Chapter 20 Lesson 5 - Weather Safety and Natural Disasters PDF

What Are Weather Emergencies? MAIN IDEA​ ​Weather emergencies are dangerous situations brought on by changes in the atmosphere​. Weather events make the news on a fairly regular basis. These events often happen with little warning. People cannot prevent them. A weather emergency is a natural event....

What Are Weather Emergencies? MAIN IDEA​ ​Weather emergencies are dangerous situations brought on by changes in the atmosphere​. Weather events make the news on a fairly regular basis. These events often happen with little warning. People cannot prevent them. A weather emergency is a natural event. Examples include thunderstorms, tornadoes, hurricanes, and blizzards. Weather emergencies can impact a person’s safety and health. As a result, the National Weather Service (NWS) works to track the progress of storms. The NWS sends out bulletins to the public. The bulletins keep people informed about possible weather emergencies. This helps keep people and communities safe. Storm bulletins may involve watches or warnings. A storm watch indicates that a storm is likely to develop. A storm warning indicates that a severe storm has already developed and a weather emergency is happening. As a result, people in the area are in danger. If your area is under a storm warning, turn on the television or radio. Follow the instructions of the NWS and local officials. Technology has helped scientists who watch the weather. Satellites gather data very quickly and feed it into powerful computers. Computers can also help predict the paths of storms. Television and the Internet can warn the public of danger very quickly. These early warnings give people more time to plan and stay safe. Thunderstorms and Lightning Thunderstorms can be frightening sometimes. They can occur during any season, though they are more common during warm weather. Lightning is the most dangerous part of a thunderstorm. It is caused by clouds releasing stored-up electrical energy. How can you protect yourself during thunderstorms? Whenever you see lightning or hear thunder, seek shelter. If you are indoors, stay there. Do not use the telephone, unless it is a cordless or cell phone. Be prepared for a power loss. If you are outdoors, look for the nearest building. An alternative is an enclosed metal vehicle with the windows completely shut. If you are in an open field with no shelter nearby, lie down. Wait for the storm to pass. Avoid all metal objects including electric wires, fences, machinery, motors, and power tools. Unsafe places include underneath canopies, small picnic or rain shelters, or near trees. Tornadoes A tornado is a type of weather emergency. Tornadoes can happen all over the United States. However, states in the Midwest and those nearest the Gulf of Mexico experience more tornadoes than other states do. In fact, this region is often called “Tornado Alley.” Tornadoes typically happen in the spring. Most tornadoes move at about 25 to 40 miles per hour, although some speed along as fast as 60 miles per hour. Tornadoes are extremely dangerous storms, often destroying everything in their path. If a tornado watch is issued for your area, listen to the radio for updates. Prepare to take shelter if you need to protect yourself. If a tornado warning is issued for your area, get to this shelter right away. You are safest underground in a cellar or basement. If you cannot go underground, take shelter in an inner hallway or any central, windowless room such as a bathroom or closet. If you are outdoors, lie in a ditch or flat on the ground. Stay away from trees, cars, and anything that could fall on you. Cover yourself with whatever protection you can find. If you are in the basement, try to get under a workbench. If you are in a room with furniture, stay under a heavy table. Lying in a bathtub under a cushion, mattress, or blanket may also offer good protection. Stay where you are. The storm will pass quickly. READING CHECK Identify​ What are some precautions to take during a tornado? Hurricanes A hurricane occurs in coastal regions. Wind speeds during a hurricane can reach or exceed 100 miles per hour. Hurricane-force winds can turn over cars and knock down buildings. As they blow over water, the strong winds can create large waves, which in turn can produce flooding. The storm clouds of a hurricane can extend over hundreds of miles and a swirling air mass revolves around a calm center called an eye. The faster the air mass swirls, the faster the winds and the more powerful the hurricane. Most hurricanes happen in the late summer or early fall. Compared to tornadoes, hurricanes form and move slowly. The National Weather Service tracks hurricanes and can estimate when and where a hurricane will hit land. This gives people time to plan ahead. Take the following steps to stay safe in a hurricane. Secure your home by boarding up windows. Close storm shutters before the winds start blowing. Bring inside items such as furniture and bikes that wind could smash into houses. Staying alert to TV or radio reports is important. Sometimes residents will be instructed to leave their homes, or evacuate, and head inland. It is necessary to follow these safety instructions. If no evacuation is called for, shelter-in-place by staying indoors. Stay away from windows and doors to avoid injury if debris breaks through the barriers. Blizzards Do you live in an area hit by snow in the winter? If you do, you may have experienced a blizzard​.​ Blizzards can last from an hour or two to several days. Blizzards make travel difficult, often shutting down roads. Blizzards also make it hard for food and other daily needs to reach consumers. You can protect yourself during blizzards and winter storms by following these precautions: Stay indoors.​ The safest place during a blizzard is inside. Visibility in a blizzard is usually is reduced to less than 500 feet, making it easy to get lost or disoriented. A person may get lost even if he or she is only a few yards away from home. Bundle up.​ One danger in a blizzard is hypothermia. Hypothermia occurs when the skin freezes. Another health risk is frostbite. Frostbite can cause severe injury to the skin and sometimes to deeper tissues. If you must go out, wear layers of loose-fitting lightweight clothing under layers of outerwear that is both wind- and waterproof. Add a scarf, hat, gloves and boots. Don’t wander.