Topic 1: EQ3 Flashcards

Question

What were the economic impacts of the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami?

Answer 1

-The damages were estimated at US$9.4 billion. -600,000 lost their jobs -Affected the supply chains of many raw materials which are exported from these SE Asian nations.

Answer 2

Only 2.2% of fatalities from natural hazards are due to earthquakes, and only 0.1% are due to volcanoes. The majority of deaths result from the slow onset hazards such as droughts and famine, rather than the rapid onset hazards.

Answer 3

High impact, low probability. Tectonic mega events are often classified as this.

Answer 4

These are places where a number of physical hazards combine to create an increased risk for the country and its population. This is often made worse if the country’s population is vulnerable, or suffers repeated events so that there is no extended periods of time for recovery. These places, such as the Philippines, are considered ‘disaster hotspots’.

Answer 5

This is a country or area that is extremely disaster prone.

Answer 6

Being a vulnerable community makes the impacts greater, and also more challenging to manage. The magnitude of the hazard combined with the human geography of the area are important, but the hazards generally form part of a more complex web of socio-economic and environmental issues which make them harder to manage.

Answer 7

Countries in central/South America (eg Costa Rica and Chile) as well as East Asia (e.g Taiwan and the Philippines) seem to be especially vulnerable, as they are at risk of earthquakes, have coasts subject to tsunamis, may regularly experience summer cyclones as well as winter storms.

Answer 8

73.1% of land in Taiwan is exposed to multiple hazard zones, and 73.1% of their population is also exposed to the 4 different hazards faced in this region.

Answer 9

Large urban areas are often zones of multiple, hazard risk. They tend to be centres of economic development, and can often have rapidly growing populations due to urbanisation in developing countries. This means many mega-cities have unplanned, poor quality housing in dangerous locations like river banks and steep slopes.

Answer 10

-Concentrated political, economic and other resources. -High population densities, particularly in old parts of cities, leads to rapid destruction and loss of life. -Rapid growth and lack of planning causes illegal settlement of poorer people in hazardous areas. -Ecological imbalance as rapid urbanisation destroyed ecosystems. -High dependency on infrastructure and services in a disaster period. -Construction of an inadequate standard.

Answer 11

-when one hazard triggers the conditions necessary to make another hazard occur. -When the hazards are completely unrelated, but occur over a short timeframe.

Answer 12

-Violent, andesitic eruptions (e,g from Mount Mayan) are frequent. 22 active volcanoes -Earthquakes are also frequent -Cyclones are frequent and are usually deadly, and are linked to flooding and landslides -Despite being rare, can have droughts from El Niño events like in 2010 -7107 islands, and is 25% bigger than the UK.

Answer 13

-High population, 109 million -GDP of US$9200, a middle-income nation -25% of the population lives in poverty, 2.8 million in the Capital city were squatters. -Rapid urbanisation (urban population went from 40% in 2007 to 45% in 2010), -Many in the rural areas lived in coastal regions, prone to flooding and storm surges.

Answer 14

2006 earthquake (one hazard event) 2013 Earthquake Bohol + 2013 Typhoon Haiyan (different hazards in a short space of time)

Answer 15

-The epicentre of the 7.1 magnitude quake was beneath the island of Bohol where two of the country's oldest churches were damaged. -It was the deadliest earthquake in the Philippines in 23 years since the 1990 Luzon earthquake. The energy released by the quake was equivalent to 32 of the bombs dropped in Hiroshima.

Answer 16

-222 were reported dead, -8 were missing, and 976 people were injured. -more than 73,000 structures were damaged, of which more than 14,500 were totally destroyed. Some low-rise buildings collapsed, and roads were cut in two by landslides.

Answer 17

-Damage cost US$5.8billion -6million lost jobs -1.9million made homeless -7,000 died, and sanitation issues caused a disease to break out. -71,000 hectares of farmland were affected, and rice and corn production was destroyed. -Oil spill caused mangrove destruction -Many trees were uprooted

Answer 18

-9.0 magnitude earthquake -Triggered tsunami -Also triggered landslides, breaching the crater wall of a volcano. -Was in the middle of the night so the population was unprepared

Answer 19

-6000 died, 85% of which caused by a tsunami -thousands injured -Occurred in the middle of the night -tens of thousands were made homeless

Answer 20

The Philippine government passed the disaster Risk Management Act to help increase resilience and reduce risk. They moved illegal settlers away from areas prone to hydro-meteorological hazards. Now has a plan for how to respond to different types of hazards and has a system to monitor volcanoes and typhoons.

