Disaster risk equation

WORLD AT RISK

What you should achieve this lesson

• Know how to use the disaster risk equation

• Understand how vulnerability of people is a result of a number of factors

• Identify recent trends in natural hazard data

recap

• With a partner test each other on what the following terms mean:

• Natural Hazard

• Disaster

• Risk

• Vulnerability

• Hydro- meteorological hazard

• Geophysical Hazard

• Chronic Hazard

Natural event or natural hazard

1- A cyclone affecting Hong Kong

2- A hurricane passing over a remote unpopulated island

3- A flood in a rural area which floods the roads, but does not affect any houses

4- A volcano erupting on a remote unpopulated island

5- An avalanche in a ski resort

6- An avalanche high on mountainous slopes remote from any settlement

Which would you pick?

• What type of hazard would you prefer to face and why?

Disaster risk equation

• Risk is the exposure of people to a hazardous event which may present a potential threat to people or their possessions, including buildings and structures.

• What factors can influence the level of risk?

Disaster risk equation

• RISK = HAZARD x VULNERABILITY

CAPACITY

• The risk of disaster grows as global hazards and people’s vulnerability increases, while their capacity to cope decreases

MEDCs LEDCs

Increasing vulnerability in some respects

vulnerability

• Not all of the planet’s population is at the same risk, but millions of people are considered to be vulnerable

• Vulnerability is NOT the same as poverty

• E.g. an earthquake• The middle class may be more affected by a

earthquake as their property could cause more damage when it collapses than a property within a shanty town

vulnerability

• Either bullet point or produce spider diagrams to explain how the following factors can effect vulnerability

• Wealth of people• Technical ability of a country• Education• Age• Rural• Urban

Why live in a hazardous area?

Why live in a

hazardous area

Choice

Unaware of risk

Inertia

Only option

Is the world more hazardous?

Is the world more hazardous?

• It’s clear that the frequency of natural disaster has increased but what factors could influence this?

• Technology

• International monitoring agencies e.g. CRED or SCSN

• http://www.scsn.org/commentary/?cat=2

• Media

Is the world more hazardous?

Is the world more hazardous?

Is the world more hazardous?

Is this what you expected?

Is the world more hazardous?

• There is a decreasing number of deaths due to hazards – why?

• Better understanding of natural disasters

• Better preparedness

• Better technology

This is not the case everywhere

Is the world more hazardous?

Current trends in Natural hazards

• Using the textbooks I would like you to annotate each of the graphs provided, giving a description and explanation of the current trends.

• Magnitude• Frequency• Number of deaths• Economic costs• Number involved