Disaster Definitions
Please reference this document as:
Kelman, I. (ed.).2017.Disaster Definitions.Version 3, 13April 2017 (Version 1 was 12 July 2004).Downloaded from
Purpose:
The term “disaster” has various uses leading to the often-asked question“What is a disaster?”.This document compiles definitions of the term, including from dictionaries, peer-reviewed academic publications, textbooks, legislation, and policy documents. Related terms such as “calamity”, “catastrophe”, and “emergency” are not included.
Suggestions to:
Ilan Kelman
The definitions in this document are from:
BizHelp24
Cambridge Dictionaries
dictionary.com
disasterrelief.org
DRJ
Eagle Ventures
EEA
EMA (1998)
EM-DAT
Emergency Program Act (British Columbia, Canada)
FEMA
Furedi (2007)
GO (Tasmania Government Online)
Hyperdictionary
IDRM
IFRC
Infoplease
Library of Congress, U.S.A.
Maynor and Arbon (2015)
McEntire (2000)
Merriam-Webster
New York State Office of Mental Health
ODP (1996)
Oxford English Dictionary
Quarantelli (1985)
Quarantelli (1986)
Quarantelli (1995)
Quarantelli (1998)
Reliefweb (2008)
RhymeZone
Schaefer (2003)
Songer (1999)
Tibaijuka (2001)
Townsend et al. (2002)
UN DHA (1992)
UNISDR
yourdictionary.com
Webster
Wikipedia
BizHelp24
on 28 June 2004.
What Is a Disaster?
There are many different definitions for ‘disaster’ but to make it clear in the term that we want to relate to, we can define it as “an event that has occurred unexpectedly with destructive consequences”.Disasters can be put into three main categories:
Natural Disasters
Flooding
Hurricanes
Blizzards
Storms
Land slides, etc
Human Disasters
Theft and criminal damage
Fire
Death/poor health/general sickness
Contamination
War/conflict/terrorism
Workplace violence, etc
Technical Disasters
Power cuts
Break down of computer networks
Gas leaks
Communication failure
Cooling/heating/ventilation system failure, etc
Cambridge Dictionaries
on 28 June 2004.
disaster
noun [C or U]
1 (an event which results in) great harm, damage or death, or serious difficulty:
An inquiry was ordered into the recent rail disaster (= a serious train accident).
It would be a disaster for me if I lost my job.
This is one of the worst natural disasters ever to befall the area.
Heavy and prolonged rain can spell disaster for many plants.
Everything was going smoothly until suddenly disaster struck.
Inviting James and Ivan to dinner on the same evening was a recipe for disaster (= caused a very difficult situation) - they always argue with each other.
2 INFORMAL be a disaster to be very unsuccessful or extremely bad:
The evening was a complete disaster.
As an engineer, he was a disaster.
dictionary.com
on 11 April 2017.
noun
1. a calamitous event, especially one occurring suddenly and causing great loss of life, damage, or hardship, as a flood, airplane crash, or business failure.
2. Obsolete. an unfavorable aspect of a star or planet.
disasterrelief.org
on 8 July 2004.
Disaster
An unforeseen and often sudden event that causes great damage, destruction and human suffering. Though often caused by nature, disasters can have human origins. Wars and civil disturbances that destroy homelands and displace people are included among the causes of disasters. Other causes can be: building collapse, blizzard, drought, epidemic, earthquake, explosion, fire, flood, hazardous material or transportation incident (such as a chemical spill), hurricane, nuclear incident, tornado, or volcano.
DRJ
“Glossary of Business Continuity Terms” on 5April 2017.
Disaster: Situation where widespread human,material, economic or environmentallosses have occurred which exceeded theability of the affected organization,community or society to respond andrecover using its own resources.
Cites ISO 22300:2012.
Eagle Ventures
on 26 June 2004.
Disaster:Any real or anticipated occurrence which endangers the lies, safety, welfare and well-being of some or all of the people and cannot be brought under control by the use of all regular Municipal Government services and resources.
EEA
on 8 July 2004.
disaster
Translations under validation
Definition (english only)
A serious disruption of the functioning of society, causing widespread human, material or environmental losses, which exceed the ability of affected society to cope using only its own resources. Disasters are often classified according to their cause (natural or man-made).
Definition source
United Nations. Internationally agreed glossary of basic terms related to disaster management.
