Natural Disasters A natural disaster is a severe event resulting from natural processes of the Earth. Examples: Hurricanes Floods Earthquakes Volcanic.

Natural DisastersA natural disaster is a severe event resulting from natural processes of the Earth.

Examples: HurricanesFloodsEarthquakesVolcanic eruptionsDrought

Natural Disasters of Latin America

Earthquakes• Caused by the

tectonic plates collidingo Leads to fires,

building collapses and tsunamis

• Occur at fault line, near volcanoes and around the Ring of Fire

Great Chilean Earthquake

• Largest recorded earthquake on the Richter scale – 9.5 on May 22, 1960

• Led to improving the infrastructure in Chile to withstand high magnitude earthquakes

Haitian Earthquake

• 7.0 M earthquake in January 2010 followed by 52 aftershockso Left 1 million

homeless / 530,000 dead or injured

• Haiti’s poor infrastructure caused much of the damage and deaths

Natural Disasters of Latin AmericaVolcanic Eruptions• Generally found where

tectonic plates are pulling away from each othero Earth’s crust is opened

causing lava to come to the surface

• Some of the Caribbean islands were formed through volcanic eruptions

Natural Disasters of Latin AmericaEl Nino & La NinaA warmer/cooler ocean current that flows off the west coast of South America every few years

o Changes weather patterns around the world

• Causes extreme weather like floods, droughts and other weather disturbanceso Agriculture and fishing

are most affected

Natural Disasters of Latin America

Hurricanes• Storms that forms over

warm, tropical ocean waterso Start off the coast of

Africa in the Atlantic Ocean and move west toward the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea

• Produces powerful winds, torrential rain, high waves and storm surges

Man-Made Disasters

A man-made disaster is a severe event caused by humans interacting with the Earth.

Examples:DeforestationOil SpillsGlobal WarmingNuclear AccidentHazardous Waste

Man-Made Disasters of Latin America

Deforestation• Cutting down and

clearing away of trees

• The rain forests absorbs carbon dioxide and produces oxygeno Slash-and-burn in

the Amazon produces carbon dioxide and other harmful gases into the atmosphere

Man-Made Disasters of Latin America

Global Warming• The buildup carbon

dioxide in the atmosphere, preventing heat from escaping into space and causing rising temps and shifting weather patterns

Man-Made Disasters of Latin America

Oil-Spills• A release of petroleum

into the environment, due to human erroro Often leads to

catastrophic consequences to the environment and takes years to clean up

Petrotrin Oil spill

• A total eleven oil spills occurred in December 2013 off the Island of Trinidad in the Caribbean.o A massive die-off of

numerous fish & other marine species occurred.

o The fishing industry was also virtually wiped out.

Impact of Disasters

• Human impacto Injury/deatho Loss of homes/property

• Economic impacto Loss of jobs/businesses

• Infrastructure impacto Damaged/destroyed

roads, bridges, power grid, communications

Natural vs. Man-made DisastersDisplay Poster

Step 1: With a partner, categorize and define the following disasters: • Global Warming• Deforestation• Hurricanes• Oil Spills• Earthquakes• Volcanic Eruptions

Step 2: You MUST include the following on your poster:1) Title & Names2) Types + Definition of the

6 Disasters in the Appropriate Category

3) Illustration of each disaster

BE CREATIVE – USE COLOR!