GEOG 312 Lecture : geog 312 unit 1.docx
19 Mar 2014
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Document Summary
Natural hazards are events associated w/ normal biogeophysical phenomena that may cause harm to humans, such as death, injury, or loss of home, property or income. Natural hazards are limited to inhabited areas, that is, to vulnerable human settlements & societies. Reasons that humans may be the path of hazards include: Our need for resources provided by hazards such as fertile soils in vicinity of volcanoes, water supply (large rivers) in areas prone to flooding. Our preference for scenic lanscapes such as cliffs overlooking ocean (which may be susceptible to landslides) & sandy beaches (which may be susceptible to flooding & erosion) Most natural hazards are initiated or mediated by weather: Bc hazards of sufficient size, depth, or displacement to cause damage or disruption include fire, earthquake, tsunami, flooding, landslide, avalanche, & severe weather, such as wind & snow storms. Of 179 documented natural hazard events in the vancouver area most were:
