Disaster Essay – Here is a list of popular essays on ‘Disaster’ especially written for school and college students.
Essay on Disaster
Essay Contents:
- Essay on the Introduction to Disaster
- Essay on Earthquakes
- Essay on Tsunamis
- Essay on Cyclone
- Essay on Flood
- Essay on Drought
- Essay on Landslide
- Essay on Nuclear Hazards
- Essay on Chemical Hazards
- Essay on Fire Accidents
- Essay on Environmental Hazards
1. Essay on the Introduction to Disaster:
Disaster is a sudden, calamitous event bringing great damage, loss, and destruction and devastation to life and property. The damage caused by disasters is immeasurable and varies with the geographical location, climate and the type of the earth surface/degree of vulnerability. This influences the mental, socio-economic, political and cultural state of the affected area.
Generally, disaster has the following effects in the concerned areas:
1. It completely disrupts the normal day to day life.
2. It negatively influences the emergency systems.
3. Normal needs and processes like food, shelter, health, etc., are affected and deteriorate depending on the intensity and severity of the disaster.
It may also be termed as “a serious disruption of the functioning of society, causing widespread human, material or environmental losses which exceed the ability of the affected society to cope using its own resources.”
Thus, a disaster may have the following main features:
(i) Unpredictability
(ii) Unfamiliarity
(iii) Speed
(iv) Urgency
(v) Uncertainty
(vi) Threat.
Thus, in simple terms we can define disaster as a hazard causing heavy loss to life, property and livelihood. e.g., a cyclone killing 10,000 lives and a crop loss of one crore can be termed as disaster.
2. Essay on Earthquakes:
“An earthquake is a sudden motion or trembling of the ground produced by the abrupt displacement of rock masses”.
Most earthquakes result from the movement of one rock mass past another in response to tectonic forces, viz. some terms related to description of earthquakes are:
i. The focus is the point where the earthquake’s motion starts,
ii. The epicenter is the point on the earth’s surface that is directly above the focus.
iii. Earthquake Magnitude is a measure of the strength of an earthquake as calculated from records of the event made on a calibrated seismograph. In 1935, Charles Richter first defined local magnitude, and the Richter scale is commonly used today to describe an earthquake’s magnitude.
iv. Earthquake Intensity is a measure of the effects of an earthquake at a particular place. It is determined from observations of the earthquake’s effects on people, structures and the earth’s surface.
Among the many existing scales, the Modified Mercalli Intensity Scale of 12 degrees,, symbolized as MM, is frequently used.
Earthquake Hazards:
Earthquake hazards can be categorized as either direct hazards or indirect hazards.
a. Direct hazards:
(i) Ground shaking
(ii) Differential ground settlement
(iii) Soil liquefaction
(iv) Immediate landslides or mud slides, ground lurching and avalanches
(v) Permanent ground displacement along faults
(vi) Floods from tidal waves, Sea Surges & Tsunamis.
b. Indirect hazards:
(i) Dam failures
(ii) Pollution from damage to industrial plants
(iii) Delayed landslides.
Most of the damage due to earthquakes is the result of strong ground shaking. For large magnitude events, trembling has been felt over more than 5 million sq. km.
Safety Tips:
Before the earthquake:
Now is the time to formulate a safety plan for you and your family. If you wait until the earth starts to shake, it may be too late.
Consider the following safety measures:
(i) Always keep the following in a designated place- bottled drinking water, non-perishable food (chura, gur, etc.), first-aid kit, torchlight and battery-operated radio with extra batteries.
(ii) Teach family members how to turn off electricity, gas, etc.
(iii) Identify places in the house that can provide cover during an earthquake.
(iv) It may be easier to make long distance calls during an earthquake. Identify an out of town relative or friend as your family’s emergency contact. If the family members get separated after the earthquake and are not able to contact each other, they should contact the designated relative/friend. The address and phone number of the contact person/relative should be with all the family members.
Safeguard your house:
i. Consider retrofitting your house with earthquake-safety measures. Reinforcing the foundation and frame could make your house quake resistant. You may consult a reputable contractor and follow building codes.
ii. Kutcha buildings can also be retrofitted and strengthened.
During quake:
Earthquakes give no warning at all. Sometimes, a loud rumbling sound might signal its arrival a few seconds ahead of time. Those few seconds could give you a chance to move to a safer location.
Here are some tips for keeping safe during a quake:
i. Take cover. Go under a table or other sturdy furniture; kneel, sit, or stay close to the floor. Hold on to furniture legs for balance. Be prepared to move if your cover moves.
ii. If no sturdy cover is nearby, kneel or sit close to the floor next to a structurally sound interior wall. Place your hands on the floor for balance.
iii. Do not stand in doorways. Violent motion could cause doors to slam and cause serious injuries. You may also be hit be flying objects.
iv. Move away from windows, mirrors, bookcases and other unsecured heavy objects.
v. If you are in bed, stay there and cover yourself with pillows and blankets
vi. Do not run outside if you are inside. Never use the lift.
vii. If you are living in a kutcha house, the best thing to do is to move to an open area where there are no trees, electric or telephone wires.
