Geology 2022: Natural Disasters

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Geology 2022 Natural Disasters

• Dr. D. Rowbotham
• Department of Geography Geology
• Nipissing University
• Autumn 2005

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Hurricane Katrina

• It was one of the worst natural disasters in
  U.S. history
• - George W. Bush

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Introduction to Natural Disasters

• A Defn
• Interactions btwn the physical environment
  humans which result in negative impacts on human
  property, life, or activity.

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Issues Questions

• The word "natural" introduces the question what
  role did humans play?
• e.g. Palm (1990) an event triggered by
  climatic and geological variability, which is at
  least partly out of the control of humans.

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Issues Questions

• Do hazards have to involve humans at all?
• Are hazards evenly distributed?
• a) Geophysical Factors
• (e.g. Exogenic Endogenic Energies)
• b) Human Factors
• (e.g. Vulnerability)

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Issues Questions

• iv) Do hazards have to be sudden, catastrophic
  events?
• Are environmental degradation hazards separate
  problems?
• Defining danger or risk
• a) How much actual risk?
• b) How much potential risk?
• c) How to measure risk?

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Development of the Natural Hazard Paradigm

• White
• (1950s/60s/70s)
• Hewitt Burton
• (1970s)
• Hewitt and Kienholz
• (1980s)

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Development of the Natural Hazard Paradigm

• Carrara and Van Westen
• (1990s)
• v) 2000s?

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Parallel Related Developments

• Human-Nature Relationship (Barrows 1923)
• e.g. O'Riordans (1971) classification
• a) Humans are subservient to nature
• b) Humans as masters of nature
• c) Humans living in harmony w/ nature

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Parallel Related Developments

• ii) Systems Theory (Scheidegger 1980s)
• Systems theory views natural hazards as "The
  occurrence of singularities in the development of
  natural systems".
• In contrast to a more traditional view of a
  cataclysmic, isolated, dangerous natural event
  which happens unpredictably from time to time.

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Parallel Related Developments

• The potential for a natural hazard results when
  there is fluctuation in a system's energy and/or
  matter which results in a destabilisation of the
  system's equilibrium.
• The destabilisation of a system can result in the
  system experiencing
• a) Negative feedbacks
• b) Positive feedbacks
• c) Complex Responses