Articles

Natural hazards (as defined earlier) such as earthquakes, hurricanes, and volcanic eruptions, among others, can have serious effects on health, but the impact varies as a function of various factors, including:

a) The severity of the hazard.

b) the vulnerability of the population.

c) The community’s state of preparedness and response capacity.

In the past, it was believed that sudden-onset disasters not only caused widespread mortality, but also produced massive social disorder, epidemics, and famines, leaving survivors totally at the mercy of international humanitarian relief. Systematic observation of the effects of natural disasters on human health has led to very different conclusions, both with respect to health effects themselves and as regards the most effective ways of providing humanitarian assistance.