Answer 21

The combination of the two hazards, often occur as flash flood events.

Answer 22

Prediction means knowing when or where a natural hazard will strike on a spatial and temporal scale that can be acted on meaningfully in terms of evacuation.

Answer 23

Forecasting is much less precise than prediction, and provides a percentage chance of a hazard occurring (e.g. a 25% of a magnitude 7.0 earthquake occurring in the next 20 years). It is essentially the risk of a hazard causing a tectonic event.

Answer 24

-The earthquake risk can be forecasted as it is based off of data and evidence gathered through global seismic monitoring networks as well as historical data. -Long term forecasts (years and decades) are currently much more reliable than short-term forecasts (days). -Forecasting is important as it encourages building regulation in areas of high stress, or can create improved evacuation procedures in areas of highest risk.

Answer 25

In San Fransisco, where the 1-in-100year hazard hasn’t occurred in 145 years, meaning that the risk is significant due to how overdue it is. As a result of this long-term forecast, suitable planning and preparation can occur.

Answer 26

There would need to be a ‘diagnostic precursor’, which hasn’t currently been identified. This is a characteristic pattern of seismic activity or some other physical, chemical or biological change, which would indicate a high probability of an earthquake happening in a small window of space and time.

Answer 27

They’re attempting to do this by calculating the underground movement of magma. They attempt to predict where the plates are running together with the most stresses, which can be a telling sign of where an earthquake may hit. They map patterns in the earths magma, and run simulations to try and locate these high stress zones.

Answer 28

Prediction must be highly accurate to be effective, and as this isn’t a realistic prospect for the current time and foreseeable future, they suggest the main focus should instead look into improving the forecasting of earthquakes.

Answer 29

-Research of underground magma movement -Animal behaviour (snakes and rats frozen to the ground) -High levels of radon gas emissions -Unusual electromagnetic signals. Remember however these are all incredibly inaccurate and predicting earthquakes effectively is still a near impossible task.

Answer 30

DART (Deep Ocean Assessment and Reporting Tech). Seabed monitors recognise changes in pressure, which is then sent to surface buoys, before the data is transmitted from a satellite to ground stations where it is assessed. This method has been used in the Pacific since 1949.

Answer 31

Yes it is accurate, but the DART system can only monitor earthquakes with originate in deep water. If they occur in shallow water, e.g when an underwater landslide in Indonesia triggered a shallow tsunami close to shore, they cannot be predicted.

Answer 32

Volcanoes can be monitored well due to… -Sophisticated monitoring equipment on volcanoes can measure changes as magma chambers fill and eruption nears, e.g temp rises -Tiltmeters and strain meters record volcanoes 'bulging' as magma rises and seismometers record minor earthquakes indicating magma movement -Gas spectrometers analyse gas emissions which can point to increased eruption likelihood, e.g sulphur dioxide.

Answer 33

Differences between volcanoes... Basaltic vs Andesitic/Ryholtic -Basaltic – predicting: where the Lava will flow. Even in Hawaii the course is uncertain. -In Heimaey, Iceland – Lava diversions in place, but in Hawaii buildings destroyed with unpredictable flows. -Andesitic – when it will erupt. Montserrat had many false alarms at start in 1995, eventually erupted in 1997

Answer 34

-The technology needed has to have been put in place, be functional and linked to warning systems. -Developing nations may not be able to afford the necessary technology, e.g no warning system/monitoring tech was in place for the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.

Answer 35

This is a process in which governments and other organisations work together to protect people from the natural hazards that threaten their communities. The aim is to minimise the impacts felt by a hazard. Many key players are involved, including governments (local, national), as well as international organisations, communities and businesses.

Answer 36

1) Mitigation: preventing hazard events or minimising their effects. 2) Preparation: preparing to deal with a hazard event 3) Response: responding effective to a hazard event to limit further damage 4) Recovery: Short term: focuses on immediate social needs of people. Long Term: get society and the economy back to normal, and reduce future vulnerability.

Answer 37

-Zoning and land-use planning -Developing and enforcing building codes -Building protective structures

Answer 38

-Developing preparedness plans -Developing early warning systems -Creating evacuation routes -Stockpiling aid equipment and supplies -Raising public awareness

Answer 39

-Search and rescue efforts -Evacuating people where needed -Restoring critical infrastructure (e.g power supplies) -Ensuring critical services continue (e.g medical care and law enforcement).

