Warm Up: Quickwrite 1. What do you think catastrophic means? 2. Can you think of any examples of catastrophic events?

Round Robin Task: come up with a list of catastrophic events with your group 1.Each person adds 1 example to the list and passes the paper until your group cannot think of any more. 2.You may pass if you are stuck. 3.Use the time in between to brainstorm more ideas on your own paper.

Catastrophic Events It is any natural or manmade event which results in extraordinary levels of deaths, damage, or disruption severely affecting the population, infrastructure, environment, economy, national morale and/or government functions.

Tornadoes Large windstorms that can blow in excess of 200 miles per hour.

Tornadoes and Ecosystems Tornadoes have a negative effect on ecosystems. They can uproot trees and vegetation.

Average number of tornadoes per year ( ): 909 Average death toll (2012 – 2014): 56 State with highest number of tornadoes per year ( ): Texas (avg. 155) Top 5 states with highest incidence of tornadoes (average per year, 1950–2004): Texas (155), Kansas (96), Florida (66), Oklahoma (62), Nebraska (57) Highest Incidence per 10,000 sq. miles: Florida (9.59), Oklahoma (6.85), Indiana (6.41), Iowa (6.25), Louisiana (6.07), Mississippi (5.51), Texas (5.23) Sources: Storm Prediction Center at the National Weather ServiceStorm Prediction Center and Tornado

Most tornadoes in one month: 875 (April 2011) Most tornado deaths in one year: 553 (2011) Fewest tornado deaths in one year: 15 (1986) Source: Storm Prediction Center at the National Weather ServiceStorm Prediction Center

Gorzycki Middle School has a tornado plan. Teachers have been trained what to do in case of a tornado. Follow the teacher’s instructions!!!

Tornado

Tornado

Average Number of Tornadoes per Year

Floods Floods occur when unusually heavy amounts of rainfall are concentrated in one area. The soil becomes saturated and the water has nowhere to go but down stream.

Flash floods A flash flood is especially dangerous because it can happen with out warning. When there is a big rainstorm that over saturates the ground the excess water goes downhill in large quantities. A flash flood can occur when there is no rainfall in the area.

Flood Deaths Death from Flash Floods Top 5 States (1959 to 2005): Texas (407), South Dakota (240)*, Colorado (178), Pennsylvania (137), Missouri (124) 140 deaths on average per year due to floods in the US (63% in cars) 450+ people died in floods in 1972, a dam failure in Rapid City, South Dakota that killed 238 people, and another failure in Logan County West Virginia that killed 118, the worst year on record.

Flood denied-flood-insurance-Government-cash-shortfall.html

Hurricanes Hurricanes are large storms that form over the ocean. They gain strength and make landfall causing wind damage, floods and tornadoes.

Hurricanes and Ecosystems Hurricanes have a negative effect on coastal marine environments. Beaches and soil are lost due to erosion. Freshwater organisms are killed due to tidal surges pushing salt water to fresh water.

Categorizing Hurricanes Scientists categorize hurricanes by wind speed.

Hurricane

Hurricane

Hurricane Tracks from 1851 to 2012

Hurricane 10.1 named storms a season (June – November) 5.9 become hurricanes 284 Direct Hits by hurricanes on the US from 1851 – 2010 Deadliest Hurricane hit Galveston, TX in 1900 killing 8,000+ people.

Hurricane

Forest Fire

Wild Fires Wild fires are caused by many things. The most common are caused by lightning strikes in an area of dry vegetation.

Wildfires and Ecosystems Wildfires have negative impact on ecosystems because they kill the vegetation and animals in the area which upsets the food chain in that area.The lack of vegetation can also lead to flash floods.

Forest Fire 70,000 + fires nationally each year 3 – 10 million acres of forest, grassland, brush burned every year (size of Connecticut - Maryland) 330+ deaths from 1990 – 2006, 34% of the deaths are from volunteer fire fighters (the highest percentage)

Drought The lack of rainfall long enough to cause a shortage of water is called a drought.

Drought and Ecosystems Drought has a negative impact on ecosystems because all life in an ecosystem needs water. No water no life.

Earthquakes Based on observations from 1900 the World experiences – an 8+ magnitude earthquake once a year – 7 – 7.9 mag 15 times a year – 6 – 6.9 mag 130 times a year – 5 – 5.9 mag 1,300 times a year Texas has had 62 earthquakes in the past year The largest was a 4.3 mag in Nacogdoches, Texas earthquakes/eqarchives/yea r/eqstats.php

San Francisco Earthquake 1989

Volcano

200,000+ deaths in the past 200 years Mt. Tambora in Indonesia erupted in 1815, 92,000 deaths related to the eruption, led to a “volcanic winter” and the “Year without Summer” in 1816 Mount St. Helens eruption in 1980 is the deadliest eruption in US History killing 57 people.