5.7- Hazardous setting case study

Question 1

what’s a likely question for this part of the course?

Answer 1

” explain how the character of a place you have studied has been changed by its hazardous setting”

Question 2

What’s the case study for a hazardous setting?

Answer 2

Italy- high risk of earthquakes

Question 3

why are earthquakes common in Italy?

Answer 3

destructive plate margin between Eurasian and African plate runs North West up the East coast of Italy. The country is littered with numerous fault lines around the major boundary

Question 4

When was the L’Aquila earthquake?

Answer 4

April 2009

Question 5

How many deaths resulted from L’Aquila?

Answer 5

300

Question 6

How much damage was created?

Answer 6

around 15 billion dollars

Question 7

before the earthquake what was the situation?

Answer 7

• hadn’t been an earthquake for 300 years
• steps had been taken to mitigate the risks through strict building codes ensuring newly constructed buildings were an adequate strength and resistant to earthquakes
• much of the city was old with buildings constructed long before new building codes (which as a result were severely damaged from the earthquake)

Question 8

SPEC LINK–> the economic, social and political character of the community in L’Aquila reflects

Answer 8

the presence and impacts of the hazard and the community response

Question 9

explain how the economic character of the community in L’Aquila reflects the presence and impacts of the hazard

Answer 9

• large historic university buildings were damaged = impacted enrolment figures = large economic impact
• as Italy is a country of long history, many buildings held cultural and historical importance and repairs to them was a huge expenditure, while at the same time the economic stability of the area was compromised as tourists deemed the area unsafe and so deterred from visiting
• Italian gov is planning to reconstruct L’Aquila to be economically stronger than before the earthquake- it aims to invest in educational buildings and making it more attractive to students

Question 10

explain how the social character of the community in L’Aquila reflects the presence and impacts of the hazard

Answer 10

• many historical buildings destroyed = architectural nature of L’Aquila altered- some buildings deemed earthquake-proof were damaged or even collapsed
• civilians rehoused in the suburban settlements outside the city
• economic migration- many of the young population migrated away in search of employment = social decline and altered demography of area
• profound psychological effects- mental health issues common after natural disasters as people live in fear of repeat, especially due to Italy’s likelihood of earthquake

Question 11

explain how the political character of the community in L’Aquila reflects the presence and impacts of the hazard

Answer 11

• tensions have risen as people feel politicians and scientists are to blame for the impacts due to inadequate warning- a handful of scientists and a government official were put on trial for manslaughter in 2011 and consequently imprisoned in 2012
• residents feel discontent that the rebuilding program has been so slow; residents wanted to be more involved in the building process

Question 12

the community has responded in a variety of ways to the earthquake risk:

Answer 12

• some people have accepted their new suburban homes and feel safer being further away from the plate margin
• others have taken steps to mitigate the impact of future earthquakes. Local villagers have worked with professional builders to create earthquake resistant homes and made use of solar panels, decreasing their dependency on mains power in case of earthquake