The impacts of natural disasters

The amount of damage and destruction caused by natural disasters depends on many factors, including:

• the scale of the event in terms of its energy, the area affected and how long it lasted
• the degree to which people are warned in advance of the event. This is one reason why earthquakes tend to be so devastating--they occur almost anywhere near a plate margin without warning.
• the density of human settlement in the area affected. The more people and economic activities there are in a disaster area, the greater will be the potential damage. 
• the degree to which people are prepared for a possible natural hazard. Are there emergency shelters? Have people been educated in what should be done in an emergency? Are houses, factories and businesses located in areas of low risk? Have buildings been constructed in such a way that they may be able to withstand the hazard?
• the ability of a country to cope with the aftermath of a hazard, both immediately and in the longer term.

It is with respect to the last 2 points that a basic contrast is so often seen. The difference is between HICs and LICs in terms of their ability to prepare for hazards and their ability to cope with the damage caused. 

Case Study of Impacts of a Tropical Storm in a HIC:

http://askmichellegeography.blogspot.com/2012/04/case-study-of-impacts-of-tropical-storm_04.html

Case Study of Impacts of a Tropical Storm in a LIC:

http://askmichellegeography.blogspot.com/2012/04/case-study-of-impacts-of-tropical-storm.html