2.1 Natural hazards in Australia

1. A natural hazard is a threat of a naturally occurring event that will have a negative effect on people or the environment.
2. The difference between a natural disaster and a natural Hazard is that a natural disaster causes a threat to economical and social society were as a natural hazard happens which may lead to a disaster
3. the two catergories of natural hazards in Australia are the ones that cause changes in weather, and those that cause movement in the earths crust
4. weather and climatic factors—drought, flood, heatwaves, bushfires, strong winds, storms, tropical cyclones and tornadoes
   movements in the Earth’s crust— landslides, earth tremors, earthquakes and tsunamis.
5. Natural hazards that occur in more densly populated areas are more noticable then those that occur in other parts of Australia because the impacts they have on communities are obvious and costly. They become well documented and covered by the media because of the effects on a large number of people.
6. Droughts have large effects on all communities anywere in the world, though they impact more greatly in rural areas because it is already hard for them to reach water, and they will need to get water from other locations
7. Social impacts—loss of life, and stresses placed on families and people, as well as the destruction of community structures and facilities.
   Economic impacts—such as the loss of income for people or damage to an industry, loss and destruction of property, and insurance losses.
   Environmental impacts—including the destruction of the natural and human environment, death of and injury to wildlife, and changes to environments.
8. It is important because  more of the Australian continent is settled exposing communities to a greater range of threats.
9. GIS is used to map the threat of natural hazards in Australia by using past natural hazards and disasters and calculating the likely hood of it happening in a certain area by the amount of times a certain place has experienced natural hazards.
10. 
    (a) Tsunami, Flood, Bushfire
    B) Heatwave
11. 
    A) Local councils could make certain restrictions about things that may be negative towards the community during a natural hazard
    B)The state government can learn which parts of the state are most at risk to natural hazard and spend more money protecting and preparing those areasC) They know where the higher risk places are, so they can patrol or station themselves closer to that area
    D) Insurance companies would be able to save money by restricting some of their policies to people that live in high risk areas