Hazard perception and response

• Perception is what we believe or understand about

something.

• It means not only scanning & perceiving but also correct

appraisal and seriousness to avert the danger.

• This not only demands situation awareness, but also self-

assessment.

• At an individual level our perception of risk often fails to

match the reality because we receive filter and distort
information.

• Therefore responses to hazard risks at an individual,

community and national level may be significantly influenced
by perception.
receipt
External stimuli & signals
interpretation
assessment
response

I
Operational Geographical
N Perceptual
Behavioural environment environment
D environment
environment
I
V
I Increasing distance
D & impersonality
U
A
L

THE INDIVIDUAL AND HIS COGNITIVE ENVIRONMENT.

Behavioral Environment
• The perceived environment; the
impression which people have of their
environment.
• Compare, for example, one young
person's view of Florida—Disney World
—with another's—‘full of old people’—
and with its image for the elderly and
rich. How you perceive Florida will affect
whether you decide to go there.
 Perceptual Environment
• The way in which an individual perceives the
environment; the process of evaluating and storing
information received about the environment.

• It is the perception of the environment which most

concerns human geographers.

• The nature of such perception includes warm feelings

for an environment, an ordering of information,
and an understanding, however subjective, of the
environment.
 Operational Environment
• An operating environment is the
environment in which an
individual or a group runs their
ideas.
• This may not be a complete
system as it rests between the
operation and application of the
ideas.
 Awareness Action Intolerance
threshold threshold threshold

ENVIRONMENTAL STRESS

Absorb Accept or Search for Change use

losses share losses effective adjustments or location

Absorptive Adjustment
capacity necessary

Thresholds of perception and response.

 Characteristics
• Acceptance:
– Natural events, acts of God, events random
& part of everyday life.
• Domination:
– Hazards predictable through scientific
research, controllable with technology.
• Adaptation:
– hazards influenced by human & natural
systems. Magnitude and frequency may be
estimated-based on experience &
research.
 Perception & Response Links.
PERCEPTION RESPONSE
Acceptance. Do nothing. Accept losses.
Dominance. The technological fix- building dams,
forecasting technology , earthquake
proofing etc.

Adaptation. •At traditional level lifestyle may be

adapted to environmental risks
e.g. nomadism.
•Modern level means changing human
behaviour as well as trying to control
environment.
 PREDICTION OF DISASTERS
• A prediction  is a statement about
the way things will happen in
the future.

• The more predictable the event, the

fewer the loss occurs.

• Certain events are known to occur

in certain areas.
 Predicting Catastrophe
• Forecasting/Warning

• Recurrence Interval

• Precursor Events
 Forecasting/Warning
• Based on linear projections of
past experiences, forecasts can
be made which indicate that a
future hazardous event will
occur in a certain area within a
given span of time with an
approximate percentage of
probability.
 Recurrence Interval
• Statistical prediction based past data
over a long period.
• Defined as the expected time interval
between a hazard of a given magnitude.
• It is a statistical probability that a natural
event of a particular size will happen
within a certain period of time.
• Attempts to predict when a natural
disaster of a given magnitude most
likely will occur.
• Estimations of recurrence
intervals are made by plotting a
graph of each event size versus
the time interval between
sequential individual events.
• Plotting on a logarithmic scale
leads to a st. line graph that can
be extrapolated if needed.
 Precursor Events
• Some natural Disasters are
directly related to or the direct
consequence of another event.
• Sometimes major natural
disasters are preceded by a
series of smaller precursor
events which may warn of the
impending disaster.
ADJUSTMENTS TO HAZARDS
• Potential adjustments - the
options available are

–corrective (or remedial)

measures and

–preventative measures
• Corrective measures for
–reducing river flood losses
include flood control schemes
• dams and reservoirs,
• channel improvements and
• watershed land-use changes
etc.,
–evacuation, flood forecasting
and urban redevelopment.
• Preventative measures
include

–Floodplain regulation (such as

by zoning land-use),
–Tax adjustments and
–Flood insurance schemes.
• Second distinction is
between adjusting
nature (technological
measures) and
adjusting people
(behavioural or
structural measures).
(A) Modify the cause of the hazard.
• Cloud-seeding can reduce the velocity of hazardous
hurricanes and thus influence the location of intense
rainstorms.

• Orchards can be heated to prevent frost from cold

air.
• Seismic stresses in some fault zones can be reduced
by pumping down a lubricating fluid to prevent high-
intensity movements.

• Planned land-use changes and integrated watershed

management can be used to modify flood hazard
potential.
 (B) Modify vulnerability to the hazard
• Engineering measures
– Retaining walls to stabilise unstable hillslopes.
– Sea-wave barriers to protect threatened coastlines, and
– Flood control dams to protect settlements downstream.

• Pile foundations and extra reinforcement of walls

and floors are common in earthquake-affected cities.

• Hazard loss potential can also be reduced through

– Early-warning systems,
– Emergency evacuation procedures,
– Adoption of appropriate building designs and conventions,
– Planned land-use changes or
– Permanent evacuation of threatened sites.
(C) Redistribute the losses
• Hazards are common, and loss and damage (to people and
property) occurs whether or not it has been possible to
minimize vulnerability.

• Burdens - particularly to finances, resources and lifestyle -

are much more tolerable if they are shared broadly.

• Public relief and subsidized insurance schemes seek to

spread losses from the people directly involved in a hazard
event over a wider group of policy holders and tax payers.

• Insurance and reserve fund schemes are also often available

- the "pay now, suffer later" principle. In other cases,
responsibility for bearing losses falls on the individual,
who may or may not have sufficient reserves to cope with the
hazard losses.