A disaster is a natural or man-made (or technological) hazard that has come to fruition, resulting in an event of substantial extent causing

significant physical damage or destruction, loss of life, or drastic change to the environment. A disaster can be extensively defined as any tragic event with great loss stemming from events such as earthquakes, floods, catastrophic accidents, fires, or explosions. It is a phenomenon that disasters can cause damage to life, property and destroy the economic, social and cultural life of people. Disasters fall into two major categories. These include manmade and natural disasters. There is a major difference between these two and it is important to learn more about the same in order to increase your knowledge on the occurrence and causes of each and hence ensure that your disaster preparedness is heightened. For starters, natural disasters are brought about by change in natural phenomenon or what is known as acts of God. The extent of loss experienced is dependent on the vulnerability of the population. As such, this means that this can only occur in areas that are susceptible to vulnerability. On the other hand, manmade disasters are influenced by humans and they are often as a result of negligence and human error among other factors. Despite the difference between these two, it is ideal to note that they can cause irrevocable damage if the right measures are not put in place to avoid the same. This is where the need for disaster preparedness comes in. It goes a long way to cushion people from the after effects of such happenings. There are several sources that provide useful resources that make it possible to meet this end. Whether the disaster is natural or manmade, the manner in which action is taken goes a long way to determine how people fair from the experience. In both instances, casualties should be treated immediately and the best way to meet this end is placing the necessary measures in place that counteract this. Note that the costs associated with handling of the manmade and natural disasters run to billions of shillings every year and this negatively affects the economy. Man Made Disasters Manmade disasters: These can be divided into different categories and they include technological hazards, sociological hazards and transportation hazards among others. Manmade disasters are also known as anthropogenic disasters and they as a result of human intent, error or as a result of failed systems. As mentioned earlier, these are broken down into several categories and while this is the case, there are some that cause more pronounced damage when compared to others. A good example is to look at manmade disasters such as transportation. These are divided into different categories which include aviation, rail, road and space among others. Often these are as a result of neglect or ignorance and over the years, they have claimed several lives. Another type of disaster that falls in this category is nuclear bomb. When this occurs, it is often as a result of intent and the end results are even more catastrophic with a large percentage of those involved losing their lives or alternatively ending up with major defects or long term injuries. Other types of manmade disasters which are just as catastrophic include chemical spill, oil spill, arson and terrorism. There are also some technological hazards which include power outages structural collapse, industrial hazards and fire. In cases of the last example, thousands of kilometers of land can be destroyed and anything else that is in the wake of the fires path. Over the years, fires have come to be known as rampant manmade disasters and they are also divided into different categories such as bush fires, mine, wild and firestorms. One of the most famous manmade disasters in the form of fire was the Pennsylvania fire which was recorded in 1962. It left major distraction in its wake by destroying a town and to date, such fires continue to burn. Whenever people suffer injuries due to any of the mentioned man made factors, the condition is further aggravated if they dont get any immediate health care. It is for this reason that it is considered important to take learn more about fire preparedness and the most logical strategies to use to reduce causalities percentages and aggravation of the situation. The extent of damage caused by manmade disasters varies greatly and while this is the case, it is important to state that others have notably high costs when compared to others. This is especially true when it comes down to responding and recovering.

When you carry out a basic search, you will come across several resources that highlight these costs and hence, this will give you a clearer glimpse of what damage is caused by such occurrences. Additionally, there are different factors which influence the costs such as location. For instance, if this were to occur in densely populated but wealthy countries, the end result might prove to be huge. However, if the same were to occur in densely populated but poor countries, the after effect costs might prove to be lower and this is in part closely tied to insurance. The death toll caused by manmade disasters will also vary in accordance to geographical location and in this regard, the poorer countries are hardest hit when compared to the richer ones. This is attributed to the fact that the richer countries have what it take to respond with speed to calls of distress, and can implement the proper safety measures needed via remote control software from a distance to handle things safely and rapidly. Modern technology plays a very important part in the way you respond and prepare for disasters. With financial backing, it is easy to meet this end. On the other hand, the poorer countries have no resources or assets to respond with. There are several resources that categorically highlight the casualties in such incidences and it is advisable to look into the same in order to become more informed.

