1
My dad was watching the news about the current forest fire in Canada. It was horrible to watch. All of the trees were just gone. All in flames, the land was empty with fires still burning. How do you think they were able to stop the forest fire?
Firefighters use water to put out fires. Helicopters spray the land with water and/or chemicals to put out the fire.
My family and I were jerked awake in the middle of the night by a loud siren. Confused, my dad looked at his phone when we all met downstairs in the living room. He saw that we were under a tornado warning, and had to go take shelter right away. Grabbing our dog, we all ran to the basement. Why do you think the family went to the basement?
To stay safe during the tornado.
Natalie and her family scurried to load their cars with clothing, pet supplies, medicine, and things like photo albums. A hurricane was going to hit their coastal town in the next day or so. There were going to be high winds and lots of flooding. Natalie and her family were going to go stay with her grandmother until the storm was over. Why do you think that Natalie's family took photo albums with them?
To protect them from damage (i.e., flood waters), they are sentimental and wanted to keep them safe, etc.
Chris sat by the window watching the snow swirling by. He couldn't see from his window to the end of his driveway! The snow was falling fast, and the wind was blowing hard. Chris couldn't hear the usual traffic from the road outside. Why do you think that Chris couldn't hear traffic?
People are staying home until the snow storm is done (roads may not be cleared of snow, roads may be slick and icy).
The weatherman said we were to have a bad snowstorm, about two feet of snow with strong winds. I was hopeful for this snowstorm so school would be closed. Before bed, I was happy to see it was starting to snow. The next morning, I woke up, and the snow was covering the tires of my parents' car. We got a message from the principal. What do you think the principal said?
School is cancelled because of the snowstorm.
Eve's brother Evan wrote their family a letter from his fire-fighting assignment. He had been sent out West to help fight wildfires that had been caused because it was so dry. Evan wrote that the firefighters spent their days flying helicopters over the fire to drop water and chemicals. What do you think the goal of the firefighters is?
To put out the fire.
The community of Willowdale was so upset. There had been a landslide down a large hill at the local state park last week, caused by inches of rain falling over the weekend. The landslide destroyed playgrounds, picnic groves, and basketball courts. What might the community do to help repair the damage?
Start a fundraiser, plant new trees/shrubbery, rebuild parks, basketball courts, etc.
James's class was studying the eruption of the volcano Mt. St. Helens in 1980. The volcano began to build up pressure inside and eventually erupted with ash and smoke. They learned that the eruption had also caused earthquakes and landslides. Why do you think other natural disasters happen along with the eruption?
The volcano's pressure was so powerful that it caused earthquakes. The ash from the volcano caused landslides.
Experience, learning about it in the past.
"Rain, rain, go away..." was all my sister sang for the past 15 minutes. It had been raining so much all morning. I looked out front and saw chairs, trash, and even shoes floating by. I had to wonder who was now shoeless. Why do you think all of these items were floating by?
Sean had one of the scariest experiences of his life yesterday! He and his mother were driving home through their farming community when his mother began to worry out loud about the weather. Sean could see the dark sky and high wind all around them. Then, they saw something horrifying! They saw what they thought looked like a funnel cloud in the distance. What do you think is happening?
There is a tornado
Kevin and his family huddled around the fireplace that was full of wood. Their power had been out for two days because it had been blown out by the blizzard that raged outside. It had already dumped 19 inches of snow, and showed no sign of letting up! Kevin's mom came into the room with more blankets and a board game. Why do you think she brought a board game?
To keep them entertained since the power was out.
Sometimes, one natural disaster leads to another. One example of this is a tsunami (giant wave). Tsunamis are caused by earthquakes that occur on the ocean floor. The energy from such an earthquake can cause the ocean floor to suddenly rise or fall. This sudden movement of the ocean floor is what sets a tsunami in motion. What do you think people do when a tsunami is approaching?
Move inland, away from the water.
The Smith's home on the edge of the forest was in danger! The summer had been unusually dry, and heat lighting had caused a forest fire in the already dry woods. The Smiths were uncertain about what to do. They didn't want to leave their home, but they were already having trouble breathing. Why do you think they were having trouble breathing?
The smoke from the fires was causing them difficulty with breathing.
The hurricane flooded some places that may have been vulnerable to flooding.
Sally was sitting in school the other day, working on a spelling test. Suddenly, the ground beneath her and her classmates began to shake violently. Books fell off the shelves and items on the teacher's desk rattled furiously. The students were so confused! Their teacher shouted for them to get under their desks and cover their heads with their hands. What do you think is happening?
An earthquake