Natural Disasters

It is defined as the shifting of the earth’s plates causing the ground to shake. Earthquakes can be short as of few seconds and can be long as several minutes. They can be all up and down of wave-like and starts with a rumbling noise. They are sudden and unpredictable and can happen anytime. Although in most cases these are mild and remain unnoticed, however, if severe they can cause vast damage like the destruction of buildings schools’ homes bridges, and overall damage to communities. Earthquake’s aftershocks are something that occurs at the place of the main quake. These are quite common and depend on the size and intensity of the main quake. Another thing called a foreshock is a quake that happens before a large earthquake.

It is a meteorological phenomenon that is accompanied by frequent rainfalls and windy storms that add humidity. Storms can be of many types like thunderstorms, rainstorms, and windstorms. Lightning is common among rain and thunderstorms. A storm might be devastating as it is severe weather with strong wind, intense lightning, and precipitation.

This is the most common type of natural disaster that occurs when water overflows and this is often followed by heavy rains. This occurs when the normal land area gets covered by the water. It is the most devastating and proved to be the deadliest of all-natural disasters. The period between 1998-2017 floods has affected billions of people not only in the united states but all over the world. people who live near the seacoast are at higher risk of flooding. So for preventive measures warning signs are being generated beforehand

Forest fires are also known and wildfires can burn a large area of land. It is capable of destroying trees houses animals and even humans. People who live near forests and wildlife are at risk of danger. If their life is not at stake but breathing smoke can cause any kind of respiratory dysfunctions like bronchitis, asthma, etc. inhaling carbon monoxide can reduce the capacity of hemoglobin to deliver oxygen to the blood

It is a shortage of water supply due to the precipitation in a specific area. It can be either atmospheric water or groundwater. Desiccation is the most common form of drought. The land seems desiccated people are deprived of water in that area. It is a prolonged event that can last from months to even years. Most commonly hot areas are prone to such natural disasters. It has an enormous impact on the economy. As summers approach the chances of drought to get increased in these areas

Natural disasters have struck the United States since its establishment over 2 centuries. at the end of the 20^th century, the United States was hit by a slew of costly—and often fatal—natural disasters. The United States was hit by severe drought in 1988. Hurricane Andrew by the start of the 1990s, and the earthquake in northern California in 1994 were the deadliest disasters to date. The nation was hit by an intense ice storm in the northeastern areas.

• The broadest phrase is disaster impacts, which covers both market-based and nonmarket effects. Property destruction and a decrease in income and sales, for example, are examples of market-based effects. Environmental impacts and psychological damages endured by those involved in a disaster are examples of nonmarket effects. Individual effects can be either negative or positive in theory, while disaster-related repercussions are almost always negative.
• The losses incurred due to natural disasters are market-based negative economic effects. This includes the cost of physical destructions like building houses and other natural resources and also the cost of those people who lost their jobs along with businessmen.
• The term “costs of catastrophes” is commonly used to refer to monetary payments made by insurers and governments to compensate individuals and businesses for some, if not all, of their losses. Losses sustained by individuals who claim insurance also those who did not insure themselves along with those people who are unable to receive governmental assistance of any kind. These all are included in the critical analysis of the loss cost by natural disasters.

Individuals directly impacted by natural disasters may experience great feelings of grief, panic, loss, fear, and sadness, depending on the type and extent of their losses. Sleep problems, rage, irritation, and guilt are all possibilities. Some people who were mildly affected might have “survivor’s guilt,” with ideas such as “why them, and not me?” Even if they experienced a spike in symptoms during or immediately after the disaster, those people who survive natural disasters would not need any mental health treatment.

Those people who suffer from the following symptoms for more than a month would need therapy or proper clinical intervention.

• • Severe distress
  • Avoiding conversation regarding disaster
  • insomnia
  • Irritable mood
  • Aggressive behavior
  • Depressed mood
  • Change in the way they think about themselves.
  • Nightmares
  • Repressed memories or thoughts regarding the incident.
  • Frequent panic attacks.
  • Loss of interest in almost all activities.
  • Intense worry
  • Feeling of worthlessness
  • Sudden weight changes.