What is Disaster

Introduction

• Disaster is a mishap that leads to loss of life, livelihood and property
• According to the United Nations, disaster is “the occurrence of sudden or major misfortune which disturbs the basic fabric and normal functioning of the society or community”
• Geo-climatic conditions of India as well as its high degree of socio-economic vulnerability, makes it one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world

Difference between Hazard and Disaster

• The difference between hazard and disaster is minor but significant,  a community when affected by a hazard is then termed a disaster

The differences between Hazard and Disaster can be cited below:-

Degree

A hazard is a risky circumstance that puts human life in jeopardy, whereas a disaster is an occurrence that destroys human life and property.

Occurrence

The majority of disasters occur in a short period, making them more severe, whereas a danger will take shape after a sequence of events that may have caused it to occur. As a result, required precautions can be made to avoid a hazard’s undesirable repercussions.

Risk:

Risk is the possibility of damage in terms of life, property, and livelihood due to a disaster at a given point in time. It depends on the intensity of the climate Hazard and the vulnerability of the population. It can be simply understood as Risk= Vulnerability x Hazard

The concept of hazardous events and disasters as the result of continually present risk conditions is reflected in the term disaster risk.

Characteristics of Disaster risks

There are numerous characteristics of disaster risk. To comprehend disaster risk, it is necessary to recognize that it is:

• Forward-looking to see the potential of loss of life, destruction, and damage in a certain time frame
• It is dynamic in that it can grow or shrink depending on our capacity to eliminate the vulnerability
• It consists not only of the threat of high-impact occurrences but also of the frequent, low-impact events that are frequently buried
• Unevenly dispersed over the globe: Hazards affect diverse places, but the distribution of catastrophe risk in different countries reflects the social construction of exposure and susceptibility
• Many processes, such as climate change and worldwide economic expansion, are creating new, interrelated hazards that are emerging and complicated

•       Risk due to Hazard depends on the following factors:

⮚      Demography

⮚      Economic status

⮚      Geographical location

⮚      Use of scientific methods for mitigation

⮚      Setting up of early warning systems

⮚      Implementation of the laws

⮚      Preparedness of the community

● Vulnerability to disaster

⮚    The potential for loss to an individual, community, or a place because of a disaster is affected by geographical as well as social conditions.  The socio-economic, physical, and environmental are various aspects of vulnerability.

⮚      Factors determining vulnerability to a disaster event:

1.  Aspects such as population density, remoteness of a settlement, the site, design, and materials used for critical infrastructure and housing. ascertains the physical vulnerability. E.g. Wooden homes are more vulnerable to fire but are less vulnerable to collapse in earthquakes.
2. Social Vulnerability means the inability of people, organizations, and societies to withstand adverse impacts of hazards due to factors inherent in social interactions, institutions, and systems of cultural values.
3.  It is linked to the level of well-being of individuals, communities, and society as a whole.
4. Variety of factors contribute such as education and equal rights, the level of security and peace. E.g. During floods, the children, elderly and differently-able, could also be unable to protect themselves or evacuate in an emergency if necessary.
5. Economic Vulnerability: The economic status of individuals affects the intensity of vulnerability. The poor people are generally more vulnerable as they lack the resources to build strong structures and put other engineering measures in place to protect themselves from being negatively impacted by disasters. E.g. Poorer families may live in slums because they cannot afford to live in safer (more expensive) areas.
6.  Environmental Vulnerability:  The depletion of natural resources is the major aspect of environmental vulnerability. Eg. The Caroni Swamp is highly sensitive to the salinity of seawater.

Types of Disasters

There are two types of disasters:-

• Natural Disasters
• Man-made and technological disasters

Natural Disasters

A natural catastrophe is a natural process or occurrence that can result in death, injury, or other health consequences, as well as property destruction, loss of livelihoods and services, social and economic disruption, and environmental harm.

Examples of Natural Disasters are earthquakes, landslides, volcanic eruptions, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards, tsunamis, cyclones, wildfires, pandemics, etc.

Man-made and technological disasters

Human-caused disasters are the result of technical or human-caused risks. War, civil unrest, stampedes, fires, transport accidents, industrial accidents, conflicts, oil spills, terrorist attacks, and nuclear explosions/radiation are just a few examples.

What are the causes of the disaster?

1. Disasters fluctuate depending on when they occur.
2. The causes of an earthquake, for example, cannot be the same as those of a forest fire. Soil erosion, earthquake activity, geological movements, air pressure, and ocean currents, among other factors, all contribute to natural disasters.
3. The main causes of catastrophic disasters are natural phenomena occurring in the earth’s crust as well as on the surface. Areas, where mining, deforestation, and industry have occurred, are particularly vulnerable to flooding and erosion.

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