Natural Disasters Natural Disasters are disasters that occur in this world naturally and we can not control nature to stop them – we can only control our association with their potential of occurring. Natural disasters can happen at any location at any time but each has some probability of happening. Natural disasters can destroy cities, or sometimes a whole country if it is that severe.

Natural Disasters EARTHQUAKE VOLCANIC ERUPTION LANDSLIDES HURRICANE TSUNAMI WILD FIRE TORNADO FLOOD HEAT WAVE DROUGHT

The Nature of the Hazard Rapid Onset (earthquake) vs. Slow Onset (drought) b. Controllable Events (floods) vs. Immutable Events (volcanoes) c. Frequency vs. Severity  risk assessment important here d. Mitigation Measures to Withstand Impact (infrastructure – tax dollars) vs. Mitigation Measures to Avoid Impact (move)

Global Earthquake Locations Don’t Live Near a Red Dot!

Natural Hazard Prediction The prediction of a natural event can be done by scientific investigation into its causes and ensures establishing the probability of the next occurrence in terms of time, place, and range of severity. Increasingly sophisticated monitoring stations, both manned and remote, collect information of potentially hazardous events for more accurate prediction. Some hazards, such as hurricanes and floods, can be forecast with high accuracy, whereas it’s very difficult to forecast earthquakes or volcanoes or landslides. Getting the public (culture) to may attention to scientific evidence is one of the main issues. Also, timely evacuation of densely populated urban areas may be physically impossible