DISASTER WATCH a Natural disasters can destroy whole areas and kill thousands of people The only protection from them is to go on disaster watch This means knowing the warning signs that a disaster might be about to happen and having a plan for what to do if one strikes We cannot stop natural disasters from happening on but being prepared can help minimize the harm caused by a disaster what Are Natural Disasters Natural disasters are nature's most damaging events They include wildfires earthquakes extreme storms floods tsunamis say soon ah mee and volcanic eruptions Preparing for Natural Disasters Preparing for natural disasters helps us to reduce their effects in three key ways by increasing our chances of survival making our homes as disaster proof as possible reducing the long term effects of the
1 VOLCANOES Volcanoes occur in places where extremely hot rock breaks through the surface of Earth When this happens it is called a volcanic eruption These are among nature's most extreme events People die as a result of volcanic eruptions every year More than 500 million people live near volcanoes These people need to be prepared for an eruption and to know what to do if one happens DISASTER WORDS About volcanic Eruptions A volcanic eruption happens when the Earth's surface opens he opening releases dangerous materials including lava poisonous gas and huge clouds of ash lava liquid rock that flows from a volcano Preparing for an Eruption There are three key ways to prepare for an eruption You must know the warning signs that a volcano might be about to erupt and how to react how to get to safety as fast as possible the challenges facing those who survive a volcanic eruption The 2010 Eyjafjallajökull eruption Date April 14 2010 Location Eyjafjallajökull Glacier Iceland The surprise 2010 eruption of Iceland s Eyjafjallajökull volcano brought flooding to Iceland as hot lava melted a glacier The volcano s ash cloud stopped aircraft across Europe from flying stranding many people The Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland erupted in
WHERE DO VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS HAPPEN Volcanoes that are likely to erupt are known as active volcanoes Most of these dangerous volcanoes are found around the edges of the Pacific Ocean but there are active volcanoes all around the world some of them very close to large cities The Ring of Fire The circle of coastlines around the Pacific Ocean is often called the Ring of Fire because more than half of the world's active volcanoes are found there The ring stretches along the western Pacific Ocean fron New Zealand EYEWITNESS WORDS CO through northern New Guinea Iceland's Gunar Gestur Geirmundsson Indonesia and Japan Then it witnessed the sudden eruption of the ares eastward along the Aleutian Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland in 2010 Islands before following the west I could see another awesome explosion coasts of North and South America about 15 minutes ago which sent more ash southward into the sky toward Western Europe Europe North Ameri Asia 40 Pacific Ocean Africa Pacific Ocean South America Australia Active volcano 200 km ES The map shows the location of the world's active volcanoes Antarctica
Other poisaster watch Areas There are many areas outside the Ring of Fire that contain active volcanoes These include the mid Pacific Ocean especially the Hawaiian Islands which are actually the tips of giant undersea volcanoes the Arabian Peninsula and the east coast of Africa where a line of volcanoes stretches down the Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia and along Africa's Rift Valley the Indian Ocean especially in the northeast along Indonesia's On the island of Hawaii lava from the Kilauea volcano flows into the Pacific Ocean The islands coastline were formed by volcanic eruptions and as new the eastern Mediterranean Sea eruptions occur the island is growing especially Italy Greece and the Middle East Iceland which was formed by volcanoes The Eight Deadliest Volcanic eruptions The Most disastrous Rank Year Location Estimated Total Deaths volcanic Eruptions 11816 Mt Tambora Indonesia 92 000 1883 Mt Krakatau Indonesia 36 000 1902 Mt Pelée Martinique 30 000 1985 Nevado del Ruiz Colombia 23 000 1792 Mt Unzen Japan 15 000 Volcanic eruptions cause the greatest disasters when they happen in areas where many people live Volcanic soil is good for growing crops so the land near volcanoes is often prized The people who live nearby have to balance the benefits of the rich soil against the risk of a volcanic eruption 79 AD Mt Vesuvius 10 000 25 000 1783 4 Laki Iceland 9 350 8 1631Mt Vesuvius Ital 6 000
