Natural disasters are a major cause of poverty and a severe detriment to escaping its vicious cycle. When disaster strikes, it is the poor who suffer most because they live on marginal lands and their houses are poorly equipped to cope with the impact of catastrophes. In the aftermath of a disaster they lose their homes, crops and livestock and often have to flee with nothing more than the clothes on their back

        Developing nations often suffer disproportionately from the effects of natural disasters because they have less developed infrastructure and emergency-response plans to reduce vulnerability. Natural disasters can have a life-altering impact on the poor in developing nations where they don't have the support they need to recover from crisis.