a speech on natural disasters

Natural Disasters Essay for Students and Children

500+ words essay on natural disasters.

A Natural disaster is an unforeseen occurrence of an event that causes harm to society. There are many Natural disasters that damage the environment and the people living in it. Some of them are earthquakes , cyclones, floods, Tsunami , landslides, volcanic eruption, and avalanches. Spatial extent measures the degree or severity of the disaster.

Levels of Disaster

The severity or degree of damage can be further divided into three categories:

Small Scale Disasters: Small scale disasters are those that extend from 50 Kms. to 100 Kms. So this kind of disasters does not cause much damage.

Medium-scale disasters: Medium Scale disasters extend from 100 Kms to 500 Kms. These cause more damage than a small scale disaster. Moreover, they can cause greater damage if they occur in colonial states.

Large Scale Disasters: These disasters cover an area of more than 1000 Kms. These cause the most severe damage to the environment. Furthermore, these disasters can even take over a country if the degree is high. For instance, the wiping out of the dinosaurs was because of a large scale natural disaster.

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Types of Disasters

Causes: These can cause of releasing of the energy. This release is from the core of the earth. Furthermore, the release of energy causes seismic waves. Rupturing of geological faults causes earthquakes. But other events like volcanic eruptions, landslides mine blasts can also cause it.

Landslides: Landslides is the moving of big boulders of rocks or debris down a slope. As a result, landslides occur on mountains and hilly areas. Moreover, landslides can cause destruction to man-made things in many ways.

Causes: Gravitational pull, volcanic eruptions , earthquakes can cause landslides. Moreover, soil erosion due to deforestation is also a cause of landslides.

Avalanches: Avalanches are like landslides. But instead of rocks thousand tons of snow falls down the slope. Moreover, this causes extreme damage to anything that comes in its way. People who live in snowy mountains always have fear of it.

Causes: Avalanches takes places when there is a large accumulation of snow on the mountains. Moreover, they can also occur from earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Furthermore, the chances of surviving an avalanche are very less. This is because people die of hypothermia in it.

Tsunami: Tsunami is the production of very high waves in oceans and seas. Moreover, the displacement of the ground causes these high waves. A tsunami can cause floods if it occurs near shores. A Tsunami can consist of multiple waves. Moreover, these waves have a high current. Therefore it can reach coastlines within minutes. The main threat of a tsunami is if a person sees a Tsunami he cannot outrun it.

Causes: Tsunami is unlike normal eaves that occur due to the wind. But Tsunami is waves that occur by ground displacement. Thus earthquakes are the main causes of Tsunamis.

FAQs on Essay on natural disaster

Q1.What are natural disasters?

A1. Natural Disasters are unforeseen events that cause damage to the environment and the people.

Q2.Name some Natural disasters.

A2. Some Natural Disasters are earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, Landslides, floods, Tsunami, avalanches. Natural disasters can cause great damage to human society. But preventive measures can be taken to reduce the damage from these disasters.

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Elementary Classrooms CommonLit Elementary Texts About Natural Disasters

Allie Liotta

This engaging multi-genre set of texts supports literacy and builds students’ knowledge on an important STEM topic.

No matter if your students live in the mountains, on the coast, or in the middle of Tornado Alley, it’s important for them to read and learn about the wide variety of our earth’s naturally occurring hazards and disasters. Studying this topic informs students of safety precautions, promotes empathy and global citizenship, and may even inspire the pursuit of STEM careers.

Here’s a great list of texts from CommonLit, perfect for elementary grades, that focus on natural hazards and disasters. This diverse list includes fiction, narrative nonfiction, an informational text, and a poem.

“ Black Blizzard ” by Maurine V. Eleder

This suspenseful story follows two young girls, at home alone, when a dust storm arises. Despite their young age, Betty and Mary Ann quickly take action when the severe dust storm hits. They begin taking measures to block the dust from coming into the house, which would make the air unbreathable. Although they are frightened, they take comfort thinking they can just wait out the storm inside their home.

Unfortunately, Betty realizes her beloved horse is caught out in the “black blizzard.” One wrong move in the blinding storm, and Fancifoot could stumble and injure himself — or worse. Betty faces the difficult decision of leaving her younger sister to brave the storm or risking Fancifoot’s life to remain in safety.

This story explores the themes of self-reliance, survival, and the bonds humans share with animals. Teachers could use this text to teach the history of the Dust Bowl of the 1930s or to teach the science behind the causes and effects of soil erosion. CommonLit’s teacher resources include awesome videos for background information on the Dust Bowl in the Related Media tab as well as a perfect informational text titled “ The Dust Bowl ” in the Paired Texts tab.

“ Tornado Coming! ” by Dick Donley

If your students love the nail-biting tale “Black Blizzard,” they’ll love “Tornado Coming!” as well. Because this story includes a tornado, a young kid, a small dog, and a cranky neighbor, you might be reminded of another tale you’ve read before. However, there are no talking scarecrows or flying monkeys in this story!

Matt is home alone with Buster when he hears the siren warning of a tornado. Mentally ticking through the safety tips he learned in school, Matt heads for the storm cellar with the tornado forming at his back. With only moments to spare, Matt realizes he must leave his little dog in the safety of the storm cellar to run to the aid of his unpleasant neighbor, Mrs. Laney. After the storm passes, Matt doesn’t wake up to find himself in Oz; however, he does find himself in a pretty odd place. And like Dorothy and her crew, Matt and Mrs. Laney learn valuable lessons about being kind and caring for others.

This text weaves helpful tornado safety measures throughout a narrative story, which can be pointed out when discussing the annotation task: “Take notes on Matt’s actions when he realizes a tornado is coming.” For a creative follow-up activity, teachers could assign different natural disasters to small groups for research. Then, groups could use their research and the model text “Tornado Coming!” to incorporate safety tips within their own short stories about their assigned natural disaster.

“ They Need Fire! ” by Buffy Silverman

You may already know that forest fires can be natural or man-made, but did you know that not all forest fires are considered disasters? Some forest fires can be devastating, but others can be planned and controlled safely to benefit the ecology.

“They Need Fire!” introduces the reader to several plant, insect, and animal species that rely on forest fires to survive. When reading this text, you’ll encounter the Jack pine tree whose cones can only release seeds after a fire has melted away the resin, the black fire beetle who lays its eggs in the charred bark of smoldering trees, and the black-backed woodpecker whose feathers allow it to blend in with sooty wood and make burnt trees its home.

For your mini-scientists, this text is a great introduction to the wide and varied habitats surrounding us and can be paired with “ Life in a Vernal Pool ” for an example of a wetter habitat. And for your students interested in future STEM careers, you can point out how people are studying the Black fire beetle to help engineer better fire alarms, or you can have students read “ Eyes in the Sky ” to find out what it takes to be a professional fire watcher.

“ Tsunami ” by JonArno Lawson

This short but beautiful poem perfectly describes the contrast of the silent, and sometimes unpredicted, approach of a Tsunami with its powerful, destructive arrival on shore. Being only ten short lines, it also presents a wonderful teaching opportunity to show kids that multiple readings of a poem — sometimes with different purposes or from different perspectives — can provide different meanings to the reader.

If you are using this text in your classroom, you may consider first projecting the poem to the whole class and reading it aloud to your students. Students can then jot down their ideas of how the poem makes them feel and what they think it means. Then, you may choose to assign the text digitally with Guided Reading Mode enabled for all students. This will help students look at the poem in two parts–contrasting how the tsunami travels in the ocean with how it rushes onto the shore. Students will be better equipped to tackle the assessment questions after reading this poem using Guided Reading Mode.

Lastly, teachers may want to show students the National Geographic video in the Related Media tab titled “Rare Video: Japan Tsunami.” While students may be fascinated with the power of this tsunami as it rolls through the streets of a coastal town, the power of this 3-minute video starts around the half-way mark. Students will then see the stark difference in how the wave moves in deeper water as opposed to how it approaches the shore. Having students re-read the poem one more time and reflect to drive home the concept of layered meaning and experiences in poetry.

“ Stop the Atlantic Express! ” by Kate Sharp and Sarvinder Naberhaus

“Stop the Atlantic Express!” tells the true story of fifteen-year-old Kate Shelley who bravely risked her own life to save the lives of countless others. In July of 1881, a severe storm created a flash flood that washed out a portion of a railroad bridge, pushing one train engine into the rising creek. Kate Shelley, a young girl who lived nearby, knew that if she did not warn others, a train with hundreds of passengers traveling the same route would crash. To get help and stop the Atlantic Express, Kate faced great danger to cross the flooded rail bridge in the dark of night.

This suspenseful story will thrill the action-seekers in your class, and its heartwarming ending will leave everyone cheering. To show students how art can be inspired by real life events, consider sharing the video “Run, Kate Shelley, Run,” which includes a folk song written to immortalize Kate’s heroic action. And to show your students that anyone can be a hero, watch and discuss the ideas in Kid President’s video. Both resources can be found in the Related Media tab accompanying this text.

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English for Talking about Natural Disasters

A natural disaster is the effect of a natural hazard which leads to financial, environmental or human losses.

What’s the worst natural disaster in your opinion?

‘Floods’ are opposite to ‘droughts’. A drought happens when there has been no rain for a long time. The land becomes too dry and it is impossible to grow any plants.

A ‘drought’ may result in a famine where there is not enough food for people and they start to starve (die from not eating).

A ‘tornado’ (or ‘twister’), is a very large column of wind that spins around quickly.

A ‘hurricane’ (Atlantic Ocean), ‘typhoon’ (Pacific Ocean) or ‘tropical storm’ (Indian Ocean) is an intense thunderstorm which usually occurs in late summer. They result in strong winds and heavy rain.

‘Volcanic eruptions’ send red hot lava flowing. Lava is a type of liquid rock called magma.

‘Earthquakes’ occur when pressure is suddenly released which causes the ground to move and shake violently. If the earth quakes beneath water then the shock wave which reaches beaches and dry land causes huge waves travelling at high speed called ‘tsunamis’.

A ‘landslide’ happens when rocks and earth are water-laden from lots of rain and slide down. This is different to an ‘avalanche’ which is the large movement of snow down a mountain. The snow becomes too loose and slides down, mixing with air and water.

Have you prepared for a natural disaster?

Many countries use early warning systems and school children will ‘drill’ disaster response by climbing under desks, standing in doorways or lying in bathtubs. Most people living in disaster-prone areas will keep non-perishable foods and bottled water.

Are there often natural disasters in your country?

The main problem with natural disasters is the aftermath: the risk of disease from dirty water, the difficulty in getting to sick or injured people and the economic impact of reconstruction and lost capacity; not to mention the death toll!

Today, technology allows us to provide donations and aid to disaster struck regions. Survivors are found by relief workers, rescuers and volunteers.

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FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell Delivers Speech at National Hurricane Conference

WASHINGTON -- Today, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell delivered a speech on hurricane and disaster preparedness at the National Hurricane Conference in New Orleans. Other speakers were Ken Graham, Director, National Hurricane Center, Miami;  James Waskom, Director, Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, Baton Rouge, La.;  and Kevin Guthrie, Director, Florida Division of Emergency Management, Tallahassee, Fla.

Below is the administrator’s speech as prepared for delivery.

Good afternoon. It is a pleasure to be here – in person – with all of you today.

I am so proud of this community because you embody the resilience this nation demonstrated during the last 18 months. We all know how difficult the last year and a half has been for everyone as we carried out our “normal” responsibilities AND simultaneously navigated the pandemic.

All of us have personal stories of how this pandemic affected our families, our friends, and our communities.

However, I have also seen this pandemic bring out the best in our communities; people adapting to new technologies to stay in contact with one another, and helping their family, friends, and neighbors through a situation none of us could have envisioned a year ago.

That spirit of community, of partnership, and caring for each other are going to be critical as we enter what is slated to be an extremely active hurricane season. It’s critical that the entire emergency management family – federal, state, tribal, local, and territorial - take the lessons we have learned and the innovative ways of delivering our mission during COVID and apply them moving forward.

This professional community of emergency managers is more than just people who help our neighbors during disasters. For many of us here today, our involvement in emergency services goes beyond the title. It represents a calling.

This dedication to our shared calling is an attribute our communities will continue to count on when they need support.

During my Senate confirmation hearing, I shared a goal to elevate and professionalize the field of emergency management by better defining what it means to be an emergency manager and building career paths for the nation's emergency management workforce.

As a firefighter in Colorado, the Commissioner of emergency management in New York City, a member of the Air National Guard, and through my previous work at FEMA, I recognize the diverse skill set necessary to be successful in our profession.

We are perpetual students of our craft, continually learning to be ready for and adapting to new missions.  We demonstrate the value of teamwork, critical thinking, and creative problem solving.  We are civic leaders who remember our past while planning for the future.

Emergency managers and first responders are the foundations of the communities we serve because we value the people in them. During disasters, the people who are impacted are not just survivors; they are our colleagues, our friends, our neighbors, and our families.

While we think through how to better serve our communities, we must also acknowledge where we have opportunities to improve.

We are at a pivotal point where we, as the emergency management community, have the opportunity to address two key priorities: climate change and equity.

In 2020, our nation not only endured one of the most active hurricane seasons in its history – but called on us to perform our duties amid a global pandemic.

We are now getting accustomed to a ‘new normal’ while the world continues to change before our eyes. Many of these challenges are exacerbated because of climate change. Weather patterns are telling us that the 2021 hurricane and wildfire seasons could be busy again. Now is the time to have honest and real conversations about what we can do together to achieve a more resilient and prepared nation.

