Disaster Management -Natural Disasters

Natural Disasters

• Natural Disasters are Disasters caused by humans have included transportation accidents, industrial accidents, release of hazardous materials and the collapse of buildings. Disasters are still widely thought of as sudden onsets of cataclysmic events. 
• However, disasters such as famine and global climate change could be considered ‘slow-onset’ disasters. As odd as the idea sounds, disasters can even be ‘chronic’ – that is: continually occurring over a protracted period of time. 
• In reality, although humans can do little about the causes of weather events, humans have been increasingly able to reduce the impact of weather events on society. Early warning systems can alert costal populations of approaching tsunamis and they can give populations time to be evacuated from danger areas. 
• Zoning codes, where enforced, can keep populations from building in flood-prone areas. Responsible land use can reduce the risk of landslips caused by unchecked felling of trees.  For other events classified as natural disasters, risks can be dramatically reduced through careful planning. Construction codes when enforced can reduce loss from earthquakes. Governments can institute measures to assist in extreme cold and extreme heat. 
• Food security programmes can protect a population against food crises arising from pests and failed crops. Surveillance systems and high coverage by routine immunization programmes can help prevent outbreaks of disease. Social programmes can reduce vulnerability to disasters which otherwise could not be controlled.

Natural Disasters increased by humans

From the earliest days, disasters were often classified as acts of God or acts of man, a language which persists in the terminology of insurance companies. As society has become more complex, it is evident that people are increasingly responsible, directly or indirectly, for the consequences of events previously ascribed to forces beyond their control.

Disasters from forces in nature

1.Tropical storms (hurricanes, cyclones)

• This killer weather system was first detected over the tropical Atlantic on August 27 1900. While the history of the track and intensity is not fully known, the system reached Cuba as a tropical storm on September 3 and moved into the southeastern Gulf of Mexico on the 5th. 
• A general west-northwestward motion occurred over the Gulf accompanied by rapid intensification. By the time the storm reached the Texas coast south of Galveston late on September 8, it was a Category 4 hurricane. 
• After landfall, the cyclone turned northward through the Great Plains. It became extratropical and turned east-northeastward on September 11, passing across the Great Lakes, New England, and southeastern Canada. 
• It was last spotted over the north Atlantic on September 15.