The document defines and describes different types of natural and man-made disasters. It discusses how natural disasters such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, cyclones, floods, droughts, tsunamis and wildfires are caused by natural processes that disrupt the environment. Man-made disasters include nuclear disasters, chemical disasters, terrorism, accidents, building collapses, civil unrest and fire accidents, which are caused by human activities and negligence. Specific examples of different disaster types are provided.

1. Gireesha C R
Assistant Professor
Department of Social Work
G F G C Bellare, Sullia Tq
D. Kannada District
(Mangalore University)

2. Disaster :
A disaster is a sudden, calamitous event
that seriously disrupts the functioning of a
community or society and causes human,
material, and economic or environmental
losses.

3. A Disaster can be defined as any occurrence that cause
damage, ecological disruption, loss of human life,
deterioration of health and health services on a scale,
sufficient to warrant an extraordinary response from
outside the effected community or area.
(W H O)

4. A Disaster can be defined as any
occurrence either nature or manmade
that causes human suffering and
creates human needs that victims
cannot alleviate without assistance.
(American Red Cross- ARC)

5. Disasters are of two types :
Natural disasters
Man-made disasters

6. Natural disasters:
Natural disasters are those disasters that
are caused due to some natural Processes. A
natural disaster is a disruption in the balance of the
environment. Human activities play a role in the
frequency and severity of disasters.
Manmade disasters:
Man made disasters are those disasters that
are caused by the human’s intent and negligent
activities

7. Natural Disasters are of the following
type:
Earthquakes
Volcanic eruptions
Cyclones
Floods
Droughts
Tsunami
Wild Fire

8. An earthquake is a shaking of the ground caused by the sudden breaking
and movement of tectonic plates of the earth's rocky outermost crust.
The edges of the tectonic plates are marked by faults. Most earthquakes
occur along the fault lines when the plates slide past each other or
collide against each other. The shifting masses send out shock waves
that may be powerful enough to alter the surface of the Earth, thrusting
up cliffs and opening great cracks in the ground and cause great
damage ... collapse of buildings and other man-made structures,
broken power and gas lines, landslides, snow avalanches, tsunamis.

9.  Volcanoes erupt when molten rock called magma rises to the surface.
Magma is formed when the earth's mantle melts.
 Melting may happen where tectonic plates are pulling apart or where
one plate is pushed down under another.
 Magma is lighter than rock so rises towards the Earth's surface. As the
magma rises, bubbles of gas form inside it.
 Runny magma erupts through openings or vents in the earth's crust
before flowing onto its surface as lava.
 If magma is thick, gas bubbles cannot easily escape and pressure builds
up as the magma rises.
 When the pressure is too much an explosive eruption can happen,
which can be dangerous and destructive.
 this can build up enough pressure to cause an explosion.

10.  To form a cyclone, warm, moist air over the ocean rises upward from
near the surface. As this air moves up and away from the ocean surface,
it leaves less air near the surface. So basically as the warm air rises, it
causes an area of lower air pressure below.
 Air from surrounding areas with higher air pressure pushes in to the
low pressure area. Then this new “cool” air becomes warm and moist
and rises, too. And the cycle continues…
 As the warmed, moist air rises and cools the water in the air forms
clouds. The whole system of clouds and wind spins and grows, fed by
the ocean’s heat and water evaporating from the ocean surface.
 As the storm system rotates faster and faster, an eye forms in the
centre. It is very calm and clear in the eye, with very low air pressure.
Higher pressure air from above flows down into the eye.

11. A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges
land. The Floods directive defines a flood as a temporary
covering by water of land not normally covered by water.
Flooding may result from the volume of water within a
body of water, such as a river or lake, which overflows or
breaks levees, with the result that some of the water
escapes its usual boundaries. While the size of a lake or
other body of water will vary with seasonal changes in
precipitation and snow melt, it is not a significant flood
unless the water covers land used by man like a village, city
or other inhabited area, roads, expanses of farmland, etc.

12.  Drought can be defined as a condition of unusually dry
climate within a certain geographic region due to lack of
annual rainfall.
 It is a natural disaster, which is hazardous to human beings
because it results in water shortage, damages to crops, and
an increased death rate of livestock and wild animals.
 It also results in shortage of electricity. Reports show, many
people worldwide die during the these extreme conditions.
 In drought-prone areas certain measures such as
construction of reservoirs, rain-harvest system and
stopping over-grazing could be taken. It causes increase in
food prices and unemployment.

