Natural Disasters and Hazards

Study Notes

A natural disaster is a sudden event caused by nature, while a natural hazard is caused by human factors.
Environmental factors such as floods, earthquakes, fires, and cyclones can cause accidents, disasters, and the spread of disease.
Some environmental factors like floods and cyclones are unavoidable, while others like fires and pollution can be avoided or controlled.

Living or working near waste dumps can be dangerous due to pollution that can poison the air, rivers, and soil.
People can get ill from inhaling poisoned air, drinking poisoned water, and eating poisoned food.
Waste dumps attract disease-carrying animals like rats and mice, and dangerous waste can harm people and the environment.
Improper waste disposal by factories and mines can cause people to get sick.

Disasters can lead to trauma, which is a serious bodily injury or shock.
PTSD (Post-traumatic stress disorder) is long-term suffering from bad experiences.
People who have experienced family violence, crime, rape, or natural and human disasters may suffer from emotional distress, withdrawal, or over-independence.
Emotional reactions to disasters include grief, anger, aggression, careless behavior, and depression.
After a disaster, people may have difficulty concentrating, remembering things, and making decisions, and may feel disoriented, confused, and overwhelmed.

Human factors include social, religious, and cultural practices that contribute to ill health, accidents, and disasters.
Environmental factors include natural events like floods, extreme temperatures, and pollution that contribute to ill health, accidents, and disasters.

Lifestyle diseases are diseases that result from the way people live and affect their quality of life.
Natural disasters are sudden accidents or natural catastrophes that cause great damage or loss of life, such as fires, floods, tsunamis, and earthquakes.
Hazards are dangers, risks, or threats usually caused by human factors, such as pollution, toxic waste, and deforestation.

Environmental factors affect people's health and well-being, particularly those living in poverty who have fewer choices about their living environment.
It is the responsibility of local or provincial governments to provide better infrastructure for people living in polluted environments.
Environmental issues include pollution, waste dumps, radiation, floods, fires, and damage caused by droughts.

Committing to physical activities on a long-term basis has physical, mental, social, and emotional benefits.
Physical benefits keep the body healthy and strong, mental benefits keep the mind alert, social benefits help make friends and contribute to nation-building, and emotional benefits help cope with stress and negative feelings.