What is the difference between direct and indirect impacts of tectonic hazards in disaster risk reduction?

• A. Direct are economic losses; Indirect are injuries.
• B. Direct are tsunamis; Indirect are aftershocks.
• C. Direct are physical damage and injuries; Indirect include economic losses, displacement, health effects, social disruption.
• D. Direct are weather effects; Indirect are climate change.

Answer: (C)

In disaster risk reduction for tectonic hazards, focus is on immediate physical effects versus the longer-term consequences that follow. Direct impacts are what you’d see right away from the event: physical damage to buildings, infrastructure, and the landscape, plus injuries and fatalities caused by the hazard itself. Indirect impacts come later as a result of the disruption caused by that damage: economic losses from rebuilding and business interruption, displacement of people, health effects from broken services, and broader social disruption like schooling and community cohesion.

So the correct description matches: direct impacts are physical damage and injuries, while indirect impacts include economic losses, displacement, health effects, and social disruption. The other descriptions mix up the timing or nature of effects (economic losses are indirect, injuries are direct; tsunamis or aftershocks aren’t neatly separated into direct vs indirect in that way; weather or climate terms aren’t the focus of tectonic hazards).