A disaster is a sudden, catastrophic event that causes significant disruption, destruction, and damage to life, property, and the environment. It typically overwhelms the capacity of a community or society to cope using its own resources. Disasters can be natural, such as earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, and wildfires, or human-made, such as industrial accidents, terrorism, or pollution incidents. The impact of a disaster can lead to loss of life, injury, and economic hardship, necessitating emergency response, recovery efforts, and long-term rehabilitation. Disasters often require coordinated response efforts from multiple agencies, governments, and organizations to address the immediate needs of affected populations and to facilitate recovery and rebuilding processes.
A rescue operation in Saitama Prefecture revealed avoidable decisions that ignored basic scientific principles. A second sinkhole opened, highlighting the unstable terrain and the need for better risk assessment. Rescue…