NATURAL TYPES OF DISASTERS
energy stored in Earth’s crust is suddenly
Agricultural diseases and pests
It is the damage to plants caused by
competition from weeds and by other pests
including viruses, bacteria, fungi, and
insects. A plant disease is any harmful
condition that affects a plant’s appearance
or function. Common pathogens that cause
diseases include fungi, bacteria, and
viruses. Plant diseases are a severe threat to
the entire production. Therefore, it is
essential for farmers to effectively deal
with them and check them with the help of
timely prevention.
Storm Surge
Storm surge is the rise in seawater level
caused solely by a storm. Storm surge is
the abnormal rise in seawater level during a
storm, measured as the height of the water
above the normal predicted astronomical
tide. The surge is caused primarily by a
storm’s winds pushing water
onshore. Along the coast, storm surge is
often the greatest threat to life and property
from a hurricane. Storm surge is produced
by water being pushed toward the shore by
the force of the winds moving cyclonically
around the storm. The impact on surge of
the low pressure associated with intense
storms is minimal in comparison to the
water being forced toward the shore by the
wind.
Drought and water shortage – El Niño waves are produced when some form of
Drought is a prolonged dry period in the
released, usually when masses of rock
natural climate cycle that can occur
straining against one another suddenly
anywhere in the world. It is a slow-onset
fracture and “slip.” Earthquakes occur
disaster characterized by the lack of
most often along geologic faults, narrow
precipitation, resulting in a water shortage.
zones where rock masses move about one
Drought can have a serious impact on
another. The earthquakes originate in the
health, agriculture, economies, energy and
tectonic plate boundary. The focus is a
the environment. Drought can limit the
point inside the earth where the earthquake
growing season and create conditions that
started, sometimes called the hypocenter,
encourage insect and disease infestation in
and the point on the surface of the earth
certain crops. Low crop yields can result in
directly above the focus is called the
rising food prices and shortages,
epicenter.
potentially leading to malnutrition.
Drought can also affect the health of Hurricanes and tropical storms
livestock raised for food. Water scarcity is
A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating
the lack of freshwater resources to meet the
storm system characterized by a closed
standard water demand. Water scarcity
low-pressure center, strong winds, and a
limits access to safe water for drinking and
spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that
for practicing basic hygiene at home, in
produce heavy rain. Depending on its
schools, and in healthcare facilities. When
strength, a tropical cyclone in the Northern
water is scarce, sewage systems can fail,
Atlantic Ocean basin is referred to as a
and the threat of contracting diseases like
tropical depression, tropical storm, or
cholera surges. Scarce water also becomes
hurricane. Hurricanes, known generically
more expensive. El Niño is a climate
as tropical cyclones, are low-pressure
pattern that describes the unusual warming
systems with organized thunderstorm
of surface waters in the eastern Pacific
activity that form over tropical or
Ocean.
subtropical waters. Hurricanes are tropical
Earthquake storms that form in the Atlantic Ocean with
wind speeds of at least 119 kilometers (74
Earthquake is any sudden shaking of the
miles) per hour. A Tropical Storm Warning
ground caused by the passage of seismic
is issued when Tropical Storm conditions,
waves through the Earth’s rocks. Seismic
including winds of 39-73 mph, are
EXPECTED in a specified coastal area
within 36 hours or less.
Landslide and debris flow
A landslide is defined as the movement of
a mass of rock, debris, or earth down a
slope. Landslides are a type of "mass
wasting," which denotes any down-slope
movement of soil and rock under the direct
influence of gravity. Landslides are caused
by disturbances in the natural stability of a
slope. They can accompany heavy rains or
follow droughts, earthquakes, or volcanic
eruptions. Debris flows, also known as
mudslides, are a common type of fast-
moving landslide that tends to flow in
channels. Debris flows are fast-moving
landslides that are particularly dangerous to
life and property because they move
quickly, destroy objects in their paths, and
often strike without warning.
Thunderstorms and lightning
A thunderstorm is a rain shower during
which you hear thunder. Since thunder
comes from lightning, all thunderstorms
have lightning. It is a storm caused by
strong rising air currents and characterized
by thunder and lightning and usually heavy
rain or hail. Thunderstorms arise when
layers of warm, moist air rise in a large,
swift updraft to cooler regions of the
atmosphere. There the moisture contained
in the updraft condenses to form towering
cumulonimbus clouds and, eventually,
precipitation. Columns of cooled air then
sink earthward, striking the ground with
strong downdrafts and horizontal winds. At
the same time, electrical charges
accumulate on cloud particles (water
droplets and ice). Lightning discharges
occur when the accumulated electric
charge becomes sufficiently large.
Lightning heats the air it passes through so
intensely and quickly that shock waves are
produced; these shock waves are heard as
claps and rolls of thunder.
Tornado
A violent whirling wind accompanied by a
funnel-shaped cloud, usually attached to
the base of a thunderstorm. Tornado forms
from a thunderstorm. Inside thunderclouds,
warm, humid air rises, while cool air falls--
along with rain or hail. These conditions
can cause spinning air currents inside the
cloud. Although the spinning currents start
out horizontal, they can turn vertical and
drop down from the cloud--becoming a
tornado. Tornadoes destroy properties,
infrastructure, and plants, and hurt humans
and animals.
Tsunamis
A tsunami is a series of large waves of
extremely long wavelengths and period
usually generated by a violent, impulsive
undersea disturbance or activity near the
coast or in the ocean. When a sudden
displacement of a large volume of water
occurs, usually by an earthquake or
undersea volcanic eruptions, big tsunami
waves can be formed. The waves travel
out of the area of origin and can be
extremely dangerous and damaging when
they reach the shore. Out in the depths of
the ocean, tsunami waves do not
dramatically increase in height. But as the
waves travel inland, they build up to higher
and higher heights as the depth of the
ocean decreases.
Wildfires
A wildfire is an unplanned, unwanted fire
burning in a natural area, such as a forest,
grassland, or prairie. Wildfires can start
from natural causes, such as lightning, but
most are caused by humans, either
accidentally or intentionally. In the United
States, nearly 85 percent of wildland fires
are caused by humans. Human-caused fires
result from campfires left unattended, the
burning of debris, equipment use and
malfunctions, negligently discarded
cigarettes, and intentional acts of arson.
Sinkholes
A sinkhole is a depression in the ground
that has no natural external surface
drainage. In a landscape where limestone
sits underneath the soil, water from rainfall
collects in cracks in the stone. These cracks
are called joints. Slowly, as the limestone
dissolves and is carried away, the joints
widen until the ground above them
becomes unstable and collapses. The
collapse often happens very suddenly and
without very much warning. Water collects
in these collapsed sections, forming
sinkholes. Sinkholes also form when the
roofs of caves collapse. Sinkholes are often
funnel-shaped, with the wide end open at
the surface and the narrow end at the
bottom of the pool.
Emergency diseases (pandemic
influenza)
A flu pandemic is a global outbreak of a
new flu A virus. Flu pandemics happen
when a new (novel) flu A virus emerges
that is able to infect people easily and
spread from person to person in an efficient
and sustained way, and to which most of
the world's population do not have
immunity.

HUMAN-MADE & TECHNOLOGICAL

TYPE OF DISASTERS
Hazardous materials
Any solid, liquid, or gaseous material that
is radioactive, toxic, explosive, flammable,
corrosive, or otherwise physically or
biologically threatening to health.