Natural disasters, often depicted in media as “nature’s wrath”, are extreme events that disrupt communities and damage the environment. They range from earthquakes to floods, droughts, and wildfires, resulting in loss of lives, disruptions in access to food, shelter, water and sanitation, and extensive economic losses. They can also lead to the emergence of infectious diseases. The impacts of such events can be felt across human and ecological scales, with disadvantaged communities often being the most affected.
The most common natural disasters are caused by weather and climate, such as earthquakes; floods, from river overflow or heavy rainfall; cyclonic storms (hurricanes and typhoons); droughts and heat waves; and damaging winds from tornadoes and derechos (windstorms) or hailstorms. The cost of a single disaster can be high, with costs in the tens of billions of dollars.
Earthquakes occur when the ground shakes, usually due to shifting of tectonic plates or volcanic activity under the sea. Most earthquake-related deaths are from collapse of buildings, leading to crush injuries and suffocation; other causes include drownings in flooded homes or coastal areas; landslides; and contamination of drinking water by sewage and toxic chemicals.
In the wake of a disaster, the most vulnerable people are those who are already living in poverty and marginalization, such as indigenous peoples, children, and elderly persons. They are more sensitive to environmental change, less able to comply with evacuation procedures, and have limited resources to recover from material damages and restore their livelihoods.