EMA (1998)
EMA.1998.Australian emergency management glossary. (Australian emergency manual).Emergency Management Australia (EMA), Canberra, Australia
on 8 July 2004.
accident
A sudden event in which harm is caused to people, property or the built or natural environment.(5)
See also incident, emergency and disaster.
disaster
A serious disruption to community life which threatens or causes death or injury in that community and/or damage to property which is beyond the day-today capacity of the prescribed statutory authorities and which requires special mobilisation and organisation of resources other than those normally available to those authorities.(58)
See also accident, emergency and incident.
emergency
* An event, actual or imminent, which endangers or threatens to endanger life, property or the environment, and which requires a significant and coordinated response.(60)
* Any event which arises internally or from external sources which may adversely affect the safety of persons in a building or the community in general and requires immediate response by the occupants.(83)
* An unplanned situation arising, through accident or error, in which people and/or property are exposed to potential danger from the hazards of dangerous goods. Such emergencies will normally arise from vehicle accident, spillage or leakage of material or from a fire.(82)
* In terms of dam operation, any condition which develops unexpectedly, endangers the integrity of the dam or downstream property and life and requires immediate action.(10)
See also accident, incident and disaster.
incident
* An event, accidentally or deliberately caused, which requires a response from one or more of the statutory emergency response agencies.(3)
* A sudden event which, but for mitigating circumstances, could have resulted in an accident.(106)
* An emergency event or series of events which requires a response from one or more of the statutory response agencies.(40)
See also accident, emergency and disaster.
3.Australasian Fire Authorities Council (1997) Hazardous Materials 1 (Learning Manual 2.16)Addison Wesley Longman Pty Ltd, South Melbourne
5.Australian Atomic Energy Commission (undated) Glossary of Some Nuclear Terms
10.Australian National Committee on Large Dams (1994) Guidelines on Risk Assessment
40.Emergency Management Australia (1998) Multi-Agency Incident Management, AustralianEmergency [sic]
58.National Health and Medical Research Council and Worksafe Australia (1995) Recommendations for limiting exposure to ionizing radiation (1995)(Guidance note [NOHSC: 3022 (19950)] and National standard for limiting occupational exposure to ionizing radiation [NOHSC: 1013 (1995)], Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra.
60.Earthquakes, Bureau of Mineral Resources Natural Disasters Organisation (1987) The Australian Disaster Welfare Manual, Canberra
82.Standards Australia AS 2220.1—1989 Emergency warning and intercommunication systems inbuildings - Part 1 - Equipment design and manufacture, Homebush
83.Standards Australia AS 2419.1—1994
EM-DAT
on 13April 2017.
Situation or event, which overwhelms local capacity, necessitating a request to national or international level for external assistance (definition considered in EM-DAT); An unforeseen and often sudden event that causes great damage, destruction and human suffering. Though often caused by nature, disasters can have human origins.
EM-DAT includes all disasters from 1900 until the present, conforming to at least one of the following criteria:
- 10 or more people dead;
- 100 or more people affected;
- The declaration of a state of emergency
- A call for international assistance
Emergency Program Act (British Columbia, Canada)
Emergency Program Act [RSBC 1996] CHAPTER 111 (British Columbia, Canada)
on 7April 2017.
"disaster" means a calamity that
(a)is caused by accident, fire, explosion or technical failure or by the forces of nature, and
(b)has resulted in serious harm to the health, safety or welfare of people, or in widespread damage to property;
FEMA
on 8 July 2004.
Disaster
An occurrence of a natural catastrophe, technological accident, or humancausedevent that has resulted in severe property damage, deaths, and/ormultiple injuries. As used in this Guide, a “large-scale disaster” is one thatexceeds the response capability of the local jurisdiction and requires State, andpotentially Federal, involvement. As used in the Stafford Act, a “majordisaster” is “any natural catastrophe [...] or, regardless of cause, any fire, flood,or explosion, in any part of the United States, which in the determination of thePresident causes damage of sufficient severity and magnitude to warrant majordisaster assistance under [the] Act to supplement the efforts and availableresources or States, local governments, and disaster relief organizations inalleviating the damage, loss, hardship, or suffering caused thereby.”
Furedi (2007)
Furedi, F. 2007. “The changing meaning of disaster”.Area, vol. 39, no. 4, pp. 482-489.
An analysis of history and literature covering framings of “disaster” is provided.
GO (Tasmania Government Online)
on 26 June 2004.
Disaster:A condition in which an information resource is unavailable, as a result of a natural or man-made occurrence, that is of sufficient duration to cause significant disruption in the accomplishment of agency business objectives, as determined by agency management.
Hyperdictionary
on 8 July 2004.
