Concepts of Hazards

Cards (45)

  • A hazard is a potential threat to human life and property caused by an event
  • Incidence is the frequency of a hazard.
  • Intensity is the power of a hazard, indicating how strong it is.
  • Magnitude is the size of the hazard, usually measured by its intensity.
  • Level of development affects how a place can respond to a hazard, so a hazard of the same magnitude may have very different effects in two places of contrasting levels of development.
  • Perception is how dangerous hazards are viewed and what risk they pose, which is dependent on lifestyle factors such as economic and cultural factors.
  • Response options include Fatalism, Prediction, Adaptation, Mitigation, and Management.
  • Risk sharing is a form of community preparedness, whereby the community shares the risk posed by a natural hazard and invests collectively to mitigate the impacts of future hazards.
  • What are the 3 main types of natural hazards?
    • Geophysical
    • Hydrological
    • Atmospheric
  • What are the 6 different types of responses to natural hazards?
    • Fatalism
    • Prediction
    • Adaptation
    • Mitigation
    • Management
    • Risk Sharing
  • Geophysical hazards are caused by what?
    land processes
  • Atmospheric hazards are caused by which processes?
    meteorological or climatic processes 
  • Hydrological hazards are caused by which processes?
    the movement and distribution of water
  • Earthquakes, volcanic activity and mass movements such as landslides and mudflows are all examples of what type of natural hazard?
    Geological hazards
  • Storms and wildfires are examples of what type of natural hazard?
    Atmospheric hazards
  • Floods, limnic Eruptions and tsunamis are examples of what type of natural hazard?
    Hydrological hazards
  • Hazards should not be confused with natural disasters. A disaster will only occur when a vulnerable population is exposed to a hazard:
    The Degg’s model is a good representation of this concept
  • Perception of hazards impact peoples responses / approaches to hazards
  • Why might wealthier people perceive a hazard to be smaller/ insignificant and feel less vulnerable?
    wealthier people have the ability to move away from a hazardous area
  • Why might wealthier people view a hazard as a greater risk / more signficant?
    Higher stakes (risk of property damage and financial loss)
  • Someone who has experienced more hazards may be more likely to understand the full effects of a hazard
  • people who have experienced hazards are also likely to have an optimistic and unrealistic outlook on future hazards. Why?
    they can have a ‘lightning never strikes the same place twice’ mentality
  • R.kates writes about the ‘lightning never strikes the same place twice’ mentality in what year?

    1971
  • Who wrote a journal on the ‘lightning never strikes the same place twice’ mentality? (optimistic views on hazards from experienced people)

    R.kates
  • Education - A person who is more educated about hazards may understand their full effects on people and how devastating they can be and have been in the past
  • Education - Those who are less educated may not understand the full extent of a hazard and may not evacuate
  • Religion and beliefs - Some may view hazards as put there by God for a reason, or being part of the natural cycle of life etc. so may not perceive them to be negative (fatalism)
  • Religion and beliefs - people who believe in environmental conservation may perceive hazards to be a huge risk to the natural environment (especially hazards that are becoming more frequent due to global warming)
  • Mobility - Those who have limited access to escape a hazard may perceive hazards to be greater threats than they are. Whether they are in a secluded location, or if they are impaired with a disability or illness, those who cannot easily leave an area quickly may feel more at risk
  • What is risk sharing?
    working together to reduce the risk and sharing the costs of hazard response (eg buying home insurance – only some people need to claim but the cost is shared by everyone)
  • Factors affecting hazard responses are:
    • Frequency (how often a hazard occurs)
    • Intensity & Magnitude
    • Distribution (where the hazard occurs)
    • Level of Development (of a county)
  • The Park Model is a graphical representation of the steps of human responses to hazards while giving it a rough time frame
  • What is the name of this graph?
    The park model
  • What factors effect the severity of a hazard?
    • Magnitude
    • Speed of onset
    • Regularity
    • Number of hazards
    • Areal Extent
    • Spatial Concentration
    • Frequency
    • Duration
    • Predictability
  • What does the term "speed of onset" mean?
    How fast the peak of a hazard arrives
  • What does the term "areal extent" mean?
    Spatial coverage (how large the affected area is)
  • Name the 4 stages of the Hazard Management cycle:
    A) Response
    B) Recovery
    C) Mitigation
    D) Preparedness
  • What is the name for this model?
    The Hazard Management Cycle
  • What is the definition of mitigation?
    the action of reducing the severityseriousness, or painfulness of something eg earthquakes
  • What are the four stages in the disaster risk management cycle?
    resilience, preparedness, response, recovery