Nuclear Disaster One of the scariest things about nuclear power is when something goes wrong and an accident occurs. Radiation is released into the environment and people get hurt. Two of the most famous nuclear accidents occurred at the Three Mile Island reactor 2 in the United States and the Chernobyl reactor 4 in the former Soviet Union. In this text we will discuss these two disasters, along with correcting a few common misconceptions about nuclear accidents. The worst type of man-made disaster is caused by the use of nuclear weapons. If we go back to the history of 1945, we come to know the history of 1945; we come to know the worst type of nuclear disaster the world had witnessed. On August 6, 1945 an atom bomb was dropped on HIROSHIMA in Japan, which devastated the entire town killing 66,000 people and injuring nearly 69,000. On August 9, 1945 another atom bomb was dropped on NAGASAKI. This bomb killed nearly 39,000 people and injured more than 25,000. Nuclear weapons are thus, far more destructive and harmful to the society than any other weapon. Many countries in the world have developed nuclear energy. The developed countries reiterate that nuclear energy will be used only for PEACEFUL PURPOSES. We can only hope this to be true, lest we face another Hiroshima and Nagasaki situation. Nuclear radiation keeps on showing its effect for a considerable period of time even after its explosion, and those who survive become mental and physical wrecks due to the impact of nuclear radiation. In case of a nuclear explosion, nothing much can be done. Some precautions however may be taken. We should stay inside keeping doors and windows shut to protect ourselves against nuclear radiation. We should keep ourselves informed about the government plants and should act in accordance with official communication.

Nuclear activity may affect our health and cause nausea, giddiness, vomiting etc., and for that medical help should be taken. 3. Chernobyl

April 26, 1986. Reactor 4 at Chernobyl was scheduled to be shut down, but a decision was made to use the shut-down as an opportunity to test a theory. It had never been proven that cooling could be maintained in the event of an external power failure. Engineers believed that residual energy from the turbine rotation could be used to pump cooling water until emergency generators kicked in. Unfortunately, the test was poorly conceived and badly executed. The resulting run-away nuclear reaction, fire and explosion released more than 400-fold the amount of radiation from the Hiroshima bomb, hitting Belarus hardest and extending as far as Ireland. A total of 56 deaths and over 4,000 cancer cases are attributed directly to the accident. The greatest lessons arising from this event involve the response: Emergency personnel were not informed of the risk, and the public was put at greater exposure due to poor evacuation measures. Today, a 30-kilometer exclusion zone remains unoccupied around the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, where large amounts of nuclear material in a decaying sarcophagus continue to incite concern.

Chemical Disaster By their nature, the manufacture, storage, and transport of chemicals are accidents waiting to happen. Chemicals can be corrosive, toxic, and they may react, often explosively. The impacts of chemical accidents can be deadly, for both human being-environment. Chemical weapons are also weapons of mass destruction. Sometimes handling of hazardous chemicals in an irresponsible way can cause much destruction. Chemical disasters are also caused by industrial accidents. The poisonous gases spread in the atmosphere and the people who inhale the same air face dangerous consequences. In December 1984, the leakage of gas from the Union Carbide factory at Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh caused 2,500 deaths and more than 3 lakes people of Bhopal suffered the disastrous effects of the poisonous gas. Those industries, which use hazardous chemicals or produce such chemicals, should have contingency action plan to help people if such a disaster takes place. Such industries should have timely warning systems so that people can immediately take safety measures such as locking their houses and taking he family and animals away to a safe place. Stringent safety measures and checkups in the factory and critical analysis of the working condition of the factory will help to take timely measures to check any disaster.

