A hazard can best be defined as a 'situation that poses a level of threat to life, health, property or the environment'. The overall impact of earthquakes as a natural hazard varies greatly from one place and time of day or year to another. As do the types of hazards, which are classed as either primary or secondary hazards. Primary hazards are created by the direct seismic shaking of an earthquake; this could include liquefaction, slope slipping and tsunamis. These primary hazards can in turn trigger secondary hazards such as floods, fires, disease and damage to infrastructure making them less stable. A number of factors play a part in determining the severity of these hazards.
For me the most influential factor is where the tectonic process occurs in relation to the levels of development of that area. HIC's tend to cope better with the hazard of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions than LIC's because they have all the necessary resources to survive the effects of these hazards at their disposal. Such as earthquake proof buildings that are designed to withstand earthquakes by using strong materials such as reinforced concrete or building special foundations that absorb an earthquakes energy e.g. the Bank Tower in Los Angeles, California. Construction laws in some earthquake-prone countries (e.g. Japan, the US and China) have become stricter in recent years – this means that newer buildings are more likely to be able to withstand earthquakes. This is most apparent in Sichuan where a major earthquake in 2008 killed 70,000 people but regulations were toughened and 5 years later in 2013, an earthquake of similar magnitude hit the same area and there was a much lower death toll due to the collapse of fewer buildings. Another technique in order to protect people from the effects of volcanoes is diverting lava away from settlements using barriers. For example when Mt. Etna