NATURAL DISASTERS

DEFENITION
A

natural disaster is the effect of a natural hazard(e.g. flood, volcanic eruption, earthquake, or landslide) that affects the environment, and leads to financial, environmental and/or human losses.

LAND MOVEMENT EARTHQUAKE AVALANCHES VOLCANOS LANDSLIDE & MUDFLOW WATER DISASTERS TSUNAMI FLOODS LIMNIC ERUPTIONS

TYPES

WEATHER DISASTERS CYCLONIC STORMS HAILSTORMS BLIZZARDS HEAT WAVES DROUGHT

Natural disasters
HEALTH & DISEASE EPIDEMIC SPACE DISASTERS GAMMA RAYS BURST IMPACT EVENTS SOLAR FLARES SUPER & HYPER NOVA FAMINES

LAND MOVEMENT DISASTERS:EARTHQUAKES

EARTHQUAKES

It occurs when the massive tectonic plates that make up the earths crust suddenly move. They are recorded with a seismometer, also known as a seismograph. Magnitude 3 or lower earthquakes being mostly imperceptible and magnitude 7 causing serious damage over large areas. Many earthquakes occur on the northeast coast of Asia. This is at the boundary of 2 of the earths plates. Shock waves can travel right through the earth to the other side. It is strongest at the epicenter. The focus is usually deep inside the earth.

CAUSES

At transform faults, where two plates are moving in opposite directions, the jagged edges of two plates may lock together. Stress builds up within the plates, until suddenly they slip, making the ground shake violently as they jolt into a new position. Deep earthquakes take place when one plate is sliding under another.

CAUSES

While most earthquakes are caused by movement of the Earth's tectonic plates, human activity can also produce earthquakes. Four main reasons contribute to this phenomenon: constructing large dams and buildings, drilling and injecting liquid into wells, and by coal mining and oil drilling.

IMPORTANT TERMS

FOCUS: It is the point at which an earthquake begins. EPICENTER: It is the point on the earths surface directly above the focus. TECTONIC PLATES: The earths crust, or lithosphere, is made up of vast pieces of rock called tectonic plates. EARTHQUAKE FAULT ZONES: Most earthquakes occur on or near to the edges of the earths tectonic plates.

IMPACTS

When a large earthquake epicenter is located offshore, the seabed sometimes suffers sufficient displacement to cause a tsunami. The shaking in earthquakes can also trigger landslides and occasionally volcanic activity. Soil liquefaction occurs when, because of the shaking, water-saturated granular material (such as sand) temporarily loses its strength and transforms from a solid to a liquid. Soil liquefaction may cause rigid structures, as buildings or bridges, to tilt or sink into the liquefied deposits.

IMPACTS

Earthquakes may result in disease, lack of basic necessities, loss of life, higher insurance premiums, general property damage, road and bridge damage, and collapse of buildings or destabilization of the base of buildings; this may lead to collapse in future earthquakes. Ground rupture is a visible breaking and displacement of the Earth's surface along the trace of the fault, which may be of the order of several metres in the case of major earthquakes

There are ways to protect & prepare possible sites of earthquakes from severe damage, through the following processes: Earthquake engineering Earthquake preparedness Household seismic safety Seismic retrofit (including special fasteners, materials, and techniques) Seismic hazard Mitigation of seismic motion Earthquake prediction Pyramid shaped building are built to withstand stress.

PREPERATION

EARTHQUAKE FACTS

The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, the second largest earthquake in recorded history, registering a moment magnitude of 9.3. The huge tsunamis triggered by this earthquake cost the lives of at least 229,000 people. The 7.6-7.7 2005 Kashmir earthquake, which cost 79,000 lives in Pakistan. The 7.7 magnitude July 2006 Java earthquake, which also triggered tsunamis The 7.9 magnitude May 12, 2008 Sichuan earthquake in Sichuan Province, China. Death toll at over 61,150 as of May 27, 2008

VOLCANOES

VOLCANOES

A volcanic eruption takes place hot, molten rock called magma rises up from deep inside the earth and forces its way to the surface. The magma may erupt as a flow of red-hot lava, or explode into clouds of ash, rock, and dust. In general, they occur near plate boundaries or under the ocean at plate edges. Hot-spot volcanoes, however, burst through the middle of plate; they are not related to plate margins.

