Natural Disasters Warnings: Alerts for Seniors & Disabled

Definition: Natural Disaster

A natural disaster is the effect of a natural hazard (e.g., flood, tornado, hurricane, volcanic eruption, earthquake, or landslide) that affects the environment, and leads to financial, environmental and/or human losses. The resulting loss depends on the capacity of the population to support or resist the disaster, and their resilience.

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Warnings and Alerts for Earthquakes, Hurricanes, Tornadoes and Natural Disaster Advisories for Seniors and Persons with Disabilities.

With seemingly increasing frequency of natural disasters occurring around the world today Disabled World has added an advisory section for seniors, persons with disabilities, and the mobility impaired.

For people with disabilities, barrier free, as well as, barrier-ridden environments become a great deal more hostile and difficult to deal with during and after an emergency.

Weather Severity Warnings:

• Outlook - A Hazardous Weather Outlook is issued daily to indicate that a hazardous weather or hydrologic event may occur in the next several days.
• Advisory - An advisory is issued when a hazardous weather or hydrologic event is occurring, imminent, or likely. Advisories are for "less serious" conditions than warnings.
• Emergency - An Emergency is issued when an event that by itself cannot pose a threat to life or property, but may indirectly cause other events to happen that may pose a threat to life or property.
• Watch - A watch is used when the risk of a hazardous weather or hydrologic event has increased significantly, but its occurrence, location, or timing is still uncertain.
• Warning - A warning is issued when a hazardous weather or hydrologic event is occurring, imminent, or likely. A warning means weather conditions pose a threat to life or property.
• Statement - A statement is either issued as a follow-up message to a warning, watch, or emergency, that may update, extend, or cancel the message it is following up or a notification of significant weather for which no type of advisory, watch, or warning exists.

People need to plan for emergency evacuation in anticipated and unanticipated situations including chemical, biological, radiological, explosion, transportation accidents, fire, floods, earthquakes, mud slides, hurricanes, tornadoes, snow storms power outages, etc.

Also see: Disaster and Emergency Planning for Seniors and Persons with Disabilities

Quick Facts: Disaster Warning

The Disaster Warning Network, Inc. seeks to create the world's first truly effective early warning system for protecting lives and property from the damaging effects of both natural and manmade disasters. It will provide real time early warning alerts in advance of the impact of disasters and hazards such as tornadoes, lightning storms, tsunami, floods, wild fires and earthquakes. Early warnings will also be given for industrial, chemical, and biological accidents, as well as intentional terrorist actions. Most potential threats to human life and property will be included in the system - (www.disasterwarning.com).

Statistics: World Natural Disaster

In 2012, there were 905 natural disasters worldwide, 93% of which were weather-related disasters. Overall costs were US$170 billion and insured losses $70 billion. 2012 was a moderate year. 45% were meteorological (storms), 36% were hydrological (floods), 12% were climatological (heat waves, cold waves, droughts, wildfires) and 7% were geophysical events (earthquakes and volcanic eruptions). Between 1980 and 2011 geophysical events accounted for 14% of all natural catastrophes.