How Natural Disasters Impact the

Environment
Can you name some natural
disasters?
•Earthquakes
•Hurricanes
•Lightning
•Fire
•Tsunami
•Tornados
•Volcanoes
•Blizzards
•Floods
•Heat
•Drought
What You’ll Learn

During this PowerPoint you are going to about

11 natural disasters. You will see some
statistical information about how each
disaster impacts man. Afterwards, you’ll be a
researcher to learn how natural disasters
affect the environment.
Earthquake

A sudden movement of the earth's crust

caused by the release of stress collected
along faults or by volcanic activity

Earthquake Statistics http://neic.usgs.gov/neis/eqlists/eqstats.html

Earthquake Video http://video.nationalgeographic.com/video/player/environment/environment-
natural-disasters/earthquakes/earthquake-101.html
Richter Earthquake
Magnitudes Effects
Less than Generally not felt, but recorded.
3.5
3.5-5.4 Often felt, but rarely causes damage.
Under 6.0 At most slight damage to well-designed buildings.
Can cause major damage to poorly constructed
buildings over small regions.
6.1-6.9 Can be destructive in areas up to about 100
kilometers across where people live.
7.0-7.9 Major earthquake. Can cause serious damage
over larger areas.
8 or Great earthquake. Can cause serious damage in
greater areas several hundred kilometers across.
Frequency of Occurrence of
Earthquakes

Magnitude Average Annually

8 and higher 1
7 - 7.9 17
6 - 6.9 134
5 - 5.9 1319
4 - 4.9 13,000 (estimated)

3 - 3.9 130,000 (estimated)

2 - 2.9 1,300,000 (estimated)

 Number of Earthquakes in the
United States for 2000 - 2009
Magnitude 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
.

8.0 to 9.9 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
7.0 to 7.9 0 1 1 2 0 1 0 1 0 0
6.0 to 6.9 6 5 4 7 2 4 7 9 9 2
5.0 to 5.9 63 41 63 54 25 47 51 72 85 26
4.0 to 4.9 281 290 536 541 284 345 346 366 432 172
3.0 to 3.9 917 842 1535 1303 1362 1475 1213 1137 1485 745
2.0 to 2.9 660 646 1228 704 1336 1738 1145 1173 1579 1199
1.0 to 1.9 0 2 2 2 1 2 7 11 14 12
0.1 to 0.9 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1
No Magnitude 415 434 507 333 540 73 13 22 20 10
.

Total 2342 2261 3876 2946 3550 3685 2783 2791 3624 2167
.

Estimated Deaths 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0
Worldwide Earthquake
Related Deaths for
2000 - 2009

2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Estimated
231 21357 1685 33819 228802 82364 6605 712 88011 369
Deaths
Hurricane

If winds reach 74 mph, then they are called:

 "hurricane" (the North Atlantic Ocean, the Northeast
Pacific Ocean east of the dateline, or the South Pacific
Ocean east of 160E)
 "typhoon" (the Northwest Pacific Ocean west of the
dateline)
 "severe tropical cyclone" (the Southwest Pacific Ocean
west of 160E or Southeast Indian Ocean east of 90E)
 "severe cyclonic storm" (the North Indian Ocean)
 "tropical cyclone" (the Southwest Indian Ocean)
Hurricane Statistics http://www.mthurricane.com/Information.htm
Top 10 Deadliest Hurricanes
(Atlantic)
Rank Hurricane Name Year Category Deaths

1 Texas (Galveston) 1900 4 8000

2 FL (Lake Okeechobee) 1928 4 1836
3 Hurricane Katrina 2005 3 1500
4 Florida Keys 1919 4 600
5 New England 1938 3 600
6 Florida Keys (Labor Day) 1935 5 408
7 Audrey 1957 4 390
8 NE United States 1944 3 390
9 LA (Grand Isle) 1909 4 350
10 LA (New Orleans) 1915 4 275
 Most Expensive Hurricanes
(Atlantic)
Rank Hurricane Name Year Category Damage (U.S.)
1 Hurricane Katrina 2005 3 $81,000,000,000
2 Hurricane Andrew 1992 5 $26,500,000,000
3 Hurricane Wilma 2005 3 $20,600,000,000
4 Hurricane Ike 2008 2 $18,000,000,000
5 Hurricane Charley 2004 4 $15,000,000,000
6 Hurricane Ivan 2004 3 $14,200,000,000
7 Hurricane Rita 2005 3 $11,300,000,000
8 Hurricane Frances 2004 2 $8,900,000,000
9 Hurricane Hugo 1989 4 $7,000,000,000
10 Hurricane Jeanne 2004 3 $6,900,000,000
11 Tropical Storm Allison 2001 T.S. $5,000,000,000
12 Hurricane Floyd 1999 2 $4,500,000,000
Note: Damages are listed in US dollars and are not adjusted for inflation.
Lightning

a brilliant electric spark discharge in the

atmosphere, occurring within a thundercloud,
between clouds, or between a cloud and the
ground

