BHU+4216+GEOGRAPHY+OF+NATURAL+HAZARDS

**NAIROBI CAMPUS ** **SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES ** **Department of Languages and Humanities ** **BACHELOR OF EDUCATION (ARTS/SCIENCE) ** FACILITATOR : DR. KENNEDY OBIERO APRIL 2017
 * MOUNT KENYA UNIVERSITY **
 * BHU 4216: GEOGRAPHY OF NATURAL HAZARDS**

** Definitions ** - Hazards present a threat to people and their property - Hazards vary from one culture to another, gender, race, economic status, political structure
 * INTRODUCTION**
 * 1) A **hazard** is an “Events associated with normal*geophysical and biological processes that cause death, injury or loss of home, property or income”.
 * 2) Is a **damaging physical event**, phenomena, or human activity that may cause loss of life, injury, property damage, social economic disruption or environmental degradation.
 * Origins of hazards**
 * 1) Natural processes; geological, hydrological, meteorological and biological
 * 2) Human processes; deforestation
 * Classification of Hazards**
 * 1) Hydrological hazards e.g., floods,
 * 2) Meteorological hazards e.g., cyclones, hailstone, thunderstorms, drought, wind storms, desertification, wildfires, temperature extremes e.g., heat waves/strokes, sand/dust storms – generally related to atmospheric processes
 * 3) Geological hazards – related to earth movements or tectonic processes, earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic activity, mass movements – landslides, avalanches among others
 * 4) Biological hazards – related to micro-organisms, germs, diseases, epidemics, diseases such as HIV/AIDs, cholera, plants diseases, insect plagues e.g., locust invasion, army worms among others.
 * 5) Human hazards – result from human activity; human errors e.g., contamination of food products, water contamination, war/civil strife, terrorism,
 * 6) Technical hazards – technological or industrial accidents, dangerous procedures, failure of infrastructure, nuclear disasters/accidents, radioactivity, toxic waste, dam failure, explosions, oil spills, fires among others


 * Common Natural Hazards**
 * 1) Floods
 * 2) Storms – high velocity winds
 * 3) Earthquakes /tremors
 * 4) Tsunamis
 * 5) Hurricanes
 * 6) Volcanic eruptions
 * 7) Droughts
 * 8) Land slides


 * Characteristics of Hazards**
 * 1) Magnitude – strength of a hazard
 * 2) Frequency – how often does it occur – frequent, rare,
 * 3) Duration – how long does it persist, minutes, weeks, decades
 * 4) Areal extent – the area covered by the hazard –small area, large area
 * 5) Speed or rate of on-set – the timing from the start to the climax, rapid onset,
 * 6) Spatial dispersion – distribution of hazard over space
 * 7) Temporal spacing – e.g., regular periodicity, random,


 * Variations of hazards over space and time (spatial and temporal variation of hazards)**
 * Assignment** –
 * (a)** With examples from developing countries such as Kenya, evaluate the spatial and temporal variation of hazards (7.5 mks)
 * (b)** Examine any one theory related to different aspects of a hazard(s) – (7.5 mks)

- **Must meet one of the following criteria –** 10 0r more people killed, 100 people affected, state of emergence declared, request for international assistance - Expected losses in case of a hazard – deaths, injuries, property, environmental degradation. Risk is expressed as: (a) **Assess-** Characterize the hazard (b) **Mitigate –** reduce vulnerability (c) **Prepare –** Educate, warn or evacuate people from hazard/disaster (d) **Respond –** remove bodies, locate and treat survivors, destroy unstable structures, (e) **Recover** – rebuilt communities and construct infrastructure __Assessment : Types of Risk__ Physical = living in a hazardous area Personal – your age/gender/education influence your risk Economic – poverty reduces options Structural – poor quality buildings and lifelines increase risk Political – Limited access to information and or resources increase risk Institutional – your local, state or national government does not enforce regulations
 * Concepts used**
 * 1) **Hazard – a largely** natural process(es) capable of causing death or destruction
 * 2) **Disaster –** event that seriously disrupt functioning of a community. It causes human, material, economic and environmental losses.
 * 1) **Vulnalability –** social or economic sensitivity to effects of hazards/susceptibility to hazard.
 * 2) **Risk –** losses from a hazard occurrence/ probability of harmful consequences in case of a hazard
 * Risk = Hazard X Vulnerability**
 * Combating Risk – Has five steps**


 * Factors influencing vulnerability to harzards in developing countries**
 * 1) **Poverty** – poor people more vulnerable to hazard. In case of a hazard. Developed countries the vulnerability is loss. For instance more investment reduces vulnerability.
 * 2) **Demographic factor** – Dense populations means more vulnerability. Unregulated construction due to housing problems in urban areas. Construction on slopes vulnerable to land slide. Town more vulnerable due to disproportionate investment.
 * 3) **Globalization** – Contributes to creation of low cost production centres to attract investment. Means low incomes increasing vulnerability of workers in case of hazard.
 * 4) **A country’s level of development** – A disaster of a similar magnitude in a developing poor country and a developed country will have different levels of vulnerabilities. In a developed country, vulnerability will be low.
 * 5) **Lack of early warning systems** – this will increase vulnerability and vice versa. The systems mitigate against the losses. Standby emergency thus reducing casualities.
 * 6) **Lack of economic insurance** – Developed countries insures people and property reducing their vulnerabilities. Developing countries no insurance thus vulnerability is high.
 * 7) **Technological and cultural change** – Use modern technologies and life styles. Indigenious knowledge formerly useful e.g., disaster resistant crops and dwellings and traditional settings of community support no longer there. Leaves people vulnerable.

- Hazards take place as human beings use environment for their benefits. - Suppose human being did not occupy flood prone areas or steep slopes? - Hazards and disasters from extreme events are not ‘acts of God’ but rather result from man’s use of the environment. - Interactions between human use systems and natural conditions produce both hazards and resources. - What is a resource to one group may be a hazard to another - Technology also produces differences. - The interactions assessed in two ways: (a) Costs and losses of hazards (b) Gains and benefits of hazards
 * Interaction between human beings and hazards**
 * Revision Question – explain human preference of occupancy of hazard prone areas.**

(a) Costs and losses of hazards case of floods - Destruction of property - Loss of life - Injuries - Contamination of water supplies - Destruction of vegetation, crops and livestock - Loss of soil fertility - Loss of communication and power supply

(b) Beneficial aspects of hazards - Soil conditions from silt after flood - Floods renew soil frtility - Landslides may lead to formation of lakes

Quiz - **Examine the relationship between environmental degradation and natural hazards**
 * Why people occupy hazard prone areas**
 * 1) Comparative advantages of the areas – fertile alluvial soils in hazard prone areas.
 * 2) Lack of alternatives – no acceptable alternatives e.g., maritime activity such as fishing
 * 3) Short-term benefits or the hazard will not last long
 * 4) Failure tp perceive risk – people believe disasters will affect others but not them.
 * 5) Institutional and social factors – such food relief, rehabilitation – evacuees unable to adjust and they return
 * 6) Cultural factors and family ties may limit migration of people