This document discusses several types of natural disasters: hurricanes/tornadoes, wildfires, floods, heat waves/droughts, earthquakes/tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions. It provides details on the causes and impacts of each type of disaster, including destruction of property, loss of lives, and long-term cleanup efforts required. It notes that while devastating, these events are natural occurrences that stem from environmental conditions like warm humid air interacting, lack of moisture in hot regions, or movement of tectonic plates. The document aims to educate students on different natural disasters and suggests classroom activities for discussion and input.

1. Natural Disasters
Mackie Rights Respecting

2. Natural disasters devastate many
countries, states and cities. They take
extremely long to tidy up afterwards and
many people die from them.
• Hurricanes/tornadoes
• Wildfires
• Floods
• Heat waves/Droughts
• Earthquakes/Tsunami’s
And
• Volcanic eruptions
Are all examples of natural disasters and
you will be finding out about each one in
detail.

3. Hurricanes/Tornadoes
Hurricanes and tornadoes are very
different. Hurricanes are big whirls
of storms, which create tornadoes –
smaller wind which rotate very
quickly and suck things up in their
vacuum-like tube.
However, they are similar in some
ways. They both form from
warm, humid air when two winds
going in different directions, blow
into each-other. Hurricanes usually
form over Oceans whereas
tornadoes are usually over land
which therefore causes more
destruction.

4. Hurricanes usually occur 5-8 times a year
and almost always are in America and
around 140 people are killed by them. They
are fierce and destroy whatever is in their
path.
Luckily, not many hurricanes form in the UK
but in America, they must always be
prepared just in case but the MET office
is always there looking into the future
weather.

5. Wildfires
Wildfires are horrid things formed in hot
countries with little moisture. They spread
really quickly and are very hard to extinguish.
Firemen and women risk their lives to save
animals and humans.
The fire is uncontrollable and destroys natural
areas like forests, fields etc.
They change direction extremely quick and
have the ability to skip past roads, streams
and rivers.
During the long hot summers in Australia, they
are very common. The ground there is dry and
the scorching sun sets off a blaze fast!

6. Floods
Floods are truly awful and
Stonehaven would know this
as they have hit here twice
in the last four years.
It devastated our town and
from four years ago, some
people are still cleaning up
their homes. Just as some
moved back in to their
homes, the 2012 floods hit.
It was a really difficult time
but as a community, we
pulled through by helping
one another out.

7. Heat Waves/Droughts
Heat waves are large spells of time in a specific
area where it’s extremely hot. They cause
illnesses such as sun stroke too.
They normally cause droughts to crop up. A
drought is when there is very little water in a
town or city for an amount of time. This causes
grass to dry out which therefore means some
animals cannot eat properly and die.
There’s not a lot us as humans can do but we try
our best to keep ourselves and our live stock
cool during these dire times.

8. Earthquakes
• Earthquakes are one of the biggest natural
disasters worldwide. They could happen almost
anywhere!
• They form when two of the earth’s tectonic plates
rub off one another or slide past each-other.
• They destroy large areas in a matter of minutes.
• They are measured in magnitude.
• The biggest ever recorded earthquake was 9.5
magnitude!
• The sometimes cause tsunami’s too.
• There have been recorded earthquakes in the UK!

9. • Many people die each year from earthquakes.
• In March 2011, there was a very large
earthquake in Japan which demolished some of
the Tohoku area.
• There was a number of 15,881 confirmed deaths.
• Over 6142 people were injured.
• 2668 people are still missing to this day.

10. Volcanic Eruptions
Volcanic eruptions don’t just affect the area
where it’s actually happened but also
countries close to it.
For example, the Iceland volcano erupted
and some air travel stopped for a few days.
But people who live near or even on a volcano
have to always be prepared just in case it
erupts as it could at any moment!

11. Lesson Plans
Slide 1 – get class to write down in groups
of pairs as many natural disasters as
they can think of.
Slides 2 – 10 – allow them to put their own
input in on each one. Questions, opinions
etc.
Can be used for Geography too.