Natural DisastersNatural DisastersBy: Johnique Jones

Class: 713 Science-Technology

HurricanesHurricanes

The word hurricane comes from the Taino Native American word, hurucan , meaning evil spirit of the wind.

The first time anyone flew into a hurricane happened in 1943 in the middle of World War II.

A tropical storm is classified as a hurricane once winds goes up to 74 miles per hour or higher.

Hurricanes are the only weather disasters that have been given their own names.

All hurricanes begin life in a warm moist atmosphere over tropical ocean waters.

A typical hurricane can dump 6 inches to a foot of rain across a region.

The most violent winds and heaviest rains take place in the eye wall, the ring of clouds and thunderstorms closely surrounding the eye.

Every second, a large hurricane releases the energy of 10 atomic bombs.

Hurricanes can also produce tornadoes. They are not as strong as regular tornadoes and last only a few minutes.

TornadoesTornadoes

The most powerful Tornadoes occur in the United States.

A typical tornado only lasts for a few minutes.

Every tornado has its own color, sound and shape.

You need to step on the pedal of a car pass 70 miles per hour to outrun the fastest tornadoes.

The chances that a tornado is a F5, the highest classification for a tornado on the F-scale, is less than 0.1%

Tornadoes have been reported in every state in the US and also in every season.

A Tornado can occur at any time, but most often between 3pm and 9pm.

TsunamiTsunami

A tsunami is a series of sea waves caused by an underwater earthquake, landslide, or volcanic eruption. More rarely, a tsunami can be generated by a giant meteor impact with the ocean.

A tsunami is not just one wave but a series of waves or a “wave train.”

Many witnesses say a tsunami sounds like a freight train.

When the ocean is deep, tsunamis may be less than a foot high on the ocean’s surface, can travel at speeds up to 500 mph without being noticed and cross the entire ocean in less than a day.

EarthquakesEarthquakes

One interesting fact about earthquakes is that animals can sense or detect earthquakes before they occur.

European settlers in America experienced an earthquake in the seventeenth century.

In 1556, an earthquake in Shansi, China killing 830,000 people. According to the records, this earthquake is the deadliest in history.

Moonquakes, seismographic activity on the moon, do occur, but less frequent than on earth. They have smaller magnitudes than earthquakes on the Earth too.

Normally the depth of an earthquake is around fifty miles below the surface of the earth.

More interesting facts about earthquake, only twenty percent of earthquakes can be felt.

Volcano EruptionVolcano Eruption

Major health threats from a volcanic eruption

Volcanoes spew hot, dangerous gases, ash, lava, and rock that are powerfully destructive. People have died from volcanic blasts. The most common cause of death from a volcano is suffocation. Volcanic eruptions can result in additional threats to health, such as floods, mudslides, power outages, drinking water contamination, and wildfires. Health concerns after a volcanic eruption include infectious disease, respiratory illness, burns, injuries from falls, and vehicle accidents related to the slippery, hazy conditions caused by ash. When warnings are heeded, the chances of adverse health effects from a volcanic eruption are very low.

How volcanoes form?How volcanoes form?

Volcanoes are really mountains that build taller and taller, with time, as they erupt. That means that molten rock, magma, comes from within the earth and erupts onto the surface. The volcano might be explosive and produce ashes or be effusive and produce lava. The explosions are usually first because there are lots of gases inside the magma. When you have a bottle of soda pop, you do not see any bubbles of gas, but when you open it, bubbles form almost instantly. Once the gas bubbles have all escaped, the soda is flat. Once the magma is flat, a lava flow comes out. Most of the volcanoes from around the Pacific Ocean are composite, which means that there are layers of ashes and lava. Most volcanoes are 10,000 to 100,000 years old — it takes time for them to grow big.

Forest FiresForest Fires

Fires, both man-made and natural, contribute to forest loss.

Fire is the oldest method used to clear land for farming and other uses, and it is still widely used in many countries. This is a concern not only because of the added threat to biodiversity and other natural systems, but deforestation ?

