- Most natural disasters are caused by weather. Weather disasters can be caused by hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, tsunamis, thunderstorms, wind storms, wildfires, avalanches, and blizzards.
- Some of the weather disasters can be predicted such as hurricanes and blizzards. The technology is getting better in predicting tornadoes and severe thunderstorms. By getting the data early people can be warned to take shelter or make the necessary preparations.
- Some natural disasters are caused by volcanoes and earthquakes.
- Some wildfires are caused by lightning, but some are caused by people.
- Flooding is the world’s most expensive type of natural disaster because the damage can be so extensive.
- Earthquakes are the deadliest of all natural disasters.
- Some kinds of disasters are more common in some places than in others. When people are choosing a place to live they need to consider whether they will live on a fault line for an earthquake or near a river that has a history of flooding.
- There isn’t any way to avoid natural disasters, but if people know what kinds of disasters are most likely where they live, they can learn what to do if a disaster happens in order to stay safe.
- FEMA is an acronym for the Federal Emergency Management Agency. This is the federal agency that deals with natural disasters across the United States.
- Many different agencies such as the Red Cross come to the assistance of people affected by natural disasters.
Natural Disaster Facts
A natural disaster is the consequence of the combination of a natural hazard (a physical event like a volcanic eruption, typhoon, tropical cyclone, tornado an earthquake, a landslide or a tsunami) and human activities. See the fact file below for more information about natural disasters.
Download the Natural Disasters Worksheet
Download and use this worksheet in the classroom or at home to increase your students' Natural Disasters knowledge.
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