Improving the art and science of disaster medicine and public health preparedness.

Abstract

Media reports from around the world contain stories almost daily of natural or man-made disasters and their consequences. Although it is tempting to attribute these reports to both proliferation of the modern media (with 24-hour-a-day, 7-days-a-week coverage) and the public's appetite for bad news, it is also true that natural disasters are increasing in magnitude and frequency and will continue to affect immense numbers of people. The reasons for this increase are multifactorial but are based in large measure on 3 important developments that are related: (1) overpopulation, (2) population migration to cities (urbanization) and to coastal areas, and (3) climate change.