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Flashcards in Tectonic Hazards and Diasters Deck (38)
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1
Q

Define natural hazard?

A

A physical event which has a negative impact on people, causing injury, death, loss of property or distruption to life

2
Q

Define disaster

A

An event that disrupts normal conditions to a point where a place cannot adjust, with significant loss of life or economic cost

3
Q

What does the UN state makes a mega disaster?

A
  1. more than 2000 deaths
  2. over 200,000 homeless
  3. GDP reduced by at least 5%
  4. dependence on aid for at least a year
4
Q

What are the factors in a hazard profile? (6)

A
  1. magnitude
  2. speed of onset
  3. duration
  4. areal extent
  5. spatial predictability
  6. frequency
5
Q

What is the disaster risk equation?

A

hazard times vulnerability divided by capacity to cope

6
Q

What were the root causes of the Haiti earthquake? (4)

A
  1. heavily in debt to foreign banks
  2. government corruption
  3. 80% of population live below the povery line
  4. 30-40% of government budget from foreign aid
7
Q

What were the dynamic pressures of the Haiti earthquake? (2)

A
  1. lack of urban planning, disaster prepardness and management and effect education
  2. rapid urbanisation (slum housing)
  3. population density of 306 people/ km^2
  4. deforestation
8
Q

What was the result of deforestation in the Haiti earthquake?

A

increased the risk of landslides

9
Q

What was the population density of Haiti?

A

306 people per km^2

10
Q

What were the unsafe living conditions of Haiti?

A
  1. buildings on soft soil amplifying seismic waves
  2. illegal houses on hills
  3. GDP per capita of US$1300 means buildings were constructed cheaply resulting in vulnerable structures
  4. poor infrastructure
  5. poor sanitation
11
Q

Evidence of poor sanitation before the Haiti earthquake?

A

39% of population had no clean water and only 20% had access to a toliet

12
Q

What were the tectonic causes of the Haiti earthquake?

A
  1. shallow focus, 13km underground resulting in intense ground shaking
  2. 25km from Port-au-Prince
  3. Liquefaction on looser soil cuased many buildings to sink
13
Q

What were the root causes of the Sichuan earthquake?

A
  1. government corruption and corrupt law enforcement leading to poorly constructed buildings
  2. lack of development in rural areas
14
Q

What were the dynamic pressures of the Sichuan earthquake?

A
  1. people ignored strict building codes

2. limited infrastructure in rural areas

15
Q

What were the unsafe living conditions of the Sichuan earthquake?

A
  1. poorly constructed buildings without steel frames wich could not withstand earthquakes
  2. people hard to access by relief workers
16
Q

What was the government response to the Sichuan earthquake?

A
  1. 140,000 troops
  2. 100,000 volunteers including rescue and medical teams
  3. people in dangerous hilly areas quickly relocated
  4. pledged $10 billion for rebuilding works
  5. temporary homes, roads and bridges build in weaks
17
Q

How many died in the Sichuan earthquake?

A

87,652

18
Q

How many died in the Haiti earthquake?

A

230,000 plus 6900 due to Cholera

19
Q

How many were made homeless due to the Haiti earthquake?

A

1.5 million

20
Q

How many were made homeless due to the Sichuan earthquake?

A

5 million

21
Q

what had happened to the $13 billion in aid donated to Haiti as of 2015?

A

90% remained in the hands of internatonal organisations and governments

22
Q

What were the results of many Haitian government officals dying in the earthquake?

A

international organisations needed to provide emergency services

23
Q

Why were aid organisations unwilling to channel aid money through the Haitian goverment?

A

political corruption and and mismanagement

24
Q

Examples of Haitia’s failure to recover from the 2010 earthquake?

A

as of 2015, 80,00 people were still living in temporary housing and cholera was an ongoing problem

25
Q

What were the effects of corruption in Sichuan?

A

thousands of schools fell down killing 5335 children while many government buildings nearby remained standing

26
Q

Evidence of Japan’s high capicity to cope with a disaster?

A
  1. within 24 hrs 110,000 troops deployed
  2. by November 96% of electicity restored
  3. good infrasturcure meant international community could get in quickly
27
Q

Why should Japan’s vulnerbility have been low?

A
  1. 75% of buildings asismic/ retrofited
  2. 40% of coast had tsunami wall
  3. high awareness/ education (1st September)
28
Q

Why was Japan vulnerable to a disaster?

A
  1. worlds oldest population
    - 65% of deaths of over 60 year olds
  2. nuclear reactor on a plate boundary
29
Q

Fact of the tectonic hazard of the Japan Tsunami?

A
  1. 9.0Mw earthquake
  2. 10m high wave moving at 800kmph
  3. epicentre 138km from Sendi
  4. made landfall in 10 minutes
30
Q

How many died in the Japan tsunami?

A

15700

31
Q

What was the cost of the Japan tsunami?

A

US$360 billion

32
Q

What were the natural tectonic hazards that resulted in the Indian Ocean tsunami being a disaster?

A
  1. magnitude 9.1
  2. first tectonic activity in that region in 1000s of years
  3. moved 800kmph
  4. made landfall in 30 minutes (Sumatra)
33
Q

Why have the number of recorded diasters increased?

A
  1. improvements in monitering
  2. improvements in communication
  3. increased global population
  4. urbanisation (large vulnerable population + impermeable surfaces)
  5. climate change
34
Q

Why is the Indian ocean tsunami considered a globally significant mega disaster?

A
  1. large areal extent (14 nations affected)
  2. deaths of tourists
  3. affected predicition technology and global awareness (development of DART)
35
Q

How many Swedish people died in the Indian Ocean tsunami?

A

543

36
Q

Why is the Japan tsunami considered a mega disaster of global significance?

A
  1. could have climate implications due to moving of earths axis
  2. fukushima disaster effected global nuclear energy policy (Germany shut down all nuclear reactors)
37
Q

Why is Eyjafjallajokull considered a disaster of global significance?

A
  1. large areal extent (ash covered much of western Europe
  2. airline companies collectivly lost £130 million per day
  3. Kenyan farmers
38
Q

What was the effect of the Icelandic volcano on Kenyan farmers?

A

They were forced to dump stocks of fresh food due to disruption to exports, losing £3.8 million per day and the temporary loss of around 500 million consumers