3. Educate yourself and family members.

Lesson Effect of Disasters on One’s 4. Have Disaster kits/supplies on hand.

Life 5. Develop an emergency communication plan.
2 6. Help your community get ready.
7. Practice the Disaster Preparedness Cycle.
A natural disaster can bring about many devastating The Human Effect of Natural Disasters
effects. Among these are deaths, destruction of 1. Displaced Populations
infrastructures, loss of livelihood and services, and other One of the most immediate effects of natural
physical and nonphysical effects. disasters is population displacement. When
countries are ravaged by earthquakes or other
powerful forces of nature, many people need to
abandon their homes and seek shelter in other
regions. A large influx of refugees can disrupt
accessibility of health care and education, as well as
food supplies and clean water.

2. Health Risks
Aside from the obvious immediate danger that
natural disasters present, the secondary effect can
be just as damaging. Severe flooding can result in
stagnant water that allows breeding of waterborne
bacteria and malaria-carrying mosquitoes. Without
emergency relief from international aid organizations
and others, death tolls can rise even after the
immediate danger has passed.

3. Food Scarcity
A disaster is a damaging event that occurs suddenly The aftermath of natural disasters affects the food
and involves loss of life and property. It can be of two supplies. Thousands of people around the world are
types, natural and man-made. hungry because of destroyed crops and loss of
agricultural supplies, whether it happens suddenly in
Natural disasters can destroy a whole community in an
a storm or gradually in a drought. As a result, food
instant. Examples of natural disasters are volcanic prices rise reducing families’ purchasing power and
eruptions, tsunamis, earthquakes, and typhoons which increasing the risk of severe malnutrition or worse.
are destructive to people's lives. The impacts of hunger following an earthquake,
typhoon or hurricane can be tremendous, causing
Man-made disasters on the other hand are caused by
lifelong damage to children’s development.
human beings. Some of the man-made disasters are
bomb explosions, terrorism, wars, leakage of poisonous 4. Emotional Aftershocks
chemicals, pollutions, industrial accidents, and Natural disasters can be particularly traumatic for
epidemics. They are identified as man- made disasters young children. Confronted with scenes of
because they happen due to human actions and not by destruction and the deaths of friends and loved ones,
natural forces. many children develop post-traumatic stress
disorder (PTSD), a serious psychological condition
resulting from extreme trauma. Left untreated,
children suffering from PTSD can be prone to lasting
psychological damage and emotional distress.
‘The Devastating Impact on Natural Disasters’, ChildFund, last modified May
30, 2020, https://www.childfund.org/Content/NewsDetail/2147489272/

Effects of Disasters
• Direct losses are those that directly affects the lives
of people affected by a disaster, it includes the
deaths of immediate family members, relatives,
traumatic effects on the individual (Post Traumatic
Stress Disorders), changes in their way of life and
What is the difference between hazard and disaster?
livelihood, chaotic conditions as a result of disaster
A hazard is a dangerous situation or event that carries and increase in lawless activities.
a threat to humans. A disaster is an event that harms
humans and disrupts the operations of society. Hazards • Indirect losses include the feeling of grief and
hopelessness among the affected people,
can only be considered disasters once it affected
destruction of properties, environmental destruction
humans. If a disaster happened in an unpopulated area,
and the loss of the quality of life that affected
it is still a hazard. individuals enjoy before the disaster happened.
Great damage caused by a disaster can be reduced if
everyone will take responsibility in anticipating its
effects. Here are some ways on how to plan ahead of a Direct Effects of Disasters:
disaster: Humanitarian Crises:
1. Check for hazards at home. Climate change and accompanying natural disasters
2. Identify safe place indoors and outdoors. have created a large migrant population, called climate
refugees or environmental migrants. These people can Indirect Effects of Disaster:
be forced out of their homes by an abrupt natural Financial effects – people affected by disasters often
disaster, like a tsunami, or a slower-moving natural have a hard time of having the financial means to
disaster, like a relentless drought. In any case, the area recover from the effects of disasters. Losing sources of
where they formerly lived is no longer habitable for one livelihood after a disaster usually result to difficulties of
reason or another, or the standard of living has dropped having the essential needs of the family affected by
so drastically that the uncertain future of migration looks disasters.
more certain.
Stress associated with lack of resources – relevant
Public Health Issue: to financial effects, having little or nothing because of
Health issues are one of the most pressing problems disaster complicates the situation of people.
after any natural disaster. It is often the case that
facilities for water and toilet hygiene are damaged or Post-Traumatic Stress - many people develop anxiety
inoperable: meaning that the safe disposal of human and depression for lacking financial and essential needs
waste quickly becomes a public health hazard. Further, after a disaster happened. Hence it is also important
without running water, hand washing, and food hygiene that aside from relief efforts both from NGOs and
rapidly deteriorate. government sector, it is worth noting that psycho-social
intervention must also be extended to the victims of
Another pressing health concern in the aftermath of a disasters.
disaster are the psychological trauma of the victims that
usually lead to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Lack of access to housing – this is especially true for
victims of disaster that belongs to the poor sectors of
Environmental Problems: society. Poor families are the most vulnerable sectors
Natural disasters, from tsunamis to wildfires, can cause of society to disasters, and one the key problems that
wide-ranging and long-term consequences for they have is lack of housing, aggravated further by the
ecosystems: releasing pollution and waste, or simply effects of disasters.
demolishing habitats.
Coping Capacity of Communities:
For instance, in March 2011, a tsunami following the 9.0- Coping capacity for disaster risk reduction refers to the
magnitude Tōhoku earthquake in Japan caused what ability of people, organizations, and systems, using
came to be known as the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear available skills and resources, to face and manage
disaster, where radioactive material was released in adverse conditions such as hazards, emergencies or
Japan and into the Pacific Ocean. This was the largest disasters. Coping capacities contribute to the reduction
nuclear disaster since Chernobyl, and it caused a of disaster risks (UNISDR, 2009).
cascade of issues in the ecosystem and surrounding
waters, spreading radioactive material through far- Resilience from Effects of Disasters:
ranging ocean currents. In the natural environment, resilience means that an
area or eco-system under threat is restored to its original
Infrastructural Damage: pristine state. In the construction and engineering
One of the most immediate and economically industry, resilience would be the ability of metal or a
devastating concerns with natural disasters is the structure to return to an original state – being able to
damage to both public and private infrastructure. These withstand shock, weight or pressure. However, human
events can cause billions of dollars in damages, and not systems cannot be untouched by life events – they do
all governments are equipped to fund the process of not necessarily return to an original or former state and
post-disaster cleanup and rebuilding. the challenge is to continuously develop, improve and
refine existing structures, systems and environments in
Natural disasters can have long-term negative order to progress.
consequences beyond the immediate loss of life and
demolition of infrastructure. Often, an area impacted by The United Nation International Strategy for Disaster
a natural disaster will show scars of the event for years Reduction (UNISDR) defines resilience as “the ability of
to come. a system, community or society exposed to hazards to
resist, absorb, accommodate to and recover from the
effects of a hazard in a timely and efficient manner,
including through the preservation and restoration of its
essential basic structures and functions” (UNISDR,
2009).