Natural Hazard/Natural Disaster

​Natural Hazard
vs
Natural Disaster

Recap!

Last week's list of 2023 Natural Disasters:
Wildfires in Hawaii
Flooding in Rowanda
Earthquake in Nepal
Hurricane Idalia in Florida

Open Ended

We talked about natural disasters......

But how would you define a natural hazard?

​Natural hazards have 2 main components:
The actual physical event

The potential impact on humans

​​A natural hazard is any natural event that poses a risk to humans or the environment.

Open Ended

How many natural hazards do you think there are?

Ice Storm

Strong Wind

Tornado

Tsunami

Volcanic Activity

Wildfire

Winter Weather
Hurricane

Heat Wave

 The 18 natural hazards included in the National Risk Index:

Avalanche

Landslide

Lightning

Riverine Flooding

Coastal Flooding

Cold Wave

Drought

Earthquake

Hail

What is a natural disaster?

A natural disaster is the highly harmful impact on a society or community following a natural hazard event.

Are Natural Hazards and Natural Disasters the same thing?

Natural hazards and natural disasters are related,
but are not the same.

A natural hazard is the threat of an event that will likely have a negative impact.

A natural disaster is the
negative impact following an actual occurrence of natural hazard in the event that it significantly harms a
community.

Multiple Choice

 What is the difference between a natural disaster and a natural hazard?

• a. A natural disaster is more severe than a natural hazard

• b. A natural hazard is caused by human activities while a natural disaster is not

  
  

• c. A natural disaster has a greater impact on human life and property than a natural hazard

  
  

• d. A natural hazard can be prevented while a natural disaster cannot

  
  

Multiple Choice

• True or False: We cannot avoid natural hazards, but we can reduce the amount of damage caused by natural hazards.

• True

• False

How can we reduce the amount of damage by natural hazards?

Awareness, education, preparedness, prediction and warning systems can reduce the
disruptive impacts of a natural disaster on communities.

Multiple Select

Which of these natural hazards can be predicted?

• A.Volcanic eruption

• B. Earthquakes

• C. Hurricanes

• D. Wildfires

• In July 2023 it was reported that, Researchers at Aalto University have developed an AI model that can predict wildfires.

• FireCNN is trained on satellite imagery and weather data to identify areas of high fire risk.

• Has the potential to significantly improve our ability to prevent 76 percent of wildfires.

• Ninety-five percent of the fires it predicted in a season did occur!
  

​I know what you are thinking...wildfires?!?!

Can we predict earthquakes?


Some people say they can predict earthquakes, but here are the reasons why their statements are false:

• Their predictions are general that there will always be an earthquake that fit.

• These predictions do not define all three of the elements required for a prediction.

"There will be a M4 earthquake somewhere in the U.S. in the next 30 days"

• An earthquake "prediction" must define 3 elements:
  1) the date and time
  2) the location
  3) the magnitude
  ​Earthquakes can be forecasted NOT predicted....

How can we predict natural hazards?

​

Certain severe weather patterns happen in specific times and specific places 

Hurricanes-South East
Tornadoes- Midwest 

Wildfires- North West

Heatwaves- South West 

Heavy snowfall- North East

​

More ways to predict:

All around the world we use sensors to monitor for natural disasters:

• Seismic sensors and vibration sensors are used to monitor for earthquakes (and downstream tsunamis).

• Radar maps are used to detect the signature “hook echo” of a tornado

• Flood sensors are used to measure moisture levels

• Water level sensors monitor the height of water along a river, stream, etc.

• ​
  
  
  
  
  
  Meteorologists use weather data such as

• air pressure

• wind speed

• temperature
  to make predictions about weather systems.

• Severe thunderstorms that have the capability of producing tornadoes can be forecasted.
  
  

*Raising awareness about potential hazards and how to address them

*Educating the public about how to properly prepare for different types of disaster

*Installing and strengthening prediction and warning systems

​How can we prepare and reduce the amount of damage done by natural hazards?

*Buying appropriate insurance to protect their property and belongings
*Educating families and businesses on how to create effective disaster plans
*Promoting the use of fire-retardant materials in construction

*Advocating for the construction and maintenance of levees

​

Minimizing a community’s vulnerability to disasters

Mitigation project management is a process of identifying, assessing, prioritizing, and reducing risks

Collaborating with disaster management professionals and focusing on

Land Use and Building Codes:

Building schools, hospitals, and neighborhoods in flood-prone areas increases their exposure to disasters.
Disaster management spotlights these risks and presents ideas to use land in safer ways.

​Building partnerships between sectors and agencies at the federal, state, and local levels to collaborate on mitigation projects

​Let's Recap!

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is an example of a natural hazard?

• Hurricane Katrina hitting New Orleans

• A landslide destroying a town

• An earthquake causing buildings to collapse

• Weather forecast predicting a tornado

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is an example of a natural disaster?

• A flood warning issued by meteorologists

• A volcanic eruption destroying villages

• A wildfire outbreak during a dry season

• Tsunami drills conducted in coastal areas

Multiple Select

How can communities prepare for natural disasters?

• A. By building strong infrastructure

• B. By implementing early warning systems

• C. By conducting evacuation drills

• D. All of the above