Disaster

Disaster, in this article, a sudden, accidental event that causes many deaths and injuries. Most disasters also result in significant property damage. Common natural causes of disasters include earthquakes, floods, hurricanes and typhoons, and tornadoes. Tsunamis (popularly, but incorrectly, known as tidal waves), volcanic eruptions, wildfires, and landslides and avalanches rank among the other natural forces that sometimes create disasters.

Not all disasters are produced by the forces of nature. Many modern-day disasters involve accidents aboard passenger-carrying airplanes, ships, or railroads. Other “man-made” disasters can be traced to the collapse of buildings, bridges, tunnels, and mines, as well as to explosions and fires unintentionally triggered by humans.

Although acts of war and terrorism also inflict death and destruction, these events are intentional rather than accidental, and therefore are not considered disasters in the context of this article. For information on these topics, see War; Terrorism, International.