KI1.4: Disaster occurrence can be explained by the relationship between hazards,
vulnerability, resilience and disaster
a. Definition of a natural hazard and a disaster, the importance of vulnerability and a
community’s threshold for resilience, the hazard risk equation
A natural hazard = an event with the potential to cause harm and damage
A disaster = when the potential danger of a hazard is realised, causing death and destruction
Disaster- >500 deaths Mega disaster- >2000 deaths
Vulnerability- the extent that a country is susceptible to a hazard turning into a disaster.
Vulnerability Why?
caused by:
HUMAN
Education - Lack of awareness of risks of hazards
- Lack of planning for what to do in event of hazard
Governance - Lack of planning
- Not stockpiling
- Slow response
- Slow aid
- Warning systems
Income - Poorer quality buildings (unplanned housing)
- Less inclined to evacuate (don’t want to leave jobs)
Healthcare - Low resilience and capacity to cope (higher death toll)
- Linked to education (brain drains)
Infrastructure - Aid may be unable to access if bad roads
- Buildings more vulnerable to collapse
- Population density
Technology - Unable to detect hazards
- Unable to send out message to evacuate
PHYSICAL
Location - Types of secondary hazards
features o Volcano
Glacier? -> jokulhlaup e.g. Iceland 2010
Type of lava (basaltic = faster lava flows/lahars)
Shield or composite (shield = steep relief, faster flow of lava
and lahars)
Wind direction (e.g. Eyjafjallajokull, 2010)
o Earthquakes
Liquefaction- unconsolidated material
Landslides- steep relief
Type of - Type of plate boundary (destructive = worst volcanoes and
hazards earthquakes)
- Earthquake or volcano (I think earthquake = worst)
- Depth of focus
vulnerability, resilience and disaster
a. Definition of a natural hazard and a disaster, the importance of vulnerability and a
community’s threshold for resilience, the hazard risk equation
A natural hazard = an event with the potential to cause harm and damage
A disaster = when the potential danger of a hazard is realised, causing death and destruction
Disaster- >500 deaths Mega disaster- >2000 deaths
Vulnerability- the extent that a country is susceptible to a hazard turning into a disaster.
Vulnerability Why?
caused by:
HUMAN
Education - Lack of awareness of risks of hazards
- Lack of planning for what to do in event of hazard
Governance - Lack of planning
- Not stockpiling
- Slow response
- Slow aid
- Warning systems
Income - Poorer quality buildings (unplanned housing)
- Less inclined to evacuate (don’t want to leave jobs)
Healthcare - Low resilience and capacity to cope (higher death toll)
- Linked to education (brain drains)
Infrastructure - Aid may be unable to access if bad roads
- Buildings more vulnerable to collapse
- Population density
Technology - Unable to detect hazards
- Unable to send out message to evacuate
PHYSICAL
Location - Types of secondary hazards
features o Volcano
Glacier? -> jokulhlaup e.g. Iceland 2010
Type of lava (basaltic = faster lava flows/lahars)
Shield or composite (shield = steep relief, faster flow of lava
and lahars)
Wind direction (e.g. Eyjafjallajokull, 2010)
o Earthquakes
Liquefaction- unconsolidated material
Landslides- steep relief
Type of - Type of plate boundary (destructive = worst volcanoes and
hazards earthquakes)
- Earthquake or volcano (I think earthquake = worst)
- Depth of focus
