Page 74 - ICSE GEOGRAPHY

Let’s Recall

• A disaster is a serious accident or catastrophe which occurs in a relatively short time.

• Any catastrophic event which is caused by nature or the natural processes of the Earth is a
natural disaster. Some examples are droughts, fl oods, earthquakes, tornadoes, tsunamis and
wildfires.
• Disasters which are caused through human actions are man-made disasters. Some examples
are nuclear disasters, biological disasters, chemical disasters, acts of terrorism, accidents and
technological disasters.
• Both natural and man-made disasters can cause physiological, emotional and economic
damage.
• Disaster management usually refers to the management of catastrophes such as fi re,
fl ooding or earthquakes.
• The Government of India has set up a National Committee on Disaster Management (NCDM)
under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister.

Let’s Learn

A Choose the correct answer from the options given below.
1. Of the following, which is not a natural disaster?
(a) Nuclear explosion (b) Tsunami

(c) Forest fi re (d) Lightning
2. Which of the following is not caused by disasters?
(a) Damage to the ecological environment
(b) Displacement of populations
(c) Destruction of a population’s homeland

(d) No loss of life
3. Landslides occur because of _______________________.

(a) intensity of rainfall (b) steep slopes
(c) deforestation leading to soil erosion (d) all of these
4. Which of the following is a disaster mitigation strategy?
(a) Constructing cyclone shelters (b) Getting loans from banks
(c) Providing cheap electricity (d) Providing school uniforms to children

5. What does disaster management include?
(a) Maintaining control over disasters
(b) Reducing the eff ects of disasters

(c) Briefi ng the top offi cials of government on the eff ect of disasters
(d) All of these

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