Disasters

• Natural event – Naturally occurring event which does not impact people/large numbers of people
• Natural hazard – a natural event which poses a threat to people and/or human life
• Disaster – An event that completely causes damage to life and/or property
• Physical disaster – A naturally occurring disaster e.g. volcanic eruption/tsunami/earthquake
• Human (manmade) disaster – A disaster caused by human actions e.g. nuclear disaster/oil spill, etc 
• Super Volcano – Yellowstone is located in Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA.
• Super Volcano – Yellowstone is caused by an underground hotspot, not a plate margin.
• Experts believe that 2,000 million tonnes of sulphur could be ejected 20-50km above the Earth.
• The full effects of a Super Volcano – Yellowstone eruption would take 2-3 weeks to be felt.
• Geographers predict that the Monsoon rains in Asia would fail causing mass starvation in India, China and many other countries which rely on the water to grow crops.
• Air travel could be disrupted for months due to the ash cloud from a Super Volcano – Yellowstone eruption.
• Areas around Wyoming could be devastated by pyroclastic flows from a Super Volcano – Yellowstone eruption.
• The greatest dangers from a Super Volcano – Yellowstone eruption would be within 1000km of the eruption zone where 90% of people could be killed.
• A Super Volcano – Yellowstone eruption would cause a ‘nuclear winter’ where temperatures would be much cooler, possibly causing a mini ice age.
• Europe could be up to 5C cooler after a Super Volcano – Yellowstone eruption.
• There is nothing we could do to prevent a super volcano eruption – only act to prevent maximum damage.
• Megatsunami is a very large wave created by a large, sudden displacement of material into a body of water.
• Megatsunamis are often not caused by tectonic activity and can also be caused by meteor impacts, etc.
• La Palma, an island in the Canary Islands, is the source of a potential megatsunami in the Atlantic Ocean.
• A megatsunami could be caused by the eruption of Cumbre Vieja, which could trigger a huge landslide into the ocean, causing a wave over 100 metres high.
• The effects of a megatsunami could be devastating, including flooding over 12 miles inland, destroying coastal towns and cities, devastating the surrounding Canary Islands, causing thousands of deaths and causing billions of dollars in economic damage.
• There is no way to prepare for a megatsunami as there are tsunami warning systems in place which would give some areas advance warning, at which point you need to get inland to high ground as soon as possible.
• Aberfan was a mining disaster in the Welsh village of Aberfan in 1966.
• The disaster was caused by a tip collapse due to heavy rainfall and poor practices within the mine, causing 150,000 tonnes of coal slurry to flow down onto the village.
• The disaster destroyed Pantglas Junior School, part of the senior school and a row of houses.
• The disaster killed 116 children and 28 adults.
• Villagers and rescue workers tried to dig for survivors and bodies around the school area.
• The Queen was heavily criticised for her late visit to Aberfan to offer her condolences following the disaster.
• The National Coal Board were blamed for the disaster but were not prosecuted.
• Nuclear Disaster – Chernobyl​

  • Happened in Pripyat, Ukraine, in 1 April 1986​
  • Caused by a poorly designed and unsafe experiment​
  • One of the nuclear reactors exploded triggering a large fireball and the reactor lid blew off​
  • Released large amounts of radioactive waste into the air​
  • A cover-up was attempted, but was soon uncovered​
  • Death reports range from 2 to 50, but lots more people died from radiation sickness and cancers​
  • Water, soils and food contaminated​
  • 1000 square miles around Chernobyl won’t be habitable for at least 20,000 years​
  • Wildlife around the area have thrived since
• BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill​

  • Happened in the Gulf of Mexico on 20th April 2010​
  •  Oil rig exploded, killing 11 people​
  • Oil spill occurred, releasing about 4.9 million barrels of crude oil​
  • Caused deaths of many marine animals and birds, including over 4000 birds, 525 sea turtles, & 72 dolphins​
  • Impact on tourism estimated to be a cost of $23 billion​
  • BP were criticised for their response to the oil leak and for aiming for press attention rather than adequate clean-up​
  • The chemicals used to disperse the oil spill in oceans is being  investigated as potentially harmful to marine life