ABOUT NATURAL DISASTERS

Ø Definition
Ø Facts
Ø The role of science and technology
Ø The scientific and technological disciplines
Ø Prevention (the tools)

Definition: The difference between natural hazards and natural disasters
Natural hazards are naturally-occurring physical phenomena caused either by rapid or slow onset events having atmospheric, geologic and hydrologic origins on solar, global, regional, national and local scales. They include earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, landslides, tsunamis, floods and drought.

Natural disasters are the consequences or effects of natural hazards. They represent a serious breakdown in sustainability and disruption of economic and social progress.

But natural disasters are not entirely "natural", for people are agents of disasters. Severe floodings may be exacerbated by deforestation. Massive concentration of population in hazard-prone areas or in cities and settlements where houses or infrastructures are not safely constructed or built or where land-use is poorly planned lead to disastrous effects after an earthquake, even at a low scale.

The impact of natural hazards to man can be reduced through better understanding of the geodynamic processes of natural hazards, worldwide dissemination of scientific knowledge, adoption of appropriate public and management policies and increase of awareness programmes and information campaigns. The application of preventive and preparedness measures such as land-use restrictions, adequate building construction and wise environmental management aims to lessen the devastating effects of unavoidable natural occurring events, and is far cost-effective than recovery and short-term relief or reconstruction and rehabilitation.

Facts
Natural disasters are increasing in terms of frequency, complexity, scope and destructive capacity. During the past two decades, earthquakes, windstorms, tsunamis, floods, landslides, volcanic eruptions and wildfires have killed millions of people, adversely affected the life of at least one billion more people and resulted in enormous economic damages.

There is a basic relationship between development and disaster-proneness. No wonder, disasters are linked to poverty.

Poor and developing countries suffer the greatest damage in life losses, in social and economic terms because of their lack of resources, infrastructures and protective systems for disaster preparedness and prevention.

The risk of natural disasters is increasing as a result of population growth, urbanization, and alteration of the natural environment, substandard dwellings and public buildings, inadequate infrastructure maintenance as well as poverty exacerbation in numerous communities.

With further population growth, expanding public and private infrastructures, and continuing trends towards uncontrolled urbanization and industrialization, the risks of greater tragedies stemming from natural hazards are expected to increase in the next years and over the current new century. The toll from disasters will be particularly severe and tragic in poor countries.

There is a need for integrated approaches in development policies and planning, to take into account disaster reduction goals to the overall benefit of the socio-economic development process. Cost-benefit analyses support the rationale of disaster prevention-oriented actions.

Natural hazards must not automatically cause disasters
Today, there is more scientific knowledge and technological know-how than ever before to anticipate the potential effects of a disaster before it strikes. Of all the global environmental issues, natural hazards present the most manageable of situations: the risks are the most readily identified, effective mitigation measures are available and the benefits of vulnerability reduction may greatly outweigh the costs.

Yet, while disaster relief captures the imagination of the public, disaster prevention often ranks relatively low on public agendas. Relief continues to be the primary form of disaster management. Decision makers tend to focus on relief to the exclusion of mitigation and preparedness that could help communities learn from disasters and reduce their vulnerability.

The role of Science and Technology
While we cannot prevent an earthquake or a hurricane from occurring, or a volcano from erupting, we can apply the scientific knowledge and technical know-how that we already have to increase the earthquake- and wind-resistance of houses and bridges, to issue early warnings on volcanoes and cyclones and organize proper community response to such warnings.

Over the last four decades, scientific knowledge of the intensity and distribution in time and space of natural hazards and the technological means of confronting them have expanded greatly. The dramatic advances in the understanding of the causes and parameters of natural phenomena and in the techniques for resisting their forces were presented, in the mid-80s, by Dr Frank Press, a lead scientist, as the rationale which made propitious the launching of an international decade devoted to reduce significantly the consequences of natural hazards.

The Resolution of the United Nations General Assembly which proclaimed the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction called for a concerted worldwide effort to use the existing scientific and technical knowledge, adding new knowledge as needed, in order to underpin the adoption and implementation of public policy for disaster prevention. The International Strategy for Disaster Reduction is the successor of the Decade and provides a framework for each nation to fully utilize existing knowledge on the lithosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere and the know-how on disaster protection gained in prior years, and to build effectively and creatively upon past accomplishments so as to meet the projected needs for safer communities.

The Scientific and Technological disciplines
Science and technology help us to understand the mechanism of natural hazards having atmospheric, geological, hydrological, and biological origins and to analyze the transformation of these hazards into disasters. Scientific knowledge of the violent forces of nature is made up of an orderly system of facts that have been learned from study, experiments, and observations of floods, severe storms, earthquakes, landslides, volcanic eruptions and tsunamis, and their impacts on humankind and his works.
The scientific and technological disciplines that are involved include basic and engineering sciences, natural, social and human sciences. They relate to the hazard environment (hydrology, geology, geophysics, seismology, volcanology, meteorology, and biology), the built environment (engineering, architecture, and materials), the policy environment (sociology, humanities, political sciences, and management science).

Prevention (the tools)
Although earthquake prediction is still not possible, a considerable ability exists today to make more accurate forecasts and to give warning of several impending hazard events. Warning of violent storms and of volcanic eruptions hours and days ahead saved many lives and prevented significant property losses. Modern technologies have been developed that reduce the exposure to natural hazard of the physical and built environment and other elements of socio-economic life.

Owing to progress in design and construction engineering, earthquake-resistant structures, including high-rise buildings, critical lifelines and industrial facilities are technically feasible and became a reality. One component of these breakthroughs in disaster reduction, in some instances, has been enhanced capacity to control or modify the disaster events themselves.

Scientific and technological solutions to the complex problems of disasters must be rooted in social realities, in the fullest sense of the term.

Science needs to be seen as only part of a continuum of action extending from the design of interdisciplinary research to the communication of results to diverse non-specialist user groups. In this vein, scientists will have to share with policy-makers and others, the responsibility for scientifically sound risk assessment and management.

Without science and technology, and their blending with other disciplines, there can be no world safer from natural disasters.

Thanks to science and technology, we already know much about natural hazards and about the ways and means to avoid or reduce many of their effects. Success in significantly reducing disasters is within our reach.

Now is the time to act within the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction