What factors affect the vulnerability of a population

What factors affect the vulnerability of a population? – why? Vulnerability Factors

Know – how to use the disaster risk equation in relation to a named country case study Understand – how vulnerability is a result of a number of factors Skills – note taking, exam questions LEARNING OBJECTIVES & OUTCOMES A-B Assess Risk the C factors which Explain D make the disaster populations risk equation Describe vulnerable and how risk and vulnerability affects vulnerability as well as a variety of factors which influence it

Why are some people more at risk? Risk is the exposure of people to a hazardous event and the probability that a hazard of a particular magnitude will occur within a given period. ! Exposure to a hazard is not always avoidable There may be risks to • people – death, severe injury, disease, stress • goods – economic losses, infrastructure damage, property damage • environment – pollution, loss of flora and fauna, loss of amenity The perception of risk

� UNPREDICTABILITY: Not always predictable when or where an event will take place. Also difficult to know the likely magnitude of the event. Human activity and physical changes also mean that for example sea level is rising giving a greater chance of lowlands flooding. Moreover deforestation of drainage basins increase the frequency and magnitude of flooding. � LACK OF ALTERNATIVES: Difficult to uproot and move to another location giving up homes, land employment. Often the world’s most vulnerable are the poor who are forced to live on unsafe floodplains or steep hillsides. � CHANGING LEVELS OF RISK: Deforestation can make an area once safe from flooding more susceptible. As can the effects of global warming eg sea level rise � RUSSIAN ROULETTE: Optimism, turning a ‘blind eye’, ‘acts of god’, part of the living process. People are comforted by the statistics which show that the risk of death is lower than that from influenza or car accidents. They also believe that if a high magnitude event occurs then it may be safe for a few years, this is not always true. � COST V. BENEFIT: Many hazardous areas offer advantages that in people’s minds outweigh the risk. Flood plains for example have very fertile soils and rich volcanic soils are also attractive.

How is risk measured? The risk of disaster grows as global hazards and people’s vulnerability increases, while their capacity to cope decreases

The risks are getting worse in some countries because: 1. the frequency and magnitude of hazards is increasing with climate change. 2. Vulnerability is increasing as a result of unsustainable development leading to poor land use and environmental degradation. 3. The capacity to cope is decreasing owing to poverty and urbanisation. Risks are lower in more developed countries because they have resources and technology to provide protection.

Vulnerability quadrant

Natural Hazards DVD For the different hazards discussed explain the • Causes • Effects • Prediction • Response And consider how this will have an impact on vulnerability and risk

Plenary

Independent Learning Answer the exam question…. • Why do similar kinds of hazards have different impacts in different places. Use examples in your answer (10 marks)