Deck 1: Natural Hazards and Disasters

Question 1

In terms of fatalities, the most dangerous natural disasters are caused by ____. ​

A)sudden seismic events like earthquakes and volcanoes
B)small extreme weather in the form of thunderstorms and tornadoes
C)long-term weather patterns that cause drought
D)ocean processes like tsunamis and storm surges
E)large extreme weather events like hurricanes

Answer 1

C

Question 2

If the recurrence interval of an event is 50 years, recurring events ____. ​

A)will occur exactly every 50 years
B)will never occur within a one year time period
C)can occur anytime, but are likely to occur within 50 years
D)will never occur if there has not been an event for 50 years
E)will only occur once during any given individual's lifetime

Answer 2

C

Question 3

In comparison to developing countries, catastrophic natural disasters in developed countries are most likely to cause ____. ​

A)more economic damage, but less loss of life
B)less economic damage, but more loss of life
C)equal amounts of economic damage and loss of life
D)very little economic damage or loss of life
E)an unpredictable mix of economic damage and loss of life

Answer 3

A

Question 4

The magnitude of a natural disaster is directly proportional to the frequency of the event.

Question 5

An event which causes damage to life and property, but does not kill or injure large numbers of people or cause extensive property damage is called a(n) ____.

A)national disaster
B)natural disaster
C)natural hazard
D)natural catastrophe
E)national catastrophe

Question 6

Efforts to control natural hazards are usually successful. ​

Question 7

Climate change is expected to increase the magnitude and frequency of natural disasters. ​

Question 8

People choose to live in hazardous areas for a variety of reasons. Which is the LEAST likely reason why a person in a developing country would decide to live in a hazardous area?

A)More attractive scenery is usually found at hazardous areas
B)Less hazardous areas are unaffordable or unavailable.
C)The location has access to clean water.
D)The location has access to fertile land.
E)The person does not know the history of potential hazards.

Question 9

A natural system in equilibrium will never experience a natural disaster.

Question 10

Insurance covers all known types of natural hazards. ​

Question 11

What does it mean to say that a potential hazard is in equilibrium ? ​

A)The cost of a disaster is equal to the value of developing the area.
B)There is a balance in forces that will prevent the hazard from causing a disaster.
C)The probability that a disaster will occur is equal to the probability that a disaster will not occur.
D)The probability of a disaster is constant over time.
E)There is a temporary balance in forces that prevents a disaster at the current time.

Question 12

Poor families are more likely to be victims of natural disasters if they live in developing, but not developed, countries. ​

Question 13

Developers and private individuals often oppose land-use restrictions that prevent use of hazardous areas. ​

Question 14

The cost of natural disasters averaged over the previous ten years has ____ due in part to ____.

A)increased; increased population and economic growth
B)decreased; improved forecasting and public awareness
C)remained constant; equilibrium between population growth and mitigation
D)increased; population growth only
E)decreased; increased migration out of hazardous areas

Question 15

Land-use rules to avoid disaster costs are often easy to implement. ​

Question 16

Scientific forecasts of catastrophic earthquakes can ____. ​

A)accurately predict the probability of the event happening somewhere in a large geographical area within a time frame of decades
B)accurately predict the time and place of the event happening in a small geographical area within a time frame of one year
C)estimate the probability of the event happening somewhere in a small geographical area within a time frame of one year
D)estimate the probability of the event happening somewhere in a large geographical area within a time frame of decades
E)estimate the probability of the event happening somewhere in a small geographical area within a time frame of decades

Question 17

The cost of natural disasters is ____. ​

A)increasing steadily each year due to population growth
B)increasing steadily each year due to economic growth
C)variable from year to year due to the unpredictability of natural disasters and their effects
D)increasing steadily each year due to population and economic growth
E)decreasing steadily each year due to improved forecasting and public awareness

Question 18

All natural disasters have detectable precursor events. ​

Question 19

Climate change is expected to cause an increase in the impact of ____. ​

A)all natural disasters except seismic events (earthquakes, volcanoes, and tsunamis)
B)only disasters related to extreme weather (lightning, tornadoes, and storm surge)
C)only disasters related to seismic events (earthquakes, volcanoes, and tsunamis)
D)disasters which occur on coastlines or at sea
E)all natural disasters

Question 20

The uninsured losses caused by a catastrophic events are almost always less than the insured losses caused.

