Natural disasters can contribute to huge health problems as hospital buildings are destroyed, people are displaced and sanitation systems are damaged. Disease spreads extremely quickly which can be particularly damaging as people are often clustered together after a natural disaster; within days, a whole community can be affected by illness and infections.
Preventing natural disasters
In many cases, it is impossible to prevent natural disasters; however, it is possible to prepare for disasters and make sure the necessary resources are in place to deal with chaos caused by the incident. Possible steps that can be taken include:
- Stock piling emergency food rations and bottles of clean water
- Stock piling emergency medicines and first aid items
- Installing advance warning systems
- Educating people about how to react in the event of a disaster
- Developing national strategies for coping with natural disasters