Kontakt 2008, 10(1):133-139 | DOI: 10.32725/kont.2008.019

Economic consequences of natural disastersHealth and Social Sciences

Jaroslav Slepecký^*, Jozef Ristvej, Alexander Kelíšek

Žilinská univerzita v Žiline, Fakulta špeciálneho inžinierstva

The mathematician and physicist B. Pascal compared in his days human knowledge to a sphere, which escalates its surface area with the development of knowledge, thus ever extending the limit with the unknown, which calls for a solution of further, typically serious problems. The third millennium opens before man unexpected possibilities in the field of science and technology and new revolutionary discoveries. However, on the other hand, the human being is facing complex problems of the protection against effects of natural disasters, growing global terrorism, social - economic consequences of financial crises, extensive accounting frauds and, last but not least, attenuation of the natural self-regulation of the environment.
The history of the world is the history of disasters occurring to different extents, from earthquakes, floods, global wars, through terrorist attacks and accidents of local importance. Consequences of disasters are frequently considered based on human victims and "visible" material damages. However, new phenomena of the time being should not be forgotten, such as computer viruses, financial crises, large accounting frauds, etc. There are only minimum human victims and direct material damages in these cases, but the events considerably affect the economy in particular countries and their secondary catastrophic consequences exceed limits of continents.
Disasters became a part of our life. They are perceived through the mediation of TV screens, print and in certain cases also through personal experience. After 2000, consequences of disasters exert increasing trends. In 2007, the securing company SwissRe recorded total of 335 disasters, where the large portion - 42.4%, corresponded to natural ones. Unfortunately, none of the most destructive natural disasters was reflected in the insured damages. Five disasters, most expensive for insurance companies and securing companies, were recorded in Europe and United States.

Keywords: disasters; natural disasters; anthropogenic disasters; insurance company; securing company

Received: February 8, 2008; Accepted: April 14, 2008; Prepublished online: June 27, 2008; Published: July 27, 2008  Show citation