Question 21

Federal disaster assistance can be counterproductive because it ____. ​

A)usually supplies money only to isolated, hazard-prone areas, while most taxpayers live in areas free of hazards
B)is an intrusive restriction on the ability of insurance companies to collect premium payments
C)allows affected people to rebuild homes without following new building codes
D)only addresses immediate needs like food and water, without helping replace economic losses
E)repays losses due to natural disasters without providing an incentive to avoid future disasters

Question 22

In developing countries, natural disasters are a greater risk for poor residents because ____. ​

A)they are often forced to live in hazardous areas due to economic factors
B)they are less likely to know the history of previous disasters in their region
C)they are not well-educated and do not understand the danger
D)they do not trust their governments and disobey laws that would keep them safe
E)they find danger a desirable attribute because of their cultural traditions

Question 23

A town on the ocean has beautiful beaches that generate considerable tourist income. The effect of ocean currents and storms has reduced the width of the beach near the town center, and the government is considering several mitigation ideas. Which action would be the LEAST appropriate response? ​

A)Build picnic structures and parking at other beaches up and down the shore.
B)Give tax breaks to companies that develop tourist activities that do not depend on the beach.
C)Make a small increase in the hotel tax and use the money to dredge sand from offshore and build the central beach back up.
D)Build a large rock jetty that blocks the currents around the central beach.
E)Erect a pavilion beside the central beach to host music festivals and public events.

Question 24

The _______________ of an event is inversely proportional to the frequency of the event. ​

Question 25

A fractal is a pattern that ____. ​

A)is simple on a large scale but complicated on a small scale
B)looks similar on both small and large scales
C)is complicated on a large scale but simple on a small scale
D)is repeated continuously on a large scale
E)is repeated continuously on a small scale

Question 26

The relationship between frequency and magnitude predicts that ____.

A)events of larger magnitude occur more frequently
B)events of smaller magnitude occur less frequently
C)more frequent events have a larger magnitude
D)less frequent events have a larger magnitude
E)the magnitude and frequency of an event are unrelated

Question 27

Which statement reflects the most significant reason people in the US decide to live in hazardous areas? ​

A)They believe that the government will fix any damage that occurs.
B)They know the chances of a disaster and have made an informed decision to take the risk.
C)They have not experienced the effects of a natural hazard and therefore underestimate the risk.
D)They have been intentionally misled by developers.
E)They are too poor to live elsewhere.

Question 28

The most important factor for reducing the damage of natural hazards is changing ____. ​

A)building codes
B)human behavior
C)structural designs
D)disaster relief
E)the hazard that causes the disaster

Question 29

A natural process characterized by a(n) _______________ effect will change in a way that causes a rapid increase in the rate of subsequent change. ​

Question 30

Which type of disaster is NOT commonly covered by insurance? ​

A)hurricane
B)landslide
C)flood
D)earthquake
E)windstorm

Question 31

Very often, when individuals or governments attempt to control dangers from natural events in one place, the effort ____. ​

A)creates an equilibrium that prevents the danger
B)transfers the danger to a different place
C)removes an equilibrium and increases the danger
D)controls the event so that its effect is minor
E)violates individual rights

Question 32

Companies cannot always offer affordable disaster insurance because ____. ​

A)there is very little profit that companies can make from people who have suffered losses from a disaster
B)people affected by a disaster are unlikely to remain in the area and will no longer be customers
C)federal bureaucracy requires companies to spend large amounts of money recording claims in federal court
D)federal disaster relief makes people unlikely to buy enough insurance
E)the cost of an unexpected catastrophe can exceed the amount of money that company has received for policies

Question 33

An event that occurs at predictable intervals is described as a(n) _______________ event. ​

Question 34

When individuals or governments try to control natural hazards, the most likely result is to ____. ​

A)trigger a disaster
B)reduce the effect of the hazard
C)cause the hazard to move to a different location
D)have no effect
E)correctly control the effect

Question 35

Public education plays an important role in reducing the effect of disasters by ____. ​

A)increasing support of federal disaster relief
B)encouraging homeowners to accept more responsibility for disaster losses than businesses
C)making the public aware of dangers they may not understand fully
D)teaching people about the natural hazards in many different areas of the country
E)increasing local property taxes to pay for education programs

Question 36

Which scenario would be considered a "hard" solution for avoiding damage by natural disasters? ​

A)Changing building codes to require that coastal homes be built on stilts.
B)Reserving hazardous areas for parkland and recreation.
C)Building a levee along the banks of a river.
D)Allowing new construction only in hazard-free zones.
E)Requiring homeowners to repair damaged structures to meet stronger guidelines.

