Natural Hazards Analysis - Essay Example

 Earthquake in Nepal Nepal experienced a severe earthquake on 25th of April 2015. The earthquake caused severe damaged to the life and property. It also led to the death of the human beings. It severely affected the human being since thousands of people were made homeless. It killed more than 8,600 in Nepal and also it injured many people in the country. The rural death was comparatively less as compared to the death of the people in the urban areas since many of the villagers were outside when the earthquake hit the country. Figure 1: Effect of Nepal earthquake (BBC News). It also affected the society to a large extent. It affected the districts of Sindhupalchowk and Gorkha. 90% of the houses were destroyed in the country. According to the government of the concerned country the earthquake caused damage and destruction of more than 1, 60, 786 houses. The earthquake was very powerful with a magnitude of 7.9. More than 10, 141 public buildings of Nepal were destroyed due to earthquake and 13502 buildings were damaged. Figure 2: Devastation (Botelho and Mullen) The importance of this earthquake is that it caused severe disaster, leading to the death of thousands of people and damaging most of the buildings in the country. The implication or the consequence of this event is that many of the people became homeless. Several Pagodas which were considered as the symbol of the World Heritage site were destroyed. Several temples were demolished due to the earthquake The steps or the initiative taken by the government in order to mitigate the damages are the government established a national reconstruction fund by allocating an amount of $ 200 million. But the government aimed to increase the fund to $ 2 billion. 2. Volcanic eruption in Calbuco in Chile The volcanic eruption that took place in Calbuco in Chile on 30th April 2015 polluted the atmosphere which could endanger the lives of the people in the vicinity of the volcanic prone region. Figure 3: Volcanic eruption (Martinez) The town was covered with a cloud of ash and smoke. Calbuco is considered as the most active volcano that erupted many times before. But the eruption that occurred in the present year is considered to be much more devastating as compared to the volcanic eruption that occurred in the previous years. The smoke that was generated was harmful for the society as a whole since it polluted the environment. Figure 4: Impact of volcanic eruption (Mcintyre) The smoke and the ashes that were generated from the volcanic eruption are dangerous for the lives of the human beings. Therefore more than 1500 people were evacuated from the region The importance of this volcanic eruption was it occurred for 3 times within 8 days. It caused panic among the people staying nearby. The implication or the consequence of this volcanic eruption is that it increased chaos among the people in that region and also increased traffic jams causing barrier and difficulty for the people going to the supermarkets. The government took initiative in protecting and safeguarding the lives of the people of that area, since the residents of that area were warned that the heavy rain could mix with the rock and the ash to produce deadly and serious volcanic mudflows. The government made arrangements for evacuating the people from that region. 3. Flood in Texas and Oklahoma The flood in Texas and Oklahoma occurred during the period of 24th May to 25th May. It endangered the lives and the property of the people in that area. It devastated and destroyed the houses and buildings in the city. The record rainfall that took place in Texas and Oklahoma created havoc among the people. It led to the death of more than 30 people and forcing more than 2000 people to evacuate the place. More than 350 people were made homeless due to the devastating effect of flood. Figure 5: Flood (Brumfield) It affected the society to a large extent since many houses were swept away due to the continuous affect of rain in the city. The storm in Texas inundated the roads in Texas which left several people without power. Transportation was affected to a large extent due to severe water logging in the city. The importance of the flood in Texas and Oklahoma was that it devastated the area completely making people homeless. The consequence or the implication of the flood on the individual and the society is that it severely damaged many apartments and complexes in Texas. 1000 homes were destroyed in this flood. The steps or the initiative were taken by the government to safeguard the life and property of the victims. Government made arrangement to rescue the life of the people. Provision for clean drinking water was arranged for the flood victims. 