Disasters in Spain from 1950 - 2020: Impact on Public Health.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to establish the frequency and profile of disasters and to analyze trends in disasters and their impact on Spanish public health.

METHODS

Retrospective observational study of disasters that occurred in Spain from 1950 through 2020 was conducted. The variables studied for each episode were number of people affected, number of injured/sick, and number of deaths. Absolute and relative frequencies, population rates, mean, median, standard error of the mean (SEM), and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were used, and trend analysis was performed using exponential smoothing and linear regression.

RESULTS

A total of 491 disasters were identified in Spain. Of these, 255 (51.9%) were natural disasters, 224 (45.7%) technological disasters, and 12 (2.4%) man-made disasters. The average number of disasters per year was 7.01 (95% CI, 5.99-9.34). These disasters affected a total of 820,489 people, with an average of 3,491 people (SEM = 2.18) per episode. There was a significant increase (P <.001) in the total frequency of disasters in Spain during the period studied.

CONCLUSIONS

Spain has a disaster profile of mixed type, combining natural with technological disasters. From 1950 through 2020, there was a significant increase in the number of disasters, with an overall profile similar to that of Europe, with climatological disasters being the most frequent type.