Natural Hazards Assessment and Management

Code:

GEOGR005

Acronym:

AGRN

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Geography

Instance: 2023/2024 - 2S

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Department of Geography
Course/CS Responsible:	Bachelor in Geography

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
GEOGR	55	study plan	2	-	6	41	162
			3

Teaching language

Suitable for English-speaking students

Objectives

-Discuss the concepts, terminology and models-
-Comprehend the nature, causes and consequences of "natural" disasters
- Understanding how to do disaster management

-Discover basic concepts and terminology

-Complete how natural hazards are created, maintained or increased

-Comprehend the social and cultural dimension of risk

-Know methods for assessing risk

-Comprehend the importance of risk perception

-Concerning structural and non-structural risk assessment measures

- Understanding how to manage a risk


-Complete the concept and process of risk communication

 

- Understand the concept and process of communication in a crisis situation

Learning outcomes and competences

Learning results

• Understand the main concepts in disaster ris and disasters fields


• Understand the ability to understand "natural" disaster risk and disasters as a social phenomenon


• To know how to use some tools for the assessment and management of natural disaster risks and disasters

Competences 

• Develop the ability to read and interpret cientific works


• Develop the ability to reflect and present arguments to support an idea


• Develop the capacity to communicate science to different target groups

Working method

Presencial

Program

Theoretical and practical classes
1. "Natural" disasters

1.1. The concept and trigger mechanisms
1.2. Cascading disasters
1.3. Disasters paradigms
1.4. Disaster trends
1.5. Disasters geographical distribution
1.6. Impacts of "natural" disasters
1.7. Disaster cycle
1.8. Disaster databases


2. Natural Risks

2.1. Concept: the natural and social construction of risk
2.2. Natural hazards: types, characteristics and evaluation methods
2.3. Vulnerability: dimensions and evaluation methods
2.4. The perception of risk
2.5. Methods of risk assessment


3. The management and governance of natural risks


4. Resilience: the importance in disaster reduction

5. Communication of risk and crisis

5.1. Concept and guiding principles

5.2. The risk communication process: how to prepare an awareness program




Tutorial Orientation classes

Wildfires  as a socio-ecological process

or

Earthquakes mitigation, emergency response and rec overy

or

Floods management

Mandatory literature

Alexander, David ; Principles of emergency planning and management, Harpenden,Terra, 2002
Alexander, D.; Natural Disasters, Routledge, 2002
Birkmann, J., Kienberger, S., & Alexander, D. (2014). Assessment of Vulnerability to Natural Hazards. A European Perspective. Waltham, MA: Elsevier. ; Assessment of Vulnerability to Natural Hazards. A European Perspective, Elsevier, 2014
IPCC ; Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation, Cambridge University Press., 2012
Paton, D, Johnston, D.; Disaster Resilience: An integrated Approach, Charles C Tomas, Springfield, Illinois, 2006
Paton, D., Buergelt, P.T., McCaffrey, S., & Tedim; Wildfires: Hazards, risks, and disasters, Elsevier, 2014
Pelling, M. ; Adaptation to Climate Change: From Resilience to Transformation. London: Routledge., Routledge, 2001
Thywissen, Katharina; Components of risk. A comparative Glossary , UNU-EHS, 2006
Wisner, B., Gaillard, J.C., & Kelman, I. (2012). Handbook of Hazards and Disaster Risk Reduction. Abingdon: Routledge.; Handbook of Hazards and Disaster Risk Reduction, Routledge, 2012
David Etkin; Disaster theory: an interdisciplinary approach to Concepts and Causes
Revista científica; International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, Elsevier
Revista científica; International Journal of Disaster Risk Science, Springer
Revista científica; Natural Hazards, Springer
Revista científica; Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences, European Geosciences Union
Revista científica; Disasters, Overseas Development Institute
Ian Davis, David Alexander ; Recovery from disasters, Routledge, 2015
Tedim, F., Leone, V., & McGee, T. (Eds.) ; Extreme Wildfire Events and disasters: Root Causes and New Management Strategies. Cambridge, MA, EUA: Elsevier, 303p. ISBN 978-0-12-815721-3., Elsevier, 2020. ISBN: ISBN 978-0-12-815721-3.
Paton, D. (Ed.), Buergelt, P.T., McCaffrey, S., & Tedim F. (Ed. associados); Wildfire Hazards, Risks, and Disasters, Elsevier, 2015. ISBN: ISBN: 978-0-12-410434-1.
D. Paton, & D. Johnston (Ed.); Disaster Resilience: An integrated approach (2nd Ed) , Springfield, Ill., EUA: Charles C. Thomas Publisher, 2017. ISBN: ISBN: 978-0-398-09169-9

Teaching methods and learning activities

The teaching methods are:

- Lectures in which the students are encouraged to intervene and share experiences;

- Individual participationof the students in the organization and animation of critical discussion sessions about different conceptualizations of risk components (e.g., vulnerability) and resilience;

- Carrying out specific exercises on databases, identification of indicators, analysis and interpretation of data;

-

- Workshop with stakeholders (civil protection /municipalities);

- Tutorial sessions using prblem based learning.

 

The rating form is distributed without final exam. It consists of the following components: Theoretical test, practical test; exercise for development of critical scientific thinking; exercise of gathering information on natural hazards and advanced data analysis; exercise of drafting risk assessment report

Software

Excel
Mendeley
word
Arcgis

keywords

Social sciences
Natural sciences

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation without final exam

Assessment Components

Designation	Weight (%)
Teste	60,00
Trabalho prático ou de projeto	40,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

Designation	Time (hours)
Estudo autónomo	81,00
Frequência das aulas	41,00
Trabalho de investigação	40,00
Total:	162,00

Eligibility for exams

Attendance at 75% of planned classes.

Calculation formula of final grade

Evaluation without final exam (60% for  tests, 40% for research project)

Examinations or Special Assignments

Not applicable

Special assessment (TE, DA, ...)

In accordance with the Faculty rules

Classification improvement

Test repetition