Hazards, Disasters, and Catastrophes

Whenever a natural disaster occurs like a tornado, hurricane, or earthquake I hear some similar terminology being used. Usually I hear the words disaster or catastrophe get thrown around, while the word hazard is used for more commonly understood dangers. Honestly, I thought that many of these words meant the same thing, that something quite terrible and out of our control has occurred. Yet I've come to learn that terms Natural hazard, Disasters, and catastrophe describe different states of danger and damage that is inflicted on human life.

First off, a Natural Hazard is the natural processes or events that pose a threat to both human life and property. Many of us experience these natural hazards in the form of earthquakes, flash floods, hurricanes, Many of these events are repetitive and may occur seasonally over a certain area depending on the time of year. Therefore these hazards are natural events that occur freely whether we are the cause of them or not.

Second, A Natural Disaster is a hazardous event that occurs for a limited time over a specific area. I think that it is important for us to understand that natural disasters are the result of natural events or hazards that occur within nature. A great example of a natural events turning into disasters would be the result of a flash flood after a heavy rainfall. 

Lastly, A Catastrophe A massive disaster that requires significant expenditure of money, time, and resources. I think that one of the most commonly discussed catastrophes is that of the earthquake that rocked Haiti in 2010. Hundreds of thousands of lives were both lost and affected due to the state of Haitis architecture and ways of living.

Sources:
https://www.tulane.edu/~sanelson/Natural_Disasters/introduction.htm

Keller, Edward A., and Duane E. DeVecchio. Natural Hazards. Fourth ed., Routledge, 2016.