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Man Made Disasters
Man-made disasters cost the most in terms of human suffering, loss of life and long-term damage to a country's economy and productive capacity. The last decade has seen a marked increase in what are known as "complex emergencies" - complex because war and internal conflict lead to the breakdown and collapse of social, political and economic structures. Sometimes these emergencies are accompanied by natural disasters, which compound their complexity. Inevitably agriculture and food production are major casualties.
Man-made disasters may include nuclear explosions, accidents caused by experimenting with bacteria or with man's biological heritage, accidents in aircraft or ocean vessels, or accidents caused by tampering with nature's equilibrium (e.g., destroying the ozone layer) -- again, the author's imagination has a wide range. Frequently, the disaster has a political link.
NATURAL DISASTERS MAN-MADE DISASTERS
Earthquakes Nuclear & Radiological Accidents
Floods & Flash Floods Home & Building Fires
Hurricanes Hazardous Materials Accidents
Tornadoes Terrorism
Thunderstorms & Lightning Aviation Accidents
Snow, Ice & Winter Storms Ship/Maritime Accidents
Heatwave & Drought Train/Railroad Accidents
Landslides & Mudflows Riots/Civil Unrest
Tsunamis & Other Tidal Action Bridge Collapses
Volcanoes Dam Breaks
Wildfires
This list of disasters was developed by studying information and data from situations in all 50 states, as well as U. S. Territories, that FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Administration, has responded to since 1990. It provides a standard checklist of the kinds of things that can happen, More detailed information is available from standard reference works such as encyclopedias and almanacs. |
