I learned on time that the severity of a disaster does not always relate to the power of the natural forces involved.
The concentration of human beings in an affected area is often of greater consequence.
A greater majority of the world's population seem to live in areas of high mortality risk from natural disasters.
I was born in a community where disaster was said to be a strange word despite the encroaching presence of gully erosion in a neighbouring community.
Being a small, quiet place, no one ever saw the erosion site as a problem until the community begins to develop.
As a result of this development, more and more people are put in the way of harm, making disaster out of something that before was just a natural event.
This picture is also true of other areas across the globe.
Apart from this, other exacerbating factors are rapid, unplanned urbanization, deforestation, and the extensive use of concrete to cover ground that would normally absorb runoff, thereby causing destructive mud slides and excessive flooding.
It is evident that human factor can equally turn an earthquake into a major disaster, hence it is not the shock-wave of energy that causes most deaths and injuries, but collapsing buildings! I was shocked one day to hear that only buildings kill people, but earthquakes don't.
However, there is another factor - political incompetence! In Nigeria, and indeed other parts of the world, laws that are meant to keep people safe from being victims of disasters are either not enforced or are lacking.
The issue of global warming is fast becoming a thorn in our flesh as human beings.
In this generation, global warnings, both natural and official, are either ignored or met with a half-hearted response.
Though, natural disasters can strike without warning, yet there is always an indication whenever trouble looms, which can improve people's surviving prospects when the signs are known and considered.
A lot of people have escaped violent storms and volcanic eruptions by simply paying heed to warnings.
Because nature's warnings sometimes precede official warnings, it is wise to be familiar with both especially if you live in a disaster prone area.
I have once remained somehow adamant in the face of a looming danger.
I kept denying the presence of it for two solid years.
Reason? I was afraid of being deceived by false alarms, and being too poor at that material time, kept me from moving to a safer area, where cost of living is a bit higher.
In whichever case, I saw myself safe and sound at the end, all by the special grace of God Almighty.
It is my pleasure in this article to let people know that even though it does not look very easy on the surface, it pays to recognize and observe warning signs.
The Bible says in Proverbs 22:3 that "a prudent man foresees the evil, and hides himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished".