Natural Disasters Around the world

Hurricane A hurricane is a powerful storm system with a large low pressure center that produces intense winds and heavy rainfall Most hurricanes rage harmlessly in the sea Hurricane season in the Atlantic Ocean runs from June 1 to November 30. Hurricanes have male and female names, but at one point only female names were used.

What is a natural disaster? Natural disasters are the effects of natural hazards. There are lots of different types of natural disasters such as a tornado.

Volcanoes A volcano is an opening, or rupture, in a planet's surface or crust, which allows hot Magma, Volcanic Ash and gases to escape from below the surface. Volcanoes are generally found where tectonic plates are diverging or converging.

Tornados A tornado (often referred to as a twister or, erroneously, a cyclone) is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. Tornado winds can reach 300 miles per hour. They cause damage when they touch down on the ground

Earthquakes Earthquakes happen when the moving techtonic plates that make up the surface of the Earth move apart or bump into each other, or slide under each other. This movement tears apart the surface of the Earth, or crunches it up. Most often, this just means a little shaking for a few seconds, and nothing very serious happens. Because most of the Earth is covered by oceans, earthquakes often happen in the ocean. Usually this just shakes the water and people don't notice. But sometimes the water pulls all together into a huge wave called a tsunami

Tsunami A tsunami is a series of huge waves that happen after an undersea disturbance, such as an earthquake or volcano eruption. The waves travel in all directions from the area of disturbance, much like the ripples that happen after throwing a rock. The waves may travel in the open sea as fast as 450 miles per hour. As the big waves approach shallow waters along the coast they grow to a great height and smash into the shore.

Forest Fires Fires can sweep through cities and rural areas alike. Woodland fires can burn at up to 800°C and spread at up to 100 metres per minute, swiftly destroying an entire area. Common causes of wildfires include lightning, human carelessness, arson, volcano eruption, and pyroclastic cloud from an active volcano. Heat waves, droughts, and cyclical climate changes such as El Niño can also have a dramatic effect on the risk of wildfires.

Floods A flood is an overflow of an expanse of water that submerges land. The EU floods directive defines a flood as a temporary covering by water of land not normally covered by water. Flooding may result from the volume of water within a body of water, such as a river or lake, which overflows or breaks levees, with the result that some of the water escapes its usual boundaries

Whirlpool A whirlpool is a swirling body of water usually produced by ocean tides. The vast majority of whirlpools are not very powerful. More powerful ones are more properly termed maelstroms. In the case of powerful waterfalls, like Niagara falls , these whirlpools can be quite strong. The most powerful whirlpools are created in narrow shallow straits with fast flowing water. Powerful whirlpools have killed unlucky seafarers, but their power tends to be exaggerated by laymen. .

Avalanche An avalanche is a sudden rapid flow of snow down a slope, occurring when either natural triggers or human activity causes a critical escalating transition from the slow equilibrium evolution of the snow pack. Typically occurring in mountainous terrain, an avalanche can mix air and water with the descending snow. Powerful avalanches have the capability to entrain ice, rocks, trees, and other material on the slope. Avalanches are primarily composed of flowing snow, and are distinct from mudslides, rock slides, and serac collapses on an icefall.