Lightning Statistics http://www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov/fatalities.htm

 Lightening Fatalities in 2009
No. Date Day State City Age Sex Location Activity Victim
1 3/15 Sun TX Port Aransas 63 M On beach Walking to vehicle Stan Grassel
2 4/25 Sat KS Perry 45 M Highway Riding motorcycle Troy Gentzler
3 5/6 Wed MN St. Cloud 42 M Back yard Yard work Chad Giroux
4 5/16 Sat MS Yazoo County 16 M Corn field Andrew Williams
5 6/3 Wed CA Fontana 40 F Under tree Walking to bus Tina Marie Bond
6 6/3 Wed VA Fredericksburg 12 M Ball field Playing baseball Chelal Matos
7 6/3 Wed TX Crystal Beach 33 M Beach Jogging Isaias Lara-Matinez
8 6/3 Wed CA Portola 70 F Near tree Yard work MaryAnn Heald
9 6/5 Fri CO Evans 21 M Open field Walking Efrain Trevizo-
Molina
10 6/8 Mon FL Coral Springs 53 M In yard Trimming grass Dessalines Oleus
11 6/8 Mon NC Fairview 65 M In field Clearing brush Donald Michael
Lynch
12 6/10 Wed KY Shelbyville 44 M Under tree Waiting for car ride Brian Larsh
13 6/11 Thu IN Indianapolis 10 M Near tree Camping, going to car Jeremiah Miller
14 6/11 Thu FL Sebring 32 M Near tree Golfing Pierre Hyppolite
15 6/17 Wed MO Columbia 23 F Open Field Fishing Georgette Tillett
16 6/27 Sat PR Moca 43 M Outside Home Cutting lawn Antonio Cruz
Mangual
17 7/1 Wed MA Orleans 41 M Boat Shellfishing Christopher West
Fire

a burning mass of material

Fire Statistics http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/statistics/

The Overall Fire
Picture - 2007
 There were 3,430 civilians that lost their lives as the result of
fire.
 There were 17,675 civilian injuries that occurred as the
result of fire.
 There were 118 firefighters killed while on duty.
 Fire killed more Americans than all natural disasters
combined.
 84 percent of all civilian fire deaths occurred in residences.
 There were an estimated 1.6 million fires in 2007.
 Direct property loss due to fires was estimated at $14.6
billion.
 An estimated 32,500 intentionally set structure fires resulted
in 295 civilian deaths.
 Intentionally set structure fires resulted in an estimated $733
million in property damage.
Tsunami

an unusually large sea wave produced by a

seaquake or undersea volcanic eruption

Tsunami Statistics http://wcatwc.arh.noaa.gov/tsustats.pdf

Damaging Tsunamis
vs Non-damaging Tsunamis
- Worldwide
Volcano

a vent in the earth's crust through which lava,

steam, ashes, etc., are expelled, either
continuously or at irregular intervals

Volcano Statistics
http://www.epicdisasters.com/index.php/site/comments/the_worlds_worst_volcanic_eruptions/
Deadliest Volcanic
Eruptions
Location Date Death Toll
Mt. Tambora, Indonesia April 10 - 15, 1816 92,000

Mt. Pelee, West Indies April 25 - May 8, 1902 40,000

Mt. Krakatoa, Indonesia August 26 - 28, 1883 36,000

Nevado del Ruiz, November 13, 1985 23,000

Columbia
Mt. Unzen, Japan 1792 12,000 - 15,000

Mt. Vesuvius, Italy April 24, AD 79 10,000+

The Laki Volcanic System, June 8, 1783 - February 9350

Iceland 1784
Blizzard
A violent snowstorm with winds blowing at a
minimum speed of 35 miles per hour and
visibility of less than one-quarter mile for
three hours

