Natural Disasters

A natural disaster is a major bad event caused by the natural processes of the Earth, consisting of floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunamis and other geologic processes.

The natural world can be a very dangerous place. In every part of the world, there are natural disasters that can cause damage to property, land, wildlife, and even humans. A natural disaster is a major event that is caused by natural processes around the world. They can have devastating effects on lives and the geography of our planet. The following activities will introduce students to the different types of disaster and help them be prepared for common natural disasters in their area.

Disasters—natural and human-made—are an important force in shaping Earth's ecosystem. Natural disasters struck long before modern humans inhabited the planet and will likely continue as long as Earth exists. The evolution of humans and subsequent development necessary to sustain modern communities has also affected the ecosystem. There are multiple phases and goals of disaster response, and these change over time. In each of the phases of disaster response, various questions arise about what we should do and why. Disaster ethics attempts to answer questions about what we ought to do to prevent and respond to disaster situations. Comprehensive treatment of disaster ethics is still developing in this young field. Like any emerging field, there are numerous important contributors developing approaches from their own perspective. A substantial future challenge for the field will be to bridge the numerous ethics subfields that play a role in doing what is right during a disaster.