Public Health
Issues. Health issues are one of the most pressing problems after any natural
disaster. It is often the case that facilities for water and toilet hygiene are
damaged or inoperable: meaning that the safe disposal of human waste quickly
becomes a public health hazard. Further, without running water, hand washing
and food hygiene rapidly deteriorate.
Infrastructural
Damage. One of the most immediate and economically devastating concerns with
natural disasters is the damage to both public and private infrastructure.
These events can cause billions of dollars in damages, and not all governments
are equipped to fund the process of post-disaster cleanup and rebuilding.
Further, many
private homeowners do not have property insurance, and certain natural
disasters fall outside of the scope of insurance coverage; this means that in
the wake of a disaster, people can end up losing all of their assets with no
opportunity for restitution.
Natural
disasters can have long-term negative consequences beyond the immediate loss of
life and demolition of infrastructure. Often, an area impacted by a natural
disaster will show scars of the event for years to come.