why choose to live in a hazardous area

• Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions don’t happen very often. They are not seen as a great threat in most people’s lives.
• Better building design can withstand earthquakes so people feel less at risk
• More effective monitoring of volcanoes and tsunami waves enable people to receive warnings and evacuate before events happen
• Fault lines associated with earthquakes can allow water supplies to reach the surface. This is particularly important in dry desert regions
• Volcanoes can bring benefits such as fertile soils, rocks for building,

  rich mineral deposits and hot water
• Some people may not be aware of the risks of living close to a plate margin.
• Plate margins often coincide with very favourable areas for settlement, such as coastal areas where ports have developed.
• People living in poverty have other things to think about on a daily basis - money, food, security and family