Natural Disasters

Natural Disasters

Other types of disasters not included in this section Wars Conflict-related famines Diseases and epidemics

Natural disasters include earthquakes, extreme heat or cold, hurricanes, landslides and mudslides, lightning, tornadoes, tsunamis, volcanoes and wildfires.¹ In 2015, the human death toll was 22,749 worldwide, with more than 102 million people affected by natural disasters. 2002 disasters impacted the greatest total numbers of humans since the start of the twentieth century: 658,053,168.²

Data from the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters³

Data from the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters⁴

Health Impacts of Natural Disasters

Human Influence on Natural Disasters Even though these disasters are caused by natural forces, human activity is having an impact, through emissions that contribute to climate change or by activities such as unconventional gas and oil extraction or clearing land of trees. Evidence is mounting that human activity is influencing the frequency and/or intensity of some types of disasters:5 Floods Droughts, which also contribute to wildfires Earthquakes Storms, such as hurricanes, which also contribute to landslides and mudslides Heat waves

Natural disasters can produce these health impacts, in addition to deaths:⁶

• Trauma and injury, whether directly from the disaster or secondarily, such as from traffic accidents, loss of access to needed medications such as insulin, loss of power needed for medical equipment or loss of access to medical care
• Increased incidence of communicable diseases including influenza and tuberculosis, plus diseases from contaminated or standing water, including those transmitted by insects. Examples include cholera, typhoid, scabies, trachoma, schistosomiasis, malaria, yellow fever and dengue.
• Increased incidence of heart attacks, asthma attacks and allergic responses
• Aggravation of pre-existing conditions due to stress, such as rheumatoid arthritis
• Malnutrition from lack of access to food through destroyed crops or food stores, or from lack of transportation infrastructure for food
• Food poisoning from the inability to store or cook food appropriately
• Heat- and cold-related injuries from lack of shelter or clothing
• Mental health disturbances
• Increased incidence of conditions related to air pollution, such as particulates produced by fires or added to the air by volcanoes, earthquakes, droughts and other disasters, or by carbon monoxide from inappropriate indoor combustion
• Increased incidence of conditions related to exposures to materials spilled or released during the disaster, including asbestos, fuels, industrial chemicals
• Increased impacts from exposure to mold

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Natural disasters and severe weather.  2014. Viewed October 20, 2016.
2. Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters. EM-DAT: The International Disasters Database. Viewed October 21, 2016.
3. Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters. EM-DAT: The International Disasters Database. Viewed October 21, 2016.
4. Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters. EM-DAT: The International Disasters Database. Viewed October 21, 2016.
5. Riebeek H. The rising cost of natural hazards. Earth Observatory. March 28, 2005. Viewed October 22, 2016; Brown D, Cabbage M, McCarthy L. NASA, NOAA Analyses Reveal Record-Shattering Global Warm Temperatures in 2015. National Air and Space Administration. January 20, 2016. Viewed October 22, 2016; US Geological Survey. How large are the earthquakes induced by fluid injection? USGS FAQs. June 15, 2016. Viewed October 22, 2016.
6. March G. Natural Disasters and the Impacts on Health. Information Resources: Health, Disasters and Risk. United Nations Office on Disaster Risk Reduction. 2002. Viewed October 21, 2016; Moren-Abat M et al.  Climate Change Impacts on the Water Cycle, Resources and Quality. European Commission. 2007. Viewed October 21, 2016.