As FEMA Administrator, I am committed to furthering FEMA’s role in addressing the effects of changing climate.   

To accelerate this process, our resilience and mitigation efforts must be focused at the community and household level. With that in mind, I am excited to highlight two of our newest initiatives for building community resilience through hazard mitigation.

First, I’m pleased to announce a new mitigation funding program to help homeowners. Under the Individuals and Households Program (IHP), homeowners in areas covered by Presidential Disaster Declarations may now repair their homes in ways that will reduce the likelihood of future disaster damage.

These measures – which include enhanced roof repairs and elevating or relocating water heaters, furnaces and electrical panels -- will allow homeowners to recovery and make their homes more resilient to severe weather events, reducing disaster suffering and the likelihood future federal assistance will be needed.

Second, I am also excited that President Biden announced $1 billion in support of our Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program for pre-disaster hazard mitigation projects. This is double the amount of funding provided last year and a portion of these funds are targeted to historically underserved communities.

• I’m thrilled the BRIC program will begin to shift the federal focus from reactive disaster mitigation spending towards a proactive investment in system-wide community mitigation so when the next hurricane, flood, or wildfire comes, communities can better withstand the impacts.

We must also build a culture that understands resilience is a critical part of our day-to-day lives. Together, we can make this a reality by focusing on continuous improvement while striving toward local and national mitigation and preparedness goals.

For example, flooding is the most common and costly type of disaster in the United States. In fact, flooding and coastal storms account for roughly 70 percent of all Presidential Disaster Declarations over the past decade. Where it rains, it floods.

Knowing the true flood risk of a property is critical for homeowners to secure adequate insurance coverage, FEMA has made several improvements to transform the National Flood Insurance Program by reducing complexity and increasing transparency. These changes include a new pricing methodology for a more equitable program called Risk Rating 2.0 - Equity in Action.  

The current rating methodology, while actuarially sound, has not changed since the 1970s. Since then, technology has evolved and so has FEMA’s understanding of flood risk.

Risk Rating 2.0 allows FEMA to provide individuals and communities with information to make more informed decisions on purchasing flood insurance and taking mitigation actions that may help lower rates. This may include elevating a structure on piles, installing flood openings, or moving machinery and equipment such as HVAC units above the first floor.

Risk Rating 2.0 will allow FEMA to distribute premiums more equitably across all policyholders based on the replacement cost vale and individual property’s flood risk.

It is impossible to do the work that FEMA does without our partners – federal agencies; the state, local, tribal and territorial partners; and others in the nonprofit and private sectors.

From the smallest rural volunteer fire department to emergency management agencies in our nation’s urban centers, this system of support strengthens our preparedness, mitigation, response, and recovery efforts.  

You know your communities best because these are places you call home.

Our ability to partner across the emergency management system helps us do our jobs better and makes our response more effective. 

However, we must also admit where we have more work to do. We cannot be shy about asking the equity question.  It is a fact that disasters exacerbate pre-existing inequities that already existed before these events occur.

The question we have to ask ourselves is what we can do to provide all survivors, not just those who have the means, access to assistance.

Sometimes this inequity happens because certain communities don’t receive as much post-disaster aid. Sometimes it’s because these groups are in areas that are more susceptible to the impacts of climate change. Sometimes these groups have limited access to recovery programs or resources to help them get the assistance they seek.

In order to start addressing these systemic barriers, we are asking for your help. Through the end of July, we have a Request for Information on the FEMA dot gov webpage aimed at collecting your ideas for how to tackle this issue.

We also have to acknowledge our own limitations in this effort. FEMA’s assistance is not designed to solve societal inequities; however, we have an obligation as both stewards of taxpayer dollars, and to our mission of helping people before, during, and after disasters, of making sure that we focus on our historically disadvantaged and underserved communities.

A truly resilient nation can only exist when all communities reap the benefits of the help our emergency management system can provide.

For me, equity is not only about what we do for others, it’s also about the workforce I lead each and every day.

As we execute on our mission, we must also ensure equity across all FEMA operations. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are not optional for us, they must be a core component of how we conduct ourselves.

One of the greatest FEMA strengths is our diverse workforce. We understand that to help individuals, we need to create an environment that is welcoming and takes our values beyond abstract concepts.

Just as diversity in our communities strengthens the fabric of our country, diversity in our workforce strengthens our agency. And as we want to hear from the nation through the RFI, we also want to make sure every FEMA employee has a voice and an opportunity to be heard.

We do this through a robust set of Federal Employee Resource Groups which allow staff from across the agency to take part in meaningful discussions and hear about the varied experiences and cultures we have at FEMA. For example:

• With our LGBTQI+ Employee Resource Group, I was pleased to be able to take part in this first ever ceremony to display the rainbow flag in FEMA’s National Response Coordination Center to mark the start of Pride Month.
• Our African American Employee Resource Group hosted listening sessions and discussions on the tragic death of George Floyd and the subsequent civil rights demonstrations. On Monday, the agency held a virtual Juneteenth event to help celebrate this important anniversary and African American heritage.
• These resource groups are not only for celebration purposes. In fact, following the tragic shooting and murder of Asian women in Georgia, our Asian American Employee Resource Group hosted listening sessions and discussions, which gave our staff a safe space to discuss their feelings and get support.

Equity is not just a lens for us internally at FEMA; we hope that you will embrace this challenge in your communities as well.

Another key priority is readiness. We know that preparedness is the cornerstone for a resilient community.

And within our communities, it’s also important to remember that preparedness starts at the individual level.

As everyone in this room is aware, there are simple guidelines all of us should follow to ensure our safety and the safety of our family, friends, and neighbors.  But even though these actions are simple, they are worth repeating:

First, get vaccinated : The more people who are vaccinated, the more it will help us face the challenge of another hurricane season with pandemic conditions.

Second, make a plan: We need your help to make preparedness an important part of the conversation. Use your influence to elevate messages that help people learn how to prepare for disasters that might happen where you live, work, or visit.

Every one of us has a responsibility to prepare for disasters that are likely in our communities. No one knows this better than the Gulf Coast region.

Preparing for disasters can take some time to complete. The most important part of this step is that people start the planning process now, well before disasters strike.

Third, stay informed: We live in the most connected time in the history of our nation. We also know that timely and accurate information is critical to promoting the safety of our communities and we must use every tool at our disposal to get information to our communities to help protect them from harm. 

• During COVID-19, FEMA made great strides in promoting accessibility - we provided phone interpretation services in more than 180 languages for non-English speakers who visited vaccination centers.
• While this is just a start, it will help promote our final safety guideline of:

Heeding evacuation warnings from local officials: If you have your community following the first three steps, this one follows naturally. … When told to evacuate – evacuate.

As emergency managers, it’s up to us to set the example in our communities. Help amplify the message and encourage those who may be hesitant to follow state/local evacuation orders.

Encourage individual preparedness at the local level and share your evacuation plans and other preparedness steps with family, friends, and neighbors and help them craft their own.

While everyone may not be able to keep a tank filled with gas or create “go bags” with emergency supplies it is possible to do some things little by little over time to increase preparedness every day.

The challenges some individuals have with preparedness may stem from how our messages are reaching their communities – if the messages are reaching them at all.

We deployed 18 mobile vaccination units to help reach traditionally underserved and more remote communities. We want to get the message – and help – to those that need it the most.

We also know that there will be times when a “one size fits all” approach doesn’t apply. One of the lessons we learned is that sometimes we need to make an extra effort to meet people where they are.

By working collaboratively with our state and local partners, we are proud to say that almost 58 percent of the vaccines in federal pilot CVCs were delivered to historically underserved populations.

And because we are still operating in a pandemic environment, we all need to be prepared to continue to protect public health during disaster response and recovery operations.

FEMA recently rereleased the Pandemic Operational Guidance based on your feedback in order to provide emergency managers with actionable guidance, resources, and lessons learned to prepare for response and recovery operations amidst COVID-19.

We will continue to adapt our operations and program delivery to expedite services, support, and assistance to your communities while protecting the health and safety of disaster survivors and our workforce.

In closing , COVID-19 challenged the ways emergency managers across the country needed to think, react, and execute. The unprecedented scale of the pandemic produced challenges that we collectively innovated, collaborated, and managed ourselves through.

These lessons must not be forgotten, and we owe it to ourselves and the nation to internalize them in both theory and practice as we strive to build a more holistic emergency management system. Our collective mission is too important not to.

As we continue to persevere, we take solace in coming away from this experience smarter, stronger and more resilient than ever. Our work as emergency managers is the epitome of courage and a shining example of what it means to serve our nation every single day.

Just as you have demonstrated bravery in your work. I challenge everyone here today to be brave in our efforts to address climate change, to embrace diversity, equity and inclusion, and to continue delivering our missions with dignity and respect.

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• Natural Disasters Essay for Students in English

Read Natural Disaster Essay on Vedantu

The planet earth has gone through many changes over these centuries. These changes are majorly due to natural disasters happening throughout time. When we talk about natural disasters, pollution, ozone depletion and global warming are the most common scenarios we witnessed.

Growing industrialisation and exploitation of natural resources have changed the echo system bringing on the verge of imbalance. However, over these decades, humans have also introduced many disaster warning systems helping to predict natural occurrence in advance. You can read more about Natural Disasters on Vedantu.

Different Faces of Natural Disasters

Nature possesses the character of a special balance in which all living beings live together in harmony with their environment. But whenever this balance is disturbed, we see the disastrous form of nature which wreaks havoc upon this world. Natural disasters come in various forms like earthquakes, Tsunami, Storms, Cyclones, droughts etc. These disasters have always occurred throughout history but the current threat of climate change has severely increased its risks. Man has to learn that he cannot control nature and his life should revolve around the conditions present in the environment and not the other way around.

We have tried to change the basic character of the Human-Nature relationship with every metric of development being centred on financial interest and the rise of global consumerism.  This way of life promotes greed and has fundamentally made human beings disoriented towards nature. Our festivals celebrate the intrinsic relationship between humans and the environment where we celebrate Mountains, Rivers, and Animals etc. Natural disasters are a reminder that humans must never take the gift of nature for granted and always reciprocate for the resources that we have received from the environment. Clean Air, Clean Water and harmony in the ecosystem is a prerequisite for Human well being.  

How to Deal with Natural Disasters?

India, due to its unique geographical character, faces natural disasters every year which cause massive harm to lives and property. Whether it be the floods of Uttarakhand in 2013 or the landslides in Western Ghats of Kerala. The cost of our blind exploitation of natural resources without showing reverence for the delicate balance of Nature has severely harmed us and we must learn lessons from these incidents.

One of the greatest stories of the Indian government in dealing with disaster readiness has been the story of the Indian state of Odisha. Odisha is a coastal state in eastern India that regularly faces cyclones that have caused great harm to the state. To deal with the menace of these cyclones the Odisha Government made an elaborate plan by taking the local communities in confidence and have successfully reduced the number of deaths in Odisha to a very small number which used to be in thousands earlier. Other Indian states should also learn from the experience of Odisha on how to improve disaster preparedness.

Keeping our environment safe and following the right process will help in bringing down the natural disasters. It is vital to learn about them.

FAQs on Natural Disasters Essay for Students in English

1.  What are natural disasters increasing?

Over the years, natural disasters have increased. Regular earthquakes, massive flooding, cyclones, etc. have increased. According to the office of US Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) which maintains an emergency disaster database, if a natural disaster kills 10 people, then it leaves 100 people injured. Increase in hydro-meteorological disasters, the combination of natural and man-made factors is leading to an increase in natural disasters.

2. What are the natural disasters that happened in 2020?

From wildfires in the US to locusts attack in India and back-to-back cyclones in India, there are many natural disasters in 2020. According to the Global Catastrophe Recap’s First Half of 2020 report, there were more than 207 natural disasters in just the first six months of 2020, causing \[＄\]75 billion loss globally.

3. What natural disaster is the worst?

Every natural disaster causing the loss of both property and human lives is the worst. Be it the earthquake, wildfire or cyclone; each disaster can be the worst in its sense.

4. What are the causes of natural disasters?

Natural disasters are caused by a number of reasons which may or may not be linked to Human interference. Floods, for example, occur generally because of a sudden increase in water level which cannot be supported by the natural geography of the river, however, it has been observed that floods have also occurred due to human interference like encroachment of river banks, illegal sand mining and obstructions in the natural flow of the river. 

5. What are the agencies that deal with natural disasters?

On the National level, Natural disasters are dealt with by the National Disaster Relief Force or the NDRF. The NDRF has its own commissioned force which is highly experienced and trained to deal with situations when a disaster has occurred. Apart from the NDRF, there is also the SDRF which is present in every state. The central and state governments work in coordination during Natural disasters and saving lives along with restoration of normalcy is the primary concern of the relief operations.

6. What are the ways to deal with floods and droughts?

It may sound surprising to some people but India is a unique country where due to its vast geography, we have seen conditions where some parts of the country are facing floods while other parts suffer from drought in the same year. These are especially tough to deal with as the volume of water in floods just cannot be stored and once a region is facing drought, access to water becomes a question of survival. Linking rivers is a very grand scheme which can solve some of our problems but this also needs to be dealt with caution.

7. What can I do to contribute to disaster relief programmes?

The central and state governments carry out various programmes which are directly related to disaster relief work, coordinating with the agencies and donating to these relief operations are some things that we can do as citizens. There are various NGOs that provide relief material to people who are suffering from natural disasters. Creating awareness about such an important issue is also an essential activity. You can learn more about it on Vedantu website and download it in PDF format.

