Coping With Hazards

A2 Geography

The varying approaches of individuals andgovernments to coping with tectonic hazards in countries at different stages of development

What approaches exist?

• People cope with natural hazards in very different ways

• The chosen ways are often related to wealth and access to technology

• Humans do have a capacity to ignore or seriously underestimate risk, even when it seems obvious to others

• Often it may seem obvious that people should move out of harms way, but in reality this may be impossible.

Modify LossMove to a

safer location

Modify the Event

Modify human Vulnerability

Strategies

Modify the event (hazard mitigation)

Modify human vulnerability Modify the loss

Tsunami

Coastal defences and engineering

•Warming and prediction systems•Coastal zone management and landuse planning•Provision of emergency kits

Loss modification involves immediate rescue efforts, followed by relief efforts which focus on food, shelter, water and sanitation.Insurance can help recovery.Long term reconstruction is needed.

Earthquakes

Not possible •Ground shaking and liquefaction risk mapping •A seismic buildings •Earthquake education and drills •Prediction not possible

Volcanoes

Lava diversion •Monitoring, prediction warning and evacuation systems •Hazard mapping e.g. lahar risk •Education•Shelters

Modify Loss burden Modify hazard event Modify Human Vulnerability

Hazard Type and ExampleAccept

LossAid Insurance

Environmental Control

Hazard Resistance Community Preparedne

ss

Forecasting and

Warning

Land Use

PlanningDesign Retrofitting

VOLCANOLEDC

VOLCANOMEDC

EARTHQUAKE

LEDC

EARTHQUAKEMEDC

Research

• You should already have some good and thorough case studies you may be expected to use in the exam

• The final part of each will be coping with the event.

• Mitigation and Adaptation

Mitigation

• Attempting to stop the effects of the hazard by trying to planning before hand

• Examples of this will be very few off the ground

• Explain why

Adaptation

• attempting to live with a hazard by altering lifestyles. This is a longer-term strategy. It assumes hazards will take place but there will be time to adapt before each and time to hopefully reduce the effects on pop’n

• Examples• Land use zoning near the coast• Lava channels• Removal of debris and steepness of

slopes• Monitoring.

Hyogo framework for Action 2005

• Developed by the World Conference on Disaster Reduction held in Kobe

• Risk reduction to buildings and resilience to damage• Remove underlying factors to vulnerability• POVERTY• Aim is to exploit the Kyoto mechanisms such as

Special Climate Change Funds to allow developed countries to pay for greenhouse gas cutting projects in return for carbon credits

• This scheme applies at all scales

Tectonic hazards human impacts

• A surprising number of people live in areas of active tectonic processes

• Major tectonic hazards can strike with devastating force

• The 2005 Kashmir Earthquakes killed around 85000, the 2008 Sichuan ‘quake over 65,000 and 200,000+ died in the 2004 Asian Tsunami

• It is important to consider why people live, in such large numbers, in areas of great risk

Living in areas of tectonic

risk?

Ignorance of the risks and

/ or underestimation of risk

Inertia; always lived there

Nowhere else to go /

lack of alternatives

Choice e.g. fertile farmland

or tourism

Impacts - Remember

• Every hazard event is different, and therefore the specific impacts of disaster vary

• When researching case studies, it is important to be able to identify specific impacts and be able to explain these

• Some impacts are tangible and can be given a financial value. Others are intangible, such as the destruction of a temple or artwork.

• Many losses are direct and immediate such as property damage, but others are indirect – these come later and are harder to quantify, such as stress and psychological damage.

• Impacts are often considered as human (death, injury, illness), economic (property loss, loss of income, cost of relief effort) and physical (changes to landscape and topography).

Developed versus developing world

• It is often said that disaster impacts in the developed world are largely economic, whereas in the developing world they are human.

• You should carefully consider if this generalisation is true.

• The 1995 Kobe earthquake in Japan and 1991 eruption of Mt Pinatubo in the Philippines are useful examples to consider

Death Toll 

Event  Location  Date

5,115 Mount Kelut eruption Indonesia 1991

23,000 Nevado del Ruiz eruption

Colombia 1985

25,000Spitak Earthquake Armenia 1988

30,000 Bam earthquake Iran 2003

35,000 Manjil Rudbar earthquake

Iran 1990

36,000 Krakatoa eruption tsunami

Indonesia 1883

66,000 Ancash earthquake Peru 1970

69,197 Sichuan earthquake China 2008

86,000 Kashmir earthquake Pakistan 2005

100,000 Tsunami Messina, Italy 1908

105,000 Great Kanto earthquake

Japan 1923

230,000Indian Ocean tsunami Indian Ocean 2004

245,000 Tangshan earthquake China 1976

Impacts over time – Parks Model• Different hazard events have different impacts, shown

by the speed of the drop in quality of life, the duration of the decline, and the speed and nature of recovery.

• The differences in the 3 lines might be related to type of hazard, degree of preparedness, speed of the relief effort and the nature of recovery and rebuilding.

The hazard management cycle

• Successful hazard management involves a cycle (see diagram) which focuses on the 3 types of modification from the previous slide.

• A focus on modifying loss only, will not improve survival chances when the next hazard strikes

• Long before a natural hazard event, there needs to be a focus on mitigation and prevention (if possible) as well as human preparedness.

Integrated Response to Risk Management

Sustainable Communities

Climate Proofing and Adaptation

Disaster Management

Triple Dividends

Remember

• This report is aimed at several types of disasters and you only need to concern yourself with the tectonic hazards

• There is much generalisation but what is important is what people and governments are thinking!

Finally

• KEY PLAYERS in Hazard response• Who are they?• What can they do• What difference does wealth play in

disaster management?

The effectiveness of different approaches and methods of coping and the way in which approaches have changed over time, and possible future coping strategies

Answer

• Much can be found on the internet• What is important is what you find is

relevant and upto date as well as any future methods

• Remember future methods will pose a cost benefit issue for a lot of countries. Have you done this with your case studies?

• Can you apply these to your case studies?