Review of disaster definitions

Area of Science:

• Disaster research and management
• Social sciences
• Risk analysis

Background:

• Accurate terminology is essential for scientific research and communication.
• The term "disaster" lacks a universally accepted definition, hindering consistent research and application.
• Existing definitions are often discipline-specific.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review and outline the various definitions of "disaster" used across different disciplines.
• To identify commonalities and divergences in disaster definitions.
• To advocate for the development of agreed-upon definitions within specific fields.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of disaster definitions.
• Analysis of definitions across various academic and professional disciplines.
• Comparative analysis to identify common elements.

Main Results:

• A wide array of disaster definitions exists, often tailored to specific disciplines.
• A consistent element across most definitions is the occurrence of a disaster at a specific, identifiable time.
• No single definition satisfies all practitioners.

Conclusions:

• Formulating a single, universally acceptable disaster definition is not feasible.
• Developing common, agreed-upon definitions within relevant fields is necessary.
• Standardized definitions will improve disaster research, communication, and objective setting.