Measuring Disaster

While the size and strength of disasters is interesting and allows for some comparison, the most personal measure of disaster is, unfortunately, the loss of lives and property. Oddly enough, in economically advanced contries the dollar cost is often the most important.

In the United States, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is charged with helping people both before and after a disaster. State governers must ask the president for help when disasters strike before FEMA can respond. FEMA helps after disasters by helping to rebuild homes and public buildings. Visit FEMA for complete information.