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From the spec… Environmental hazards exist at the interface between physical geography and human geography. Natural hazard events are often exacerbated by human actions, although conversely, human‑induced hazard events are also affected by natural environmental conditions. The principles involved in studying natural hazards are identical to those involved in studying human‑induced hazards. The focus of this optional theme is on the full range of human adjustments and responses to hazards and disasters at a variety of scales. The term “natural disaster” is deliberately avoided in this theme because it is not considered to be an accurate reflection of the multitude of underlying reasons that expose people to risk and subsequently create the pre‑conditions necessary for a disaster to occur.
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Hazards and Disasters-Risk Assessment and Response
From the spec…• Environmental hazards exist at the interface between
physical geography and human geography. Natural hazard events are often exacerbated by human actions, although conversely, human induced hazard events are also affected ‑by natural environmental conditions. The principles involved in studying natural hazards are identical to those involved in studying human induced hazards.‑
• The focus of this optional theme is on the full range of human adjustments and responses to hazards and disasters at a variety of scales. The term “natural disaster” is deliberately avoided in this theme because it is not considered to be an accurate reflection of the multitude of underlying reasons that expose people to risk and subsequently create the pre conditions necessary for a ‑disaster to occur.
Hazards
• Hurricane Tsunami• Drought Flood• Earthquake Wildfire• Volcanic Eruption Disease Epidemic• Lightening HIV / AIDS• Avalanche Radioactive Leak • Tornado Chemical Explosion • Landslide
Research the following characteristics:• Geophysical process [Tectonic, Geomorphological,
Atmospheric, Biological, Not Geophysical] • Duration of impact [Instant, seconds, minutes,
hours, days, months, years, decades] • Length of forewarning [Seconds, minutes, hours,
days, months, years, decades] • Spatial occurrence [At one extreme global ...] • Scale of impact [Local, Regional or International] • Frequency [between events of a similar
magnitude] • Predictability [easiness of prediction- random or
consistent]
Hazard Characteristics
FREQUENCYFrequent Rare
DURATION OF IMPACT Instant Decades
LENGTH OF FOREWARNING Seconds Decades
SCALE OF IMPACTLocal International
SPATIAL EXTENTLocalised Global
PREDICTABILITYRandom Consistent
Earthquake, Volcanic Eruption, Hurricane, Chemical Explosion.
Hazards
EXTREME NATURAL EVENT
Hazards
VULNERABLE POPULATION
VULNERABLE POPULATION
NO INTERACTION = NO HAZARD
VULNERABLE POPULATION
SMALL INTERACTION = SMALL HAZARD
LARGE INTERACTION = LARGE HAZARD
VULNERABLE POPULATION
Draw Venn diagrams for these events:
• A moderate landslide occurring on an uninhabited island.
• A magnitude 8.1 earthquake occurring near to a city with a population of 18 million people which sits upon an old lakebed.
• A magnitude 6.5 earthquake with it's epicentre in a sparsely populated area, 40 km from the nearest town, in the country ranked 12th in terms of the Human Development Index.
Use the official IBO Spec to define:
• Hazard• Disaster• Hazard Event• Risk• Vulnerability
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