What Do We Call Ourselves?

1
What Do We Call Ourselves? The Hazard
Management Perspective

• Deborah Thomas, PhD
• Department of Geography
• University of Colorado at Denver
• FEMA Higher Education Conference
• June 9, 2005

2
Hazards Management

• When you think of the term hazard management,
  what does this imply for practice?

• a) focusing on the management of the hazard
  event
• b) emphasizing the role of people and
  vulnerability
• c) treating hazard as human-environment
  interaction, including risk, vulnerability,
  response, and exposure

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Hazards Geography

• A hazard (not a natural event) results from the
  interaction of natural and social systems.
• It is people who transform the environment into
  resources and hazards.

Burton, I, R Kates, and G White. 1993
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Hazards Geography

• Human-environment interaction
• Hazards
• threats to people and the things they value
• natural, technological, and social
• Event, impact, and human adjustment, adaptation
• Risk, hazards, and vulnerability
• Hazardousness of Place (Multi-hazard)

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Basic Question of Hazards Geography

• Where is the hazards zone/risk?
• What is the human occupancy of the hazard zone?
• What are the range of adjustments available to
  reduce the risk?
• What do people know about the range of
  adjustments?
• What do people actually do?

Burton, I, R Kates, and G White. 1993
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Definition of Hazard

• Definition of hazard in relation to risk and
  vulnerability
• Hazard f (risk x exposure x vulnerability x
  response)
• Where
• Risk the probability of an adverse effect
• Exposure the proportion or length of time
  that
• vulnerable
  elements are threatened by a
• hazard or hazards
• Vulnerability the potential for loss
• Response the extent to which mitigation (and
  preparedness) measures are in place

Tobin and Montz, 1997
7
Hazards Management or Not?

• Most people view this as even based (or at least
  oriented to physical aspects)
• Challenge of education and understanding
• Academics, practitioners, and public
• True for all terms

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Thank you!