Natural disasters have always been catastrophic causing millions of dollars in damages. They can not be prevented in any way. According to a report by the united nations in 2014, since 1994, 4.4 billion people have been affected by disasters which claimed 1.3 million lives and 2 trillion dollars in economic losses. Women and children living in developing countries are most vulnerable after natural disasters. Millions of people are affected by these disasters every year and their impact can be catastrophic. For example, on October 17 to 18, 1998, a pair of hurricanes over the eastern pacific and a near stationary cold front led to excessive water damage in San Antonio. People often confuse hazards with disasters, earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, and volcano eruptions are hazards and when these hazards destroy a populated area, it becomes a disaster.

Increase in disasters

    There has been an increase in natural disasters this year. At least 207 incidents were recorded globally in the first six months of 2020. This has topped the average of the 21st-century disasters which was 185. There was an increase of at least 27% of natural disasters in 2019.

Effect on developing countries

    Developing countries are more vulnerable to natural disasters because of

• Poor economy
• Poor infrastructure
• Less availability of health facilities
• Poor sanitation
• Population growth
• Limited resources for disaster teams
• People are unable to acquire resources needed before and after the disaster
• Poor education. Education increases awareness about avoiding or reducing the impact of disasters. A better-educated population will have more professionals trained to prepare for catastrophic natural events
• Poor governance issues. They can set policies and establish infrastructure to reduce vulnerability to hazards
• Poor technology. It allows countries to forecast weather and prepare before disasters

Human effects

    When countries are struck by disasters, many people have to abandon their homes and seek shelter in other regions. A large number of refugees can disrupt education and food supplies. The secondary effects of natural disasters can be damaging as severe flooding results in stagnant water that breeds waterborne bacteria and malaria. If people are exposed, death tolls increase. Another problem is food scarcity. After natural disasters, food supplies often become a major problem. Thousands of people go around the globe as a result of destroyed crops and the loss of food supplies. Due to this, food prices rise which reduces the purchasing power of families thus increasing malnutrition. Natural disasters can also cause emotional shocks such as PTSD which is a serious psychological condition resulting from trauma. If left untreated it can suicide rates to increase.

The infrastructure effects

    This is one of the most devastating concerns of natural disasters when they damage both public and private infrastructure. These incidents cause millions of dollars in damages and developing countries are most affected by it. Many private homeowners do not have insurance which means that people can lose all their assets.

The environmental effect

    Natural disasters from tsunamis to earthquakes can cause wide-ranging and long-term consequences for ecosystems. For example, in March 2011, a tsunami with a 9.0 Tohoku earthquake in Japan caused the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, where radioactive material was released in parts of Japan.

Types of Natural Disasters

• Tornados. They can cause destruction of your supplies
• Hurricanes. They can cause intense flooding
• Earthquakes.