8. Which regions are the most affected by natural disasters in India?

Every part of the country has a unique geographical character and in some way or the other, they face the threat of natural disasters. Bihar and Assam are two such states which face floods on an annual basis, The Himalayan states have a very delicate ecology and save the menace of flash floods and landslides. Maharashtra has a problem of flooding in the Western Ghats while Vidarbha faces drought. Innovative ways must be discovered by states to deal with natural disasters.

2 Minute Speech On Natural Disaster In English

Good morning to everyone in this room. I would like to thank the principal, the teachers, and my dear friends for allowing me to speak to you today about the natural disaster. An environmental occurrence that has the potential to do significant harm is referred to as a natural disaster.

Natural disasters are defined as any calamity caused by natural sources. Floods, fires, hurricanes, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions are all examples of natural disasters. These catastrophes occur all around the world, yet they have varied effects on various individuals.

Natural calamities like this will always occur, therefore we shouldn’t be concerned. However, their effect on our life and possessions should worry us. To lessen the devastation of these natural disasters, we need to consider strategies to mitigate them. Thank you.

Related Posts:

Speech on Flood

Floods can be powerful and destructive. They happen when too much rain falls or a river overflows, covering land with water. It’s important for you to understand what causes these natural disasters. Let’s explore some basic facts and impacts of floods together.

1-minute Speech on Flood

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, today we will talk about a force of nature that can both give life and take it away – floods.

Floods are like a large amount of water that covers land which is normally dry. You can imagine it as a giant bathtub overflowing. This can happen for many reasons. It might rain a lot, or a dam could break, or snow could melt too fast.

But floods can also be helpful. They can fill up our water reservoirs and make the soil very fertile. This means crops can grow better next year.

We can’t stop floods from happening but we can prepare for them. We can build houses and towns away from rivers and we can build walls to keep the water out. We can also listen to weather forecasts and evacuate when there’s a warning.

In conclusion, floods are a powerful force of nature. They can be scary and destructive, but also helpful. It’s important for us to respect this force and learn how to live with it. Let’s remember, we share this planet with nature, and understanding it is our responsibility. Thank you.

Also check:

2-minute Speech on Flood

Good day to you all. Today, we’re going to talk about floods. Floods are when too much water covers land that is usually dry. This can happen for many reasons, but it’s often because of heavy rain, melting snow, or when a dam or levee breaks. It’s a serious issue that affects many people and places around the world.

Floods can cause a lot of problems. When water covers homes, schools, and roads, it makes it hard for people to live their normal lives. Imagine not being able to go to school or work because your house is full of water. It’s not just an inconvenience, it’s a disaster. People can lose their homes, their belongings, and sometimes even their lives.

Floods also harm the environment. When water covers the land, it can wash away plants and animals that live there. It can also carry pollution from one place to another, making clean water dirty. This is bad for people, animals, and plants that need clean water to survive.

For example, planting trees can help. Trees absorb water, which can reduce flooding. They also hold the soil together, which can prevent landslides during floods. And let’s not forget, trees provide homes for animals and help clean the air we breathe.

We also need to learn more about floods. Scientists study them to understand why they happen, how they affect us, and what we can do about them. This knowledge is important. It can help us make better decisions and protect ourselves and our environment.

In conclusion, floods are a big problem, but they’re a problem we can tackle. We need to respect the power of water and understand that it can both give life and take it away. By working together, we can make our world safer from floods. We can build stronger communities, protect our environment, and ensure a better future for us all. Thank you.

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Natural Disasters, Conflict, and Human Rights: Tracing the Connections

Subscribe to this week in foreign policy, elizabeth ferris elizabeth ferris former brookings expert, research professor, institute for the study of international migration - georgetown university.

March 3, 2010

• 18 min read

Responding to natural disasters has traditionally been seen as a compassionate response to people in need. While compassion remains at the core of humanitarian action, relief agencies are increasingly conscious of the fact that assistance is rarely neutral and that their actions can have long-term consequences, as evidenced by the 2004 tsunamis in Asia, Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the earthquake this year in Haiti. In this presentation, I’d like to explore some of the connections between sudden-onset natural disasters, conflicts, and human rights. In particular, I argue that incorporating a human rights perspective into natural disaster response is important not only because it affirms the rights and dignity of vulnerable people, but also because it can prevent conflicts in the aftermath of disasters.

A natural disaster is defined by the UN as: “the consequences of events triggered by natural hazards that overwhelm local response capacity and seriously affect the social and economic development of a region.” [1] In other words, a cyclone that strikes only an uninhabited island is not a natural disaster. Nor is it a natural disaster when municipal authorities are able to respond effectively to flooding in their community. There are questions about just how ‘natural’ are natural disasters. For example, the devastating toll on Haiti of 4 hurricanes in 2008 was obviously the result of the storms themselves, but certainly exacerbated by the long-term deforestation in that country and inadequate public response. In fact, in that year, deadly hurricanes hit both Haiti and Cuba, but while 800 people died in Haiti, only four fatalities in Cuba were reported. 

The evidence is clear that poverty is an important factor in understanding the effects of natural disasters. On 10 December 1988, an earthquake registering 6.9 on the Richter scale hit Armenia, killing some 55,000 people and leaving 500,000 homeless. Less than a year later, in October 1989, an even stronger earthquake, 7.1 on the Richter scale, hit San Francisco, California, killing 62 and leaving 12,000 homeless. [2] Within countries, it is almost always the poor and marginalized who are disproportionately affected by natural disasters. They tend to live in less safe environments and in less safe shelter. Shoddily-constructed slums are more vulnerable to earthquakes, landslides and flooding that the homes where the rich are more likely to live. Thus in the recent earthquake in Haiti, the homes of the country’s elite were located in neighborhoods which were less impacted by the tremors and their homes were more likely to withstand the shocks than those of poorer neighborhoods. [3]   

Natural disasters exacerbate existing gender inequalities and pre-existing vulnerabilities. The majority of those who die in natural disasters are women. Women also tend to have less access to essential resources for preparedness, mitigation, and rehabilitation. Assistance can often be discriminatory in impact even if not intended to be so. Government policies can reinforce social divisions. [4]   

The frequency and severity of sudden-onset natural disasters is increasing. Presently there are about 400 natural disasters per year, affecting 200 million people. This is double the number reported 20 years ago. In particular hydrometeorological events are increasing – most likely as the result of climate change. [5] Of the 200 million people whose lives are affected by natural disasters, around 36 million were forced to leave their homes in 2008 and are considered to be internally displaced persons. [6] Unlike those displaced by conflict, this displacement is usually temporary and almost always occurs within the borders of the country. However, as our own Hurricane Katrina demonstrates, displacement can last a long time. It is estimated that about a quarter of those displaced by Hurricane Katrina have not returned. [7]   

What is the relationship between natural disasters and conflict?  

There are several ways of exploring this relationship: What is the cumulative effect of natural disasters and conflict on people’s lives? Do natural disasters contribute to conflict? Does the response to natural disasters help resolve conflicts? Or make them worse?  

There are cases where natural disasters occur in places where conflict has already disrupted the lives of people, for example, the Philippines, Iraq, Somalia, Kenya, Colombia, and Haiti. Because the definition of a natural disaster is linked to the society’s response capacity, state and social structures which are weakened by conflicts are less likely to be able to respond to the effects of a natural hazard, making it more likely that a natural disaster will result. For example, the Somali government is extremely weak (controlling only a few blocks of the capital city) as a result of long-standing conflict and thus unable to respond to either the drought or flooding which has occurred in its country. If there were no conflict in Somalia, it is more likely that both the state and community institutions would be better able to cope with the natural hazards, perhaps avoiding disasters all together.  

Although the situations vary, the occurrence of a natural disaster in an area affected by on-going conflict can lead to: 

• increased misery for people whose lives have already been disrupted by conflict. For example, in the Philippines camps for people displaced by conflict in Mindanao were flooded in 2008, reportedly undermining their coping skills. [8]   
• further displacement as when people displaced by conflict are forced to move yet again because of the disaster. In the case of the Mindanao floods, some of the conflict IDPs were forced to move again as a result of the flooding. Or following the tsunami in Sri Lanka, some of those displaced by the conflict were displaced again by the storm surge. 
• increased hardship on communities hosting the displaced. Thus in Somalia, rural areas hard-hit by flooding in 2009 were already having difficulties growing sufficient food for their communities. The arrival of Somalis displaced by the fighting in Mogadishu increased the strain on these communities. The majority of recent IDPs from Mogadishu went to the nearby Afgooye corridor – making it the “highest density of internally displaced persons in the world – over half a million IDPs along a stretch of 15 kilometers of road.” [9]  
• more difficulties for relief agencies in accessing affected communities. This is particularly the case for countries in governments that are unwilling to extend access to humanitarian actors. For example, after the 1990 earthquake in Gilan province in Iran which measured 7.7 on the Richter scale, killed 50,000 people and decimated entire villages, [10] the government initially insisted that the country would handle the crisis on its own and turned away international assistance. By the time the government was willing to enlist assistance from abroad, a significant proportion of the affected had reportedly died from otherwise preventable deaths. [11] A similar initial rejection of international aid by the government of Burma/Myanmar following the May 2008 Cyclone Nargis complicated the relief effort. 

It seems to make intuitive sense to conclude that conflicts worsen the impact of natural disasters by weakening state, community and individual capacity to respond. 

There are surprisingly few long-term empirical studies on the relationship between conflict and natural disasters. Nel and Righarts looked at data for 187 countries and other political entities for the period 1950 to 2000 and found that rapid-onset natural disasters significantly increase the risk of violent civil conflict both in the short and medium-term, specifically in low- and middle-income countries that have high inequality, mixed political regimes (which are neither fully autocratic or democratic), and sluggish economic growth. [12] Similarly, Olson and Drury found that the more developed a country, the less likely a natural disaster is to have political consequences. [13]  

Rakhi Bhavnani argues that “sudden changes brought on by natural disasters exacerbate problems that people face on a daily basis, heightening conditions for conflict such as grievances, political opportunity, and mobilization. Disasters create grievances that lead to conflict by causing mass disruption, impacting individual behavior, community and political organizations, and the power relationships between individuals, groups, and the organizations that serve them. In the immediate aftermath of a disaster, a country’s physical infrastructure is affected often preventing the adequate distribution of food and medical supplies. Crops are destroyed, giving rise to food shortages, famines, and localized conflicts over resources. As a disaster destroys many key social and political

institutions, it threatens political stability and creates a power vacuum and opportunity for warlords and criminal gangs to usurp power…A natural disaster has the propensity to reshape society and along with it, its ability to manage risk, grievances, and political change.” [14] He tests this hypothesis with the use of EM-DAT International Disaster Database data on sudden and slow-onset disasters from 1991-1999 and various conflict databases and news reports to assess whether natural disasters increase the risk of conflict. Bhavnani concludes that natural disasters do “contribute to conflict because they create competition for scarce resources, exacerbate inequality with the unequal distribution of aid, change power relationships between individuals, groups, and the organizations that serve them, and can create power vacuums and opportunities for warlords to usurp power.” [15]   

In other words, it seems that particularly for developing countries with weak governments, a natural disaster can cause political instability. Indeed, in countries such as Guatemala (1976 earthquake) and Nicaragua (1976 earthquake), governments have fallen largely because of popular discontent over the way the disaster response was organized. Indeed, the poor response of the West Pakistan government to the 1970 typhoon in East Pakistan was a principal reason for the ensuing war which resulted in Bangladeshi independence the following year.  

One of the most interesting comparisons of the relationship between conflict and natural is disasters is the effect of the 2004 tsunamis on conflicts in Sri Lanka and Aceh, Indonesia. At the time the tsunamis struck, both countries were mired in protracted conflicts. In Aceh, the response to the tsunami seems to have contributed to the resolution of a long-term simmering conflict between Gerakan Aceh Merdeka (GAM) and the government. In contrast, the response to the tsunami in Sri Lanka seems to have exacerbated tensions between the Tamil Tigers (the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Ealam (LTTE) and the government of Sri Lanka.  

What made the difference? As is usual in these situations, there are many factors which are responsible for both the conflict and for its resolution. Several researchers have made the point that these two cases were at different ‘stages’ of conflict and that the tsunami (and the response to the disaster) had different impacts on the warring parties. Bauman et al. argue that in the 30-year old Indonesia/Aceh conflict, both sides had come to realize that a military solution was unviable and were looking for a political solution, but lacked an exit strategy. [16] Both the government and the insurgents were seriously affected by the tsunami. The government lacked the capacity to rebuild Aceh without international support and was forced to allow international actors into the region – which had previously been largely denied because of the conflict. The international presence provided a sense of security to the population and coupled with both strong international support and committed political leadership, peace negotiations were re-started. In August 2005, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed in which the Indonesian government recognized the right of Aceh to “special autonomy,” a solution short of the secession which had been demanded earlier. This agreement ended nearly 30 years of conflict which had caused 15,000 deaths and displaced up to 150,000-250,000 people. [17]  

In comparison, when the tsunami struck Sri Lanka, the peace process was similarly stalled, the LTTE held a strong position and the tsunami itself affected the Tamil and Sinhalese communities differently. At the time, the majority of the 390,000 conflict-induced IDPs lived in the North and East and were Tamil. But the majority – though by no means all – of those affected by the tsunami were Sinhalese living in the South. An estimated 457,000 Sri Lankans were displaced by the tsunami. [18] While there was a lot of talk in Sri Lanka about joining together to respond to the victims of the tsunami, in fact, there were tensions from the beginning as both sides sought to use the occasion – and the relief – to strengthen their own positions.  

