Disasterium

Disasters fall into two major categories. These include man made and natural disasters. There is a major difference between these two and it is important to learn more about the same in order to increase your knowledge on the occurrence and causes of each and hence ensure that your disaster preparedness is heightened.

For starters, natural disasters are brought about by change in natural phenomenon or what is known as acts of God. The extent of loss experienced is dependent on the vulnerability of the population. As such, this means that this can only occur in areas that are susceptible to vulnerability. On the other hand, man made disasters are influenced by humans and they are often as a result of negligence and human error among other factors.

• Natural disasters: Natural disasters include things such as floods, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, floods, tornadoes, landslides and hurricanes.

• Man made disasters: These can be divided into different categories and they include technological hazards, sociological hazards and transportation hazards among others.

Despite the difference between these two, it is ideal to note that they can cause irrevocable damage if the right measures are not put in place to avoid the same. This is where the need for disaster preparedness comes in. It goes a long way to cushion people from the after effects of such happenings. There are several sources that provide useful resources that make it possible to meet this end.

Whether the disaster is natural or man made, the manner in which action is taken goes a long way to determine how people fair from the experience. In both instances, casualties should be treated immediately and the best way to meet this end is placing the necessary measures in place that counteract this. Note that the costs associated with handling of the man made and natural disasters run to billions of shillings every year and this negatively affects the economy.

Man Made Disasters

Man made disasters are also known as anthropogenic disasters and they as a result of human intent, error or as a result of failed systems. As mentioned earlier, these are broken down into several categories and while this is the case, there are some that cause more pronounced damage when compared to others. A good example is to look at man made disasters such as transportation. These are divided into different categories which include aviation, rail, road and space among others. Often these are as a result of neglect or ignorance and over the years, they have claimed several lives.

Another type of disaster that falls in this category is nuclear bomb. When this occurs, it is often as a result of intent and the end results are even more catastrophic with a large percentage of those involved losing their lives or alternatively ending up with major defects or long term injuries. Other types of man made disasters which are just as catastrophic include chemical spill, oil spill, arson and terrorism. There are also some technological hazards which include power outages structural collapse, industrial hazards and fire. In cases of the last example, thousands of kilometers of land can be destroyed and anything else that is in the wake of the fires path.

Over the years, fires have come to be known as rampant man made disasters and they are also divided into different categories such as bush fires, mine, wild and firestorms. One of the most famous man made disasters in the form of fire was the Pennsylvania fire which was recorded in 1962. It left major distraction in its wake by destroying a town and to date, such fires continue to burn. Whenever people suffer injuries due to any of the mentioned man made factors, the condition is further aggravated if they don’t get any immediate health care. It is for this reason that it is considered important to take learn more about fire preparedness and the most logical strategies to use to reduce causalities percentages and aggravation of the situation.

The extent of damage caused by man made disasters varies greatly and while this is the case, it is important to state that others have notably high costs when compared to others. This is especially true when it comes down to responding and recovering. When you carry out a basic search, you will come across several resources that highlight these costs and hence, this will give you a clearer glimpse of what damage is caused by such occurrences. Additionally, there are different factors which influence the costs such as location. For instance, if this were to occur in densely populated but wealthy countries, the end result might prove to be huge. However, if the same were to occur in densely populated but poor countries, the after effect costs might prove to be lower and this is in part closely tied to insurance.

The death toll caused by man made disasters will also vary in accordance to geographical location and in this regard, the poorer countries are hardest hit when compared to the richer ones. This is attributed to the fact that the richer countries have what it take to respond with speed to calls of distress, and can implement the proper safety measures needed from a distance to handle things safely and rapidly. Modern technology plays a very important part in the way you respond and prepare for distasters. With financial backing, it is easy to meet this end. On the other hand, the poorer countries have no resources or assets to respond with. There are several resources that categorically highlight the casualties in such incidences and it is advisable to look into the same in order to become more informed.

Natural Disasters

The causes of natural disasters are as mentioned earlier. Disasters only occur when hazards come face to face with vulnerability. As such, when natural occurrences that bring about damage and there are no casualties, then it is not referred to as natural disasters. There are people who are of the school of thought that there is a difference between hazards and disaster and while this is the case, the after effects and casualties are almost always the same.

There are some which have been termed as the most famous natural disasters and by learning more about them it becomes easier to handle the calamity when disaster strikes. In this category, some of the popular incidences include fires, tsunami, earthquakes, tornadoes and the floods. As a matter of fact, there are incidences when it is important to expound on some of these natural disasters in order to ensure that in case of any eventuality you are well prepared.

For instance, earthquakes are known to occur in areas that are earthquake prone. This is defined as the shaking of earth crust and it is brought about by shifting of the tectonic plates. While this is a sudden and unanticipated shake, the magnitude varies and this is what determines the after effects and whether or not a large percentage of the population suffers from the same. Additionally, earthquakes are known to affects humans and animals alike.
While the earthquake itself is not responsible for this, secondary effects which occur after the quake do. In most cases, this leads to collapse of buildings, triggering of fires and volcanoes among other man made disasters. Some of the quakes that went down history books as worst natural disasters include the Indian Ocean quake which is the third strongest world wide.

It had a magnitude of 9.1-9.3. It is known to have triggered one of the most major tsunamis which claimed the lives of more than 229,000. The most recent one has to be the 2011 Tohuku quake and this one recorded a magnitude of 9.0. The death tool in this case is recorded to be more than 13,000 and to date more than 12,000 people are still recorded as missing. Other quakes worth noting include the java earthquake in 2006, the Chile quake in 2010. The last one was accompanied by tsunami that claimed more than 550 lives. Large buildings like land based casinos were reported to have been torn down like they were made of paper, as one casino news site reports.

Floods are also known to cause some of the worst natural disasters and this is especially true when they are accompanied by hurricanes. Hundreds of thousands of lives have been lost due to this and consequently, it is ranked among the most dreaded occurrences. These often occur in areas that are flood prone and for this reason it is always advised to avoid living in such areas. Other types of natural disasters that are just as disastrous include blizzards, droughts, fires, health disasters and space disasters among others. The manner in which each of these incidences is handled varies in accordance to the magnitude of the natural disaster and how well people cope with the same.

While natural disasters are an act of God and unstoppable, having the necessary precautionary measures in place to ensure that people are well prepared for the same goes a long way to ease the burden associated with such burdens making it less difficult to handle. What is more, if more people seek to get educated on such aspects, it becomes easier to handle any eventualities. The same could not be said about our ancestors before us. It is precisely due to these facts that the importance of preparedness cannot be overstressed. To cap it all, the world should unite in handling such occurrences to ease the burden placed on individual countries and especially those termed as third world countries.