Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress
CSTS | Department of Psychiatry | Uniformed Services University | 4301 Jones Bridge Road, Bethesda, MD 20814-4799 | www.CSTSonline.org

Disasters and Poverty:

Natural Disasters Disproportionately
Affect the World’s Low-Income Countries
Over 90 percent of deaths due
enforced. Low-income communities
Over90percentofdeaths
duetoto natural disasters occur in lowoften lack transportation andincome countries. Even in developed
communication infrastructure
natural disasters occurcountries, low-income citizens
to facilitate an adequate disasterin low-income countries.
are most affected by disasters. Theresponse. Health systems in lowdisparity in disaster outcomesincome countries are often underbetween high-income and lowresourced even prior to a disaster, and are quickly
income can be understood as a function of both pre-event
stretched beyond capacity in the face of increased
vulnerability and post-event response. Factors such as
injuries and illness.
geography, personal resources, community infrastructure,■ Political instability: Political instability in many lowand political stability all impact the occurrence andincome countries can hamper the ability to organize aconsequences of natural disasters. Social instability may
coordinated disaster response. Limited resources canalso accompany poverty particularly when there are large
also expose intra-community schisms — sometimes
disparities in the distribution of wealth and income.
along racial, ethnic, or religious lines — that further■ Geography: Lower-income individuals are more likely
complicate necessary community coordination.
to live in less expensive and environmentally vulnerable
Disasters open these fault lines of a society composed
areas, such as flood plains, volcano bases, seismicallyof differences in economic privilege, race, and religion.
active areas, or tornado alleys. Environmental
Immigration out of disaster areas by those able to doso can be dramatic after a disaster. At times this further
exploitation, often made for economic reasons(e.g., deforested hillsides), increases vulnerability toexacerbates the economic disparities as the wealthy areable to leave and those of lower-income are not. Theselandslides.
individuals may also use illegal and risky means of■ Personal resources: Poverty is a well-knownimmigration in order to find safety, nutrition, health,determinant of poor physical health, and lowerand work for themselves and their families.
income individuals may therefore be more vulnerable
to adverse physical health outcomes in the wake
■ Vulnerable populations: In the face of scarce resources,
women, children, the elderly, and the ill, may beof a disaster. Malnourished, non-immunized, andchronically ill persons may be less able to withstand theparticularly vulnerable to neglect and exploitation.
physical stress of a disaster. Furthermore, persons withChildren and women living in poverty are particularly
less income, who have been focused on daily survival,
vulnerable to exploitation as they try to obtain food andare less likely to have resources — extra food, fuel,safety in a disaster community with few resources.
or money — to use in the event of a disaster. When
■ Recovery from disaster: When other countries
provided sufficient food, the body’s response of moving
bring disaster recovery resources to economicallyfrom famine to adequate nutrition can bring its own
impoverished nations, they can also create expectations
physical changes and potential negative symptoms.
that cannot be sustained after the responders leave.
■ Infrastructure: Lower-income individuals often live
Working with the disaster region’s populations andin sub-standard housing that is more vulnerable torecognizing the need for sustainable recovery is acollapse and destruction during an earthquake or
critical ingredient after a major disaster.
other disaster. Building codes are often not adopted or