UNIT-5

Management Of Natural Hazards

Natural Hazards
Natural hazards and natural disasters are related but are not the same. A natural
hazard is the threat of an event that will likely have a negative impact. A natural
disaster is the negative impact following an actual occurrence of natural hazard in the
event that it significantly harms a community.

A natural Hazards or natural disaster is defined as an event of nature, which

overwhelms local resources and threatens the function and safety of the community.
Natural disasters are the consequence of natural phenomena unleashing processes that
lead to physical damage and the loss of human lives and capital. Earthquakes,
landslides, tsunamis, windstorms, floods and droughts are some examples of natural
disasters. These disasters disrupt the lives of communities and individuals and the
economic activity of the affected area.

Hazard

Natural hazards and natural disasters are related but are not the same. A natural
hazard is the threat of an event that will likely have a negative impact. A natural
disaster is the negative impact following an actual occurrence of natural hazard in the
event that it significantly harms a community.

A natural hazard is a natural phenomenon that might have a negative effect on

humans and other animals, or the environment. Natural hazard events can be classified
into two broad categories: geophysical and biological.

There are 18 natural hazards included in the National Risk Index of FEMA:
avalanche, coastal flooding, cold wave, drought, earthquake, hail, heat wave,
hurricane (tropical cyclone), ice storm, landslide, lightning, riverine flooding, strong
wind, tornado, tsunami, volcanic activity, wildfire, winter weather. In addition there
are also tornados and dust storms. Several of these have a higher risk of occurring
now due to the effects of climate change.
Classifications of hazards

1. Geological hazards

Avalanche

An avalanche occurs when a large snow (or rock) mass slides down a
mountainside. An avalanche is an example of a gravity current consisting of
granular material. In an avalanche, much material or mixtures of different
types of material fall or slide rapidly under the force of gravity. Avalanches are
often classified by the size or severity of consequences resulting from the
event.

Earthquake

Seismic waves at the Earth's surface, earthquakes may manifest with a shaking
or displacement of the ground; when the earthquake occurs on the seafloor, the
resulting displacement of ocean or sea water can sometimes result in a tsunami.
Most of the world's earthquakes (90%, and 81% of the largest) take place in the
40,000-km-long, horseshoe-shaped zone called the circum-Pacific seismic belt,
also known as the Pacific Ring of Fire, which for the most part bounds the
Pacific Plate. Many earthquakes happen each day, few of which are large
enough to cause significant damage.

Coastal erosion

Coastal erosion is a physical process by which shorelines in coastal areas

around the world shift and change, primarily in response to waves and currents
that can be influenced by tides and storm [Link] erosion can result from
long-term processes (see also beach evolution) as well as from episodic events
such as tropical cyclones or other severe storm events.

Lahar

A lahar is a type of natural event closely related to a volcanic eruption, and

involves a large amount of material originating from an eruption of a glaciated
volcano, including mud from the melted ice, rock, and ash sliding down the
side of the volcano at a rapid pace. These flows can destroy entire towns in
seconds and kill thousands of people, and form flood basalt. This is based on
natural events.
Landslide

A landslide is a mass displacement of sediment, usually down a slope. It can be

caused by pressure pulling natural objects down a declining hill.

Sinkhole

A sinkhole is a localized depression in the surface topography, usually caused

by the collapse of a subterranean structure such as a cave. Although rare, large
sinkholes that develop suddenly in populated areas can lead to the collapse of
buildings and other structures.

Volcanic eruption
A volcanic eruption is the point in which a volcano is active and releases its
power, and the eruptions come in many forms. They range from daily small eruptions
which occur in places like Kilauea in Hawaii, to megacolossal eruption supervolcanic
event at Lake Toba reduced the human population to 10,000 or even 1,000 breeding
pairs, creating a bottleneck in human evolution. Some eruptions form pyroclastic
flows, which are high-temperature clouds of ash and steam that can travel down
mountainsides at speed exceeding an airliner.

2. Meteorological or climate hazards

Blizzard
A blizzard is a severe winter storm with icy and windy conditions characterized
by low temperature, strong wind and heavy snow.

Drought
A drought is a period of below-average precipitation in a given region,
resulting in prolonged shortages in the water supply, whether atmospheric, surface
water or ground water. Scientists warn that global warming and climate change may
result in more extensive droughts in coming years. These extensive droughts are likely
to occur within the African continent due to its very low precipitation levels and high
temperatures.

