"Cities Subject to Natural Hazards"

Collection of resources  originally produced by the Service national du RÉCIT du domaine de l'univers social. 
Adapted by LEARN.

Click the feedback button to the right if you would like to comment on this collection.

Read related Katrina information in the context of the learning situation:
Mother Nature Enraged: The Poor Pay the Price!

---

"A city subject to natural hazards should be organized in such a way as to ensure the population's safety. Certain measures should be taken to limit damage resulting from natural disasters.  This is not the case in some parts of the world."  (Québec Education Program, Secondary Cycle One, p. 277)

---

Territories studied in this collection:

Manila
Capital of the Philippines

San Francisco
City on the West Coast of the United States

Quito
Capital of Ecuador

NEWS FLASH : Hurricane Katrina hits southern U.S. :  Hundreds killed

Designated focus for this collection

Does an earthquake have the same impact in an urban environment as it would in the desert? Can a high population concentration have an impact on the damage caused by a typhoon? Several large cities around the world must deal with all kinds of natural hazards and ensure the safety of their populations at the same time.

---

Risk management implies the implementation of solutions that save lives and reduce economic disruption. What elements should be taken into account when assessing possible risks and consequences? At the physical and human levels, what are the vulnerable elements of a territory when it is faced with hazardous natural phenomena?

The purpose of risk management is to understand the natural phenomenon that represents a risk and to establish rules and standards of protection to reduce its effects.

There are many ways to increase understanding of how risk is manifested:

• assessing the probability of occurrence and its magnitude;
• identifying physical mechanisms of destruction;
• noting elements and activities that are most vulnerable to their effects
• targeting the consequences of damage.

Risk management also involves the implementation of a series of preventive measures:

• construction measures
• planning measures for the development of the territory
• economic measures
• management and institutional measures
• societal measures

Finally, it may be asked whether risk management does not also depend on the level of development of the countries or cities involved: "€œInevitably it is those who have least that, proportionally, lose most in a disaster. A strong economy in which the benefits are shared throughout the society is the best protection against a future disaster."

Adapted from Disaster Mitigation, one of the training modules in the United Nations Disaster Management Training Program, http://www.undmtp.org/modules_e.htm

Click image to view full version.

Source: EM-DAT, the International Disaster Database (www.em-dat.net) 

Concepts

These definitions are intended primarily for teachers. Click to view whole page in separate window.

Urban Territory	Risk Management
Concentration Density Development Suburbs Urbanization Urban sprawl	Natural Hazard Environment Instability Level of development Prevention

A few concepts that could be addressed:

- Natural hazards such as volcanoes, earthquakes, etc. (also addressed in Science)

- Tectonic plates (also addressed in Science)

- Topography

- Level of development (developing countries)

- Gross national product (GNP)

- Socioeconomic profile of a territory (rich vs. poor)

- Urbanization and population concentration

A few geographical techniques that could be used:

- Localization on a map

- Use of a geographical sketch or simple map

- Preparation and use of a climagram