Page 68 - ICSE GEOGRAPHY

the spinning ‘arms’ of the storm. Cyclones Wildfi res
cause great damage to human property. Th ey
Wildfi res are uncontrollable fi res that erupt
are powerful enough to rip out the roofs of when sparks from lightning or volcanic
houses, destroy them completely or send eruptions come in contact with combustible
them fl ying off to a completely diff erent vegetation such as forests and grasslands.
location. Other eff ects of cyclones may be Depending on which kind of vegetation
fl oods and large-scale evacuations of people wildfi res occur, they may be classifi ed as forest
into emergency shelters, oft en leaving them fi res, grass fi res, bush fi res or hill fi res. Th e

homeless. severity of a wildfi re depends on the available
fl ammable material, weather conditions,
Tsunamis
vegetation density and topography of the
Tsunami, literally meaning ‘harbour wave’, aff ected area.
is derived from the Japanese words tsu
(meaning harbour) and nami (meaning
wave). A tsunami is a series of giant waves
that are produced when water displacement
takes place within oceans. Th is displacement
of water tends to occur due to a number

of reasons such as earthquakes, volcanic
eruptions, landslides and glacier calvings
within the oceans. Th e 2004 Indian Ocean
Wildfi res cause the loss of many ecosystems.
tsunami was among the worst natural
disasters as it killed about 230,000–280,000 Eff ects of Natural Disasters
people and caused widespread destruction in
Natural disasters have become so common
14 countries including Indonesia, Sri Lanka, that they hardly receive much attention on
India and Th ailand. the news unless there are a large number of

Landslides casualties. Volcanoes, mudslides, tsunamis and
fl oods are just a few of the ways nature strikes
Landslides are one of the most dangerous
on a daily basis, leaving behind destruction
natural disasters on the Earth. Th ey occur
and hardship. Humans have learned to prepare
when land, rocks, and debris plummet down for the possibility of tornadoes, earthquakes,
the side of a mountain or cliff , sometimes at hurricanes and wildfi res, but no amount of
breakneck speeds. Landslides can occur all preparation can decrease the impact that
over the world. Th ey can also occur on every natural disasters have on every aspect of society.
type of surface, whether rocky or sandy, on
Physical Destruction
land and even underwater. Th ere are many
causes of landslides, some natural and some Th e biggest visible eff ect of natural disasters

man-made, and the eff ects can range from is the physical devastation they leave behind.
minor to severe devastation. Homes, vehicles and personal possessions

plummet: fall or drop straight down at a high speed

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