TYPES

FISSURE VOLCANO: It is a long crack in the crust. Runny lava seeps out along its length and forms a plateau. SHIELD VOLCANO: It usually has several side vents. The lava is runny and produces gently sloping sides. COMPOSITE VOLCANO: Cone shaped lava build up from hardening sticky lava. Inside are layers of thick lava and ash from previous eruptions. Gas builds up pressure inside the volcano until it erupts violently.

IMPORTANT TERMS

Lava may be produced during the eruption of a volcano a material consisting of superheated rock. There are several different forms which may be either crumbly or gluey. Leaving the volcano this destroys any buildings and plants it encounters. Volcanic ash - generally meaning the cooled ash - may form a cloud, and settle thickly in nearby locations. When mixed with water this forms a concrete like material. In sufficient quantity ash may cause roofs to collapse under its weight but even small quantities will cause ill health if inhaled. Since the ash has the consistency of ground glass it causes abrasion damage to moving parts such as engines. Pyroclastic flows consist of a cloud of hot volcanic ash which builds up in the air above under its own weight and streams very rapidly from the mountain burning anything in its path. It is believed that Pompeii was destroyed by a pyroclastic flow.

LANDSLIDE

It is the descent of a mass of earth and rock down a mountain slope. It may occur when water from rain and melting snow sinks through the earth on top of a slope, seeps through cracks and pore spaces in underlying sandstone, and encounters a layer of slippery material, such as shale or clay, inclined towards the valley. The water collects along the upper surface of this layer which it softens. If the support is sufficiently weakened, a mass of earth and rock slides down a steep slope can cause great destruction across a wide area of habitable land and sometimes cause floods by damming up bodies of water.

CAUSES

DEFORESTATION. HEAVY RAINFALL. SEVERE STORMS. VOLCANIC ACTIVITY. EARTHQUAKES. COASTAL WAVE ATTACK. RAPID DEVELOPMENT OF HILL AREAS.

FACTS

On august 12,1991 heavy rains caused a landslide in a mountainous region of Uttar Pradesh that killed 42 people. One week later, the rains caused more landslides in the region, killing at least 300 people, including about 60 pilgrims on their way to a Hindu temple. Landslides are common in the Nilgris.

WATER DISASTERS:-

TSUNAMI

TSUNAMI

It is a series of water waves (called a tsunami wave train) that is caused when a large volume of a body of water, such as an ocean, is rapidly displaced. Many early geological, geographical, and oceanographic texts refer to tsunamis as "seismic sea waves."

CAUSES

Earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and other underwater explosions (detonations of nuclear devices at sea), landslides and other mass movements, bolide impacts, and other disturbances above or below water all have the potential to generate a tsunami. It can be generated when convergent or destructive plate boundaries abruptly move and vertically displace the overlying water. Subduction zone related earthquakes generate the majority of all tsunamis.

SIGNS OF AN APPROACHING TSUNAMI

If the first part of a tsunami to reach land is a trough (draw back) rather than a crest of the wave, the water along the shoreline may recede dramatically, exposing areas that are normally always submerged. This can serve as an advance warning of the approaching tsunami which will rush in faster than it is possible to run. since earthquakes are often causes of tsunami, any earthquake occurring near a body of water may generate a tsunami if it occurs at shallow depth, is of moderate or high magnitude, and the water volume and depth is sufficient.

CHARATERISTICS

This wave travels at well over 800 km/hr, but due to the enormous wavelength the wave oscillation at any given point takes 20 or 30 mins to complete a cycle & has an amplitude of only about 1 m (3.3 ft ). While everyday wind waves have a wavelength (from crest to crest) of about 100 m (330 ft) & a height of roughly 2 m (6.6 ft), a tsunami in the deep ocean has a wavelength of about 200 km (120 mi). As it approaches the coast & the waters become shallow, the wave is compressed due to wave shoaling & its forward travel slows below 80 km/hr. Its wavelength diminishes to less than 20 km(12 mi) & its amplitude grows enormously, producing a distinctly visible wave.

