Disaster

A disaster is a sudden misfortune of great magnitude. Hundreds or thousands of people. often die in a disaster and even greater numbers are injured or left homeless. Crop fields, buildings, roads, bridges, telephone lines, and so on, are destroyed, disrupting normal life and causing huge economic losses. There are environmental consequences too, like damage to ecosystems and loss of wildlife.

The magnitude of human suffering and economic loss caused by a disaster depends not only on how big it is or how large an area it affects. It also depends on the density of population in the area where it strikes. Naturally, the losses are greater in a more densely populated area. The impact of a disaster also depends on the economic status of the people it affects. The poor are always the worst affected because they do not have the resources to rebuild their lives.

Disasters can be natural, for example, cyclones, earthquakes, flood and landslides. They can also be man-made, for example, industrial accidents, nuclear accidents, fires and oil spills. Even natural disasters can sometimes be man-made, in that they may be triggered by human activities, Floods and landslides, for example, can be caused by deforestation, and earthquakes may be induced by the construction of large dams. The increasing number of cyclones and hurricanes in the world could be the result of global warming, caused by the emission of greenhouse gases.

Types of Disasters

Natural Disasters

Some Natural Disasters ,like cyclones , can be foretold, while others, like earthquakes, occur without warning. Obviously, human suffering is much greater in the case of the latter, because we are caught unawares But even when we are forewarned, we cannot make ourselves immune to either the immediate impact of a disaster or the trail of destruction it leaves behind .

As the consequence of a disaster is huge we are providing a

case study on HURRICANE KATRINA

Damage caused by hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina

Despite the fact that 1.2 million people had been asked to evacuate before Hurricane Katrina hit Miami, Florida, in the US, on Aug 25, 2005, the number of people killed altogether was 1383. Most of the damage came after the Hurricane travelled via the Gulf of Mexico and hit coastal Mississippi. Nearly 4000 people were reported missing until December 2005, and 1.5 million people were displaced. It was the costliest natural disaster in recent US history-the losses have been estimated at over $75 billion .

Natural Disasters in India

Natural disasters have killed more than three million people between 1970 and 2000. And most of these disasters have occurred in the developing countries. India is one of the most disaster-prone countries. This is because of its geographical position and the irregularities of the monsoon. Floods occur with unfailing regularity in the major river valleys, especially the Ganga-Brahmaputra basin. Droughts are a common occurrence in about 19% of the land. Cyclones hit the islands and the coasts (mostly the eastern coast) almost every year. And more than 50% of the country is vulnerable to earthquakes. We have our share of landslides (the Himalayas and the Western Ghats) and forest fires (the northeastern states, West Bengal, Bihar and Orissa) too.

Man-made disasters

Large-scale accidents or man-made disasters can occur due to human error, which is not deliberate, and due to deliberate action or sabotage. They can also occur due to negligence or some mechanical fault.