The document discusses risk from natural hazards and disasters. It defines risk as the probability of a hazardous event causing harmful consequences based on potential deaths, injuries, property damage, economic impacts, and environmental effects. Risk is determined by the interaction of hazards, vulnerability, and capacity to cope. Factors like involuntary hazards, immediate impacts, and deaths grouped in space and time tend to increase risk perception, while voluntary hazards, delayed impacts, and statistical victims tend to decrease risk perception. Individual responses to risk are influenced by experience, wealth, personality, and psychological denial. The document also lists the top 5 most dangerous earthquake hot spots in the US beyond California.
2. The probability of a hazardeventcausingharmfulconsequences ( expectedlosses in terms of death, injuries, propertydamage,economy and environment). Definition of risk
3. THE DISASTER RISK EQUATION Hazard [H] X Vulnerability [V] Risk [R] = Capacity to cope [C] The risk of a disaster increases as the frequency or severity of hazards increases, people’s vulnerability increases and people’s capacity to cope (ability to cope with the consequences) is decreased.
7. Factors which reduce risk perception Voluntary hazard ( mountaineers) Delayed impact ( Ethiopia 03,08) Common accident ( car crash) Few fatalities per disaster ( floods UK 07) Deaths random in space & time ( stomach cancer) Statistical victims ( cigarette smokers) Controllabel hazard ( ice on motorway) Familiar hazard ( river flooding) Belief in authority ( university scientist) Little media attention. Indirect impact ( drought in Spain & impact on tourism)
8. Factorswhich influence an Individual’sresponses Experience Materialwellbeing– thosewho are better off have more choices. Personality – is the person a leader or a follower, a risktaker or minimiser?
9. Psychologicaldenial of the risk Many people living in hazardprone areas, the riskmanybeknown and understood, but ispsychologicallysuppressedsothat the benefits of living in an area are not challenged.
10. 5 Most Dangerous U.S. Earthquake Hot Spots BeyondCalifornia Cascadia Subduction Zone, thiscolliding land mass 50 miles offshore is capable of magnitude 9 earthquakes 30 times more powerful The 2ndlargestearthquakeeverrecordedstruckAlaska’s Prince William Sound in 64. The mag 9.2 quakekilled 128 people, most by the resulting tsunami. Geologicalenigma in Missouri, that has producedsome of the largestquakes on record for the US but has yet to befullyexplained by scientists. Running along the base of the Rocky Mountains, the 240-mile Wasatch Fault lies underneath Salt Lake City and the state’surban corridor, home to 1.6 million people. Hawaii - the islands are also susceptible to major earthquakessuch as a mag 7.9 quake in 1868 thatkilled 77 people.
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12. Reasons people may place themselvesatrisk Hazards are unpredictable. Changingrisks – sealevelsrising, deforestationleading to more frequent flash floods. Lack of alternatives. People mayweigh up the costs and benefits. Perceptions of hazardrisks tend to beoptimistic.