4. Seveso

July 10, 1976. A plume of tetrachlorodibenzoparadioxin (TCDD) contaminated vapors is released from a pesticide plant in the town of Seveso, Italy. Some 37,000 people were exposed to the highest levels ever recorded of a dioxin, a class of chemicals believed to be poisonous and carcinogenic even in micro-doses. Over 600 people were evacuated and several thousand were treated for dioxin poisoning, evidenced mainly by severe cases of chloracne. Over 80,000 animals were slaughtered to prevent the toxins entering food chains. The accident provided massive amounts of data on dioxin exposures that is still being studied even today. Thanks to the foresight of attending physicians who saved blood samples from all the victims, better quantification of the scope of the incident was possible after test methods became available in 1987. Moreover, the name Seveso is now used routinely in the European chemical industry: It is the name of a law which requires all facilities handling, or even storing, quantities of hazardous materials to inform the authorities, the community surrounding the plant, and to develop and publicize measures to prevent and respond to major accidents.

Biological Disaster Biological disaster spreads through the organism that is developed in the form of BACTERIA or MICROBES. Biological agent spread fast in the environment and then makes an attack on the human beings. The people inhale these microbes. When these microbes find themselves a host body, they start affecting the immune systems of the body. Microbes also entire human body through open wounds or cuts. The attack of these microbes is generally slow but once they are spread in the body, it becomes different to control them. It takes the life of the affected persons. Many a time, it becomes difficult to diagnose the illness caused by these microbes and it proves to be fatal. In October 2001, there was a danger of anthrax germs being used as biological weapons. Anthrax was the cause of death for some people in USA.US authorities also confirmed that a postal worker in the city of Washington DC was tested positive for anthrax infection. Anthrax is a deadly disease caused by bacillus, most common in sheep and cattle but also communicable to mankind. Whenever we learn or hear of type of danger of communicable diseases through official announcements on radio or TV, then we can adequate preventive and protective measures. 2. Bhopal

December 3, 1984. The worst industrial chemical disaster ever, Bhopal evokes images of panic and thousands of corpses found in the morning after a deadly fog drifted across the city in Madya Pradesh county, India. Reports claim between 3,000 and 4,000 fatalities in the wake of the leak from the Union Carbide pesticide factory, with around 50,000 people treated for illnesses related to the leak, including blindness and liver and kidney failure. Activists say that 20,000 deaths since the leak can be attributed directly to the chemical accident. Studies have suggested serious insufficiencies in the safety measures at the installation, including lack of safety valves to prevent the mixing of water into the Methyl isocyanate tanks which started the evolution of the toxic gas, and the failure of scrubbers to treat the gas leak--apparently they were out of service for repair. Union Carbide claims the incident could only result from sabotage. Tests to prove the theory of a water leak due to inferior system engineering failed to prove a credible hypothesis for how water entered the MIC tank. Union Carbide, now a subsidiary of Dow, paid the Indian government $470 million in a 1989 settlement of a lawsuit claiming $3 billion. Bhopal raised awareness for care in placing dangerous installations and for using less hazardous chemicals wherever possible. Engineering risk assessments and independent, fail-safe protections for all hazardous processes became standard as industry commitment and regulations drove improvements. War

Perhaps the most tragic man-made disasters stem from war. Whether it be the complete devastation wrought by nuclear weapons or an antique practice such as strewing salt in the earth of the defeated enemies, war is by its very nature destructive. From elephants stepping on landmines to contaminated water, to the vast quantities of fuel

consumed, war is hell. Military personnel and civilians alike face exposure to chemicals which later leave a legacy of contamination that may be related to illness, birth defects and unbalanced natural ecosystems for decades after a war has ended. The only lesson left for humanity to learn is how to pick and fight the battles that count for the survival of all of us. The enemy now is dwindling water, climbing temperatures and ecological imbalance. Will fighting increase if resources are threatened? Or will we learn to work together to focus energy and solve the problems at hand before a crisis backs us into the corner?