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Summary GCSE Geography cities and urban areas revision notes
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Theme 4: Coastal Hazards and their ManagementWhy are some coastal communities vulnerable to flooding?
The level of risk posed by a hazard depends on several factors:
• The strength or magnitude of an event
• The duration of a natural hazard
• The number of people who may be affected
• The vulnerability of the people affected by the event
Vulnerability: a measure of someone’s inability to cope with, or recover from, a
disaster. The potential to be harmed by a natural hazards
• Some groups are more vulnerable than others, for example elderly
dependents as they do not have the support of a family.
Capacity: a measure of someone’s ability to survive and recover quickly from a
hazard.
• Capacity is increased when individuals and communities have the resources
they need to cope with the hazard. Resources can be financial or material, for
example strong building materials. Capacity is also increased by factors such
as education, technology and preparedness and planning.
Factors affecting vulnerability:
Factor Explanation
Wealth Poor people are less able to afford housing that can withstand
extreme events and are also less likely to have insurance
policies that can help recovery.
Education When populations are literate, written messages can be used
to spread information either before the event; or to issue
warnings and give advice during the event
Government Governments can support education and awareness schemes,
action and can build sea defences.
Age The elderly and children are more vulnerable as they are more
dependent on others for survival.
Healthy A healthy person is more likely to be able to escape the
dangers and recover after the event.
Population The greater the number of people who live in an area, the
density more severe the impact.
Emergency More developed countries usually have better trained and
services equipped emergency response teams that can rescue and
treat people after a natural disaster.
, • Over 1 billion people live in low-elevation coastal zones (LECZs) which are
coastal areas less than 10m above sea level. This means that they are more
vulnerable to flooding.
Comparison between Haiti and Florida
• Haiti and Florida were hit by Hurricane Matthew in 2016. The impact of the
hazard was much more severe in Haiti as the country has a lower capacity,
and is more vulnerable.
• Haiti has a poor education, with very low literacy rate. This increases the
vulnerability as the residents do not know how to prepare, or how to react in a
situation like a hurricane. Therefore, they cannot make ample preparations to
protect themselves.
• The level of preparation was much lower in Haiti than in Florida. In Florida,
mass evacuations of millions were ordered in USA and the residents stocked
up on food supplies, water and petrol. In Haiti, evacuations were ordered for
some high-risk areas.
• The level of infrastructure in Haiti is much worse quality and so 80% of
buildings were levelled and 30,000 homes were destroyed in Sud Province.
The poor quality of roads meant the response of emergency services was
obstructed. In Florida, however, the largest damage was that power was cut to
around 15,000 homes. Shelters were provided for those who had to be
evacuated.
• The government was quick to respond in Florida and a state of emergency
was declared. Federal funds were released and residents were given advice.
In Haiti, the government was slow to respond and their response was less
effective. Residents were mainly left to fend for themselves and as help and
aid came primarily from overseas, it was not immediate. The scale of the
disaster overwhelmed the local officials, leaving them reliant on other
countries.
How are coastlines managed?
• There is no legal requirement for the government to build coastal defences to
protect people or their land. It is the responsibility of the local councils to
prepare a Shoreline Management Plan (SMP) for their section of coast.
• When deciding whether or not to build coastal defences, the council should
conduct a cost-benefit analysis, weighing up the benefits and the cost.
Different types of coastal management:
Option Description Comment
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