Natural Disasters

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Date: 29/05/2012
Natural Disasters
Earthquakes
Earthquakes normally occur because of the sudden release of energy within the earth’s crust leading to the formation of seismic waves. Earthquakes are measured by the use seismometers. Within the surface of the earth, earthquakes normally manifest themselves through shaking and displacement of the ground. Another form of earthquake takes place when its epicenter is found offshore. In this case, the seabed may undergo displacement adequate to result into a tsunami. Earthquakes can also induce landslides and in some cases result into volcanic activity. In the real sense, the term earthquake normally describes any form of seismic event or occurrence. This can be artificial or natural factors which can induce seismic waves. The main cause of earthquakes is the rupturing of various geological faults. In addition, other occurrences like landslides, nuclear tests, volcanic eruptions and mine blasts trigger earthquakes. The initial rupture point of an earthquake is known as the hypocenter or focus. The epicenter denotes the point on the ground that is directly on top of the focus (Bolt, 56).
Floods
Floods refer to the water overflow which submerges the land. During flooding, land is excessively covered with water. Floods may arise because of the water volume within a given water body like a lake or a river. Water from these water bodies breaks their banks and results into the escape of water past its normal boundaries. Floods only become significant when the escape of water endanger areas of land utilized by humans such as villages, cities and other inhabited areas. In most cases, floods result into damage to businesses and homes if these places are located within the flood plains of rivers. Damage by floods can be reduced greatly through moving away from various water bodies like rivers. On the contrary, people continue to live and work near water bodies in search of sustenance and other related gains.
Sandstorms
This refers to a storm caused by very strong winds which blow dust or sand. They result when strong winds blow past loose sand, soil or dust. As these strong winds pass by, they pick up a lot of material making visibility to become impaired. Availability of loose sand in deserts makes sandstorms a common occurrence in deserts. In some times of the year, sandstorms become increasingly frequent. This is because strong heating of air past the desert make the lower temperatures to be unstable. This state of instability combines with strong winds at the troposphere center downward towards the surface. This ultimately generates very strong winds on the surface. Sandstorms normally bring sand into houses, equipment and many other things. For example, the abrasive nature of sandstorms can be extremely lethal to machinery (Davis 126).
Landslides
This refers to a geological occurrence that includes a broad range of ground movement like rick falls, shallow flow of debris and deep failure of slopes that can take place onshore, offshore and in coastal environments. Gravity action is the primary cause of landslides. In addition, there are other related factors which influence the stability of the slope. Actually, pre-conditional factors normally build up given sub-surface conditions which make the slope or the area susceptible to failure. The real landslide normally calls for a trigger before its occurrence. Landslides occur when rocks, boulders, pebbles and dirt slide down a slope altogether. ...