Chapter 1, Problem 1QR

To determine

The types of natural disasters that killed the most people in the past 40 years and where in the world are deaths from natural disasters the highest. Also, where in the world are insurance losses from natural disasters the highest.

Answer to Problem 1QR

The types of natural disasters that killed the most people in the past 40 years are earthquakes and hurricanes. The numbers of deaths from natural disasters were highest in Bangladesh, China, and Indonesia. The insurance losses from natural disasters were highest in USA in the year 2005.

Explanation of Solution

Disasters can be categorized as either natural disasters or man-made disasters. Natural disasters are defined as the sudden catastrophic events that occur in response to the Earth’s natural processes. The natural disasters can be of geological, hydrological or atmospheric origin, for example floods, drought, hurricane, and so on. The natural disasters that killed most people in the past 40 years include the earthquakes and hurricanes. These natural disasters were mostly reported in China, Bangladesh, India, Iran, and Turkey.

The highest death rates in the world due to natural disasters are seen in Bangladesh, China, and Indonesia. The natural disaster that occurs frequently in Bangladesh is a hurricane and the common natural disaster reported in China and Bangladesh is an earthquake.

The hurricane Katrina that occurred in the USA in the year 2005 resulted in the highest insurance loss of 80,373 US dollars in the world.