Introduction
The harm caused by natural disasters is one of the most dangerous and tragic. People who live in unfavorable areas and work in unsafe neighborhoods are exposed to danger from nature daily. Low-income people are more vulnerable to natural disasters than others precisely because they live in areas that are at risk, and their work may be located in places that have a potential threat to life.
Main body
In order to have the most straightforward understanding of the potential dangers for poor people, it is necessary to define vulnerability and poverty. Vulnerability is a parameter that characterizes the possibility of causing damage to the described system of any nature by specific external means or factors (Hallegatte et al., 2020). Poverty is the economic situation of a person or a social group that cannot meet the minimum needs. People with poor financial concerns and who cannot afford safe living conditions are vulnerable to various kinds of natural disasters.
Poverty forces people to settle in unsafe areas because they are attractive in price and may also have a convenient position to work in social institutions. Hallegatte et al. (2020) claim that, for example, in Mumbai, poor people choose to live in places prone to flooding, and people know about it, but they settle there because there is a jobs, schools, medical facilities, and more nearby for them. Rich people can afford to leave places dangerous to life and buy, although much more expensive, but in safer areas.
In addition to an unsafe place of residence, people can also work in dangerous areas, putting their lives at risk of death or damage to the body. People work on plantations that are prone to flooding, in open areas that can be overtaken by hurricanes, near active volcanoes, and so on (Silva & Kawasaki, 2018). Moreover, the drought inherent in some areas can complicate life by preventing the growing of vegetables, fruits, and crops necessary for the existence of people.
Conclusion
In conclusion, people’s economic situation is decisive in choosing a place of residence since financial resources are limited and do not allow for choosing more favorable areas. Poverty forces people to endanger their lives not only at home but also at work, as many natural disasters make the so difficult life of poor people even more difficult. Everywhere there is a layer of the population that is forced to face the vagaries of nature periodically.
References
Hallegatte, S., Vogt-Schilb, A., Rozenberg, J., Bangalore, M. & Beaudet, C. (2020). From poverty to disaster and back: A review of the literature. Economics of Disasters and Climate Change, 4(1), 223-247. Web.
Silva, M. & Kawasaki, A. (2018). Socioeconomic vulnerability to disaster risk: A case study of flood and drought impact in a rural Sri Lankan community. Ecological Economics, 152(1), 131-140. Web.