If outdoors:
i. Move into the open, away from buildings, streetlights, and utility wires. Once in the open, stay there until the shaking stops.
ii. If your home is badly damaged, you will have to leave. Collect water, food, medicine, other essential items and important documents before leaving.
iii. Avoid places where there are loose electrical wires and do not touch metal objects that are in touch with the loose wires.
iv. Do not re-enter damaged buildings and stay away from badly damaged structures.
If in a moving vehicle:
Move to a clear area away from buildings, trees, overpasses, or utility wires, stop, and stay in the vehicle. Once the shaking has stopped, proceed with caution. Avoid bridges or ramps that might have been damaged by the quake.
After the quake:
Here are a few things to keep in mind after an earthquake. The caution you display in the aftermath can be essential for your personal safety:
i. Wear shoes/chappals to protect your feet from debris.
ii. After the first tremor, be prepared for aftershocks. Though less intense, aftershocks cause additional damages and may bring down weakened structures. Aftershocks can occur in the first hours, days, weeks, or even months after the quake.
iii. Check for fire hazards and use torchlights instead of candles or lanterns.
iv. If the building you live in is in a good shape after the earthquake, stay inside and listen for radio advises. If you are not certain about the damage to your building, evacuate carefully. Do not touch downed power line.
v. Help injured or trapped persons. Give first aid where appropriate. Do not move seriously injured persons unless they are in immediate danger of further injury. In such cases, call for help.
vi. Remember to help your neighbours who may require special assistance-infants, the elderly, and people with disabilities.
vii. Listen to a battery operated radio for the latest emergency information.
viii. Stay out of damaged buildings.
ix. Return home only when authorities say it is safe. Clean up spilled medicines, bleaches or gasoline or other flammable liquids immediately. Leave the area if you smell gas or fumes from other chemicals. Open closet and cupboard doors cautiously.
x. If you smell gas or hear hissing noise, open windows and quickly leave the building. Turn off the switch on the top of the gas cylinder.
xi. Look for electrical system damages, if you see sparks, broken wires, or if you smell burning of amber, turn off electricity at the main fuse box. If you have to step in water to get to the fuse box, call an electrician first for advice.
xii. Check for sewage and water lines damage. If you suspect sewage lines are damaged, avoid using the toilets. If water pipes are damaged, avoid using water from the tap.
xiii. Use the telephone only for emergency calls.
xiv. In case family members are separated from one another during an earthquake (a real possibility during the day when adults are at work and children are at school), develop a plan for reuniting after the disaster. Ask an out of state/district relative or friend to serve as the “family contact”. Make sure everyone in the family knows the name, address, and phone numbers of the contact persons.
3. Essay on Tsunamis:
Tsunamis are Ocean Waves produced by Earth Quakes or Underwater landslides. This word has been derived from Japanese and means “Harbor Waves”.
Tsunami is actually a series of waves that can travel at speeds from 400-600 mph in the open ocean. As the waves approach the coast, their speed decreases, but their amplitude increases. Unusual wave heights of 10-20 ft high can be very destructive and cause many deaths and injuries. Most deaths caused by Tsunamis are because of Drowning.
Associated risks include:
i. Flooding
ii. Contamination of Drinking Water
iii. Fires from ruptured gas lines and tanks
iv. Loss of vital Community Infrastructure [police, fire, medical]
v. Areas of greatest risks are:
a. Less than 25 feet above sea level
b. Within 1 mile of the shore line.
Environmental conditions left by the tsunamis may contribute to the transmission of the following diseases from food or water:
i. Diarrhea illnesses; Cholera, Acute Diarrhea, Dysentery
ii. Hepatitis-A, Hepatitis-E
iii. Typhoid Fever
iv. Food borne illnesses; Bacterial, Viral, Parasitic, Non-infections
v. From Animals or Mosquitoes
vi. Leptospirosis, Plague, Malaria, J.E, Dengue, Rabies
vii. Respiratory Diseases; Avian flu, Influenza, Measles
Safety Tips:
Tsunami-specific planning should include the following:
Learn about tsunami risk in your community:
Contact your local emergency management office or American Red Cross chapter. Find out if your home, school, workplace or other frequently visited locations are in tsunami hazard areas. Know the height of your street above sea level and the distance of your street from the coast or other high-risk waters. Evacuation orders may be based on these numbers.
If you are visiting an area at risk from tsunamis, check with the hotel, motel, or campground operators for tsunami evacuation information and how you would be warned. It is important to know designated escape routes before a warning is issued.
