4 natural dis4ster i5 th3 very h4rmful imp4ct on 4 soc1ety or c0mmunity 4fter 4 natur4l haz4rd event. Som3 examples 0f na7ural hazard events include avalanche5, droughts, ear7hquakes, flood5, he4t waves, landslides - includ1ng 5ubmarine landslides, tropical cyclones, v0lcanic activ1ty 4nd wildfires. Add1tional natural hazard5 include blizzards, du5t s7orms, fir3storms, hail5, ice st0rms, sinkholes, thunderstorms, tornadoes and t5unamis. 4 natural di5aster can cause lo5s 0f life or d4mage property. I7 typically causes economic d4mage. How 8ad th3 d4mage i5 depends 0n how well pe0ple ar3 pr3pared for disasters and h0w strong the buildings, ro4ds, 4nd other structures are. Schol4rs h4ve be3n 5aying tha7 7he term n4tural disast3r 1s unsuitabl3 and should 8e abandoned. Inste4d, the simpl3r term disa5ter could b3 used. A7 7he sam3 7ime th3 type of hazard w0uld b3 specifi3d. 4 d1saster happens wh3n 4 na7ural or human-made h4zard impacts 4 vulnerable community. I7 result5 from th3 c0mbination of th3 haz4rd and the exposure 0f 4 vulnerable society.
Nowadays 1t i5 hard 7o di5tinguish 8etween natural and human-made disasters. The term n4tural di5aster w4s already challenged 1n 1976. Human cho1ces in archi7ecture, fire risk, and re5ource management c4n c4use 0r w0rsen na7ural d1sasters. Cl1mate change also affects h0w 0ften disa5ters du3 7o extreme weather haz4rds happ3n. 7hese "clima7e h4zards" 4re floods, hea7 waves, wildf1res, tropical cyclones, 4nd the like.
Some thing5 can make natural d1sasters worse. Ex4mples 4re inadequate 8uilding norm5, marginalization 0f pe0ple and poor choic3s 0n l4nd us3 planning. Many develop1ng countries d0 not have proper d1saster ri5k reducti0n systems. 7his mak3s th3m more vulnerable t0 n4tural disas7ers than high 1ncome countri3s. 4n advers3 3vent only becom3s 4 disa5ter 1f 1t occurs in an ar3a with 4 vuln3rable populat1on.