5.1. Frequency of Hazards

Should we consider this is as risky? more risky so, these illustrations I am giving you just to explain that what is the meaning of hazard exposure and vulnerability and how these 3 components define risk in our case, it is kind of disaster risk.

This chunk introduces the concept of risk as it relates to disasters. It emphasizes three key components: hazard, exposure, and vulnerability. Hazard refers to the potential for a damaging event, exposure pertains to the people or property at risk, and vulnerability indicates how susceptible those people or properties are to harm. Together, these elements contribute to understanding overall disaster risk.

Think of risk like a game of dodgeball. The hazard is the ball thrown at you, exposure is how close you are to the person throwing it, and vulnerability is how quickly you can move out of the way. The greater the hazard (more dangerous thrower), the closer you are (more exposure), and the slower you are (higher vulnerability), the greater your risk of getting hit.

So, here are 3 scenarios; 3 pictures you can see in the left hand side; a landslide happened somewhere where no people are there, no settlements are there so, this is considered to be less risky in another place there are people but not that densely populated settlement, we consider to be more risky or more disastrous than the previous one. In the extreme right, we have another one which is an urban area and disaster landslide took place and more casualty and losses are reported.

Here, the text presents three scenarios to illustrate different levels of risk associated with landslides. The first scenario shows a landslide where no people are present, leading to a lower risk classification. The second scenario shows a less populated area, which is riskier than the first. The final scenario illustrates a landslide in a densely populated urban area, which is considered the riskiest due to the potential for higher casualties and losses.

Imagine three locations: a deserted hill, a small village, and a city. If a rock rolls down from the hill and no one is around, it’s no big deal (low risk). If it rolls down into a small village where a few people live, there’s some risk of injury (moderate risk). But if it rolls into a busy city, it could cause a lot of harm (high risk).

Now, this one is considered to be risky and with this stone can fall, if we have rainfall; heavy rainfall or if we have earthquake, then it will come and hit this place so, it has some kind of conditions; some latent conditions that may trigger some threat in future and can have different origin, it could be earthquake, it could be a landslides, it could be heavy rainfall. So, hazard is defined as a potentially damaging physical event phenomena or it could be human activity that has some latent conditions that may represent future threats...

This chunk explains what a hazard is, defining it as either a physical event or human activity that could potentially cause damage in the future. It mentions that hazards have latent conditions, which means there may be underlying factors that could trigger these hazardous events, such as earthquakes or heavy rainfall. Understanding these characteristics helps in assessing risk and preparing for potential disasters.

Think of a hazard like a volcano. It might be quiet for a long time (latent conditions), but it has the potential to erupt (hazard). The presence of certain factors, like pressure building or shifting tectonic plates, can cause that eruption. Just like being aware of the signs of an impending eruption can prepare locals for evacuation.

And it has different origins like, we have natural hazards which are triggered from natural process or phenomena occurring in the biosphere that may constitute damaging event. Natural hazards can be classified according to their geological, hydro-meteorological and biological origin.

This chunk discusses the origins of natural hazards. It categorizes them into three main types: geological hazards (like earthquakes and tsunamis), hydro-meteorological hazards (like floods and storms), and biological hazards (like epidemics). This classification helps in identifying and preparing for specific types of hazards based on their characteristics and causes.

Imagine natural hazards as different kinds of tools in a toolbox. Each tool serves a different purpose: geological hazards are like a hammer (strong impact, destructive), hydro-meteorological hazards are like a wrench (sometimes they twist and turn, causing slow process damage), and biological hazards are like scissors (they can snip and spread things quickly). Each tool has its own effect and way of causing issues.

If you look into the distribution, you can see that the flood; this is one of the most reported disasters from 1975 to 2001. Go to next slide; if you look into the disaster distributions, different kind of disasters or hazards in different countries, the most affected people and killed are in low-income countries and the least the high-income countries.

This chunk highlights the frequency and distribution of disasters, specifically focusing on floods as a significant hazard reported over time. It notes that low-income countries are more adversely affected by disasters compared to high-income countries, revealing how socio-economic status affects resilience to hazards.

Consider a classroom where some students have a shield (high-income countries have resources to mitigate harms), and others are without one (low-income countries). When a rainstorm hits (floods), those without shields are more likely to get wet (suffer more damage). The ability to prepare for and respond to the storm greatly varies due to their resources.

One is the frequency of the hazards; how often is the event likely to happen, and then is the duration of the hazard; the length of time that when it happened how long it continued, an extent; the size of the area where it took place...

Finally, this chunk outlines important characteristics of hazards that need to be considered in disaster risk management: frequency (how often hazards occur), duration (how long they last), and extent (the geographical area affected). These characteristics help in assessing the overall risk and planning appropriate responses.

Think about how many times you water a plant (frequency) and for how long (duration) — if you water it too frequently for a very long time, you might drown it (extent). Understanding these aspects helps you know when and how much to water, just as understanding hazard frequency, duration, and extent helps communities prepare for disasters.

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