Unit–III : Natural disasters

Natural disasters – Meaning – Types – floods – Cyclone – Earth quakes, Tsunami,

landslides – Avalanches – Volcanic eruptions – Heat and cold waves – Nuclear disaster,
chemical disasters and biological disaster.

Lect : 8 Natural disasters – definition – types and effects

The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines Disaster as "any occurrence that
causes damage,ecological disruption, loss of human life, deterioration of health and health
services, on a scale sufficient to warrant an extraordinary response from outside the
affected community or area.
Types of disasters

Disasters are broadly divided into two types:

1) Natural

2) Man made disasters.

Natural disasters

Natural disasters occur as the result of action of the natural forces and tend to be accepted
as unfortunate, but inevitable. They include:

⮚ Famines
⮚ Droughts
⮚ Tornadoes,
⮚ Hurricanes,
⮚ Floods / Sea Surges / Tsunamis
⮚ Volcanoes
⮚ Snow storms,
⮚ Earthquakes,

Famines may be defined as a persistent failure in food supplies over a prolonged period.
It is a phenomenon in which a large percentage of the populations of a region or country are
so undernourished and that death by starvation becomes increasingly common. A famine
weakens body resistance and leads to increases in infectious diseases, especially cholera,
dysentery, malaria, and smallpox. Famine is associated with naturally-occurring crop failure
due to drought and pest incidence and artificially with war and genocide.
 Drought is lack or insufficiency of rain for an extended period of months or years when
a region notes a deficiency in its water supply. Generally, this occurs when a region receives
consistently below average precipitation. It can have a substantial impact on the ecosystem and
agriculture of the affected region.
A flood is an overflow of water that submerges land, producing measurable property
damage or forcing evacuation of people and vital resources. Floods are caused due to heavy
rainfall and the inadequate capacity of rivers to carry the high flood discharge. Floods
develop slowly as rivers swell during an extended period of rain. A flood occurs when water
overflows or inundates land that is normally dry. Mostly it happens when rivers or streams
overflow their banks.
Cyclones are strong winds that are formed over the oceans. The term "cyclone" refers to
all classes of storms with low atmospheric pressure at the centre, are formed when an
organized system of revolving winds, clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere, anti-clockwise in
the Northern Hemisphere, develops over tropical waters.
A hurricane is a huge storm. It is a powerful, spiraling storm that begins over a warm
sea, near the equator and accompanied by fierce winds, flash floods, mudslides and huge
waves.
An earthquake is a sudden motion or trembling of the ground crust caused by the
collision of tectonic plates resulting in the abrupt displacement of rock masses. Earthquakes
result from the movement of one rock mass past another in response to tectonic forces
underneath the earth’s surface.
Volcanoes result when magma rises, pushes through a weakness in the Earth’s crust,
and spills out onto the surface, devastating anything in its path. The superheated rock is not
the only danger, however. Far below the earth’s surface, volcanic gasses are dissolved in the
magma. As the magma rises, it begins to cool down, and gas bubbles begin to form. This makes
the magma less dense than the surroundings, causing it to rise faster.
"A natural disaster is a major adverse event resulting from natural processes  of the
Earth; examples are  floods,  hurricanes, tornadoes, volcaniceruptions, earthquakes,
tsunamis, and other geologic processes.
 A natural disaster can cause loss of life or damage property and typically leaves some
economic damage, the severity of which depends on the affected population's resilience, or
ability to recover and also on the infrastructure available.
There are many types of natural disasters that strike different parts of Earth and cause
extensive damage to life, property and economic health in the affected areas. While many
natural disasters are the result of natural geological and meteorological processes of the
Earth,human activities such as forest degradation, pollution, engineering and construction
are also altering natural systems dramatically and destabilizing climate, resulting in such
disasters.

