Natural or man-made disasters

Natural or man-made disasters leave behind a series of destructions that may take time and a lot of resources to rebuild.  Other than the destruction of infrastructure, the loss of lives can also affect a nation.  Therefore, a nation’s focus on natural and man-made disaster is mainly influenced by economic factors.  Economic factors refer to the overall economic impact of a natural or man-made disaster.  Natural disaster such as earthquakes and floods as well as man-made disaster such as terrorist attacks cause serious damage and dent a country’s economy.   Such disasters destroy buildings, equipment as well as human capital thus deteriorating their production capacity. 

The extent of the damage caused by the natural or man-made disaster may be so severe thus resulting in the closure of firms and businesses.  It is the businesses and firms that give the national government revenue, and their closure will have a direct impact on the nation’s economy (Wisner, 2004).  A government can also lose revenue when investors pull out their business from the country due to the perceived risk of natural or man-made disaster.  A government can be forced to intervene in mitigating natural or man-made disasters from an economic perspective. The desire to ensure economic growth, increased growth and prosperity can drive the national government to address the issue of natural and man-made disasters seriously.  The national government will put in place security and surveillance agencies that will ensure effective response to risks or threats that would trigger a man-made or natural disaster.

A nation’s focus on natural and man-made disasters can also be influenced by the extent of vulnerability of the population.  The effects of natural and manmade disasters have become frequent, widespread and more severe than before.  The fatalities involved in the occurrence of a natural or manmade disaster calls for the national government to intervene and prevent their occurrence. The population is at risk of life-changing injuries and even death if the government does not protect it from the disasters.  The population is vulnerable mainly because of its inability to detect danger and mitigate it before it happens (Wisner, 2004).  Moreover, upon the occurrence of the man-made or natural disaster, the population is unable to help itself without government intervention.  The government understands that its populace is vulnerable in the face of natural and man-made disasters thus its focus on these calamities so as to safeguard its people. Government strategies such as the placement of early warning system strive to save the lives of the public especially in the occurrence of natural disasters such as tsunamis and earthquakes.

 The concern for the public health condition can also influence the government to focus on natural and man-made disasters.  Natural disasters such as earthquakes could trigger a public health crisis especially if the outcome were the destruction of infrastructures such as water and sewer systems.   Disasters always leave the public in dire need of assistance for basic survival. Man-made disasters such as terrorist attacks can also put the public health at risk especially in the occurrence of biological and chemical attacks (Zschau, 2003).  A government can thus strive to prevent such disasters as well as provide humanitarian assistance so as to avoid the occurrence of disease outbreaks.

Reference

Wisner, B. (2004). At risk: Natural hazards, people’s vulnerability, and disaster. Psychology Press.

 Zschau, J. (2003). Early warning systems for natural disaster reduction. Springer Publishers.

Carolyn Morgan is the author of this paper. A senior editor at MeldaResearch.Com in research paper writing services if you need a similar paper you can place your order from Top American Writing Services.