The Importance Of Natural Disaster Reduction

A natural disaster has the capability to cause large scale damage and destruction to an area. Seismic events have been known to alter landscapes and affect the livelihoods, health and development of communities. No two earthquake events are the same and the level of threat posed by an earthquake can vary due to both the human and physical factors of an area. The 2010 magnitude - 7.0 earthquake that occurred in Haiti is an example of where a natural disaster caused a previously vulnerable area to suffer tremendous loss and debilitating socio-economic impacts, to an already poverty-stricken nation.

Over the past decade, the world has experienced more natural disaster than people can count. Floods, mudslides, earthquakes, and raging fires are just a few of the events that have stripped people away from their families, homes, and possessions. The deadliest of these natural disasters are hurricanes. Extremely strong winds mixed with large waves can cause enormous damage, taking months, even years for towns to recover. Hurricane Katrina left millions of people without homes and families torn apart. Hurricane Sandy demolished the Jersey coast, leaving years of repair work behind. The most recent and powerful hurricane that surfaced is Hurricane Maria. A level five hurricane, Hurricane Maria ripped straight through the United States territory of Puerto Rico. The island lost power, supplies

natural disasters). Gallup et al. (2003, pp.41, 46) have estimated that natural disasters in Latin America over the last 30 years have cost up to $3.3 billion and in extreme disasters costs can reach 10 per cent of a country’s GDP. This, coupled with the fact that they suffer regularly from natural disasters due to their location, means that they find it harder to recover from them. The destruction of crops causes vast economic loss which cannot be regained as farmers rely on monoculture. Furthermore, many buildings in developing countries are often built from weak materials which causes mass destruction and costly re-construction which these countries cannot afford.

However, the extreme poverty of Haiti limits its calamity of adopting to climate change. Since climate change has aggravated the extreme weather around Hispaniola island, Haiti and Dominican Republic experienced lots of hurricanes in the recent past. But Haiti usually afforded many more casualties and much economic loss than Dominican Republic did; the disaster relief system of Haiti hasn't been well developed, which has rendered thousands of homeless people after

Over the course of humanity, there have been several notable types of disasters ranging from severe floods, earthquakes, tornados, fires, ice storms, bombings, tropical storms, and hurricanes. Many individuals have experienced some form of these disasters throughout their life, either natural or manmade. “Surveys suggest that 13–30% of individuals will be exposed to one or more natural disasters in their lifetime” (Jacob, 2015, p. 512). Along the eastern and southern United States coastlines, the more common disaster associated with these areas are hurricanes. “Each year, on average, 10 tropical storms, of which six become hurricanes, develop over the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, or Gulf of Mexico from June to November. Many of these remain over the ocean; however, about five hurricanes strike the United States coastline every three years” (Hurricanes, nd, para 4). Based on this average, roughly two hurricanes per year make landfall. Depending on the severity, that is two large areas with several

The U.S. has suffered from many Natural Disasters from Hurricane Katrina to wildfires in California. When it comes too natural disasters Hurricanes are by far one of the most devastating. The results can be catastrophic, possibly leaving the death tolls in thousands and leaving millions homeless. Even though the U.S. has responded to and recovered from Hurricanes, Meteorologists are presently not able to predict them early enough, and the U.S. government is unprepared financially, and responsively. Being well prepared for a hurricane is critical to saving peoples lives and their well-being. The government needs to do more not for just hurricanes but any disaster.

Natural disaster currently has become a large part of US economy, from tornadoes, fire, floods and hurricanes. These natural disasters have lead to death of people but also a billion dollar damage to several cities or states. According to National center of Environmental Information, in 2015 there were at least ten weather disasters that lead to property damages exceeding one billion dollar across United States. The natural disasters are found in many ways, the one most famous is Hurricane Katrina and another Hurricane Sandy. These two hurricanes are Atlantic hurricanes, Hurricane Katrina hit the Southern States and Hurricane Sandy hit near Atlantic City affecting many eastern States. Although the two hurricanes have occurred in separate years, yet they have caused a lot of damage in large cities leaving thousands of people without home. Furthermore due to these natural disasters has questioned the government how to prepare for natural disaster in near future. The hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Sandy are both consider Natural disaster that has lead to heavy damages but one has more devastating effect than the other.

Hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes, tsunamis, freak floods, mudslides, typhoons, and avalanches. Natural disasters cost billions of dollars each year all over the world. The severity of these disaster are measured by the lives lost, the economic loss, and the ability of the population to rebuild. Natural disasters that really affect people worldwide tend to become more intense as the years go on. The frequency of earthquakes, mega storms, and heat waves has gone up considerably in the last few decades. Scientists, geologists, and storm watchers work hard to predict major disasters and avert as much damage as possible but it is still to predict some natural disasters. It has become easier to predict major storms, blizzards, cyclones, and other weather related natural disasters over the years. But there are still natural disasters that come up rather unexpectedly, such as earthquakes, wildfires, landslides, and volcanic eruptions. FEMA goal is to ensure that the United States is able to prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters, natural and manmade alike. The agency’s motto is “A Nation Prepared”. Some people like FEMA former director Joe Allbaugh believe people shouldn’t depend on FEMA. That people should be able to help themselves and rebuild on their own.

Natural disasters cause a lot of damage to the economies in Latin America when they happen. The damage can last for months, years or even decades. Natural disasters are hard for everyone, but it is even harder for Latin American countries to recover

Distressing natural disasters, such as hurricane Irma have devastated the world and caused loss of homes, as well as greatly affecting humanity. According to French Prime Minister, Edouard Philippe of St. Martin, “95 percent of the island’s houses had been damaged and 60 percent were uninhabitable. Earlier, France's interior minister said at least eight people had died.” This devastating hurricane is one of the many examples of how extreme natural disasters negatively impact the world and how dominant Mother Nature is over humanity.

In the United States, people who live in poverty are already one of the most vulnerable populations and it is this population that is heavily impacted by public policy relating to natural disasters. Often, public policies relating to disaster preparedness and recovery are not discussed until after a natural disaster takes place which is too late to do any good for the people affected and who are devastated almost beyond comprehension. The role of government in disaster preparedness and recovery became a “hot button” issue especially after Hurricane Katrina when the federal and local governments seemed to protect/help those who already had resources and not those with little to no resources. According to a Gallup Poll by Jones & Carroll (2005), forty-nine percent of respondents said that FEMA was most helpful to them while thirty-one percent of respondents said that nothing was helpful to them during recovery from Hurricane Katrina. This information indicates that there is a gap in services disaster relief policies and programs that needs to be filled.

Natural disasters such as hurricanes, floods, and earthquakes have impacted Latin America. One example of how Latin America is impacted are tens, hundreds sometimes thousands of the population living in an area of a natural disaster do not survive it. The disaster itself can kill people. People can drown, be hit with debris or die of other hardships. Another huge consequence of natural disasters is the destruction of many buildings. A lot of the buildings that do not get destroyed, close down due to damage or loss of electricity or water. This includes not only businesses, but homes and public properties, such as schools and government buildings. This means that children can't go to school, so they do not get proper education. This also means that adults are unable go to work, so they can't make money, which puts them and their families into poverty. Being in poverty can also lead to death, due to sickness or starvation.Speaking of starvation...many crops can be ruined in natural disasters. Crops can be flooded or blown away. That causes lack of food and income. They not only can lose local income but they can also lose income from exporting their crops and goods. Many roads are shut down as well due to being flooded or destroyed.

Natural disasters may be defined as natural catastrophes which cause great damage by disrupting the functioning of a society thus rendering the country incapable of coping through using its own resources as there is a need for outsider assistance in order to effectively preserve lives and the environment. Conversely, Natural hazards are natural phenomena that are potential threats to people within a society, structures or economic assets and may cause disaster. Natural disasters are inevitable and ubiquitous worldwide. Within the Caribbean, they are chiefly present in the forms of hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, droughts, and volcanoes. The great damages caused by natural disasters may be divided into three categories: social, economic

On August 29, 2009, Hurricane Katrina struck the United States Gulf Coast. It was a Category 3 Hurricane, according to the Saffir Simpson Scale. Winds gusted to up to 140 miles per hour, and the hurricane was almost 400 miles wide . The storm itself did a tremendous amount of damage, but the storm’s aftermath was cataclysmic. Many claimed that the federal government was slow to meet the needs of the hundreds of thousands of people affected by the storm. This paper will examine the four elements of disaster management – preparedness, response, recovery, and mitigation – as well as an analysis on the data presented.

Houses are destroyed, trees are pulled out from the ground, and the many lives that are