Natural Disasters

What is a Natural Disaster?A natural disaster is any naturally occurring event, which causes

great damage or loss of life. Natural disasters are events that result from forces of nature such as tornadoes, floods, earthquakes or fire.

Natural disasters are a common

occurrence in almost every part of

the world. Each region of the world

may be prone to one or more

particular types of natural

disasters. Natural disasters usually

leave people without food and

shelter making it important to have

some basic facts about them to be

prepared for any emergencies.

Knowing how to respond to natural

disasters is very important for

survival purposes. However, it is

essential to understand that you

have to identify the natural

disasters affecting your region

before learning how to prepare for

them. Below we will look at some

of the common natural disasters

known to man.

Also referred to as typhoons, tropical

storms or cyclones, depending on which

part of the word they occur, hurricanes

are intense tropical storms

characterized by strong winds and

heavy rain. It is interesting to note that

the eye of the hurricane is characterized

by calm weather while the winds

surrounding the eye are the strongest.

Hurricanes

Hurricanes in the southern hemisphere normally have winds

moving in the clockwise direction while those in the northern

hemisphere move in the opposite direction - counterclockwise.

A flood can be simply described as the

submerging of normally dry land under a

body of water. Flooding events normally

occur slowly as the ground is saturated

with water that is unable to drain away

fast enough, or in a short while as

evidenced by flash floods. Flash floods

normally occur along river basins and are

as a result of the river channel being

unable to hold onrushing water.

Floods

TornadoesTornadoes are formed by a rapidly

spinning tube of air that comes into

contact with both the ground and a

cloud. Tornadoes can be invisible but

are mostly made visible since the

tube of air also carries a large

amount of condensed moisture. A

majority of the 1200 annual

tornadoes, which occur in the US,

occur in an area known as the

tornado valley.

Earthquakes come about as a result of the

shifting of tectonic plates under the surface of

the earth. As these plates move, built up

energy is released upwards to the surface of

the earth where extensive damage and loss of

life is highly probable. If the epicenter of an

earthquake were to occur under the surface of

the ocean as has been the case in a number of

recent occurrences, the result is tsunamis i.e. a

high wave of water rapidly advancing

outwards from the epicenter.

Earthquakes

Wildfire is a term used to refer to forest

fires. Forest fires can be of any height

and size depending on the vegetation

and location they occur. Every year

between 50,000 and 100,000 wildfires

occur all over the world. Some of the

causes of wildfires include human

carelessness such as improper disposal

of lit cigarettes and natural causes as

well.

Wildfire

In Conclusion

There are many different types of natural

disasters, and you never know exactly

when one will strike. You can stay

prepared for natural disasters by storing

drinking water, canned food, batteries and

first aid supplies in your home and car.

True or FalseThe majority of natural disasters are weather related.TRUE. Weather conditions such as storms and droughts cause many natural disasters.

A tornado is a sudden release of energy from the Earth’s crust.

TRUE. A volcanic eruption is a naturally occurring event that causes damage to property and human lives.

Volcanic eruptions are considered natural disasters.

FALSE. An earthquake is caused by seismic waves as energy is released from the Earth’s crust.

Talk About It…What steps can you take to prepare your family for a natural disaster?

A drought is a type of natural disaster. What other type of natural disaster might be triggered as a result from a long drought?

Natural disasters are often referred to as acts of nature or acts of God. Why do you think people call them this?

The End