Scholarly record

ASSESMENT OF NATURAL HAZARDS IN EUROPEAN COUNTRIES WITH IMPACT ON YOUNG PEOPLE

PhD Student Alexandra Kovacs, Dr Horatiu Stefanie, Dr Camelia Botezan, PhD Student Iulia Craciun, Prof Alexandru Ozunu

Abstract

In Europe, the knowledge and measures regarding self-protection in case of emergency is very poor in general. Within the population, young people aged 7 пїЅ 12 require a special approach, as their knowledge and behavior is different from adults. Their perception of accidents and disasters needs to be educated through an efficient teaching program. Therefore, a first step in developing such a tailored education program is to assess the natural hazards in European countries, with a special focus on the hazards that can pose a threat in daily life situations. This evaluation supports the strengthening of self-competencies of young people in recognizing hazards and dealing with them. For the assessment of natural hazards, national risk assessments were used, where available, as well as other documented sources. The evaluation was based on occurrence frequency and mortality rates, as well as economic loses, as elements that generally characterize risk. Considering the results of these assessments and keeping in mind the target group of the study, the main natural hazards this age group is exposed to are: storms, floods, extreme temperatures and earthquakes. These natural events can have either high mortality rates, such as extreme temperatures (whether heat waves or cold waves) or high frequencies, such as storms and floods.

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