Disaster facts for kids
A disaster is a really bad event that causes a lot of harm to people and places. It can destroy homes, businesses, and change lives completely. Disasters can happen in different ways, but many are caused by nature's powerful forces.
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What are Natural Disasters?
Natural disasters are big events caused by nature. They can include:
- Avalanches: When a lot of snow quickly slides down a mountain.
- Extreme Cold: Very low temperatures that can harm people and animals.
- Diseases: Widespread sicknesses that affect many people.
- Droughts: When there is not enough rain for a very long time, leading to water shortages.
- Earthquakes: When the ground shakes and moves, which can cause buildings to fall.
- Famine: A severe lack of food that causes many people to go hungry.
- Wildfires: Large fires that burn through forests and other areas, destroying everything in their path.
- Floods: When rivers overflow or heavy rain causes water to cover land that is usually dry.
- Hailstorms: When hard pieces of ice fall from the sky like rain.
- Heatwaves: Periods of extremely hot weather that can reduce water supplies.
- Hurricanes (also called tropical cyclones): Very strong storms with powerful winds and heavy rain that can cause a lot of damage.
- Impact Events: When space rocks like meteors hit the Earth.
- Landslides and Mudslides: When a lot of soil and rocks slide down a hill, often after heavy rain.
- Sinkholes: When a hole opens up in the ground, often because a cave underneath collapses.
- Storm Surges: When strong winds from a storm push a lot of ocean water onto land.
- Thunderstorms: Storms with rain, lightning (bright flashes of electricity), and thunder (loud noises).
- Tornadoes: Fast-spinning columns of air that can destroy buildings and trees.
- Tsunamis: Huge ocean waves, often caused by underwater earthquakes, that crash onto land.
- Volcanoes: Mountains that can erupt, sending hot lava, ash, and gases into the air.
- Waterspouts: Tornadoes that form over water.
- Winter Storms: Heavy snowstorms that can make it hard to see or travel.
Disasters Caused by People
Sometimes, disasters are caused by human actions or mistakes. These can include:
- Aviation Accidents: Crashes involving airplanes.
- Arson: When someone intentionally sets a fire to destroy property.
- Dangerous Weapons: When a country uses very powerful or dangerous weapons.
- Civil Disorder: When large groups of people riot or commit crimes, causing chaos.
- Power Outages: When electricity stops working for a long time.
- Radiation Accidents: When dangerous radiation leaks, often from nuclear power plants.
- Space Disasters: Accidents that happen in space, like spacecraft failures.
- Communication Outages: When phone or internet services stop working, making it hard to communicate.
- Terrorism: When a group attacks innocent people or threatens to attack to scare them and achieve their goals.
- War: Large-scale fighting with weapons between different groups or countries.
How to Prepare for a Disaster
To stay safe during a disaster, it's really important for your family and community to prepare beforehand. This might mean:
- Making an emergency kit with things you need, like canned food, water, a first-aid kit, and a flashlight.
- Having a family plan for where to meet and what to do if a disaster happens.
- Your local government might send help or organize emergency services.
Being prepared can make a big difference in how well you and your family can handle a disaster.
Want to Learn More?
Images for kids
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Ruins from the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, remembered as one of the worst natural disasters in the history of the United States.
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Painting of the Cathedral and the Academy building after the Great Fire of Turku, by Gustaf Wilhelm Finnberg, 1827.
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Damage from the Haiti earthquake.
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A car driving through a flash flood.
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Airplane crashes and terrorist attacks are examples of human-caused disasters. This picture shows the September 11 attacks in 2001 at the World Trade Center in New York City.
See also
In Spanish: Desastre para niños