Hailstorm
A hailstorm is a natural hazard where a thunderstorm produces numerous
hailstones which damage the location in which they fall. Hailstorms can be especially
devastating to farm fields, ruining crops and damaging equipment.
Heat wave
A heat wave is a hazard characterized by heat which is considered extreme and
unusual in the area in which it occurs. Heat waves are rare and require specific
combinations of weather events to take place, and may include temperature
inversions, katabatic winds, or other phenomena. There is potential for longer-term
events causing global warming, including stadial events (the opposite to glacial "ice
age" events), or through human-induced climatic warming.

Cyclonic storm
Cyclone is a large scale air mass that rotates around a strong center of low
atmospheric pressure. Hurricane, tropical cyclone, and typhoon are different names
for the cyclonic storm system that forms over the oceans. It is caused by evaporated
water that comes off of the ocean and becomes a storm. The Coriolis effect causes the
storms to spin.74 mph (119 km/h). Hurricane is used for these phenomena in the
Atlantic and eastern Pacific Oceans, tropical cyclone in the Indian, and typhoon in the
western Pacific.

Wildfire
Wildfire is a fire that burns in an uncontrolled and unplanned manner.
Wildfires can result from natural occurrences such as lightning strikes or from human
activity. These occur without any warning.

3. Hydrological hazards

Floods
A flood results from an overflow of water beyond its normal confines of a
body of water such as a lake, or the accumulation of water over land areas.

4. Biological hazards

Disease
Disease is a natural hazard that can be enhanced by human factors such as
urbanization or poor sanitation. Disease affecting multiple people can be termed an
outbreak or epidemic.
Disaster

A natural disaster is "the negative impact following an actual occurrence of

natural hazard in the event that it significantly harms a community".A natural disaster
can cause loss of life or damage property, and typically leaves some economic
damage in its wake. The severity of the damage depends on the affected population's
resilience and on the infrastructure available. Examples of natural hazards include:
avalanche, coastal flooding, cold wave, drought, earthquake, hail, heat wave,
hurricane (tropical cyclone), ice storm, landslide, lightning, riverine flooding, strong
wind, tornado, typhoon, tsunami, volcanic activity, wildfire, winter weather.

In modern times, the divide between natural, man-made and man-accelerated

disasters is quite difficult to draw. Human choices and activities like architecture,fire,
resource management or even climate change potentially play a role in causing
"natural disasters". In fact, the term "natural disaster" has been called a misnomer

Natural disasters can be aggravated by inadequate building norms,

marginalization of people, inequities, overexploitation of resources, extreme urban
sprawl and climate change. The rapid growth of the world's population and its
increased concentration often in hazardous environments has escalated both the
frequency and severity of disasters. With the tropical climate and unstable landforms,
coupled with deforestation, unplanned growth proliferation, non-engineered
constructions make the disaster-prone areas more vulnerable. Developing countries
suffer more or less chronically from natural disasters due to ineffective
communication combined with insufficient budgetary allocation for disaster
prevention and management.

EARTHQUAKES

` Earthquake is one of the major natural disasters. Every year it causes a huge
loss of life and property all around the world. Proper strategies and awareness about
disaster management is the need of the hour. This will protect us from the losses and
help to cope up with these hazards. However, in order to reduce the destruction caused
by these occurrences the disaster management committee has laid some safety
measures.
 An earthquake is the shaking of the surface of the earth due to the sudden
release of energy in the earth’s crust. As a result, seismic waves (also known as S
waves) are created. The seismic activities in an area determine the type and intensity
of the earthquake.

Causes an Earthquake

Earthquakes are caused due to sudden tectonic movements in the earth’s crust.
When the tectonic plates slide over one another, there is a cause of orogeny which
results in earthquakes and volcanoes. These disturbances cause vibrations that spread
in all directions. As there is a relative motion of these plates, there is stress built up,
which breaks by releasing the stored energy known as shock waves.

Effects of an Earthquake

Following are the effects of the earthquake:

Ground shaking: Surface waves that are near the epicenter are responsible for the
earthquake. The intensity of ground shaking depends on the duration, local geology,
and distance.

 Damage to a man-made structure.

 An outbreak of fire and spilling of hazardous chemicals.

VOLCANOS

A volcano is a landform, a mountain, where molten rocks erupt through the

surface of the planet. The volcano mountain opens downwards to a pool of molten
rocks underneath the surface of the earth. Pressure builds up in the earth’s crust and
this is the reason why eruptions occur. Gases and igneous rocks shoot up and splash
over or fill the air with lava fragments. The volcano eruption can cause hot ash, lateral
blasts and lava flow, mudslides, and more.

