types of natural disasters

The types of natural disasters that cause worldwide losses are many. Earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, forest fires, and landslides are just a few of the non-weather types of natural disasters. Weather disasters include tornadoes, hurricanes, flooding, and droughts. Many of the non-weather disasters have overlaps with severe weather. For instance, many landslides are caused by excessive rainfall. As another example, forest fires often start as a result of dry thunderstorms. One of the most dangerous natural disasters is flooding. In fact, nine out of ten Presidential Disaster Declarations result from natural phenomena in which flooding is involved. For more information, go to the Flooding Fact File for information on why flooding is one of the world's most dangerous types of natural disasters.