Natural Hazards
What is a natural hazard?
A natural event that can cause harm to people, property, or the environment.
What do scientists collect to learn about natural hazards?
Data
What does mitigation mean when discussing natural hazards?
Taking actions to reduce the damage or impact caused by natural hazards.
A long bar represents __________.
A short bar represents _______.
more, less
Which natural hazard involves shaking of Earth's surface caused by sudden movement along faults?
Earthquake
Which natural hazard is a rotating column of air that extends from a thunderstorm to the ground?
Tornado
Why do scientists collect data from past natural hazards?
To identify patterns and better predict future risks.
Which of the following is an example of flood mitigation?
A. Building homes closer to rivers
B. Building floodwalls or levees
C. Ignoring flood warnings
D. Removing weather satellites
There a 3 different wave types, what are they known as?
1) P waves =_________
2) S waves = __________
3. Surface waves are the _______ and causes the most _________
Primary, 1st, fastest
Secondary. 2nd, slow
strongest, damage
Which natural hazard forms over warm ocean water and produces strong winds and heavy rainfall?
Hurricane
What is the difference between a hurricane and a tornado?
Hurricanes are large storms that form over warm ocean water, while tornadoes are smaller, rotating columns of air.
Scientists collected the following wind speed data as a storm approached a coastal town.
Day
Wind Speed
Monday
45 mph
Tuesday
65 mph
Wednesday
85 mph
Thursday
110 mph
Question: Based on the data, what pattern do scientists notice, and what can they predict about the storm?
Wind speeds are increasing each day. Scientists can predict that the storm may continue getting stronger if the pattern continues.
There are 3 types of waves, they are known for:
1) P waves= ________
2) S waves= ________
3) Surface waves cause the _________ shaking and most __________
primary, 1st, fastest
secondary, 2nd, slow
strongest, damage
When reading a graph. What are the 3 W's?
what, where, when
Which natural hazard occurs when water covers land that is normally dry?
Flood
Name four natural hazards and explain one possible effect of each.
Hurricane—flooding; earthquake—ground shaking; tornado—wind damage; flood—damage to homes and roads.
Scientists collected rainfall data in a town that frequently experiences flooding.
Day Rainfall
Monday 1 inch
Tuesday 2 inches
Wednesday 4 inches
Thursday 6 inches
Question: Based on the data, what natural hazard might the town experience, and what additional data could scientists collect to help predict it?
Flooding. Scientists could collect river-level measurements or soil moisture data to determine the risk of flooding.
Three methods of collecting data are:
Surveys, satellites, sensors
What is T-L-R-C-P
Title, labels ,read,compare, pattern
Which natural hazard spreads through forests or grasslands and can be made worse by dry conditions and strong winds?
Wildfire
Scientists notice that a certain area floods every time it receives several days of heavy rainfall. What pattern have they identified?
Heavy rainfall over several days increases the risk of flooding.
Scientists studied the number of earthquakes recorded in a region over four years.
Year Earthquakes Recorded
2022 5
2023 9
2024 13
2025 17
Question: What pattern is shown in the data, and how could scientists use this information to help protect the community?
The number of recorded earthquakes increases each year. Scientists could use this information to investigate earthquake risks and recommend stronger buildings and emergency preparedness plans.
These are the steps/things we consider Mitigation: True or False
Warn-->Protect-->Respond
True
Scientists are studying a graph showing the number of hurricanes over the past 20 years. Why is it important to look for patterns in the graph?
Patterns help scientists understand how often hurricanes occur, identify trends, and estimate future risks.
A community experiences several weeks of little rainfall, extremely dry vegetation, and strong winds. Which natural hazard is the community at greater risk of experiencing? Explain why.
Wildfire. Dry vegetation can catch fire easily, and strong winds can cause fires to spread quickly.