ABSTRACT
A continuing theme of this book is that natural hazards and disasters always involve a combination of physical impact and human vulnerability and response. In the past much emphasis has been laid on understanding the physical aspects of earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, floods, landslides, and so on (Scheidegger 1975), and there is no doubt that this is a necessary prelude to good hazard management. This chapter focuses on individual and collective reaction to hazard and disaster. It ends with an evaluation of the impact of natural catastrophe on human history. Besides the damage and physical injuries which they cause, natural disasters also have a profound impact on survivors, who can be considered sociologically, as communities, and psychologically, as individuals. A community can be defined as a geographical grouping of people into interacting social units organized to provide the basic social functions of daily life (Dynes 1970).
