Introduction- What is a natural disaster?

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natural disaster saved slide
The definition of natural disasters is any catastrophic event that is caused by
nature or the natural processes of the earth. The So a flood on an uninhabited
island would not count as a disaster, but a flood in a populated area is called a
natural disaster.
All natural disasters cause loss in some way. Depending on the severity, lives can
be lost in any number of disasters.
Natural Types of Disasters. Hurricanes and tropical storms are among the most
powerful natural disasters because of their size and destructive potential.
Tornadoes are relatively brief but violent, potentially causing winds in excess of
200 mph. Both earthquakes and tornadoes strike suddenly without warning.
natural disaster is any event or force of nature that has catastrophic consequences
A natural disaster is an event with a natural, as opposed to human, cause that
results in large-scale loss of life or damage to property. It could be related to
weather, geology, biology or even factors outside the Earth. Examples are
earthquakes, hurricanes, droughts and flooding. Disease epidemics are sometimes
considered natural disasters, but may be put into a different category. In some
cases, natural and human factors may combine to produce a disaster.
A natural disaster cannot be stopped, cannot be slowed, and cannot be diverted.
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DIFFERENCE BETWEEN NATURAL DISASTERS AND MAN MADE DISASTERS

LIST OF FIELDS OF NATURAL DISASTERS

Natural Disasters
� Asteroid
� Avalanche
� Blizzard
� Thunderstorm
� Earthquake
� Flood
� Gamma-Ray Burst
� Volcano Eruption
� Heat Wave
� Hurricane
� Landslide
� Solar Flare
� Drought
� Tornado
� Tsunami
� Hail
� Wildfire

DEFINITIONS
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. Landslide Wikipedia
A landslide is a disaster involving elements of the ground, including rocks, trees,
parts of houses, and anything else which may happen to be swept up. Landslides can
be caused by an earthquake, volcanic eruptions, or general instability in the
surrounding land. Mudslides or mudflows, are a special case of landslides, in which
heavy rainfall causes loose soil on steep terrain to collapse and slide downwards.
. Avalanche Wikipedia
An avalanche is a geophysical hazard involving a slide of a large snow or rock mass
down a mountainside, caused when a buildup of material is released down a slope, it
is one of the major dangers faced in the mountains in winter. As avalanches move
down the slope they may entrain snow from the snowpack and grow in size. The snow
may also mix with the air and form a powder cloud. An avalanche with a powder cloud
is known as a powder snow avalanche. The powder cloud is a turbulent suspension of
snow particles that flows as a gravity current.
. Drought Wikipedia
A drought is an extended period of months or years when a region suffers a severe
deficiency in its water supply. Generally, this occurs when a region receives
consistently below average rainfall. It can have a substantial impact on the
ecosystem and agriculture of the affected region. Although droughts can persist for
several years, even a short, intense drought can cause significant damage and harm
the local economy.
. Wildfire Wikipedia
Wildfires, or forest fires, are uncontrolled fires burning in wildland areas.
Common causes include lightning, human carelessness, arson, volcano eruption, and
pyroclastic cloud from active volcano. The can be a threat to those in rural areas
and also to wildlife. Wildfires can also produce ember attacks, where floating
embers set fire to buildings at a distance from the fire itself.
. Flood Wikipedia
A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land, a deluge. It is
usually due to the volume of water within a body of water, such as a river or lake,
exceeding the total capacity of the body, and as a result some of the water flows
or sits outside of the normal perimeter of the body. It can also occur in rivers,
when the strength of the river is so high it flows right out of the river channel ,
usually at corners or meanders.
. Tsunami Wikipedia
A tsunami is a series of waves created when a body of water, such as an ocean, is
rapidly displaced. Earthquakes, mass movements above or below water, volcanic
eruptions and other underwater explosions, landslides, large meteorite impacts
comet impacts and testing with nuclear weapons at sea all have the potential to
generate a tsunami. A tsunami is not the same thing as a tidal wave, which will
generally have a far less damaging effect than a Tsunami.
. Volcanic eruption Wikipedia
A volcanic eruption is the point in which a volcano is active and releases lava and
poisonous gasses in to the air. They range from daily small eruptions to extremely
infrequent supervolcano eruptions (where the volcano expels at least 1,000 cubic
kilometers of material.) Some eruptions form pyroclastic flows, which are high-
temperature clouds of ash and steam that can travel down mountainsides at speeds
exceeding that of an airliner.
. Tornado Wikipedia
Tornadoes are violent, rotating columns of air which can blow at speeds between 50
and 300 mph, and possibly higher. Tornadoes can occur one at a time, or can occur
in large tornado outbreaks along squall lines or in other large areas of
thunderstorm development. Waterspouts are tornadoes occurring over water in light
rain conditions.
. Earthquake Wikipedia
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth�s crust that
creates seismic waves. Earthquakes are recorded with a seismometer, also known as a
seismograph. The magnitude of an earthquake is conventionally reported on the
Richter scale, with magnitude 3 or lower earthquakes being mostly imperceptible and
magnitude 7 causing serious damage over large areas. Intensity of shaking is
measured on the modified Mercalli scale. At the Earth�s surface, earthquakes
manifest themselves by shaking and sometimes displacement of the ground.
. Hurricane Wikipedia
Hurricanes, tropical cyclones, and typhoons are different names for the same
phenomenon: a cyclonic storm system that forms over the oceans. It is caused by
evaporated water that comes off of the ocean and becomes a storm. The Coriolis
Effect causes the storms to spin, and a hurricane is declared when this spinning
mass of storms attains a wind speed greater than 74 mph. Hurricane is used for
these phenomena in the Atlantic and eastern Pacific Oceans, tropical cyclone in the
Indian, and typhoon in the western Pacific.

