IntroductionIncreased media coverage of the impacts of disasters has led to a renewed interest in natural disasters (Hamilton and Press, 2009). This article attempts to show that what the masses perceive as natural disasters are due to a combination of factors. The focus is on human activities that create a favorable environment for drought to turn into a natural disaster in drylands (Giorgis, 2005). Socioeconomic and environmental exposure can have disastrous consequences, even in cases of unassuming vulnerability. Koffi Annan (Alexander, 2009) agrees with this. He asserts that human behavior primarily results in what we call natural disaster. The research paper examines the evolving field of disasters and illustrates the factors contributing to drought conditions in the northeastern regions of Kenya. The Evolution of the Disaster DomainAlexander (2009) defines natural disasters as extraneous elements in the environment that are harmful to human beings. This is consistent with the traditional view that hazards are “acts of God”, over which humans have no control (Alexander, 2009). It was believed that humans were in no way responsible for the emergence of natural hazards, nor did they have the power to mitigate them (Hamilton and Press, 2009). In the 20th century, the development of technologies to mitigate the impacts of disasters gave rise to a desire to re-examine the natural character of disasters (Giorgis, 2005). Research has focused on studying environmental triggers of natural disasters, such as “geotectonics, climatic and biological factors” (Boonzaier et al., 2007). However, with time, it has been realized that the majority of disasters are caused by interactions between human beings. This has led to the emergence of new theories... middle of article......investments in land reclamation and nomadic pastoral lifestyles are seen as the biggest obstacle to area conversion arid areas in useful agricultural areas. land.ReferencesAlexander, WJ (2009) Coping Study on Risk and Society. Paper presented at the 1999 IDDNR Program Forum “Partnerships for a Safer World in the 21st Century”. Boonzaier, A., S. Edelstein, K. Fara, S. Kuiper, A. Speiser and S. van der Merwe (2000) Analysis of the environmental situation with regard to land degradation in the river catchment area Orange and Fish (OFCA), Environmental Assessment Unit (EEU), Cape TownBryant, EA (2006) Natural hazards. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Giorgis, DW (2005) Drought and sustainable development. In Moorson, R. (ed.) Coping with Aridity. NEPRU, Windhoek. Hamilton, RM and F. Press (2009) Natural Disaster Mitigation. Science, Flight.. 1284.