The 8 Characteristics of Major Natural Disasters

Some of the characteristics of natural disasters are the physical and economic damage they produce, the predictability of some of them and the occurrence at each time period.

A natural disaster is an event of great magnitude, generated only by nature, which produces great damage directly, spontaneously and profoundly in the socio-economic system of a population.

Characteristics of natural disasters Sakurajima, one of the most active volcanoes in the world.

The natural disasters Are events concentrated in time and space that threaten a society or a significant part of it with unwanted damages and consequences that are the result of phenomena of nature that can not be controlled by man.

For this reason, the way to address them is through the prevention and organization of society when experiencing a phenomenon of this type, in order to try to minimize the damage that can generate.

The ability to adapt to natural disasters implies a knowledge of the causes, the danger they represent, the means by which they can be avoided and how to reduce their effects to the extent possible.

That is why various authors come together in the idea that it is of utmost importance to raise awareness about what are natural disasters and their characteristics.

Often natural disasters are generated by human beings' lack of understanding that nature must be treated with respect, and that the ingenuity of man is not sufficiently capable of controlling a natural disaster, nor to nature as a whole , To prevent them from occurring. This attitude is called"technocentrism".

Main Characteristics of Natural Disasters

1- There are several types: geological, hydrological, spatial, biological and meteorological

The Natural disasters can be classified In geological, hydrological and meteorological disasters.

  • Geological disasters are earthquakes, landslides, avalanches and volcanic eruptions.
  • The hydrological disasters are tsunamis, floods and limnic eruptions (the production of flammable or deadly gases in a lake).
  • Weather disasters include thunderstorms, tornadoes, hurricanes, droughts, heatwaves, and hail storms.
  • Biological: pandemics or epidemics.
  • Space: solar eruptions, meteorites.

2- Generate damages

Natural disasters are situations that produce great damages of different types:

  • Loss of human, animal and plant life (deaths)
  • Wounded
  • Disappearances
  • Loss of infrastructure
  • Mass displacement of people
  • The need for a great expense of resources for the care of the victims and the repair of the damages, that in some cases do not exist in the necessary amount, and ends up producing situations of poverty, famine, damage and diseases.

3 - A natural disaster can produce another

It is common for the occurrence of a natural disaster to generate other natural disasters as a reaction.

For example, an earthquake can cause tsunami waves at sea, landslides, avalanches on slopes, landslides or fires in urban areas, among others.

4- Poor social classes are more threatened

Poverty tends to exacerbate the difficulties caused by natural disasters, for example, in developing countries, buildings often do not have the resources and measures needed to withstand their onslaught, and this can lead to a higher death toll .

Similarly, these societies do not have sufficient resources to make all necessary repairs later, and the consequences of the phenomenon tend to accentuate the disadvantage gap in societies or in the poorest sectors.

5- Some are predictable

Many of the natural disaster phenomena are predictable over time, and there is much literature available on each type of natural disaster that can be used for their knowledge and prevention.

The geophysical phenomena that cause natural disasters are not as unique and unusual as they are commonly thought.

Many of them occur within a period of time not so long - every 30 to 100 years - but even so, societies tend not to take this information into account.

It is therefore common that between disaster and other disaster prevention and preparedness is not a priority, and surprise and confusion prevail.

You only think of them until shortly after experiencing such an experience. This happens even among professionals involved in the prevention and management of these disasters, such as politicians, journalists, emergency planners and civil protection personnel.

6- Protocols for action

There are different international treaties, protocols, mechanisms and frameworks of action that aim at coordinating global risk management in the face of natural disasters and adaptive capacity in these situations.

Some of them are:

  • United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC): This agreement establishes measures to ensure financing mechanisms, technology transfer, assurance and attention to the needs of the subscribed countries derived from adverse effects of climate change, among other things.
  • The Hyogo Framework for Action 2005-2015: Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters . This conference built a framework for action to promote the reduction of vulnerability, hazards and threats posed by natural disasters in the subscribed countries.
  • Coordination Center for the Prevention of Natural Disasters in Central America (CEPREDENAC): This body was formed in 2003 between Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama, in order to manage risk and coordinate effective responses, at regional and national levels, to environmental challenges, including Reducing vulnerability to the impact of natural disasters.
  • International Law of Disasters and Armed Conflict: This Act establishes parameters to regulate international cooperation and relief in natural disasters among countries belonging to the United Nations system.

7- Become disasters by exceeding a parameter

Natural phenomena, such as rain, earthquakes, hurricanes or wind, become disasters when they exceed a limit of normality, usually measured through a parameter.

This varies depending on the type of phenomenon, being the Seismic Moment Magnitude (Mw), the Richter scale for seismic movements, the Saffir-Simpson scale for hurricanes, etc.

conclusion

Massive knowledge of information concerning natural disasters enables a society to better prevent and prepare for its consequences when unavoidable.

It is necessary to reinforce, through education, a culture of civil defense in which it is transmitted that we are all responsible for our security in suffering these situations.

In this way, it is possible to effectively increase levels of security and self-preservation at the time of being threatened by a natural disaster.

References

  1. ALEXANDER, D. (1993). Natural Disasters [online]. Consulted on July 4, 2017 on the World Wide Web: books.google.com
  2. Regional Disaster Information Center (2016). International Agreements of CC and GR . Accessed July 4, 2017 on the World Wide Web: cambioclimatico.cridlac.org
  3. International Law of Disasters and Armed Conflicts. Accessed July 4, 2017 on the World Wide Web: eird.org
  4. Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. Accessed on July 4, 2017 on the World Wide Web: wikipedia.org


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