UNUSUAL NATURAL DISASTERS

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Ten worst natural disasters[edit]

Rank Death toll (estimate) Event Location Date
1 1,000,000�4,000,000*[1] 1931 China floods China July, August, 1931
2 900,000�2,000,000[2] 1887 Yellow River flood China September, October, 1887
3 830,000[3] 1556 Shaanxi earthquake China January 23, 1556
4 450,000 (242,000�655,000) 1976 Tangshan earthquake China July 28,
1976
5 375,000 (250,000�500,000)[1] 1970 Bhola cyclone East Pakistan (now
Bangladesh) November 13, 1970
6 300,000[4] 1839 India cyclone India November 25, 1839
7 300,000[5] 1737 Calcutta cyclone India October 7, 1737
8 280,000 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami Indian Ocean
December 26, 2004
9 273,400[6] 1920 Haiyuan earthquake China December 16, 1920
10 250,000�300,000[7] 526 Antioch earthquake Byzantine Empire (now Turkey)
May 526

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CAUSES
9-CAUSES PARRAGRAPH
10-CAUSES AND THE IMACT WALE PARRAGRAPHS
earthquake
floods
droughts
volcanoes
landslides
hurricanes
tsunamis
tornado
WILDFIRES
AValanche
Weather Events
Like drought, an increase in severe weather events has been recorded in the last
100 years by the National Climatic Data Center. While notification systems are in
place, vulnerabilities still exist for property damage and crop loss. Development
has also complicated the effects of such events. An increase in development leads
to a decrease in wetlands and an increase in impervious surfaces such as roads and
driveways. This creates a scenario for floods and flash flooding. As with drought,
scientists believe a link between global warming and climate changes exists

Read more : http://www.ehow.com/about_5526845_causes-natural-disasters.html

EFFECTS
WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THE NATURAL DISASTER
severity of a disaster is measured in lives lost, economic loss, and the ability of
the population to rebuild. Events that occur in unpopulated areas are not
considered disasters.
Falling buildings or trees, freezing to death, being washed away, or heat stroke
are just some of the deadly effects. Some disasters cause more loss of life than
others, and population density affects the death count as well.

