Floods, tsunamis, earthquakes and hurricanes can create threats to human security and have long-lasting effects on individuals, communities, and countries. Though a natural disaster is not an act of war, nor is it one state invading another, the devastation in the aftermath of an earthquake can destroy security for hundreds of thousands of people.

Homelessness, disease, and displacement can all be a direct result of a natural disaster. Such disasters threaten a local community but also the neighboring community. Security, then, is more than merely the absence of conflict.