Watch this video to learn about the various kinds of natural disasters that can occur in the world. Each can be quite powerful and cause severe damage to the environment and the people who live there.
Hurricane, Typhoons & Cyclones
By definition, a natural disaster is an event that is caused by the natural forces of the earth and results in great damage and possibly loss of life. Each year, the earth experiences natural disasters. When natural disasters occur in heavily populated areas, a lot of people may lose their lives.
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A recent example is the Italian earthquake of 2016, where over 200 people died. The deadliest of all earthquakes happened in 1556 in China, where approximately 830,000 people lost their lives.Let’s now take a look at the different types of natural disasters that can happen.
Earthquakes
We’ll begin with earthquakes. An earthquake occurs when the earth releases pent-up energy and causes the ground to shake. Earth’s ground is made up of several very large pieces of land called tectonic plates. Most earthquakes occur when these plates rub against each other in some way. These same plates also create mountains when they push against each other.
As the mountains are formed, earthquakes may be felt. Sometimes, people cause earthquakes when they do mine blasts or nuclear tests.
Hurricanes, Typhoons, and Cyclones
Hurricanes, typhoons, and cyclones refer to the same weather phenomenon, where a really large storm swirls in circles. You’ll see the cloud of the storm turning in a spiral, touch down on the ground, and then reach toward the sky. When a storm reaches a wind speed of over 74 miles per hour, it gets classified as a hurricane, typhoon, or cyclone depending on where the storm is located. The storm is called a hurricane if it happens in the Atlantic and northern Pacific.
If the storm occurs in the northwestern part of the Pacific, then it is called a typhoon. In the southwestern Pacific and the Indian Ocean, the same type of storm is called a cyclone.
Tsunamis
A tsunami consists of huge waves caused by either an underwater earthquake or volcanic eruption. In Japanese, the word means ‘harbor wave.
‘ These waves can get as high as 100 feet and aren’t the gentle waves that you surf on. No, these are destructive waves that can knock down buildings, trees, and anything else in their path.
Floods
A flood is an overflow of water that covers the earth. This overflow can damage buildings and cars in its path. In a severe flood, the water can seep into houses and completely cover them, ruining everything. And, if people get caught up in the flood, they can be washed away with the flood and drown.
Mudslides
Mudslides occur when the ground gets so wet that whatever dirt is on the ground turns into a liquid mass and flows, like a flood, rapidly down a steep slope.
When people or animals get caught up in the mudslide, it becomes very difficult to get out, as the mud drags them down. If not rescued, they may die.
Avalanches
An avalanche is when you have a bunch of snow, ice, or rocks falling rapidly down a slope, usually a mountainside. You might have seen movies where someone is standing next to a mountain with a bunch of snow on top.
He or she yells out something and then you see all the snow tumble down the slope toward him or her. That’s an avalanche. Avalanches can bury people and animals alive.
Hailstorms and Blizzards
Hailstorms and blizzards are storms, too. Even though they aren’t as strong as hurricanes and typhoons, they can still cause quite a bit of damage. A hailstorm is a storm where you get hail, or chunks of falling ice, instead of rain and snow. Sometimes, hailstorms can produce hail the size of baseballs.
As they fall from the sky, they can significantly damage windows, cars, and roofs. In 2016, Texas experienced a hailstorm where the hail was larger than baseballs. These pieces of hail caused a lot of damage. A blizzard is a storm with a lot of falling snow and high winds. You may get so much snow that you can’t open your front door. Since the roads are covered in several feet of snow, you can’t drive. If you are caught in a blizzard, you can also get buried alive.
Volcanic Eruptions
Another type of natural disaster is a volcanic eruption, which is when the earth releases its pent-up energy in the form of steam and molten lava through a hole in the ground called a volcano. These usually look like little mountains. Hawaii, as of 2016, has active volcanoes. The molten lava that spews out doesn’t always just flow out during a volcanic eruption; it can literally explode out. Molten lava is hot! It’s so hot, in fact, that it turns bright orange or red and burns everything it touches. In the year 79 CE, a volcanic eruption buried and destroyed the whole city of Pompeii in Italy. This volcanic eruption spewed out 13 to 20 feet of volcanic ash.
Wildfires
Yet another type of natural disaster is the wildfire. Wildfires can be caused by heat in the dry summer months, as grasses dry up, die, and become easily combustible. In 2016, both southern and northern California experienced huge wildfires that destroyed homes. In August of 2016, San Bernardino experienced a wildfire where more than 82,000 people had evacuation orders.
This fire covered over 15,000 acres!
Lesson Summary
Let’s review. A natural disaster is an event that is caused by the natural forces of the Earth where great damage and, sometimes, loss of life occurs. Natural disasters can take many forms, ranging from earthquakes and tsunamis, to floods and volcanic eruptions, to mudslides and wildfires.Here is a table summarizing the different kinds of natural disasters mentioned in this lesson.
| Natural Disaster | Description |
|---|---|
| Earthquake | Shaking ground |
| Hurricane, Typhoon, Cyclone | Giant swirling storm |
| Tsunami | Huge waves |
| Flood | Overflow of water |
| Mudslide | Wet, rapidly moving earth |
| Avalanche | Rapidly sliding and falling snow |
| Hailstorm | Falling chunks of ice |
| Blizzard | Huge amounts of falling snow |
| Volcanic Eruption | Explosion of steam and lava |
| Wildfire | Fire in rural areas |
Characteristics of Natural Disasters
 |
- May be caused by natural forces
- Usually cause significant damage and, sometimes, loss of life
- Can develop as earthquakes, floods, wildfires, and avalanches
Learning Outcomes
Completion of this lesson on natural disasters could correspond with your ability to:
- Write the definition of the term ‘natural disaster’
- Name and elaborate on the types of natural disasters