Formation of Volcanoes

A volcano mountain is formed by the surface eruption of magma from within the
earth’s upper mantle. The magma that erupts to the surface and forms a lava flow that
deposits ash. As the volcano continues to erupt, a new layer of lava is added to the
surface, accumulating to form a mountain.
Different Stages of Volcanoes

They tend to be conical although there are a variety of forms, depending upon:

 The nature of the material erupted

 The type of eruption
 The amount of change since the eruption

Volcanoes are categorised into three main categories:

Active Volcanoes: A volcano will be classified as an active volcano if at the

present time it is expected to erupt or is erupting already.

Dormant Volcanoes: The classification of volcanoes which is called dormant

would be a volcano that is not erupting or predicted to erupt in the near future.

Extinct Volcanoes: An extinct volcano is a volcano that no one expects will ever
have another eruption.

Reason Behind The Eruption of Volcanoes

The volcano eruption begins with the formation of magma in the lower section of the
earth’s crust. The earth’s crust is made up of massive slabs called plates, which fit
together like a jigsaw puzzle. The friction during the movement of plates causes
earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. With pressure, it travels upwards with
tremendous force hitting solid rocks and other materials and creates a new passage to
the earth’s surface. Once the magma reaches the air it is called lava.

Types of Volcanoes

These are grouped into four types:

 Cinder cones
 Composite volcanoes
 Shield volcanoes
 Lava volcanoes

Cinder Cones: These are the simplest type of volcano. They occur when particles and
blobs of lava are ejected from a volcanic vent. The lava is blown violently into the air,
and the pieces rain down around the vent. Over time, this builds up a circular or oval-
shaped cone, with a bowl-shaped crater at the top. Cinder cone volcanoes rarely grow
larger than about 1,000 feet above their surroundings.
Composite Volcanoes: Composite volcanoes are some of the Earth’s grandest
mountains, and they are also called stratovolcanoes. They are typically symmetrical
cones of large dimension built of alternating layers of lava flows, steep-sided,
volcanic ash, blocks, bombs, and cinders and may rise as much as 8,000 feet above
their bases.

Shield Volcanoes: A shield volcano is a type of volcano usually built almost entirely
of fluid lava flows. They have very gentle slopes and are developed horizontally.
Shield volcanoes are built by effusive eruptions, which flow out in all directions. They
almost never have violent eruptions, with basic lava simply flowing out.

Lava Domes: Lava domes are the fourth type of volcano that we are going to discuss.
Unlike composite and shield volcanoes, lava domes are of tiny stature. They are
formed when the lava is too viscous to flow to a great distance. As the lava dome
slowly grows, the outer surface cools and hardens as the lava continues to pile within.
Eventually, the internal pressure can shatter the outer surface, causing loose fragments
to spill down its sides. Generally, such lava domes are found on the flanks of larger
composite volcanoes.

FLOODING

A flood is an overflow of water on land. Sometimes a river might receive extra

water, either from heavy rains or other natural disasters. When this happens, the water
overflows from its normal path in the river bed and onto the dry land.

causes of a flood
During a flood, people should move themselves and their most precious
belongings to higher ground quickly. The process of leaving homes in search of a safe
place is called evacuation. Floods occur at irregular intervals and vary in size,
duration and the affected area.

Water naturally flows from high areas to low lying areas. This means low-lying areas
may flood quickly before it begins to get to the higher ground.

Floods can also occur in rivers when the flow rate exceeds the capacity of the river
channel, particularly at bends or meanders in the waterway. Floods often cause
damage to homes and businesses if they are in the natural flood plains of rivers.
The following factors can lead to flooding:

Rains

Whenever there are more rains than the drainage system can take, they can cause
floods.

River overflow

Rivers can overflow their banks to cause a flood. This can happen when there is more
water upstream than usual, and as it flows downstream to the adjacent low-lying areas
there is a burst and water gets into the land.

Strong winds in coastal areas

Seawater can be carried by massive winds and hurricanes onto the dry coastal lands
and cause flooding. This is made worse if the winds carry rains with themselves.
Sometimes water from the sea resulting from a tsunami can flow inland to cause
damage.

Dam breaking

Dams are man-made structures mounted to hold water flowing down from a highland
to a lowland. The power in the water is used to turn propellers to generate electricity.
Sometimes, too much water held up in the dam can cause it to break and cause
overflow in the area. Excess water can also be intentionally released from the dam to
prevent it from breaking and that can also cause floods.

