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The Hazards Presented by Volcanic and Seismic Events Have the Greatest Impact on the World’s Poorest People'. to What Extent Do You Agree with This View?

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'The hazards presented by volcanic and seismic events have the greatest impact on the world’s poorest people'. To what extent do you agree with this view? Hazards are anything that could cause damage to humans or buildings. Many volcanic and seismic events happen that cause hazards to humans. Often the world’s poorest people are hit the worst, however wealthier countries can also be adversely affected. The Kobe earthquake in Japan 1995 struck at 5.45am. Many people were asleep in bed, causing the hazard to be increased because the people were unaware. Although many Japanese buildings were of aseismic design, the roofs of their houses were designed to withstand typhoons and so were very heavy. When the earthquake struck many people …show more content…

The Indian Ocean was surrounded by very poor countries that could not afford this kind of system. The wealthy tourists visiting places like Thailand and Indonesia on holiday were relatively safe in the well built western hotels and they were transported back to their home country very quickly after the disaster, whereas the locals did not often have very sturdy shelters and nowhere to go after the disaster happened. The volcanic eruption of Nevada del Ruiz in Bolivia is another example of how some of the poorest people can be so badly affected by these events. The US volcanologist office warned the local authorities about the impending eruption but the authorities did not understand the seriousness of the situation and so did not warn any of the people. 28000 people died from the eruption and the secondary effects of the mudslides and lahars that formed. This lack of education of the risks of the seismic and volcanic hazards in the poorer countries often makes them much more vulnerable. Hawaii experiences volcanic activity all the time from its hot spot volcanoes. Although it is part of the USA, it is still relatively poor but it benefits enormously from the volcano tourism it attracts to the islands. Thousands of people arrive every year to see the volcanic activity from a distance. Although there is still a hazardous risk from the volcano, the people benefit more from it than not.

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