St.

Hilary’s Primary School

2017 – 2018
Name: Class: ( )

Natural Disasters and

Severe Weather Pack
1
 What are Natural Disasters?
Natural disasters are natural events such as floods, earthquakes, or hurricanes that cause great
damage or loss of life.
Natural disasters are changes which are so great they may cause damage to the shape of the land
or to the lives of people and other living things.
Great changes happen deep inside the Earth and on its surface. The changes on the outer part of
the Earth happen because of different kinds of weather.

Activity:
Look at the pictures. Write down what type of natural disasters these are.

1. ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ 2. ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____

3. ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ 4. ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____ ____

2
 Earthquakes
An earthquake is a violent shaking of the ground. Sometimes it is so strong that the ground
splits apart. When parts of the earth, called plates, move against each other giant shock waves
move upwards towards the surface causing the earthquake.

1. What causes earthquakes?

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

2. What damage can be done by earthquakes?

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

_________________________________________

3. What do you call the scale used to measure

earthquakes?
a. Richer Scale

b. Richter Scale

c. Richie Scale

d. Earthquake Scale

3
 Volcanoes
A volcano is a mountain that forces hot gas, rocks, ash and lava into the air through a hole at the
top. Some volcanoes are not immediately dangerous because they are not active and have
become dormant. Others will never be dangerous again because they are completely extinct.

Activity: Draw lines to match the words to the correct definition.

active volcano  A volcano that has had at least one

eruption during the past 10,000
years.

 A volcano that has not had an

erupting volcano eruption for at least 10,000 years and
is not expected to erupt again in a
comparable time scale of the future.

 A volcano that is having an eruption

dormant volcano

 Is an active volcano that is not

erupting, but supposed to erupt
again.
extinct volcano

List down three effects of an erupting volcano on people that live nearby the volcano.
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
4
 Floods
A flood is an overflow of water that submerges land which is usually dry. In other words, a
flood is a covering by water of land not normally covered by water.

1. What can cause floods?

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

2. What damage can be done by flooding?

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

3. List three things you should do if there is a flood in your area.

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________
5
 Typhoons, Cyclones, Hurricanes, Tornadoes
Typhoons, cyclones and hurricanes are different names for the same phenomenon, which is a
cyclonic storm system that forms over the oceans. It is characterized by a low-pressure center,
strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain. If often lasts
for a week or more. It can be up to 600 miles across and have strong winds spiraling inward and
upward at speeds of 75-200mph. It moves between 10-20 miles per hour.

On the other hand, a tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the
surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud. A tornado reaches rotating speeds up to 300
miles per hour, travels between 25-40 miles per hour, and generally lasts for a few minutes
(although it can exist for hours)

Write down differences between tornadoes and typhoons.

Typhoons Tornadoes
- -

.- -
5.Tornadoes happen most often in the Great

- -

6
Activity: Fill in the spaces with the words below and find them in the word-search.
(funnel, vertical, fascinating, dangerous, thunderstorms, tornadoes, rotating, minutes,
summer, unstable)

1. T________ happen when warm air from the Gulf of Mexico mixes with cold air from

Canada, creating u________ conditions.

2. Warm air mixing with cold air can cause v________ columns of r________ air,

accompanied by t________.

3. Tornadoes are f________, but incredibly d________.

4. A f________ cloud is a cone-shaped cloud that doesn’t reach the ground.

5. Most tornadoes last only a few m________.

6. Tornadoes usually happen in the s________ and s________.

7
 Tsunamis
A tsunami is a series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of a large volume of
water, generally in an ocean or a large lake. It is caused by an underwater earthquake, landslide
or volcanic eruption. These waves can reach heights of over 100 ft.

1. What causes a tsunami?

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

2. What damage can be done by a tsunami?

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

3. Find a specific example of this type of disaster. When did it happen? Where? What
damage was done?
_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________
8
_________________________________________________________________________
 Think About It
Natural disasters can often have devastating effects.

1. Can natural disasters be prevented? If so, which ones? How?

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

2. What kinds of assistance do people need after natural disasters?

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

3. How can other people help?

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

4. What kinds of global disaster alerts and communication infrastructure can help mitigate
the effects of natural disasters?
_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________
9
 Revision of Natural Disasters
Activity: Draw an illustration of the following natural disasters.

Volcano Earthquake

Tornado Flood

Activity: Draw lines to match the words to the correct definition.

flood  A violent shaking of the ground

 A series of waves in a water body caused by the displacement of

tsunami a large volume of water, generally in an ocean or a large lake.

 A rapidly rotating storm system characterized by a low-pressure

typhoon
center, strong winds and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms

that produce heavy rain.

earthquake
 An overflow of water
10
that submerges land which is usually dry.
 Reading Comprehension – Volcanoes
A volcano erupts when magma or an amount of lava finds a fissure or an opening in the Earth’s surface and shoots

out, usually along with a certain amount of gas and ash. Volcano eruptions are caused by shifts of the Earth’s

surface resulting in the formation of mountains and islands and other geological formations. You are going to

have volcanic activity in places where you have hotspots for seismic activity, specifically in places where tectonic

plates are being pushed together or pulled apart. One example would be the Pacific Ring of Fire, which is around

the edges of the Pacific Ocean. There, you have a lot of seismic activity and as a result, a lot of volcanoes. The

most common kind of volcanic formation is the ‘cinder cone’. ‘Cinder cone’ volcanoes often only erupt once and

they form a small hill or mountain. Another common kind of volcanic formation is the ‘stratovolcano’, and it is

characterized by multiple eruptions and lava that hardens before it flows very far. They usually result in tall

mountains. A ‘shield volcano’ is formed by low viscosity lava. Low viscosity lava is able to flow a long way

before it hardens.

Answer the following questions:

1. When does a volcano erupt?

____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

2. Where is the Pacific Ring of Fire?

____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

3. Write down three types of volcanoes.

____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________

11