NATURAL DISASTERS

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NATURAL DISASTERS

• The causes and effects
• AND
• How equilibrium, and potential and kinetic energy
  of an environment are affected
• Pictures and links provided by FEMA

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Which of the following can happen in New York
State?

• tornadoes
• hurricanes
• floods or droughts
• forest fires
• earthquakes
• volcanoes
• tsunamis
• severe thunderstorms or lightning
• blizzards or avalanches

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The world is always changing. Natural disasters
are changes to the environment that are so great
they may cause changes to the shape of the land,
destruction of property, or affect the lives of
people and other living things. The Earth is
dynamic. Great changes occur deep inside the
Earth and on its surface each day. The changes
that occur on the outer part of the Earth, such
as floods or tornadoes, happen because of
different kinds of weather conditions
specifically, severe changes in the weather.
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HURRICANES and TORNADOES
Hurricanes and tornadoes are fierce storms that
cover large areas with strong winds from 74 -
250 mph that spin counterclockwise. During these
deadly storms, trees can be uprooted, buildings
destroyed, cars overturned, power lines downed,
and lives can be lost. Hurricanes are extremely
dangerous because of high winds and flooding.
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TSUNAMIS

• A tsunami is a giant sea wave that crosses the
  ocean toward land building in size and strength
  as it gains energy. Tsunamis occur as a result of
  movement caused by the Earth, either from an
  earthquake or a landslide. When the tsunami
  reaches the coast, it is highly destructive
  because of the huge size of the waves, which can
  be over 100 feet high, and the severe flooding it
  causes. Tsunamis are extremely dangerous and
  deadly.

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Japanese tsunami caused by earthquake (March 2011)
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(No Transcript)
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TORNADOES

• Found mainly in the mid-west plains area of the
  U.S. known as Tornado Alley

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HURRICANES

• Hurricanes are found mostly along coastal areas
  where warm ocean currents travel westward across
  the Atlantic Ocean toward the East coast.

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FLOODS
A flood is caused by an overflow of water which
covers land that is usually either too dry and
rainwater cannot penetrate the ground because it
is too hard or because the ground is already
saturated with water from too much rain so it
causes runoff flood water. Floods often occur in
the Spring due to heavy rain or is caused by snow
melting and the rivers burst their banks and
overflow. Costal floods are caused by high tides,
a rise in sea level, storm waves or a tsunami.
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FLOODS

• Major flooding occurs in low lying areas or where
  major rain events can occur

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FOREST FIRES (WILD FIRES)

• Wild fires are common in dry places with numerous
  forests and little rain

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DROUGHT
A drought is the lack of rain for a long time. In
1968, a severe drought began in Africa. Children
born during that year were five years old before
rain fell again.
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FOREST FIRES (WILD FIRES)
Fires can quickly burn wildly out of control in
dry areas of forest. Fires are caused by
lightning, sparks of electricity or careless
people. Strong winds may blow a forest fire to
areas where people live. Once the area has been
destroyed by fire, without the vegetation to hold
the soil in place, the area is susceptible to
massive landslides or mudslides.
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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 tectonic
  plates, interact with each other giant shock
  waves move upwards towards the surface causing
  the earthquake.
• The area on the surface of the Earth where the
  most damage occurs is called the epicenter.

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DUCK, COVER, HOLD!
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EARTHQUAKES

• Earthquakes are mainly found along fault line
  boundaries such as the west coast where North
  America once separated from the super landmass
  called Pangea

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SAN ANDREAS FAULTCalifornia
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VOLCANOES

• A volcanic eruption is the spurting out of
  gases and hot lava from the asthenosphere through
  an opening in the Earths crust.
• Pressure from deep inside the Earth forces
  ash, gas and molten rock to the surface.
• Some volcanic eruptions are explosive such as
  Mount St. Helens.

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VOLCANOES

• Active volcanoes in the U.S. are found mainly in
  the area of the Ring of Fire, which includes the
  states of Hawaii, Alaska, Oregon, California, and
  Washington. The greatest chance of eruptions
  occur near areas where many people live such as
  Hawaii and Alaska.

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SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS AND LIGHTNING

• Thunderstorms are most likely to occur in the
  spring and summer months and during the afternoon
  and evening hours, but they can occur year-round
  and at all hours of the day or night. Along the
  Gulf Coast and across the southeastern and
  western U.S., most thunderstorms occur during the
  afternoon. Thunderstorms often occur in the late
  afternoon and at night in the central U.S.
  Florida has the most lightning strikes.

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BLIZZARDS
Blizzards can happen in NYS because of weather
conditions known as lake effect snow. When cold
arctic air meets the warmer waters in the large
lakes in central NYS, conditions are ideal for
the formation of lake effect snow. If the snow
fall continues for long periods of time and is
accompanied by severe winds, a blizzard may
develop. Blizzards can be deadly because the
strong winds can cause hazardous road conditions
such as white-outs or black ice, and knock
down trees and power lines, causing homes to be
without heat and power for days.
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AVALANCHES

• An avalanche is a rapid movement of snow, ice and
  rock down a mountainside. Avalanches happen very
  suddenly and can move as fast as a racing car up
  to 124mph.
• Avalanches can be caused by
• snow melting quickly
• snow freezing, melting then freezing again
• someone skiing
• a loud noise or an Earth tremor

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LANDSLIDES

• The Tully Valley landslide that occurred on
• April 27, 1993, just south of Syracuse, New York,
  is considered one of the worst natural disasters
  in U.S. history. This natural disaster
  fortunately did not cause any loss of life, but
  caused much destruction to property and loss of
  many homes in the area.
• The massive rock slide down the mountainside
  lasted less than an hour, covered roadways with
  mud 15 feet deep, and people had to be rescued by
  helicopter from the rooftops of their homes.

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Tully Valley landslide (April 27, 1993)
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HOW THE ENVIRONMENT AND LIVES ARE AFFECTED BY
NATURAL DISASTERS

• Natural Disasters are events that occur naturally
  on the Earth. They affect the characteristics of
  the environment and living things, and have
  ultimately influenced the history of the world.
• During a natural disaster, potential energy
  becomes kinetic energy and alters the equilibrium
  in the environment.

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2ND MP RESEARCH PROJECT