Hazard and Vulnerability Analysis - Essay Example

Hazard and Vulnerability Analysis Vulnerability can be defined as the potential for loss (Cutter Vulnerability is an important concept in the area of hazards research as helps in the development of strategies meant for hazard mitigation at the local, national as well as the international levels. Vulnerability assessment is used by policy makers to help determine the potential loss of life and any other kind of damage caused by extreme natural disasters (3). Since vulnerability is an important aspect of mitigation during natural disasters, it is important to address the issue of social vulnerability to hazards.

Hazard vulnerability analysis is defines as the identification of potential disasters or emergency situations and the effects, both direct and indirect, that these situations may have on operations (Cutter 9). The main purpose of hazard and vulnerability analysis is to help the affected community to make the right choices that will help them address the vulnerabilities that they face. The analysis also helps in mitigating hazards and in the preparation for response and recovery efforts. Every emergency program should have a mechanism for hazard and vulnerability analysis (Wisner, Blaike and Cannon 17).

Data collection In order to make accurate predictions for future events, it is important that the analysts collect the relevant information from different sources. This information should be relevant to the current situation and it should help in the creation of mitigating measures. The kind of data that should be collected during analysis includes everything about the nature and the causes of previous events. The frequency and/or intensity of previous disasters, as well as their magnitude should be included in the analysis.

Information about the effects that the disaster may have had in a given area is also important for the purpose of analysis of the current situation (Turner and Kasperson 37). When the data has been collected, it is easy for the analyst’s to map the location of the potential and past hazards. This way, it easy to get information through the use of satellite images, aerial photography and remote sensing technology (Cutter 52). Predictive information can be derived from hydrology, seismology, meteorology and volcanology data.

This kind of information can be found in most government agencies and some private institutions (Wisner, Blaike and Cannon, 47). Other data can be found in core databases to help in decision making (Turner and Kasperson 42).Disaster Analysis TableDisasterFrequency1=most frequent4=least frequentDeaths per Disaster1=highest4=lowestNo. of People affected per disaster1=highest4=lowestAverage Cost per disaster1=highest 4=lowestWarning time1=no warning2=1-24 hr warning3=>24 hrs warningDisaster Rank1=highest priorityBlizzard00000Drought 122232Earthquake231122Flood212122Ice Storm122222Hurricane233321Infectious Disease323323Landslide11Snow Storm121322Tornado322221Volcano443434Wild fire000033Sectors Most Vulnerable to Earthquakes The business sector is most likely to be affected by earthquakes.

This is because earthquakes destroy not only the environment, but buildings, roads and other infrastructure as well. Most of the businesses that are based in heavily constructed areas would come to a standstill if and when the earthquake happens. Businessmen and women would loose the things they need for work. When roads are destroyed, it will be hard for people to go to work, putting the business sector at a risk of running losses. If strong earthquake was to come to pass, a lot of lives would be lost, and this would have a negative effect on the business sector as there would not be enough people to work.

Works CitedCutter, S.L. “Vulnerability to environmental hazards”. Progress in Human Geography, vol.20 (4) 529 – 539.1996.Turner, B.L and Kasperson, R.E. “A Framework for vulnerability analysis insustainability science”. PNAS, vol. 100(14) 8074 – 8079. 2003.Wisner, B., Blaike P. and Cannon, T. (2004). At risk: natural hazards, people’s vulnerability anddisasters. London: Routledge.