ABSTRACT
The landscape is fashioned by a wide variety of natural processes, which may occur in such a manner as to precipitate a catastrophic effect on biotic systems. Natural processes can be considered to pose a natural hazard when they are capable of posing a threat to life, actually causing mortalities (Table 8.1), or causing damage to buildings and agricultural land (Table 8.2). A natural hazard becomes a catastrophe for humans if a situation develops in which the damage to people, property or society is sufficient to require a long recovery or rehabilitation process. Floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, tsunamis (earthquake-generated sea waves), volcanoes, earthquakes and large fires are the most common natural hazards that produce catastrophes. Particular natural hazards are concentrated in distinct geographic regions. The reasons for this distribution are discussed in this chapter. Although natural hazards are normally discussed in terms of their human impact, wherever there is severe damage
Involuntary risk
Struck by automobile (USA) Struck by automobile (UK) Floods (USA) Earthquake (California) Tornadoes (Mid-west) Lightning (UK) Falling aircraft (USA) Falling aircraft (UK) Explosion, pressure vessel (USA) Release from atomic power station
At site boundary (USA) At 1 km (UK)
Flooding of dike (Netherlands) Bites of venomous creature (UK) Leukaemia Influenza Meteorite
1 in 20,000 1 in 16,600 1 in 455,000 1 in 588,000 1 in 455,000 1 in 10 million 1 in 10 million 1 in 50 million 1 in 20 million
in 10 million in 10 million in 10 million in 5 million in 12,500 In 5,000 In 100 billion
to any part of an ecosystem the causal event should be regarded as a natural hazard.
