Natural Hazards are elements of circumstances in the Natural environment that have the potential to cause harm to people or property or both.

The common natural hazards are:
i. Volcanic eruptions
ii. earthquakes
iii. tsunamis
iv. droughts, floods, cyclones, soil erosion, mudflows etc.

“Disaster is an undesirable occurrence resulting from forces that are largely outside human control, strikes quickly with little or no warning, which causes or threatens serious disruption of life and property including death and injury to a large number of people, and requires therefore, mobilisation of efforts in excess of that which are normally provided by statutory emergency services”.