If you are at risk from tsunamis, do the following:
Plan an evacuation route from your home, school, workplace, or any other place you’ll be where tsunamis present a risk. If possible, pick an area 100 feet above sea level or go up to two miles inland, away from the coastline. If you can’t get this high or far, go as high as you can. Every foot inland or upwards may make a difference. You should be able to reach your safe location on foot within 15 minutes.
After a disaster, roads may become impossible or blocked. Be prepared to evacuate by foot if necessary. Footpaths normally lead uphill and inland, while many roads parallel coastlines. Follow posted tsunami evacuation routes; these will lead to safety. Local emergency management officials can help advise you as to the best route to safety and likely shelter locations.
Practice your evacuation route:
Familiarity may save your life. Be able to follow your escape route at night and during inclement weather. Practicing your plan makes the appropriate response more of a reaction, requiring less thinking during an actual emergency situation.
Use a NOAA Weather Radio with a tone-alert feature to keep you informed of local watches and warnings. The tone alert feature will warn you of potential danger even if you are not currently listening to local radio or television stations.
Talk to your insurance agent. Homeowners’ policies do not cover flooding from a tsunami. Ask about the National Flood Insurance Program.
Discuss tsunami with your family. Everyone should know what to do in case all family members are not together. Discussing tsunamis ahead of time will help reduce fear and anxiety, and let everyone know how to respond. Review flood safety and preparedness measures with your family.
How to protect your property?
Avoid building or living in buildings within several hundred feet of the coastline. These areas are more likely to experience damage from tsunamis, strong winds, or coastal storms.
Make a list of items to bring inside in the event of a tsunami. A list will help you remember anything that can be swept away by tsunami waters.
Elevate coastal homes. Most tsunami waves are less than 10 feet. Elevating your house will help reduce damage to your property from most tsunamis.
Follow flood preparedness precautions. Tsunamis are large amounts of water that crash onto the coastline, creating floods.
Have an engineer check your home and advise about ways to make it more resistant to tsunami water. There may be ways to divert waves away from your property. Improperly built walls could make your situation worse. Consult with a professional for advice.
4. Essay on Cyclone:
The term “cyclone” refers to all classes of storms with low atmospheric pressure at the centre, are formed when an organized system of revolving winds, clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere, anti-clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere, develops over tropical waters.
Cyclones are classified on the basis of the average speed of the wind near the centre of the system as follows:
Wind speed: Classification-
(i) Up to 61 km/hr – Tropical Depression
(ii) 61 km/hr – 115 km/hr – Tropical Storm
(iii) Greater than 115 km/hr – Hurricane
Hurricane:
A hurricane is a low pressure, large scale weather system which derives its energy from the latent heat of condensation of water vapor over warm tropical seas. A mature hurricane may have a diameter ranging from 150 to 1000 km with sustained wind speeds often exceeding 180 km/hr near the centre with still higher gusts.
A unique feature of a hurricane is the Eye. The eye provides a convenient frame of reference for the system, and can be tracked with radar, aircraft or satellite.
Safety Tips:
Before the cyclone season:
(i) Keep watch on weather and listen to radio or TV. Keep alert about the community warning systems – loudspeakers, bells, conches, drums or any traditional warning system.
(ii) Get to know the nearest cyclone shelter/safe houses and the safest route to reach these shelters.
(iii) Do not listen to rumours.
(iv) Prepare an emergency kit containing:
(a) A portable radio, torch and spare batteries
(b) Stocks dry food – Chura, Chhatua, Mudhi, gur, etc.
(c) Matches, fuel lamp, portable stove, cooking utensils, waterproof bags.
(d) A first aid kit, manual, etc.
(e) Katuri, pliers, small saw, axe and plastic rope.
(v) Check the roof and cover it with net or bamboo. Check the walls, pillars, doors and windows to see if they are secure. If not, repair those at the earliest. In case of tin roofs, check the condition of the tin and repair the loose points. Cover the mud walls with polythene or coconut leaves mats or straw mats on a bamboo frame. Bind each corner of the roof with a plastic rope in case of thatched roof.
(vi) Trim dry tree branches, cut off the dead trees and clear the place/courtyard of all debris, including coconuts and tree branches.
(vii) Clear your property of loose materials that could blow about and cause injury or damage during extreme winds.
(viii) If your area is prone to storm surge, locate safe high ground or shelter.
(ix) Keep important documents, passbook, etc., in a tight plastic bag and take it along with your emergency kits if you are evacuating.
(x) Identify the spot where you can dig holes to store food grains, seeds, etc., in polythene bags.
(xi) Keep a list of emergency addresses and phone numbers on display. Know the contact telephone number of the government offices/agencies, which are responsible for search, rescue and relief operations in your area.
