Natural disaster, often depicted in media as nature’s wrath, are severe events triggered by environmental factors that cause immense destruction, loss of life and upheaval in communities. While these natural phenomena are largely caused by Earth’s processes, human activities like urbanization in vulnerable areas, deforestation and mismanagement of land and water resources can amplify the effects of these environmental factors and turn them into a disaster.
Hazards become disasters when they exceed the capacity of the community or region to adapt and cope, and the impacts can last a long time. This field of study encompasses a wide range of disciplines, from the theorization of human vulnerability to environmental extremes to understanding and improving disaster response and recovery.
The costs associated with natural disasters are often high, and can reach tens of billions of dollars in the case of earthquakes, floods, hurricanes or cyclones. The number of disasters with damages exceeding a billion dollars has increased over the past forty years, attributed by researchers to higher exposure and vulnerability as well as climate change.
People with pre-existing health needs, such as the elderly and children, are disproportionately affected by natural disasters due to their lower resilience to stress and a reduced ability to follow evacuation procedures. Additionally, these groups have fewer resources to recover from disaster-related losses and a difficult time accessing the services needed to meet their basic needs. Natural disasters can also lead to epidemics of disease-causing organisms such as cholera or malaria.
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