DISASTER: Dictionary Entry and Meaning
Matching Terms:disaster area, Disasterly
WordNet Dictionary
Definition:[n]an act that has disastrous consequences
[n]an event resulting in great loss and misfortune; "the whole city was affected by the irremediable calamity"; "the earthquake was a disaster"
[n]a state of extreme (usually irremediable) ruin and misfortune; "lack of funds has resulted in a catastrophe for our school system"; "his policies were a disaster"
Synonyms:calamity, cataclysm, catastrophe, catastrophe, tragedy
See Also:act of God, adversity, apocalypse, bad luck, destruction, devastation, force majeure, hardship, inevitable accident, kiss of death, misfortune, plague, unavoidable casualty, vis major, visitation
Webster's 1913 Dictionary
Definition:\Dis*as"ter\, n. [F. d['e]sastre; pref. d['e]s- (L.dis-) + astre star, fr. L. astrum; a word of astrologicalorigin. See {Aster}, {Astral}, {Star}.]
1. An unpropitious or baleful aspect of a planet or star;malevolent influence of a heavenly body; hence, an ill portent. [Obs.]
Disasters in the sun.--Shak.
2. An adverse or unfortunate event, esp. a sudden andextraordinary misfortune; a calamity; a serious mishap.
But noble souls, through dust and heat, Rise fromdisaster and defeat The stronger.--Longfellow.
Syn: Calamity; misfortune; mishap; mischance; visitation; misadventure; ill luck. See {Calamity}.
\Dis*as"ter\, v. t.
1. To blast by the influence of a baleful star. [Obs.] --Sir P. Sidney.
2. To bring harm upon; to injure. [R.] --Thomson.
Dream Dictionary
Definition:Dreaming that you are in a disaster, represents your fear of change. You are afraid of not knowing what is in store for you in the future.
IDRM
“IDRM Glossary ofDisaster Risk Management Terminology” on 13 April 2017.
Disaster: An event, either man-made or natural, sudden or progressive, the impact of which is such that theaffected community must respond through exceptionalmeasures
IFRC
on 13 February 2017
What is a disaster?
A disaster is a sudden, calamitous event that seriously disrupts the functioning of a community or society and causes human, material, and economic or environmental losses that exceed the community’s or society’s ability to cope using its own resources. Though often caused by nature, disasters can have human origins.
(VULNERABILITY+ HAZARD ) / CAPACITY=DISASTER
A disaster occurs when a hazard impacts on vulnerable people.
The combination of hazards, vulnerability and inability to reduce the potential negative consequences of risk results in disaster.
Infoplease
on 28 June 2004.
dis•as•ter
Pronunciation: (di-zas’tur, -zä’stur), [key]
—n.
1. a calamitous event, esp. one occurring suddenly and causing great loss of life, damage, or hardship, as a flood, airplane crash, or business failure.
2. Obs.an unfavorable aspect of a star or planet
Library of Congress, U.S.A.
on 26 June 2004.
What is an Emergency? What is a Disaster?
If you look at the literature on disasters, it is mostly about libraries and archives. Why? Perhaps because events that involve water and paper or leather quickly become disasters, whether fire or other circumstances are present or not. Also libraries and archives have a larger number of organic materials stored in one square meter, so there is a large quantity of material that can be affected by one incident, whether it is a fire or water-damage, and each item must be individually handled, often in an extremely fragile condition, and handled rapidly. We define a disaster as an emergency which is out-of-control, so what we prepare for are emergencies and if our planning is successful we will not have disasters.
Maynor and Arbon (2015)
Maynor, L. and P. Arbon. 2015. “Defining disaster: The need for harmonisation of terminology”. Australasian Journal of Disaster and Trauma Studies, vol. 19 special issue, pp. 21-25.
Dozens of definitions of “disaster” are analysed.
McEntire (2000)
McEntire, D.2000.From Sustainability to Invulnerable Development: Justifications for a Modified Disaster Reduction Concept and Policy Guide.Ph.D. dissertation at the Graduate School of International Studies, University of Denver, 2000.
From p. 5:
Disasters may be defined as the disruptive and/or deadly and destructive outcomeor result of physical or human-induced triggering agents when they interactwith, and are exacerbated by vulnerabilities from diverse but overlappingenvironments.
Merriam-Webster
on 28 June 2004.
Main Entry: di•sas•ter
Pronunciation: di-’zas-t&r, -’sas-
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle French & Old Italian; Middle French desastre, from Old Italian disastro, from dis- (from L) + astro star, from Latin astrum -- more at ASTRAL
1 : a sudden calamitous event bringing great damage, loss, or destruction; broadly : a sudden or great misfortune or failure
2 obsolete : an unfavorable aspect of a planet or star
New York State Office of Mental Health
on 28 June 2004.
