A disaster is defined as a sudden or great misfortune or simply any unfortunate event. More precisely, a disaster is an event whose timing is unexpected and whose consequences are seriously destructive. A disaster is a natural or man-made event that negatively affects life, property, livelihood or industry often resulting in permanent changes to human societies, ecosystems and environment
Types of Disasters:
a) Natural Disasters
b) Human-Caused Disasters
- Natural Disasters
Natural disasters include all types of severe weather, which have the potential to pose a significant threat to human health and safety, property, critical infrastructure, and homeland security. Natural disasters occur both seasonally and without warning, subjecting the nation to frequent periods of insecurity, disruption, and economic loss. A natural disaster can be defined as “A major event caused by Earth’s natural processes that leads to significant environmental degradation and loss of life.” A natural disaster is frequently preceded by a natural hazard. These resources serve to prepare IHEs for a variety of natural disasters, including winter storms, floods, tornados, hurricanes, wildfires, earthquakes, or any combination thereof.
Types of Natural Disasters:
- Geological Disasters
- Meteorological Disasters
- Hydrological Disasters
- Biological Disasters
- Tornadoes
- Hurricanes
- Floods
- Earthquake
b) Human-Caused Disasters
Human-Caused disasters have an element of human intent, negligence, or error involving a failure of a man-made system, as opposed to natural disasters resulting from natural hazards. Such man-made disasters are crime, arson, civil disorder, terrorism, war, biological/chemical threat, cyber-attacks, etc.
Types of Human-Caused Disasters:
- Bomb Threat
- Civil Unrest
- Cyber Security
- Disabilities Evacuation
- Emergency Drills
- Active Shooter/Active Threat
- Power Outage