Using case studies to support your answer, explain how similar hazards have different impacts.

First of all, it is important to acknowledge that there are two different types of hazard. The first, geophysical hazards, includes earthquakes and volcanoes. The second are hydro-meteorological hazards, which range from droughts and flooding to hurricanes. Thus, the comparison made for this question must be between either geophysical or hydro-meteorological hazards. The case studies that have been chosen for comparison are California, particularly along the San Andreas Fault, and Haiti. Both of these case studies experience frequent tremors and small earthquakes, as well as less frequent but incredibly powerful earthquakes.The significant economic disparity between these two case studies is a primary reason why the impacts experienced by each are significantly different. The greater economic resources at the disposal of California has an immediate affect on the efficiency of the emergency services. Not only do they have more resources at their disposal in comparison to the services in Haiti, but they also have access to better first response training, thus making their immediate response to the aftermath more effective. On top of a more sophisticated emergency response team, greater economic development also reduces the impacts of hazards due to the greater investment in technologies and infrastructure, particularly in early warning systems or anti-shock and shock absorbent buildings. Alongside the more tangible ways economic resources can reduce the impacts of earthquakes, is the effect it can have on providing better education on hazards. Within California children are taught the appropriate response to an earthquake in an attempt to reduce the number of casualties. A more long-term result of better hazard education is producing earthquake proof city planning, which subsequently reduces the secondary impacts such as fires. Overall it is evident that the economic development of an area not only has the ability to determine the severity of the impacts, thus causing similar hazards to have hugely different impacts, but also the areas ability to cope with the aftermath of the hazard.