Back to: Civic Education Primary 5
Welcome to class.
You should always join your parents in listening to the news. If you had been doing that, you must be heard some news about natural disasters that happened in different parts of the world.
ATTITUDE OF VICTIM OF NATURAL DISASTER
Meaning of Natural Disasters
Unpleasant things sometimes happen unexpectedly. When they do, people have to find solutions to any problems that might have been caused by such occurrences. Unpleasant things which happen unexpectedly are often referred to as disasters.
Disasters
A disaster is a very bad, sudden event which causes death, injuries and severe damage to property. A disaster can also be called a catastrophe. An example of a disaster is an airplane crash.
Generally, disasters could be caused by nature or by people (or animals). Those disasters which are caused by the forces of nature are called natural disasters.
Unnatural disasters are not caused by the forces of nature. Usually, they are caused by human beings (or even animals) and are accidental. Unnatural disasters are called man-made disasters. Man-made disasters happen mostly because people are careless.
Below are some examples of man-made disasters:
- Fire accidents
- Transportation accidents of various kinds (air, road, rail, water)
- Collapsed mines: Sometimes miners get trapped underground when working. They may be rescued dead or alive.
- Chemical accidents: A chemical disaster may occur when gas pipes are not well laid. The gas from such pipes would leak out into the air and kill humans and animals as they inhale the polluted air.
- We should however, note that acts of terrorism and wars are not natural disasters. They are intentional because people actually plan them. Since they are planned, they are not accidental. We shall therefore not discuss them.
Some common natural disasters and their causes
- Avalanche: This occurs when a large mass of snow, ice and rocks falls down the side of a mountain.
- Blizzards: It is a period of a very cold weather, when there is a lot of snow.
- Cyclone: It is a very strong wind that moves very fast in a circle.
- Drought: This occurs when the weather remains dry for a long time in a place where rain is expected. This is different from a dry climate. Usually, during drought, there is not enough water for plants and animals to live on.
- Earthquakes: Earthquakes are caused by a sudden shaking of the earth.
- Flood: This is a very large amount of water which covers an area that is normally dry. Floods are usually caused by heavy rainfall. Also, a flood can occur when a river becomes too full and spreads over the land around it.
- Hail: This occurs when rain falls in the form of hard balls of ice.
- Hurricane: This occurs when terrible storms produce strong, fast winds that move over water.
- Landslides: A landslide is a sudden fall of a lot of earth or rocks down a hill.
- Lightning: This is a powerful flash of light on the sky. It usually happens during storms and is followed by thunder.
- Tornadoes: A tornado is a very violent storm which is made up of air that spins very fast.
- Volcanic eruptions: These occur when a hot substance known as lava, (or molten magma) suddenly erupts from the earth. Molten magma is extremely hot and dangerous. It moves with a very high speed. Volcanic eruptions are caused by extreme heat inside the earth.
- Tsunamis: These are very terrible sea waves which cause terrible damages.
- They can be caused by earthquakes or volcanic eruptions that take place under the sea.
- Wild fires: They occur suddenly and spread very quickly. They happen in the forest. Wild fires can be caused by lightning.
We can see that some disasters even cause other disasters. For example, an earthquake can make a Tsunami take place under the seas. Hurricanes and volcanic eruptions can also cause Tsunamis. Lightning can cause wild fires, and earthquakes lead to landslides.
Quiz
- What is the meaning of ‘disasters’?
2a) Identify eight natural disasters.
b) Give the causes of four of them.
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