Then there is loss of property, which affects people�s living quarters,

transportation, livelihood, and means to live. Fields saturated in salt water after
tsunamis take years to grow crops again. Homes destroyed by floods, hurricanes,
cyclones, landslides and avalanches, a volcanic eruption, or an earthquake are
often beyond repair or take a lot of time to become livable again. Personal
effects, memorabilia, vehicles, and documents also take a hit after many natural
disasters.
The natural disasters that really affect people worldwide tend to become more
intense as the years go on. Frequency of earthquakes, mega storms, and heat waves
has gone up considerably in the last few decades. Heavy population in areas that
get hit by floods, cyclones, and hurricanes has meant that more lives are lost. In
some areas, the population has gotten somewhat prepared for the eventuality of
disasters and shelters are built for hurricanes and tornadoes. However, loss of
property is still a problem, and predicting many natural disasters isn�t easy.
Scientists, geologists, and storm watchers work hard to predict major disasters and
avert as much damage as possible. With all the technology available, it�s become
easier to predict major storms, blizzards, cyclones, and other weather related
natural disasters. But there are still natural disasters that come up rather
unexpectedly, such as earthquakes, wildfires, landslides, or even volcanic
eruptions. Sometimes, a time of warning is there, but it�s often very short with
catastrophic results. Areas that are not used to disasters affected by flash floods
or sudden hail storms can be affected in an extreme way.
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PREVENTIONS
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DISADVANTAGES OF NATURAL DISASTERS

Disadvantages of a Flood
The society and economy of a country suffers in many ways after a flood. The loss
of lives, vegetation, and infrastructure means there will be fewer people on the
labor force, less agriculture available for locals and exportation, and less
businesses to contribute to the economy of the country. There will be mass
dislocation of people, many of whom may be left homeless and jobless. In order to
fill this gap the government will have to spend a little more. The country may seek
assistance from foreign countries to supply food and materials to clean and replace
infrastructure. While some countries will assist freely, some will charge for its
efforts, putting the country in debt and at an economic loss.
Disadvantages of Volcanoes
In the event of a volcanic eruption, the people and animals in the area are
threatened and they must be evacuated. The evacuation of these individuals will
require the efforts of the government and social groups to see to it that the
individuals receive shelter. This places a dent in the socioeconomic factors of a
country as families may be separated, and buildings used as shelters will not be
available for their regular use. The eruption of a volcano releases large amounts
of smoke and dust that may form dust clouds. Dust clouds will restrict the amount
of light available to plants and animals, resulting in less food and more lives
being lost.
Disadvantages of Hurricanes
Hurricanes result in the destruction to infrastructure and loss of lives,
vegetation, and livestock. Many hurricanes cause floods, which can wash away homes
and people. The strong winds can destroy large trees and buildings, or use objects
as missiles that can cause great damage. The loss of life resulting from hurricanes
mean the labor force will be lessened. The destruction of vegetation and livestock
means countries will have to source more of their food from other countries.
Disadvantages of earthquake
Disadvantages of avalanche
Disadvantages of tsunami

ADVANTAGES OF NATURAL DISASTERS

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Benefits of a Flood
There are benefits of flooding despite its immediate ill effects. For farmers and
those in the agricultural sector, it helps them in the long run by providing
nutrients to the soil that were lacking. This makes the soil more fertile and
increases agricultural production. Nutrients are also added to rivers and lakes,
improving the health of fishes that can be consumed. There may be relocation of
fishes and organisms living in water bodies. This may improve the ecosystem. New
predators and prey are introduced to areas, balancing the aquatic population.
Benefits of Volcanoes
After a volcanic eruption, the soil becomes rich due to the nutrients from the
volcano. Precious stones and gems that were once deep within the earth are brought
to the earth's surface and will contribute greatly to the economy of the country.
Some valuable emissions from volcanoes are pumice, opal, gold, mercury, and metals.
It also releases good chemicals into the atmosphere. Chemicals such as carbon
dioxide and hydrogen that contributes to the water cycle.
Benefits of Hurricanes
The winds from a hurricane can also contribute to the agricultural sector in the
long run. The wind will cause the top soil to be distributed to areas in which it
was lacking.
The winds from a hurricane can also contribute to the agricultural sector in the
long run. The wind will cause the top soil to be distributed to areas in which it
was lacking.
Hurricanes help to bring people together as they help each other in the aftermath.
Lowers temperature.
It helps to build up the coastal areas of islands, making the island wider.
earthquake
avalanche
tornado
WAYS TO HELP
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