Natural hazard effects and Response

• Economic effects


  Destruction of infrastructure, agriculture and industries leading to economic instability and loss of jobs
• Immediate response to natural hazard

  1. Search and rescue efforts

  2. Providing emergency medical care

  3. Supplying food and shelter to those affected
• Social effects


  Loss of life, injuries, displacement of population and damage to property
• Immediate response to a natural hazard


  1. Search and rescue efforts

  2. Providing emergency medical care

  3. Supplying food, water and shelter to those affected
• Short-term response to a natural hazard

  1. Clearing debris

  2. Re-establishing communication and transport links

  3. Preventing the sinking of dikes
• Long-term response to a natural hazard

  1. Rebuilding infrastructure, housing and services

  2. Restoring the local economy

  3. Preventing future occurrence through hazard management strategies
• Responses generally involve a combination of local, national, and international effort
• Factors affecting the impact and response to natural hazards

  • Magnitude of the hazard
  • Population density of the affected area
  • Area's level of economic development
  • Quality of infrastructure and public services
• Factors that can influence how impacted a community is and how quickly it can recover from a hazard

  • Preparedness
  • Access to insurance
  • Risk management strategies
• Risk management strategies


  Aim to reduce the potential impacts of natural hazards
• Types of risk management strategies

  • Predictive (e.g. meteorological forecasting, geological monitoring)
  • Preventive (e.g. designing buildings to withstand hazards, building flood defences, planning land use to avoid high-risk areas)
• Public education and emergency planning are crucial parts of risk management, helping communities understand what to do in the event of a hazard
• Climate change


  Increases the frequency and intensity of some natural hazards, such as droughts, heat waves, and floods
• Strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and increasing carbon sinks can help reduce the risk from climate-related hazards
• Wind turbines generate electricity from kinetic energy produced by moving air.
• Renewables have the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by replacing fossil fuels.
• The main types of renewable energy are wind, solar, hydroelectricity, geothermal, tidal, wave, biomass, and biofuels.
• Hydroelectric power plants harness the energy stored in water to produce electricity.
• Solar panels convert sunlight into electrical energy through photovoltaics.
• Hydropower is generated through the movement of water, which turns turbines connected to generators that produce electricity.
• Hydroelectric power is generated using water stored behind dams or flowing downhill through rivers.
• Geothermal power stations extract heat from beneath the Earth's surface using pipes filled with water or steam.
• Geothermal power harnesses the Earth's internal heat to create steam or hot water that drives turbines and generates electricity.
• Geothermal power uses steam and hot water found beneath the Earth's surface to produce electricity.
• Geothermal power stations use steam or hot water from underground reservoirs to drive turbines that generate electricity.
• Geothermal energy is generated using heat from within the Earth's crust.
• Tidal barrages use the rise and fall of tides to turn turbines and generate electricity.
• Tidal barrages capture the energy of tides to turn turbines and generate electricity.
• Tidal power harnesses the movement of tides to turn turbines and generate electricity.
• Biomass is organic matter derived from living organisms used as fuel.
• Biomass includes wood, agricultural waste, and organic matter that can be burned or converted into fuel.
• Geothermal energy uses heat from within the earth's crust to create steam or hot water, driving turbines and generating electricity.
• Wind farms use large turbines to generate electricity from moving air.
• Geothermal power uses heat from deep within the earth's crust to create steam, which drives turbines and generates electricity.
• Tidal barrages generate electricity by capturing the kinetic energy of tides as they flow in and out of estuaries.
• Biomass includes wood, agricultural waste, and other organic materials that can be burned to release energy.
• Wind farms consist of multiple wind turbines installed on towers to capture kinetic energy from moving air.