Natural Hazards in Developing Countries
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NATURAL HAZARD
(Graniczny and Mizerski, 2007, modified; Karst as Geologic Hazard, 2006; Glacier Hazards, 2010):
Anita Bokwa Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
1. Meteorological hazards: for example, thunderstorm, tornado, tropical cyclone (hurricane, typhoon), cold and heat waves, fog, hail, drought, dust storm 2. Hydrological hazards: for example, flood, snow avalanche, glacier hazards (e.g., ice avalanches or debris flows from outbursts of subglacial water reservoirs and periglacial lakes) 3. Oceanographical hazards: for example, storm surge, sea-level change 4. Geological hazards: for example earthquake, volcanism, mass movements (e.g., landslide, rock fall, debris avalanche), karst hazards (e.g., cover-collapse sinkholes and sinkhole flooding), tsunami 5. Hazards connected with vegetation: for example, wildfire, bushfire 6. Extraterrestrial hazards: for example, meteorite strike
Definition Natural hazard is an unexpected and/or uncontrollable natural event of unusual magnitude that might threaten people. The concept of natural hazard A hazard is a source of potential harm or a situation with a potential to cause loss. It may also be referred to as a potential or existing condition that may cause harm to people or damage to property or the environment (Middelmann, 2007). A natural hazard is associated with geophysical processes that are an integral part of the environment and involves the potential for damage or loss that exists in the presence of a vulnerable human community (Stillwell, 1992); it is an unexpected threat to humans and/or their property (Mayhew, 1997). These definitions indicate that natural hazards have not only natural, but also social, technological, and political aspects. Natural hazards include geophysical hazards, i.e., hazards where the principal causal agent is climatic and meteorological (e.g., floods, hurricanes, and droughts) or natural hazards where the principle causal agent is geological and geomorphological (e.g., landslides, tsunamis, and earthquakes). They do not include biological hazards, both floral and faunal, such as fungal diseases, poisonous plants, viral diseases, and infestations or locusts (Geophysical hazard, 2010). Classification of natural hazards Natural hazards are usually grouped according to the causative element of the Earth’s geosystem
This classification is a simplification and only one of many possible schemes used to organize the complicated issue of natural hazards. For example, within the SHIELD Project (SHIELD, 2009), natural hazards are divided into only two groups: geological hazards (earthquakes, volcanoes, floods, slope failures, tsunamis) and atmospheric hazards (fires, thunderstorms, snow and ice, fog). In fact, most natural hazards are the result of several contributing processes, for example, floods are caused by prolonged rainfalls; tsunami waves follow earthquakes; bushfires are one of the outcomes of drought. Likewise, Stillwell (1992) classified natural hazards on the basis of their origin: within the Earth, such as earthquakes and v
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