Name Learning Unit 1 Introduction to Natural Disasters Review Questions This assignment is designed to assess your understanding of Unit 1 and includes some of the Questions for Review at the end of Chapter 1 from your text plus a few additional questions Each question can be answered in one to two sentences Please limit yourself to a maximum of three sentences Access the assignment complete it with ANSWERS IN A DIFFERENT COLOR FONT as a separate file and send it back for evaluation and grading through the assignment tab by or before the due date 1 What are some reasons people live in geologically dangerous areas Some of the reasons that people live in geologically dangerous areas could be contributed to them not being able to realize the signs that the place that they live is likely to have a natural disaster Also they may move to an area that is prone to a natural disaster because of the soil in that area having rich qualities it might be inexpensive land or there might be a nice view that they want all of which could lead to them living in an area prone to natural disasters 2 Contrast the general nature of catastrophic losses in developed countries versus poor countries When a natural disaster hits it does not just affect one social class of people When they hit they end up costing everyone they affect with some sort of financial strain When they hit a developing country the amount of damage goes up due to the difference in average level of income of the residence there In developing countries there they usually have very high population densities so when a natural disaster hits a dense area and there is a poor or no evacuation plan poor warning systems and poor disaster relief then the losses in developing countries are going to be worse 3 If people should not live in especially dangerous areas what beneficial use is there for those areas Even though those areas where natural disasters strike are considered dangerous people still live there Some of the main reasons that they might take the risk with can be things like wanting to use the soil that is rich in nutrients for planting crops the land might be very inexpensive and they might have a limited budgets or it could have different kinds of natural transportation access such as waterways 4 When is a large event such as a major earthquake not a disaster A natural disaster is defined as a process that poses a threat to property and human life When there is a natural disaster in an area occur in order for them to be considered a disaster they have to have an effect on human life and property 5 Some natural disasters happen when the equilibrium of a system is disrupted What are some examples There are different kinds of natural disasters that happen in different regions of the world due to different environmental factors Some examples of natural disasters are earthquakes tsunamis volcanoes landslides tornadoes hurricanes and floods 6 When an insurance company decides on the cost of an insurance policy for a natural hazard what are the two main deciding factors When the insurance companies are giving out money after a natural disaster they have to figure out who is entitled to what kind of payout They will usually take into account the homeowner s risk that that something would happen in the case of a natural disaster and determine how much the family is owed based on the probable cost of their losses 7 Is the geological landscape controlled by gradual and unrelenting processes or intermittent large events with little action in between Provide an example to illustrate I think that it is more likely gradual unrelated processes but there are also small actions in between In between 1970 and 2001 21 out of 40 of the world s disasters were earthquakes and 9 out of the 40 were hurricanes 8 What is the normal relationship between number of occurrences of a particular type of event and the size of such events The size of the event refers to the magnitude which is the amount of energy that is released or how much power is in it How often it occurs refers to the frequency of the recent which is how often overall that sort of natural occurrence happens By putting them together scientists are able to plot them on what they call a logarithmic scale that can elaborate on the numbers of the natural disasters that occur 9 When people or governmental agencies try to restrict or control the activities of nature what is the general result As soon as government agencies step in and start to try to mold nature they begin to mess with fire When they do things such as building levies such as the kind that were built around New Orleans which then ended up breaking when the hurricane hit 10 Why is history so important in understanding natural hazards By looking at the history of natural hazards one can hope that scientists might be able to see patterns and be able to predict where a natural disaster could potentially occur By looking at the history they can track weather patterns and help to ensure the public s safety 11 What kind of information must be assembled to make hazard predictions In order for meteorologists to make an accurate forecast on any future hazardous weather conditions they need to be able to look at the percentages and look at the past and what has happened in that region 12 What is a precursor event A precursor event is a natural disaster that is directly linked with another one It could follow directly after another natural disaster It can also be the consequence of another natural disaster 13 Explain how population growth increases the number of disasters When there is a large population in a location where a natural disaster hits then the population density goes up When a natural disaster hits in a place that has a high population density then many people end up becoming effected by the natural disaster 14 What are the stages of disaster recovery There are generally three phases for recovery after a disaster hits The first is the emergency stage where the roads are cleared for emergency vehicles and they rescue victims The next phase is the restoration phase where they restore the major services such as heat water communication and electricity to the area hit The last stage is the reconstruction phase in which they begin to rebuild 15 Provide 3 methods of hazard mitigation Three methods of hazard mitigation are through government policies through engineering solutions and through public education All three are vital to having
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