DIMENSIONS/MEASURES OF

EXTREME NATURAL EVENTS

These are aspects of extreme natural
events which are important to measure or
understand in relation to human response
to disasters that may be associated with
them.
Having data on these dimensions could
help society to, for instance:
Anticipate the probability, degree and extent
of impact of events
Design appropriate responses to mitigate
disasters

MAGNITUDE
peak or maximum strength of an
extreme natural event; e.g. the
maximum height of flood waters or
highest reading on the Richter scale
for a particular earth tremor

FREQUENCY
Expected incidence of an ENE of a
specified magnitude in the long-term;
e.g. once in 100 years
Frequency is also expressed in terms of
recurrence interval; e.g. An ENE of a
particular magnitude may have a
recurrence interval of 100 years
To calculate frequency and recurrence
interval one needs historical data.
Frequency/recurrence interval can also
be expressed as a probability value

DURATION
The persistence time of the ENE; e.g.
a drought that lasts 10 years has a
duration of 10 years

AREAL EXTENT
The spatial coverage or the amount
of geographical space affected by an
ENE; e.g. a severe drought may
cover an entire country, while a
riverine flood may only affect a
rivers flood plain.

SPATIAL DISPERSION
The spatial pattern of an ENE or the
geographical distribution of areas
prone to a particular ENE.
Any examples?

SPEED OF ONSET
The amount of time between the first
occurrence of an ENE and its peak or
magnitude. Drought is a slow onset
event while hurricanes, tornadoes
and earthquakes are examples of
fast onset events

TEMPORAL SPACING
The sequence of occurrence in time
of an ENE. Some events are seasonal
(e.g. Droughts; hurricanes), while
volcanic eruptions and earthquakes
can be quite random in occurrence

RELEVANCE TO HUMAN
RESPONSE
According to Burton, Kates and White (1993),
magnitude, frequency and areal extent describe the
strength of the hazard, how often it can be expected
to occur and the amount of area to be affected by it.
High magnitude hazards which are frequent and affect
large areas are more dangerous and hard/costly to
mitigate or control than high magnitude, less frequent
and more spatially concentrated events.
Speed of onset and duration dimensions are important
in terms of human preparedness. Fast onset, short
duration events give society little or no chance to
react to reduce their direct impacts. Slow onset, long
duration events allow society to prepare and respond
more effectively with mitigation strategies.

RELEVANCE TO HUMAN
RESPONSE contd
What is the significance of spatial
dispersion and temporal spacing in
terms of human response?

THE CIRCUM-PACIFIC RING

OF FIRE