Answer 40

Short term… -Providing essential health and safety servcies -Restoring permanent power and water -re-establishing transportation roots -Providing food and temporary shelter Long-term: -Rebuilding homes and other infrastructure -Re-opening businesses and schools

Answer 41

The Park’s Disaster response Curve can be used to better understand the time dimensions of resilience: from a hazard striking to when a place, community or country returns to normal operations. The x-axis shows the different stages of time, and wether relief, rehab or reconstruction has started. The Y-axis describes quality of life, stability and infrastructure. In some cases, the quality of life can go beyond a return to normality and actually improve on where it was before the hazard event.

Answer 42

The model can be used to help plan and understand risk and resilience, as well as to better prepare for future events, for example through modification of the responses to the event.

Answer 43

-Pre-disaster: QoL is normal, people do their best to prevent and prepare for the events through education and preparing supplies/medical teams -Relief: When the event occurs. Immediate relief of emergency care and medical attention. Can last hours to days, and QoL sharply falls in this stage -Rehabilitation: Groups (e.g government) try to return things to normal by providing food, water and shelter to those who are without basic needs. -Reconstruction: Longer term rehab moves into the reconstruction period during which infrastructure, crops and property are invested in. This stage may also include preparation and prevention to reduce vulnerability for future events.

Answer 44

• Can be used to compare how areas at differing levels of development might recover. • Impacts of the event change over time - e.g. depending on size, development, aid received • All events have different impacts, so their curves differ - e.g. fast vs slow occurring events will have differing responses. • Wealthier countries will have different curves to developing as they are able to recover faster. • For events affecting more than one area (e.g. 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami) each area will have its own curve.

Answer 45

Hazard mitigation and hazard adaptation

Answer 46

These are strategies which are meant to avoid, delay or prevent hazard events (e.g land-use zoning, diverting lava flow, GIS mapping etc)

Answer 47

These are strategies which are designed to reduce the impacts of hazard events. (E,g high-tech monitoring, crisis mapping, modelling hazard impacts, public education and community preparedness).

Answer 48

-Land-use zoning -Hazard-resistant design -Engineering defences -Diversion of lava flows

Answer 49

Local government planners regulate how land in a community is used (e,g residential industrial etc). On areas of land, for example, vulnerable to a volcanic eruption or tsunami, land use mapping can be used to protect people and property from damage, and can choose how different land zones should be used based on how vulnerable they are. This was used in Mount Taranaki in New Zealand.

Answer 50

-Allows for appropriate allocation of land based on risk -Removes people from high risk areas and stops increased loss. -Can prevent economic development on some high value land -Requires good governance and strict planning rules.

Answer 51

-Lava flows can be diverted by artificial barriers which stream away from properties, and can be made from materials such as rock. 10m high barriers have been proposed in Hawaii. -Flow can also be controlled by breaching the walls which form along the edges of flow. This was used in Mount Etna in 1983 to attempt to starve the -In Iceland 1973, water was sprayed on lava to cool it and prevent due their spreading, which saved the port.

Answer 52

-Can work well to give additional time to respond to a hazard and evacuate -The terrain has to be suitable (gently downwards sloping) -Hard to predict the path which is taken by the lava, this makes it difficult to know where to build the walls or dig the channels. -Stopping lava from flowing towards one community may push it in the direction of another.

Answer 53

-A house on stilts of titanium or tungsten might survive lava flow, if the stilts were strong enough to withstand the lava pushing against them. -Airborne ash: Violent volcanoes, such as Vesuvius and Mount St Helens, tend to explode and throw up several cubic kilometres of ash and rock. A 30cm-thick ash layer can be heavy enough to cause roofs to collapse, so you’ll need a reinforced roof with a steep pitch (rather than flat) to stop the ash building up too much. -Poisonous gas: After an eruption, pyroclastic flows can engulf a town in superheated steam and poisonous sulphur dioxide or asphyxiating carbon dioxide. To escape this, you’ll need an airtight home with an air supply – preferably underground. But ensure your access hatch doesn’t get blocked!

Answer 54

This was crucial in the Nepal 2015 earthquake, and can be used in all stages of the disaster management cycle, for example, to identify where evacuation routes should be placed, or to help with rescue and recovery options.

Answer 55

-Aid agencies and government can easily see where aid should be directed, as well as which communities will be the most difficult to reach. -Tectonic hazards may not always occur as predicted, so you cannot rely on GIS mapping. -The technology is quite advanced, and may not be available to less developed or more remote locations.

