Types of Natural Disasters and Their Consequences

Introduction

Natural disasters are varied and widespread. A few examples of natural disasters are: earthquakes, floods, tsunamis, hurricanes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, avalanches, heat waves, ice ages, meteor strikes, drought, wild fires, epidemics, famines, weather disasters and others.

What are some weather disasters that you know? Are you familiar with all of them?

 

METEOROLOGICAL QUIZ

What is the difference between a natural hazard and a natural disaster?

A) They are exactly the same.

B) A hazard is what could happen, a disaster is after it has an impact on humans.

C) A disaster is what could happen, a hazard is after it has an impact on humans.

D) Hurricanes and tsunamis are natural disasters, but earthquakes and volcanoes are hazards.

Which is the best way you can help prepare for natural disasters?

A) Watch your pets for any unusual behavior.

B) Always carry a pint of water with you.

C) Keep the windows of your house closed at all times.

D) Make an emergency supply kit with your family.

Why is it beneficial to be able to predict when and where natural hazards will occur?

A) Communities can be notified to evacuate.

B) So that we can stop them from happening again.

C) So that scientists know where to go in order to study them.

D) So that we can harness their power for renewable energy.

What is the center of the hurricane called?

A) belly

B) eye wall

C) eye

D) circle

5. Hurricanes gather _______ and ______ through contact with warm ocean waters.

A) sand, dust

B) fish, plants

C) heat, Sun

D) heat, energy

6. The heavy waves of a hurricane are called ___________.

A) storm surge

B) wave storms

C) thunderstorms

D) tsunamis

What technologies currently exist to mitigate the effect of hurricanes?

A) There is currently no technology.

B) Build buildings in circles with surrounding walls.

C) Build buildings out of renewable resources.

D) Elevate buildings and cities; build flood walls.

What is the best way to collect data from a hurricane?

A) satellite images

B) flying an airplane into the storm

C) ocean buoys

D) ground stations

9. Strange animal behavior, such as toads fleeing an area, could be an indicator that ____________ is about to occur.

A) a volcanic eruption

B) a tsunami

C) a hurricane

D) an earthquake

What is a drought?

A) Shortage/deficiency of water

B) Too much precipitation

C) Too much people using water

D) Strong winds

2. Vocabulary. Meteorological crossword.

3. Vocabulary. Natural disasters.What causes each one?Match the words and the descriptions.

 

Drought           A - large amount of water that an area which is usually dry gets

Flood                      B - a period of time with no rain

Tornado           C - a huge wave caused by an earthquake which flows onto

Tsunami                  land

Earthquake       D - a violent wind storm which consists of a tall column of air

Cyclone                  spinning around very fast

Hurricane          E - a violent tropical storm in which the air goes round and

Avalanche              round

                             F - shaking of the ground

                             G - a large mass of snow falling down the side of a mountain

                            H - an extremely violent wind or storm

                                                      

4. Vocabulary. Choose the correct word from the list below to complete the sentences: blizzard, drought, hurricanes, tsunami, earthquakes, volcanic eruption, forest fire, desertification, avalanche, flood.

 

1. During the _________ in Montroc, France, in 1999, twelve people were buried under 100,000 tons of snow five meters in depth.

2. Last year a severe _________ ruined the crops, the soil was dry as a bone.

3. In 2008 the _________ was the worst natural disaster to ever strike Thailand, the giant wave caused lots of deaths and major damage to the economy of the country.

4. The most common type of _________ occurs when magma is released from beneath the earth, which is usually accompanied by ash and gases.

5. In January _________ conditions made roads in Germany almost impassible, the snowstorm had been raging for more than a week.

6. 2011 Irene was by far one of the most destructive and deadly _________ ever to hit the USA with windspeed reaching up to 120 miles per hour.

7. The _________ was raging for two weeks in Russia, the large tract of relict trees was completely burnt away.

8. _________ takes place in drylands where the earth is fragile and vulnerable to erosion and soil degradation.

9. Annual _________ damage can be eliminated by moving houses further from the river.

10. The series of devastating _________ with a magnitude of 7.0 or above on the Richter scale caused significant damage to Japan in 2011.

 

5. Vocabulary. Put the right words into the right column:

calm, cacophony, eruption, stillness, clamor, hush, noise, tranquility, racket, roar, outbreak, rest, outburst, disorder, peace, quiet, tizzy, fever, order

Words Related to Hurricane	Near Antonyms of Hurricane

Grammar revision.

a) Explain the difference of using ing-forms in the sentences below. Find more ing-forms in the text below. What parts of speech are they? Translate them into Russian.

1. From point of origin, the storm follows a northerly direction, only affecting small islands.

2. Scientists have been studying the changes in typhoon intensity over the past several decades.

3. Deepening of the ocean mixed layer is likely the major reason for the sudden increase in the proportion of intense typhoons in 2001.

 

b) Explain the difference of using ed-forms in the sentences below. Find more ed-forms in the text. Translate them into Russian.

1. A tropical cyclone is a generic term used by meteorologists to describe a rotating, organized system of clouds and thunderstorms that originates over tropical or subtropical waters and has closed, low-level circulation.

2. Hurricanes are categorized 1 to 5 according to the Saffir-Simpson scale, which is based on wind speed.

3. The scientists used computer simulations to compare each factor with observed tropical cyclone intensities in the western North Pacific basin for each year from 1980-2015.

 

c) Explain the difference of using the verb HAVE (HAS) in the sentences below:

1. A tropical cyclone is a generic term used by meteorologists to describe a rotating, organized system of clouds and thunderstorms that originates over tropical or subtropical waters and has closed, low-level circulation.

2. Scientists have been studying the changes in typhoon intensity over the past several decades, but the reasons for the increase in typhoon intensity is still a subject of controversy, according to Wu.

3. The deepening of the ocean mixed layer is just one of many substantial changes to atmospheric and ocean circulations that have occurred in the western North Pacific since 2000 as a result of climate change, according to the researchers.

 

7. Reading. Read the text quickly. What is the main idea? What influences the names of natural disasters?