IB Geography Option D- Hazards and disasters - risk assessment and response

Describe the difference between a hazard and a disaster. 2+2

A hazard constitutes as a threat to people, property, and/or the environment. It can be natural or human in origin. A disaster IB definition

Analyse 3 ways in which communities can reduce the impact of drought 2+2+2 marks

Early prediction through sattelite remote sensing that detect changes in vegetation growth, the adoption of water conservation legislation in cities, cloud seeding, desalination, prevention of vegetatin loss through overgrazing or soil erosion, water conservation techniques such as tanks, catching runoff to raise water tables, animal herd diversification, crop diversification, dry farming methods, gov and internatinal food aid, disaster relief

Outline the methods used to describe the magnitude/strength of two hazard types 2+2 marks

Most likely Richter/Mercalli scale earthquakes, volcanoes VEI scale, hurricanes saffir-simpson scale. 1 mark for naming , 1 mark for brief desription

explain 3 factors that affect teh way that ppl perceive hazards 2+2+2 marks

Past experience Level of education Age gender social status access to information level of tech wealth level of econ development gov awareness program religion personality

Explain the conditions needed for the occurrence of a hurricane hazard event

warm ocean temperatures of 26/27 C provide energy for hurricane due to high rates of evaporation Suitable distance from the equator, allowing the coriolis force to operate A stable atmosphere with lack of variable wind speed allows vertical development warm water depth of 50 m concentrated or vulnerable population where hazard is likely to strike e.g. coastal areas removal of mangroves there should be some acknowledgemetn of the human dimension to reach 6 marks

Suggest 3 reasons why some ppl continue to live in places with a known hazard risk 3*2marks

1 mark f reason, 1 mark f extended detail, e.g. soil quality, poverty, lack of knowledge

Rich countries experience hazard events while poor countries experience disasters

Answers should distinguish between a hazard and a disaster. Answers depend upon the type of hazard chosen but should refer to only one type. Expected that answers will discuss the ways in which rich countries are able to introduce measures that mitigate the effects thus reducing impacts while poor countries are less able and therefore more vulnerable. Examples should be included to illustrate. Good answers may suggest that rich countries are also vulnerable to disasters dependent on the intensity and location. Answers referring to multiple hazards should only be credited for the best of these. Answers that simply desscribe hazard events in poor countries and rich countries should not move above band D. A balanced discussion is needed for band E and F

Distinguish between La Nino and La Nina

El Nino - cool currents off Peru, Eastern Pacific warmer than Western Pacific, strong trade winds, dry conditions in parts of South America and US, wet conditions in AU, South Asia

Suggest 3 reasons why communities often underestimate the probability of a tectonic hazard event occuring nearby 2+2+2

Pooreducation, ignorance, lack of information and awareness, hazards as act of God or fate, threat of hazard compared w other concernrs such as jobs, security, money, ...

Case study: adjustment and response to Australian drought 2000s Background information?

