Natural disasters are terrifying and cause huge destruction. Although the marvels of science have allowed human beings to face several perils of nature, there are still many that cause massive damage. Tsunamis and typhoons are two such natural disasters that harm human life and property. While both are destructive in their own ways, they differ…
You’ve probably heard of feature pieces and articles talking about tsunamis. But have you ever wondered what they actually are and how they are created? In case you did, keep reading this article for some unbelievable facts about this natural phenomenon. What is a Tsunami? In the simplest terms, a tsunami can be defined as…
It is all fun and games until a typical snowfall becomes a severe storm and starts wreaking havoc on your locality. Over the years, the United States has witnessed some of the most destructive snow storms that ever existed. These blizzards have unfortunate repercussions, including hundreds of casualties and destruction of millions worth of properties….
A blizzard is an extreme snowstorm followed by a very strong and constant wind which last three hours or more. Difference between snowstorms and blizzards is in the power of the wind. The speed of the wind that can cause a blizzard is at least 35 mph (56 km/h). The result of it is wind…
According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), sinkholes are pits in the ground that occur in areas where water collects without external drainage. Essentially, a sinkhole is any hole in the ground formed by erosion and the drainage of water. It can be just a few meters across or large enough to swallow a…
Hurricanes are some of the most destructive kinds of natural disasters today. They cause destruction to property and loss of life every year. According to the National Hurricane Center, the biggest hurricane in the world known as the Great Galveston Hurricane occurred in the United States in the 1900’s. The deadly hurricane resulted in about…
The entire human, plant and animal life spins around water. Lack of water can bring a region to its knees. Some regions entirely depend on agriculture for survival and when lack of water persists; their futures are literally dried up. But it’s not just farmers that need water to get by; industries, cities, and animals…
The weather is a strange thing. One day it can be cold and rainy; the next day, it’s perfectly warm and sunny for sandals and bikinis on the beach. Humans have managed to develop products that enable them to handle many kinds of weather. For example, when it rains, an umbrella comes along way. When…
Landslides are among the many natural disasters causing massive destructions and loss of lives across the globe. According to a survey study by the International Landslide Centre at Durham University, UK, 2,620 fatal landslides occurred between 2004 and 2010. These landslides resulted in the death of over 32,322 people. The figure does not include landslides…
A tsunami is a sudden violent change in the earth’s surface resulting from a destructive sea wave caused by an earthquake or volcanic eruption. The volcanic or earthquake activity usually creates a huge wave underneath the ocean, which eventually come down violently onto the shoreline. The outcomes can be devastating for the communities living adjacent…
Hurricane is a severe tropical cyclone – rapid inward circulation of air masses about a low pressure centre, usually with heavy rains and winds moving at 73 to 136 knots (miles per hour) forming over the Atlantic Ocean or Eastern Pacific Ocean. Hurricanes are witnessed as massive storms during powerful rains with strong winds, lightning, and…
Tornadoes are associated with violent and destructive windstorms occurring over land characterized by a funnel-shaped cloud extending towards the ground. In other words, a tornado is a funnel-shaped violent windstorm that whirls upwards rapidly with a tip touching the ground. If the tip doesn’t touch the ground, it is termed as a funnel. Tornadoes contain…
Floods are natural occurrences where an area or land that is normally dry abruptly becomes submerged in water. In simple terms, flood can be defined as an overflow of large quantities of water onto a normally dry land. Flooding happens in many ways due to overflow of streams, rivers, lakes or oceans or as a…
A volcano is a fissure – opening or vent – in the earth’s crust through which molten rocks and gases erupt. The molten rocks can be in the form of mixture of hot gases, ash, lava, or other extremely hot substances within the earth’s crust. A volcano looks like a huge heap of soil or…
During dry and hot weather periods, it is common to find dry and cracked earth without even a single shed of water or wet areas. Lakes, rivers, and streams may as well run dry. Well, these are the typical earth conditions that define drought in layman terms. Drought can simply be defined as extended periods…