DISASTER

AND
RISK FACTORS
UNDERLYING
DISASTERS
 DISASTER
A disaster is a sudden, calamitous event that causes significant
disruption, destruction, and often leads to human suffering and loss of
life, property, and livelihoods. Disasters can result from natural
processes, such as earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, or wildfires, or they
can be human-made, including industrial accidents, terrorist attacks, or
conflicts. What characterizes a disaster is its capacity to overwhelm the
affected community or region's ability to cope with its impact using
available resources, necessitating external assistance and intervention.
Risk Factors Underlying
Disasters:
 Environmental Factors:

This includes natural phenomena like

earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes,
tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, and wildfires.
These events are influenced by geological
conditions, climate patterns, and ecosystem
dynamics.
Technological Factors:

Human-made hazards arise from technological

failures or accidents, including industrial
accidents, transportation incidents, chemical
spills, nuclear accidents, infrastructure failures,
and cyber-attacks.
Socio-economic Factors:
Socio-economic vulnerabilities, such
as poverty, inequality, inadequate
infrastructure, rapid urbanization,
population growth in hazard-prone
areas, and limited access to
education and healthcare, can
exacerbate the impact of disasters.
Political and Governance Factors:
Governance failures, corruption, weak
institutions, lack of effective policies and
regulations, political instability, conflicts,
and inadequate disaster management
frameworks can contribute to increased
disaster risk and hinder effective disaster
response and recovery efforts.
Climate Change:
Climate-related hazards, including
extreme weather events, rising sea
levels, melting glaciers, and changes
in precipitation patterns, are
intensifying due to climate change,
amplifying the risk of disasters.
Human Behavior and Decision-Making:
Human actions, such as land-use
practices, deforestation, improper
waste management, unsustainable
agricultural practices, and disregard for
safety regulations, can increase
vulnerability to disasters and influence
the severity of their impact.
 I. Identification
1. This factor is influenced by geological conditions, climate
patterns, and ecosystem dynamics.
2. This factor includes governance failures, corruption, weak
institutions, lack of effective policies and regulations,
political instability, conflicts, and inadequate disaster
management frameworks.
3. This factor includes poverty, inequality, inadequate
infrastructure, rapid urbanization, population growth in
hazard-prone areas, and limited access to education and
healthcare.
4. This factor includes extreme weather events,
rising sea levels, melting glaciers, and changes
in precipitation patterns.
5. This factor includes human actions, such as
land-use practices, deforestation, improper
waste management, unsustainable agricultural
practices, and disregard for safety regulations.
 II. Matching Type

6. Nuclear accidents A. Environmental Factor

7. Weak institutions B. Technological Factor
8. Wildfires C. Socio-economic Factor
9. Changes in precipitation D. Political and Governance
patterns Factor
10. Inequality E. Climate Change
11. Improper waste F. Human Behavior and
management Desicion-Making
 III. Enumeration

12-15. Examples of Human Behavior

and Desicion-Making