Preview

Hazard and Natural Disaster

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
712 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Hazard and Natural Disaster
A disaster is a natural or man-made (or technological) hazard resulting in an event of substantial extent causing significant physical damage or destruction, loss of life, or drastic change to the environment. A disaster can be ostensively defined as any tragic event stemming from events such as earthquakes, floods, catastrophic accidents, fires, orexplosions. It is a phenomenon that can cause damage to life and property and destroy the economic, social and cultural life of people.
In contemporary academia, disasters are seen as the consequence of inappropriatelymanaged risk. These risks are the product of a combination of both hazard/s and vulnerability. Hazards that strike in areas with low vulnerability will never become disasters, as is the case in uninhabited regions.[1]
Developing countries suffer the greatest costs when a disaster hits – more than 95 percent of all deaths caused by disasters occur in developing countries, and losses due to natural disasters are 20 times greater (as a percentage of GDP) in developing countries than in industrialized countries.[2][3] Contents [hide] * 1 Etymology * 2 Classifications * 2.1 Natural disaster * 2.2 Man-made disasters * 3 See also * 4 References * 5 Further reading * 6 External links |
-------------------------------------------------
[edit]Etymology
The word disaster is derived from Middle French désastre and that from Old Italian disastro, which in turn comes from the Greekpejorative prefix δυσ-, (dus-) "bad"[4] + ἀστήρ (aster), "star".[5] The root of the word disaster ("bad star" in Greek) comes from anastrological theme in which the ancients used to refer to the destruction or deconstruction of a star as a disaster.
-------------------------------------------------
[edit]Classifications
Researchers have been studying disasters for more than a century, and for more than forty years disaster research. The studies reflect a common opinion when they argue that all disasters can be

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    The earth has been affected by the natural hazards over a long time as man emerged into picture the picture that the natural occurrences were becoming disaster, together with being documented in various ways providing a warning for the future generation. However in 1920, there was a published study referred to as the catastrophe and social change by Henry Samuel Prince. This was the Halifax Disaster documented account and the occurrence of the social change. The first person to deliver evidence based study was Prince, by use of theory founding a paradigm which paved way for the management of disaster to be studied (Sperling, 2004).…

    • 1108 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    Nations abroad, individuals, families and entire communities are experiencing unprecedented disasters. Disasters occur suddenly and unexpectedly, and they often cannot be prevented. A disaster is any natural or human made incident that causes disruption, destruction or devastation requiring external assistance (Stanhope & Lancaster 2014). It seems as though more and more disasters are occurring more frequent than in years past. There are two types of disasters, natural disasters as well as human-made disasters. Natural disasters are defined as unpreventable…

    • 2433 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Disaster Response

    • 695 Words
    • 3 Pages

    A disaster brings violence, terror, and trauma, to all who experience its wrath and devastation. Destruction and suffering is the entertainment that disasters provide to its audience, through a campaign of psychological and physical damage. According to the fields of disaster psychiatry and disaster psychology, a disaster is a major ecological and psychosocial destruction that far exceeds the coping ability of a disaster area ( PTSD & Natural Disaster). There are two primary types of disasters to which we are all vulnerable; these are manmade disasters and natural disasters. Manmade disasters are created and initiated by human intent or error. Manmade disasters are often terrorist attacks, explosions, plane crashes, and negligent behaviors that provoke hazards. One of the most notorious manmade disasters happened on September 11, 2001, and it demonstrated how devastating a manmade disaster can be. Unlike manmade disasters, natural disasters are more prevalent across the world; they come in the form of hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, flash floods, blizzards etc. In general, disasters will come in various forms and society must do whatever it must to prepare for, and respond to them accordingly. When it comes to reducing or even preventing the damage that disasters can inflict, we first have to prepare for them in order to respond to them.…

    • 695 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Life in Refugee Camps

    • 353 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Though economists keep studying the affects of natural disasters from an economic perspective, there is much more that is still largely unexplored and neglected. Natural disasters are often described as synonymous to act of God. There is also something relating to these disasters which is not an act of God. It is rather an act of man. On one hand, man has always tried to protect himself against natural disasters through technological inventions and innovations that result in an early warning system. Which offers enough time to take preventive measures. But a series of scams and frauds that follow any natural disaster compel me to think ‘if natural disasters are really an act of God or man?’…

    • 353 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Disaster, which can be classified into nature and man-made, occurs in many forms: floods, wind, fire, explosions, extreme range of environmental temperatures, epidemics, multiple car crashes with many casualties, school shootings, and environmental contamination from chemical agents and/or bioterrorism (Maurer, & Smith, 2016). Disaster can be divided into three phases, pre-impact, impact and post-impact.…

