Disasters can be categorized as natural or unnatural. Natural disasters include earthquakes, floods and mudslides, major inner city block or high rise fires and firestorms, tidal waves, and tornadoes, for instance. Unnatural disasters include major or catastrophic physical disruptions such as freeway pile ups, airplane crashes, train crashes and derailments, major power outages, nuclear reactor accidents and devastation resulting from weapons of or terrorism. These latter unnatural disasters include bombings of populated areas and attacks on significant pieces of physical infrastructure (which include traumatic physical disruption as well as computer generated viruses and hacks), suicide bombing, shoulder-fired missile attacks, mass shootings and deployments of chemical, biological, or radiological weapons.

Despite the range of scenarios which can produce sufficient casualties to qualify as Mass Casualty Incidents, Mass Casualty Disasters and Mass Casualty Catastrophes, the general approach to caring for these patients is well defined and routine. However, there are some peculiarities which pertain to certain scenarios which may be unfamiliar to anesthesiologists in non-military clinical practice.

Each topic below links to a relevant website for additional information.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provide an excellent overview of Emergency Preparedness and Response.

The Natural Hazards Center at the University of Colorado at Boulder provides a useful link to general natural disaster phenomena.