The term Disaster is not new to mankind and the strong emotion of panic and dread that it evokes is also common across all segments of society. Disaster could be either natural or created by human beings themselves, but both the categories lead to damage, hurt and wastage of precious resources.
To a large extent manmade disasters can be predicted and thus prior planning to avert the same can be implemented. But knowledge of the timing of a natural disaster is mostly out of bounds for mankind and thus takes us by surprise and shock.