nature, forms and potential impacts of hazards

Question 1

what is a hazard

Answer 1

a hazard is a threat which may be either natural or human which has the potential to cause loss of life, injury, property damage, socioeconomic disruption or environmental degradation.

Question 2

what is a natural hazard

Answer 2

they are a naturally occurring event which are perceived to be a threat to people, the built environment and the natural environment.

Question 3

what are are the three types of natural hazard

Answer 3

geophysical, hydrological,and atmospheric

Question 4

what is a geophysical natural hazard

Answer 4

-caused by earth processes
-can be caused by internal earth processes if tectonic activity or by external processes of geomorphological origin involving mass movement
-examples are earthquakes, volcanic activity and mass movement.
-they are difficult to predict and impossible to stop

Question 5

what is a hydrological natural hazard

Answer 5

-caused by the occurrence, movement and distribution of surface and underground water
-examples are floods, mudslides, and landslides
-usually the consequence of extreme weather events, or are a secondary effect of a natural disaster.

Question 6

what is an atmospheric natural hazard

Answer 6

-processes operating in the atmosphere resulting in extreme weather or atmospheric conditions
-examples are hurricanes, tornadoes, drought and extreme cold
-there will usually be some advanced notice but due to the unpredictable nature of the weather it would mean that nothing can be done to stop the disasters

Question 7

how are hazards characterised

Answer 7

-magnitude
-frequency
-duration
-spatial conditions
-speed of onset
-temporal spacing

Question 8

what does the UN class a disaster as

Answer 8

-10+ people are killed
-100+ people are effected
-state of emergency is declared
-international assistance is called for