As Hoffman et al report, the government was worried that the LTTE would utilize the tsunami to gain international sympathy, recognition, and direct assistance and, consequently, blocked opportunities that they thought would benefit the LTTE. At the same time, the LTTE did not trust the government to distribute assistance fairly and sought direct access to aid. [19] There was a strong sense of grievance among the Tamil population that assistance was going primarily towards tsunami-affected people in the South, mostly Sinhalese, while those affected by the tsunami in the North and East, mostly Tamil, did not receive a proportionate share. And the conflict-displaced, mostly Tamils in the North and East, were receiving much less. Efforts to develop a joint response between Sinhalese and Tamils failed. The discrimination in treatment between conflict-induced and tsunami-affected IDPs in Sri Lanka contributed to the tensions. Tamils complained that the government failed to provide adequate assistance and Muslims felt ignored and discriminated against. Inter-communal incriminations returned. Hope and expectations plummeted and the conflict re-ignited in late 2006, displacing still another 200,000 people. In 2009, the Sinhalese-dominated government defeated the LTTE in a brutal offensive.  

One of the lessons of the tsunami is an affirmation of Mary Anderson’s classic argument that humanitarian assistance can either mitigate or accelerate conflicts. [20] This is also a major factor in conflict-induced displacement as humanitarian assistance can be diverted to support armed groups and actually prolong the conflict.  

Natural disasters and human rights  

It was the 2004 tsunami which brought the issue of human rights and natural disaster response to the fore of the international agenda. In part this was because of the sheer magnitude of the disaster and the scale of the response. Unlike most natural disasters, the response to the tsunamis was well-funded. With sufficient funding, relief agencies were able to develop ambitious programs and generally did not need to coordinate their efforts with others. At its worst, this led to competition between agencies for beneficiaries and awareness of the discriminatory impact of assistance. While such discrimination has likely been a feature in most disaster relief efforts, the sheer presence of hundreds of NGOs, bilateral aid agencies, and international organizations made it more apparent to observers. The fact that relief agencies were generally well-resourced also made it possible for them to devote more resources to monitoring and evaluation – which also highlighted not only inequitable patterns of assistance, but a range of protection issues. [21]   

In response to the tsunami, the Representative of the Secretary-General on the Human Rights of Internally Displaced Persons, Walter Kälin, developed  Operational Guidelines on Human Rights and Natural Disasters which were adopted by the Inter-Agency Standing Committee in 2006 and focus on what humanitarian actors should do to implement a rights-based approach to humanitarian action in the context of natural disasters. They provide concrete guidance on how to ensure that the rights of those affected by disasters are respected, are currently being revised on the basis of feedback from the field, and serve as a basis for a number of training and awareness-raising initiatives. They are based on the conviction that human rights are the legal underpinning of all humanitarian work related to natural disasters and to most humanitarian work with victims of internal conflicts. 

These guidelines emphasize that:

• Persons affected by natural disasters should enjoy the same rights and freedoms under human rights law as others in their country and not be discriminated against.
• States have the primary duty and responsibility to provide assistance to persons affected by natural disasters and to protect their human rights.
• Organizations providing protection and assistance accept that human rights underpin all humanitarian action.
• All communities affected by the disaster should be entitled to easily accessible information concerning the nature of the disaster they’re facing, possible mitigation measures that can be taken, early warning information, and information about ongoing humanitarian assistance.

The problems that are often encountered by persons affected by natural disasters include: unequal access to assistance; discrimination in aid provision; enforced relocation; sexual and gender-based violence; loss of documentation; recruitment of children into fighting forces; unsafe or involuntary return or resettlement; and issues of property restitution. These are similar to the problems experienced by those displaced or otherwise affected by conflicts. 

Although there is considerable discussion within the human rights community about prioritizing certain rights, it is generally accepted that the first priority is to protect life, personal security, and the physical integrity and dignity of affected populations by:

• Carrying out evacuations and relocations when necessary in order to protect life
• Protecting populations against the negative impacts of natural hazards
• Protecting populations against violence, including gender-based violence
• Providing security in camps when these are necessary
• Protecting people against anti-personnel landmines and other explosive devices

A second category of rights are those related to basic necessities of life, including:

• Access to goods and services and humanitarian assistance
• Provision of adequate food, and sanitation, shelter, clothing and essential health services.

Protection of other economic, social and cultural rights, including

• Property and possessions
• Livelihood and work

Finally, other civil and political rights need to be protected:

• Documentation
• Freedom of movement and right to ret urn
• Family life and missing or dead relatives
• Expression, assembly and association, and religion
• Electoral rights

This offers concrete guidance to those responding to natural disasters – whether governments, international organizations, or non-governmental organizations. For example, in the immediate aftermath of a flood, governments are often not able to provide necessary educational facilities for affected children. This can (and must) come later, once the children are protected against violence and have access to the basic necessities of life. Similarly, the right to documentation is a crucial issue for many affected by emergencies, but affected communities have a more urgent need for sufficient food and water. 

Even with the best of intentions by all concerned, it is sometimes not possible to ensure that the rights of all those affected by an emergency are fully and immediately respected. For example, access to affected populations is often difficult, those responsible for responding to disasters may themselves be affected, groups who are already socially vulnerable are usually the most affected by disasters and the logistical demands of ensuring that needed assistance items are in the right place and are delivered may be significant. Resources are almost always limited in the initial phase of disaster response. However, in preparing for disasters, governments and relief agencies can and should carry out their planning in such a way as to ensure that human rights are respected. And with the passage of time, it is usually more feasible for disaster response to incorporate an explicitly human rights focus. 

More than treaties and checklists, planning for emergency response requires adoption of a human rights perspective or mindset. This means that responders should constantly be asking themselves questions such as: “who are the vulnerable groups in this community and how do our plans ensure that they are protected and assisted?” “Even as we’re working to supply water to this community, is someone else working on the next phase of providing education and protecting the property of those who have left?” “How will our actions affect the rights of those who are not living in camps?” Developing a human rights mindset requires not only an understanding of international and national standards, but also a commitment to ensuring that the inherent dignity and basic human rights of all people are upheld.  

Adopting a human rights-based response to those affected by natural disasters is a concrete way to ensure that natural disasters do not exacerbate existing or provoke new conflicts.

[1] InterAgency Standing Committee, Operational Guidelines on Human Rights and Natural Disasters . Washington: Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement, June 2006.

[2] http://www.sfmuseum.org/alm/quakes3.html and http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/10/newsid_2544000/2544077.stm

[3] Juan Carlos Chavez, “In wealthy enclave of Pétionville, another picture,” Miami Herald , 22 January 2010. Republished under title “Haiti quake made gap between rich and poor even bigger,” in McClatchy , available: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2010/01/22/82900/haiti-quake-made-gap-between-rich.html.

“The Earthquake Recovery Process in Haiti,” statement by Walter Kälin, UN Human Rights Commission Special Session on Haiti, 27 January 2010.

[4] Action Aid and People’s Movement for Human Rights Learning, Habitat International Coalition on Housing and Land Rights Network, Tsunami response: A human rights assessment , Jan 2006.

[5] See United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction Secretariat (UNISDR), Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction , 2009.

[6] OCHA, IDMC and NRC, Monitoring disaster displacement in the context of climate change , September 2009.

[7] Kevin McGill, Associated Press, “Saints, parades overshadow New Orleans mayor race,” http://www.boston.com/news/nation/articles/2010/02/05/saints_parades_overshadow_new_orleans_mayor_race/ . See also: https://gnocdc.s3.amazonaws.com/NOLAIndex/NOLAIndex.pdf

[8] http://www.internal-displacement.org/idmc/website/countries.nsf/(httpEnvelopes)/4D72DEF161EAD3AFC125764F004C19D4?OpenDocument

[9] http://www2.ohchr.org/english/issues/idp/docs/RSG_on_IDPS_Mission_Somalia.pdf

[10] “When the world shook”, The Economist , 30 June 1990, p. 45, cited in Rohan J. Hardcastle, Adrian T. L. Chua, “Humanitarian assistance: towards a right of access to victims of natural disasters,” International Review of the Red Cross no 325, December 1998, p.589.

[11] See Hardcastle and Chua, ibid .

[12] Philip Nel and Marjolein Righarts, “National Disasters and the Risk of Violent Civil Conflict,” International Studies Quarterly , vol. 52, 1, March 2008, p. 159.

[13] R.S. Olson and A.C. Drury, “Un-Therapeutic Communities: A Cross-National Analysis of Post-Disaster Political Unrest,” International Journal of Mass Emergencies and Disasters , vol. 15, p. 8, 1997, http://web.missouri.edu/~drurya/articlesandpapers/IJMED1997.pdf.

[14] Rakhi Bhavnani, “Natural Disaster Conflicts,” Harvard University, February 2006, p. 4. Available at: http://www.disasterdiplomacy.org/bhavnanisummary.pdf

[15] Ibid. p. 38.

[16] Peter Bauman, Mengistu Ayalew, and Gazala Paul, “Natural Disaster: War and Peace.

A comparative analysis of the impact of the tsunami and tsunami interventions on the conflicts in Sri Lanka and Indonesia/Aceh,” unpublished manuscript. Also see P. LeBillon and A. Waizenegger, “Peace in the wake of disaster?” Secessionist conflicts and the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, 2007 and M. Renner and Z. Chafe, “Turning Disaster into Peacemaking Opportunities,” in the State of the World. New York: World Watch Institute, 2006.

[17] See also Peter Feith, “The Aceh Peace Process: Nothing Less than Success,” US Institute of Peace Briefing Paper, March 2007 http://www.usip.org/pubs/specialreports/sr184.pdf . Also see Walter Kälin, op cit.

[18] http://www.internal-displacement.org/8025708F004BE3B1/(httpInfoFiles)/FFBBFDF012F17ADEC1257227004203D7/$file/Sri%20Lanka%20-November%202006.pdf , p. 37.

[19] Susanna M. Hoffman and Anthony Oliver-Smith, (eds.) Culture and Catastrophe: The Anthropology of Disaster , Santa Fe, New Mexico: The School of American Research Press, 2002.

[20] Mary Anderson, Do No Harm: How Aid can Support Peace – or War., Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 1999. Also see www.disasterdiplomacy.org for discussion of the ways in which natural disasters create opportunities for diplomatic initiatives.

[21] See for example: Harry Masyrafah and Jock MJA McKean, Post-tsunami aid effectiveness in Aceh: Proliferation and Coordination in Reconstruction , Brookings Wolfensohn Center for Development, Working Paper 6, November 2008, p. 24. Also see East-West Center, Berkeley University, “After the tsunami: human rights of vulnerable populations,” October 2005.

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natural disasters

Introduction.

Predicting Natural Disasters

The best way to predict or tell when natural disasters will occur is to study ones that have already happened. This gives scientists important information about the events that lead up to disasters. It also helps the scientists understand the forces of nature that cause the disasters.

Scientists have developed a good understanding of the factors that lead to hurricanes, tornadoes, and flooding. Predicting events such as earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, however, is much more difficult. Volcanoes may give warning signs, such as leaking gases or spouting lava, before erupting, but sometimes they erupt with no warning at all.

Earthquakes are also difficult to predict. However, scientists are aware of the regions in the world where earthquakes are most likely to occur. In these places they use equipment to monitor any changes that might suggest an earthquake is about to happen.

Controlling Natural Disasters

Most natural disasters are impossible to prevent. The forces of nature that cause them are beyond the control of humans. Their effects, however, may be reduced in several ways: by preparing for natural disasters, by preventing them where possible, and by reducing the impact they have on people.

Preparing for Natural Disasters

Developed countries that suffer from earthquakes, such as Japan and the United States, have buildings that can stand up to all but the most powerful earthquakes. Storm shelters can be built to provide a safe place for people to stay during hurricanes and tornadoes.

Preventing Natural Disasters

Natural disasters that occur because of the movement of Earth’s plates cannot be prevented, but some others may be preventable. Protecting the environment, for example, may prevent disasters such as avalanches and landslides . Trees on hillsides help keep snow and soil in place. If too many trees are cut down, then avalanches and landslides are more likely to happen. Flooding can be prevented in some places by strengthening a river’s edges, building dams, and redirecting floodwater away from towns.

Reducing the Effects of Natural Disasters

Sensible planning can also prevent deaths from natural disasters. For example, people can choose not to build towns on the sides of volcanoes, in active earthquake zones, or on floodplains.

Early Warning Systems

Early warning systems can pick up clues that a natural disaster may occur. They can then send a warning message to the people it might affect. Flood and severe weather warning messages are often broadcast on television, radio, and the Internet.

Places at risk of natural disasters often have evacuation plans in place so people can get out of the area before the disaster happens. People are also taught how to cope when disaster strikes, such as keeping supplies of food and water nearby.

Relief Agencies

Relief agencies, such as the Red Cross and Red Crescent and Oxfam , help support the victims of natural disasters. These organizations set up temporary camps; provide food, medical care, and education; and help people rebuild their lives if necessary.

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Speech on Natural disasters Minutes [1, 2, 3, 5]

Short 1 minute speech on natural disasters.

There are many natural disasters that occur in the world every year. These natural disasters have a huge impact on human lives. This is why we need to learn how to deal with these disasters.

Natural disasters are the result of many different factors and they can be caused by many different things. They can be caused by climate change, earthquakes or volcanic eruptions. The most common ones are floods and hurricanes but there are also tsunamis and volcanoes.

Natural disasters are a frequent occurrence and they have a big impact on human lives. These disasters are not caused by any one entity, but rather by the interaction of multiple factors and events.

