(from Greek meaning, "bad star") is a natural or man-made event that negatively affects life, property or industry often resulting in permanent changes to human societies, ecosystems and the environment. ----- Desaster, Unglück
SMALL TALK / Talking about Disasters
There are a wide range of disasters that can ravage a town, city, country or even an entire continent. The most common disasters are those caused by nature, otherwise known as ‘natural disasters’. These can include such phenomenon as flooding, earthquakes, drought, hurricanes, tornadoes and many more.
Of these disasters, flood disasters belong to one of the most devastating, creating one of the most unmanageable disaster areas for emergency rescue crews. The disaster risk during a flood is one of the highest, sweeping people away in a tide, leaving very little reaction time when hitting an area. The disaster victim toll is always high, unfortunately frequently resulting in casualties and fatalities. Some of the hardest hit areas are those situated on natural plains or below sea level. Highly susceptible areas tend to have some kind of contingency plan or disaster operation plan ready. However, this can never really prepare an area for all aspects of a disaster.
Other types of disasters are those caused by human error, usually with a high price to pay for our environment; so-called environmental or ecological disasters. Usually a technical problem that ends in disaster or failure to remain diligent with equipment has led to seas being flooded with oil, acid rain and many other effects on our environment, both long and short term.
