Prior to taking Geo 9, I was well unaware of the differences between natural hazards, disasters, and catastrophes. However, that changed as I began to read Chapter 1 of Natural Hazards. Chapter 1 does a great of explaining the difference between the three.
For example, a natural hazard, is a natural process and event that is a potential threat to human life and property ( Keller, DeVecchio, Natural Hazards).
Furthermore, a catastrophe, a hazardous event that occurs over a limited time span within a defined area ( Keller, DeVecchio, Natural Hazards).
Lastly, a catastrophe is the most devastating of them all, it is defined as a massive disaster that requires significant expenditure of money and often a long time to recover ( Keller, DeVecchio, Natural Hazards). An example of a catastrophe would be Hurricane Katrina.
