Responses to Human Intensified Natural Disasters

At last our language is catching up with reality … There’s no such thing as a ‘natural disaster’.

It is also now widely recognised that changes in our global climate exacerbate climate hazards and amplify the risk of extreme weather disasters. Man-made climate change is resulting in an increasing number and intensity of natural disasters.  It is also making extreme weather events more intense and long-lived. Specific events are becoming more likely and can be more damaging due to man-made climate change.

Who is most affected?

Between 1995 and 2015, according to the UN’s disaster-monitoring system, the greatest number of natural disasters occurred in Asia.  Extreme weather disasters affect all countries, both rich and poor. However, those with the lowest incomes, living in less robust housing, with more debts than savings, and poorer health are disproportionately affected by disasters.  Furthermore, their lives and livelihoods will be far more negatively affected after a disaster. People in poorer countries are at least five times more likely to be displaced by extreme weather than people in rich countries.

It is also clear that those living in poverty are the hardest hit by man-made climate change despite being the least responsible for our climate crisis!

Due to the social, political, and cultural context of many societies around the world, women are often disproportionately affected by disasters. Women are more likely to live in poverty than men, have less access to basic human rights like the ability to freely move and acquire land, and face systematic violence that escalates during periods of instability. So during and after a disaster, women are at increased risk of being affected by gender based violence and are increasingly vulnerable to sexual violence.

How has Action Village India responded?

Many of the communities where the Indian partners of Action Village India work face a growing likelihood that they will face more frequent and harsher disasters. Enduring poverty and inequality and often weak social and physical infrastructure put these women, men and children at greater risk of facing challenges after a disaster has hit.

When Cyclone Fani hit Odisha in 2019, thanks to a mass evacuation beforehand, the loss of life was limited, but the loss of livelihoods afterwards was significant and enduring.

Action Village India enables supporters to express solidarity with communities where Indian partners work that are affected by disasters.  We also work to support projects and programmes that integrate resilience ahead of disasters.  Our initiatives increasingly integrate climate adaption into the development process.

Above all it is important to contribute to building more resilient households and communities before disasters. Contributing to more just, equal and inclusive communities is a fundamental part of this.

The rapid evacuation of more than one million people saved countless lives when Cyclone Fani pummelled India’s eastern coastline in early May. But a relatively low death toll hides extensive damage to infrastructure and livelihoods – underscoring the need to build more resilient homes and communities that can withstand future storms.

Two months after Fani made landfall in Odisha State, tens of thousands of fishing and farming families in the worst-affected areas are still waiting for help to rebuild, and some are leaving their damaged nets and fields behind in search of work [source].