1. What is the connection between these pictures?
Thunderstorm
Cyclone
Wild fire

2. What is the connection between these pictures?
Tsunami
Land slide

3. What is the connection between these pictures?
Floods
Drought

4. Answers Cyclone Thunderstorms Wildfire
ALL 3 ARE CLASSED AS HYDRO-METEOROLOGICAL
Tsunami Earthquake Landslide
ALL THESE ARE CLASSED AS GEOPHYSICAL HAZARDS
Floods Drought
THESE COULD FIT INTO EITHER

5. Learning Objectives & Outcomes
Know – the different categories of hazards
Understand – why disasters affect people in different ways
Skills – recognise the difference between a hazard and disaster
Describe the different categories of hazard and give examples of hazards in each category
Explain the difference between a natural hazard and a disaster, using a theoretical model D
B - C A
Assess why some populations are more vulnerable to disasters than others
Hazards and Disasters

6. Why are there different types of hazard?
Our focus is on natural hazards:
Geophysical
Hydro-meteorological
Caused by earth processes.
They can be caused by either internal earth processes of tectonic activity
Or by external processes of geomorphological origin involving mass movement
Tectonic: volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis
Geomorphological: landslides, rockfalls, rockslides
Hydro: Includes floods, debris and mudflows
Meterological: Tropical cyclone/hurricane, storm surges, thunder and hail storms, tornadoes, blizzards and other sever storm
Droughts , bush fires temperature extremes, sand and dust storms
Caused by running water and its processes (hydro) and those associated with weather patterns (meteorological)

7. Why are there different types of hazard?
Our focus is on natural hazards:
Geophysical Hydro-meteorological
Caused by earth processes.
They can be caused by either internal earth processes of tectonic activity
Or by external processes of geomorphological origin involving mass movement
Caused by running water and its processes (hydro) and those associated with weather patterns (meteorological)
Tectonic: volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis
Geomorphological: landslides, rockfalls, rockslides
Hydro: Includes floods, debris and mudflows
Meterological: Tropical cyclone/hurricane, storm surges, thunder and hail storms, tornadoes, blizzards and other sever storm
Droughts , bush fires temperature extremes, sand and dust storms
Give examples!

8. When does a hazard become a disaster?

9. What is the difference between a hazard and a disaster?
A naturally occurring process or event which has the potential to cause loss of life or property.
Without people it is just a natural event.
“The realisation of hazard, although there is no universally agreed definition of the scale on which loss has to occur in order to qualify as a disaster”(Smith 1996)
Key term!
Dregg’s model shows how some kind of overlap is needed for a hazard to become a disaster.
In 1990 Swiss Re insurance defined a disaster as an event that where at least 20 people died, or insured damage of over 16 million US dollars was caused.
But values and currencies change all the time!
It depends on how vulnerable the people are that are exposed to it.
More of the world’s population are living in areas where they are exposed to hazards eg Bangladesh ( to floods and cyclones), favelas in Brazil (to landslides)
The greater the scale of the natural hazard and the more exposed the people are, the greater the disaster is likely to be.
Dregg’s model

10. Learning Reflection What type of hazards are these?
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 in isolation in the middles of the Pacific ocean
5. An avalanche in a ski resort
6. An avalanche high on the mountain slopes remote from any settlement
7. A tsunami wave 50cm high off the coast of Japan
8. An earthquake in Kashmir, Northern Pakistan
9. A drought in Australia’s outback
10. A landslide in a favela in Rio
Some not hazards as they don’t affect people

11. In 1990 Swiss Re insurance defined a disaster as an event that where at least 20 people died, or insured damage of over 16 million US dollars was caused.
But values and currencies change all the time!

12. Importance of Vulnerability
Why are some places affected
more by disasters?
Importance of Vulnerability
The impact of any hazard are a result of peoples vulnerability - not necessarily the hazards strength.
Explain why some places are more affected by others when natural disasters impact…

13. Why are some places affected
more by disasters?
Vulnerable people do not live in dangerous places because they want to; they do it because they have to. Land may be cheaper or unwanted by others

14. Why are some places affected
more by disasters?
2. Vulnerable people cannot afford to build well, even if building regulations are enforced.

15. Why are some places affected
more by disasters?
3. Rapid urbanisation has forced the poor into high risk areas of cities

16. Why are some places affected
more by disasters?
4. Changing risk – Rising sea levels mean that safe areas are now prone to flooding & storm surges. Deforestation reduces interception & increases the risk of flooding.

17. Why are some places affected
more by disasters?
5. Cost v Benefits – for example benefits of fertile soils on volcanoes verses the risk of eruption

18. Why are some places affected
more by disasters?
Remember!
Vulnerability is not the same as poverty.
e.g Earthquakes
It is possible for the middle classes to be more affected by the collapse of their unsafe homes than the poor in a shanty town whose flimsy homes collapse and cause little damage

19. Match the key terms to the correct definitions on your sheet
Learning Reflection
Match the key terms to the correct definitions on your sheet
Natural Hazards
Disaster
Vulnerability
Hydro-meteorological Hazard
Chronic Hazard
Geophysical hazard

20. Hydro-meteorological Hazard
Natural Hazard
A naturally occurring process or event which has the potential to cause loss of life or property.
Without people it is just a natural event.
Vulnerability
Is to be susceptible to physical or emotional injury.
 Chronic Hazard
A hazard that is long term-term and persistent e.g. El-Nino or Global Warming.
Disaster
“The realisation of hazard, although there is no universally agreed definition of the scale on which loss has to occur in order to qualify as a disaster”(Smith 1996)
Geophysical Hazard
The cause of the hazard is geological or geomorphological (e.g. landslides, tsunamis, volcanoes and earthquakes).
Hydro-meteorological Hazard
Natural processes of atmospheric or hydrological (eg. Cyclones, droughts, floods, storm surges, thunder/hailstorms, rain and wind storms, blizzards, desertification, wild fires, temperature extremes, sand or dust storms, avalanches).