PREVENTION OF NATURAL DISASTER

Natural hazards don’t automatically cause natural disasters. Natural disasters are easier to prevent than many other environmental problems. Today, there is more scientific knowledge and technological know-how than ever before to predict the effects a hazard might have before it strikes. After we find out the risks of a hazard and we can often take effective actions to reduce them, e.g. replace trees in deforested areas. The cost of doing this is normally far less than the cost of clearing up after a natural disaster.

only 11% of the people at risk from Natural Hazards live in countries classified as Low Human Development, they make up 53% of the total recorded deaths form natural disasters (RDR report). This shows that development plays a major role in Natural Hazards turning into Disasters. There are lots of things which can make a natural hazard into a disaster. Many of these are changes made to the environment by people.

For example, the effects of flooding may be made worse by deforestation - trees trap water in the soil which slows down or even stops floods, but when they are cut down severe flooding happens more easily. Or, lots of people living together in small areas, e.g. in cities and or shanty towns, where houses and roads are built cheaply and un-safely can mean that even a small earthquake can cause a disaster, as hundreds or thousands of people are hurt when the buildings fall down.

There are some suggestions to prevent the natural disaster

1. minimize the potential risks by developing disaster early warning strategies
2. prepare and implement developmental plans to provide resilience to such disasters,
3. mobilize resources including communication and tale-medicinal services
4. to help in rehabilitation and post-disaster reduction.
5. Disaster management, on the other hand involves:
6. pre-disaster planning, preparedness, monitoring including relief management capability
7. prediction and early warning
8. Damage assessment and relief management.