Natural Disasters

 1. Volcanoes

Volcanoes are mountains of fire that explode. There are three types of volcanoes, stratovolcanoes, cinder cone volcanoes, and shield volcanoes. Stratovolcanoes are the explosive kind that erupts suddenly, cinder cone volcanoes erupt from only one vent, and shield volcanoes, such as Mauna Loa in Hawaii, have lava that flows down, giving things or people in the path of the lava time to escape. Volcanoes have grades on the VEI scale. For example, VEI 1 volcanoes, such as Mount Stromboli, are more gentle, while the Yellowstone Supervolcano, rated VEI 8, can block the sun and causes the globe to cool for decades. 

 2. Tornadoes

Tornadoes are violently rotating columns of air that can obliterate buildings and houses. The Enhanced Fujita Scale, or the EF scale, rates a tornado by winds. The winds are strong, but the debris that the tornadoes pick up is the killer. Here is the EF scale: EF0 65-85 mph, EF1 86-110 mph, EF2 111-135 mph, EF3 136-165 mph, EF4 166-200 mph, and EF5 >200 mph. The widest and most terrifying tornado is the El Reno tornado. The El Reno tornado was 2.6 miles wide, the largest ever recorded, and had the highest wind speed, 302 mph. The deadliest tornado in the US was the Tri-State tornado, with 695 deaths. There are many other types of tornadoes, such as steam twisters, fire whirls, waterspouts, dust tornadoes, and snow tornadoes. The fastest forwarding tornado only happened for 1 minute. The Pilger Tornadoes were the fastest. One of the tornadoes traveled at a speed of 92 mph, faster than a car on the highway.

 3. Hurricanes

Hurricanes are possibly the most deadly natural disaster of all time. Besides floods and earthquakes, which can cause a lot of deaths, hurricanes are the most dangerous. They have many names, such as typhoons and cyclones. The scariest hurricane ever was Typhoon Tip. In 1979, it made landfall in Russia, causing 99 people to die. It was the most intense hurricane on Earth, and its radius was almost 1,300 miles wide. There is one more powerful typhoon. Super Typhoon Yolanda, also known as Super Typhoon Haiyan, was the most powerful hurricane that killed 6,000+ people.

4. Tsunamis

If you think tsunamis are weak, you will learn you are completely wrong. In Alaska, the Lituya Bay Megatsunami destroyed most of the bay. The 2011 Japan tsunami caused 300 billion dollars in damages. The 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami killed the lives of 250,000 people, making it the deadliest tsunami in history. One more, the Chicxulub asteroid impact caused a wave to be 3.1 miles high if it crashed into the Pacific Ocean! Luckily, the asteroid only caused a 100-foot tall wave.

5. Wildfires

Wildfires are very dangerous and destructive. They can burn millions of acres. For example, the 1871 Lake Michigan fire killed 482 people and resulted in over 1,200 more fatalities in the aftermath. It was dangerous even though there was a lake. The Lake Michigan fire burned over 2,500,000 acres. That is about 3,900 miles! The largest fire currently going, however, is the Dixie Fire. It is the 3rd largest in California’s history. The 2004 Alaska Fire Season was probably the worst in the US. 6.6 million acres of land was gone over 701 fires, which destroyed over 6,600,000 acres, 10312.5 miles! 

6. Earthquakes

Earthquakes are the sudden movement of the Earth’s crust. Over time pressure builds up in-between two plates, and they suddenly move or slide, causing an earthquake. For example, the Indian Ocean Tsunami was caused by an earthquake of at least magnitude 9.1, making it the third-strongest earthquake in human history. But the Chicxulub Asteroid caused an earthquake that is magnitude 13! No earthquake in human history has ever reached 10, but the impact caused 13! That is enough to destroy almost everything close to it, as each magnitude is 33x stronger than the one before it.

7. Quicksand

Quicksand is a type of sand that can sink you in. However, there is no need to worry about drowning. Quicksand is thicker than water, so moving in it will be more difficult. However, you might lose a leg from the pressure the quicksand gives so that you can be ready. Here are some steps you can use if you get stuck in quicksand. 

  1. Lay on your back.
  2. Slowly, use your legs as paddles to move.
  3. If you can’t move, try using a stick to take your shoes off to become lighter. 
  4. Use your legs to propel yourself slowly.
  5. Once you reach land, get out slowly.

8. Dust Storms 

Dust storms, such as the Dust Bowl, have stormy winds that pick up a lot of dust and send them flying in the air. This, as in the Dust Bowl, causes many animals and humans to die. You can’t breathe during a dust storm because of all the dust and sand. Humans can either die from suffocation or, after the years following, die from hunger. The best choice, if a dust storm comes to you, is to move to another place.

9. Droughts

Droughts are one of the most devastating natural disasters. They are usually natural, but, due to global warming, they are becoming more common and drier. Droughts kill people due to a lack of water.

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