Hazards, Disasters, and Catastrophes
Here are the key differences between natural hazard, and disasters and catastrophes. A natural hazard is a naturally occurring event or process that can cause potential damage to human life and/or property. A natural hazard is defined as the hazardous threat/event while the disaster is the aftermath and harm to humans left behind due to the event. Natural disasters are caused by the natural processes of the Earth and occurs during a limited time span within a defined area. Example of these are floods, earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes, volcano eruptions, storms, tsunamis and many others. Natural hazards tend to lead to a state of emergency and international assistance. A catastrophe is a massive disaster that requires a huge amount of money and many years to rebuild and recover from.