Natural disasters of similar nature and intensity, however, affect the developed and
underdeveloped/ developing countries differently in terms of the damage of property and
loss of lives caused. While the developed countries are well-equipped to cope with natural
disasters through well functioning disaster mitigation, preparedness and response mechanisms;
the developing countries, ill-equipped in terms of each of the above three parameters, suffer
most because of natural disasters. Among all the continents, Asia is the most vulnerable to
disasters. For the period from 1991 and 2000, Asia accounted for as much as 83 per cent of the
population affected by disasters globally. And, within Asia, India is known to be one of the
most disaster-prone countries. Natural disasters, on an average, affect 60 million Indians
annually. In India, about 85 per cent of the area is vulnerable to one or multiple natural
disasters. About 68 per cent of the total sown area in the country is drought-prone, roughly
57 per cent of the country’s area lies in high seismic zone, and floods and high winds
account for 60 per cent of all natural disasters in the country

Causal factors for disaster

1. POVERTY
● Lack of resource bases,
● Support System,
● Insurance Opportunities

2. LACK OF INFORMATION
● Centralized information is helpful only for a certain range of the population, particularly
Government.
● Lack of knowledge in evacuation, First Aid, rescue etc,
 3. ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION
● Destruction of mangrove swamps in coastal areas.
● Construction of huge dams destructing vast area of forest.
4. RAPID URBANISATION
● Everybody wants to settle in urban area. High rates can’t accommodate every class of
people.
● It results in growth of slums, unplanned construction without regulation. (recent flood in
Chennai during 2015)
5. POPULATION GROWTH
Effect on the people living in crowded areas.

(take a print out from disaster management in India)

Top 11 Deadliest Natural Disasters in History
● 1138 Aleppo earthquake - maybe. On Oct. 11, 1138, the ground under the Syrian
city began to shake. ...
● 2010 Haiti quake. ...
● 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami. ...
● 1920 Haiyuan earthquake. ...
● 1976 Tangshan earthquake. ...
● 526 Antioch earth quake. ...
● 1839 India cyclone/1881 Haiphong typhoon. ...
● 1556 Shaanxi earthquake

Top Ten Worst Disasters in the World

There is debate as to what the deadliest disasters of all time actually are, due to discrepancies
in death tolls, especially with disasters that occurred outside of the last century.

1. Yellow River Flood (China 1931) - 1,000,000-4,000,000 dead

2. Yellow River Flood (China 1887) - 900,000-2,000,000 dead
3. Bhola Cyclone (Bangladesh 1970) - 500,000-1,000,000 dead
4. Shaanxi Earthquake (China 1556) - 830,000 dead
5. India Cyclone (India 1839) - 300,000 dead
6. Antioch Earthquake (Syria and Turkey 526) - 250,000 dead
7. Tangshan Earthquake (China 1976) - 242,000 dead
8. Haiyun Earthquake (China 1920) - 240,000 dead
 9. Indian Ocean Earthquake/Tsunami (Indian Ocean 2004) - 230,000 dead
10. Aleppo Earthquake (Syria 1138) - 230,000 dead

TYPES OF DISASTERS

1. Geological disasters
● Avalanches and landslides
● Earthquakes
● Sinkholes
● Volcanic eruptions

2. Hydrological disasters
● Floods
● Tsunami
● Limnic eruptions
3. Meteorological disasters
● Cyclonic storms
● Blizzards
● Hailstorms
● Ice storms
● Cold waves
● Heat waves
● Droughts
● Thunderstorms
● Tornadoes
1. Geological disasters
AVALANCHE

An avalanche, also called a snow slide or snow slip, is a rapid flow of snow down a
sloping surface such as a mountainside. Avalanches are caused when the snowpack (or layers
of accumulated snow) is disturbed or weakened by events such as new or heavy snowfall,
deforestation, earthquakes or even natural movement of animals. Avalanches may be slow
to pick up but once initiated, they accelerate very quickly and grow in mass and volume as
they entrain more snow and flow down the steep slopes. Although composed primarily of
flowing snow and air, avalanches can also entrain rocks & trees and their destructive capability
is the result of their potential to carry enormous masses of snow at very high speeds. They
are mainly of two types: loose snow avalanches and slab avalanches.
Loose snow avalanches
An avalanche that releases from a point and spreads downhill collecting
more snow – different from a slab avalanche. Also called a point-release or sluff. Loose snow
sliding down a mountainside is called a loose snow avalanche. Small loose snow
avalanches are called Sluffs. Loose snow avalanches can be dry or wet.
Slab avalanches
Loose snow avalanches are much less dangerous than slab avalanches. A slab avalanche
occurs when the weak layer lies lower down in a snowpack. When the avalanche is
triggered, the weak layer breaks off, pulling all the layers on top of it down the slope. These
layers tumble and fall in a giant block, or slab.
Land slide
A landslide is defined as the movement of a mass of rock, debris, or earth down a
slope. Landslides are a type of "mass wasting," which denotes any down-slope movement of
soil and rock under the direct influence of gravity.

