Avoiding Natural Disasters

Avoiding Natural Disasters

Natural disasters kill more people on a global scale than wars.

According to the United Nations, in the last decade alone, natural

disasters have caused the deaths of more than a million people,

affected 1.8 billion people in terms of loss of health, homes and

livelihoods, and cost $685 billion in economic and structural damage.

It is virtually impossible to prevent natural disasters such as

hurricanes, volcanic eruptions, floods, tornadoes, earthquakes and

tsunamis. Such events are caused by climatic and geological

occurrences that are inevitable and cannot be avoided. Hence, our

focus should be placed on lessening the severity of the impact they

have on every aspect of our lives. We can successfully reduce their

damaging effects by implementing effective monitoring and warning

systems, building codes, flood defences, comprehensive disaster

management plans and educating citizens on disaster preparedness.

The best way to minimise the effects of a natural disaster is to

establish early detection systems that allow for advance warning to be

given to national and global communities. Sophisticated seismic

monitoring networks can identify significant movements of the earth’s

crust, therefore providing early notification of an imminent volcanic

eruption. Close examination of the boundaries between tectonic plates

can indicate the build-up and intensification of tension at convergent

plate boundaries. While it is impossible to predict exactly when an

earthquake will happen, scientists can utilise seismic data to

forewarn people that such an event is expected to occur. The National

Oceanic and Atmospheric Ad...

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... in advancer and prepare for its effects. While it is

impossible to completely prevent human casualties, loss of homes and

livelihoods and damage to the economy, every country can take steps to

lessen the occurrence of such loss and quickly move towards rescue and

recovery after disasters have struck. Monitoring and warning systems

are of critical importance, and this fact has been emphasised by

recent tidal waves that killed thousands of people who were caught

unaware in countries surrounding the Indian Ocean. Places such as

California and Japan are testimony to the value of building codes that

minimise structural damage and therefore lessen the loss of life.

These examples prove that the effects of natural disasters can indeed

by reduced so long as proper measure are put in place before such

inevitable events occur.