Planning Long Term (Edexcel IGCSE Geography)

Risk Assessments & Hazard Mapping

Long Term Planning

• Occurs after the hazard event

• Looks back at the event and evaluate what could be done to reduce the impact of any future hazard events:

  • Was emergency aid distributed effectively

  • Are there areas which are at particular risk should they be protected more or buildings moved

  • Could warning systems be improved

  • Are people educated about the risks and do they know what to do during the event to protect themselves?

  • Can building codes and planning be improved to reduce the number of buildings which collapse

• Risk assessment and hazard mapping are both part of the long-term planning process

Risk Assessment

• Risk is the probability that a hazard event will have harmful consequences

• The more vulnerable a population is the greater the risk that a hazard event will cause deaths, injuries, damage to buildings and impact the economy

• The number of deaths from earthquakes has increased 

• Increasing populations and urban areas means that more people are living in areas at risk

Hazard Mapping and GIS

• Maps the areas where earthquakes are most likely to occur

• Enables planning of where important services and infrastructure should be located - land use zoning

• Identifies correlation between risk and vulnerability

Rebuilding Programmes

• In an earthquake, it is the collapsing buildings which cause the most injuries and deaths

• Earthquakes cannot be prevented, so reducing the damage to buildings is key to minimising the impacts. This can be achieved by:
  

  • Reducing the number of buildings in high risk areas

  • Building earthquake resistant buildings

• Large scale rebuilding is often required after an earthquake event

• Existing buildings and structures, such as bridges, can be retrofitted to make them safer in future events

Case Studies: Nepal & Japan

Nepal - A Developing Country

• The Asian Development Bank provided US$200 million for rehabilitation

• A government task force was created to plan and deal with future earthquakes

• An international donor meeting in June 2015 led to US$4.4 billion being pledged (only a small portion has currently been paid to Nepal)

• National Reconstruction Authority was formed by the government. Part of the role is ensuring that funding is distributed to help people rebuild their houses

• Disaster Management Act passed by the government 

• Improved building code with increased awareness of the code within communities

• Stonemason training courses to ensure that new buildings are earthquake resistance

• Increased education and practice of earthquake drills

Japan - A Developed Country

• Building Back Better - considers building codes, town planning and infrastructure

• New tsunami walls have been constructed 25-30m high

• A new US$31 million warning system launched in 2013