Tsunamis are large waves generated by earthquakes or other disturbances that displace large volumes of water. They can reach beaches in minutes and cause extensive damage. A major 2004 tsunami in Sri Lanka killed over 40,000 people after an earthquake in the Indian Ocean. Hurricanes are violent tropical storms with winds over 74 mph that form over warm ocean waters and move westward. They can only be stopped by land or cooler waters. Floods occur when water overflows river banks or other areas, often due to heavy rain or snowmelt, and can cause billions in damage annually in the US. Drought is a period of unusually dry weather lacking precipitation that can last years and seriously damage crops and water supplies. Tornado

1. TSUNAMIS Tsunamis are most often generated by an earthquake movement of the ocean floor which causes massive waves. Landslides, volcanic eruptions, and even meteorites can also generate a tsunami. If a major earthquake is felt, a tsunami could reach the beach in a few minutes, even before a warning is issued. A tsunami is a series of waves. When you see a tsunami it is usually too late to escape. Hawaii is a state at great risk for tsunamis and they get a damaging one about every seven years. A major tsunami hit Sri Lanka , a popular tourist spot on December 26th 2004. An earthquake happened under the Indian Ocean creating “killer waves” and killed over 40,000 people and left over 2.5 million homeless. Take a look at a video of some of the after effects of this terrible tsunami.

2. Hurricanes Hurricanes are violent tropical storms with winds of at least 74 mph. Hurricanes form over warm ocean water and move westward over the tropics. Moist air moves toward the center and spins upward, then creates sudden rain and thunder. The sky turns completely black and dark heavy clouds cover the sky. Hurricanes can only be stopped when made contact with land or cooler water. There are different hurricane season depending if you live on the Atlantic or the Pacific coast.

3. Flood Floods are one of the most common disaster in the United States. Floods happen when water overflows in an area that is normally dry. Most often it is when water overflows it’s rivers or banks . Extreme rain, a broken dam, ice melting in the mountains, or a wrongly placed beaver dam, could cause water to overcome a river and send it over the land called a floodplain. Floods usually take hours or even days to form. In the United states floods usually cause 6 billion dollars in damage and 140 people often die every year. It causes at least 3 trillion worldwide. Flash floods can develop in minutes without any sign of rain whatsoever .

4. Drought Drought is a period of unusually dry weather. During the drought there is a lack of precipitation. The impacts of a drought are disastrous, wells dry up, water supply reservoirs empty, and there is serious crop damage. If the drought period was short it is counted as a dry spell. A dry spell usually last for more than 14 days unlike a severe drought which last for years. Science shows that a severe drought happens in the United states every 22 years most commonly in the Midwestern states. There are 4 different types of droughts called Meteorological, Agricultural, Hydrological, and Socioeconomic. Droughts happens in the world where there is low air water vapor.

5. Tornado Scientist say that tornadoes can be the most dangerous of the natural disasters. Tornadoes develop from thunderstorms. Tornadoes can form at any time of the year and mostly happen between the times of 4 pm and 8 pm, but they can come anytime of day. When tornadoes develop the air is usually humid and warm. Usually the southeast and the eastern US receive tornadoes in the fall spawned by hurricanes. A weak tornado that last 1 to 10 minutes and can rip off branches and damage shutters on a house. A strong tornado that can last for an hour or more and can take aircraft out of the sky and rip buildings from the ground.