Question 37

A(n) _______________ is a natural event that leads to significant loss of life and extensive property damage. ​

Question 38

Which scenario is an example of a feedback effect? ​

A)An earthquake triggers a landslide.
B)A swarm of small earthquakes was observed before the eruption of Mt. St. Helens.
C)Melting arctic ice generates warm water which melts more ice.
D)A flood occurs in a populated area, causing more damage as a result.
E)A storm front creates hazards from lightning and tornadoes.

Question 39

Moderate events can become unexpectedly larger disasters if ____. ​

A)they are cyclic events that have grown stronger with time
B)more than one type of event occurs at the same time, amplifying the effect
C)precursor events are detected
D)they are not cyclic events
E)insurance companies have overestimated the cost of the event

Question 40

A natural process which threatens life and property is known as a natural _______________. ​

Question 41

A small event that typically occurs before a major event is called a(n) _______________ event. ​

Question 42

A watercourse named "Buffalo Bayou" runs through the city of Houston, Texas from east to west, passing through residential and industrial areas and the edge of the tall buildings of downtown. In the residential area, the Bayou is surrounded by a wide park, and the level of the water is typically 20 feet below the level of the streets around it. The river has overflowed its banks and caused ground-floor damage to residences nearby; most recently in 1999 and 2015. The bayou has flooded 10 times in the last century. ​ You are an insurance adjuster, and have just paid a claim for $20,000 (the maximum allowed in the policy) for a homeowner's loss. The homeowner is upset and says "My flood premium has been $2,000 since the flood of 1999, and now you're paying me only $20,000 back? I think my premium is too high!" ​ Explain to the homeowner why the premium is appropriate. ​

Question 43

The term _______________ refers to preparation efforts for reducing the damage caused by a disaster. ​

Question 44

Consider Figure 1-4 from the text. The top line represents the 10-year average total losses. ​ A UN researcher is interested in describing the expected cost of natural disasters over the next twenty years. Should the researcher focus on the information in the bar charts or the lines? Would it be appropriate for the researcher to use a linear model in their forecast? Explain your answer clearly in the context of the graph.

Question 45

Insurance companies evaluate the _______________ of an event by assessing its recurrence interval and expected costs. ​

Question 46

You have been hired by a major national firm with offices in all American metropolitan areas. To encourage diversity, the firm believes that new employees should spend their first year in an office in a region in which they have never lived. ​ Which city would you choose and why? What natural hazards will you need to be mindful of? How will you make an intelligent choice of how and where to live based on the positive qualities of the area and the possibility that you may encounter a natural disaster?

Question 47

Mangrove trees grow in inlets and lagoons along the U.S. coastline from the Texas Gulf coast to the Florida Atlantic coast. These trees extend wide networks of roots in shallow water and play a major role in reducing damage due to storm surges. Mangroves grow in the form of large shrub-like trees, about 10 feet tall. The area inside a grove cannot be easily navigated on foot and generally smells unpleasant due to decaying marine life and plants. ​ Cutting or damaging mangrove trees is illegal in most areas without special permission, and this fact is advertised with large educational signs at key sites, including public boat ramps and nature areas. Businesses and homes can be built behind a grove of mangrove trees as long as the trees are not disturbed. Studies clearly show that the presence of mangroves reduces the damage done during hurricanes and tropical storms. ​ Briefly describe how this situation involves Land-Use Planning, Insurance, the Role of Government, and Public Education in positive ways.

Question 48

A cyclical event will occur regularly at times determined by the _______________ interval. ​

Question 49

The acronym for the federal agency responsible for disaster relief is _______________. ​

Question 50

Suppose a professor teaching from your textbook makes the comment that "The media responds to what is sensational, and typically pays more attention to the least deadly natural disasters." Consider what you have learned about the number of deaths associated with different types of disasters, and explain what the professor means by the statement ​