There are no ‘natural disasters’, just man-made vulnerabilities

Residents search for their belongings amid the debis of their collapsed huts after the cyclone Sitrang hit Chittagong in October. – AFP

A TROPICAL cyclone formed in the Bay of Bengal recently and hit Bangladesh and some parts of India. As in the past, the storm – named Cyclone Sitrang – brought flooding, destroyed crops, collapsed buildings and loss of life.

For a disaster to happen, hazard and vulnerability must come together. Human-caused climate change is affecting hazards now, such as decreasing the frequency of tropical cyclones while increasing their intensity. A tropical cyclone, though, does not need to harm health if people and infrastructure are ready for it and can cope with it.