Top Blizzards in US
 http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0886098.html
 http://nsidc.org/snow/blizzard/storms.html
Top 10 Deadliest Blizzards
Death Toll Event Location Date
4,000 Iran Blizzard Iran 1972
1,337 2008 Afghanistan blizzard Afghanistan 2008
400 Great Blizzard of 1888 United States 1888
318 1993 North American Storm Complex United States 1993

235 Schoolhouse Blizzard United States 1888

199 Hakkōda Mountains incident Japan 1902
144 Armistice Day Blizzard United States 1940
133 2008 Chinese winter storms China 2008
112 1995 Kazakh Blizzard Kazakhstan 1995
54 Blizzard of 1978 United States 1978
Flood
A temporary rise of the water level, as in a river
or lake or along a seacoast, resulting in its
spilling over and out of its natural or artificial
confines onto land that is normally dry.
Floods are usually caused by excessive
runoff from precipitation or snowmelt, or by
coastal storm surges or other tidal
phenomena.

Flood Statistics http://www.floodsafety.com/national/life/statistics.htm

Top 10 deadliest floods
and landslides

Death Toll Event Location Date

2,500,000–3,700,000 1931 China floods China 1931

900,000–2,000,000 1887 Yellow River (Huang He) flood China 1887

500,000–700,000 1938 Yellow River (Huang He) flood China 1938

231,000 Banqiao Dam failure, result of Typhoon Nina. China 1975

Approximately 86,000 people died from flooding
and another 145,000 died during subsequent
disease.
145,000 1935 Yangtze river flood China 1935

more than 100,000 St. Felix's Flood, storm surge Netherlands 1530

100,000 Hanoi and Red River Delta flood North Vietnam 1971

100,000 1911 Yangtze river flood China 1911

50,000–80,000 St. Lucia's flood, storm surge Netherlands 1287

60,000 North Sea flood, storm surge Netherlands 1212

Tornado

A violently rotating column of air extending

from a cumulonimbus cloud to the Earth,
ranging in width from a few meters to more
than a kilometer and whirling at speeds
between 40 and 316 mi per hour.

Tornado Statistics http://www.spc.noaa.gov/climo/online/monthly/newm.html

Latest U.S. Tornado
Statistics
2006 2007 2008 2009 Three Year
Average
Number of 1103 1098 1691 1053 1297
Tornados

Number of 67 81 126 21 91
Tornado Related
Deaths

Number of Killer 25 26 37 9 29
Tornados
Drought

A long period of abnormally low rainfall,

especially one that adversely affects growing
or living conditions.

Statistical Information http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/paleo/drought/drght_alleve.html

Drought Facts

 The cost of losses due to drought in the United

States averages $6-8 billion every year, but range
as high as $39 billion for the three year drought of
1987-1989, which was the most costly natural
disaster documented in U.S. history.
 The two major droughts of the 20th century, the
1930s Dust Bowl drought and the 1950s drought,
lasted five to seven years and covered large areas
of the continental U.S.
Top 10 Droughts Reported -
Economic Damages
Disaster Date Cost
China P Rep 1994 13,755,200,000
Australia 1981 6,000,000,000
Spain 1990 4,500,000,000
United States 2002 3,300,000,000
Iran Islam Rep 1999 3,300,000,000
Spain 1999 3,200,000,000
China P Rep 2006 2,910,000,000
Zimbabwe 1981 2,500,000,000
Australia 2002 2,000,000,000
Brazil 2004 1,650,000,000
Heat Wave

 an air mass of high temperature covering an

extended area and moving relatively slowly
 a period of abnormally hot and usually humid

Statistical Information http://www.preventionweb.net/english/hazards/statistics/?hid=63

Top 10 Heat Waves reported based
on Number of People Killed
Disaster Date Killed

Italy 2003 20,089

France 2003 19,490
Spain 2003 15,090
Germany 2003 9,355
Portugal 2003 2,696
India 1998 2,541
France 2006 1,388
United States 1980 1,260
India 2003 1,210
Belgium 2003 1,175
Top 10 Heat Waves reported based
on Economic Damages
Disaster Date Cost
France 2003 4,400,000,000
Italy 2003 4,400,000,000
United States 1998 4,275,000,000
United States 1980 2,000,000,000
United States 1986 1,750,000,000
Germany 2003 1,650,000,000
United States 1999 1,000,000,000
Spain 2003 880,000,000
India 2003 400,000,000
Switzerland 2003 280,000,000
Austria 2003 280,000,000
Which disasters are the worst?

