Natural Hazards

• what is a natural hazard?

  a hazard that has had huge social impact and that is harmful to humans, it has to have interaction with human life. Natural events don't effect us if there is no one arround
• what are some of the types of natural hazards

  earthquakes, landslides, floods, volcanic erruptions, storms, tsunams, typhoons,
• what factors affect hazard risk

  urbanisation, poverty, climate change and farming
• finish the sentence: natural hazards pose ...

  major risks to people and property
• how does the magnitude of a hazard affect the risk to people?

  people can live in places of risk, they weigh up the advantages and disadvantages and the frequency of the events or they could have little choice.
• what is hazard risk?

  the chance or probability of being affected by a normal event such as living closer to rivers poses a hazard risk to floods (however people have learned to adapt).
• how does farming affect risk?

  floodplains are more prone to floods, this provides silt which is beneficial for farming but puts people living closeby at risk. In low lying countries a higher proportion of people live on floodplains.
• how does poverty affect risk?

  more people means poor quality of buildings and people are forced to live in risky areas. such as Venezuela and Rio where a shortage of housing means people live on unstable slopes and are more prone to landslides and flooding.
• how does climate change affect risk?

  the warmer waters and rise in sea level can lead to more intense storms and hurricanes.
• What is a floodplain?

  a flat surface next to a river channel
• how could farming be a possible advantage for risk?

  time of day of natural hazards is important, if someone is away farming they could avoid certain events.
• How does urbanisation affect risk in more developed countries?

  50% of the world lives in cities such as Tokyo or Los Angeles, these densely populated areas are at risk from earthquakes and tropical storms.
• how does the temperature change from climate change affect risk?

  Changes in temperature cause areas to become wetter which increases the risk of floods and areas that become drier become more prone to drought and famine.