Wildfires are a natural occurrence and serve important ecosystem functions. Forest landscapes are dynamic and change in response to variations in climate and to disturbances from natural sources, such as fires caused by lightning strikes.

Many tree species have evolved to take advantage of fire, and periodic burns can contribute to overall forest health.

Fires typically move through burning lower branches and clearing dead wood from the forest floor which kick-starts regeneration by providing ideal growing conditions. It also improves floor habitat for many species that prefer relatively open spaces.

FloodsFloods

Where do Floods Occur The type of land that is prone to

flooding are broad and flat usually situated on the banks of a river or main waterway. Rivers that flood are regarded in three different stages. They are:-

ONE:- Water comes off the mountains, eroding the beds and banks of the river as it flows.

TWO:- This type river travels through broad valleys which slows the current of the river down. If the current is slow it will transport less material down the river.

THREE:- Flood-plain stage. Little if not any erosion takes place most of the material that ties carried in the current is suspended and deposited to the form a flood plain

Continuation Continuation

What causes Floods Flooded areas of land usually

start off as very dry land. Floods are caused by heavy rains that pour to much water into rivers and other waterways. Making these natural channels unable to carry all the water. Rising water flows over or breaks the banks to the waterways causing the surrounding land to be flooded. Different causes of floods can come from masses of snow melting of tidal waves.

CyclonesCyclones

What is a Cyclone? Cyclones are huge revolving storms caused by

winds blowing around a central area of low atmospheric pressure. In the northern hemisphere, cyclones are called hurricanes or typhoons and their winds blow in an anti-clockwise circle. In the southern hemisphere, these tropical storms are known as cyclones, whose winds blow in a clockwise circle.

How do Cyclones occur? Cyclones develop over warm seas near the

Equator. Air heated by the sun rises very swiftly, which creates areas of very low pressure. As the warm air rises, it becomes loaded with moisture which condenses into massive thunderclouds. Cool air rushes in to fill the void that is left, but because of the constant turning of the Earth on its axis, the air is bent inwards and then spirals upwards with great force. The swirling winds rotate faster and faster, forming a huge circle which can be up to 2,000 km across. At the centre of the storm is a calm, cloudless area called the eye, where there is no rain, and the winds are fairly light.

FamineFamine

What causes Famine? Famine is caused by a great number of things

such as:- 1) Natural disasters (floods, drought, volcanic

eruptions and earthquakes.) 2) Over populated areas that are unable to feed

masses of people. 3) Poor quality of health facilities. 4) The aid from other countries is very low. 5) Governments that have poor management of

resources. Where does Famine occur? The world's countries are divided into 2 groups:

the rich and developed countries and the poor and developing countries. The richer countries like Great Britain, France, Australia, Japan and the USA are usually referred to as the first world countries. Those that are poorer such as Ethiopia, Bangladesh, Cambodia and Sudan in Africa are referred to as third world countries. A lot of the famine and starvation is in the third world countries because they don't have enough money and resources to keep their people well fed and healthy. Even though there are still people who are starving and homeless in the first world countries, they still receive some kind of aid from the country they live in.

DroughtsDroughts

What causes Drought? Droughts are caused by lack of rain over a long

period of time. If rain does occur it usually isn't enough for the ground to absorb before it is evaporated again. Plants and animals need water to survive, so if there is not enough water they will eventually die from thirst and dehydration. Water is one of the main ingredients in the food chain, for example: If a plant dies from lack of water then the animal that eats that plant will also die, the cycle will then continue to die out.

Most droughts tend to occur during summer, as the weather is hot and water is quickly evaporated. Droughts can last for years in most extreme cases. These types of droughts effect outback properties and can devastate crops and livestock. However, many crops are effected. If a farmer has lost his crop due to drought then he will get no money to pay for the next seasonal crop.

Where do Droughts occur? Droughts usually occur in hot dry areas of land.

In most cases the area is dry because there is very minimal rainfall. The rain that does fall will be quickly absorbed into the ground or blown away by the dry air flow that moves along the ground. Therefore the land is very dry and not many things can live there.