    • 383 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Disaster and Mental Health

    • 2274 Words
    • 10 Pages

    Natural disasters cause damage of property and loss of life and most of the time leaves economic damage in its wake. The resilience of the affected population or its ability to recover indicates the severity of which. In a vulnerable area, typhoon, flood, earthquake, tsunami and others can have disastrous consequences and leave lasting damage.…

    • 2274 Words
    • 10 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    References: Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), (2006), Natural Hazards and Disaster Management. Delhi: Preet Vihar. Joshi, S.R. (2008), Natural Disasters in North-East Region and its Management: An Essay, Centre for Science Education, North Eastern Hill University Bijni Complex, Laitumkhrah, Shillong – 793 003, Meghalaya.…

    • 6429 Words
    • 26 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Extempo Speech

    • 613 Words
    • 2 Pages

    In the recent years, our country has been plagued by typhoons, earthquakes, and other natural hazards. But it is important to keep in mind that disasters are not natural, they only occur when people lack preparedness or the ability to cope with hazards.…

    • 613 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Natural Disaster

    • 468 Words
    • 2 Pages

    People are often frightened when they hear a word called “ Natural Disaster”. It’s the disaster where no one can escape or destroy. In a second, it can change and destroy the whole city or country whether it is New York City or other no matter how big it is. People run, to escape. They build extra rooms in underground to protect themselves but it’s useless. When it actually comes, every single thing is destroyed. It comes with the speed of a very high amount and in a blink of an eye it kills thousands and millions of people.…

    • 468 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    List of Disaters

    • 263 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Lists of disasters The following are lists of disasters. List of disasters by cost Natural These lists are of disasters caused by forces of nature. List of floods List of tropical cyclones List of earthquakes List of environmental disasters List of fires List of forest fires ↑Jump back a section Accidents These are lists of disasters caused by accidental human action. List of accidents and disasters by death toll Transport List of road accidents List of rail accidents List of accidents and incidents involving commercial aircraft Lists of accidents and incidents involving military aircraft List of maritime disasters List of shipwrecks List of aircraft disasters List of airship accidents Industrial List of industrial disasters List of structural failures and collapses List of bridge failures List of dam failures List of levee failures List of mast and tower collapses List of modern infrastructure failures Nuclear and radiation accidents List of civilian radiation accidents List of civilian nuclear accidents List of military nuclear accidents List of nuclear and radiation accidents by death toll Lists of nuclear disasters and radioactive incidents List of oil spills List of space accidents and incidents Health List of famines List of epidemics List of mass evacuations Manmade These are lists of disasters caused by deliberate human action. List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll Atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki List of crimes involving radioactive substances List of nuclear tests List of battles and other violent events List of military disasters List of wars List of terrorist incidents List of riots List of massacres ↑Jump back a…

    • 263 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Natural Disasters

    • 340 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Not all natural disasters can be prevented. Each natural disaster has its own factors and complications. Understanding the basic principles of…

    • 340 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Natural Disasters

    • 369 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Natural Disasters are presented to us in various forms. Earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, volcano eruptions and tornados have been the causes of many devastating events seen throughout history. Preparation is needed to increase the chances of overcoming the destruction of a natural disaster. but unfortunately, some disasters may occur without warning and often increase havoc in more ways than one.…

    • 369 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Natural Disaster

    • 1235 Words
    • 5 Pages

    A natural disaster is the effect of a natural hazard (e.g., flood, tornado, hurricane, volcanic eruption, earthquake, heatwave, or landslide). It leads to financial, environmental or human losses. The resulting loss depends on the vulnerability of the affected population to resist the hazard, also called their resilience. if these disasters continues it would be a great danger for the earth.[1] This understanding is concentrated in the formulation: "disasters occur when hazards meet vulnerability."[2] Thus a natural hazard will not result in a natural disaster in areas without vulnerability, e.g. strong earthquakes in uninhabited areas.[3] The term natural has consequently been disputed because the events simply are not hazards or disasters without human involvement.[4] A concrete example of the division between a natural hazard and a natural disaster is that the 1906 San Francisco earthquake was a disaster, whereas earthquakes are a hazard. This article gives an introduction to notable natural disasters, refer to the list of natural disasters for a comprehensive listing.…

    • 1235 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    The first section of this paper presents the definition of a disaster and the subsequent sections examine basic concepts of disaster management and discusses upon those concepts to effectively manage and respond to disasters and emergences at local, national and international level.…

    • 5553 Words
    • 23 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    A natural disaster is an event that can destroy property and cause injury. Natural disasters are caused by something happening in nature, like a change in the weather. Sometimes we have warning of a natural disaster and other times they happen without notice.…

    • 1918 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Good Essays