Upon a cyclone warning:
(i) Store loose items inside. Put extra agricultural products/ stock like paddy in plastic bags and store it by digging up a hole in the ground, preferably at a higher elevation and then cover it properly. Fill bins and plastic jars with drinking water.
(ii) Keep clothing for protection, handy.
(iii) Prepare a list of assets and belongings of your house and give information to volunteers and other authorities about your near and dear ones.
(iv) Fill fuel in your car/motorcycle and park it under a solid cover. Tie bullock carts, boats securely to strong posts in an area, which has a strong cover and away from trees. Fallen trees can smash boats and other assets.
(v) Close shutters or nail all windows. Secure doors. Stay indoors, with pets.
(vi) Pack warm clothing, essential medications, valuables, papers, water, dry food and other valuables in waterproof bags, to be taken along with your emergency kit.
(vii) Listen to your local radio, ‘TV, local community warning system for further information.
(viii) In case of warning of serious storm, move with your family to a strong pucca building. In case of warning of cyclones of severe intensity, evacuate the area with your family, precious items and documents and emergency kit. Take special care for children, elders, sick, pregnant women and lactating mothers in your family. Do not forget your emergency food stock, water and other emergency items. GO TO THE NEAREST CYCLONE SHELTER.
(ix) Do not venture into the sea for fishing.
On warning of local evacuation:
Based on predicted wind speeds and storm surge heights, evacuation may be necessary. Official advice may be given on local radio/TV or other means of communication regarding safe routes and when to move.
(i) Wear strong shoes or chappals and clothing for protection.
(ii) Lock your home, switch off power, gas, water, and take your emergency kit.
(iii) If evacuating to a distant place take valuable belonging, domestic animals, and leave early to avoid heavy traffic, flooding and wind hazards.
(iv) If evacuating to a local shelter or higher grounds carry the emergency kit and minimum essential materials.
When the cyclone strikes:
(i) Disconnect all electrical appliances and turn off gas.
(ii) If the building starts crumbling, protect yourself with mattresses, rugs or blankets under a strong table or bench or hold on to a solid fixture (e.g., a water pipe).
(iii) Listen to your transistor radio for updates and advice.
(iv) Beware of the calm ‘eye’. If the wind suddenly drops, don’t assume the cyclone is over, violent winds will soon resume from the opposite direction. Wait for the official “all clear”.
(v) If driving, stop – but well away from the sea and clear of trees, power lines and watercourses. Stay in the vehicle.
After the cyclone:
(i) Do not go outside until officially advised it is safe.
(ii) Check for gas leaks. Do not use electric appliances, if wet.
(iii) Listen to local radio for official warnings and advice.
(iv) If you have to evacuate, or did so earlier, do not return until advised. Use a recommended route for returning and do not rush.
(v) Be careful of snake bites and carry a stick or bamboo.
(vi) Beware of fallen power lines, damaged bridges, buildings and trees, and do not enter the floodwaters.
(vii) Heed all warnings and do not go sightseeing.
5. Essay on Floods:
Floods occur when the ground can’t hold any more rain and the rivers and lakes crest over, their banks, this normally happens during the very heavy rain seasons that occur in most places where there is no place for the water to go like after severe thunderstorms, monsoons, hurricanes and typhoons the waters recede once the rains stop and sun comes out to help with evaporation however the recession of the waters takes days and weeks to do on its own so people normal end up pumping the water out of their homes also occurs when poorly built dams fail to hold the water in.
Safety Tips:
The simple things you and your family can do to stay safe and protect your property from floods.
Before flooding occurs:
(i) All your family members should know the safe route to nearest shelter/raised pucca house.
(ii) If your area is flood-prone, consider alternative building materials. Mud walls are more likely to be damaged during floods. You may consider making houses where the walls are made of local bricks up to the highest known flood level with cement pointing.
(iii) Have an emergency kit on hand which includes a:
a. A portable radio, torch and spare batteries.
b. Stocks of fresh water, dry food (chura, mudi, gur, biscuits), kerosene, candle and matchboxes.
c. Waterproof or polythene bags for clothing and valuables, an umbrella and bamboo stick (to protect from snake), salt and sugar.
d. A first aid kit, manual and strong ropes for tying things.
When you hear a flood warning or if flooding appears likely:
i. Tune to your local radio/TV for warnings and advice.
a. Keep vigil on flood warning given by local authorities
b. Don’t give any importance to rumours and don’t panic
c. Keep dry food, drinking water and clothes ready.
ii. Prepare to take bullock carts, other agricultural equipments, and domestic animals to safer places or to higher locations.
iii. Plan which indoor items you will raise or empty if water threatens to enter your house.
iv. Check your emergency kit.
