29 Feb Many Disasters Are Weather-Related
For the last two decades, ninety percent of all disasters across the world were caused by weather-related events, such as floods, storms or heat waves, according to a report by the Center for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters at the Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium, and the U.N. Office for Disaster Risk Reduction. The report, titled, “The Human Cost of Weather-related Disasters 1995-2015,” noted that over 6,457 weather-caused disasters were documented during 1995 and 2015. These disasters caused the deaths of over 600,000 people and affected the lives of billions across the world.
The report, according to CBS News, noted that flooding accounted for nearly half of the disasters—affecting nearly 3 billion people. Ninety five percent of the 3 billion live in Asia, which is especially flood-prone, due to its varying terrains spread across the continent. Both the U.S. and China reported the most weather-based disasters during that time period, and the nations that were most affected by the disasters were China, India, the Philippines, Thailand, Pakistan, Brazil, Vietnam, Kenya and so on. To be counted as a natural disaster, the reported noted that an event must meet certain criteria: ten or more individuals lost their lives, over 100 people were affected, and a government declared a state of emergency or called for international aid.
Hurricanes, cyclones and storms—though infrequent—were the most devastating, claiming 242,000 lives over 21 years. Most of these deaths (90 percent) occurred in developing, or low-income nations—despite the fact that these nations account for only 26 percent of these massive hurricanes or storms. From 2005 to 2014, the reported noted that 335 disasters involving weather-related events occurred annually—that’s a 14 percent increase from 1995-2004, and twice the rate of weather-related disasters that occurred from 1985-1994.
Weather-related natural disasters are on the rise each year, which means that nations vulnerable to these kinds of disasters will continue to look to international aid organizations for relief. With that in mind, it’s important to remember that these organizations rely on very specific donations—such as weather-proof tents, warm clothing and ready-to-eat meals—in order to help those who live in natural-disaster prone regions.
If you’re interested in providing donations to a relief organization, considering consulting sites like Disaster Recovery 360 before doing so. As mentioned earlier, relief organizations that provide aid to those who’ve experienced a weather-related disaster need very particular donations. With Disaster Recovery 360, nonprofits can list specifically what they require in order to effectively help those in need. Instead of sending items that may not be useful, consult Disaster Recovery 360, and send the specific goods or items that you know will benefit those living in a disaster-stricken region.