Scientists believe the increase in weather-related disasters are due to a combination of natural and man-made factors.  Global warming is increasing the temperatures of the Earth's oceans and atmosphere. This is leading to more intense storms of all types, including hurricanes.  As the Earth gets warmer, large regions will experience heavier rain and snowfall as weather becomes generally more intense. A warmer world will also mean a wetter one.

Hurricane Katrina was the worst natural disaster in US history.  One of the lessons learned from this experience was that no matter how prepared a government, community, or individual thinks they are, they must continue to work to improve.  With the increase in natural disasters, many governments are learning the hard way that more resources need to be spent on disaster prevention.  In the long run this would be more economical than spending the resources on crisis response and rebuilding.  As Mr. Townsend wrote in his report to President Bush, "we need to improve our preparedness and response to prevent future loss and preserve life."