Lecture 10.
EARTHQUAKE
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that
creates seismic waves. At the Earth's surface, earthquakes manifest themselves by vibration,
shaking, and sometimes displacement of the ground. Earthquakes are caused by slippage
within geological faults. The underground point of origin of the earthquake is called
the seismic focus. The point directly above the focus on the surface is called the epicenter.
Earthquakes by themselves rarely kill people or wildlife. It is usually the secondary events that
they trigger such as building collapse, fires, tsunamis (seismic sea waves) and volcanoes.
Many of these could possibly be avoided by better construction, safety systems, early
warning and planning. The magnitude of an earthquake is measured using the Richter Scale
and based on current instrumentation, it is estimated that 500,000 earthquakes occur each year
around the world. In 2004 Indian ocean earthquake and tsunami was one of the most
devastating and deadliest natural disaster in India
Cause of Earthquake :
The earth’s crust is a rocky layer of varying thickness ranging from a depth of about 10
kilometers under the sea to 65 kilometers under the continents. The crust is not one piece but
consists of portions called ‘plates’ which vary in size from a few hundred to thousands of
kilometers. The ‘theory of plate tectonics’ holds that theplates ride up on the more mobile
mantle,and are driven by some yet unconfirmed mechanisms, perhaps thermal convection
currents. When these plates contact each other, stress arises in the crust. These stresses can
be classified according to the type of movement along the plate’s boundaries:
a) pulling away from each other,
b) pushing against one another and
c) sliding sideways relative to each other.
All these movements are associated with earthquakes.The areas of stress at plate
boundaries which release accumulated energy by slipping or rupturing are known as 'faults'. The
theory of 'elasticity' says that the crust is continuously stressed by the movement of the
tectonic plates; it eventually reaches a point of maximum supportable strain. A rupture then
occurs along the fault and the rock rebounds under its own elastic stresses until the strain
is relieved. The fault rupture generates vibration called seismic (from the Greek 'seismos'
meaning shock or earthquake) waves, which radiates from the focus in all directions. The point
of rupture is called the 'focus' and may be located near the surface or deep below it. The point
on the surface directly above the focus is termed as the  epicenter' of the earthquake
Sinkholes
Sinkholes may capture surface drainage from running or standing water, but may also
form in high and dry places in specific locations. Sinkholes that capture drainage can hold it
in large limestone caves. These caves may drain into tributaries of larger rivers. The
formation of sinkholes involves natural processes of erosion or gradual removal of slightly
soluble bedrock (such as limestone) by percolating water, the collapse of a cave roof, or a
lowering of the water table. Sinkholes often form through the process of suffosion. For
example, groundwater may dissolve the carbonate cement holding the sandstone particles
together and then carry away the lax particles, gradually forming a void. Occasionally a
sinkhole may exhibit a visible opening into a cave below. Sinkholes are common where the
rock below the land surface is limestone or other carbonate rock, salt beds, or in other
soluble rocks, such as gypsum, that can be dissolved naturally by circulating ground water.
Sinkholes also occur in sandstone and quartzite terrains.

VOLCANIC ERUPTION:
Volcanic eruption happen when lava and gas are discharged from a volcanic vent.
Eruption can be explosive, where fragmented lava explodes out of a vent or effusive, where
lava flows like a thick, sticky liquid.   One of the most powerful volcanic eruptions was
the eruption of Mount Tambora (VEI=7) in Indonesia in 1815. The eruption resulted in 70000-
90000 human deaths and was so massive that it resulted in average global temperature drop of
0.530 C, causing 1816 to be known as the Year without a Summer.

