II. Hazard vulnerability
- 1. VENN DIAGRAMS: NATURAL HAZARD EVENTS AND VULNERABILITY No disaster EXTREME Ex: Earthquake VULNERABLE NATURAL EVENT POPULATION Ex: Tropical cyclone Ex: Drought Limited disaster EXTREME Ex: Earthquake VULNERABLE NATURAL EVENT POPULATION Ex: Tropical cyclone Ex: Drought Major disaster Ex: Earthquake EXTREME VULNERABLE NATURAL POPULATION Ex: Tropical cyclone EVENT Ex: Drought Disaster = major hazard event increased by poor human preparedness and response
- 2. VULNERABILITY 1. Suggest factors which may explain why people live in hazardous areas • Earthquakes: San Francisco Bay • Tropical Cyclones: Irrawady or Mississippi Delta • Droughts: Sahel • Flooding: Delta of the Ganges • Volcanoes: Bali 2. Referring to named examples, explain how the following factors impact the vulnerability of a population to a hazardous event: • Population density • Understanding/knowledge of the area • Public education/awareness • Existence of an early warning system • Effective lines of communication • Availability and preparedness of emergency responders • Insurance coverage • Building codes • Efficiency/coordination of local/regional/national authorities • Cultural factors 3. Referring to named examples, explain why certain social groups of a population may be more vulnerable than others
- 3. VULNERABILITY: COSTA RICA See also Haiti, p.215 Droughts Natural hazards in Costa Rica: Volcanoes • Volcanoes (central mountain range) • Earthquakes (West coast) Flooding • Tropical cyclones (both coasts) Earthquakes • Droughts (North West) Hurricanes • Floods (Caribbean floodplain) Economic Social vulnerability Educational Environmental vulnerability vulnerability vulnerability Poverty: High hazard acceptance (survey): • Few emergency preparedness • Deforestation + Poor land • 46% of pop makes less than local • 27% believe hazards are “natural” programs in schools, and usually management = increase risk of minimum wage • 11% believe hazards are “wrath of relate to seismic/volcanic activity flooding, landslides • 28% live in poverty God” rather than flooding • Urbanization of slopes and Poor urban planning • 24% do not know the cause of • Hazard zoning are ignored and hilltops = increased runoff and • 63% of homes in Limon are not hazards high-risk areas are populated with vulnerability of low-lying elevated • Most people believe that risk help of government! populations (often poor) • 99% of homes are not anti- reduction is beyond their control • Warning systems are general seismic (radio/TV), not targeted to • Many public buildings also lack specific communities preparedness Three main needs for change in Costa Rica 1. Improve government organization: less centralization, more focus on local scale 2. Shift priorities: hazards should not be viewed as “inevitable” and “unpredictable” and “uncontrollable” 3. Increase local participation: all-inclusive disaster preparedness programs tailored to local needs, environmental management A recent string of hurricanes in Central America since 1997 has led to improved collective awareness for disaster prevention and strategic planning
- 4. VULNERABILITY: NEW ORLEANS (p.214) • Median household income in Lower Ninth Ward: $32k ($10k less than national average) • 20% of households had no car (10% nationwide) • 25% of people in flooded areas below poverty level (twice national average) • 60% of people affected came from minorities (30% national average) • Levees not designed to withstand 6m+ surge • Pumping stations not designed to handle massive flood • No mandatory evacuation until 24hrs earlier, no buses/alternate lodging provided for people with no cars • Poor communication between city/state/federal authorities • Poor organization of relief efforts (Superdome, looting)
- 5. VULNERABILITY TO CLIMATE-RELATED HAZARDS IN AFRICA (related to population density, development level, government, civil unrest)
- 6. PROGRESSION OF VULNERABILITY – CRUNCH MODEL