NATURAL

DISASTERS

NATURAL DISASTERS
DEFINITION OF NATURAL
DISASTER
• Natural disaster is a major adverse event
resulting from natural processes of the
earth.
CAUSES OF NATURAL
DISASTERS
Soil erosion
Seismic activity
Tectonic movements
Air pressure
Ocean currents
EXAMPLES OF NATURAL
DISASTERS
Volcanoes
Earthquakes
Floods
Forest fires
Hurricanes
Droughts
Tornados
VOLCANOES
• A volcano is an opening in the earth’s crust through
which molten rock and other substances are forced
out. The opening of the volcano is surrounded by a
hill or mountain, near the sea and in the ocean
itself. They have formed many of the earth’s
islands. When volcanoes erupt, the melted
rock(lava), ashes and gases which escape through
the opening can cause death and destruction.
CAUSES OF VOLCANOES
• Volcanoes happen when magma rises to
the surface of the earth, which causes
bubbles of gas to appear in it. This gas can
cause pressure to build up in the mountain,
and it eventually explodes. When the
magma bursts out of the earth, it is called
larva.
PICTURES OF VOLCANOES
EARTHQUAKES
• An earthquake or tremor is a sudden and
violent shaking of the ground, sometimes
causing great destruction, as a result of
movements within the earth’s crust or
volcanic action.
CAUSES OF EARTHQUAKES
• Earthquakes occur when there are changes
beneath the earth’s surface. Sometimes, the
earth’s internal pressures cause a huge slab of
rock to break away along an underground crack
called a fault. The rock on one side of the fault
may sink or shift horizontally. This sudden
release of energy causes the seismic waves
that make the ground shake.
PICTURES OF EARTHQUAKES
FLOODS
• A flood is an overflow of water that
submerges land that is usually dry. In the
sense of "flowing water", the word may also
be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are
an area of study of the discipline hydrology
and are of significant concern in agriculture,
civil engineering and public health.
CAUSES OF FLOODS
• Heavy rains
• Overflowing rivers
• Broken dams
• Urban drainage basins
• Storm surges and tsunamis
• Channels with steep slides
• Melting snow and ice
PICTURES OF FLOODS
FOREST FIRES
• A forest fire is a wildfire, wild land fire or
rural fire is an unplanned, unwanted,
uncontrolled fire in an area of combustible
vegetation starting in rural areas and urban
areas.
CAUSES OF FOREST FIRES
Forest fires always start by one of two ways -
naturally caused or human caused. Naturally
by the sun’s heat or by lightning on dried
grass or leaves whereas human causes are
by arson, discarded cigarettes, power-lines
arc and sparks from equipment's.
PICTURES OF FOREST FIRES
HURRICANES
• The name “hurricane” is derived from an old Arawak
word hurracan (fierce wind) for what are called
cyclones or typhoons in other parts of the world. A
hurricane is a terrible wind storm that includes heavy
rains, high waves and high tides. It is hundreds of
miles across with winds that whirl around in a great
circle at seventy-five miles(75) per hour.These winds
may reach speeds of up to two hundred(200) miles
per hour.
CAUSES OF HURRICANES
• Hurricanes form over the warm ocean water
of the tropics. When warm air over the water
rises, it is replaced by cooler air. The cooler
air will then warm and start to rise. If there is
enough warm water, the cycle will continue
and the storm clouds and wind speeds will
grow causing a hurricane to form.
PICTURES OF HURRICANES
DROUGHTS
• Drought is an event of prolonged shortages
in the water supply, whether
atmospheric(below-average
precipitation),surface water or ground
water.
CAUSE OF DROUGHT
• When rain fall is less than normal for a
period of weeks to years, stream flows
decline, water levels in lakes and
reservoirs fall, and the depth to water in
wells increases, if dry weather persists and
water supply problems develop, the dry
period can become a drought.
PICTURES OF DROUGHT
TORNADO
• A tornado is a violently rotating column of
air that is in contact with both the surface of
the earth and the cumulonimbus cloud or,
in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud.
CAUSES OF TORNADOES
• Tornadoes form when warm, humid air
collides with cold, dry air. The denser cold
air is pushed over the warm air, usually
producing thunderstorms. The warm air
rises through the colder air, causing an
updraft. The updraft will begin to rotate if
winds vary sharply in speed or direction.
PICTURES OF TORNADOES
TABLE SHOWING NATURAL DISASTERS FOR THE
PAST FIVE YEARS
Type of disaster Year Place

Droughts 2015 California

volcanoes 2016 Ecuador

Earthquakes 2017 Indonesia
Floods 2018 Kerala
Hurricanes 2019 The Bahamas
Forest fires 2019 Brazil

Tornados 2020 Argentina

GRAPH SHOWING NATURAL DISASTERS OVER
THE PAST 5 YEARS
2021
2020
2019
2018
Droughts
2017
Volcanoes
2016
Earthquakes
2015
Floods
2014
Hurricanes
2013
Forest Fires
2012
Tornadoes