​ Use landmarks to avoid getting lost, or stay put until help arrives. Be careful of downed power lines, which can be dangerous to people on foot. READING CHECK Recall​ What are three ways to stay safe during a blizzard? What Are Natural Disasters? MAIN IDEA​ ​Natural Disasters are dramatic events caused by Earth’s processes​. Like weather emergencies, a natural disaster can cause serious health and safety problems. Natural disasters include floods and earthquakes. One way to stay safe during a natural disaster is to plan ahead. Keep some basic supplies on hand such as fresh water, a radio, a flashlight, batteries, blankets, canned food, a can opener, and a first-aid kit. Floods The most common natural disasters are floods, the rising of a body of water and it is overflowing onto normally dry land. Floods can occur almost anywhere. As noted previously, hurricanes can cause floods. Another cause of flooding is heavy rainfall. Flash-floods, floods that occur with little or no warning, are the most dangerous of all. Flash-flood waters rise very quickly and are surprisingly powerful. Two feet of moving water has enough force to sweep away cars. More water than that can carry away trucks and houses. If the NWS issues a flood watch for your area, take your emergency kit, and go to the highest place in your home. Listen to a battery-powered radio for a flood warning. If a flood warning is issued and you are told to evacuate, do so immediately. The following tips can help you survive a flood: Head for higher ground. The home of a relative or neighbor who lives outside the warning area on higher ground is a good choice. Never walk, swim, ride a bike, or drive a car through flooding water. You could be swept away, be electrocuted by downed power lines, or drown. Drink only bottled water. Floodwater is easily polluted by garbage and other waste. If you have evacuated the area, return home only after you are told it is safe for you to do so. Once the flood waters go down, make sure that everything that came in contact with the flood water is cleaned and disinfected. Wear rubber or latex gloves during the cleanup. Throw out all contaminated food. Make sure the water supply is safe before drinking any. READING CHECK Describe​ actions can you take in a flood. Earthquakes An earthquake happens when a large piece of Earth’s crust moves. Earthquakes usually involve more than a single event. A large quake typically is followed by a series of aftershocks​.​ Earthquakes can occur anywhere in the United States, but happen most often west of the Rocky Mountains. Collapsing walls and falling debris are responsible for causing most injuries in an earthquake. Injuries from earthquakes can be serious and can cause death. Most injuries and deaths occur because of falling debris and walls. The glass windows and panels of high-rise buildings may also break and fall to the ground, hurting or killing people below. Crushing injuries may also occur as a result of earthquakes. Protecting yourself during an earthquake involves indoor and outdoor safety. Both indoors and outdoors, if gas is smelled after an earthquake, leave the area. A gas line might have ruptured. Avoid striking matches or a lighter to avoid explosions and fire. Leave the area immediately. If an earthquake occurs when indoors, items such as lamps can be thrown violently across a room. Other items such as bookcases and heavy furniture can fall and cause crushing injuries. Outdoor injuries might be caused by falling debris from buildings, bridges or overpasses, and utility poles and electrical wires. To protect while indoors during an earthquake, do the following: 1. Drop down to your hands and knees. 2. Cover your head and neck. Try crawling under a sturdy table. 3. Hold onto your shelter until the shaking stops. Do not stand in doorways. Many people believe that doorways are stronger than other parts of the house. They are not. Also, standing in a doorway does not protect you from flying debris. To protect yourself while outdoors during an earthquake, do the following: 1. Move away from buildings, utility wires, sinkholes, or fuel and gas lines.  2. Once in an open area, crouch down low to avoid being knocked off your feet by the shaking. 3. Look for hazards such as downed power lines and stay away from them. In an automobile, do the following: 1. If you’re in a car, pull off to the side of the road. 2. Avoid parking under bridges and overpasses. 3. Stay in the car and set the brake. 4. If a powerline falls in the car, stay in the car until emergency services arrive and remove it. Tsunami Tsunami’s are giant waves that are created underwater. They affect coastal areas. People who live close to a coastline may be affected by a tsunami. A tsunami wave is powerful. It can cause broken bones and other severe injuries. Deaths from drowning can also occur. A tsunami is caused by an earthquake, landslide, volcanic eruption, or a meteorite that hits the Earth. Giant waves are formed underwater. When they come ashore, they destroy everything in their path. The wave can also cause injury when it recedes. The suction is strong and can pull people and debris back into the ocean. Local governments in coastal communities have developed tsunami warnings and plans. The plans tell people how to escape if a tsunami is forecast. They identify safe locations that are high enough to escape the waves. After a wave recede, the area affected by a tsunami is dangerous to health. When the wave comes ashore, it contaminates the local land and water. After a tsunami the risk of infectious disease increases. Emergency Supply Kits Weather emergencies can happen across the United States. Learn what type of weather emergencies can happen where you live. Prepare an emergency supply kit. The kit can help you and your family survive until help arrives. Weather emergency kits should contain enough supplies for each member of the family. A kit should also be prepared for each of the family pets. Some items to include in emergency supply kits are: Food and water Extra clothing Medicines and prescription drugs First Aid items Weather emergency kits should be kept in a safe place that everyone in the family can reach if an emergency occurs. Families should also prepare an emergency contact plan. This plan will help members of a family contact each other if an emergency occurs when someone is away from the home. The CDC offers information on preparing emergency supply kits for each type of weather emergency. Go to www.cdc.gov and search for natural disasters and severe weather. Learn more about the types of weather emergencies that affect your area. The information will also help you identify how you can stay safe. Myth:​ The area under a highway overpass provides safe shelter from a tornado. Fact:​ The area under a highway overpass is not a safe place to take shelter from a tornado. If you are in a vehicle, you should exit the vehicle and seek shelter in the closest building. If there are no buildings, lie down in a ditch and cover your head with your hands. If you cannot exit the vehicle, leave your seat belt on and put your head down below the windows. Cover your head and body with a blanket if possible.