During floods:
i. Drink boiled water.
ii. Keep your food covered, don’t take heavy meals.
iii. Use raw tea, rice-water, tender coconut-water, etc., during diarrhoea; contact your ANM/ AWW for ORS and treatment.
iv. Do not let children remain on empty stomach.
v. Use bleaching powder and lime to disinfect the surrounding.
vi. Help the officials/volunteers distributing relief materials.
If you need to evacuate:
(i) Firstly pack warm clothing, essential medication, valuables, personal papers, etc., in waterproof bags, to be taken with your emergency kit.
(ii) Take the emergency kit.
(iii) Inform the local volunteers (if available), the address of the place you are evacuating to.
(iv) Raise furniture, clothing and valuables onto beds, tables and to the top of the roof (electrical items highest).
(v) Turn off power.
(vi) Whether you leave or stay, put sandbags in the toilet bowl and over ail laundry/bathroom drain-holes to prevent sewage back-flow.
(vii) Lock your home and take recommended/known evacuation routes for your area.
(viii) Do not get into water of unknown depth and current. If you stay or on your return.
(ix) Stay tuned to local radio for updated advice.
(x) Do not allow children to play in, or near, flood waters.
(xi) Avoid entering floodwaters. If you must, wear proper protection for your feet and check depth and current with a stick. Stay away from drains, culverts and water over knee-deep.
(xii) Do not use electrical appliances, which have been in floodwater until checked for safety.
(xiii) Do not eat food, which has been in floodwaters.
(xiv) Boil tap water (in cities) until supplies have been declared safe. In case of rural areas, store tube well water in plastic jars or use halogen tablets before drinking.
(xv) Be careful of snakes, snakebites are common during floods.
6. Essay on Droughts:
Drought is a period or condition of unusually dry weather within a geographic area where rainfall is normally present. During a drought there is a lack of precipitation. Droughts occur in all climatic zones. However, its characteristics vary significantly from one region to another.
Drought usually results in a water shortage that seriously interferes with human activity. Water supply reservoirs empty, wells dry up, and crop damage ensues. Its seriousness depends on the degree of the water shortage, size of area affected, and the duration and warmth of the dry period. In many developing countries, such as India, people place a great demand on water supply. During a drought period there is a lack of water, and thus many of the poor die.
Most precipitation depends on water vapor carried by winds from an ocean or other source of moisture. If these moisture carrying winds are replaced by winds from a dry region, or if they are modified by downward motion, as in the center of an anticyclone, the weather is abnormally dry and often persistently cloudless. If the drought period is short, it is known as a dry spell. A dry spell is usually more than 14 days without precipitation, whereas a severe drought may last for years.
Types of Drought:
a. Meteorological drought:
Meteorological drought is the amount of dryness and the duration of the dry period. Atmospheric conditions that result in deficiencies of precipitation change from area to area.
b. Agricultural drought:
Agricultural drought mainly effects food production and farming. Agricultural drought and precipitation shortages bring soil water deficits, reduced ground water or reservoir levels, and so on. Deficient topsoil moisture at planting may stop germination, leading to low plant populations.
c. Hydrological drought:
Hydrological drought is associated with the effects of periods of precipitation shortages on water supply. Water in hydrologic storage systems such as reservoirs and rivers are often used for multiple purposes such as flood control, irrigation, recreation, navigation, hydropower, and wildlife habitat. Competition for water in these storage systems escalates during drought and conflicts between water users increase significantly.
d. Socioeconomic drought:
Socioeconomic drought occurs when the demand for an economic good exceeds supply as a result of a weather-related shortfall in water supply. The supply of many economic goods, such as water, forage, food grains, fish, and hydroelectric power, depends on weather. Due to variability of climate, water supply is sufficient in some years but not satisfactory to meet human and environmental needs in other years. The demand for economic goods is increasing as a result of increasing population. Supply may also increase because of improved production efficiency and technology.
7. Essay on Landslide:
Landslides are rock, earth, or debris flows on slopes due to gravity. They can occur on any terrain given the right conditions of soil, moisture, and the angle of slope. Integral to the natural process of the earth’s surface geology, landslides serve to redistribute soil and sediments in a process that can be in abrupt collapses or in slow gradual slides.
Such is the nature of the earth’s surface dynamics. Also known as mud flows, debris flows, earth failures, slope failures, etc., they can be triggered by rains, floods, earthquakes, and other natural causes as well as human-made causes, such as grading, terrain cutting and filling, excessive development, etc.
Because the factors affecting landslides can be geophysical or human-made, they can occur in developed areas, undeveloped areas, or any area where the terrain was altered for roads, houses, utilities, buildings, and even for lawns in one’s backyard. They occur in all fifty states with varying frequency and more than half the states have rates sufficient to be classified as a significant natural hazard.
