Reply #5: Common usage vs. less common usage

[Gormy Cuss]

My two cents.

You're getting negative feedback for this comment because you are sticking to the narrow and most common usage, that of refugee as someone who has fled from one country to another for political reasons. Victims of natural disasters like droughts and floods who go to neighboring countries usually are called refugees too.

In the broader definition, any one who has sought refuge can be called a refugee. I've thought about it and can't come up with a first choice substitute ('displaced persons' and 'evacuees' come to mind, but neither seems superior to refugee.)