Answer 56

Collapsing buildings cause deaths in earthquakes. It is possible to design and construct buildings that an withstand tectonic events with planning, government monitoring and control (on building standards) in - Developed and Developing/Emerging countries. These include steel frames, foundations, roads for easy access/evacuation. In developing nations it may include shock absorbers such as tyres, bamboo to reinforce walls, or light roofs made of plaster. -Sea walls can also be built for tsunamis, as can mangrove forests.

Answer 57

-Prevents death from buildings collapsing, limits falling glass, provides assembly points, easier for rescue workers and reduces rebuilding costs. -May require good governance to enforce building codes -Can be expensive so not available to all communities and countries.

Answer 58

-High tech monitoring -Prediction -Education -Community preparedness and adaptation

Answer 59

Technology plays an increasingly crucial role in helping communities and individuals become less vulnerable to hazard events. This includes: -GIS to create hazard maps -Early warning systems using scientific equipment to detect signs of a potential hazard -Satellite communication technology helps to transmit data from monitoring equipment -Mobile phone technology is used to communicate rapid warning systems and coordinate responses (e,g Japanese messages for the 2011 earthquake)

Answer 60

+ Allows scientists to learn about natural processes and get better at making predictions +Allow for advanced warning of tsunamis and volcanoes -Public must have good access to technology for mobile warning to be effective -Expensive and systems may require expertise to monitor

Answer 61

Crisis mapping is when crowd-sourced info is used to accurately map the areas which are worst struck by a hazard, and this means the response teams can target where to help first (e,g where many people are trapped under rubble). Was used fairly successfully following the 2010 Haiti earthquake.

Answer 62

+Helps rescue workers get to the worst affected more quickly +Makes it easier for the public to share useful knowledge -Relies on the public giving information that is factually correct and accurate

Answer 63

Helps people understand what they can do to protect themselves before, during and after a hazard event, including: - Practicing emergency procedures (Japan children practice 4 times a year) and nationwide there is the Disaster Prevention Day is held for all. - Encouraging households and workplaces to create emergency preparedness kits - Education on how to construct earthquake proof buildings.

Answer 64

+Will help the population to be more prepared when they have to deal with the affects of a hazard -May cause increased risk for minority groups due to inequality and marginalisation, if these poorer groups are not educated to the same degree that the rest if the population is.

Answer 65

Involving the actual people living in the community most at risk from a natural hazard is the best way to develop plans and educate people – especially in lower income countries. It will usually include: -Creating a list of vulnerable people who may need special assistance -Organising practice evaluation drills -Providing first aid courses -Using community knowledge (e,g 2004 Asian Tsunami, elderly in the Bay of Bengal noticed unusual movements, and saved the lives of 200 by getting them to move upland by the time the tsunami hit.

Answer 66

+Reduces the overall risk for the most vulnerable +Co-ordination reduces stress when the event occurs -May cause there to be too little focus put on the the rest of the non-high priority population.

Answer 67

-Role of aid -Role of NGOs -Role of insurers -Role of communities

Answer 68

The efforts can be focused of helping communities to cope with personal, social and economic loss. Aid donors such as governments and IGOs can help by providing: -Emergency aid (e,g providing food, clean water and shelter) -Short-term aid (e.g restoring water supplies, providing temporary shelter) -Long-term aid (reconstruction of buildings, infrastructure or the economy)

Answer 69

-money can be given straight to the gov to spend efficiently -will support a quick return to normality and limit damages -If the money ends up the hands of a corrupt government, it may be spent inefficiently or not spent at all (e.g Haiti gov 2010)

Answer 70

NGOs such as OXFAM and the Red Cross play a crucial role when local governments may lack the funding or resources to respond effectively. They can provide funding, co-ordinate rescue efforts and construct reconstruction plans. +It can often be easier to plan a response from the calm heads of a NGO rather than a panicking government -NGOs may not know the full picture of a hazard-management cycle, and therefore the aid they provide may often be incomplete.

Answer 71

-In 2011, the global damages from earthquakes cost US$54billion. -Insurers can then help to limit to costs to communities, and will give individuals and businesses in developed nations the money they need to rebuild. -In developing nations, very few people have insurance as they have other financial priorities due to being closer to absolute poverty, and those who do have very basic insurance will rarely have it cover natural hazards.

Answer 72

-As local people will always be the first to respond to a natural hazard, they will always play a crucial role in recovery. This is especially true when emergency aid may be slow, such as in Haiti when the only international airport was destroyed by the earthquake. -However, the community may not have the necessary expertise to respond effectively, and their attempts to rescue others may be dangerous, only resulting in an increased death or injury toll.