During a landslide:
(i) Stay alert and awake. Many debris flow fatalities occur when people are sleeping. Listen to a weather radio or portable, battery-powered radio or television for warnings of intense rainfall. Be aware that intense, short bursts of rain may be particularly dangerous, especially after longer periods of heavy rainfall and damp weather.
(ii) If you are in areas susceptible to landslides and debris flows, consider leaving if it is safe to do so. Remember that driving during an intense storm can be hazardous. If you remain at home, move to a second story if possible. Staying out of the path of a landslide or debris flow saves lives.
(iii) Listen for any unusual sounds that might indicate moving debris, such as trees cracking or boulders knocking together. A trickle of flowing or falling mud or debris may precede larger landslides. Moving debris can flow quickly and sometimes without warning.
(iv) If you are near a stream or channel, be alert for any sudden increase or decrease in water flow and for a change from clear to muddy water. Such changes may indicate landslide activity upstream, so be prepared to move quickly. Don’t delay! Save yourself, not your belongings.
(v) Be especially alert when driving. Embankments along roadsides are particularly susceptible to landslides. Watch the road for collapsed pavement, mud, fallen rocks, and other indications of possible debris flows.
What to do if you suspect imminent landslide danger?
(i) Contact your local fire, police, or public works department. Local officials are the best persons able to assess potential danger,
(ii) Inform affected neighbors. Your neighbors may not be aware of potential hazards. Advising them of a potential threat may help save lives. Help neighbors who may need assistance to evacuate.
(iii) Evacuate getting out of the path of a landslide or debris flow is your best protection.
After the landslide:
(i) Stay away from the slide area. There may be danger of additional slides.
(ii) Check for injured and trapped persons near the slide, without entering the direct slide area. Direct rescuers to their locations.
(iii) Help a neighbor who may require special assistance – infants, elderly people, and people with disabilities. Elderly people and people with disabilities may require additional assistance. People who care for them or who have large families may need additional assistance in emergency situations.
(iv) Listen to local radio or television stations for the latest emergency information.
(v) Watch for flooding, which may occur after a landslide or debris flow. Floods sometimes follow landslides and debris flows because they may both be started by the same event.
(vi) Look for and report broken utility lines to appropriate authorities. Reporting potential hazards will get the utilities turned off as quickly as possible, preventing further hazard and injury.
(vii) Check the building foundation, chimney, and surrounding land for damage. Damage to foundations, chimneys, or surrounding land may help you assess the safety of the area.
(viii) Replant damaged ground as soon as possible since erosion caused by loss of ground cover can lead to flash flooding.
(ix) Seek the advice of a geotechnical expert for evaluating landslide hazards or designing corrective techniques to reduce landslide risk. A professional will be able to advise you of the best ways to prevent or reduce landslide risk, without creating further hazard.
Before a landslide: How to plan?
Develop a Family Disaster Plan. Learn about landslide risk in your area. Contact local officials, state geological surveys or departments of natural resources, and university departments of geology. Landslides occur where they have before, and in identifiable hazard locations. Ask for information on landslides in your area, specific information on areas vulnerable to landslides, and request a professional referral for a very detailed site analysis of your property, and corrective measures you can take, if necessary.
If you are at risk from landslides:
(i) Talk to your insurance agent.
(ii) Develop an evacuation plan.
(iii) Discuss landslides and debris flow with your family. Everyone should know what to do in case all family members are not together. Discussing disaster ahead of time helps reduce fear and lets everyone know how to respond during a landslide or debris flow.
8. Essay on Nuclear Hazards:
The effects of nuclear holocaust will result into blasts, heat storms, secondary fires, fire, ionizing radiation and fall outs.
These effects fall into 3 categories;
1. Immediate,
2. Short term and
3. Long term effects.
1. The immediate effects; include blast effects, heat effects, electromagnetic pulse (EMP) effects and radiation effects.
2. The short term effects; include problems connected with water supply, sanitation, food, dispersal of excreta, wastes and dead bodies, break down of vector control measures and outbreak of infections. Radioactive contamination of water and food are major concerns. The affected area creates a lot of other problems for the survivors and the rescue teams.
Major problem among survivors is of bone marrow depression resulting in leucopenia, which increases their susceptibility to infections.
3. Long term effects; the knowledge about the long-term effects is still incomplete. Some well-known effects include radiation injuries due to radiation fallout, suppression of body immunity, chronic infection and other associated illnesses.
Persistent radiation hazards will lead to prolonged contamination of water supply, increased ultraviolet radiation, climatic and ecological disturbances, psychological disturbances and genetic abnormalities.
9. Essay on Chemical Hazards:
By their nature, the manufacture, storage, and transport of chemicals are accidents waiting to happen. Chemicals can be corrosive, toxic, and they may react, often explosively. The impacts of chemical accidents can be deadly, for both human beings and the environment.
