natural disasters: a comprehensive presentation

Natural DisastersPresented by: Faisal Naseer, Sanaullah Khan

● Definition.● Categories of natural disasters.● Places of occurrence.● Similarities & Differences.

Outline:

What is a Natural Disaster?

• A natural disaster is an event caused by natural forces of nature that has a large effect on the human population.

MeteorologicalNatural disasters of the atmosphere

Types of Meteorological Disasters

• Hurricane, Typhoon, Cyclones.

• Tornadoes.

• Characteristics: Hard rain, flooding,

high winds.

• Duration: 8 – 24 hours of full force

Cyclone, Typhoon, Tornado, Hurricane…

What’s the difference??

Cyclone, Typhoon, Hurricane

• Define: A tropical storm that forms over an ocean

• The difference is WHERE they form

• Cyclone: Asia, South of the Equator

• Typhoon: Asia, North of the Equator

• Hurricane: Atlantic Ocean & East Coast of North America

Tropical Storm Map

Test Your Knowledge• Write these down:

• What wind storm occurs in these countries:

• United States:

• Australia:

• India:

• Japan:

• Canada:

Wait, what’s a Tornado??

Isn’t that the same??

Tornado

A Tornado forms over land.

Also called a Twister

Most Of them occurs in “Tornado Alley” in the USA

Tornadoes Occurrence Worldwide

Areas Worldwide which experience the highest chance of seeing tornados. shaded orange.

Tornado Alley“Tornado Alley” is the area where Tornados form the most.

It includes the states of:

Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, and South Dakota

How and why do they occur?

The middle states are located between the warm air of the Gulf of Mexico and the cold air of the Pacific Ocean from Canada.

Tornados vs. Hurricanes

Tornado Hurricanes

Geological Disasters

Natural disasters of the land

Earthquake?

What’s that??

Earthquakes

A sudden shaking of the ground as a result of movements of the

earth’s tectonic plates

How do they happen?• The earth’s surface rests on moving

sheets of crust called tectonic plates

• These plates move VERY slowly

How do they happen?• When the plates collide, they create

mountains

• When the plates separate, they form volcanoes.

Hydrological DisastersNatural disasters of the water

Types of Meteorological Disasters

• Tsunami.A long, high sea wave caused by an earthquake or other disturbance.

• Floods.An overflow of water beyond its normal limits, especially over what is normally dry.

How do They OccurTSUNAMI

FLOODS

Where do Tsunami Occur

Where do Floods occur

Let’s see what they can do.

video

Statistics● In 2012, there were 905 natural catastrophes worldwide.

● 93% of which were weather-related disasters.

● 45% were meteorological (storms)

● 36% were hydrological (floods)

● 12% were climatological (heat waves, cold waves, droughts, wildfires)

● 7 % were geophysical events (earthquakes and volcanic eruptions).

● Between 1980 and 2011 geophysical events accounted for 14% of all natural catastrophes.