Flood is one of the most devastating natural disasters, which kills millions of people and causes huge economic losses.

Quotes of some internationally famous personalities for Speech on Natural disasters

• Barack Obama : “In moments of crisis, our character is revealed.”
• Helen Keller : “Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of overcoming it.”
• John F. Kennedy : “The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining.”
• Mother Teresa : “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.”
• Martin Luther King Jr. : “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

2 Minutes speech on Natural disasters

A natural disaster is an event or situation that occurs in the environment and has the potential to cause serious damage. These disasters are caused by nature or by human activities. They are not necessarily catastrophic events but can be extremely severe and disruptive, causing widespread damage to people’s lives and property. They can affect all parts of a country or region and may even affect other countries around the world.

The term “Natural Disaster” is used to describe any disaster that happens due to natural causes. A natural disaster includes floods, fires, storms, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. These disasters happen in many countries around the world but they affect different people in a different way. Some people are affected by them more than others and some people feel affected by them less than others.

In the past, natural disasters were considered to be a bad thing. But now, we are witnessing an increase in these events. Many of them have been caused by man-made factors like climate change or human activities.

Flooding is a natural disaster that has been happening more frequently in the recent decades. It is caused by a sudden increase in the amount of water in the oceans.

We should not be afraid of the natural disasters that may happen on earth. We should not be afraid of the earthquakes, tsunamis and hurricanes. These natural disasters are inevitable and we should not worry about them. But we should be concerned about their impact on our lives and property.

We need to think of ways to mitigate these natural disasters in order to make them less devastating.

3 Minutes speech on Natural disasters

Natural disasters are the most catastrophic events that can happen to a society. These events are caused by natural phenomenon such as earthquakes, floods, storms and other types of disasters. They can be unpredictable and unpredictable events can become catastrophes.

Natural disasters are one of the most common and widespread disasters in the world today. These are caused by various factors such as typhoons, floods, earthquakes, storms, droughts and other natural calamities.

While they may seem like a nuisance to us humans, they have a huge impact on people’s lives. This is because these disasters can be quite devastating for people’s livelihoods and their daily lives.

Natural disasters are unpredictable occurrences caused by the weather, natural phenomena or human activity. These events can happen at any time, which may be a major blow to an organization.

Flood is a natural disaster that can happen anywhere at any time. It is a destructive force that can be brought on by several factors, including wild weather, flood of water or ice, and earthquakes.

The earth quack is a natural disaster that occurs when the earth’s crust is broken by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions or other geological events. It is caused by the rapid release of magma from within the earth’s crust and it can be very dangerous.

We live in a world where we are surrounded by natural disasters. These natural disasters are not only caused by the weather, but also by other factors such as earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanoes.

We should not think of these natural disasters as an excuse for disaster preparedness. We can use this knowledge to deal with them better and prepare ourselves for them. In addition to that, we can use this knowledge to develop better disaster avoidance strategies.

5 Minutes speech on Natural disasters

the environment. In other words, it is an event that happens without human intervention.

It is difficult to pinpoint the exact time when a natural disaster happened. It can be an accident, a war, an earthquake or any other natural disaster that affects people’s lives in a big way. Some of them are caused by climate change, such as floods and droughts. Other causes include earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. There are also some events that occur due to global warming or rising sea levels. These events are not something we can predict but they do happen and they affect our lives in different ways.

Natural disasters are a common occurrence in the world. They can be caused by many different factors, such as weather, earthquakes, floods and other natural disasters.

One of the most well-known natural disasters is Hurricane Katrina in 2005. This disaster was caused by a series of hurricanes that hit the US Gulf Coast region in 2005. This event was so severe that it caused more than 1 million deaths and left over 1 million people homeless.

Flooding as a natural disaster is a global problem that affects millions of people every year. While the media and governments have done a great job in warning people about the dangers of flooding, there is still a lot of work to be done.

The best way to mitigate this problem is by making sure that you are prepared for it before it happens. We should also be aware of what we can do to minimize the damage when it does happen, which includes planning ahead, taking precautions and being prepared for all eventualities.

We are living in a world where our future is being shaped by the changes in the climate. The Earth has been changing for millions of years, and it’s about to change again. We are living in a world where our future is being shaped by the changes in the climate.

We all know that disasters occur in nature. But how many of us know that they can happen on a global scale?

The main reason for this is due to human activities. The more we are exposed to the environment, the more we are influenced by it and become dependent on it. We have created a huge amount of waste and pollution in our planet and now there is no way to stop it from happening again. It is important to understand this because if we don’t, then we will never be able to make any changes in order to prevent disasters from happening again.

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A Safer Future: Reducing the Impacts of Natural Disasters (1991)

Chapter: 4. mitigation.

M itigation — actions taken to prevent or reduce the risk to life, property, social and economic activities, and natural resources from natural hazards — is central to the Decade initiative. Awareness, education, preparedness, and prediction and warning systems can reduce the disruptive impacts of a natural disaster on communities. Mitigation measures such as adoption of zoning, land-use practices, and building codes are needed, however, to prevent or reduce actual damage from hazards. Avoiding development in landslide- and flood-prone areas through planning and zoning ordinances, for example, may save money in construction and reduce the loss of life and damage to property and natural resources. Postdisaster studies continue to confirm the fundamental fact that community investment in mitigation pays direct dividends when a disaster occurs.

Development trends in the United States underscore the need to instill a new commitment to mitigation. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) projects a national investment of $4 trillion during the 1990s in new construction and infrastructure. Advances in the fields of hazard and risk assessments are providing decision-makers with increasingly accurate and useful information on the potential impacts of natural disasters on society. The challenge is to apply this information and translate current understanding of natural hazards into meaningful action at the community level to protect the substantial investments in new and existing development. Equally important is the human side of mitigation; programs should reflect the needs of an urban, aging, technologically oriented society.

Despite increasing vulnerability to natural disasters, many communities resist adopting mitigation programs. The barriers are economic, social, and political, and mitigation is often perceived as restrictive, costly, and incompatible with the community's economic development goals. Mitigation may involve solutions that are technically sound but politically unpopular. In this context, elected officials are often reluctant to pursue mitigation programs vigorously.

Progress toward adoption of mitigation practices will require community commitment, recognition of constraints and barriers, and innovative solutions. Flood-prone areas, for example, could be incorporated into community-enhancing open space, wildlife and recreation attractions, or hiking and physical fitness trails. New awareness and education programs need to be developed to foster incorporation of the lessons learned from disasters and the findings from social research into mitigation practice.

Mitigation initiatives, above all, need to involve the key groups that participate in developing, adopting, implementing, and enforcing mitigation — public officials, finance and insurance specialists, engineers, planners and architects, civic groups, marketing specialists, educators, and researchers. To be effective, mitigation requires a multidisciplinary team approach free from domination by any one special interest group; each discipline has a role and contribution to make. Close communication and coordination among researchers, practitioners, and policymakers increase the likelihood that effective mitigation programs will be implemented.

December 1990 floods in Washington state destroyed acres of young Christmas trees. The financial effect of the loss on this atypical agricultural crop may not befelt for a few years.

A program for enhancing the nation's hazard mitigation capabilities should capitalize on opportunities for immediate and near-term success and sustain progress into the next century. Numerous cost-effective mitigation programs should be recognized and profiled. Transferable solutions need to be closely examined. At the same time, a balanced Decade program should address the fundamental problems associated with mitigation — the economic, social, and political barriers.

The Committee recommends that every community at significant risk adopt and enforce an appropriate mitigation program, including both nearterm goals and a comprehensive long-range plan for reducing the impacts of natural disasters.

To achieve this goal, the Committee proposes that local jurisdictions take the following steps:

incorporate both structural and nonstructural mitigation measures in new development,

examine ways to reduce the vulnerability of existing structures,

take steps to reduce the vulnerability of natural resources, and

undertake mitigation training with support from state and federal governments.

A program for enhancing the nation's hazard mitigation capabilities should include:

Protection of schools and hospitals. All new schools and hospitals should be located and constructed to ensure that high-hazard areas are avoided and that special provisions are made to reduce the potential for damage by natural hazards. In addition, existing school and hospital buildings should be surveyed to determine their levels of resistance to relevant hazards. Strenuous efforts should be made to strengthen facilities that would fail in a disaster. In some instances, legislation may be required to ensure that mitigation actions are taken.

The Committee believes that special emphasis should be placed on implementing mitigation measures in schools and hospitals because of their critical role in community life and their heightened importance during disasters. One of this nation's greatest resources — children — spends a large portion of time in school buildings. Schools also serve as primary shelters for evacuees during disasters. All too often, however, school buildings are neither constructed nor maintained to withstand the physical effects of natural hazards, and in many states they are exempt from building codes. As a result, they are potential death traps for the students or evacuees within them. Hospitals and other health care facilities minister to the sick and injured and are the locus of the medical technology and expertise that are essential in a disaster. When hospital facilities fail during a disaster, as they have in numerous recent earthquakes and hurricanes, not only are patients and medical personnel killed or trapped within them, but stricken communities are also deprived of needed medical resources, equipment, and supplies.

Wherever economically feasible, communities should strengthen other essential facilities such as emergency operations centers, police and fire stations, utilities, and telecommunications and transportation networks, all of which are critical to emer-

Response and recovery plans need to be incorporated into communities ' disaster preparedness. Family plans should include specified meeting places in case family members are separated before or during an event, and local schools need to make plans for protecting and accommodating children until they can be reunited with family.

gency response and recovery. Museums, convention centers, theaters, and other places of public assembly should also be included in a program to strengthen buildings. Plans are also needed to include the private sector in mitigation activities for both public and private structures.

Adoption of nonstructural measures. Businesses and homes should incorporate nonstructural mitigation measures to minimize injuries and property damage from natural disasters. Furniture and equipment, for example, can be easily secured to reduce injuries and damage from earthquakes. Other nonstructural measures are management of vegetation to reduce damage from wildfires and location of structures away from high-hazard areas.

Nonstructural mitigation represents a major opportunity for immediate low-cost action to reduce the impacts of natural hazards on the home and the workplace. The private sector can contribute significantly to promoting nonstructural mitigation. Lending institutions are ideally positioned to incorporate mitigation provisions as conditions for loans, and the insurance and reinsurance industries can adjust underwriting rate structures as an incentive for mitigation.

Incorporation of mitigation into new development. Local jurisdictions should ensure that new development is located, designed, and constructed to withstand natural hazards. They should use information from hazard and risk assessments, land-use plans, and zoning regulations to limit development of hazard-prone areas. Compatible uses of floodplains and other hazardous areas should be incorporated into local planning and zoning so that losses are reduced. Such areas could have a high value for recreation, fish and wildlife reserves, open space, or other community use.

Building codes that set minimum specifications for design and construction can be a powerful tool for mitigating the effects of natural hazards; lives were saved in the Loma Prieta earthquake as a direct result of seismic design and construction practices implemented two or more decades earlier. Fire codes, dam safety standards, and emergency provisions (e.g., ensuring that power is cut off to broken utility lines) have significantly reduced the damage from natural events. Building codes should be a central part of a mitigation strategy for new construction. Barriers to the adoption and enforcement of modern codes should be identified and strategies developed that

include incentives and other mechanisms to overcome community and industry resistance.

Although land-use planning, zoning ordinances, and building codes and regulations are the responsibility of local and state government, technical and financial assistance will be needed to adopt and implement these mitigation measures. This assistance should be provided through NIST, FEMA, and professional organizations such as the Applied Technology Council, the Building Seismic Safety Council, and the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute.

Protection of cultural properties. Protection of libraries, monuments, historic buildings, works of art, and other cultural resources should be incorporated into mitigation planning and action. Losses in the historic district of Charleston, South Carolina, from Hurricane Hugo show the particular vulnerability of cultural properties to natural disasters.

There is a need for both information and practical assistance to reduce this kind of loss. Following a disaster, preservation of historic sites can be an emotional and costly aspect of recovery and reconstruction. Mitigation training should include the issue of preservation to promote informed decision-making and community involvement.

National and international groups are working under the aegis of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the International Council of Museums, and other organizations to raise awareness of the threat of natural hazards to cultural properties and to mitigate or prevent damage and losses. Foundations and private groups can contribute to these efforts.

Protection of natural resources. Particularly valuable natural resources such as endangered species of wildlife, fish, and plants should be identified in mitigation plans and protection measures included in disaster response plans. Such natural resources are found not only in the wild, but in zoos and parks as well.

Mitigation plans might include particular attention to the location and design of facilities so that a fire or windstorm does not act as a conduit for unexpected damage to important natural resources. For example, pipelines and power lines frequently traverse important natural resources areas. In such cases, it is possible to anticipate probable damage to adjacent natural resources caused by rupture of a pipeline or a broken power line. Automatic flow controls, special breakers, and other features are readily available and can dramatically reduce damage. For particularly valuable and endangered populations of wildlife and plants, prudent planning might include relocating a portion of the population so that a natural event does not result in the loss of the entire population.

Government leadership of mitigation implementation. Government at all levels should set an example by requiring that new facilities that it funds, regulates, or leases be designed, built, and located in accordance with modern building codes and sound

Whether sparked by lightning or by powerlines downed in a storm, the path of forest fires is unpredictable, leaving behind a stark landscape, here including the blackened remains of a chimney and cement foundations of a cabin.

land-use practices. On the national level, in January 1990, the President issued an executive order requiring that federal agencies design and construct all new buildings to be earthquake resistant. Similar directives, supported by active enforcement programs, are needed at the state and local levels, and they should encompass all relevant natural hazards. Such standards should be considered for all publicly funded infrastructures and lifelines such as highways and bridges. As resources permit, the requirements should be extended to existing buildings in a phased program that reflects their vulnerability.