Many if not most products we use in everyday life are made from chemicals and thousands of chemicals are used by manufacturing industries to make these products. The source of many of these chemicals is petroleum, which is refined into two main fractions- fuels and the chemical feedstocks that are the building blocks of plastics, paints, dyes, inks, polyester, and many of the products we buy and use every day.
Fuels and chemical feedstocks made from petroleum are called organic chemicals. The other important class of chemicals is inorganics, which include acids, caustics, cyanide, and metals. Commercial products made from inorganics range from car bodies to computer circuit boards.
Of the more than forty thousand chemicals in commercial use, most are subject to accidental spills or releases. Chemical spills and accidents range from small to large and can occur anywhere chemicals are found, from oil drilling rigs to factories, tanker trucks to fifty-five-gallon drums and all the way to the local dry cleaner or your garden tool shed.
“Severe chemical accident that causes large-scale damage to an environment and/or injuries to or death of many animals, plants, or humans is called chemical disaster.”
Although the major chemical accidents seem most threatening because they often kill people outright, it is the smaller, more routine accidents and spills that affect most people. Some of the most common spills involve tanker trucks and railroad tankers containing gasoline, chlorine, acid, or other industrial chemicals. Many spills occur during the transportation of hazardous materials; one study found that 18,000 hazardous materials spills occurred during 1976.
In 1983, spills from 4,829 highway and 851 railroad accidents resulted in eight deaths, 191 injuries, and damages exceeding more than $110,000,000. The National Environmental Law Center reported that 34,500 accidents involving toxic chemicals were reported to the EPA’s Emergency Response and Notification System between 1988 and 1992, meaning that on average, a toxic chemical accident was reported nineteen times a day in the United States, or nearly once every hour.
Emergency response workers are especially at risk. In 1988 six firemen were killed minutes after arriving at the scene of two burning pick-up trucks in Missouri, when more than 30,000 pounds of ammonium nitrate stored in a nearby trailer exploded. This incident led to the formation of the hazardous materials division of the Kansas City, Missouri, Fire Department, specializing in hazardous materials handling.
Safety Tips:
The safety from the chemical hazards remain out of bounds in normal routine.
Their handling require professional expertise, knowledge of chemicals, their reactions etc.:
1. Emergency response personnel are involved in assessing the risk of hazardous material releases and working to avoid any harmful effects. Teams of workers evaluate the concentrations of the chemicals, where and how people might be exposed, and potential toxic effects on the exposed people.
2. In many cases, emergency response teams are on twenty-four-hour call; if a spill occurs, they use source data (such as the hazmat placards on trucks and tanker cars), databases of chemical properties, and chemical movement models to rapidly predict the movement of contaminants and the toxicity of the spilled chemicals.
3. If rapid spill cleanup is necessary, the emergency response team designs and implements cleanup measures to protect exposed populations and ecosystems from toxic responses. A wide range of cleanup systems has been developed for chemical spills. Small spills on land are cleaned up by simply excavating the contaminated soil and moving it to a secure landfill.
Oil spills on water are contained using floating booms and adsorbents, or solid materials that capture the soil, so that it can be disposed of in landfills. Newer, more innovative methods for spill cleanup include bioremediation (using bacteria to metabolize the contaminants) and chemical oxidation (using oxidants, such as hydrogen peroxide and ozone to break the chemicals down).
4. Although chemical spills represent potentially very large environmental problems from a wide range of chemicals, emergency response procedures developed by environmental scientists and engineers are providing solutions to the resulting human health and ecological effects.
5. Chemical accidents and spills can be devastating to humans, wildlife, and the environment. The best way to reduce the harm caused by chemical accidents is to design plants with better safety controls that operate at lower temperatures and pressures, and to use and manufacture less toxic compounds, a field that is being pursued by “green” chemists and engineers.
But until toxic chemicals are routinely replaced by less harmful substitutes, the emergency response procedures developed by environmental scientists and engineers help lessen the human health and ecological effects of chemical spills and accidents.
10. Essay on Fire Accidents:
Fire may be as useful as it is deadly. Although, every precaution may be taken, devastating accidents can happen. Special care should be taken with common household appliances such as heaters, curling irons, electric grills and other items such as candles and outdoor barbecues.
Cigarettes and fireworks are also common problems:
(a) High-rise fires:
(i) Calmly leave the apartment, closing the door behind you. Remember the keys!
(ii) Pull the fire alarm near the closest exit, if available, or raise an alarm by warning others.
(iii) Leave the building by the stairs.
(iv) Never take the elevator during fire!
If the exit is blocked by smoke or fire:
(i) Leave the door closed but do not lock it.
(ii) To keep the smoke out, put a wet towel in the space at the bottom of the door.
(iii) Call the emergency fire service number and tell them your apartment number and let them know you are trapped by smoke and fire. It is important that you listen and do what they tell you.
