The Emergency Management
Using literature, you find on the Emergency Management and other government sites, find an example of a hazard and a natural disaster, and a hazard and a human-made disaster. Illustrate the similarities and differences between your chosen hazard and the hazardous event (disaster).
Sample Solution
A hazard is any condition that could pose a threat to people or property. Natural disasters are hazardous events caused by natural phenomena. Human-made disasters are hazardous events caused by human activities. Understanding the similarities and differences between these risks can help with preparedness, risk assessment, and emergency responses.
An example of a hazard and a natural disaster is an earthquake. An earthquake occurs when two blocks of Earth’s crust suddenly slip past one another in response to the movement of tectonic plates below the surface of the planet. Earthquakes can cause significant destruction such as broken buildings, landslides, tsunamis, and avalanches due to their intense shaking motion. They also carry a potential danger from aftershocks that can last for days or weeks afterwards.
The similarity between earthquakes as a hazard and an earthquake as a natural disaster is that they both refer to seismic activity on earth which carries risk for people and property alike. The difference being that hazards are simply conditions present on Earth whereas natural disasters occur when those hazards become realized in violent occurrences resulting in damage or loss of life like an earthquake does through its shaking intensity and accompanying effects like landslides or tsunamis.
An example of a hazard and human-made disaster is air pollution from industrial processes like burning fossil fuels . Air pollutants come from many sources including emissions from vehicles, power plants burning fossil fuels, manufacturing processes producing airborne contaminants such as particulate matter (PM) or nitrogen oxides (NOx), off-gassing products containing volatile organic compounds (VOCs), improper disposal of waste materials leading to release into atmosphere , etc . Air pollution has been linked with adverse health effects including respiratory diseases such as asthma , cardiovascular issues like heart attacks , stroke , lung cancer , etc., neurological issues such as memory problems , depression , anxiety disorders , ADHD symptoms exacerbation among children exposed chronically to higher levels than EPA standard levels . In addition air pollution alters climate patterns leading to extreme weather changes across seasons around globe affecting crop production among other negative impacts on ecosystems around us .
The similarity between air pollution as a hazard and an air pollutant driven human made disaster is that they both refer to contamination found in our atmosphere primarily generated by anthropogenic activities related deforestation, burning fossil fuels at large scale among others thus posing severe public health threats at global scales while also altering climate patterns adversely around globe . The difference being that hazards are simply condition present within environment potentially causing harm over time depending on exposure level while hazerdous event happens when those foregoing conditions have resulted in tangible damages whether physical or biological(in terms of public health )like we have seen it happen during recent years where high levels particulate matter concentrations registered at various locations worldwide iincluding major cities resulting thousands hospitalized patients seeking medical attention with most vulnerable population groups like elders more likely affected due mortality rates increased significantly during episodes lasting several days consecutively above normal average concentration figures recorded previously over months even years