Hazardousness of a place

Abstract

The first step in the assessment of hazards is to understand major hazards associated with an area, to develop an appropriate approach of hazard mitigation, and to be prepared for emergency situations. Hazards can be evaluated in terms of the likelihood that a problem may occur and the damage it would cause. Magnitude and the frequency of the events are always necessary to understand in the analysis of severity of a potentially damaging event. Some hazards, such as landslides, have a local effect; some such as earthquakes and hurricanes, have a regional effect; and other hazards, such as volcanic dust clouds, have a hemispheric or global effect. Prioritizing hazards based on the records of the historical events, survey of the recent events, current scientific knowledge, and the sensing of the environmental changes is an appropriate way to identify the major hazards in an area. Mitigation of hazards is an activity taken to reduce or eliminate the risk to life and property. The first choice of any mitigation plan should focus on human settlement areas, engineering structures, and ecologically sensitive areas. Any mitigation approach should be a plan with a long- and short-term perspective. Adopting codes for buildings, schools, hospitals, dams, bridges, and power plants are the long-term approach. Preventing and controlling the hazards by engineering methods can be adopted as a short-term approach. Emergency preparedness, including evacuation before a hazardous event, is the final stage to be safe from a hazardous event. Many hazardous events are preceded by warning precursors. Educating the public about these warnings and appropriate actions needed during a hazardous event would be one of the best approaches of emergency preparedness.