(iv) Stay calm and wait for someone to rescue you.
If there is a fire alarm in your building which goes off:
(i) Before you open the door, feel the door by using the back of our hand. If the door is hot or warm, do not open the door.
(ii) If the door is cool, open it just a little to check the hallway. If you see smoke in the hallway, do not leave.
(iii) If there is no smoke in the hallway, leave and close the door. Go directly to the stairs to leave. Never use the elevator.
If smoke is in your apartment:
(i) Stay low to the floor under the smoke.
(ii) Call the Fire Emergency Number which should be pasted near your telephone along with police and other emergency services and let them know that you are trapped by smoke.
(iii) If you have a balcony and there is no fire below it, go out.
(iv) If there is fire below, go out to the window. Do Not Open the Window but stay near the window.
(v) If there is no fire below, go to the window and open it. Stay near the open window.
(vi) Hang a bed sheet, towel or blanket out of the window to let people know that you are there and need help.
(vii) Be calm and wait for someone to rescue you.
(b) Kitchen fires:
It is important to know what kind of stove or cooking oven you have in your home gas, electric, kerosene or where firewood is used. The stove is the No. 1 cause of fire hazards in your kitchen and can cause fires, which may destroy the entire house, especially in rural areas where there are thatched roof or other inflammable materials like straw kept near the kitchen. For electric and gas stoves ensure that the switch or the gas valve is switched off/turned off immediately after the cooking is over.
An electric burner remains hot and until it cools off, it can be very dangerous. The oven using wood can be dangerous because burning embers remain. When lighting the fire on a wooden fuel oven, keep a cover on the top while lighting the oven so that sparks do not fly to the thatched roof. After the cooking is over, ensure that the remaining fire is extinguished off by sprinkling water if no adult remains in the kitchen after the cooking. Do not keep any inflammable article like kerosene near the kitchen fire.
Important Do’s in the Kitchen:
(i) Do have an adult always present when cooking is going on the kitchen. Children should not be allowed alone.
(ii) Do keep hair tied back and do not wear synthetic clothes when you are cooking.
(iii) Do make sure that the curtains on the window near the stove are tied back and will not blow on to the flame or burner.
(iv) Do check to make sure that the gas burner is turned off immediately if the fire is not ignited and also switched off immediately after cooking.
(v) Do turn panhandles to the centre of the stove and put them out of touch of the children in the house.
(vi) Do ensure that the floor is always dry so that you do not slip and fall on the fire.
(vii) Do keep matches out of the reach of children.
Important Don’ts:
(i) Don’t put towels, near a stove burner.
(ii) Don’t wear loose fitting clothes when you cook, and don’t reach across the top of the stove when you are cooking.
(iii) Don’t put things in the cabinets or shelves above the stove. Young children may try to reach them and accidentally start the burners, start a fire, catch on fire.
(iv) Don’t store spray cans or cans carrying inflammable items near the stove.
(v) Don’t let small children near an open oven door. They can be burnt by the heat or by falling onto the door or into the oven.
(vi) Don’t lean against the stove to keep warm.
(vii) Don’t use towels as potholders. They may catch on fire.
(viii) Don’t overload an electrical outlet with several appliances or extension cords. The cords or plugs may overheat and cause a fire.
(ix) Don’t use water to put out a grease fire. ONLY use baking soda, salt, or a tight lid. Always keep a box of baking soda near the stove.
(x) Don’t use radios or other small appliances (mixers, blenders) near the sink.
11. Essay on Environmental Hazards:
Environmental hazard is a generic term for any situation or state of events which causes a threat to the surrounding environment. This term incorporates topics like pollution and natural hazards such as storms and earthquakes.
There are five types of environmental hazards:
1. Chemical
2. Physical
3. Mechanical
4. Biological
5. Psychosocial.
Anthropogenic Environmental Disasters:
1. Bhopal: the Union Carbide gas leak
2. Chernobyl: Russian nuclear power plant explosion
3. Seveso: Italian dioxin crisis
4. The 1952 London smog disaster
5. Major oil spills of the 20th and 21st century
6. The Love Canal chemical waste dump
7. The Baia Mare cyanide spill
8. The European BSE crisis
9. Spanish wastewater spill
10. The Three Mile Island near nuclear disaster.
Natural Environmental Disasters:
1. Global epidemics (the Plague, Spanish Flu and AIDS)
2. The Bangladesh arsenic crisis
3. The 2004 Asian earthquake and tsunami
4. Hurricane Mitch
5. Izmit: the 1999 Turkish earthquakes
6. The 1953 Dutch flood disaster
7. Brazil: the 1998 Roraima wildfires
8. Philippines: the Mount Pinatubo volcanic eruption
9. The 1925 Ellington, Missouri tornado
10. The Beijing and Queensland dust storms.