In our restless and violent planet, natural disasters can be sudden and without warning, like earthquakes, or predictable like hurricanes. In whatever form they present themselves, the effect upon lives and property can be catastrophic. Millions of lives have been, (and continue to be) lost, and billions of dollars of damage has been caused by the furious power of nature, greater than anything that could be produced by man.

I obviously cannot go into great depth on this subject in one webpage, but I can relate to you some of the major disaters that have occurred throughout the World. All you need to do is click on one of the icons below.

Floods are the most common and widespread of all the natural disasters. They are the number one killer, with 80 percent of deaths occuring when the drivers of vehicles attempt to navigate flood water, not realizing that (a) the underlying surface has been undermined by the force of the floodwater, and (b) as little as 2 feet of flowing water can float vehicles as large as a bus, which can then be swept away. An astonishing 95 percent of people killed by flash floods, when in panic, they attempt to outrun the waters instead of climbing to high ground.

Hurricanes begin as small areas of low pressure over warm oceans. The moist air that rises condenses as it cools releasing great amounts of heat. This mixture of heat and condensed moisture creates clusters of thunderstorms. These individual storms in the cluster begin to merge and rotate. When this happens the pressure in the centre of the cyclone plunges, producing a partial vacuum into which more warm moist air is sucked. As this warm moist air rises, it condenses creating yet more heat, so fuelling the cycle. The low pressure 'eye' of the storm pulls the rotating air in tighter, causing the wind speeds to accelerate up to 180 miles per hour. A hurricane has been born.

At any moment throughout the world, there are nearly 1,800 thunderstorms occuring. The average number each year is 16 million. When compared to tornadoes, hurricanes, etc, the area of a thunderstorm is relatively small at an average of 15 miles in diameter, and a life of around 30 minutes. The most dangerous elements of any thunderstorm are it's by-products of flash floods, hail, lightning, lightning induced fires, high winds, and tornadoes. In the last 10 years in the USA, 15,000 lightning induced fires have occured at a cost of several million dollars, and the loss of 2 million acres of forest.

Tornadoes are nature's most violent storms. They come from powerful thunderstorms and appear as rotating, funnel-shaped clouds. Tornado winds can reach 300 miles per hour. They cause damage when they touch down on the ground. They can damage an area one mile wide and 50 miles long. Many states in the USA are at some risk, but States in "Tornado Alley" have the highest risk. Tornadoes can form any time of the year, but the season runs from March to August. The ability to predict tornadoes is limited.

Contrary to popular belief, a tsunami is not a huge tidal wave. It has absolutely nothing to do with the tides. A tsunami is really a seismic sea wave, the result of an undersea disturbance caused by earthquakes, submarine avalanches, volcanic eruption, or even meteorite impact. You can liken the effect to that caused by tossing a stone into a pond, and seeing the ripples radiate out in all directions. The difference is that these 'ripples' can climb to 67 m (220 ft) high, can be several kilometers long, and travel as far as 19,300km (12,000 mls) at speeds up to a breathtaking 1,045 km/h (650 mph).

Beneath the seemingly quiet surface of our planet, lies a boiling mass of molten rock (magma), heaving and seething like the contents of a witches couldron. The earth's crust keeps a lid on this deadly brew, but where it can find a weak spot along the great fault lines (see my pages on Plate Tectonics and The Earth's Crust), it can erupt with a force and power unimaginable. Examples of some of the most awesome and famous volcanic eruptions can be seen on this page.

Wildfire is a natural process necessary to the functioning of many ecosystems - but it can be both destructive and deadly. Wildfires are a danger for people who live in forest, prairies or wooded areas. These fires are sometimes started by lightning, by accident, or by the criminal act of arson. The temperature at which wood will ignite (the flashpoint) is 300c (572deg F). At this temperature hydrocarbon gases are released from the wood, which when mixed with the oxygen in the air combusts. This is the fire triangle known to firefighters which comprises Heat, Fuel, and Air.

Winter storms are at their worst when blizzard conditions prevail. The combination of heavy snowfall, strong winds and extremely cold conditions, bring blinding snow which can cause 'white-out' conditions, deep drifts, and wind chill levels that threaten survival. A blizzard is categorized as heavy snow fall, with gales of 56kph (35mph) or more, and visibility down to 0.4km (0.25ml). 35mph may be the 'entry level' for a blizzard, but gusts of up to 100mph are not unknown, and trees, power lines, structures, and even ships at sea can all become victims of this destructive power.

Kids, you can take comfort from the fact that most of these terrible Disasters happened many years ago, before better buildings, avoidance and survival techniques were developed.