UNIVERSIDADE CATÓLICA DE MOÇAMBIQUE

INSTITUTO DE EDUCAÇÃO À DISTÂNCIA

Tema do Trabalho:
ESSAY ON THE CAUSES AND EFFECTS OF NATURAL DISASTERS

Docente: Nome e Código do Estudante:

Lawrence Nhemachena Belinha Alberto Oza
708214727

Curso: Licenciatura em Ensino de Geografia

Disciplina: Inglês
Ano de Frequência: 1º Ano

MILANGE, MAIO DE 2022

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Index

1. Introduce ............................................................................................................................. 1

1.1. Objectives .................................................................................................................... 2

1.1.1. General ................................................................................................................. 2

1.1.2. Specifics ............................................................................................................... 2

1.2. Methodology ................................................................................................................ 2

2. Natural Disasters ................................................................................................................. 3

2.1. Concept ........................................................................................................................ 3

2.2. Classification of Natural Disasters............................................................................... 4

a) Intensity ....................................................................................................................... 4

b) Evolution ...................................................................................................................... 4

c) Origin ........................................................................................................................... 4

d) Duration ....................................................................................................................... 5

2.3. Causes and Consequences of Natural Disasters........................................................... 5

2.4. Cause and Consequences of Natural Disasters in Mozambique .................................. 1

3. Conclusion........................................................................................................................... 3

4. Reference’s Bibliographical ................................................................................................ 4

1. Introduce
The natural phenomena that cause disasters can bring, in addition to harm, benefits to
societies. For example, floods provide large amounts of fertilizer to agricultural fields, and
landslides make land more porous and arable. Sometimes, man can even generate such
phenomena in order to understand and benefit from them. The results allow us to conclude
that a drastic and dynamic change in the fluvial regime is necessary to maintain the health of
the fluvial ecosystem. The flood removes old sediment and generates a new structure with
sediments.

Talking about the causes and consequences of natural disasters is the main focus of this work.
In general, natural disasters are determined from the relationship between man and nature. In
other words, natural disasters result from human attempts to dominate nature, which, for the
most part, end up defeated. In addition, when measures are not applied to reduce the effects of
disasters, the tendency is to increase the intensity, magnitude and frequency of impacts. Thus,
much of human history was influenced by the occurrence of natural disasters, especially those
of great magnitude.

As a way of leveraging the theme in question, the work had the following structure: cover;
Feedback Sheet; Sheet for improvement recommendations: To be filled in by the tutor; index;
introduction; objectives; methodology; analysis and discussion (development); final
considerations (conclusion); and bibliographic references.

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1.1.Objectives
1.1.1. General
 Write a written essay on the causes and consequences of natural disasters

1.1.2. Specifics
 Set the concept of natural disasters
 Identify natural disasters
 Mention the causes and consequences of natural disasters

1.2.Methodology
Methodology is the path taken to reach a certain end. In order to achieve the objectives
outlined, the present work was carried out, that is, it was developed based on the rules of
production and publication of scientific works of the Catholic University of Mozambique.
The contents were developed using the reading of several literary works, articles,
bibliographic references and manuals that address issues related to the topic in question. As it
is not enough, we also resorted to the use of the internet.

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2. Natural Disasters
2.1.Concept
Floods, landslides, droughts, hurricanes, among others, are severe natural phenomena,
strongly influenced by regional characteristics, such as rock, soil, topography, vegetation,
weather conditions. When these intense phenomena occur in places where human beings live,
resulting in damage (material and human) and damage (socio-economic) they are considered
as natural disasters.

According to Castro (1998), disaster is defined as the result of adverse events, natural or man-
made, on a (vulnerable) ecosystem, causing human, material and/or environmental damage
and consequent economic and social damage. Here it is noted that the term adverse means
hostile, enemy, contrary, one who brings misfortune and unhappiness. According to the
above-mentioned author, it is said that

Disasters are usually sudden and unexpected, of a severity and magnitude capable of
producing various damages and losses, resulting in deaths and injuries. Therefore, they
require preventive and restorative actions, which involve various governmental and
private sectors, aiming at a recovery that cannot be achieved through routine
procedures (p. 07).

According to Veja Magazine, they are geographic and atmospheric changes that cause great
alteration in the environment and that occur regularly or irregularly. Natural disasters have
always happened, even before the appearance of man. According to the magazine

In 2005 there were 360 natural disasters on the planet, 18% more than in 2004. Most
of the catastrophes are related to climate change: there were 168 floods, 69 tornadoes
or hurricanes and 22 droughts, which upset the lives of 154 million people. In the
same year, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other natural disasters not directly
linked to the climate affected less than 4 million people (p. 03).

