Strategies of management

Question 1

What methods are there to modify the event?

Answer 1

DIVERTING lava flows- numerous methods including digging channels and building barriers
Dropping concrete blocks to slow the lava flow.
Spraying lava so it cools and solidifies sooner and is less of a threat.
GIS mapping
None to modify an earthquake

Question 2

Give an example of diverting lava flows being successful

Answer 2

Successful in the eruption of Mt. Etna in 1983.
Usually though it does not work as lava paths are hard to predict (e.g. Montserrat 1997- erupted sideways). The terrain has to be suitable so the lava can flow away and its not always possible.

Question 3

What methods are used to modify people’s vulnerability?

Answer 3

Community preparedness
Education
Warning and Prediction
Seismometers
Land use zoning
Hazard mapping
Hazard resistant building designs

Question 4

How can community preparedness help modify people’s vulnerability?

Answer 4

It includes building of tsunami shelters and walls, strengthening of public buildings e.g. hospitals and fire stations, having lists of people most at risk. Organising and practicing evacuation drills, providing first aid courses for locals.

Question 5

How can education help modify people’s vulnerability?

Answer 5

People may be able to recognise signs of a possible eruption and know what to do when an eruption occurs e.g. evacuation routes, drills to practise what to do when a tectonic event strikes e.g. in earthquakes to get to open space away from buildings or shelter under a table in a doorway
It also includes having kits in workplaces and homes with essentials in- water, dried food, radio, torch, noisy implement. Having regular drills (e.g. in Japan they have 4 drills a year)- so everyone knows what to do should one occur. Also includes- educating of construction industry to ensure hazard resistant design is used.

Question 6

How can warning and prediction modify people’s vulnerability?

Answer 6

Increasing use of technology to monitor particularly active locations e.g. individual volcanoes ensuring people are warned as fast as possible can reduce impacts- e.g. when quake struck Japan in 2011 and the tsunami was triggered a text message was generated to warn people so they could reach higher land.

Question 7

How can seismometers modify people’s vulnerability?

Answer 7

Can be used along with tiltmeters to measure vibrations to see if any ‘unusual’ seismic activity is found which may indicate an eruption- more used in ACs as very costly and experts needed to monitor.

Question 8

How can land-use zoning help modify people’s vulnerability?

Answer 8

They are determined by government- says how land can be used, some disaster prone areas are not allowed to be used for certain things. Areas at high risk of tectonic disaster are not allowed some development- e.g. nuclear power plants and housing. In danger areas these won’t be allowed. Development in areas which act as buffers like mangroves will not be developed- keeping the protection in place. Much more likely to be implemented in ACs as opposed to LIDCs

Question 9

How can hazard-mapping help modify people’s vulnerability?

Answer 9

mapping areas prone to lahars and liquefaction for example

Question 10

How can aseismic design help modify people’s vulnerability?
And give an example of its success in an LIDC

Answer 10

can increase a building’s resilience to ground shaking.
Affordable, low-tech solutions can be used if funds are limited e.g. from 2007 to 2012 the Smart Shelter Foundation constructed 15 earthquake resistant schools in Nepal which all survived the 2015 quake.

Question 11

What types of building are more vulnerable during a tectonic event?

Answer 11

Multi-storey buildings can sway and crash into each other if they are close together
Asymmetrical structures will twist as well as move back and forth
A soft storey at the base e.g. a underground carpark can lead to collapse as it may be the weak part of the building
Building near known faults or on soft soils, such as alluvium increase the chance of damage
the steeper the slope angle, the more vulnerable it is to mass movement and if one falls, they are likely to crash into each other
How rigorously building codes and laws are applied

Question 12

What techniques can be used to increase a building’s resilience to ground shaking?

Answer 12

Steel framed and cross-braced construction, including the basement, help hold a building together and absorb a lot of the energy when the building deforms
Deep foundations on soft soils help prevent effects of liquefaction
Energy-absorbing pads in the foundations of buildings help absob much of the horizontal energy. The are rubber or steel, or for private houses in LIDCs or EDCs such as Indonesia or NEpal, tyres filled with stones and sand can be effective
Excavating material to create flat surfaces can help reduce the chance of a building collapsing

Question 13

Define vulnerability

Answer 13

concerned with the ability of a person or community to withstand exposure to and risks from a hazard such as an earthquake or volcanic activity

Question 14

Define resilience

Answer 14

an indication of rate of recovery from a hazardous event that has put an individual under stress and/or a community under stress.

Question 15

What methods can be used to modify people’s loss?

Answer 15

Emergency aid
Disaster response teams
search and rescue strategies
Insurance
Resources for rebuilding public services-

Question 16

How can emergency aid help to modify people’s loss?

Answer 16

It includes bottled water, medical supplies, tents and food packs. It is needed by most post disaster- some may have more to hand than others- speed dictated by many factors including quality of infrastructure and wealth

Question 17

How can disaster-response teams help to modify people’s loss?

Answer 17

For example helicopters and heavy lifting machinery, starts locally- local teams needed to locate and begin efforts.
The more helicopters, personnel, heat sensing, sniffer dogs etc. available the more victims they will be able to rescue.

Question 18

How can search and rescue strategies help to modify people’s loss?

Answer 18

need to know where help can come from in local area and outside to ensure all needed equipment is received and as fast as possible. These teams tend to be more equipped and faster to respond in AC countries that are more prepared and have the money for the services needed.

Question 19

How can insurance for buildings and businesses help to modify people’s loss?

Answer 19

insurance companies and governments can work to ensure this is available- money gained can be used to repair/ rebuild- enabling the communities to recover quicker. Not so readily available in LIDC countries.

Question 20

How can resources for rebuilding help modify peoples loss?

Answer 20

The quicker they are available the quicker the areas affected can get back to pre disaster- usually easier in ACs as more resources available and higher wealth levels to pay for such improvements. Some wealthier countries will have money to rebuild using ASEISMIC design whereas others in LIDCs generally do not. It means services such as hospitals and schools can also reopen faster.