DISASTERS- What are they??

• What are the different ways that disasters can be classified?

• Why do you think the criteria of a disasters varies?

• How might a governmental definition vary from that of a bank, media agency, NGO or TNC?

Which is the best way to categorise a disaster?• In October 2009, CRED undertook a study to analyse 3 disaster

classification methods.

• They used EM-DAT [Centre for Research of the Epidemiology ofDisasters], NatCatSERVICE [Munich Reinvestments], and Sigma [Swiss Reinvestments] (3 global databases).

• Their analysis has shown that the following combinations of characteristics are best-suited to universally describing a disaster:

EM-DAT

• 10 or more reported killed.• 100 or more reported

affected.• Declaration of a state of

emergency.• A call for national

assistance.

NatCatSERVICE

Spatial variations in the intensity and impact of

disasters.

Temporal variations in the intensity and impact of

disasters.

What does this graph actually show? Can you suggest reasons for the various trends and changes?