Catastrophic Event

An event that results from Earth processes and that can cause damage and endanger human life Weather Geologic –tornadoearthquake –hurricane tsunamis –floods volcanoes –drought –wildfire

Catastrophic Event The result of –Processes in the atmosphere –Processes on the Earth’s surface –Processes in the oceans –Processes inside the Earth

Catastrophic Events Can effect Earth in several ways Surface – speed up erosion and deposition Inside Earth – change the ground

Human Activities Where people decide to live can increase the damaging effects of natural hazards How people use land can also alter Earth’s systems in ways that contribute to catastrophic events

Impact of How People Use Land People can alter the land so that flooding and fire can be worse –New Orleans built in a low depression –Queensland built on fire prone plains –California builds on steep slopes and creates mudslides

Tornado

Cause – cold and warm air colliding when thunderstorms meet Impact to Earth – kills plants, damages topsoil Impact to People – high winds destroy buildings, can have flooding Similar to – hurricane How are they similar – high winds and rain Tornado

Statistics Texas ranks 11th among the 50 states in density of tornadoes with an average of 5.7 tornadoes per 10,000 square miles, per year.

Hurricane

New Orleans after Katrina

Cause – air pressure differences over the ocean Impact to Earth – kills plants, destroys beaches Impact to People – high winds destroy buildings, can have flooding Similar to – tornado How are they similar – high winds and rain Hurricane

Statistics Top 10 Most Intense Hurricanes At Landfall (U.S.A) Rank Hurricane NameYear CategoryPressure 1Florida Keys (Labor Day) mb 2Hurricane Camille mb 3Hurricane Katrina mb 4Hurricane Andrew mb 5Texas (Indianola) mb 6Florida Keys mb 7FL (Lake Okeechobee) mb 8Hurricane Donna mb 9Unnamed (New Orleans LA) mb 10Hurricane Carla mb

Tsunami

Cause – earthquake under the ocean floor Impact to Earth – destroys beaches and coral reefs Impact to People – large loss of life, destroys buildings Similar to – earthquake, flood, volcano How are they similar – causes tsunami, water, pressure release Tsunami

Statistics

Volcano

Cause – build up of pressure deep inside Earth Impact to Earth – burns plants, creates new land Impact to People – burns or covers buildings Similar to – earthquake, wildfire How are they similar – pressure release, burns everything Volcano

Statistics

Earthquake

Cause – moving tectonic plates Impact to Earth – changes the look of the land Impact to People – damages buildings, kills people Similar to – volcano, tsunami How are they similar – pressure release Earthquake

Statistics

Drought

Cause – lack of rain, heat Impact to Earth – kills plants and animals Impact to People – money loss from crop and livestock damage Similar to – wildfire How are they similar – loss of life and vegetation Drought

Statistics

Wild Fire

Wildfire

Cause – lightning, can be man-made Impact to Earth – burns everything, fertilizes the soil Impact to People – destroys everything in it’s way Similar to – drought, volcano How are they similar – loss of life, fire Wildfire

Statistics

Flood

Cause – too much rain Impact to Earth – changes the land, fertilizes the soil Impact to People – loss of life and buildings Similar to – tsunami How are they similar – large amounts of water Flood

Statistics

Which of these natural disasters can happen in our area?

Assignment We will be researching catastrophic events. You will get to pull a topic out of a coffee can. That will be the catastrophic event you will research. On the “Catastrophic Event” handout, find your event. You will be given an information sheet on your event. Start your research with the web sites listed on the sheet. Once you have used those sites, you can google your event to get other information.

Poster Instructions: Once everyone that has your event is finished researching, you will form a group to create a poster about your event. Make sure all of the facts from your research card are on the poster. You will only have part of a class period to construct your poster so work quickly and efficiently.

Information Sharing Once groups begin finishing their poster, you will trade posters to complete your “Catastrophic Events” handout. Using other group’s posters, fill in the information on your paper for their event. If some of their information is missing, use the information sheets to complete your handout.