Natural disasters Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Natural disasters - Essay Example What we see that is really different lately is we keep setting records for the warmest-year-ever for the globe, and we have various kinds of catastrophes or extreme events that stand out". (Groat) Hurricanes Albert Einstein saidGod does not play dice meaning there is a predictable pattern in everything. In a CNN interview Climatologist Mark Cane acknowledges some connections in certain atmospheric conditions, in excerpts from that interview he said. One of the things that has been studied a lot is the impact of the El Nino events on the Hurricanes. So, in an El Nino phase, you get fewer hurricanes in the Atlantic. We are not in an El Nino phase-we are in the opposite phase-and so we should expect more hurricanes, that is what is predicted and it seems to be, so far in this hurricane season, what is happening. (Cane) Jack Williams in his piece, A Guide to Storms, which was printed in USA Today, presents the commonality inherent in most storms and offers the practicality for their existence. All storms have two things in common: low atmospheric pressure at the storms center, and winds that are created by the flow of air from higher pressure outside the storm toward the low pressure outside the storm toward the low pressure at the center. Wind, in other words, is air that's being pushed by high pressure toward low pressure. Areas of low air pressure occurs because the sun heats the earth unequally. The sun shines down almost directly on the Earth's tropical regions near the equator, heating this region more than the polar region around the North and South Poles and the middle latitudes between the Poles and the tropics. Storms along with ocean currents, redistribute heat from the...(4) Fires which are caused by lightening, and prolonged sun rays on an excessively dry vegetated earth cover. (5) Lack of rain. (a) Drought, and (b) famine. (6) Outbreaks of disease (a) sars, (b)small pox, (c) HIV/AIDS, et. el. Earthquakes, landslides and floods, - these hazards are part of the way the earth operates. Although we can't prevent natural hazards from happening, we can learn from them, and use the knowledge to prevent natural hazards from turning into natural disasters. The next century gives us a new chance to apply the lessons we have learned about natural hazards. As we look ahead to the next millennium, we must continue to improve our understanding of how the earth works and our ability to provide timely, effective warnings, so that we can live safely on our planet. I think it will be one of the superstar years for the century in a lot of ways. What we see that is really different lately is we keep setting records for the warmest-year-ever for the globe, and we have various kinds of catastrophes or extreme events that stand out". (Groat) and gained the dubious distinction as the most destructive hurricane in United States history.