PREPERATION
SEA WALLS can be built

Tsunami hazard zone boards can be placed.

TSUNAMI FACT

MARINA BEACH, CHENNAI after the 26th,december,2004.

FLOODS

It is a rapid flooding of geomorphic low-lying areas washes, rivers and streams. It is caused by heavy rain associated with a thunderstorm, hurricane, or tropical storm Flooding occurs when the ground becomes saturated with water that has fallen too quickly to be absorbed. The runoff collects in low-lying areas and rapidly flows downhill. In areas on or near volcanic mountains, floods have also occurred after eruptions, when glaciers have been melted by the intense heat. It can also occur after the collapse of an ice dam, or a human structure, such as a dam.

FACTS

Torrential rains during 1991 in India's northern state of Uttar Pradesh caused flooding that has killed more than 1000 people and forced millions from their homes also 5 million acres of farmland have flooded, destroying more than $1 billion in crops. Floods occur every year in Assam and orissa.

WEATHER DISASTERS:-

CYCLONES

DEFINITION

It is a region of low atmospheric pressure surrounded by a wind system blowing, in a counter clockwise direction. It has been loosely applied to a storm & disturbance attending such pressure systems, particularly the violent tropical hurricanes & the typhoons, which centre on areas of usually low pressure.

TYPES

POLAR CYCLONE:A polar, sub-polar, or Arctic cyclone is a vast area of low pressure which strengthens in the winter and weakens in the summer POLAR LOWS: It is a small-scale, short-lived atmospheric depression that is found over the ocean areas poleward of the main polar front in both the Northern & Southern Hemispheres EXTRATROPICAL:It is a synoptic scale low pressure weather system that has neither tropical nor polar characteristics, being connected with fronts and horizontal gradients in temperature & dew point. SUBTROPICAL:It is a weather system that has some characteristics of a tropical & some of an extratropical cyclone.

TYPES

TROPICAL:A tropical cyclone is a storm system characterized by a low pressure center and numerous thunderstorms that produce strong winds and flooding rain. A tropical cyclone feeds on heat released when moist air rises, resulting in condensation of water vapour contained in the moist air. It includes hurricanes, tornados.

THE DECADES GREATEST NATURAL DISASTERS.

Sichuan earthquake The Sichuan earthquake or the Great Sichuan Earthquake was a deadly earthquake that measured at 8.0 and 7.9 on Richter scale occurred on May 12, 2008 in Sichuan province of China and killed at least 68,000. The earthquake left about 4.8 million people homeless, though the number could be as high as 11 million. It was the deadliest earthquake to hit China since the 1976 Tangshan earthquake, which killed at least 240,000 people

Cyclone Nargis Cyclone Nargis was a strong tropical cyclone that caused the worst natural disaster in the recorded history of Myanmar. The cyclone made landfall in the country on May 2, 2008, causing catastrophic destruction and at least 146,000 fatalities with thousands more people still missing. Damage was estimated at over $10 billion, which made it the most damaging cyclone ever recorded in this basin.

Indian Ocean earthquake The Indian Ocean earthquake (Tsunami) was an undersea mega thrust earthquake that occurred on December 26, 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of Sumatra, Indonesia. The earthquake killed more than 225,000 people in 11 countries, and inundating coastal communities with waves up to 30 meters high. With a magnitude of between 9.1 and 9.3, it was one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history. It caused the entire planet to vibrate as much as 1

Hurricane Ike Hurricane Ike (September 13, 2008) was the third most destructive hurricane to ever make landfall in the United States. Ike was blamed for at least 195 deaths. Damages from Ike in US coastal and inland areas are estimated at $24 billion, with additional damage of $7.3 billion in Cuba, $200 million in the Bahamas, and $500 million in the Turks and Caicos, amounting to a total of $32 billion in damages.

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina (August 29, 2005) was the costliest hurricane, as well as one of the five deadliest, in the history of the United States. The most severe loss of life and property damage occurred in New Orleans, Louisiana, which flooded as the levee system catastrophically failed; in many cases hours after the storm had moved inland. At least 1,836 people lost their lives in the actual hurricane and in the subsequent floods. Preliminary damage estimates were well in excess of $100 billion