In the next two sides you will see the 10 'Worst'

Natural Disasters as decided by expert David
Crossley, Professor of Geophysics.
10 'Worst' Natural Disasters
 The October 8, 2005 magnitude 7.6
earthquake in Pakistan
 Hurricane Katrina
 Volcanic Eruption - Nevado del Ruiz
(Columbia) in 1985
 1976 earthquake magnitude 8 Tangshan
event in China
 Indonesia Volcanic Eruptions – Tambora
volcano of 1815 & Krakatoa explosion in
1883
10 'Worst' Natural Disasters
 New Madrid earthquakes of 1811-12 in
southern Missouri
 1737 Calcutta, India typhoon
 Santorini volcanic explosion around 1500
B.C.
 major global paleoclimate event that
happened around 3000B.C.
 mass extinction during the Cretaceous-
Tertiary Stratigraphic Boundary, 65 million
years ago
U.S. Weather Fatalities
 Top 10 Deadliest Natural Disasters
Source http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_natural_disasters_by_death_toll

Rank Event Location Date Death Toll

(Estimate)

1. 1931 China floods China July-Nov, 1931 1,000,000–

4,000,000
2. 1887 Yellow River China Sept-Oct 1887 900,000–
flood 2,000,000
3. 1556 Shaanxi Shaanxi Province, China Jan 23, 1556 830,000
earthquake
4. 1970 Bhola cyclone Bangladesh Nov 13, 1970 500,000

5. 1839 India Cyclone India Nov 25, 1839 300,000

6. 526 Antioch Antioch, Byzantine Empire May 20, 526 250,000

earthquake
7. 1976 Tangshan Tangshan, Hebei, China July 28, 1976 242,000
earthquake
8. 1920 Haiyuan Haiyuan, Ningxia-Gansu, Dec 26, 1920 240,000
earthquake China
9. 1975 Banqiao Dam Zhumadian, Henan Aug 7, 1975 90,000–
flood Province, China 230,000
10. 2004 Indian Ocean Indian Ocean Dec 26, 2004 229,866
earthquake/tsunami
Your Findings
How Earthquakes Impact the
Environment
 collapsing buildings
 property damage
 mud slides
 fires
 floods
 tsunamis
 loss of power
How Hurricanes Impact the
Environment
 erosion
 houses, buildings, and other structures
destroyed
 heavy flooding of inland areas
 tornadoes
 loss of power
 contaminated water supply
How Lightning Impacts the
Environment
 fire
 loss of power
How Fire Impacts the
Environment

 houses, buildings, and other structures

destroyed
 loss of habitat
How Tsunamis Impact
the Environment

 houses, buildings, and other structures

destroyed
 loss of power
 erosion
 fresh water contaminated
How Volcanic Eruptions Impact the
Environment
 houses, buildings, and other structures
destroyed
 fires
 toxic gases released into the atmosphere
 Carbon dioxide emitted from volcanoes adds
to the natural greenhouse effect.
 loss of habitat
How Blizzards Impact the
Environment
 flooding when snows melt
 trees fall
 power outages
 hypothermia
How Flooding Impacts the
Environment
 disease
 loss of habitat
 houses, buildings, and other structures
destroyed
 household wastes get into the water system
 power outages
How Tornadoes Impacts the
Environment
 Tornadoes could hit hazardous or toxic
materials which could carried by a
thunderstorm and then transported along
ways down stream.
 could transport certain types of small animals
and plants across the land
 destroys topsoil and crops
How Drought Impacts the
Environment
 young trees die
 dried up lakes and other water sources
 loss of livestock and crops
 People use more fuel during droughts.
 losses or destruction of fish and wildlife habitat
 lack of food and drinking water for wild animals
 increase in disease in wild animals, because of reduced food and
water supplies
 migration of wild animals, leading to a loss of wildlife in some
(drought-stricken) areas and too many wildlife in areas not
affected by drought
 increased stress on endangered species
 lower water levels in reservoirs, lakes, and ponds
 loss of wetlands
 more fires
 wind and water erosion of soils, reduced soil quality
Information from http://drought.unl.edu/kids/impacts/affects.htm