Natural Disasters

The Saffir-Simpson scale is used to rate the intensity of hurricanes. A table is provided.

Trees with deeper roots will only be knocked down by winds of 120 miles per hour or higher. If a hurricane is able to knock down one of these trees, we can conclude that the pressure associated with this hurricane would be which of the following?

• No higher than 920 millibars

• In the range of 950 millibars or less

• Between 979 and 965 millibars

• At least 980 millibars, probably higher

Which of the following describes an action that would best help people prepare for a natural disaster?

• Learning the evacuation routes that will be used during a hurricane

• Applying sunscreen after spending several hours outside on a summer day

• Seeking shelter under a tree when there is a severe thunderstorm

• Building campfires only when the weather is dry and windy

Lauren and Justin live in an area of Florida recently damaged by a storm surge, a large wave brought in by a hurricane. They have set out to research ways in which this can be avoided in the future. The provided map shows the buildings that were damaged and those left undamaged as a result of the storm.

Based on information from the map, one solution to protect buildings from the damage of a hurricane would be to do what?

• Build more buildings closer to the water

• Rebuild the damaged buildings quickly

• Plant more mangrove trees along the shore

• Make more space between all buildings

Ms. Gonzalez is planning a class trip to the beach. Which of the following will NOT help her class protect themselves from sun exposure?

• Wearing hats and shirts with long sleeves

• Planning the trip on a cloudy day instead of a sunny day

• Remaining in the shade when the sun is highest

• Applying sunscreen early and often

What is a tsunami?

• a spinning windstorm that forms over the ocean.

• a series of ocean waves.

• a vibration deep within the Earth or at its surface.

• when magma rises through the Earth's surface.

The rush of water that is caused by powerful winds is called

• drought

• storm surge

• tsunami

• thunderstorm

A long period of scarce rainfall or dry weather is known as

• flood

• desert pavement

• drought

• famine

True / False: Many floods occur when the volume of water in a river increases so much that the river overflows its channels

• True

• False

True / False: Floods cannot be caused by storm surges from the ocean or from large lakes

• True

• False

True / False: Droughts are usually caused by dry weather systems that remain in one place for weeks or months at a time

• True

• False