Hazard profiles

• what do hazard profiles show?

  the nature of the hazard in a graph: duration, speed of onset, areal extent, frequency, spatial predictability, magnitude
• what are hazard profiles used for?

  helps decision makers when deciding where to allocate the most human and financial resources
• how are hazard profiles used to predict events?

  by looking at hazard profiles of previous events, they can be used to predict potential impacts of future events characteristics: e.g. magnitude can directly link to impacts —> gives an indication of the types of impacts
• which events are hard to plot on a hazard profile?

  multiple hazards e.g. earthquake then tsunami where secondary hazards are more destructive than the event itself
• what does the magnitude show on hazard profiles?

  the higher the magnitude, the greater the chance of fatalities, injuries and damage to buildings and infrastructure
• what does the speed of onset on hazard profiles show?

  the quicker the onset speed, the less time people have to react to it therefore less preparation e.g. evacuation --> developing countries are less likely to have access to warning technology so will be more vulnerable to quicker speeds of onset
• what does the duration show on hazard profiles?

  the longer the event, the greater the delay in the emergency response and the recovery and secondary hazards prolong the duration, earthquakes are often followed by aftershocks
• what does the areal extent show on a hazard profile?

  the larger the area, the more people at risk. earthquakes are usually localised so damage is limited to close to the epicentre but volcanoes and tsunamis are much more widespread
• what does spatial predictability/ concentration show on a hazard profile?

  the ability to predict when and where a hazard will occur. if a hazard occurs on a well-mapped and understood plate boundary, there's a higher level of spatial predictability and gives people time to plan and prepare
• does a high frequency of events make a place more vulnerable?

  the more frequent = more adaptation and mitigation strategies in place to manage its potential impact but it's unlikely a country will recover before the next hazard
• what are limitations of hazard profiles?

  they don't take into account some factors --> the magnitude of hazards can be the same but levels of development can differ e.g. Japan and Haiti
• how were hazard profiles successful for Japan 2011?

  it warned the government of earthquakes meaning they can respond by preparation e.g. evacuation plans and aseismic buildings

  allowed the gov to identify high-risk areas and prioritize them for mitigation measures

  provided necessary information to develop and improve early warning systems e.g. DART
• how were hazard profiles unsuccessful for the Japan 2011 tsunami?

  the hazard profiles underestimated the magnitude as the magnitude and height of the waves exceeded many hazard assessments, as a result, the sea wall defence was not sufficient for the height of the wave therefore putting the population at risk

  it's more difficult to measure the hazard as the secondary hazard (tsunami) was more destructive than the actual event itself.