2. Hydrological disasters
TSUNAMI

Tsunami, literally meaning “harbor wave”, is derived from the Japanese

words tsu (meaning harbor) and nami (meaning wave). A tsunami is a series of giant water
waves generated by water displacement generally occurring in oceans. This water
displacement can be caused by a number of reasons such as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions,
landslides and glacier calving. Tsunamis are also sometimes referred to as tidal waves because
they initially resemble a rapidly rising wave, though they aren’t actually tidal in nature. In the
open ocean, they travel up to 800 km/hr but appear only a foot or so in height, making them
difficult to detect. As they approach the coastline and enter shallow waters, they slow down
but gain in height, smashing into land with waves as high as 100 feet or more and causing
massive destruction to life and property. The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami is one of the
deadliest tsunami occurrences and among the worst natural disasters ever, which killed about
230,000-280,000 people and caused widespread destruction in 14 countries, including
Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand. The tsunami was triggered by an underwater
earthquake, with a magnitude of 9.0-9.3, off the coast of Sumatra. 
FLOOD

A flood is an overflow of water from lakes, rivers or oceans that submerges nearby
land. Floods are of various types such as Over-bank or Riverine (caused by overflowing of
rivers), Flash Floods (caused by rapid rise of fast moving water in a very short time frame),
Coastal flooding (often caused by thunderstorms, hurricanes and tsunamis) and Catastrophic
floods (caused by engineering or infrastructural failures such as collapse of a dam). Floods can
take on severe levels and cause massive destruction to life, property and economy of the affected
area. 

Limnic Eruption

A limnic eruption, also termed a lake overturn, is a rare type of natural disaster in which
dissolved carbon dioxide (CO2) suddenly erupts from deep lake waters, forming a gas cloud
capable of suffocating wildlife, livestock, and humans. A limnic eruptionmay also cause
tsunamis as the rising CO2 displaces water.
3. Meteorological disasters

TORNADO

  A tornado, also known as twister or whirlwind, is a violently rotating column of air

that is in contact with the Earth’s surface as well as a thunderstorm cloud. Appearing as a large
spinning funnel, a tornado is often encircled by debris and dust. While most tornadoes have
wind speeds less than 180 km/hr and stretch about 80 meters across, the more extreme
tornadoes can attain wind speeds of more than 480 km/hr and stretch more than 3 km across.
Tornadoes have been recorded on every continent except Antarctica but are more prominent in
North America. The strength of a tornado was earlier measured using the Fujita scale (F-scale),
but are currently measured using the Enhanced Fujita scale (EF-scale), which comprises of
6 categories from EF0 to EF5 and a tornado is classified into one of these categories based on
factors such as wind speed and damage indicators.(0 to 225 KMPH)

Lecture 11.
DROUGHT
A drought is a continuous or extended period of dry spell caused by lack of rainfall
and other forms of precipitation. Depending on the severity, droughts can last up to a month or
several years and have an adverse impact on the ecosystem, agriculture and economy of the
affected areas. A drought can result in prolonged shortages in water supply and loss in water
quality, loss of biodiversity and agricultural output, creation of deserts, famines and
malnutrition, increased pollution levels and diseases as well as mass migration and
displacement of human and animal life.

Types of Drought 

There are three types of drought

● Meteorological Drought describes a situation where there is a reduction in rainfall for a

specific period (days, months, season or years) below a specific amount (long term
average for a specific time).
● Hydrological Drought involves a reduction in water resources (stream flow, lake level,
ground water, underground aquifers) below a specified level for a given period of time
● Agricultural Drought is the impact of meteorological/hydrological drought on crop
yield.

HURRICANE
A hurricane (also called tropical cyclone or typhoon) is a giant, spiraling tropical
storm characterized by a low-pressure center and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms
that produce heavy rain and strong winds. Wind speeds in a hurricane can reach up to 300km/hr
in very severe occurrences and can cause over 9 trillion liters of rainfall per day. The center of
a hurricane, also called its eye, is typically about 30-65km in diameter and notoriously calm.
The outer edge of the eye, called the eye wall, is where the greatest wind speeds and highest
precipitation occur. Hurricanes cause far greater damage to coastal regions and typically
weaken over land.

