A classification system for disasters caused by natural phenomena.
Overview
Natural Disaster Types
Natural disasters are disasters caused by natural phenomena such as earthquakes, tsunamis, typhoons, floods, and volcanic eruptions. International organizations such as EM-DAT (International Disaster Database) and UNDRR (UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction) classify natural disasters into geophysical, meteorological, hydrological, climatological, and biological hazards. In Japan, the Cabinet Office and the Japan Meteorological Agency implement disaster prevention measures based on the Basic Disaster Management Plan, with earthquakes/tsunamis, wind and water damage, and volcanic disasters being the main types of natural disasters.
natural disaster
disaster prevention
earthquake
tsunami
typhoon
flood
volcanic eruption
disaster classification
| code | slug | name | description | examples |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | geophysical | Geophysical | Disasters caused by crustal activity and geological phenomena. | ["Earthquake","Tsunami","Volcanic eruption","Landslide","Avalanche"] |
| M | meteorological | Meteorological | Disasters caused by atmospheric weather phenomena. | ["Typhoon","Tornado","Torrential rain","Heat wave","Cold wave","Dense fog"] |
| H | hydrological | Hydrological | Disasters caused by the occurrence, movement, and distribution of water. | ["Flood","Inland flooding","Debris flow","Slope failure","Landslide"] |
| C | climatological | Climatological | Disasters caused by long-term climate variability and seasonal weather conditions. | ["Drought","Wildfire","Desertification","Glacial lake outburst"] |
| B | biological | Biological | Disasters caused by biological factors. | ["Epidemic","Insect infestation","Animal accident","Invasive species"] |
| E | extraterrestrial | Extra-terrestrial | Disasters caused by factors originating outside Earth. | ["Asteroid impact","Meteorite fall","Solar flare","Space weather"] |