Disasters And Catastrophes: Their Conditions In And Consequences For Social Development
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Date
1993
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Disaster Research Center
Abstract
Our paper is organized around three central
questions: What can be conceptualized as a
disaster? What are important conditions that
generate these occasions? What are major
consequences of disastrous occasions? In the first part of the paper we show that
from a conceptual point of view, disastrous
occasions are usefully dividable into
"disasters" and "catastrophes". In particular
we note the quantitative and qualitative
differences between both everyday emergencies
and "disasters" as well as between "disasters"
and "catastrophes". In the next part of the paper we extensively
discuss important social factors or conditions
which facilitate or generate disasters and
catastrophes. It is especially noted how
disastrous occasions are rooted before impact
in the ongoing social developments or the
social changes and trends already existing in
societies. Such projected changes almost
assure that in the future we will have more
and worse disastrous occasions.
This part is followed by a briefer discussion
of how disasters and catastrophes affect
social development, especially at the macro level of societies. We especially note that
there is considerable differentiation in if,
where, and how, disastrous occasions affect
social change and development. The paper concludes with a short discussion of
how planning for disastrous occasions is also
being positively affected by social changes.
Description
Keywords
Disaster, Catastrophe, Social Development