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Disaster

      

A disaster is an unexpected natural or man-made catastrophe of substantial extent causing significant property damage or destruction, loss of life or sometimes permanent changes to the natural environment. Disasters may also be unforeseen events which devastate a company or industry, such as a public relations disaster or a major flop. A disaster can create huge financial losses and protection against losses due to disasters is one purpose of insurance.

Disaster tourism is travelling to a disaster scene not primarily for helping, but because one finds it interesting to see. It can be a problem if it hinders rescue, relieve and repair work.

'Disaster' comes from the Italian disastro, which means "unfavourable to one's stars", ultimately from the Greek astron (star), and reflects the key characteristic of a disaster which is its unintentional nature. Catastrophes which are intentional, such as terrorist attacks, are often called man-made or technological disasters.

See also: disaster relief, space disaster, list of disasters .


A disaster in database terminology is a loss of data which cannot be recovered.

See also: Business continuity planning
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Federal Emergency Management Agency
Frequently updated disaster and recovery news along with seasonal storm watch.
http://www.fema.gov/

Disaster Information Network
Ongoing newsfeed of current situations throughout the world.
http://www.disaster.net/ongoing/ongoing.html

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies News
Current and recent disasters, relief efforts and related issues
http://www.ifrc.org/news/

Disaster News Network
Timely U.S. disaster news and information including response news and volunteer needs.
http://www.disasternews.net

CBS News Disaster Links
Comprehensive list of links to disaster information and resources.
http://www.disasterlinks.net

ReliefWeb: Natural Disasters
Disaster response information on current natural disasters and archival material dating back to 1981.
http://www.reliefweb.int/w/rwb.nsf/vLND/



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