Ice and snow melts

In cold regions, heavy snow over the winter usually stays unmelted for some time.
Some mountains have an ice cap on them. Sometimes the ice suddenly melts when the
temperature rises, resulting in massive movement of water into places that are usually
dry. This is usually called a snowmelt flood

Urban Flooding

Urban flooding is the inundation of land or property in a built environment,

particularly in more densely populated areas, caused by rainfall overwhelming the
capacity of drainage systems, such as storm sewers. Although sometimes triggered by
events such as flash flooding or snowmelt, urban flooding is a condition, characterized
by its repetitive and systemic impacts on communities, that can happen regardless of
whether or not affected communities are located within designated floodplains or near
any body of water

Effects Of A Flood
The most immediate effect of a flood is the catastrophic loss of life and destruction of
buildings and other structures like bridges, sewerage systems, canals etc.

Floods also damage power transmission and sometimes power generation along loss
of drinking water treatment and water supply Lack of clean water combined with
human sewage in the flood waters raises the risk of waterborne diseases, which can
include typhoid, cholera and many other diseases depending upon the location of the
flood.

 Flood waters typically inundate farm land, making the land unworkable and
preventing crops from being planted or harvested, which can lead to
shortages of food both for humans and farm animals.
 Entire harvests for a country can be lost in extreme flood circumstances.
Some tree species may not survive prolonged flooding of their root systems.
Secondary and long-term effects
 Economic hardship due to a temporary decline in tourism, rebuilding costs,
or food shortages leading to price increases is a common after-effect of
severe flooding.

DROUGHT

The term ‘Drought’ in simple words is the absence of water for a long period of
time, at a place where it is considered abnormal as compared to its usual conditions.
The distribution of water on the earth’s surface is not even. Some places have lots of
freshwater e.g. rivers, lakes, lagoons, ponds etc. and they are continuously
replenished by rainfall and water from underground.

If a region that has had lots of rainfall, goes for a couple of weeks without
rains, and people, animals and plants begin to experience a bit of dryness, it can be
called a drought. Drought can be defined as a relatively long time where there is not
enough water than there usually is, as a result of dry weather, to support human,
animal and plant life. Droughts become an issue only when it begins to affect water
supply for irrigation, municipal, industrial, energy, and ecosystem function. Severe
droughts can have serious consequences.

Types of Drought

There are three types of droughts known to the scientific community:

Meteorological drought occurs when there is a prolonged time with less

than average precipitation. Such type of droughts can be triggered by a high level of
reflected sunlight and above-average prevalence of high-pressure
systems, winds carrying continental, rather than oceanic air masses.

Agricultural droughts affect crop production or the ecology of the range.

This condition can also arise independently from any change in precipitation levels
when either increased irrigation or soil conditions and erosion triggered by poorly
planned agricultural activities cause a shortfall in water available to the crops.

Hydrological drought is brought about when the water reserves available in

sources such as aquifers, lakes and reservoirs fall below a locally significant
threshold. Hydrological drought tends to show up more slowly because it involves
stored water that is used but not replenished. Like an agricultural drought, this can be
triggered by more than just a loss of rainfall.

Effects or Consequences of Drought

The effects of droughts can be divided into three groups: environmental, economic
and social.

Environmental effects: Lower surface and subterranean water-levels, lower flow-

levels (with a decrease below the minimum leading to direct danger for amphibian
life), increased pollution of surface water, the drying out of wetlands, more and larger
fires, higher deflation intensity, loss of biodiversity, worse health of trees and the
appearance of pests and dendroid diseases.

Economic losses: Economic consequences include lower agricultural, forests, game

and fishing output, higher food-production costs, lower energy-production levels in
hydro plants, losses caused by depleted water tourism and transport revenue, problems
with water supply for the energy sector and for technological processes in metallurgy,
mining industries and disruption of water supplies for municipal economies.
 Social costs include the negative effect on the health of people directly exposed to
this phenomenon (excessive heat waves), a possible limitation of water supplies,
increased pollution levels, high food-costs, stress caused by failed harvests, etc. This
explains why droughts and freshwater shortages operate as a factor which increases
the gap between developed and developing countries.

Effects vary according to vulnerability. For example, subsistence farmers are

more likely to migrate during drought because they do not have alternative food
sources. Areas with populations that depend on water sources as a major food-source
are more vulnerable to famine.

Impacts of natural hazards

 Continues natural hazards leads to great loss to human life either financially
and ecologically
 Due to the natural hazards valuable and useful resourses were endangered &
damaged and causes great loss to human survival
 Due to hydrological hazards a lot increase in bacteria and fungus and also
chance to increase lot disease causing insects by the stagnation of water.
 Continous rainfall leads to soil runoff and loosing of fertility in soil.
 Increases different kinds of pollutions.
 Causes tremendous damage to the tourism and greenery
 Increases temperature on causes global warming

Opportunities Presented By Natural Hazards

 Increasing the innovative ideas to reduce and preserving from hazards and
disasters.
 Technological methods are established to buildup strong construction for
buildings
