Concept in Definition ABC

We understand a catastrophe to be any disastrous or tragic event, normally unexpected, that is, it cannot be predicted, and which usually entails a situation of great violence, with injuries and deaths caused by it.

Tragic or disastrous event, unexpected and causing tremendous material damage and death

A catastrophe can be natural or artificial, that is, caused by man.

Throughout history, human beings have experienced numerous catastrophes of both types that have meant blows very hard for different societies and civilizations, and that cost them blood, sweat and tears as it says the saying popular to recover from them, even some have not been able to fully and still carry the weight and the mark of having been victims of a catastrophe.

There are several elements that are taken into account to determine whether a tragic event can be considered a catastrophe or not.

Characteristics of disasters

First of all, one of the first things to look at is the losses in terms of human lives. Normally, disasters such as natural catastrophes or attacks tend to cause many deaths. On the other hand, the existence or not of a situation of

emergency, that is, of exceptionality that causes the normal development of social events to be cut off. Thus, the emergency situation can lead to unique decisions such as the establishment of a state of siege, the interruption of some services such as the electricity, traffic disruption, etc.

Disasters can have many causes. One of the most common elements to all disasters is, without a doubt, the sensation of unease, fear and hopelessness that is generated both in those who suffer it directly and in those who do not do it so closely. This has to do with the putting of the human being in the face of death in a violent and sudden way.

Normally, when it comes to catastrophes caused by humans, the sensation of such events is different from the one you have when it comes to natural catastrophes since the latter tend to make man feel like a completely defenseless and small individual in the face of the power of forces natural. However, natural disasters are paradoxically those that humans can avoid or prevent with more certainty because they are more or less known and not always completely unexpected like those in which there is human intervention.

For example, virulent meteorological phenomena, today, are absolutely possible in anticipation and anticipation thanks to the fact that There are sophisticated devices that allow to warn them when they are about to be produced and then develop some measures of prevention, that although they do not stop them, they do allow us to significantly reduce the damage they are capable of causing on a material and human level.

Origin of the concept

We must say that in the past, catastrophes were considered the fruit of the design of some deity and were discarded natural or human incidents as at present, when practically no one believes in the intervention of any god annoyed.

With the evolution of science and also with the imprint of thought rationally, these initiatory beliefs of humanity disappeared and then catastrophes can be attributed to processes inherent to nature, or failing that to a negligent action of beings humans.

The origin of the concept dates back to the times of classical Greece where it was used to account for destruction. Mostly they used the word to refer to the outcome of their popular tragedies.

As we can see, the name is not capricious but is based on situations that involve misfortunes, misfortunes, unpleasant events.

Very negative situation that affects a person or group

On the other hand, we must say that the concept is also usually applied to refer to that very negative situation that affects a person, group, family, country, among others, such is the case of the death of a relative in an accident, a major crisis economic in a country, the bankruptcy of a company, a defeat in the sporting or military plane, among other "What is happening with the excessive rise in prices is a catastrophe that will especially affect the lower classes of society."

Topics in Catastrophe