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An earthquake is a violent and abrupt shaking of the ground, caused by movement between tectonic plates along a fault line in the earth’s crust. Earthquakes can result in the ground shaking, soil liquefaction, landslides, fissures, avalanches, fires and tsunamis. The extent of destruction and harm caused by an earthquake depends on: the risk ...
Great East Japan Earthquake, 2011. In the early afternoon of 11 March 2011, Japan was rocked by a 9.0-magnitude earthquake that caused widespread damage to the country’s eastern coastal region. The earthquake was so powerful it moved Honshu, Japan’s largest island, 2.4 metres east and shifted the Earth on its axis by an estimated 10 to 25 ...
Tsunamis. Tsunamis are giant waves that are produced when a large volume of water is displaced in an ocean or large lake by an earthquake, volcanic eruption, underwater landslide or meteorite. Between 1998-2017, tsunamis caused more than 250 000 deaths globally, including more than 227 000 deaths due to the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004.
Landslides. Landslides are more widespread than any other geological event, and can occur anywhere in the world. They occur when large masses of soil, rocks or debris move down a slope due to a natural phenomenon or human activity. Mudslides or debris flows are also a common type of fast-moving landslide. Landslides can accompany heavy rains or ...
The potential impact of communicable diseases is often presumed to be very high in the chaos that follows natural disasters. Increases in endemic diseases and the risk of outbreaks, however, are dependent upon many factors that must be systematically evaluated with a comprehensive risk assessment. This allows the prioritization of interventions ...
Floods are often caused by heavy rainfall, rapid snowmelt or a storm surge from a tropical cyclone or tsunami in coastal areas. Floods can cause widespread devastation, resulting in loss of life and damages to personal property and critical public health infrastructure. Between 1998-2017, floods affected more than 2 billion people worldwide.
Acute health emergencies affect millions of people around the world each year. As the climate crisis accelerates, the risks of emerging infectious diseases, extreme weather events and large-scale migration of populations will increase, potentially devastating weak health systems. The rapid detection, verification, assessment and communication ...
Drought is a prolonged dry period in the natural climate cycle that can occur anywhere in the world. It is a slow-onset disaster characterized by the lack of precipitation, resulting in a water shortage. Drought can have a serious impact on health, agriculture, economies, energy and the environment. An estimated 55 million people globally are ...
Environment, Climate Change and Health. We pursue a healthier environment by strengthening health sector leadership, building mechanisms for political and social support and monitoring progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals regarding environmental threats to health. About us. Environmental health in emergencies.
Volcanic eruptions can pose multiple health threats depending on the proximity of the volcano to the community and whether there was any warning. acute and chronic respiratory diseases from falling ash and breathing gases and fumes. burns and traumatic injuries, such as lacerations from falling rock. Ash and chemicals from the eruption can also ...