The people here are reduced to dire poverty because of (the) natural disasters.

这里的人们由于自然灾害而穷不聊生。

《新英汉大辞典》

Diminished expectations are only one of the effects of dire poverty.

希望渺茫仅仅是极度贫困的诸多影响之一。

youdao

If a man lives in dire poverty, Does that give him the right to be not credible?

即使一个人穷到活不下去了，就可以不讲信用吗？

youdao

But he ended up homeless, struggling in dire poverty in 2009.

BBC: Afghan wins key asylum case at European Court

Dire poverty still stalks the land and people desperate to feed their families will lay an IED for cash if they cannot farm or find a decent paying job.

CNN: Amanpour: Obama's 100 days of foreign affairs

The insurgency in the Delta has thrived on the back of dire poverty and high unemployment in what should be a relatively wealthy region, were it not so poorly governed.

ECONOMIST: Islamist attacks in Nigeria