Answer:
A person subject to a migratory movement in which an element of coercion exists, including threats to life and livelihood, whether arising from natural or man-made causes (e.g. movements of refugees and internally displaced persons as well as people displaced by natural or environmental disasters, chemical or nuclear disasters, famine or development projects).
Hurricanes - In 2005, Hurricane Katrina affected the lives of nearly six million people in the United States, with at least 1,800 mortalities.
Drought - In 2000, Ethiopia and Eritrea suffered their most severe drought since 1984. The countries continue to suffer from severe drought conditions, which have drastically increased the number of people relying on food aid.
Cyclone - In 2008, Myanmar was struck with cyclone Nargis, the deadliest cyclone in the North Indian Ocean Basin, killing more than 146,000 people.
Earthquakes - In 2005, a massive earthquake affected Afghanistan, India and Pakistan, with an epicenter in Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Estimates suggest that more than 74,500 were killed and at least 106,000 were injured. In 2008 an earthquake struck Sichuan Province in China, killing at least 69,000 people and leaving more than 20,000 homeless. The earthquake also caused significant structural damage to dams in the area.
Infectious Disease Outbreak - The cholera epidemic which broke out in August 2008 in Zimbabwe continues today having spread to over 98,000 cases and nearly 5,000 deaths.
Human-made disasters - This category of disaster can be interpreted broadly and used to encompass many different types of disasters. Train crashes, such as the one that killed over 200 people in Tanzania in June 2002 is one example of a human-made disaster. Long-term human-made disasters tend to refer to civil strife, civil war and international war and are described in more detail in the following section on "complex emergencies".