A disaster is defined as an event that causes a level of destruction, death, or injury that affects the community's ability to respond to the incident using available resources.

• A. A medical emergency that is quickly resolved
• B. An event that only affects property but not people
• C. Any event that causes a level of destruction, death, or injury that affects the abilities of the community to respond to the incident using available resources
• D. A minor accident that does not disrupt community functions

Answer: (C)

Disasters are defined by the impact on a community’s ability to respond using available resources. The important factor is whether the event overwhelms or compromises the ability of responders to carry out operations with the resources at hand, not merely the presence of damage or injuries.

If an incident causes destruction, deaths, or injuries to the extent that the community’s response capacity is impaired, it meets this definition of a disaster. A medical emergency that is quickly resolved, or an event that damages property but does not hinder the community’s ability to mobilize resources, or a minor accident that leaves essential functions largely uninterrupted, do not meet that bar because they don’t overwhelm the response system.

So the best description is an event that causes enough destruction, death, or injury to affect the community’s ability to respond using available resources.