At the beginning of the 20th century, catastrophes caused by the climate were no more than
three a year. Scientists predict that by 2100, the Earth's average temperature will be 2 to 8
degrees higher. This would bring about a series of changes ranging from the melting of the
Arctic ice cap, raising the level of the oceans and flooding the cities along the sea, to the
multiplication of plagues that decimate the populations of Central Africa. This is because
man, by urbanizing inappropriate areas, contributing to the warming of the planet and
wrongly facing the phenomena that affect the Earth, causes profound changes in the
environment.

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2.2.Classification of Natural Disasters
Regarding classification, disasters can be distinguished from each other in terms of intensity,
evolution, origin and duration. The first three classifications are described based on Castro
(1999).

a) Intensity
 Small disaster, where the impacts caused are minor and the damages are small.
 Of medium intensity, where the impacts are of some importance and the damages are
significant, although not large.
 Of great intensity, with important damages and substantial losses.

b) Evolution
According to Castro (1999), there are three types of disasters related to evolution. Sudden
disasters are those that are characterized by the rapid speed with which the process evolves,
for example, sudden floods and tornadoes. Unlike the previous one, the gradual ones are
characterized by evolving in stages of progressive worsening, such as gradual floods and
droughts. The other type is the Summation of partial effects, which is characterized by the
occurrence of numerous similar accidents, whose impacts, when added together, define a
disaster of great proportion. For example, traffic and work accidents.

c) Origin
This criterion is also characterized by three types (Castro, 1999): natural ones, which are
those caused by extreme natural phenomena, which are independent of human action;
humans, which are those caused by human action or omission, such as traffic accidents and
contamination of rivers by chemical products; and mixed disasters associated with human
actions or omissions, which contribute to intensifying, complicating or worsening natural
disasters.

It is very difficult for a purely natural disaster to occur, as defined by Castro (1999). Almost
all disasters receive an anthropic influence in some way. So, if we look at it this way, there
would only be mixed disasters. However, in the present work, all those whose genesis is
extreme natural phenomena, aggravated or not by human activities, will be adopted as natural
disasters.
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d) Duration
Castro (1999) classified natural disasters into two types: episodic and chronic. Generally, so-
called episodic disasters such as earthquake, volcanism, tsunami, flood and debris flow,
attract more attention because of their magnitude. However, chronic disasters such as soil
erosion generate serious environmental damage, especially in the long term. Soil erosion can
cause desertification, degradation, silting of rivers, among others, and may result in the
incidence of more catastrophic events, such as landslides and floods. With very significant
impacts and very large losses.

The author also mentions that, although slope erosion does not pose an apparent danger as it
does not result in fatalities, the cost of prevention or control can be quite high. Furthermore,
the author states that chronic natural disasters are often underestimated or ignored and when
recorded, only historical records are analyzed.

2.3.Causes and Consequences of Natural Disasters

Disasters of natural origin can be related to the Earth's internal or external dynamics, that is,
internal events or phenomena caused by the movement of tectonic plates, which are reflected
on the planet's surface (earthquakes, tidal waves, tsunamis and volcanic activity); or
externally generated by atmospheric dynamics (storms, tornadoes, droughts, floods, storm
surges, windstorms).

Earth's Earthquakes;
internal Tsunamis;
dynamics Volcanism; Tsunamis
Disasters Natural Causes

External Storms; Tornadoes;

dynamics of Flood; Drought; Surf
the earth

Disasters of natural causes can be aggravated by inappropriate human action, that is, human-
caused situations that help to intensify the disaster. According to Castro (1999), the main
causes of natural disasters are related to one or more of the following conditions.

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Human aggravating: Consequential disasters:
 Emission of harmful gases;  Acid rain;
 Removal of riparian forest and  Floods;
silting of rivers;  Flash floods;
 Removal of riparian forest and  Landslides.
silting of rivers;
 Disordered occupation of steep
slopes.
2.4.Cause and Consequences of Natural Disasters in Mozambique
The worst floods on record in Mozambique occurred in 2000. The Zambezi River overflowed
leaving the Beira region almost completely submerged. The floods killed 800 people and
caused at least 100,000 refugees, with the south of the country running out of drinking water
and food shortages for a long time (GoM, 2022).

On February 23, an earthquake measuring 7.5 on the Richter scale was recorded in central and
southern Mozambique, which caused five deaths and 27 injuries. On March 15, a new 5.3
earthquake hit the provinces of Sofala and Manica, in the center of the country, without
causing damage. On February 22, tropical cyclone Favio hit the Vilankulo district of
Inhambane province with an intensity equivalent to a Category 4 storm, killing nine people
and affecting more than 160,000 (GoM, 2022).

