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Types of Disasters and Hazards – United States

Natural Disasters

  • A disaster or hazard produced primarily by forces of nature that result in human or property impact of sufficient severity to be deemed an emergency.
  • Natural disasters or hazards include hurricanes, tornados, storms, floods, high water, wind‐driven water, tidal waves, earthquakes, droughts, fires, infectious disease epidemics, and other events

Technological Disasters

  • A disaster or hazard created primarily by manmade technology or unplanned and non‐malicious actions, which result in human or property impact of sufficient severity to be deemed an emergency.
  • Technological disasters or hazards include:
    • Industrial accidents
    • Nuclear accidents
    • Transportation accidents
    • Unintentional natural gas and other explosions,
    • Conflagration
    • Building collapse from primary structural failure (insufficient supports during construction or renovation, corrosion or other predictable materials deterioration, overload of structural elements)
    • Power failure
    • Financial and resource shortage
    • Oil and other hazardous materials spills, and
    • Other injury‐threatening environmental contamination

Intentional Disasters

  • A disaster or hazard produced primarily by threatened or executed intentional actions, threatening or resulting in human or property impact of sufficient severity to be deemed an emergency
  • Intentional disasters or hazards cover a very wide range of forces (chemical, biological, radiation, incendiary and explosive, cyber, disruption of services or products, and others)
  • The intent may be sabotage, criminal actions, conflict and civil disobedience or disturbance, or acts of terrorism

The Interface between Technological, Natural, and Intentional Origins

  • A structural collapse caused by an earthquake is a natural hazard emergency
  • A structural collapse caused by a construction error is a technological hazard emergency
  • A structural collapse caused by a deliberate methane explosion is an intentional hazard emergency