IB Geography
Topics (see slideshows below for each item)

I. Characteristics of Hazards
  1. Earthquakes
  2. Tropical Storms (hurricanes, typhoons, cyclones)
  3. Droughts
  4. Technological Hazards: Industrial leaks
  5. Distinction between chosen hazards in terms of their spatial extent, predictability, frequency, magnitude, duration, speed of onset and effects
II. Vulnerability
  1. Factors explaining why people live in hazardous areas
  2. Vulnerability as a function of demographic and socio‑economic factors, and of a community’s preparedness and ability to deal with a hazard event when it occurs
III. Risk and Risk Assessment
  1. Relationships between the degree of risk posed by a hazard and the probability of a hazard event occurring, the predicted losses and a community’s preparedness for it
  2. Factors affecting the perception of risk
  3. Hazard event predictions and their impact on people, case-study evaluation of prediction methods for two hazards
IV. Disasters
  1. Definition of disasters and measurements of their intensity
  2. Causes and impacts of any one disaster resulting from a natural hazard and one disaster resulting from a human-induced hazard
  3. Ways in which the intensity and impacts of disasters vary in space and have changed over time
V. Adjustments and Responses to Hazards and Disasters
  1. Usefulness of assessing risk before deciding the strategies of adjustment and response to a hazard
  2. Discussion of attempts that have been made to reduce vulnerability by spreading the risk (aid, insurance) and by land-use planning (zoning)
  3. Strategies designed to limit the damage from potential hazard events and disasters
  4. Range of responses, at the community, national and international levels, during and after a hazard event or disaster
  5. Distinction between rescue, rehabilitation and reconstruction responses
  6. Level to which these responses are affected by individual and community perceptions
  7. Factors that affected the choice of adjustments before, and responses to, actual hazard events or disasters
  8. Importance of re‑assessing risk, and re‑examining vulnerability, following any major hazard event or disaster
Resources

Go to the online Diigo library to view articles, videos, maps, diagrams, photos, and more for this unit: simply filter the bookmarks by using the appropriate tags (e.g. use the tag named after this unit + "video"). Click here if you need to see a short tutorial about the Diigo online library.
Featured video: tsunami spilling over seawall in Japan
Definitions

Disaster
A major hazard event that causes widespread disruption to a community or region that the affected community is unable to deal with adequately without outside help.
Hazard
A threat (whether natural or human) that has the potential to cause loss of life, injury, property damage, socio‑economic disruption or environmental degradation.
Hazard Event
The occurrence (realization) of a hazard, the effects of which change demographic, economic and/or environmental conditions.
Risk
The probability of a hazard event causing harmful consequences (expected losses in terms of deaths, injuries, property damage, economy and environment).
Vulnerability
The susceptibility of a community to a hazard or to the impacts of a hazard event.