Week 1: Hazards, Disasters, and Catastrophes

My country is Thailand



 If you visit Thailand you could experience tsunamis, floods, cyclones, and droughts. Thailand hardly experiences earthquakes, and doesn't have tornados or volcanic activity(Chiangmai Times). Thailand is known for having a tropical climate and high humidity. This means that during the rainy seasons it comes to be a problem when there is excess rain in the low laying plains causing floods. The two main disasters that occur in this region are Cyclones and Floods. "Flooding in Thailand during this year's monsoon season has killed more than 200 people and affected at least two million more"(Corben, 2011). 1904-2004 Thailand experienced 47 floods causing killing 2,427 people and affecting 27,193,357 lives (Center for Hazards).



The difference between Hazards, Disasters, and Catastrophes is always good to know when talking about different events. According Dr. Ana Garcia-Garcia, Hazards are natural processes or events that could potentially threaten human life or property. For example: 2015 Northern California wildfire.  Disasters are hazardous events that occur in a limited timeframe. Events are classified Disasters if one or more of these take place: 10 or more people are killed, 100 or more people are affected by the event, the country declares a state of emergency, or if they ask for international assistance. For example: 2010 Guatemala sinkhole killing 15 people. Lastly, Catastrophes is an event that takes place and destroys so much that it takes years and large amounts of money to recover from. For example: 2010 earthquake in Hati, which still hasn't fully recovered.  


Sources:
http://www.chiangraitimes.com/what-natural-disasters-could-you-experience-in-thailand.html
http://www.statravel.com/thailand-climate.htm
http://www.voanews.com/content/thailand--floods-worst-in-five-decades-130972153/146066.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natural_disaster
https://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/chrr/research/profiles/thailand.html

Picture Sources:
http://whotv.com/2014/11/18/americans-wanted-for-trying-to-ship-thai-infant-body-parts/
http://www.cbc.ca/strombo/news/new-report-says-many-of-the-worlds-natural-disasters-in-2011-were-the-worst