Natural Hazards are Rarely Completely Natural

Natural Hazards are Rarely Completely Natural

Throughout the world, natural hazards are a frequent occurrence. They

come in the forms of hurricanes, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and

floods, to name but a few. On a range of scales they create disaster,

destruction, loss of life and of livelihood. Natural processes have

occurred in the natural environment for millions of years. They are

events that happen naturally, e.g. blizzards and floods. A natural

process only becomes a natural hazard when the risk of human loss is

presented. To put it in context, a flood in an unoccupied valley is a

natural process, whereas a flood in a valley where a village is

situated is a natural hazard. Natural disasters take natural hazards

to the next level. A natural disaster is when a natural hazard results

in extensive loss of life or property. Natural disasters cannot happen

where there are no humans, as a natural disaster in a baron desert

would simply remain a natural process. Therefore a natural hazard

requires human presence simply to exist, meaning that it would not be

a completely natural process.

Let us take the case of the flooding of Boscastle, Cornwall, in early

August of 2004. Boscastle is situated in the channel of a steep

valley, very close to the convergence of two local rivers. An

unusually long period of heavy rain was inflicted upon the valley, due

to the lack of driving wind and the combination of evaporation from

the sea, from both the North and South of the area. The result was an

initial wall of water cascading through the valley, measuring 4.5

meters, and rise in the discharge of the valley's stream of

approximately 2.4 m...

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... it could be argued that we

unintentionally add to the intensity of a natural hazard, simply by

going about our everyday lives. There are less obvious links between

human activity and the occurrence of natural hazards. For example,

could driving our cars add to global warming and be blamed for an

increase in the effects of meteorological hazards, e.g. adding to

levels of water evaporation, increasing flood risk and triggering

hurricanes? Could human settlements being built close to volcanoes and

fault lines apply pressure to the tectonic plates and trigger tectonic

hazards such as volcanic eruptions and earthquakes? These theories

should be considered when one is trying to find the bigger picture.

Therefore, my argument is that it is extremely rare, if at all

possible, that a natural hazard would be completely natural.