Hazards: Multi-Hazard Environments

Question 1

Name a large scale multi-hazardous environment:

Answer 1

The Philippines - group of islands in south-east Asia.

Question 2

What hazards is the Philippines vulnerable to?

Answer 2

• Volcanoes - near a destructure plate boundary where Philippine plate subducted under Eurasian plate
• Seismic - occur where plate cracked under pressure
• Tropical - roughly 10 a year that develop in Pacific Ocean

Question 3

Name a volcanic eruption in the Philippines:

Answer 3

Mount Pinatubo, 1991

Question 4

Name a seismic hazard in the Philippines:

Answer 4

Luzon island earthquake, 1990 - magnitude 7.8

Question 5

Name a tropical storm that affected the Philippines:

Answer 5

Typhoon Xangsane

Question 6

How do communities in the Philippines increase resilience to hazards?

Answer 6

Preparation - widening rivers to lower flood risk, stockpiling food

Question 7

How has the Philippines changed in disaster policy in recent years?

Answer 7

• Preventing building in high risk areas
• Adapting new + existing buildings to cope with earthquakes
• Embankments to reduce flood risks
• Increasing public awareness
• Monitoring + developing early warning systems

Question 8

What is Italy vulnerable to?

Answer 8

Earthquakes

Question 9

Why is Italy vulnerable to earthquakes?

Answer 9

Fault lines run north-south to the Apennine mountain range and east-west across centre of Italy.

Question 11

How did the 2009 earthquake in L’Aquila, Italy affect the social characteristics of the area?

Answer 11

• Historic buildings destroyed and re-built - architechtural changes
• Younger people left to look for work elsewhere
• Attendance at social + religios activities declined
• Ammenities have largely shut as people are reluctant to use them

Question 12

How did the 2009 earthquake in L’Aquila, Italy affect the economic characteristics?

Answer 12

• University buildings damaged - enrollment declined + economy suffered
• Government plans to reconstruct area = make it a busier, more affluent place

Question 13

How did the 2009 earthquake in L’Aquila, Italy affect the politcal characteristics?

Answer 13

• Tension between residents and officials over lack of adequate warning systems
• Government blamed for slowness of rebuild

Question 14

How have the local community responded to the L’Aquila earthquake?

Answer 14

• Some left for new towns + suburbs with lower risk
• Others reduced risk by making earthquake-resistant homes