Environmental Science: Natural Disaster PDF

2 4 TY PH OON F L O OD S TS U NA MI E AR T H Q UA K E VOLCAN IC ERUPT ION D I S A S T E R What is disaster? Matching Disaster! Direction: Match the name of a natural disaster with its appropriate illustration below.  Tsunami Forest fire Earthquake...

2 4 TY PH OON F L O OD S TS U NA MI E AR T H Q UA K E VOLCAN IC ERUPT ION D I S A S T E R What is disaster? Matching Disaster! Direction: Match the name of a natural disaster with its appropriate illustration below.  Tsunami Forest fire Earthquake Typhoon Tornado Landslide Floods Volcanic Drought eruption Lightning 2  Tsunami Forest fire Earthquake Typhoon Tornado Landslide Floods Volcanic Drought eruption Lightning  Few believe that when the stars and planets are in a malevolent position, bad events may happen.  No person would want to experience unlucky events or even disastrous events. However, in reality, disasters are the impact of natural and man made events that influence our lives and the environment surrounding us, not from superstitious sources  Any disaster can be classified either as ‘natural’ or ‘man-made.’ The most common natural disasters known to humankind are thunderstorms, severe rainfalls, cyclones, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and floods causing loss of life and destruction to property.  Natural disasters are catastrophic events with atmospheric, geological, and hydrological origins. UNISDR (United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction) defines it as “a natural process or phenomenon that may cause loss of life, injury or other health impacts, property damage, loss of livelihoods and services, social and economic disruption, or environmental damage”. Catastrophic is very harmful or disastrous - involving or causing sudden great damage or suffering  IMPACT: Loss of life and property due to natural disasters like tropical cyclones, floods, droughts, tornadoes, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions etc., is considerable. Today, warning facilities are already available, and by mitigation measures, loss of lives and properties can be minimized  The meteorological services around the world provide warnings to the public on some of the weather-related natural disasters. In the Philippines, the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration or PAGASA and the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology or PHIVOLCS are government agencies that the public can rely on. Since natural disasters cannot be prevented, taking proper long-term and short-term disaster mitigation measures can minimize life and property loss. Some common disasters known to occur in our country are: A. Floods are defined as a relatively high flow of water discharged from the river and stream network, It is essentially a physical phenomenon. Floods arise from abnormally heavy rains, dam failures, snow melts, and river blockages. Causes of Flooding: 1.Heavy Rainfall - too much rain causes water to flow overland contributing to flooding. It is due to high rainfall over a prolonged period. 2.Dam Breakage - dams are human-made structures used to hold water from flowing down from a raised ground. At times, the walls can become weak and break because of overwhelming carriage capacity. Consequently, breakage of the dam can cause extensive flooding in the neighboring areas. 3.River Overflows - rivers or streams can overflow their banks. It happens when the river or stream holds more water upstream than usual, and it flows downstream to the neighboring low-lying areas. 4.Lakes and Coastal Flooding - lake and Coastal flooding occur when large storms or tsunamis cause the water body to surge inland. 5.Clogged Drainages - clogged or lack of a proper drainage system is usually the cause of this type of flooding. Effects of Flooding: 1. The force of flood, combined with high tide and erosion, damage residential and commercial buildings. It may even be more destructive in villages lying in the coastal areas as flood sweeps away everything in its path. In mountainous areas it is the chief cause of landslides. 2. Fishermen, local people, cattle, animals, and vegetation suffer a significant loss of life and property. Most of the deaths are reported to be from drowning. 3. Supplies of fresh and potable water in all types and sources are nearly destroyed and contaminated. Hence, affected areas may suffer the risk of waterborne diseases. 4. The destruction of food and fodder crops result in an acute food shortage. 5. Floods also make soil infertile, as the topsoil is lost due to erosional activity. 6. Floods are also known to preserve wetlands and recharge groundwater  Earthquakes An earthquake happens when two blocks of the earth suddenly slip past one another (source: usgs.gov). The surface where they slip is called the fault or fault plane. The location below the earth’s surface where the earthquake starts is called the hypocenter. The location directly above it, on the surface of the earth, is called the epicenter. Typhoon typhoon is a type of large storm system having a circular or spiral system of violent winds. It is due to warm ocean water, low atmospheric stability, and a moist atmosphere. Effects of Typhoon: 1. Flooding – results in the drowning of people, plants, and animals. 