A natural disaster is a major adverse event resulting from natural processes of the Earth; examples include firestorms, dust storms, floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunamis, storms, and other geologic processes. A natural disaster can cause loss of life or damage property, and typically leaves some economic damage in its wake, the severity of which depends on the affected population’s resilience and on the infrastructure available.
In modern times, the divide between natural, man-made, and man-accelerated is quite difficult to draw with human choices like architecture, fire, resource management, or even climate change potentially playing a role. An adverse event will not rise to the level of a disaster if it occurs in an area without a vulnerable population. In a vulnerable area, however, such as Nepal during the 2015 earthquake, an adverse event can have disastrous consequences and leave lasting damage, which can take years to repair. The disastrous consequences also impact the mental health of affected communities often leading to post-traumatic symptoms. These increased emotional experiences can be supported through collective processing, leading to resilience and increased community engagement.
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