Examples :Hurricane Katrina (2000 people died and 125 billion dollars damage), Wilma,
Maria,Irma,Michael

COLD WAVE
 A cold wave (known in some regions as a cold snap or cold spell) is a weather
phenomenon that is distinguished by a cooling of the air. Specifically, as used by the U.S.
National Weather Service, a cold wave is a rapid fall in temperature within a 24-hour period
requiring substantially increased protection to agriculture, industry, commerce, and social
activities. The precise criterion for a cold wave is determined by the rate at which the
temperature falls, and the minimum to which it falls. This minimum temperature is dependent on
the geographical region and time of year.
HEAT WAVES
The World Meteorological Organization, defines a heat wave as 5 or more
consecutive days of prolonged heat in which the daily maximum temperature is higher than
the average maximum temperature by 9 °F or more. A heat wave is a period of excessively
hot weather, which may be accompanied by high humidity. While definitions varya heat
wave is usually measured relative to the usual weather in the area and relative to normal
temperatures for the season. Severe heat waves have caused catastrophic crop failures,
thousands of deaths from hyperthermia, and widespread power outages due to increased
use of air conditioning. A heat wave is considered extreme weather, and a danger because
heat and sunlight may overheat the human body. Heat waves can usually be detected
using forecasting instruments so that a warning call can be issued.
● Cyclonic storms
It is caused by a combination of strong winds driving water onshore and the lower
atmospheric pressure in a tropical cyclone. ... The main effects of tropical cyclonesinclude
heavy rain, strong wind, large storm surges at landfall, and tornadoes.
The naming of tropical cyclones is a recent phenomenon. The process of naming
cyclones involves several countries in the region and is done under the aegis of the World
Meteorological Organization. For the Indian Ocean region, deliberations fornaming
cyclones began in 2000 and a formula was agreed upon in 2004.

For tropical cyclones developing in the North Indian Ocean, countries like India,
Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Maldives, Myanmar, Oman, Pakistan and Thailand send their
names to the regional tropical cyclone committee.
At present, all eight countries have submitted eight names each for naming future
cyclones. The name Fani was chosen from this list containing 64 names.
Here is the list of names given by each countries:
 The main purpose of naming a tropical cyclone is basically for people to easily
understand and remember the tropical cyclone in a region, thus to facilitate tropical cyclone
disaster risk awareness, preparedness, management and reduction," WMO says in its explanation
of how cyclones are named.
Another important reason why cyclones are named is to help authorities quickly identify
storms and keep a track of them because it is easier to remember cyclones by their names than
remembering them using technical information like longitude and latitude.
● Blizzards
A blizzard is a severe snowstorm characterized by strong sustained winds of at least 56
km/h (35 mph) and lasting for a prolonged period of time—typically three hours or more.
A ground blizzard is a weather condition where snow is not falling but loose snow on the ground
is lifted and blown by strong winds.

● Hailstorms
A hailstorm is an unusual weather phenomenon in which balls of ice, called hail, fall
from the sky. The ice balls are nothing more than solid precipitation that will form under
certain conditions. Hail is formed at high altitudes within massive clouds when supercooled
water droplets adhere to each other and form layers of ice. The average velocity of a falling
hailstone is approximately 106 miles per hour (mph).

● Ice storms

An ice storm is a type of winter storm characterized by freezing rain, also known as

a glaze event or, in some parts of the United States, as a silver thaw. The U.S. National Weather
Service defines an ice storm as a storm which results in the accumulation of at least 0.25-
inch (6.4 mm) of ice on exposed surfaces. From 1982 to 1994, ice storms were more common
than blizzards in the U.S., averaging 16 per year. They are generally not violent storms but
instead are commonly perceived as gentle rains occurring at temperatures just below
freezing
Nuclear disaster, chemical disasters and biological disaster.
NUCLEAR DISASTERS.
A nuclear andradiation accident is defined bytheInternational Atomic Energy Agency
as "an event that has led to significant consequences to the people, the environment or the
facility."
CHEMICAL DISASTER 
A chemical disaster is the unintentional release of one or more hazardous substances
which could harm human health and the environment. Chemical hazards are systems where
chemical accidents could occur under certain circumstances. Such events include
fires, explosions, leakages or release of toxic or hazardous materials that can cause people
illness, injury, or disability.

While chemical accidents may occur whenever toxic materials are

stored, transported or used, the most severe are industrial accidents, involving major chemical
manufacturing and storage facilities. The most dangerous chemical accident in recorded
history was the 1984 Bhopal gas tragedy in India, in which more than 3,000 people had died
after a highly toxic vapour, (methyl isocyanate), was released at a Union
Carbide Pesticides factory.

Biological hazards
Biological hazards refer to biological substances that pose a threat to the health
of living organisms, primarily that of humans. This can include samples of
a microorganism, virus or toxin (from a biological source) that can affect human health. It
can also include substances harmful to other animals.