2. Destruction of livestock - livestock and other domesticated animals suffer when exposed for a long time to violent winds and torrential rains. 3. Soil erosion - excessive rain can cause plants to drown, and it also causes soil erosion. 4. Damages to buildings and infrastructure - the heavy and persistent rainfall and coastal storm surge that typhoons bring can also have devastating effects making homes uninhabitable. Volcanic eruption - an eruption of molten rock, hot rock fragments, and hot gases through a volcano or when magma is released from a volcano Landslide is the movement of rock, earth, or debris down a sloped section of land. Landslides are caused by rain, earthquakes, volcanoes, or other factors Tornado is a narrow, violently rotating column of air that extends from a thunderstorm to the ground Forest fire, or wildfire, is an uncontrolled fire that rapidly spreads across vegetation and forest areas fueled by dry conditions, strong winds, and an excess of combustible material Tsunami is a series of sea waves commonly generated by under-the-sea earthquakes and whose heights could be greater than 5 meters. It is erroneously called tidal waves and sometimes mistakenly associated with storm surges. Tsunamis can occur when the earthquake is shallow-seated and strong enough to displace parts of the seabed and disturb the mass of water over it. Drought is a prolonged dry period in the natural climate cycle that can occur anywhere in the world. It is characterized by the lack of precipitation, resulting in a water shortage. Lightning is a giant spark of electricity in the atmosphere between clouds, the air, or the ground. Disaster Risk Reduction and Management in the Philippines  There are compelling reasons why the Philippines should adopt disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) and climate change adaptation (CCA). It is exposed to disasters and hazards due to its geography and geology and the presence of internal disputes in some areas.  The Philippines is also situated along a highly seismic area lying along the Pacific Ring of Fire and is highly prone to earthquakes. According to the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (PHIVOLCS), the country experiences an average of five (5) earthquakes a day Thank you Very Much REVIEW 1. Landslide is the movement of rock, earth, or debris down a sloped section of land. Landslides are caused by rain, earthquakes, volcanoes, or other factors 2. Volcanic eruption - an eruption of molten rock, hot rock fragments, and hot gases through a volcano or when magma is released from a volcano  3. Tornado is a narrow, violently rotating column of air that extends from a thunderstorm to the ground 4. Flooding – results in the drowning of people, plants, and animals.  5. Forest fire, or wildfire, is an uncontrolled fire that rapidly spreads across vegetation and forest areas fueled by dry conditions, strong winds, and an excess of  6. Earthquakes An earthquake happens when two blocks of the earth suddenly slip past one another (source: usgs.gov). 7. Tsunami is a series of sea waves commonly generated by under-the-sea earthquakes and whose heights could be greater than 5 meters. It is erroneously called tidal waves and sometimes mistakenly associated with storm surges. Tsunamis can occur when the earthquake is shallow-seated and strong enough to displace parts of the seabed and disturb the mass of water over it. 8. Drought is a prolonged dry period in the natural climate cycle that can occur anywhere in the world. It is characterized by the lack of precipitation, resulting in a water shortage. 9. Floods are defined as a relatively high flow of water discharged from the river and stream network, 10. Lightning is a giant spark of electricity in the atmosphere between clouds, the air, or the ground.  11. There are compelling reasons why the Philippines should adopt disaster risk reduction and management (DRRM) and climate change adaptation (CCA).  12. Typhoon is a type of large storm system having a circular or spiral system of violent winds. It is due to warm ocean water, low atmospheric stability, and a moist atmosphere. 13. PAGASA – Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration 14. PHIVOLCS - Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology  15. Natural disasters are catastrophic events with atmospheric, geological, and hydrological origins.  16. Natural disasters “a natural process or phenomenon that may cause loss of life, injury or other health impacts, property damage, loss of livelihoods and services, social and economic disruption, or environmental damage”.