ABSTRACT
The public health and economic effects of natural and technological (manmade) disasters increased dramatically during this century. International public health agencies report that natural disasters disrupted the lives of 800 million people, caused more than $50 billion in property damage, and killed 3 million people in the past 2 decades (International Federation of Red Cross, 1993). With global population growth and the development of vulnerable areas, disasters will claim more lives and property in the future (Noji, 1994).
