One volcano, two villages

In the picture

1. 1The hazard: the same volcano threatens both slopes
2. 2Monitoring station: scientists can warn people before an eruption
3. 3Wide road: people can evacuate quickly to the plain
4. 4Dense shacks: many people in fragile homes close to the crater

Examples

• An earthquake of the same strength can kill far more people in a city with poorly built buildings than in one with earthquake-proof buildings.
• A town with flood warnings and a practised evacuation plan loses fewer lives in a storm than a town without them.

Quiz: One volcano, two villages (Age 15)

1. 1

   Two towns face exactly the same volcano. Why might one suffer far more damage than the other if it erupts?

   • The damage depends only on how powerful the eruption is
   • Their vulnerability differs: how many people live there, how solid the homes are and how prepared they are
   • The eruption is always more violent on the side where the poorer town is
2. 2

   How does a wide road leading away from a volcano reduce the harm of an eruption?

   • It lets people evacuate quickly to a safer area
   • It makes the eruption itself weaker
   • It stops lava from flowing towards the houses
3. 3

   Three villages sit at the same distance from the same volcano. Which one is most at risk?

   • A crowded village of fragile homes with no warnings or escape plan
   • A large town with solid buildings and an evacuation plan
   • A small village of solid houses with a warning system

The answers, each with its explanation, are in the app. This quiz is free there while the lesson is in the free week.