NATURAL DISASTERS

Natural disasters are the stuff that fear is made of. We can prepare for them, but we can't prevent them. We can anticipate them, but we can't accurately predict them. (If we could, they wouldn't be much of a problem.) All they do is to put us in our place on a fairly regular basis, letting us know that the planet, and not humanity, is in charge. Natural disasters such as flood, fire, earthquake, tornado and windstorm affect thousands of people every year. You should know what your risks are and prepare to protect yourself, your family and community. Some of the things you can do to prepare for the unexpected, such as assembling a supply kit and developing a family emergency plan, are the same for all types of hazards. However each emergency is unique and knowing the actions to take for each threat will impact the specific decisions and preparations you make. By learning about these specific threats, you are preparing yourself to react in an emergency.

The Krakatoa Volcano

A volcano is an opening, or rupture, in the surface or crust of the Earth or a planetary mass object, which allows hot lava, volcanic ash and gases to escape from the magma chamber below the surface. Eruptions can be quiet or explosive. There may be lava flows, flattened landscapes, poisonous gases, and flying rock and ash that can sometimes travel hundreds of miles downwind. Because of their intense heat, lava flows are great fire hazards. Lava flows destroy everything in their path, but most move slowly enough that people can move out of the way. Fresh volcanic ash, made of pulverised rock, can be extremely dangerous to small infants, to older adults and to those suffering from severe respiratory illnesses, causing them lung damage. When it exploded in a series of four blasts in August 1883, the Indonesian volcano of Krakatoa released three cubic miles of magma and as much energy as an atomic bomb. At least one of the blasts was heard thousands of miles away. The volcanic boom that shook nearly the entire Pacific took out an entire island as the volcanic crater sank to the ocean floor and unleashed a tsunami that submerged over 100 villages on nearby islands. Over 36,000 people died, most in the resulting tsunamis. The ash Krakatoa spewed into the air traveled as far as New York and cooled temperatures globally for years to come, but even if it is rated as one of the most destructive volcanic eruptions of modern times, Krakatoa was not the largest eruption in the recent history of Indonesia. That honor belongs to the eruption of Mount Tambora on April 10, 1815. Global temperatures were an average of five degrees cooler because of this eruption; even in the United States, 1816 was known as the year without a summer. Today, a smaller volcano island has emerged in its place. Named Anak Krakatau (meaning "child of Krakatau"), it emerged about 80 years ago and though it is prone to spewing ash and lava, geologists think it's unlikely it will repeat its parent's fate anytime soon.