Mitigation training. Training programs that focus on contemporary challenges associated with implementing mitigation should be developed and offered. A national training program, supported by the federal government and fully integrated with the preparedness training proposed here, should be developed for this purpose. Its curriculum would include land-use planning, zoning, building codes and regulations, tax incentives, and nonstructural mitigation measures. Case studies from throughout the nation and around the world should be included. Mitigation training programs offered by FEMA and USFS should include more participants, disciplines, and subjects.

Mitigation training should be highly interactive, reflecting real problems and issues. For example, how can hazard and risk data be used to promote mitigation at the community level? How can hazardprone land be used in ways that are important to communities but less vulnerable to natural disasters? How can a local emergency manager or other official develop a cost-effective mitigation program? How can mitigation policy and practice be moved up on the political agenda? How can local commitment to hazard reduction be developed? How can historic structures be cost-effectively protected to avoid expensive salvage attempts following a disaster? These and other issues need to be addressed in a nationwide training program.

Hazard-specific research. Recent disasters have demonstrated the benefits of mitigation efforts while pointing out the need for research to improve mitigation practice. Although all hazards would benefit from such study, research agendas for earthquakes, landslides, and extreme winds are illustrated below.

Earthquakes: There is a need to complete a national seismic monitoring network and establish a cooperative international program in strong-motion measurement and data analysis. Local networks should be established, as needed, to determine the effects of local site conditions on ground motion and the relationship between specific ground motion parameters and the degree of structural damage.

The behavior of structures founded on different soil types is another area of research opportunity. The damage distribution in the Marina District during the Loma Prieta earthquake dramatized the effects of soil properties on structures and underscores the need for additional research in this area.

Research is needed to develop cost-effective methods for strengthening existing buildings and structures, especially unreinforced masonry and brittle reinforced-concrete buildings. Federal and state governments should encourage the development and implementation of active and passive control systems and other new techniques to improve the seismic resistance of both existing and new buildings. Additional research should be conducted to improve techniques for controlling damage to nonstructural elements such as ceilings, windows, the electrical supply, and domestic gas pipes. Research to improve the design and construction of lifeline systems should be accelerated.

Landslides: Each year, landslides in the United States cause approximately $2 billion in damage. Better understanding of the conditions that generate landslides would significantly improve hazard and risk assessments by local jurisdictions. Research is needed to develop designs that mitigate ground deformation and damage to structures, provide a technical base for mitigation measures such as landslide zoning, and test and evaluate innovative landslide stabilization techniques.

The application of new techniques in satellite remote sensing, geophysics, and geotechnical engineering for delineating landslide hazard areas should be accelerated. Research is needed to identify the economic, political, and social processes that encourage or impede landslide mitigation programs. This information could be valuable when landslides are considered in insurance programs and local planning and zoning, including the location of key facilities.

Extreme winds: Knowledge about wind-force effects on buildings is critical to developing wind speed provisions in building codes and designing wind-resistant structures. Research in this area is lacking; measurements of wind speeds at the height of mid- to high-rise buildings are rarely available.

The stucco facade of this building shattered like an eggshell as lava flowing around the base of the three-story structure applied such pressure that the walls shifted and collapsed.

A national wind hazard reduction program, modeled on the National Earthquake Hazard Reduction Program, is needed to improve building performance in high winds and severe weather. The program should emphasize mitigation. Schools and medical facilities, in particular, should be subject to stringent building codes. Home and business owners should be provided with “do-it-yourself” instructions on how to strengthen individual structures to withstand winds. High winds can cause substantial property damage and economic loss. Research needs to focus on whether current mitigation practice, including the wind-resistance provisions of building codes, is responsive to the potential magnitude of the problem.

Overcoming resistance to mitigation. Barriers to the adoption of mitigation measures need to be clearly identified and innovative strategies developed to overcome resistance. Success stories, computer models, and simulations should be components of such a program. Real experiences can provide both insight into the factors that contribute to successful mitigation programs and the means for communities to capitalize on opportunities that follow a disaster. Computer simulations and other tools that incorporate the tax base, revenues, loss estimates, and other key variables can provide government and industry with information critical to their decision-making. Simulations of past recovery and reconstruction efforts, including decisions and trade-offs, may contribute to appreciation of the value of mitigation.

Response and recovery need to be a coordinated effort of local, state, and federal government, private voluntary organizations, and community volunteers. During and after Hurricane Hugo, U.S. Marine Corps volunteers worked with the Salvation Army to move bottled water and other requisite supplies through relief centers and to appropriate locations in a timely manner.

Initial priorities for U.S. participation in the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction, declared by the United Nations, are contained in this volume. It focuses on seven issues: hazard and risk assessment; awareness and education; mitigation; preparedness for emergency response; recovery and reconstruction; prediction and warning; learning from disasters; and U.S. participation internationally.

The committee presents its philosophy of calls for broad public and private participation to reduce the toll of disasters.

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Speech on Disaster Management in Simple and Easy Words

Table of Contents

Disaster Management has received great importance in recent times. Disaster management is required to handle the natural calamity and disasters efficiently. Disaster management in some cases may not avert or avoid the situation, but it can certainly minimize the impacts. The indirect or direct effects of disasters, whether natural, man-made, industrialized or technological, are always destruction, damage, and death. Disasters may cause major hazard and loss of life of both animals and human beings including properties too.

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Most of the organizations, institutions, schools and colleges adopt disaster management skills within their premises. You may be required to deliver speech on disaster management at any occasion. Our sample disaster management speech may help you prepare yourself for any event. The short speech on disaster management shared here are useful at school and college levels. The language is pretty simple and informative. Our sample long speech on disaster management can be used at organizational level and at any occasion.

Long and Short Disaster Management Speech in English

Speech on disaster management – sample 1.

Respected Principal, Teachers and Dear Students!

Today is the International Day for Natural Disaster Reduction and we have gathered here to discuss the disaster management. I am extremely obliged to be given this opportunity to host the program and share some important points about disaster management.

Disaster can be of any type either man-made or natural. Due to the global warming and various changes in the environment, the natural disaster such as tsunami, earthquake, hurricane, flood, etc have become more frequent across the world. Though disaster management is a branch of study which helps people in managing the disaster it is important that each one of us is equally equipped with some common senses to be applied in the event of a disaster. Disaster management gives confidence to people and makes the communities stronger when a disaster strikes. A disaster could be natural or man-made. Disaster management is an authority which has ideally been developed to help society and communities. It helps people in knowing the complete process of man-made or natural disasters, the process of dealing with such disasters and their consequences.

It is mostly been observed that children and women are more vulnerable to disasters and hence, I am sharing some of the importance of disaster management through my speech today:

The teams of Disaster management can help to avoid a disaster before it takes place. The team may inspect the probable reasons of disaster and may adopt appropriate steps to stop or avoid a disaster. For example, the natural disaster such as forest fires, or man-made disaster such as terrorist attacks can be avoided through efficient planning and preventive action.

It is important that the people do not panic and act wisely in the event of any disaster. Proper preventive measures must be taken by each individual and children must also act wisely to give emotional support to their respective parents. Disaster management employees have the training to carry out rescue operations efficiently. Trained professionals may rescue people successfully during building collapses, floods or major fires, etc.

It is important that the civilians co-operate with the disaster management team and control their emotions. More often, people feel neglected by the authority and react to the disaster management team. However, the team helps in providing relief measures to the sufferers. They arrange for the food, medicines, relief camps, clothing, and other necessary items. If they get co-operation from the people, it will boost their morale because they work non-stop in such situations.

Disaster management team also works in association with the local authority and carries out rehabilitation process in the affected areas. Construction of homes, schools and other infrastructure are some of the examples of rehabilitation processes.

It is important to remember that they are equally affected by the disaster, the only difference being they are trained to provide assistance to us, thus, it is our responsibility to show patience and appreciate their work. The Disaster management team may also help to minimize the tension and trauma before and after any type of disaster. If a disaster is suspected, the team can properly guide the people to handle the disaster such as floods, earthquakes, etc. Even post-disaster, the team can provide material assistance and financial support, which automatically helps people in overcoming the traumatic effect of the disaster.

I hope, this was an informative speech for you all and in the end I would just say that always use your common sense and do not panic because hastiness causes major harm than anything else.

Speech on Disaster Management -Sample 2

Hello Everyone!

First of all, I would like to thank you all for making to this event. Our NGO provides assistance and rehabilitation services during the time of any natural calamity or disaster. We have organized this program as we feel the need of preparing every individual to fight against disaster which is commonly known as disaster management.

Disaster is a widespread phenomenon today affecting the human society majorly. Disaster can be either man-made (such as terrorism) or natural. The same has been experienced by people since ages. Though the form of natural disaster varies, it has been a very big challenge for society irrespective of caste, creed, culture, country, etc. According to the latest World Disaster Reports, the numbers of disaster are increasing the very frequency and intensely.

People are becoming more susceptible to all types of disasters such as forests fire, earthquake, droughts, flood, accidents, cyclones, landslides, plane crash, etc. With the advancement in the technology, the impact of disasters has also changed. When a disaster occurs, it surpasses all the eagerness and preparedness of the society posing the bigger test to people. This is true in case of developing as well as developed countries. The floods, tsunamis, hurricanes, cyclones, etc occurred worldwide have claimed several lives so far.

Disaster management is important for tackling the hazards that occur before, during and after the disaster. Disaster management is like consuming medicine for curing a disease. Disaster can also be epidemic diseases or industrial failures such as Bhopal gas tragedy or the disaster of Fukushima nuclear power plant, etc. All these are highly dangerous to human life.

Thus, our team helps people in managing the disaster in both situations: precautionary measures before the calamity and the aftermath management. We also receive the donation from the local authority and several industrialists for this noble cause.

The government of India also maintains a separate fund known as ‘contingency fund of India’ to manage disasters in India. Disaster not only causes materialistic harms to people, it also causes emotional trauma to people. Our team also helps people in overcoming the emotional weakness and face the calamity with more confidence.

During a disaster, we also appeal to common people to extend all types of help such as physical, emotional and financial. We train common people to provide assistance to their friends, family members, and neighbors.

In the event of a disaster, proper preparations are necessary for managing the situation. Appropriate mechanisms help to minimize the effect if not wipe the effect out completely. Foreseeing the probability of some types of disasters can help in reducing the vulnerability of the people and the society to such an event. Our teams help in rehabilitation and disaster management and help in minimizing the loss of lives and properties. This is because we have trained our professionals who not only provide physical and materialistic assistance but also help in the emotional rehabilitation of people. Our team takes pre-emptive actions to ward off a disaster. We have trained our team on disaster management and thus the trained professionals can help to preserve and protect the environment.

Though disaster may leave you bewildered by controlling your emotions and acting wisely you may reduce the effect. Through this platform, we appeal to everyone to be cautious and alert and help each other in the event of any natural calamity or disaster.

Natural Disaster Natural disasters like tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanoes, floods, droughts, hurricanes, and more are terrible events. The effects of these disasters are awful and happen quickly. Many people will face a lot of difficulties, and it takes a long time to recover after a natural disaster.

Speech on Disaster Management – Sample 3

Good Morning Hon’ble Principal Ma’am, Hon’ble Teachers and My Dear Friends!

Today we all are gathered here for an important assembly that has been called out on a very serious note. As we know that the place where we live is very prone to natural disasters and thus it is the duty of the educational institutions to make the youth aware of such problem which could help in circulating information across the place. The area we are living in had faced many natural disasters like flood, earthquake etc and due to lack of knowledge and awareness in the people there was a huge loss of lives and commodities. Nobody wants to go through the painful situation again and again and thus we have to be prepared and should take certain preventive measures.

Before starting with the preventive measures, we should understand the reasons behind the occurring of natural disasters. There are infinite reasons for increasing of the natural disasters time to time and all of them are directly or indirectly related to our lifestyle. Our behavior of getting more and more comfort is the main reason of natural disasters. We want our life to be more flexible or relaxed and thus we use excessive electricity, fuels, water etc which leads to ecological imbalance on earth resulting in natural disasters. I hope everybody is aware of the term “deforestation” which means cutting down trees. Less trees means less oxygen and more carbon-dioxide on earth. Excessive presence of carbon-dioxide is resulting in depletion of ozone layer, melting of glaciers, increasing temperature, increasing respiratory problems etc. There is a huge change in climatic condition on earth. The duration of summer is increasing and winter is decreasing. All these change are directly leading towards excessive natural disasters like droughts, floods, earthquakes, tsunamis, cyclones, tornados, soil erosion etc.

To control the situation before it get way worse, we have to take some preventive measures. The measures that we should take are totally related with our lifestyle. We have to come out of our comfort zone. We have to start keeping plants in our homes and plant trees on the places wherever possible to compensate the loss caused by the practice of deforestation. It will help in increasing oxygen and reducing carbon-dioxide in atmosphere. We should reduce the use of water and electricity as much as possible. Less wastage of food would be very helpful as there will be less scarcity of food during droughts etc. By reducing the use of fuels like petrol, diesel etc through car pooling will help in reducing carbon dioxide in atmosphere. There are many other ways to control ecological imbalance and we just have to think about it.

On this note, I would like to enclose my words and extend special thanks to our hon’ble principal ma’am for organizing this event as a measure to prevent disasters or losses and to all the students for cooperating in this assembly and making it successful. I hope that everyone standing here will remember the information given and will help in spreading awareness among other citizens so that the rising of the biggest problem can be tackled and finished.