Said by some to be the worst drought since European settlement Affected most of Southern AU, incuding the largest cities and the largest agricultural region (Murray-Darling basin) Started in 1996 (little rainfall) By 2003 recognised to be the worst drought on record Impact: extreme pressure on water supply for uban areas, agricult. Response overall: urban water management, some initiatives didn't work Response: Then Prime Minister John Howard responded with a major water policy reform in 2007 2002: the Commonwealth gov announced a one-off additional drought assistance f farmers/small businesses in severely affected areas, interest rate rellief and income support Special 10 million $ Drought Recovery fund by Commonwealth gov Projects funded may include waterway protection, erosion control, or fencing to protect habitat of endangered animals and vegetation. Funding may also be available to relocate watering points to prevent stock damage to fragile river frontage, and to control feral animals to reduce grazing pressure or protect native plant and animal life Melbourne: water capacity dropped to an alltime low at 25.6% city reduced water demand per capita by almost 50 percent by implementing a slew of policies and programs. Citizens also invested in rainwater holding tanks—by the end of the drought, nearly 1 in 3 citizens of Melbourne had one. The government invested heavily in increasing the use of recycled water for both the agricultural and urban sectors. electronic billboards that flashed reservoir levels. Improved urban water efficiency: changing washing machines, toilets, cooling towers, shower heads, taps and industrial processes to do more with less. In many locations in Australia, water efficiency provided the cheapest, quickest and most effective contribution to managing demand during the drought. Community involvement/support, targets: Southeast Queensland, for example, set a target to reduce each person's water use to 140 litres (37 US gallons) per day. Queensland residents did even better. Limit and penalties: The State governments introduced strict limits on water consumption which they rigorously enforced and backed-up with heavy penalties. These measures placed restrictions on the use of water and in some cases put quantitative limits on household water consumption. Water restrictions were introduced throughout Australia and water consumption targets were introduced in the major urban centres - and on the whole they have been met Bans were placed on the use of hosepipes, washing your car, watering your garden, or filling your swimming pool. It was made compulsory to install rainwater tanks and water efficient shower heads. Such measures would have been politically unthinkable in other circumstances. Higher Water Prices Water prices were increased in most major cities to better reflect the scarcity and value of the resource. Prices in Sydney rose by 20 percent between 2005 and 2006, then by 17 percent in 2008. The Australian government also made commitments to spend more than A$50 billion on water improvement measures over the next ten years. This will include major projects such as the building of desalination plants and new pipeline infrastructure, as well as investment of A$3.7 billion in water conservation measures in the Murray-Darling Basin. 6 major seawater desalination plants constructed for urban water supply Changes to management system of water in Murray-Darling Basin, esp. formation of Murray-Darling Basin Authority Results: Throughout Australia, water consumption has been reduced. Since the start of the drought, average household water consumption has fallen by more than 40 percent in Brisbane and Canberra and by about 20 percent in Sydney and Melbourne Worrying: The Murray-Darling system is "beyond repair" according to the environment minister Penny Wong - a statement quickly denied by other stakeholders and subsequently corrected by the minister herself. The water consumption targets that were introduced have not always been met. Melbourne's water target of 155 litres per day was exceeded by 15% this summer.Many of the promised infrastructure projects are delayed or behind schedule or over budget or all three. And finally, in those areas where the drought has ended, there are signs that average daily water use is already creeping back up water companies lose large quantities of water due to leaking pipes and overflows. Water losses in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne in 2007 were between 107 and 76 litres per connection per day.

Using examples, evaluate the success of adjustment and response strategies for a named hazard type 10 marks

The named hazard type should be clearly stated Relevant adjustment strategies may include modifying the hazard or changing the loss potential through building design, warning systems, land-use planning. Adjustments may be included in terms of spreading losses, planning for loss, or simply bearing the loss. Not all need to be included. Response strategies could include short-term rescue, selter, aid, medium-term restoration of infrastructure and long-term reconstrution. Strongest answers will refer to examples of strategies used befrore and after actual hazard events. To access bands E and F at least one adjustment and one response strategy should be evaluated

Examine the ways in which vulnerability to either earthquake or volcanic hazards can be reduced

Vulnerability definition Larger-scale, gov strategies as well as personal actions Predictions, warning methods, hazard resistant engineering, preparedness, land use planning.... highlight both property and social vulnerability

Examine the different types of responses that occured during anad after one named disaster. 10 marks

dated, located disaster. explain how it resulted ina disaster. should specify short term medium and long term responses. short term might include search and rescue, emergency medical assistance, provision of security, shelter, food, water, clearing of debris, medium might include destruction of damaged buildings, restoration of services such as communcations, health care, transport and retailing, return of displaced ppl, rehabilitation programmes. longterm may include reconstruction, planning fo r futhre hazard events, introductio nof measures to mitigate future impact, awareness education. there may be alternative approaches, e.g. efforts made by different agencies, NGOS, govs, and these should be credited.