NAME: ________________________________________ CLASS: __________________________

Natural Disasters.

Natural disasters or natural calamities are extreme forces of nature that causes deaths, destruction and
collateral damages such as tsunami, earthquake, volcano eruption, soil erosion, flood, thunder storm, blizzard,
tornado, avalanche, deforestation, pollution, open burning, drought, famine, plague and etc.

Tsunami:

A tsunami is an extremely large wave in the sea caused by an earthquake. The waves can travel for thousands
of kilometres.
In 2004, the Indian Ocean tsunami caused massive destruction and death in countries like Thailand,
Indonesia, and Sri Lanka. More than 150000 people died and millions were left homeless. It is the deadliest
tsunami in history.
In 2011, Japan was also hit by the fifth most powerful earthquake. It happened in the city of Sendai. It
created waves more than 10 metres high. Many people lost their homes and more than 15000 died.

Volcano Eruption:

A volcano is a mountain with a large opening at the top through which gases and lava are forced out into the
air. Volcanoes happen because the Earth is hot inside. The heat gets too hot and erupts lava through the
opening of the volcano.
Mount Merapi is located at the border between Central Java and Special Region of
Yogyakarta Provinces, Indonesia. It is the most active volcano in Indonesia and has erupted regularly since
1548. It is located approximately 28 kilometres north of Yogyakarta city which has a population of 2.4
millions, and thousands of people live on the flanks of the volcano, with villages as high as 1700 metres above
sea level. Smoke can often be seen emerging from the mountain top, and several eruptions have caused
fatalities. Pyroclastic flow from a large explosion killed 27 people on 22 November 1994, mostly in the town
of Muntilan, west of the volcano. Another large eruption occurred in 2006, shortly before the Yogyakarta
earthquake. In light of the hazards that Merapi poses to populated areas, it has been designated as one of
the Decade Volcanoes. On 20 October 2010, the Indonesian government raised the alert for Mount Merapi to
its highest level and warned villagers in threatened areas to move to safer grounds. People living within the
range of a 20 kilometres zone were told to evacuate. Officials said about 500 volcanic earthquakes had been
recorded on the mountain over the weekend of 23 to 24 October, and that the magma had risen to about 1
kilometre below the surface due to the seismic activity. On the afternoon of 25 October 2010, Mount Merapi
erupted lava from its southern and south-eastern slopes. The mountain was still erupting on 30 November
2010, but due to lowered eruptive activity on 3 December 2010, the official alert status was reduced to level
3. The volcano is now 2930 metres high, 38 metres lower than before the 2010 eruptions. After a large eruption
in 2010, the characteristic shape of Mount Merapi was changed. On 18 November 2013, Mount Merapi
erupted smoke up to 2000 metres high, one of its first major phreatic eruptions after the 2010 eruption.
Researchers said that this eruption occurred due to the combined effect of hot volcanic gases and abundant
rainfall. The most recent eruptions so far was on 3 March 2020 and 27 March 2020.
Mount Pinatubo located in the Philippines erupted in 1991. It was the most devastating of the 20th
century. An ash cloud rose 40 kilometres high. Ash in the air made it dark during the day and caused
temperature to fall. Hundreds lost their lives and thousands lost their home.
Mount St. Helens in the United States of America erupted in 1980. The eruption was the most
spectacular ever seen. A cloud of ash that grew 6000 metres tall covered the sky. The volcano exploded
sideways and travelled up to 30 kilometres away. The eruption killed 57 people.
Mount Vesuvius in Italy is the only active volcano in Europe. It erupted in AD79 and buried a city
called Pompeii. People had little time to escape which meant thousands died as they ran away to save their
lives. Archaeologists found remains of people and animals under the thick layers of ash.
Earthquake:

An earthquake is the result of violent shaking and movements of the Earth’s surface. It causes great
destruction. It happens when the Earth’s crust moves in different directions. These create an energy called
seismic waves. When there is an earthquake, the ground shakes or vibrates. Deep inside the Earth, there are
big movements that cause upheavals. When the movements are strong, they crack open the ground. It is
measured using an instrument called seismometer. It measures and records details of the earthquake such as
the force and duration. During an earthquake, seek a clear space and drop to the ground. Be aware of things
that can fall onto you or hurt you. Always remember to protect your head and neck.

Flood:

A flood is an overflow of water on normally dry ground. This is most commonly due to an overflowing river,
a dam break, snowmelt, or heavy rainfall. Less commonly happening are tsunamis, storm surge,
or coastal flooding. The most deadly flooding was in 1931 in China and killed between 2,000,000 and
4,000,000 people. The Kerala flood in India was another flood that has destroyed thousands of people's
houses. During a flood, people try to move themselves and their most precious belongings to higher ground
quickly. The process of leaving homes in search of a safe place is called flood evacuation. Before flood
happens, people should prepare an emergency kit, know their surroundings, make a plan to save important
documents, stay out of low areas, and identify places to evacuate. During the flood, save yourself first, not
your belongings, stay away from power supply and live wires, turn off the tap and gas tank before leaving
your home, Lock all doors and windows to secure your home, and do not drive. After the flood, wait until it
is safe to return, stay away from power lines, do not enter a building if it is still surrounded by water, wear
proper shoes so that you don’t hurt your feet, and throw away food, medicine and water that has had contact
with flood water.

Answer the questions.

1. Five types of natural disasters are __________, __________, __________, __________ and __________.

2. Tsunami is ____________________________________________________________________________

3. Tsunami 2004 happened _________________________________________________________________

4. Tsunami 2011 happened _________________________________________________________________

5. Volcano eruption happens ________________________________________________________________

6. Five famous volcanoes are ___________, ___________, ___________, ___________ and ___________.

7. Earthquake is __________________________________________________________________________

8. Flood is ______________________________________________________________________________

9. Drought is ____________________________________________________________________________

10. Famine is ____________________________________________________________________________

11. Plague is ____________________________________________________________________________

12. Explain and give examples of endemic, epidemic and pandemic.

_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
ANSWER

1. tsunami, earthquake, flood, storm, drought.

2. an extremely large wave in the sea caused by an earthquake under the sea or sea bed. The waves can travel
for thousands of kilometres and can reach more than 10 metre high.
3. in the Indian Ocean caused massive destruction and death in countries like Thailand, Indonesia, and Sri
Lanka. More than 150000 people died and millions were left homeless. It is the deadliest tsunami in history.
4. in Japan, it was the fifth most powerful earthquake. It happened in the city of Sendai. It created waves more
than 10 metres high. Many people lost their homes and more than 15000 died.
5. because the Earth is hot inside. The heat gets too hot and erupts lava through the opening of the volcano.
6. Merapi, Pinatubo, Saint Helen, Vesuvius, Krakatoa.
7. the result of violent shaking and movements of the Earth’s surface.
8. an overflow of water on normally dry ground.
9. an event of prolonged shortages in the water supply, whether atmospheric, surface water or ground water.
10. a widespread scarcity of food caused by several factors including war, inflation, drought, crop failure,
population imbalance or government policies.
11. an infectious disease caused by bacterium Yersinia pestis. Symptoms include fever, weakness and
headache.
12. Endemic is infection in a population when that infection is constantly maintained at a baseline level in
geographical area without external inputs, for example chickenpox. Epidemic is the rapid spread of disease to
a large number of people in a given population within a short period of time, such as meningococcal infections.
Pandemic is an epidemic of disease that has spread across a large region, for instance multiple continents or
worldwide, affecting a substantial number of people, like Covid-19.