A natural disaster is a large-scale event caused by a natural phenomenon that destroys human lives and environmental systems and causes the loss of a large number of lives at the same time, damages properties, and can destroy and disrupt economies.
In recent years many countries have experienced natural disasters several countries experienced major floods including South Africa, Nigeria, and Pakistan.
In this article, You will get to know about the Impact of Natural Disasters, Their Causes, Recent natural disasters in the world, and more about Natural Disasters Impact.
Natural Disaster: Definition
A Natural Disaster is a large-scale event caused by a natural phenomenon that disrupts humans and environmental systems to function properly and It causes loss of life, damage to property, and economic disaster.
Natural Disasters can be caused by a variety of factors as follows :
- Geological events such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides and tsunamis.
- Metrological events such as floods, droughts, wildfires, tornadoes and cyclones.
- Climate change can increase the frequency and intensity of some natural disasters.
Impact of Natural Disasters on the Economy
- Loss of human life can lead to a decrease in the workforce to produce important and valuable things for the country.
- Disasters can destroy roads , bridges, power grids and networks of communication. this damage to infrastructure disrupts businesses, and the transportation of goods and destroy essential services.
- It can destroy crops and damage the agricultural supply chain and stocks and this will lead to bring the country in a situation of scarcity of food.
- Disasters can decrease the foreign investment in the country and as a result, the country’s economy can slow down to growth.
- Reconstruction of the destroyed Infra can cost way too government’s much to strain on the government’s budget and due to this many policies of Government government will change and will impact their country’s citizens.
- Governmentcountry’sGovernmentnational needs to borrow heavily to rebuild infra and provide relief and that leads to the high national debt.
Impact of Natural Disasters on Human Lives
- This is one of the most tragic losses for any human community deaths of their family members or loved ones by the direct forces of a disaster such as the collapsing of a building in an earthquake or drowning in floods .
- Children impacted by the disaster . Millions of people are forced to leave thier homes this displacement can be temporary or permanent depending upon the scale of damage.
- ChildrengoChildren affected the most and sometimes they can gone through post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
- Natural disasters can destroy people’s homes leaving leavetheleavingleave them without any source of income and that pushes them into the poverty line.
List of Number of Deaths by Recent Natural Disasters
|
Country |
Disaster |
Year |
Estimated Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Turkiye & Syria |
Earthquake |
2023 |
Over 46,000 combined |
|
Pakistan |
Floods |
2022 |
1,739 |
|
Philippines |
Typhoon |
2022 |
500 |
|
Afghanistan |
Earthquake |
2022 |
1100 |
|
Indonesia |
Earthquake |
2022 |
700 |
|
Myanmar |
Landslides |
2020 |
300 |
|
Mozambique |
Cyclones |
2019 |
1000 |
|
India |
Kerala Floods |
2018 |
400 |
|
Puerto Rico |
Hurricane Maria |
2017 |
2900 |
|
Nepal |
Earthquake |
2015 |
8700 |
Impact of Natural Disasters on the Environment
- Disasters like wildfires, floods can storms can destroy forests, wetlands and other natural ecosystems. This destroys wildlife habitat leading to population decline and as a result, it can even cause mass extinction if it happens on a large scale.
- Floods and Landslides can cause damage to soil erosion and can remove away the top fertile soil from the lands this will decrease the agricultural productivity and production of crops.
- Floods and Storms can pollute water sources with debris, sewage and agricultural runoff and this can harm aquatic life.
- Natural disasters can disrupt natural processes like pollination, seed dispersal and nutrient cycling which can affect the entire ecosystem.
- Mangroves protect coastlines from soil erosion and provide habitat for many species but they will be vulnerable to getting affected by hurricanes and tsunamis.
- Natural Disasters can contribute to the ongoing loss of biodiversity which will have a negative impact on the health of the planet.
List of Recent Natural Disasters in the World
| Country Name | Year | Disaster |
|---|---|---|
| Pakistan | 2022 | Floods |
| Nigeria | 2022 | Floods |
| South Africa | 2022 | Floods |
| Brazil | 2022 | Floods |
| Ethiopia | 2022 | Drought |
| Somalia | 2022 | Drought |
| Kenya | 2022 | Drought |
| Philippines | 2022 | Typhoon |
| United States | 2022 | Hurricane |
| Afghanistan | 2022 | Earthquake |
| Indonesia | 2022 | Earthquake |
| Australia | 2020-2021 | Bushfires |
| Germany | 2021 | Floods |
| China | 2021 | Floods |
| Madagascar | 2020 | Cyclone |
Conclusion
A natural disaster is one of the kind that has the potential to lead to mass extinction of any species, humans or any living organisms if it happens on a large scale.
The main reasons or causes of Natural disasters are Geological in which Magnetic plate movement and the Earth’s internal heat can be the cause for this and Metrological causes which are Solar activity Atmospheric circulation and climate change.
Natural disaster is the reason behind the recent tens of thousands of human deaths in multiple countries in past years. In recent years Turkiye and Syria there were 46,000 people died due to the Earthquake.
Also Read
- Natural Disaster – Types, Examples and Effects
- Impact of Natural Disaster on Food Supply
- Top 10 Most Powerful Natural Disasters in History
Impact of Natural Disasters – FAQs
What are the five impacts of disaster?
A natural disaster may cause loss of life,injury or others ,health impact ,property damage,loss of livelihoods and services ,social and economic disruption or enviomental damage .
What impact do humans have on natural disasters?
Humans impact the physical envioment in many ways like over population,pollution,burning fossil fuels and deforestration .Changes like these have triggered climate change ,soil erosion,poor air quality and undrinkable water .
What are the three types of disaster?
Disaster are classified into three types are Natural disatser ,man-made disaster and hybrid disasater .Man made disasters are classified into technological disater ,transportation accidents ,public places failure and producation failure .
How do natural disasters impact development?
Capital assets and infrastucture such as housing , school,factories and equipment ,roads , dams and bridges are lost.Human capital is depleted due to loss of life ,the loss of skilled workers and the destruction of education infrastructure that disrupts schooling
What are the 10 causes of disaster?
The main causes of natural disater are techtonic shifts ,lunar activities ,deforestration,soil erosion ,air pressure ,ocean currents ,pollution ,global warming,mining and seismic waves etc.