Thank you and I wish you all a great day ahead!

Speech on Disaster Management -Sample 4

A Very Good Morning Ladies and Gentlemen!

As we know that this is a very special day for us as our whole society is going to eco-adventure camp. This camp has been specially organized for giving opportunity to the people to gain experience of living in nature without technology. As an instructor in this camp, it is my responsibility to teach you about the activities that we all are going to do in this camp. The reason behind this camping is to make people aware of environmental problems and natural disasters.

As we all are cognizant to environmental problems that are the cause of our selfishness. As this camp has a motive to train people in tackling natural disasters and thus it is very useful for all of us. Natural disasters are increasing rapidly and people need to get aware of safety measures. Before understanding about the safety measures, we have to understand the cause of natural disasters. There are so many reasons behind the happening of such disasters like- excessive use of fuels like petrol, wasting and polluting water, heavy usage of electricity etc. We should understand that these disasters are the cause of human’s unstoppable increasing needs and these needs are taking us to the end of the earth if not stopped.

There are many places that are highly affected by natural disasters. One of the biggest tragedies was of Uttrakhand. The flood came in Uttrakhand had ruined the whole place and resulted in scarcity of food, shelter and a huge loss of lives. The flood was the reaction of environmental degradation. There are many such cases where huge tragedies have happened before and if not controlled then it could happen in future also. Earthquake seem to be the most common among various disaster followed by floods, droughts etc. Among all the disasters, drought is the most dreadful and deadliest. Drought causes scarcity of water and scarcity of food. Two of the most important essentials of survival on the earth are water and food. Without these two, survival is impossible.

To control these tragedies caused by natural disasters, we have to control our needs in life. We cut trees because of our need, we use petrol, diesel etc because of our needs and there are infinite desires or so called needs of us that leads to environmental degradation. Deforestation is one of the main reasons for droughts, soil erosions, earthquakes etc and to prevent such disasters, we have to plant more and more trees as possible. Excessive use of fuels such as diesel, petrol, etc have caused increase in amount of CO2 in air and hence is causing melting of glaciers due to increasing temperature.

This is the high time where we have to move ahead for taking actions against disasters by understanding our responsibility towards mother earth.

On this note, I would like to enclose my speech and extend special thanks to all the crew members and organizers for such a great support and to all of you for joining us in this camp and helping it to be successful.

Speech on Disaster Management FAQs

What is disaster management short speech.

Disaster management is about preparing for and responding to emergencies like floods, earthquakes, and hurricanes to save lives and property.

In class 9, disaster management covers planning, relief, and recovery measures to handle different kinds of disasters effectively.

What is disaster management class 9 in detail?

To start a natural disaster speech, begin with an attention-grabbing introduction, state the topic, and highlight its importance.

How do you start a natural disaster speech?

A very short note on a natural disaster is a brief description of a sudden, catastrophic event like floods, wildfires, or tornadoes.

What is natural disaster 10 points?

Ten key points about natural disasters include their unpredictability, destruction, impact on communities, need for preparedness, and the role of emergency services.

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Un headquarters, 09 february 2023, secretary-general's opening remarks to the press on the earthquake in türkiye and syria , antónio guterres.

The earthquake that struck Türkiye and Syria is one of the biggest natural disasters in our times.

Just hours ago, the first United Nations convoy crossed into northern Syria through the Bab al-Hawa crossing.  It included 6 trucks carrying shelter and other desperately needed relief supplies.

More help is on the way, but much more, much more is needed.

We have all seen the heart-wrenching images and the heroic efforts of humanitarians battling the elements, the clock and the odds to save lives.

We mourn the loss of so many – and the tragic toll keeps growing. 

Thousands of buildings have collapsed.

Tens of thousands of people are exposed to unforgiving winter conditions.

Schools and hospitals have been destroyed.

Children are enduring terrible trauma.

And we are sadly aware that we haven’t yet seen the full extent of the damage and of the humanitarian crisis unfolding before our eyes.

When I see the images, I see people and places I know well.

This has long been a region of support for refugees and displaced people.

As High Commissioner for Refugees, I traveled to the area many times.

I will never forget those visits.

Türkiye is home to the largest number of refugees in the world and has shown unparalleled generosity to its Syrian neighbors.

Indeed, up to 3.6 million Syrians have lived in Türkiye for more than a decade. Many of them are now victims of the earthquake

I also have been to Aleppo and met Syrians who warmly welcomed Iraqi refugees fleeing violence and war – integrating them into their society. There was more than one million Iraqi refugees in Syria.  They were not in camps.  They were received by the communities and integrated into community life in enormous generosity.

On my visits, I was deeply moved by the solidarity of people who opened their homes and their hearts.

Now those homes have been destroyed and those hearts are breaking.

A centre of solidarity is now an epicentre of suffering.

People are facing nightmare on top of nightmare.

The earthquake struck as the humanitarian crisis in northwest Syria was already worsening, with needs at their highest level since the conflict began.

The United Nations has done its best to race to respond.

We are deploying disaster assessment experts; coordinating search and rescue teams; providing emergency relief, food, medical supplies, thermal blankets and other life-saving items.

And we are committed to doing much more. 

That is why I have asked Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator Martin Griffiths to travel to areas affected by the earthquake this weekend.

He is already in Türkiye.  He will visit Gaziantep, Aleppo and Damascus to assess needs and see how we can best step up our support.

To provide this assistance, we will need two things:

First, access.

Roads are damaged.

People are dying. 

Now is the time to explore all possible avenues to get aid and personnel into all affected areas.

We must put people first.

Second, resources.

The humanitarian response – the Syria humanitarian fund and the Syria cross-border fund – need an urgent injection of support.

They are the best options to enable the UN and its humanitarian partners to rapidly respond to people in need.

We have released $25 million from the UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund to jumpstart the response.

By early next week, we will launch a Flash Appeal for donor support for those affected by the earthquake in Syria.

As we speak, UN agencies – along with international and national NGOs are working on the Syria response – and assessing their initial funding requirements for the next three months.

These resources will be used by the humanitarian community for critical aid:  shelter, health, nutrition, water, sanitation, hygiene, education, protection and psychosocial support services.

We are also ready to support the Turkish government’s response in any way we can.

In the face of this epic disaster, I strongly appeal to the international community to show the people of Türkiye and Syria the same kind of support and generosity with which they received, protected and assisted millions of refugees and displaced people in an enormous show of solidarity.

Now is the hour to stand up for the people of Türkiye and Syria.

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Former President Trump Speaks at NABJ Conference

Former President Trump accused Vice President Harris of not always claiming to be Black. The 2024 Republican presidential nominee’s accusati… read more

Former President Trump accused Vice President Harris of not always claiming to be Black. The 2024 Republican presidential nominee’s accusation came during a discussion with three journalists at the National Association of Black Journalists' convention held in Chicago. Former President Trump also criticized one of the reporter’s questions and proceeded to call her and her employer, ABC News , fake news. Other topics that came up during this face-to-face interview included Sen. JD Vance ’s “childless cat ladies” comment, border security, and Mr. Trump’s age and health. The journalists interviewing him were Rachel Scott with ABC News , Kadia Goba with Semafor, and Harris Faulkner with Fox News. close

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WATCH: Trump speaks at National Association of Black Journalists conference in Chicago

CHICAGO (AP) — Donald Trump falsely suggested Kamala Harris had misled voters about her race as the former president appeared before the National Association of Black Journalists in Chicago Wednesday in an interview that quickly turned hostile.

Watch the event in the player above.

The Republican former president wrongly claimed that Harris, the first Black woman and Asian American to serve as vice president, had in the past only promoted her Indian heritage.

“I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn Black and now she wants to be known as Black. So, I don’t know, is she Indian or is she Black?” Trump said while addressing the group’s annual convention.

Live fact check: Trump at the National Association of Black Journalists conference

Harris is the daughter of a Jamaican father and an Indian mother, both immigrants to the U.S. As an undergraduate, Harris attended Howard University, one of the nation’s most prominent historically Black colleges and universities, where she also pledged the historically Black sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha. As a U.S. senator, Harris was a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, supporting her colleagues’ legislation to strengthen voting rights and reforming policing.

Trump has leveled a wide range of criticism at Harris since she replaced President Joe Biden atop the likely Democratic ticket last week. Throughout his political career, the former president has repeatedly questioned the backgrounds of opponents who are racial minorities.

Michael Tyler, the communications director for Harris’ campaign, said in a statement that “the hostility Donald Trump showed on stage today is the same hostility he has shown throughout his life, throughout his term in office, and throughout his campaign for president as he seeks to regain power.”

“Trump lobbed personal attacks and insults at Black journalists the same way he did throughout his presidency — while he failed Black families and left the entire country digging out of the ditch he left us in,” Tyler said. “Donald Trump has already proven he cannot unite America, so he attempts to divide us.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked during her briefing with reporters on Wednesday about Trump’s remarks and responded with disbelief, initially murmuring, “Wow.”

Jean-Pierre, who is Black, called what Trump said “repulsive” and said, “It’s insulting and no one has any right to tell someone who they are how they identify.”

Trump has repeatedly attacked his opponents and critics on the basis of race. He rose to prominence in Republican politics by propagating false theories that President Barack Obama, the nation’s first Black president, was not born in the United States. “Birtherism,” as it became known, was just the start of Trump’s history of questioning the credentials and qualifications of Black politicians.

He has denied allegations of racism. And after Biden picked Harris as his running mate four years ago, a Trump campaign spokesperson then pointed to a previous Trump political donation to Harris as proof that he wasn’t racist.

“The president, as a private businessman, donated to candidates across all aisles,” the spokesperson, Katrina Pierson, told reporters. “And I’ll note that Kamala Harris is a Black woman and he donated to her campaign, so I hope we can squash this racism argument now,” Pierson said.

During this year’s Republican primary, he once referred to former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, the daughter of Indian immigrants, as “Nimbra.”

Later Wednesday, Trump did not repeat his criticism of Harris’ race at a campaign rally in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, although he called her “phony” and said she has been trying to change her image. He also repeatedly mispronounced her first name.

“If she becomes your president, our country is finished,” Trump charged.

Before he took the stage, Trump’s team displayed what appeared to be years-old news headlines describing Harris as the “first Indian-American senator” on the big screen in the arena.

Trump’s appearance Wednesday at the annual gathering of Black journalists immediately became heated, with the former president sparring with interviewer Rachel Scott of ABC News and accusing her of giving him a “very rude introduction” with a tough first question about his past criticism of Black people and Black journalists, his attack on Black prosecutors who have pursued cases against him and the dinner he had at his Florida club with a white supremacist.

“I think it’s disgraceful,” Trump said. “I came here in good spirit. I love the Black population of this country. I’ve done so much for the Black population of this country.”

Trump continued his attacks on Scott’s network, ABC News, which he has been arguing should not host the next presidential debate, despite his earlier agreement with the Biden campaign. He also several times described her tone and questions as “nasty,” a word he used in the past when describing women, including Hillary Clinton and Meghan the Duchess of Sussex.

The Republican also repeated his false claim that immigrants in the country illegally are “taking Black jobs.” When pushed by Scott on what constituted a “Black job,” Trump responded by saying “a Black job is anybody that has a job,” drawing groans from the room.

At one point, he said, “I have been the best president for the Black population since Abraham Lincoln.”

The audience responded with a mix of boos and some applause.

Scott asked Trump about his pledge to pardon people convicted for their roles in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol and specifically whether he would pardon those who assaulted police officers.

Trump said, “Oh, absolutely I would,” and said, “If they’re innocent, I would pardon them.”

Scott pointed out they have been convicted and therefore are not innocent.

“Well, they were convicted by a very, very tough system,” he said.

At one point, when he was defending his supporters who entered the Capitol on Jan. 6, he said, “Nothing is perfect in life.”

He compared the 2021 insurrection to the protests in Minneapolis and other cities in 2020 following the death of George Floyd by Minneapolis police and to more recent protests at the Capitol last week by demonstrators opposed to the war in Gaza. Trump falsely claiming that no one was arrested in those other demonstrations and that only his supporters were targeted.

As Trump made the comparison, a man in the back of the room shouted out: “Sir, have you no shame?”

The former president’s invitation to address the organization sparked an intense internal debate among NABJ that spilled online. Organizations for journalists of color typically invite presidential candidates to speak at their summer gatherings in election years.

As he campaigns for the White House a third time, Trump has sought to appear outside his traditional strongholds of support and his campaign has touted his efforts to try to win over Black Americans, who have been Democrats’ most committed voting bloc.

His campaign has emphasized his messages on the economy and immigration as part of his appeal, but some of his outreach has played on racial stereotypes, including the suggestion that African Americans would empathize with the criminal charges he has faced and his promotion of branded sneakers.

Trump and NABJ also have a tense history over his treatment of Black women journalists. In 2018, NABJ condemned Trump for repeatedly using words such as “stupid,” “loser” and “nasty” to describe Black women journalists.

The vice president is not scheduled to appear at the convention, but NABJ said in a statement posted on X that it was in conversation with her campaign to have her appear either virtually or in person for a conversation in September.

Harris addressed Trump’s comments briefly Wednesday night while speaking in Houston at a gathering of Sigma Gamma Rho, a historically Black sorority in Houston.

“It was the same old show,” she said. “The divisiveness and the disrespect.”

Harris added: “And let me just say, the American people deserve better.”

