Natural hazarss

• Hazard


  Something that is a potential threat to human life or property
• Types of natural hazards

  • Geophysical hazards (tectonic hazards, volcanic eruption, landslides, tsunamis)
  • Atmospheric/hydrometeorological hazards (tropical cyclones, storms, droughts, extremes of hot or cold weather, wildfires)
  • Hydrological hazards (floods, tsunamis)
• Disaster


  When a hazard occurs and has a significant impact on a population
• The threshold at which a disaster happens will be different for different countries
• A mega-disaster has a regional or global impact
• Different countries or communities will define a disaster differently, but generally they are said to have occurred when countries or communities can no longer cope with the challenges that the hazardous event has created
• The Degg Model


  • A disaster occurs where a natural hazard event meets a vulnerable population
  • The greater the natural hazard event, and the more vulnerable the people, the greater the disaster threshold
• Resilience


  The capacity for a community to cope with and recover from a natural disaster
• Some communities have a higher level of resilience due to their awareness of natural hazard risks
• Communities that have a low resilience and a high vulnerability will have a lower disaster threshold
• Vulnerability


  The level to which a community or geographical area will be damaged or affected by the occurrence of a hazard
• Factors determining a community's vulnerability

  • Location in relation to topographical features
  • Location in relation to the site of the hazard
  • Isolation from/access to other communities
  • Age and gender structure of their population
  • Level of urbanisation and population density
  • Degree of poverty/wealth of population
  • Level of education and literacy rate
• The vulnerability of a community to natural hazards can be determined before a natural hazard occurs
• What is a risk

  Potential exposure to a disaster
• What should governments look at to better manage hazard

  Countrys vulnerability level
• Governments tend to look at reducing a country's vulnerability level in order to better manage hazards
• Pressure and Release (PAR) model

  Maps the factors that create a disaster
• PAR model


  Explains a hazard's socio-economic context and the combination of conditions in which a disaster could emerge
• Root Causes of vulnerability

  • Limited access to resources
  • Limited voice in world agencies
  • Limited access to funding
  • Weak political system
• Dynamic Pressures


  • Lack of skills and education in a population
  • Lack of investment in community resources
  • Large level of international debt
  • Weak economic system
  • Rapid rural to urban migration
• Unsafe Conditions

  • Poor building construction standards
  • Low household income levels
  • No welfare system
  • Poorly designed infrastructure system
• The 'Pressure' in the title of the model comes from the idea that there is increased stress from both causes of the disaster and the natural hazard itself
• When either the nature of the hazard or the degree of vulnerability becomes too much, a disaster happens
• In order to 'Release' the pressure, either the nature of the hazard or the degree of vulnerability needs to be reduced
• The PAR model highlights the importance of a country's economic development to its risk of experiencing a disaster
• Many root causes for vulnerability are less likely to be a problem in developed countries