LEC 185:Lecture 1

• Natural Hazards


  Natural processes that have the potential to be a substantial threat to human life and society
• Natural Disaster


  An event that has occurred due to a natural hazard, involving substantial disruption to a society, affecting a discrete region over a restricted time period
• The number of natural disasters is increasing due to increased public awareness and reporting, increasing world population, increasing poverty and urbanization, proliferation of sensitive structures, and environmental degradation and climate change
• Risk


  The probability that harmful effects will actually follow from an identified natural hazard
• Hazard Level


  The probability that a potentially harmful natural phenomenon may occur at a given location in a given time period
• Exposure


  How many people, or what quantity/value of agricultural land, buildings, infrastructure, etc would be affected by a hazardous event
• Vulnerability


  The preparedness and resilience of the population exposed to the hazard, depending on factors like age, income, governance, education, emergency planning, and robustness of buildings and infrastructure
• It is rarely possible to reduce risk to zero, but decisions taken by human society around land-use, better buildings, education and emergency planning can reduce risk