— Matt Brown and Michelle L. Price, Associated Press

Price reported from New York. Associated Press writers Aaron Morrison and Steve Peoples in New York, Gary Fields in Chicago and Will Weissert and Farnoush Amiri in Washington, Marc Levy in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and Chris Megerian in Houston contributed to this report.

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Trump questions Kamala Harris' racial identity at NABJ, says she 'happened to turn Black'

CHICAGO - Republican 2024 presidential nominee Donald Trump in a controversial and combative appearance at the National Association of Black Journalists Annual Convention took swipes on Wednesday at Vice President Kamala Harris's racial identity — a move that comes as excitement swells for the Democratic contender.

"I didn't know she was Black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn Black, and now she wants to be known as Black," the former president said of Harris, who is on track to face Trump as the Democratic presidential nominee. “Is she Indian or is she Black? Because she was Indian all the way and then all of a sudden she made a turn and she went she became a Black person.” 

Trump sat for the 30-minute wide-ranging Q&A where he touched on a number of key issues important to the Black community such as Sonya Massey, the Black woman who was fatally shot in the face by an Illinois sheriff's deputy earlier this month, abortion access and why he chose Sen. JD Vance of Ohio as his running mate.  

The former president's appearance at NABJ sparked widespread backlash from some of those attending the convention, expressing an array of concerns over Trump's comments about the Black community and attacks against the media. For Trump, his remarks came at a critical inflection point of his 2024 campaign as Democrats express increasing optimism about their chances of holding the White House in November with Harris atop the ticket while the Republican continues pressing to court key constituencies, including Black voters . Throughout Wednesday's conversation, Trump was met with some boos, groans and heckling.

Harris responded to Trump's NABJ interview Wednesday night during remarks in Houston. "It was the same old show − the divisiveness and the disrespect," said Harris, who was addressing a historically Black sorority, Sigma Gamma Sorority, during its 60th Biennial Boule.

“And let me just say: The American people deserve better. The American people deserve a leader who tells the truth, a leader who does not respond with hostility and anger when confronted with the facts. We deserve a leader who understands that our differences do not divide us," Harris said.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, who was hosting a White House press briefing at the same time as Trump’s Q&A, called Trump’s comments about Harris “repulsive.”

"Wow," Jean-Pierre said when she was read Trump’s comments on Harris’ race. "What you just read out to me is repulsive. It's insulting. No one has the right to tell someone who they are, how they identify."

Trump accused Harris of being a “DEI” candidate , a talking point by many conservatives using the acronym for diversity, equity and inclusion to disqualify people of color or women who ascend to positions of power and influence. 

Harris, who is Black and of South Asian descent, attended Howard University, a historically Black college. She is also the first female vice president in U.S. history and the first Black woman to hold the office, too.

Shortly after the panel ended, Trump on Truth Social doubled down on his attack against Harris' racial identity, sharing a video where she is cooking with actress Mindy Kaling, who is of South Asian decent. During the video, Harris and Kaling talk about their Indian culture. Harris in the video told Kaling that she looks like "the entire one half of my family."

Harris for President Communications Director Michael Tyler criticized Trump's comments as hostile and called on the former president to accept a debate against Harris.

“Trump lobbed personal attacks and insults at Black journalists the same way he did throughout his presidency – while he failed Black families and left the entire country digging out of the ditch he left us in," Tyler said in a statement. "Donald Trump has already proven he cannot unite America, so he attempts to divide us."

Trump talks about Sonya Massey, but doesn't say her name. To gasps, says: 'you're talking about the water, right?'

Trump was met with loud gasps from the room when he said he was unfamiliar with the details of the Massey shooting, which sparked national outrage, saying he "doesn't know the exact case but I saw something," when asked about the case.

“It didn't look good to me. It didn't look good to me,” Trump said. “You're talking with the water right?” Massey was shot by police while she was holding boiling water.

Trump has previously said that police should get immunity from prosecution if he won the 2024 presidential race. Semafor political reporter Kadia Goba asked whether the police officer in Massey’s case, Sangamon County Sheriff's Deputy Sean P. Grayson, who is charged with her murder, would have immunity. Trump sidestepped the question by talking about gun violence in Chicago. 

When asked again by Goba, Trump said that he would help a person who “made an innocent mistake.”

“If I felt or if a group of people would feel that somebody was being unfairly prosecuted because the person did a good job, maybe with a crime, or made a mistake, an innocent mistake…I would want to help that person,” Trump said.

The former president also doubled down on comments he made accusing immigrants of stealing the jobs of Black Americans.

“I will tell you that coming from the border are millions and millions of people that happen to be taking Black jobs,” Trump said to gasps.

“What exactly is a ‘Black job,’ sir,” ABC News senior congressional correspondent Rachel Scott quickly followed up. 

“A Black job is anybody that has a job,” Trump responded, with laughter from the audience, before continuing to use racist rhetoric against migrants coming to the United States.

Attacks on the media

Throughout the panel, Trump repeatedly attacked the press — and Scott in particular — for questions that were being asked. 

Trump in the very first question asked to him by Scott slammed her for asking why Black voters should support the former president after his criticisms of the Black community.

“I don't think I've ever been asked a question in such a horrible manner,” Trump said to Scott. “Don't even say hello, how are you? Are you with ABC because I think they're a fake news network.”

Scott , FOX News anchor Harris Faulkner and Semafor political reporter Goba lead the Q&A with Trump. 

PolitiFact, a fact checking website, also led fact checking Trump in real time for NABJ.

Hundreds packed into a ballroom at the Hilton Chicago, which holds up to 1,100 seated, according to a hotel employee. Dozens of reporters were outside of the hotel lining up to get into the event with the former president.

On Wednesday, NABJ announced that the organization was speaking with the Harris campaign to have her appear for a Q&A with the organization sometime in September. 

Harris on Wednesday is scheduled to be in Houston, Texas to deliver remarks for a political event. On Thursday, she will deliver a eulogy for the late-Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee in Houston.

Trump throughout the presidential campaign has attempted to appeal to Black voters, a key voting bloc that overwhelmingly supports the Democratic Party. But the former president is still unpopular with many Black voters .

President Joe Biden, who dropped out of the 2024 presidential campaign earlier this month, saw a drop in enthusiasm from Black voters. But Harris, who is on the path to be the Democratic nominee, has reenergized Democratic voters, including Black voters, since entering the race.

Ahead of his appearance, Trump on Truth Social criticized Harris for not speaking at the convention. The Harris campaign in response to the former president’s conversation at the convention criticized his record and his treatment of the press.

NABJ President Ken Lemon said Wednesday that the organization had been in talks with both the Democratic and Republican parties since January, when Biden was still running to be the Democratic nominee. Biden had agreed to speak when he was still a candidate.

At the White House, Jean-Pierre said Tuesday that Biden wouldn't be speaking at the NABJ convention because he is “no longer a candidate.”

The administration understands it's important for Black Americans “to hear directly from this administration, and we have done that — and not just Black Americans but all Americans,” Jean-Pierre said. “That is certainly something that we will continue to do. And we take that very, very seriously.”

Contributing: Joey Garrison

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Trump attacks Kamala Harris’ racial identity at Black journalism convention

Stephen Fowler

Republican presidential nominee and President Donald Trump speaks at a panel moderated by, from left, ABC's Rachel Scott, Semafor's Kadia Goba and Fox News' Harris Faulkner at the National Association of Black Journalists convention Wednesday in Chicago. Charles Rex Arbogast/AP hide caption

For more on the 2024 election, head to the NPR Network's live updates page.

Former President Donald Trump made inflammatory remarks about Vice President Harris at the National Association of Black Journalists convention Wednesday, questioning her biracial background.

Harris is Black and Indian American. When asked if he agreed with comments from some Republicans who claim Harris has political power because of “diversity, equity and inclusion,” Trump falsely suggested Harris has changed how she discussed her racial identity.

“She was always of Indian heritage, and she was only promoting Indian heritage,” Trump said. “I didn't know she was Black until a number of years ago, when she happened to turn Black, and now she wants to be known as Black. So I don't know, is she Indian or is she Black?"

Harris is a member of a historically Black sorority, attended Howard University, one of the most prominent historically Black colleges in the country, and was a member of the Congressional Black Caucus when she was a U.S. senator from California.

Harris briefly responded to Trump’s remarks as she gave a Wednesday night speech to a conference of Sigma Gamma Rho, a historically Black sorority, in Houston.

“It was the same old show — the divisiveness and the disrespect. And let me just say, the American people deserve better,” Harris said.

She said Trump’s comments to the NABJ were “yet another reminder” of what his presidency was like.

Trump, who has in the past promoted racist "birther" conspiracy theories targeting Harris and former President Barack Obama, sparred with one of the three moderators in particular, ABC News’ Rachel Scott.

Scott opened up the conversation by listing derogatory statements Trump has made about Black journalists and Black elected officials and asked why Black voters should trust him.

“Well, first of all, I don't think I've ever been asked a question in such a horrible manner," Trump began.

The story behind the woman who inspired Harris to break barriers

He defended his record and said he was the best president for the Black population since Abraham Lincoln. Trump blamed President Biden and Harris for inflation and record levels of migration at the U.S. southern border.

He repeated a common campaign theme that migrants crossing over the U.S.-Mexico border were taking “Black jobs,” though he added that all Americans’ jobs are being taken.

He called the criminal cases against him politically motivated and reiterated his plans to issue pardons for rioters convicted for their conduct at the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.

Following the 35-minute interview, Trump wrote on Truth Social: "The questions were Rude and Nasty, often in the form of a statement, but we CRUSHED IT!"

Before Biden dropped out of the presidential race and Harris became the likely Democratic nominee, polls showed a potential boost in Black support for Trump this election, compared with his previous contests, driven in part by low-propensity voters and so-called “double haters” who expressed displeasure with both major candidates.

Trump and the GOP have courted Black voters over the last decade with a number of efforts, but have largely failed to chip away at Democratic dominance with the voting bloc.

Trump’s appearance at the NABJ event was met with controversy from inside and outside the affinity organization, with some questioning why the former president was given a prominent platform given some of his past statements attacking Black journalists in particular.

“I can certainly understand why some of my fellow members would have an issue with somebody like him being at our convention,” Errin Haines, editor at large of the nonprofit news outlet The 19th, told Morning Edition Wednesday . “While, at the same time, understanding that this is a convention of journalists who should be able to interrogate him around his agenda, but also some of his previous statements, particularly as they relate to the Black community.”

With reporting by NPR's Deepa Shivaram.

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Trump Clashed With Black Journalists. Then He Bragged About It to His Supporters.

After a combative interview on Wednesday, Donald J. Trump went on Truth Social to promote it to his fans.

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By Shawn McCreesh

• July 31, 2024

He trash-talked a journalist to her face in front of a roomful of her peers. He rattled off childish insults. He trafficked in racial tropes. While former President Donald J. Trump’s interview with a group of Black journalists on Wednesday left the room — and the internet — gasping, it was exactly the sort of thing his supporters will love.

And he seemed to know it.

From the jump, Mr. Trump fumed that one of his interviewers, Rachel Scott of ABC News, had not paid him the respect that he felt he deserved — “You don’t even say hello, how are you?” — and his adversarial posture was set. He complained that the interview at the National Association of Black Journalists conference started late. He disparaged Ms. Scott and one of her colleagues (“George Slopadapoulos”). He refused to cede an inch, on any topic, whether it was his desire to pardon those convicted of crimes for their actions on Jan. 6, 2021, or his call to grant immunity to police officers.

Mr. Trump claimed that Vice President Kamala Harris, his Democratic rival for the White House, had adopted a Black identity for political reasons. Ms. Harris’s mother was an immigrant from India, and her father is from Jamaica. Although Ms. Harris has long identified as Black, Mr. Trump said, pointing to no evidence, that she had made a “turn” and “became a Black person.”

This idea has been circulating for weeks in right-wing circles and among the people who attend his rallies. But Mr. Trump’s willingness to just go ahead and spit it out — and to do so in this setting — is exactly the sort of thing that keeps his supporters in thrall. It was ugly conjecture, delivered unashamedly.

His refusal to modulate or soften is what makes him so beloved among his fans, but it is also what repels others. Fewer than 100 days from Election Day, at a time when another candidate would surely be looking to expand his appeal, Mr. Trump still largely lives in the closed loop of his movement, feeding off the affirmation from his fans.

Shortly after the interview, he posted his version of the afternoon’s events on Truth Social: “The questions were Rude and Nasty, often in the form of a statement, but we CRUSHED IT!” he wrote.

A chorus of fans agreed. Later, he posted a screenshot of a post from Amber Rose, an influencer and newly prominent Trump campaign surrogate to Black voters.

“President Trump is absolutely crushing this interview with @NABJ,” she wrote, including several flame emojis.

“Thank you, Amber!” Mr. Trump replied.

As he set off for a campaign rally in Harrisburg, Pa., scheduled for later in the day, he continued to post plaudits he had received from other supporters for his performance on Wednesday afternoon. It all made for tremendous content.

Kamala Harris draws crowds in Georgia with Megan Thee Stallion, Quavo

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Reporting by Nandita Bose in Washington; Additional reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt; Editing by Heather Timmons, Stephen Coates, Deepa Babington, Chris Reese and Christian Schmollinger

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Ex-Russian lawmaker hurt in Russian drone attack outside Kyiv, Ukrainian reports say

Ukraine said on Thursday it had repelled a Russian drone attack on the region outside Kyiv overnight, but that debris injured two people identified in a Ukrainian media report as a former Russian lawmaker turned Kremlin critic and his wife.