A natural disaster is "the negative impact following an actual occurrence of natural hazard in the event

that it significantly harms a community".[1] A natural disaster can cause loss of life or damage property,
[2] and typically leaves some economic damage in its wake. The severity of the damage depends on the
affected population's resilience and on the infrastructure available.[3] Examples of natural hazards
include: Floods, Earthquakes, Droughts, Volcanic Eruptions, Cyclones, Tsunamis, Landslides, Wildfires.

Types:

Flood

A flood is an overflow of water (or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry.[1] In the
sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide.

Floods are caused by rains, strong winds, cyclone, tsunamins, melting of snow, or dam bursts. A flood
can happen gradually or suddenly as a result of heavy rain or a breach of the water storage and control
structures.

Impact of floods

Loss of livelihoods: communication links and infrastructure such as power plants, roads and bridges are
damaged and disrupted, economic activities come to a standstill, resulting in dislocation and the
dysfunction of normal life for a period much beyond the duration of the flooding.

Mass migration: Frequent flooding, resulting in loss of livelihoods, production and other prolonged
economic impacts and types of suffering can trigger mass migration or population displacement.

Psychosocial effects: The huge psycho-social effects on flood victims and their families can traumatize
them for long periods of time. The loss of loved ones can generate deep impacts, especially on children
Earthquakes

An earthquake (also known as a quake, tremor or temblor) occurs when the Earth’s plates shift, causing
a violent shaking of the ground that can last anywhere from a few seconds to several minutes. Mild
initial shaking might quickly intensify and become violent.

Causes:

An earthquacke is a result of the sudden break or crack within the upper curst of the earth. This could
also cause the surface to break and could also lead to the vibration of the ground.

Effects:

In mountainous regions, when the surface of the slopes are weakened by the earthquackes, landslides
and avalanches occur.

Shock waves cause groundwater to rise to the surface. Turning soft ground to mud. This is called
liquification

These waves can travel at an enormous speed and cause devastation along the coastal areas if they
occur in the seas or oceans.

Droughts

A drought is an event of prolonged shortages in the water supply, whether atmospheric (below-average
precipitation), surface water or ground water. A drought can last for months or years, or as few as 15
days.[4]

Causes:

When rainfall is less than normal for a period of weeks to years, streamflows decline, water levels in
lakes and reservoirs fall, and the depth to water in wells increases. If dry weather persists and water-
supply problems develop, the dry period can become a drought.

Impacts:

This creates a lack of water for people to drink and for farming. Hence, no food can be farmed from the
soil causing a famine. combined with warming temperatures, can result in decreased snowpack and
streamflow, increased evaporative demand, dry soils, and large-scale tree deaths, which results in
increased potential for large wildfires.

Volcanic Eruptions

. A volcanic eruption is when lava and gas are released from a volcano—sometimes explosively. The most
dangerous type of eruption is called a 'glowing avalanche' which is when freshly erupted magma flows
down the sides of a volcano.

Deep within the Earth it is so hot that some rocks slowly melt and become a thick flowing substance
called magma. Since it is lighter than the solid rock around it, magma rises and collects in magma
chambers. Eventually, some of the magma pushes through vents and fissures to the Earth's surface.
Magma that has erupted is called lava.'

Many lives can be lost as a result of a volcanic eruption. Lava flows and lahars can destroy settlements
and clear areas of woodland or agriculture. The dramatic scenery created by volcanic eruptions attracts
tourists. This brings income to an area.

Cyclones

Cyclone is defined as the mass of air that rotates around the centre of low pressure on a large scale.
Cyclone is characterized by inward spiralling winds, rotating clockwise (Southern Hemisphere) or
anticlockwise (Northern Hemisphere).

When warm, moist air over the ocean rises upward from near the surface, a cyclone is formed.

Cyclones can destroy structures at a whim. They are powerful enough to rip out the roofs of houess,
destroy them completely or send them flying off. Other effects may be floods and large-scale evacuations
of people into emergence shelters. Often leaving them homeless.

Tsunamis

A Tsunami is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of water,
generally in an ocean or a large lake. Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other underwater explosions.

Causes:

This displacement of water is usually caused by earthquakes,[28][29][30] but can also be attributed to
landslides, volcanic eruptions or glacier calvings.

Effect:

In addition to loss of life and mass injuries, other potential impacts include damage to and destruction of
homes and businesse. There may be loss of access to basic services such as power, sewer, and water.
LandSlides

Landslides, also known as landslips, are several forms of mass wasting that may include a wide range of
ground movements, such as rockfalls, deep-seated slope failures, mudflows, and debris flows.[4]

They are caused by disturbances in the natural stability of a slope.

Land slides cause damage to property and infrastructure such as houses, roads, buildings, etc.

Wildfires

A wildfire, forest fire, bushfire, wildland fire or rural fire is an unplanned, uncontrolled and unpredictable
fire in an area of combustible vegetation starting in rural and urban areas.

They can be caused due to lightning, volcanic eruption, sparks from rock falls or spontaneous
combustion. The risk of wildfires increases in extremely dry conditions, such as drought, and during high
winds.

Wildfires can disrupt transportation, communications, power and gas services, and water supply.