Definition of Catastrophe

• A catastrophe can be defined in many ways. A common definition is a sudden calamity of great proportions, either on an individual level or affecting large numbers of people. Another common use for the word is to refer to a complete failure, especially when the failure results in adversity or hardship for the people involved.
  
  

Natural Disasters

• One of the most memorable modern natural disasters was the tsunami in the Indian Ocean that occurred in December 2004. This tsunami resulted in the loss of more than 150,000 lives, and did millions of dollars of property damage. Many of the survivors of the tsunami remained mentally traumatized for years afterward. Others have never recovered from their financial losses. A year later, Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans and coastal Mississippi.
  
  

Geological Phenomena

• In geology, a catastrophe refers to a sudden change in the Earth's structure or composition. The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami is generally believed to have been the caused by a subterranean earthquake. The eruption of Mount Vesuvius in the year 79 A.D., which resulted in the destruction of Pompeii and Herculaneum, could also be categorized as a geological catastrophe.
  
  

Financial Calamity

• The Great Depression of the 1930s was the result of the stock market crash of 1929, which was the result of an overheated stock market and rampant, often irresponsible borrowing by many investors. The collapse of the housing market in the United States in the late 2000s is another example of a financial catastrophe brought on by heavy and sometimes irresponsible borrowing and lending.
  
  

Personal Catastrophes

• Although some people may refer to a burned dinner as a catastrophe, in general, a personal catastrophe refers to events or circumstances that result in large-scale adverse results in a person's life. For example, former astronaut Lisa Nowak was arrested after allegedly traveling cross country to confront a romantic rival. Although she had not been convicted of any crime as of mid-2009, she was fired from her job as a result of the arrest.