1.5.B Hazard profiling

Question 1

what is a hazard profile?

Answer 1

A technique used to summarise the physical characteristics that different hazards share to help decision makers determine areas most at risk.

Question 2

criteria

Answer 2

magnitude
speed of onset
areal extent
duration
frequency
spatial predictiability

Question 3

what are they used for?

Answer 3

different events to be compared

Question 4

advantages

Answer 4

Helps to identify and rank hazards.
Decision makers can then decide which should be given the most attention and funding.

Question 5

disadvantages

Answer 5

It is difficult to compare across hazards, for an example an earthquake to a tsunami or a volcanic eruption, as they all have different impacts on society and have varying spatial and temporal distributions.

To accurately rank multiple hazards on one scale certain elements of the hazard become inaccurately displayed or must be omitted from the profile itself.

Question 6

high risk event hazard profile

Answer 6

High magnitudes.
Low frequencies.
Rapid speeds of onset.
Low spatial predictability.
Large areal extents.

Question 7

where do high risk events mostly happen?

Answer 7

subduction and collision zones

Question 8

Hati example profile features

Answer 8

Rapid onset

Damage focussed on Port au Prince but extended over much of south Haiti

Lasted 30 seconds

Question 9

Hati impacts

Answer 9

220,000 deaths
300,000 injured
1.5 million homeless
70% of buildings collapsed
Disease spread
Damages US$7.8 billion
Agriculture destroyed
Unemployment increased
Exports decreased