THE IMPACT OF NATURAL DISASTERS

REVIEW: TECTONIC PLATE MOVEMENT CAUSES Earthquake: A sudden movement of the earth's crust caused by the release of stress collected along fault lines or by volcanic activity. (Can be convergent, divergent, or transformative.) Tsunamis: An unusually large sea wave produced by a seaquake or undersea volcanic eruption. Volcanos: A vent in the earth's crust through which lava, steam, or ashes are expelled, either continuously or at irregular intervals.

LOOKING AT THE IMPACT We can assess the impact of a disaster by considering the following criteria: Economic consequences Political consequences Social consequences Environmental consequences

ECONOMIC IMPACT Economic Impacts are effects on the level of economic activity in a given area. They generally deal with money or costs. Some examples of economic impacts from natural disasters include: The destruction of local business The loss of property, land crops, or possessions Any others?

POLITICAL IMPACT Political Impacts are the effect on systems of power and government. Some examples of the political impacts of natural disasters include: Political instability Creating need for or changes to policy Any others?

SOCIAL IMPACT Social Impacts deal with the effects of a disaster on people and society. Some examples of the social impacts of natural disasters include: Unemployment Poverty Loss of life or quality of life Any others?

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT Environmental Impacts are the effects of a disaster on the environment. Some examples of environmental impacts of natural disasters include: Collapsed buildings Fires or property damage Loss of habitats Freshwater contaminated Any others?

LIVING IN A DISASTER AREA A hazard is something that has the potential to cause a dangerous situation. A risk is a measure of how dangerous a hazard is. Thus, wherever there is a hazard, a risk assessment needs to be performed to: measure the size of the risk and try to find ways to reduce it.

LIVING IN A DISASTER AREA Not all places that have hazardous environments are heavily populated. In some places where volcanoes and earthquakes and storms brew, the population density is very low. But in many places where natural hazards occur, people live there in large numbers. THINK ABOUT: Why?

LIVING IN A DISASTER AREA People make decisions on the basis of : Physical / Environmental The climate is good (warm enough and wet enough), soil is fertile, the natural resources for fishing, farming are there to make a good living, so it might be worth it! Human / Social Family has always lived there, there is a community, it is a pleasant place to be, do not have or see a choice, lack of education to do other work. There are things that can be done to reduce the risk. Economic Work, farming, tourism, fishing, it is where property is owned.

THE PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT How hazardous is the environment? Does danger occur often? In most cases the answer to this is no. The San Andreas Fault had an earthquake in 1906, but did not have another serious one until 1989. Pinatubo Volcano in the Philippines erupted in 1991, but before that it was more than 600 years since it erupted. In many cases, the danger is something that is likely to occur sometime, but if life is sufficiently attractive, the population is unlikely to move. If conditions are good, people are more likely to stay as the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages.

SUSTAINABILITY AND DECIDING: REBUILD OR RELOCATE? Sustainability: development that meets the needs of the present without negatively affecting the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Determining whether rebuilding or relocating is the more sustainable choice after a community has been severely damaged by a natural disaster you must look at why people might decide to rebuild and why they might decide to relocate. THINK ABOUT: What are some reasons someone might choose to rebuild and what are some reasons someone might choose to relocate?

THE FOUR-PART DISASTER CYCLE STEP 1, MITIGATION: Long-term efforts to prevent hazards from becoming disasters or make them less damaging. Examples include: structural measures such as creating flood levees or reinforcing buildings, as well as non-structural measures such as risk assessment and land-use planning. STEP 2, PREPAREDNESS: Planning for when disaster strikes, including developing communication strategies, early warning systems, and stockpiling supplies. STEP 3, RESPONSE: Implementing plans after a disaster. This includes mobilizing emergency services, coordinating search and rescue, and mapping the extent of the damage. STEP 4, RECOVERY: Restoring an area, often through rebuilding and rehabilitation, then returning to mitigation measures.

DISASTER MITIGATION PREPAREDNESS RESPONSE RECOVERY Earthquake Building stock assessment; Hazard mapping. Measuring strain accumulation. Planning routes for search and rescue; damage assessment; evacuation planning; deformation mapping. Damage assessment; identifying sites for rehabilitation. Flood Mapping flood- prone areas; Identifying flood- plains; Land-use mapping. Flood detection; early warning; rainfall mapping. Flood mapping; damage assessment. spatial planning. Volcano Risk modelling; hazard mapping; digital elevation models. Emissions monitoring; thermal alerts. Mapping lava flows; evacuation planning.

RESPOND TO DISASTERS WHILE PLAYING THIS GAME! http://redcrossthegame.nl/site_en/