Explain why high population density increases the risk of disaster from natural hazards.

Because more people in a given space means that there is a greater overall demand for first aid response from any given medical centre, many people will be at risk of deteriorating health or even death if they cannot receive individually the medical help they require if services are strained. Furthermore, population-dense areas, like Beira in Mozambique, tend to be more infrastructurally crowded meaning that - in the event of a disaster such as an earthquake or a cyclone (like the one which hit Beira only this week) - there is more danger of injury such as trapping and generally of loss of valuables and property occurring, risk encompassing both risk to life/health as well as to economic assets.