Natural disaster

A natural disaster is a major event caused by the natural processes of the Earth. Examples are floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis and other geologic processes. A natural disaster causes loss of life or property damage, and leaves some economic damage afterwards costing millions.

Human activities may be the cause of some natural disasters, such as climate change _, deforestation and landslides.

The damage disasters do to humans and their property counts most. There is a saying: "disasters occur when hazards meet vulnerability".^[1]

If a strong earthquake happens in uninhabited areas, it is usually not seen as a disaster. An adverse event will not rise to the level of a disaster if it occurs in an area without vulnerable population. In a vulnerable area, such as Nepal during the 2015 earthquake, an earthquake can have disastrous consequences and leave lasting damage, which can take years to repair.

1. ↑ Wisner B. et al. 2004 (2004). At risk - natural hazards, people's vulnerability and disasters. Wiltshire: Routledge. ISBN 0-415-25216-4.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)