natural disasters

1. How Natural Disasters Impact the
Environment

2. Can you name some natural
disasters?
•Earthquakes
•Hurricanes
•Lightning
•Fire
•Tsunami
•Tornados
•Volcanoes
•Blizzards
•Floods
•Heat
•Drought

3. 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.

4. 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

5. Richter Earthquake
Magnitudes Effects
Less than
3.5
Generally not felt, but recorded.
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
greater
Great earthquake. Can cause serious damage in
areas several hundred kilometers across.

6. 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)

7. 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

8. Worldwide Earthquake
Related Deaths for
2000 - 2009
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009
Estimated
Deaths
231 21357 1685 33819 228802 82364 6605 712 88011 369

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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.

12. 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

13. 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

14. Fire
a burning mass of material
Fire Statistics http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/statistics/

15. 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.

16. Tsunami
an unusually large sea wave produced by a
seaquake or undersea volcanic eruption
Tsunami Statistics http://wcatwc.arh.noaa.gov/tsustats.pdf

17. Damaging Tsunamis
vs Non-damaging Tsunamis
- Worldwide

18. 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/

19. 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,
Columbia
November 13, 1985 23,000
Mt. Unzen, Japan 1792 12,000 - 15,000
Mt. Vesuvius, Italy April 24, AD 79 10,000+
The Laki Volcanic System,
Iceland
June 8, 1783 - February
1784
9350

20. 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

21. 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

22. 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

23. 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.
Approximately 86,000 people died from flooding
and another 145,000 died during subsequent
disease.
China 1975
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

24. 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

25. Latest U.S. Tornado
Statistics
2006 2007 2008 2009 Three Year
Average
Number of
Tornados
1103 1098 1691 1053 1297
Number of
Tornado Related
Deaths
67 81 126 21 91
Number of Killer
Tornados
25 26 37 9 29

26. 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

27. 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.

28. 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

29. 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

30. 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

31. 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

32. 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.

33. 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

34. 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

35. U.S. Weather Fatalities

36. Top 10 Deadliest Natural DisastersSource 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
flood
China Sept-Oct 1887 900,000–
2,000,000
3. 1556 Shaanxi
earthquake
Shaanxi Province, China Jan 23, 1556 830,000
4. 1970 Bhola cyclone Bangladesh Nov 13, 1970 500,000
5. 1839 India Cyclone India Nov 25, 1839 300,000
6. 526 Antioch
earthquake
Antioch, Byzantine Empire May 20, 526 250,000
7. 1976 Tangshan
earthquake
Tangshan, Hebei, China July 28, 1976 242,000
8. 1920 Haiyuan
earthquake
Haiyuan, Ningxia-Gansu,
China
Dec 26, 1920 240,000
9. 1975 Banqiao Dam
flood
Zhumadian, Henan
Province, China
Aug 7, 1975 90,000–
230,000
10. 2004 Indian Ocean
earthquake/tsunami
Indian Ocean Dec 26, 2004 229,866

37. Your Findings

38. How Earthquakes Impact the
Environment
 collapsing buildings
 property damage
 mud slides
 fires
 floods
 tsunamis
 loss of power

39. How Hurricanes Impact the
Environment
 erosion
 houses, buildings, and other structures
destroyed
 heavy flooding of inland areas
 tornadoes
 loss of power
 contaminated water supply

40. How Lightning Impacts the
Environment
 fire
 loss of power

41. How Fire Impacts the
Environment
 houses, buildings, and other structures
destroyed
 loss of habitat

42. How Tsunamis Impact
the Environment
 houses, buildings, and other structures
destroyed
 loss of power
 erosion
 fresh water contaminated

43. 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

44. How Blizzards Impact the
Environment
 flooding when snows melt
 trees fall
 power outages
 hypothermia

45. How Flooding Impacts the
Environment
 disease
 loss of habitat
 houses, buildings, and other structures
destroyed
 household wastes get into the water system
 power outages

46. 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

47. 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