The Impact of Natural Disasters on Less Economically Developed Countries

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Natural disasters have a greater impact on less economically developed countries (LEDCs) than more developed countries (MEDCs). How far do you agree with this statement?
Natural disasters have always disastrous effects. These could be economic, social and/or environmental. Infrastructure damage can severely obstruct economic activity; social effects can include homelessness, illness, loss of life, injury, and destruction of communities; and environmental damage can range from the tree felling to landscape reshaping. While natural disaster can cause one or more of the aforementioned effects whichever country it impacts regardless of its economic situation, this essay will explore its differentiated effect on LEDCs and MEDCs.
Generally, in some respects natural disasters may have a greater impact on MEDCs. For example, higher levels of infrastructure can be found in MEDCs, which is costly to mend if damage occurs (Wills, 2009 cited in CAE, 2012). It may also be that although MEDCs are more able to cope with natural disasters than LEDCs, this ability is not uniform; for example, the earthquake in Northridge, California in 1994 was about 6.7. Although the Northridge earthquake is considered moderate in size, it caused over $20 billion of damage. This damage was due to the ground acceleration, which was one of the highest ever instrumentally recorded in an urban area in North America, measuring 1.8g (16.7 m/s2) with strong ground motion felt as far away as Las Vegas, Nevada, about 220 miles (360 km) from the epicenter (Wikipedia). Therefore, levels of development are not the only indicators which affect the impact of a natural disaster (IRIS edu).
However, natural disaster have a greater impact on LEDCs than MEDCs in a number of diff...

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...-to-natural-hazards/
• State of the Environment and Policy Retrospective (SEPR): 1972–2002 http://www.grida.no/geo/geo3/english/pdfs/chapter2-9_disasters.pdf , p271
• Tectonic Hazards, Tanglin Trust School (TTS) Senior Library, (2013) http://libguides.tts.edu.sg/content.php?pid=442072&sid=3624367,
• Thaine, C. 2012, Cambridge Academic English An integrated skills course for EAP, student’s book, intermediate, Cambridge University Press
• The Impacts of Tourism http://www.s-cool.co.uk/gcse/geography/tourism-and-resources/revise-it/the-impacts-of-tourism#68ELKHaDhHpm1413.99
• The Johns Hopkins and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies , p3 http://www.jhsph.edu/research/centers-and-institutes/center-for-refugee-and-disaster-response/publications_tools/publications/_CRDR_ICRC_Public_Health_Guide_Book/Chapter_3_Emergency_Health_Services.pdf

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