiopia 1984
What is an example of an earthquake?
Haiti 2010
Name an example of a avalanche.
Salang Pass 2010
What is an example of a volcano?
Montserrat 1997
What is a hazard?
A hazard is a potential threat to human life and property caused by an event. Hazards can be human caused or occur naturally (natural hazards).
What is a natural hazard?
A hazard in thr physical environment.
What is a disaster?
When a hazard actually seriously affects humans.
What does the CRED classify as a disaster?
Killed 10 or more people
Affected at least 100 people - for drought or famine at least 2000 people have to be affected.
What does Swiss RE define as a disaster?
At least 20 people killed
Insured damage of at least $16.2 million
Name five examples of geophysical hazards.
Earthquakes
Volcanoes
Landslides
Debris avalanches
Subsidence
Name five examples of atmospheric hazards.
Hurricanes
Lightning
Tornadoes
Tropical storms
Hail storms
Name five examples of hydrological hazards.
Coastal flooding
Desertification
Drought
Salinisation
Storm surges
What is fatalism?
A view of a hazard event that suggests that people cannot infleunce or shape the outcome, therefore nothing can be done to mitigate against it.
People with such an attitude put in place limited or no preventative measures.
Losses are accepted as inevitable and people remain.
In some parts of the world the outcome of a hazard event can be said to be ‘gods will’.
What is adaptation?
The attempts by people or communities to live with hazard event.
By adjusting their living conditions, people are able to reduce ther levels of vulnerability.
For example they may avoid building on sites that are vulnerable to storm surges but stay within the same area.
Prediction/prevention/protection depending on economic and technological circumstances of the area.
What is fear?
The perception of the hazard is such that people feel so vulnerable to an event that they are no longer able to face living in the area and move away to regions perceived to be unaffected by the hazard.
What is a risk?
The likelihood that humans will be seriously affected by a hazard.
What is vulnerability?
How susceptible a population is to the damage caused by a hazard.
Name 5 things which could affect someones perception of a hazard.
Wealth
Religion
Education
Past Experiences
Personality
What could affect how successful a response to a hazard is?
Incidence- how often it occurs
Magnitude- how powerful it is
Distribution- areal extent of the hazard
Intensity
Level of development
What does the park model show?
The different phases of response to a hazard.
What are the five stages of the park model?
Pre-disaster
Disruption
Relief- rescue
Rehabilitation- aid
Reconstruction