ABSTRACT
Threats can be posed by individuals in the form of human-made threats (such as fire and nuclear accidents) and by natural phenomena (earthquakes, tsunamis, and hurricanes, to name a few). Hazards constitute a risk or danger. Hazards can be thought of as a condition or possible situation that has the potential to cause or create a disaster. A disaster is “an event in a definite area that has occurred as a result of an accident, hazardous natural phenomena, catastrophe, natural or humanmade, which may or have caused significant physical, social, economic and cultural damage to human lives or [the] environment.”* A disaster has also been referred to as “a serious disruption of the functioning of society, posing a significant, widespread threat to human life, health, property or the environment, whether caused by accident, nature or human activity, and whether developing suddenly or as the result of complex, long-term processes.”† While not all hazards cause a disaster, all disasters are the result of some form of hazard. Hazards include naturally occurring phenomena, incidents caused by human activity, and incidents caused by conflict situations (e.g., war, genocide, terrorism, etc.). Threats or hazards, depending on their severity, can constitute emergencies.
