Week 1

Week 1

There are many differences between hazards, catastrophes and disasters.

There are two types of hazards on earth. There is what’s called a natural hazard, and a natural process. The difference is that a natural hazard is an event that occurs naturally and it is a threat to life and property. Whereas, a natural process is something like an earthquake or a volcanic eruption, those are only dangerous if people happen to be in their path of destruction. In the United States there is no area that is hazard free.

A catastrophe is something massive. It is an event so disastrous that it would take years to restore all that was damaged. For example, Hurricane Katrina is known as the United States’ most expensive catastrophe. Hurricane Katrina also has the longest disaster recovery time.

Lastly, a disaster is a hazardous event that happens over a minimal time span and only in a certain area at a time. Disasters also have certain criteria in order for the event to actually be labeled as a “disaster.” For example, if ten or more people are killed in the event, it’s a disaster. If 100+ people are affected, not killed just affected, then the event is a disaster. If a state of emergency is declared and if international assistance has been requested, the event is labeled as a disaster.