Factors Affecting Severity of Natural Disasters

Discuss About The Understanding Various Effects Of Natural Disasters.

Volcano eruptions, hurricanes, floods and earthquakes are various kinds of natural disasters. It is essential to understand when they turn the natural disasters. Here, the difference lies in the facts of the effects on the people. As any typhoon makes a strike on any populated island at the Philippines and destroys numerous lives and homes, it turns to a disaster. Those who are living in poverty are more vulnerable to natural disaster as they have few resources to rebuild the livelihoods and homes. It is seen that from the past twenty years, that maximum of the significant disasters has been due to approximately about 6,5000 floods that are recorded. This involves different weather events, droughts, heatwaves and storms. Besides China and the United States, the Philippines and Indonesia are among the five top-listed nations hit by the greatest number of disasters. It is seen that the developed countries get better prepared in handling the effects of disasters and also the aftermath. The natural disasters are found to trap the people in developing countries in the poverty cycle. This is because that have the resources of rebuilding homes and meeting additional primary requirements. It makes them less available in recovering that in the long run. There are specific factors that are there in poverty environments turning the natural hazard to disasters. This includes the poorly constructed buildings, poor sanitation, quick growth of populations and high-density populations, restricted resources for rebuilding and disaster responses, property damage and lack of financial security nets.

There are several nations vulnerable to those natural disasters having smaller island developing states or SIDS. The nations have been found to be experiencing frequent flooding and storms with little resources and effective man-power to cope. Apart from this, the size of those islands has indicated the economies that are already fragile. It is commonly based on agriculture and is completely devastated by the natural disaster. Having the sea levels rising very fast, the SIDS has been turning to be more vulnerable for natural disasters having lesser hope for the upcoming future.

There have been numerous human factors that are found to be affecting the severity of natural factors. Though under the similar area, there are people with various levels of vulnerabilities for those natural hazards. Firstly, there is wealth. Here, the people living in poverty can never afford sufficient infrastructure and housing. These people are unable to gain the resources required prior to and after any disaster strikes. Further, education has been rising the awareness to reduce and avoid the effects of disasters. There are better-educated population having more number of professionals who are trained for getting prepared for the catastrophic natural events. Next, there are governments setting policies and deploying infrastructures for reducing the vulnerability to the hazards. There are various governments having more amount of resources for dedicating the risk reduction of the disaster. Next, technology has been permitting to forecast the weather and notably decreasing the vulnerability. Regarding age, the children and elderly have been vulnerable since they have lesser physical powers and an immune system that is weaker. Moreover, children and elderly persons have been dependent on other people. Nonetheless, this might never have anyone depending on as any disaster strikes. As far as the genders are concerned, the women have been likely to be poorer and lesser-educated than the men. This has made them more vulnerable to the hazards.

Displacement of Populations and Risks to Health

Then there are displaced populations. Here, one of the quickest impacts of natural disasters is the displacement of populations. As the nation gets ravaged by the earthquakes and any other type of powerful forces, many have needed to abandon the homes and find shelter in other sectors. Here, a huge influx of refugees is able to disrupt the accessibility of healthcare and education with clean water and food supplies. Then there are risks with health. Besides, the obvious immediate dangers presented by natural disasters, the secondary impacts are just destructive. Strong flood has resulted in stagnant water allowing the waterborne bacteria to breed and mosquitoes that carry malaria. Despite any emergency relief originating from international aid organizations, the death rolls rise after the quick danger gets passed. Next, there is a scarcity of food. Food can often become very scarce after any natural disaster. Numerous people across the globe have been going hungry due to the destroyed crops and with the loss of agriculture supplies. Besides, it can also occur suddenly in any storm or drought. Due to this, the price of food rises and the purchasing power of the family is reduced with rising the scope of high malnutrition. Moreover, the effects of hunger followed by hurricane, typhoon or earthquake are tremendous. It results are lifelong damages for the development of children. Then there are emotional aftershocks. The natural disasters are specifically traumatic for the young ones. Through confronted with the destruction scenes, and the death of loved ones and friend, many of them can develop the PTSD or ‘Post-traumatic Stress Disorder”. This is a serious kind of psychological condition that happens from any extreme trauma. The children who are suffering from this and left untreated are prone to lasting mental damage with emotional stress.

The CCS or Child-Centered Spaces are helpful for the families in coping with the new reality and after the disaster. This permits the parents to find shelter, food and water as their child is in a protected place having supervision. Besides, the children can also speak about the traumatic elements that they have seen and has been experiencing while the disaster has been going on. This has permitted to recover gradually. The Childfund and local partner organizations at the Philippines has been able to begin to set up the Child-Centered Spaces for 4 days after the Super Typhoon was found to stuck during November 2013. It has affected about 1 million individuals. The rebuilding has been taking every type of forms as any disaster strike the community. With the help of the “Emergency Action Fund” of ChildFund, the donations help the communities immediately after the disaster take place. There is an individual effect. Here, people have been resting and charging devices of shelters for people affected by the Saints Peter and Paul Church during 1^st November 2012 at Hoboken in New Jersey.

Scarcity of Food and Emotional Aftershocks

Further, it is witnessed that at the individual level, the effect has been felt emotionally, mentally and physically. Besides, natural disasters have been resulting in property destruction, personal illness and injury and loss of economic resources. Again, the loss of access, security and resources to the shelter has been leading huge migrations of populations seen the countries that are less-developed. It is researched that after a natural disaster is experienced, many people can develop strong post-traumatic stress disorders and withdraw to depression states. Further, the other can develop adverse associations with the environment in the developed countries. It leads to notable migration of populations. Regarding community impact, it is found that communities experiencing a natural disaster should absorb the effects of destructive vents. Various local communities have been losing much in financial resources that have turned difficult. Apart from this, the communities have also found scopes in the aftermath of the disasters in rebuilding stronger and better communities than before. Here, the communities can often identify the cultural shifts, demographic and populations due to the effect of natural disaster on different people of the city.

As far as economic effects are considered, The Hurricane Katrina in the year 2005, devastated gulf coast of Mississippi and New Orleans. Aone at New Orleans, there have been more than 200,000 homes found to be destroyed. Further, more than 70% of the residents have been relocated temporarily recollected outside of higher New Orleans of that sector. Additionally, there has been high sums of federal assistances needed to jump the recovery efforts in the city and its surrounding lands. Ultimately, as per the environmental concerns. Same as the natural is able to change the landscape of personal lives and aspects of the community, various kinds of disasters has been drastically changing kinds of disasters dramatic changing the natural surroundings. Again, it is researched that cyclones happened at Myanmar during the year 2008, or various wildfires have been spreading across California during 2009 has been the finest instances of the how the areas of and detailing the overall ecosystem is drastically harmed. Apart from this, it has been transformed from one single event of a disaster. Furthermore, over a greater scale, the debate about the ways to address the worldwide change of climate and the resulting natural effects are further punctuated. This is through the estimations of the rise in sea level that has been totally swamping some of the nations of the islands. Again, it is analyzed that the fast and quick desalination of the oceans of saltwater has resulted through melting glaciers has been depriving the word of 30% and more of the edible fish supply. Next, the loss of the coral reefs from a similar reason has been putting a huge amount of coastal regions has been jeopardy of surges and tidal waves.