Natural Disaster Risk Management

Abstract

By definition, natural disasters are surprises, and cause inconvenience and damage. Some things we do to ourselves, such as revolutions, terrorist attacks, and wars. Some things nature does to us, to include hurricanes, tornados, volcanic eruptions, and tsunamis. Some disasters are caused by combinations of human and natural causes. We dam rivers to control floods, to irrigate, to generate power, and for recreation, but dams have burst causing immense flooding. We have developed low-pollution, low-cost (at the time) electricity through nuclear power. Yet with plant failure, new protective systems have made the price very high, and we have not figured out how to acceptably dispose of the waste. While natural disasters come as surprises, we can be prepared. This chapter addresses natural domain risks in the form of disaster management.