4. Colombia Landslide The Colombian slide occurred on 18th May 2015. This landslide affected the town of Salgar. This disaster led to the death of more than 78 people across the world. More than 500 people were directly affected due to the landslides. It caused the death of more than 78 people and injured more than 40 people. It left many of the bodies disfigured making it difficult and complicated for its identification. The people were left homeless due to the disaster. The disaster also affected the society to a large extent since dozens of buildings and houses including the school buildings were destroyed in the disaster. More than 1000 people were made homeless due to the severe landslide. Figure 6: Adverse effect of landslide (Villarraga) The importance of this landslide is that it causes panic and havoc among the people who were affected due to the landslide. The consequences or the implication of this landslide is that it injured and led to the death of many people in the landslide affected area. It is considered as the single and biggest event disaster in Colombia. The government took initiative in order to provide assistance to the victims. Food and blankets were offered to the people who became homeless due to the disaster. More than 15 trucks or portable drinking water were provided to the victims of Salgar. 5. Cyclone in Vanuatu Island The Cyclone occurred in Vanuatu Island on 15th March 2015. This cyclone severely affected the people of that particular island. It destroyed the connection of this island with other islands and it caused death of more than 6 people. It destroyed many buildings across the region. It affected the individuals to a large extent is that it injured and led to the death of many people of that particular island. The storm turned many people homeless. Figure 7: Storm Disaster (Robertson) The storm also affected the society. The people in that island were delinked from other islands. The people lost their homes and therefore the residents of that island have to seek their shelter in churches and schools. Most of the buildings were destroyed and damaged and many of the roads were blocked due to the fallen trees and power lines in the road. Figure 8: Effect of Cyclone (Almasy) The importance of this disaster is that it affected the people residing in that island and the society. The people of that island spent their nights in the emergency shelter. The villages were blown away. The implications or the consequence of this disaster is that the people were made homeless. The buildings and the houses were damaged. The storm ruined the lives of the people of that island. Steps or initiatives were taken by the government to rescue and safeguard the lives of the people of that island. Government arranged relief camp for providing shelter to the victims who were turned homeless by the storm. Works cited Almasy, Steve. Cleanup begins in Vanuatu after cyclone batters islands. 15 March 2015. Web. 2nd August 2015. < http://edition.cnn.com/2015/03/14/asia/cyclone-pam-vanuatu/ >. BBC News. Nepal earthquake: Dozens die in new tremor near Everest.12 May 2015. Web. 2nd August 2015. < http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-32701385 >. Botelho, Greg and Mullen, Jethro. Dozens dead after another major earthquake centered in Nepal. 13 May 2015. Web. 2nd August 2015. < http://edition.cnn.com/2015/05/12/asia/nepal-earthquake/ >. Brumfield, Ben. 4 dead after record storms in Texas, Oklahoma; 12 missing in one county. 29 May 2015. Web. 2nd August 2015. < http://edition.cnn.com/2015/05/25/us/severe-weather/ >. Martinez, Michael. Chile's Calbuco Volcano erupts for third time in 8 days. 30 April 2015. Web. 2nd August 2015. < http://edition.cnn.com/2015/04/30/world/chile-calbuco-volcano/ >. Mcintyre, Sophie. 1,500 are evacuated following third Calbuco volcano eruption in Chile, with experts warning of acid rain and deadly mud flows. 1st may 2015. Web. 2nd August 2015. < http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/1500-are-evacuated-following-third-calbuco-volcano-eruption-in-chile-with-experts-warning-of-acid-rain-and-deadly-mud-flows-10217584.html >. Robertson, Joshua. Vanuatu disaster: the island hit by an earthquake, a volcano then cyclone Pam. 17 March 2015. Web. 2nd August 2015. < http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/mar/17/vanuatu-disaster-the-island-hit-by-an-earthquake-a-volcano-then-cyclone-pam >. Villarraga, Herbert. Colombia rescuers search for landslide victims; 78 dead. 20 May 2015. Web. 2ND August 2015. < http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/05/20/us-colombia-landslide-idUSKBN0O31O720150520 >. Read More