Disaster Response Vocabulary

noun a large destructive fire

• The firefighters worked tirelessly to contain the massive conflagration in the warehouse.
• The huge fire in the warehouse was a nightmare to deal with.
• The warehouse went up in flames, it was a total disaster.
• The political scandal ignited a conflagration of controversy in the media.

noun radioactive particles that are carried into the atmosphere after a nuclear explosion or accident

• The fallout from the economic crisis was felt across the entire industry.
• There was a lot of fallout after the big argument at the family dinner.
• I can't believe the fallout from that party last night!
• The fallout from his decision to quit his job was a loss of stability in his life.

adjective An adjective is a word that describes or modifies a noun or pronoun. In this case, 'unmitigated' describes something that is complete or absolute.

• The unmitigated disaster resulted in significant financial losses for the company.
• His unmitigated laziness is starting to annoy everyone in the office.
• She made an unmitigated mess of the presentation and now we have to redo the whole thing.
• The unmitigated storm of emotions left her feeling drained and exhausted.

noun A person or entity that seeks to profit from disasters or crises by taking advantage of vulnerable situations

• The disaster capitalist took advantage of the economic downturn to buy up struggling businesses at a fraction of their value.
• That disaster capitalist always seems to profit off of other people's misfortunes.
• I heard that disaster capitalist is making a killing off of the current crisis.
• In the world of finance, the disaster capitalist is like a vulture circling above, ready to swoop in and capitalize on chaos.

noun a type of economic system where corporations and governments take advantage of disasters to increase profits and power

• The concept of disaster capitalism refers to the exploitation of natural or man-made disasters for economic gain.
• Disaster capitalism is when companies profit from disasters by taking advantage of the situation.
• Some people call it 'disco cap' when businesses make money off of disasters.
• In the world of finance, disaster capitalism is like striking gold in a minefield.

noun a process of sorting or categorizing patients in a medical setting based on the urgency of their need for care

• The hospital uses a triage system to prioritize patients based on the severity of their condition.
• The emergency room staff will triage patients as they come in to determine who needs to be seen first.
• I heard the doctors are going to triage all the incoming cases before deciding who to treat first.
• In times of crisis, it's important to triage your tasks and focus on what needs immediate attention.

noun a gathering where people work together to create or update maps

• The organization is hosting a mapathon to update the digital maps of the city.
• Hey, are you joining the mapathon this weekend to help with mapping the neighborhood?
• I heard the mapathon is gonna be lit, you should definitely come through!
• Participating in the mapathon felt like charting a new course for the future.

noun aftershocks or tremors that occur after a major earthquake

• The seismologists studied the afterquakes that occurred following the major earthquake.
• Did you feel those afterquakes last night? They were pretty strong.
• The afterquakes were so intense, it felt like the ground was doing the cha-cha.
• The afterquakes of her decision to leave reverberated through his life.