Topic
Natural disaster
About: Natural disaster is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 5456 publications have been published within this topic receiving 104808 citations. The topic is also known as: natural calamity & natural hazard.
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TL;DR: The authors review the extent to which and in what forms, emergent groups in the aftermath of disaster events emerge and volunteer in the field of disaster research, focusing on the diversity of disaster volunteering among disaster researchers.
Abstract: There is an increasing emphasis on the diversity of disaster volunteering among disaster researchers. Our aim was to review the extent to which, and in what forms, emergent groups in the aftermath ...
42 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the role of information technology in forecasting, monitoring and managing disasters in real-time (i.e., by analysis of data as soon as they are collected).
Abstract: This paper considers the role of information technology in forecasting, monitoring and managing disasters in real-time (i.e., by analysis of data as soon as they are collected). First, the advantages and pitfalls of a technological approach to natural hazards are discussed, then the general nature of real-time technology is described. There follows a review of the appropriate techniques of monitoring the physical impacts of earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, floods and landslides. Next the role of information technology in disaster management is assessed, with emphasis on telecommunications and simulation modelling. As a cautionary note, two notorious failures of prediction and warning are discussed (the storm of October 1987 in England and the volcanic eruption disaster of November 1985 in Colombia), both of which would have benefited from more careful use of real-time monitoring. It is concluded that microcomputers, earth resources satellites, communications satellites and Geographical Informati...
42 citations
TL;DR: The causes of disaster, ethnicity, gender and age of flood fatalities; the naturalness of disasters; and the merit of choice and constraint as explanations for patterns of vulnerability are explored.
Abstract: At least 225 people in the Fiji Islands died as a result of the 1931 hurricane and flood, representing the largest loss of life from a natural disaster in Fiji's recent history. This paper explores the causes of disaster and the potential for recurrence. The disaster occurred because a rare event surprised hundreds of people-especially recently settled Indian farmers-occupying highly exposed floodplains in north-west Viti Levu island. The likelihood of a flood disaster of such proportions occurring today has been diminished by changed settlement patterns and building materials; however, a trend towards re-occupancy of floodplains, sometimes in fragile dwellings, is exposing new generations to flood risks. The contribution of this paper to the global hazards literature is set out in three sections: the ethnicity, gender and age of flood fatalities; the naturalness of disasters; and the merit of choice and constraint as explanations for patterns of vulnerability.
42 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors study the effects of natural disaster risk on self-reported happiness and life satisfaction at the example of tropical storms and conclude that disaster risk tends to play a role for individual well-being, especially on low levels of development.
42 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors proposed that insurance plays a critical role in improving resilience to natural disasters by both promoting recovery and providing incentives for insurance companies to invest in disaster preparedness.
Abstract: Natural disaster losses have been increasing worldwide. Insurance is thought to play a critical role in improving resilience to these events by both promoting recovery and providing incentives for ...
42 citations