Natural disaster. Description, classification

Under the abbreviation of emergency situations (emergency situations) they understand a certain negative situation that has developed as a result of the environmental impact of certain factors. The territory of their distribution can vary from a small area to whole cities, countries, or, theoretically, even the entire globe. Depending on the origin, such situations are divided into several groups. Each group, in turn, can contain descriptions of several similar ESs.

Various accidents at factories and enterprises (especially those engaged in chemical, military or other potentially hazardous industries) can cause the emergence of an extreme situation. Also here it is necessary to list catastrophes and natural disasters, unfavorable or abnormal natural phenomena, other accidents of technogenic and anthropogenic origin. As a rule, the emergence of an emergency situation entails multiple negative consequences: in one way or another, damage is caused to the environment, human health or property.

Types of natural disasters

A natural emergency has the same general criteria as other types of emergencies. In particular, it can be local or spread over a fairly large area. One of the characteristic features is its spontaneous occurrence. This includes potentially dangerous geological phenomena (subsidence of soil, volcanic activity), peat and forest fires, intense meteorological phenomena (such as storms, large hail, hurricanes, snowfall, monsoon showers or tornadoes). Also, natural disaster situations include hydrological accidents (flooding), massive invasions of pests, infectious epidemics among animals and humans, changes in the composition of the air or water environment.

In most international classifications, environmental emergencies, which include pollution, are identified as a separate group. The reasons for this decision lie in the mixed origin of environmental disasters: the direct influence of a person plays a big role here, while a snowstorm or a hurricane occurs regardless of the impact of anthropogenic factors. But in the CIS countries everything is united in one category. So, similar disasters should also be attributed to natural disasters. Thus, there are only two main groups: man-caused and natural emergencies.

Classification of natural disasters in Russia

Despite the high development of science and technology, man continues to be unprotected against the forces of nature as well as at the dawn of his appearance. This is especially evident in times of disaster, when the element breaks into our habitual, established way of life and completely changes it. An analysis of the emergency situations that have occurred over the past decades gives disappointing forecasts. According to observations of scientists every year the number of victims of such emergencies only increases (on average, 8.5 percent). The natural disasters themselves became more destructive by 4.3 percent. And this is despite a sufficiently developed system of forecasting and preventing similar events in the world.

In addition, in our time it is already obvious that anthropogenic impact still has an indirect effect on the emergence of emergencies. Tragic and seemingly accidental natural disasters can be caused by our own reckless actions. Thus, deforestation over time led to an increase in the frequency of floods in Russia and significantly expanded the spread of this dangerous phenomenon.

In total, on the territory of our country there are about 30 natural phenomena that pose a potential threat to people. The greatest destructive force of them have storms, hurricanes and tornadoes. Downpours, earthquakes, landslides and avalanches are a particular danger in mountain areas. And with forest fires, one has to wage an annual battle in the taiga massifs. Because of the insufficiently developed warning system, many of the phenomena described above become even more dangerous.

According to statistics, most often we have emergencies of atmospheric origin (28%), followed by earthquakes (24%) and seasonal floods (19%) occupy the third place. At the same time, about forty percent of the entire territory of Russia is considered to be a full-fledged seismic zone. It is known that an earthquake is one of the most terrible natural disasters, which can be very difficult to forecast. In most cases, this can not be done. The situation is complicated by the fact that in these areas there are some large radiation and chemically hazardous objects.