Assalamualaikum warahmatullahiwabarakatuh..

And a very good morning to Mr/Miss Chairperson, honourable adjudicators, prompt timekeepers, fellow competitors, teachers and friends. Ladies and gentlemen, It is indeed an honour to me to be given a chance to stand in front of all of you here. My task today is to talk about natural disasters. On one bright and joyous morning, I was enjoying my breakfast of a delicious Nasi Lemak and a cup of coffee while watching the television. Unfortunately, that wonderful morning did not last long. You may wonder why? Well, that morning suddenly became dull because I was shocked and dejected by the news of a destruction caused by a Tsunami in Japan. The views showed the aftermath of the natural disaster where debris was scattered for miles, houses were unrecognizable, trees bent like wet noodles and vehicles were thrown just like toys. How miserable. What is natural disasters? It is actually a disruption in the balance of the environment. It is the result of physical processes that affects human everyday. It includes phenomena like fires, floods, tornadoes, earthquakes, hurricanes and volcanoes. These disasters have been increasing for the past few years both in number and people affected. There are many causes and effects of natural disasters. There are also steps to be taken to prepare for natural disasters. First and foremost, I would like to talk about the factors contributing to natural disasters. Well, human activities play a major role in the frequency and severity of natural disasters. They are the culprit who excessively cut down trees in the forest and poorly planned development programs. As a results, the climate changes into a horrible disasters. Next, I will enlighten you with the effects of the natural disasters. First, natural disasters such as floods, earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes and

volcanoes caused loss of life. During that period, many people were killed and severely injured . Not only that, it also caused emotional stress and trauma as the experience is very painful. Parents lost their children and vice versa. What is more, it also caused economic problems as it raised the cost of organizing a relief programmes, making contingency plans and rebuild of property such as homes and buildings. On top of that, natural disasters also bring a lot of health problems. This happened due to poor sanitation in a relief centre. However, it is best if you could prepare yourself well in the event of natural disaster. Get started by knowing what kind of disaster that may affect your area. You have to plan the safest place to seek shelter in the event of such an emergency. Make sure you know the escape route out of town depending on the kind of disaster. You also need a disaster relief kit at home, workplace and in your car. The kit should include portable battery-powered radio or television and extra batteries, flashlight and extra batteries, first aid kit and manual, extra clothing, cash and coins, photocopies of credit and identification cards, whistle, sanitation and hygiene items, I gallon of water per person per day and other items to meet your unique family needs. With regards to food supplies, avoid food that make you thirsty like crackers and chips. You can stock canned food and dry food mixes that need no preparation as well as a manual can opener. Canned fruits, tuna, juice, baby food and boxes cereals are all good things to have in case you cannot get to a grocery store.
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To conclude, there are causes and effects of natural disasters that happened all around the world. However, we can always prepare ourselves to minimize the difficulties when it occurs. Well, Adequate prevention such as Not all natural disasters can be emergency planning and prevented. Each natural disaster has its own factors and complications. education, constructing stronger and more safely designed structures may help to

combat the destruction and limit the loss of lives caused by various types of natural disasters.

Ladies and gentleman, I hope you will get some valuable information from my speech today. With that , I thank you.