disaster area

noun

: an area officially declared to be the scene of an emergency created by a disaster and therefore qualified to receive certain types of governmental aid (such as emergency loans and relief supplies)

Examples of disaster area in a Sentence

After the hurricane, the state was declared a disaster area. His office is a disaster area. How can he find anything in all this clutter?
Recent Examples on the Web And then there's Starlink, a constellation of 5,000 satellites that can bring an internet signal to the entire planet, including to remote regions and disaster areas. David Pogue, CBS News, 10 Sep. 2023 Because access is restricted to parts of Lahaina within the wildfire disaster area, authorities have limited search efforts to disaster personnel with guidance from the Humane Society. Jeremy Childs, Los Angeles Times, 25 Aug. 2023 Those in presidentially declared disaster areas have another extension to Feb. 15, 2024. Emily Alvarenga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 14 Oct. 2023 Search-and-rescue crews have a standard procedure for counting and tracking animals in a disaster area but were unable to carry it out on Maui, Peaveler noted. Justine McDaniel, Washington Post, 26 Aug. 2023 In 2010, Tenney and his wife, Mariella Simon, bought a 15-acre hillside ranch near the disaster area despite the listing warning that the property was on the site of an ancient landslide. Jack Flemming, Los Angeles Times, 11 Aug. 2023 The disaster area has been split into zones, which will be gradually reopened to residents as they are inspected and deemed safe to reenter, Maui officials said. Holly Yan, CNN, 25 Sep. 2023 Remembering Lahaina: Family loses ancestral home in the Maui wildfires Residents will be escorted to the disaster area for the first two visits, so officials, cultural leaders, mental health and healthcare specialists and others can offer support. Kiara Alfonseca, ABC News, 25 Sep. 2023 The impulse to limit foreign access to a disaster area can be born of an effort to avoid criticism. Sarah Dadouch, Washington Post, 19 Sep. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'disaster area.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1911, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of disaster area was in 1911

Dictionary Entries Near disaster area

Cite this Entry

“Disaster area.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/disaster%20area. Accessed 8 Dec. 2023.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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