CATASTROPHIC EVENTS

WHAT IS A CATASTROPHIC EVENT?

Any natural or man-made incident which results in extraordinary levels of mass casualties, damage, or disruption severely affecting the population, environment, and/or economy.

WILDFIRES

Can spread slowly or very fast; wind has the biggest impact

Lightning strikes cause 1 out of every 5 wildfires

Drought, wind, high temps. & low humidity help them spread

WILDFIRES, CONT.

Millions of acres of forest can be destroyed

Animals may become endangered due to habitat destruction

Economic losses can impact humans

HURRICANES

Winds blow in a spiral around a calm center called an eye

May last a week or more

Forms from a tropical storm over the Atlantic Ocean, Caribbean Sea, or Gulf of Mexico

DROUGHT

An unusually long period of dry weather that lasts long enough to cause water supply shortages

Lack of adequate precipitation for 2+ years can become a drought

Crop failure, livestock death, increased forest fires, and water shortages

VOLCANO

A vent in the Earth which allows magma to escape to the surfaceWhen pressure from gases within the magma become too great, an eruption occursSearing hot poisonous gases, lava flows, flash flooding, and tsunamis

VOLCANO, CONTINUED

Can affect breathing, contaminate water supplies, collapse roofs, disrupt machinery, and cause jet engines to fail while flying

TORNADO

Violently rotating column of air extending from a thunderstorm down to the groundAssociated with strong, frontal systems that form in the Central States and move eastCan destroy buildings and vehicles, uproot trees

TSUNAMIS

A series of waves that can travel between 450-600 mph in the open oceanOcean waves produced by earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, meteorite impact, or underwater landslides

TSUNAMIS, CONTINUED

Can occur during any season and any time of day or night

Impact includes drowning, flooding, contamination of drinking water, loss of habitat or human homes

EARTHQUAKE

The vibration of the Earth’s surface that occurs after a release of energy in the crust

Occurs where two tectonic plates collide

Can cause landslides, avalanches, fires, tsunamis, property damage, and loss of life

FLOOD

An overflowing of water onto land that is normally dry

Caused by intense or long term precipitation, hurricane storm surges, or melting snow

FLOOD, CONTINUED

Humans have altered the landscape in several ways~paving the ground for housing, roads, and parking lots

Can cause loss of life, disease, property loss or damage, contamination of drinking water, destruction of crops and livestock