When natural disasters strike is it a 'declaration of war'?

While this earthquake is obviously not the first disaster the world has confronted, it could be among the worst. The UK's Daily Telegraph newspaper quoted U.N. spokesman Elisabeth Byrs as saying the quake in Haiti was the worst the U.N. has ever faced. “This is a historic disaster,” said Brys. “We have never been confronted with such a disaster in the U.N memory. It is like no other.” The U.N. itself has lost dozens of local staff in the earthquake, including most of the highest ranking U.N. officials based in Haiti.

Death tolls threaten to be anywhere between 100,000 to 200,000 or beyond. This makes the Haiti quake of January 2010 one of the top ten most destructive disasters ever recorded. Just a few years back the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami claimed at least 250,000 lives. But that disaster was spread over several countries including Thailand, India, Sri Lanka, Burma and other areas. Each of those places had varying degrees of ability to respond. Thailand is a relatively advanced Southeast Asian nation and was able to do a decent job of getting rescuers and aid to the people who needed it most. Other poorer nations such as Sri Lanka had a more difficult time and many people died in what are being termed by some in the media as “stupid deaths,” or deaths that could have easily been prevented — such as from secondary infections — had basic first—aid equipment been available. Sadly, many will die “stupid deaths” in Haiti, which before the quake was a barely functioning nation.

Some have linked human disregard for the environment to a perceived increase in natural disasters. Others — including well-known U.S. religious figures — have blamed sin and moral decay for such tragedies. A more objective and scientific position shows that in reality, major natural disasters — and especially earthquakes — have not actually increased over the millennia. But, as human populations have swelled over the last century in particular, each time the world suffers a modern disaster many more people are caught up in its wrath. Many of the world's major population areas sit directly on top of tectonic plate fault lines or in the paths of yearly hurricanes and typhoons. If say, the Tokyo area was hit by a major earthquake 500 years ago, perhaps only hundreds would have died. When the next major one strikes Tokyo, millions could perish.

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