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Topic 1

Topic 1: Emergency Management Review

Types of disaster

Disasters are often described as either natural or man-made. Here is a chart to remind you of these categories:

Natural

Climatic

cyclone
desertification
drought
fire – brush, forest, wild
floods
heat
hurricanes
ice / snow
tornadoes
typhoons
winds

Geophysical

avalanche
debris flows
earthquakes
landslides
liquefaction
rock falls
tsunamis
volcanoes

Biological

epidemics
pest infestation
animals (rodents, birds)

Human Made

Technological

chemical / hazardous material deforestation
environmental pollution
industrial fires
nuclear accident
power failure
transportation accident

Human Fault

chemical / hazardous material
environmental pollution
industrial fires
nuclear accident
power failure
transportation accident

Hostile Action

chemical / hazardous material
civil disobedience
industrial fires
nuclear accident
power failure
transportation accident
war

Figure 1.1 Types of Disasters (FEMA )

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Photo: Internally Displaced Persons Receive Emergency Food Aid

Internally Displaced Persons Receive Emergency Food Aid

After fleeing heavy fighting between the Sudan Armed Forces and the Sudan Peoples Liberation Army, thousands of the Internally Displaced Persons, receive the rations of emergency food aid, distributed by the World Food Program, 21st May 2008.

Source: UN Photo/Tim McKulka. Agok, Sudan; Photo #178791; www.unmultimedia.org  accessed September 2010.

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