Crisis Counseling Guide
What is a Disaster?
A disaster is a natural or man-made event of severity and magnitude that normally results in death, injury, and property damage that cannot be managed through the routine procedures and resources of government.
It requires immediate, coordinated, and effective response by multiple government and private sector organizations to meet the medical, logistical, and emotional needs and to speed recovery of the affected populations.
Natural disasters may include floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, winter storms, and earthquakes. Technological disasters, or man-made disasters, include plane crashes, train wrecks, fires, hazardous material spills, and explosions. Civil disturbances may include terrorism, riots, shootings, bombings, and war. States and localities are subject to increased risks of disaster occurrences in particular areas depending on specific risk factors. State and local emergency management personnel generally conduct hazard analyses to determine which disasters are likely to occur in particular jurisdictions.
Disaster vs. Routine Emergencies
Disasters differ from routine emergencies and cause unique problems for private/public organizations as well as the local, state and federal governments affected. Routine emergencies and critical incidents are events to which response demands are able to be met with local resources. Disasters, compared to routine emergencies and critical incidents, possess unique characteristics. The following are characteristics developed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Create demands that exceed the normal capacities of any one organization and/or government.
Cross jurisdictional boundaries.
Change the number and structure of responding organizations which may result in the creation of new organizations.
Create new tasks and engage participants who are not ordinarily disaster responders.
Disable the routine equipment and facilities needed for emergency response.
Compound the difficulty of understanding “who does what” in disaster response due to the complexity of governments.
Are impacted by lack of standardization in disaster planning and response and complicated coordination in time of disaster. In addition, organizations inexperienced in disaster often respond by continuing their independent roles, failing to see how their function fits into the complex, total response effort.
Routine emergencies and critical incidents are events which do not exceed the normal capacities of any one organization and/or government. These events may include car crashes, suicides, fires, and shootings.
ODP (1996)
ODP.1996 (August).Saint Lucia National Disaster Management Plan.ODP (Office of Disaster Preparedness), Castries, St. Lucia.
A natural or man-caused event which caused intense negative impacts on people, goods, services and/or the environment, exceeding the affected community's capability to respond.
Oxford English Dictionary
on 28 June 2004.
disaster, n.
1. An unfavourable aspect of a star or planet; ‘an obnoxious planet’. Obs.
1602 SHAKES. Ham. I. i. 118 Stars with trains of fire and dews of blood, Disasters in the sun; and the moist star, Upon whose influence Neptunes empire stands, Was sick almost to dooms-day with eclipse. 1635 QUARLES Embl., Hieroglyph vii, What dire disaster bred This change, that thus she veils her golden head?
2. a. Anything that befalls of ruinous or distressing nature; a sudden or great misfortune, mishap, or misadventure; a calamity. Usually with a and pl., but also without a, as ‘a record of disaster’.
‘Disaster is etymologically a mishap due to a baleful stellar aspect’ (Whitney Life Lang. vi. (1875) 99).
1591 HORSEY Trav. (Hakluyt Soc.) 253 Let those soulls suffer that ar the occasioners of thy disaster and myne. 1598 FLORIO, Disastro, disastre, mischance, ill lucke. 1601 SHAKES. All’s Well III. vi. 55 It was a disaster of warre that Cæsar him selfe could not haue preuented. 1605Lear I. ii. 131 We make guilty of our disasters the Sun, the Moone, and Starres. 1659 B. HARRIS Parival’s Iron Age 100 Fate, it seems, would needs involve them in the same disasters. 1770 GOLDSM. Des. Vill. 200 Well had the boding tremblers learn’d to trace The day’s disasters in his morning’s face. 1849 MACAULAY Hist. Eng. I. 84 Faithlessness was the chief cause of his disasters, and is the chief stain on his memory. 1874 MORLEY Compromise (1886) 27 Such a system must inevitably bring disaster.
b. A bodily affliction or disorder. Obs. rare.
1684 F. ROGERS Let. in Sir H. Slingsby’s Diary (1836) 377, I am very ill of a disaster upon my stomach, yt I cannot ride.
3. attrib., as disaster area, an area in which a major disaster has occurred; also fig.; disaster movie, a film of which the plot centres around a catastrophe or major accident, esp. one involving many people; also, disaster film.
1960 Times 14 Sept. 8/1 President Eisenhower designated sections of the state [of Florida] a major *disaster area. 1969 M. DRABBLE Waterfall 244, I was merely a disaster area, a landscape given to such upheavals. 1970 Guardian 25 Nov. 2/1 Pakistani officials..described the difficulties they had experienced in bringing aid to the disaster area.