CGP Natural Hazards

• Types of Natural Hazards

  • Geological hazards (e.g. volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, landslides)
  • Hydrological hazards (e.g. floods, avalanches)
  • Meteorological hazards (e.g. tropical storms, extreme weather)
• Hazard


  An event that seriously affects humans
• Hazard


  • The more susceptible a population is to the damage caused by a hazard, the more serious the impact
  • Hazards can have significant impacts while they are occurring and often need an emergency response
  • The impacts can also go on for a long time after the hazard itself has passed
• People's perception of hazards

  Affected by their economic, social and cultural background
• Factors affecting perception of hazards

  • Wealth (e.g. wealthier people can afford to move to less hazard-prone areas)
  • Religion (e.g. some view hazards as acts of God)
  • Education (e.g. more educated people may better understand risks)
  • Past experience (e.g. living in hazard-prone areas)
• Responses to hazards

  • Preventing or reducing the hazard
  • Mitigating the impacts of the hazard
  • Governments coordinating responses
• Fatalism


  The belief that hazards cannot be avoided, so they must just be accepted
• Success of responses to manage hazards

  • Depends on hazard incidence (how often it occurs) and magnitude (how powerful it is)
  • Less developed countries may lack the wealth and technology to manage hazards effectively
• The Park Model

  1. Preparedness (before the event)

  2. Emergency (during the event)

  3. Rehabilitation (after the event)

  4. Reconstruction (after the event)
• Stages of the Hazard Management Cycle

  • Mitigation (minimise future impacts)
  • Preparedness (planning how to respond)
  • Response (how people react when disaster occurs)
  • Recovery (getting area back to normal)