Globally, the rains and floods that have occurred since January of that year have affected
around 500,000 people. The crops were completely destroyed and the country needed a food
assistance plan from the World Food Program (WFP) due to the risks of food insecurity of the
populations. Cyclone Jokwe caused 10 deaths and affected the districts of Dondo, Chemba,
Marromeu and Shinde, also in the center of the country (GoM, 2022).

Tropical Storm Dando, category 1, caused flooding in the south of the country, damaging
homes and schools in Maputo, Gaza and Inhambane provinces. The combined impact of
tropical storms Dando, Funso and Irina, which hit Mozambique during that month, caused 44
deaths and more than 100,000 people affected. Estimates showed that 28,000 homes, 735
schools and 31 health facilities were destroyed or damaged. More than 140 thousand hectares
of crops were affected and more than 40 thousand hectares destroyed (GoM, 2022).

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Floods, which began in October 2012, in southern Mozambique caused more than 113 deaths
and affected more than 240,000 people, most of them due to rivers overflowing, according to
the final assessment, made in February. The province most affected was Gaza, which had two
locations, Chókwé and Caniçado, completely submerged by the waters of the Limpopo River.
In the same year, a cholera epidemic broke out in the northern province of Cabo Delgado
(GoM, 2022).

Tropical Cyclone Helen caused heavy rains in the northern province of Cabo Delgado,
leaving more than 10,000 people homeless. Heavy seasonal rains that started in December
2014 caused flooding in northern and central Mozambique, with the Government issuing a red
warning on January 12, 2015. According to official data, around 400,000 people were affected
in Zambézia provinces. , Nampula, Niassa, Cabo Delgado and Manica. Nearly 15,000 houses
were damaged and another 22,000 were completely destroyed. More than 17,000 people were
left homeless (GoM, 2022).

Powered by heavy rains and flooding, an outbreak of cholera was declared in December 2014.
In total, 8,835 cases and 65 deaths were recorded. At least 44 people died and 79,000 people
were affected by the rains and floods in Maputo, Gaza, Inhambane and Nampula provinces.
The provisional balance of the passage of Cyclone Idai is 557 dead, of which 242 in
Mozambique, 259 in Zimbabwe and 56 in Malawi. The cyclone affected at least 2.8 million
people in the three African countries and the submerged area in Mozambique is around 1,300
square kilometers, according to estimates by international organizations (GoM, 2022).

The city of Beira, in central Mozambique, was one of the most affected by the cyclone, on the
night of March 14, and the UN warned that 400,000 displaced people needed urgent help,
valued at more than US$40 million (more than 35 million euros). More than a week after the
storm, thousands of people are still waiting for help in areas hit by winds in excess of 170
kilometers per hour, heavy rains and floods, which have left a trail of destruction in cities,
villages and agricultural fields. Organizations involved in relief and humanitarian assistance
operations have warned of the danger of an outbreak of contagious diseases (GoM, 2022).

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3. Conclusion
It is concluded that, disaster is defined as the result of adverse events, natural or man-made,
on a (vulnerable) ecosystem, causing human, material and/or environmental damage and
consequent economic and social damage. Here it is noted that the term adverse means hostile,
enemy, contrary, one who brings misfortune and unhappiness. Disasters of natural origin can
be related to the Earth's internal or external dynamics, that is, internal events or phenomena
caused by the movement of tectonic plates, which are reflected on the planet's surface; or
externally generated by atmospheric dynamics: Human aggravating: Emission of harmful
gases; Removal of riparian forest and silting of rivers; Removal of riparian forest and silting
of rivers; • Disordered occupation of steep slopes. Consequential disasters: Acid rain; Floods;
Flash floods Landslides

The city of Beira, in central Mozambique, was one of the most affected by the cyclone, on the
night of March 14, and the UN warned that 400,000 displaced people needed urgent help,
valued at more than US$40 million (more than 35 million euros). More than a week after the
storm, thousands of people are still waiting for help in areas hit by winds in excess of 170
kilometers per hour, heavy rains and floods, which have left a trail of destruction in cities,
villages and agricultural fields. Organizations involved in relief and humanitarian assistance
operations have warned of the danger of an outbreak of contagious diseases.

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4. Reference’s Bibliographical
Castro, A. L. C. (1998). Glossário de defesa civil: estudo de riscos e medicina de desastres.
Brasília: MPO/ Departamento de Defesa Civil. 283 p.

GoM [Governo de Moçambique]. (2022). Plano de Acção para a Redução da Pobreza

Absoluta, 2006-2009 [PARPA II]. Versão publica de 15 de Novembro de 2005.
Maputo. Moçambique. 124 p.