13.  Tsunami is a series of ocean waves that sends surges of
water, sometimes reaching heights of over 100 feet (30.5
meters), onto land.
 These walls of water can cause widespread destruction
when they crash ashore.
 What Causes a Tsunami?
 These awe-inspiring waves are typically caused by large,
undersea earthquakes at tectonic plate boundaries. When
the ocean floor at a plate boundary rises or falls suddenly, it
displaces the water above it and launches the rolling waves
that will become a tsunami.

14.  A wildfire is simply an uncontrolled fire that is wiping out
large fields and areas of land. It is typically fires that started
out of a lightning strike, or people carelessly starting it, or
accidentally, or even arson, that went un-noticed and got
out of hand. These fires sometimes burn for days and
weeks. They can wipe out an entire forest and destroy
almost every organic matter in it.
 Wild fires can also be termed forest fires, grass fires, peat
fires and bush fires depending on type of vegetation being
burnt. Note that these fires tend to thrive in very warm and
dry climates, rather than the thick, moist rainforest types.

15. Man made disasters can be the following:
Nuclear disaster
Chemical disasters
Terrorism
Accident
Building collapse
Civil Unrest
Fire Accidents

16. An accident taking place in any nuclear facility of the nuclear fuel cycle
including the nuclear reactor, or in a facility using radioactive sources,
leading to a large-scale release of radioactivity in the environment.
A ‘criticality’ accident in a nuclear fuel cycle facility where an uncontrolled
nuclear chain reaction takes place inadvertently leading to bursts of
neutrons and gamma radiation (as had happened at Tokaimura, Japan).
An accident during the transportation of radioactive material.
The malevolent use of radioactive material as Radiological Dispersal
Device (RDD) by terrorists for dispersing radioactive material in the
environment.
A large-scale nuclear disaster resulting from a nuclear weapon attack (as
had happened at Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan) which would lead to
mass casualties and destruction of large areas and properties.

17. Chemical disasters are occurrence of emission, fire or
explosion involving one or more hazardous chemicals in
the course of industrial activity (handling), storage or
transportation.
Disasters that are caused by the excessive use and misuse
of chemicals in industries are called chemical
disasters.
Exaples: Bhopal: Union Carbide gas tragedy, 1984 (Official
death toll: 5,295).
The April 1986 disaster at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant
in Ukraine.

18. Terrorism is the use of fear and acts of violence in order to
intimidate societies or governments. Many different types of
social or political organizations might use terrorism to try to
achieve their goals. People who do terrorism are called terrorists.
It is difficult to explain terrorism. Terrorism has no official
criminal law definition at the international level. Common
definitions of terrorism refer to violent acts which are intended
to create fear (terror); are done for a religious, political, or
ideological goal; and which target civilians. Some definitions
now include acts of unlawful violence and war. The use of similar
tactics by criminal gangs is not usually called terrorism, though
these same actions may be called terrorism when done by a
politically motivated group.

19. Civil disorder, also known as civil disturbance or civil
unrest, is an activity arising from a mass act of civil
disobedience in which the participants become
hostile toward authority, and authorities incur
difficulties in maintaining public safety and order, over
the disorderly crowd.

20.  A road accident refers to any accident involving at least
one road vehicle, occurring on a road open to public
circulation, and in which at least one person is injured or
killed.
 Air Crashes An accident in which an aircraft hits land or
water and is damaged or destroyed.
 Ship collision is an incident of hitting between two ships
or hitting to a floating or still object such as an Iceberg.
 A train wreck or train crash is a type of disaster involving
one or more trains. Train wrecks often occur as a result of
miscommunication, as when a moving train meets
another train on the same track; or an accident, such as
when a train wheel jumps off a track in a derailment; or
when a boiler explosion occurs.

21. A collapse refers to the failure of a structure or
component to maintain its structural integrity.
Structures that could collapse include buildings,
bridges, and trenches. The collapse of structures such
as trenches and scaffolds are among the most common
causes of worker injury in the construction industry.

22. An accidental fire is a mishap that could be either man-
made or natural caused by fire can result in serious
injury, damage or loss life of human and other
creatures and personal property.

23. Thank You