Natural hazards

From 1980 to 2007, there were about 8 400 disasters caused by natural hazards around the world, affecting over 2 million people. Of this, 90 per cent of the disasters and 70 per cent of casualties were caused by weather-, climate- or water-related hazards such as droughts, floods, windstorms, tropical cyclones, storm surges, extreme temperatures, landslides and wildfires, or by health epidemics and insect infestations directly linked to meteorological and hydrological conditions. When disasters happen, depending on the location (for example if they are in an industrial area), they can also trigger important biological and chemical disasters, which in turn have significant impacts on the communities (on health, water and land contamination etc…)

Questions and Answers

How can we reduce the risks of natural disasters?

Some people say that “natural hazards only become disasters if we fail to prepare for them.” This is true because although natural hazards cannot be prevented, early warning can reduce the number of victims. If people know in advance that a hazard such as a tropical cyclone would impact their community, they can seek shelter! Over the years, WMO has contributed to help reduce disaster risks by providing information, which can help emergency responders and people take safety measures in their communities. Although the number of these disasters has increased substantially over the past fifty years (and are more likely to increase with climate change and human patterns of moving to higher risks areas), the loss of life has decreased thanks to good meteorological and hydrological information and warnings and emergency preparedness in the communities.

Find out more about tropical cyclones, El Niño, and desertification.

Facts about natural hazards