1. The Harsh Reality of Natural Disasters -When Nature Strikes Back-

2. What are Natural Disasters? • The amount of Disasters in the world is raising at a very alarming rate. In 2000, there were an estimated 300 a year. • Major factors involved in this rise: Global warming, and climate change • Natural Disasters are fairly unpredictable. However, some disasters that involve weather are expected but most sneak up on us. Disasters come in many shapes and sizes. The damage of each disaster depends upon the severity of it.

3. -Global Warming- What is it? • Global Warming happens when to many gases trap heat and light from the sun; it is very dangerous to earth’s atmosphere, humans, plants, and animals. • Out of 70% humankind affects nature to the extent of 90%. This happens in three ways as given below. • Gases entering the atmosphere, enormous amounts of trees being cut down, and oil leaks into our major waters.

4. Who’s causing Global Warming? We Do!

5. How many types of Natural Disasters are there? • When the atmosphere is off track, “nature strikes back” so to speak and unleashes various forces of nature our way. • There are to many to list… and they are all put into different categories. They can be listed in different areas including: • Earthquake Tornado • Chemical Tsunami • Earthquake Wild Fire • Heat Volcano • Hurricane Winter Storms • Landslides Thunderstorms • This list is just a beginning… there are many more categories and specifically named disasters out there. • For the purpose of our lesson: We are going to focus on 5 specific Disasters. Can you guess what they are?

6. 1.) Volcano What is it and what causes them? • A volcano is a mountain that has opened downward into an area of molten rock under the earth’s surface. If pressure builds and builds it will cause an explosion of different gases and rocks into the air. These can then turn into lava fragments causing a disastrous explosion filled with lava flows, hot ash, etc. Eruptions of these beast can be the leading cause in other disasters such as flashfloods, earthquakes, etc.

7. 2.) TornadoWhat is it and what causes them? • A tornado is one of nature’s most violent storms and must not be taken lightly. Tornadoes form from strong thunderstorms and involve small or large funnel shaped clouds. Tornadoes can produce deadly winds up to the excess of 300 miles per hour. They can cause massive amounts of damage, and residents usually have some type of short warning before they hit. Some states are at more risk than others due to layout of the mountains and plains.

8. 3.) Tsunami What are they and what causes them? • Tsunami’s usually occur after a large disturbance occurs in earths atmosphere (ex. Earthquake, or volcano). They are filled with huge waves that are classified as “ripples” traveling from their beginning points. The waves travel at fast speeds through the sea and upon entering shallow waters they grow to enormous sizes and are very dangerous.

9. 4.) What are consequences of to much rain? Flooding! • Flooding happens where there are raining in excess that occur over a period of time or a bunch of rain that falls at one time. To much rain can cause overflowing of waterways, levee breaks, or cause a dam to break. Flooding is the most common natural disaster there are and can happen anywhere. Floods are very dangerous!

10. 5.) EarthquakesWhat is it and what causes them? • Earthquakes involves violent shaking of earth’s surface. Earthquakes occur near “fault lines” of earth’s crust and are one of the most violent disasters there are; one main reason is because they can not be PREDICTED. If one happens you have no warning at all, and it makes it more of a surprise. They can be felt over large areas and usually don’t last very long.

11. What can we do? • Be Prepared, and Be Ready! • Also, try making one change to your lifestyle to help with the prevention of global warming and lower the chance of natural disasters! 50 ways to stop global warming!!! A MUST READ!! • http://globalwarming-facts.info/50-tips.html