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Quiz yourself on Natural Hazards OverviewGet your flashcardsBuild my revision planTrack my progress👥 Factors Affecting Vulnerability: The PEARL Framework
Why are some communities so much more vulnerable to natural hazards than others? Geographers use the PEARL framework to organise the key factors:
P — Poverty
Poor countries cannot afford earthquake-proof buildings, early warning systems, well-equipped emergency services, or comprehensive insurance. When disaster strikes, they lack the financial reserves to fund rapid recovery. Haiti's GDP per capita was approximately $700 in 2010 — compare this to New Zealand's $28,000. Poor households cannot afford to build with reinforced concrete or to relocate away from flood-prone areas.
Poor countries cannot afford earthquake-proof buildings, early warning systems, well-equipped emergency services, or comprehensive insurance. When disaster strikes, they lack the financial reserves to fund rapid recovery. Haiti's GDP per capita was approximately $700 in 2010 — compare this to New Zealand's $28,000. Poor households cannot afford to build with reinforced concrete or to relocate away from flood-prone areas.
E — Education
Communities that understand hazard risks can prepare and respond more effectively. Where literacy rates are low, warning messages may not be understood. Where hazard education is not embedded in schools, people do not know to move away from the coast when the sea unexpectedly retreats before a tsunami, or to shelter in place during an earthquake rather than running outside into falling debris.
Communities that understand hazard risks can prepare and respond more effectively. Where literacy rates are low, warning messages may not be understood. Where hazard education is not embedded in schools, people do not know to move away from the coast when the sea unexpectedly retreats before a tsunami, or to shelter in place during an earthquake rather than running outside into falling debris.
A — Access
Remote communities are harder to reach with aid and emergency services after a disaster. Nepal's mountain villages after the 2015 earthquake could not be reached for three days because roads were blocked by landslides. In coastal Bangladesh, islands can only be reached by boat — evacuation before a cyclone is slow and dangerous.
Remote communities are harder to reach with aid and emergency services after a disaster. Nepal's mountain villages after the 2015 earthquake could not be reached for three days because roads were blocked by landslides. In coastal Bangladesh, islands can only be reached by boat — evacuation before a cyclone is slow and dangerous.
R — Resilience
Countries that have experienced frequent hazards and invested in preparedness systems are more resilient. Japan has experienced thousands of earthquakes — its society has built deep cultural and institutional resilience: school drills, building codes, underground flood reservoirs in Tokyo, tsunami walls along the coast. Chile, after the devastating 1960 Valdivia earthquake, reformed its entire construction sector.
Countries that have experienced frequent hazards and invested in preparedness systems are more resilient. Japan has experienced thousands of earthquakes — its society has built deep cultural and institutional resilience: school drills, building codes, underground flood reservoirs in Tokyo, tsunami walls along the coast. Chile, after the devastating 1960 Valdivia earthquake, reformed its entire construction sector.
L — Location
Some communities have no choice but to live in hazard zones because of economic necessity, fertile soil, or lack of alternatives. Bangladesh's delta is one of the most fertile agricultural areas on Earth — and one of the most flood-prone. The Ring of Fire (the tectonic plate margins around the Pacific Ocean) contains some of the world's most densely populated cities: Tokyo, Manila, Jakarta, Lima, Los Angeles. Over 700 million people live within 100 km of an active volcano.
Some communities have no choice but to live in hazard zones because of economic necessity, fertile soil, or lack of alternatives. Bangladesh's delta is one of the most fertile agricultural areas on Earth — and one of the most flood-prone. The Ring of Fire (the tectonic plate margins around the Pacific Ocean) contains some of the world's most densely populated cities: Tokyo, Manila, Jakarta, Lima, Los Angeles. Over 700 million people live within 100 km of an active volcano.
PEARL: Poverty, Education, Access, Resilience, Location — five factors that determine how vulnerable a community is to natural hazards.
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