Disasters Essay Examples and Topics

Tsunami A tsunami is a wave in the ocean caused by an earthquake, which occurs on the ocean floor. The waves created in the ocean are different from normal waves because of their long wavelengths and devastating force. The distance between each crest can range from 10-100km, and normally travel at 700km/h. When a tsunami […]

Introduction Over the years, the number of natural disasters has been on the rise and their severity has continued to worsen. This has resulted in loss of lives as well as property worth billions of dollars. Evidently, there has been a growing trend of natural disasters that have greatly exposed the inability of countries across […]

Executive Summary The purpose of this report was to explore the impact of Alaska Shoreline Erosion. It was established that current events associated with erosion at the Alaska coastline have increased significantly. Consequently, shoreline erosion has become a threat to local villages and therefore, there is a need for both short-term and long-term measures to […]

Introduction The stay of mankind on planet earth has often witnessed moments of helplessness when natural disasters have stuck; thus, destroying many lives and disorienting mankind in the process. From our earliest ancestors to the modern man, we have not been safe from the anger of natural disasters. Ranging from volcanoes, hurricanes, tornadoes, and the […]

Introduction The tsunami of December 26 th 2004 was a natural disaster that occurred in the Indian Ocean. According to Shibayama (2005), the tsunami was caused by a 9.0 magnitude earthquake which released 23,000 Hiroshima-type atomic bombs in terms of energy. The earthquake struck the coastal area off northern Sumatra in Indonesia triggering a gigantic […]

Hurricane Sandy set record as the largest Atlantic hurricane experienced in the history of the United Sates. It badly devastated communities that lived on coastal regions of New Jersey and New York. One of the severely affected areas was Long Island, New York. The hurricane caused damages worth millions and displaced many people from their […]

Introduction and Assessment of Threats According to Wee and Myers (4), “Disaster is an event concentrated in time and space in which a society or a relatively self-sufficient subdivision of a society undergoes severe danger and incurs losses to its members and physical appurtenances that the social structure is disrupted and the fulfillment of all […]

Cases of aircraft accidents have raised a lot of attention in the society. This is mainly because aircraft accidents are always fatal (Gabler 2007, p. 27). According to this scholar, cases of aircraft accidents are rare as compared to the accidents caused by other means of transport. However, the magnitude of such accidents is always […]

Japan has experienced many disasters that have caused massive loss of property and lives. In 1993, the Hokkaido Nansei-Oki Earthquake Tsunami hit Okushiri Island located to the west of Hokkaido. This disaster was identified as one of the major Tsunamis that have led to destruction of property and lives. Sources revealed that about 200 people […]

Introduction “Risk perception and cultural differences of Latinos across residential, commercial, and heavy civil construction”, is a masters theses submitted by Kane Bormann to the Construction Management department of the Colorado State University. In this article, the researcher explores the social cultural obstacles that perpetuate the many incidences of injuries among the Latino workers in […]

One of the most peculiar characteristics of today’s living is the fact that, as time goes on; there appears to be more and more incidents of American military being called upon to assist people, affected by natural/man-made disasters in U.S. and abroad. The validity of this suggestion can be well illustrated in regards to the […]

Summary Sunstein (2012) provides insightful information pertaining to the relevance of cost benefit analysis (CBA) in reducing the effects of climate change. The author who is a New York Times (NYT) news editor focused on the Reagan’s CBA techniques of mitigating the effects of climate change in US. The environmentalist has been advocating for viable […]

Introduction People have often proclaimed themselves to be the kings of the world, but the planet tends to show where the real master is. People are often absolutely insecure when natural disasters come into play. Jone Scott, a survival of many natural disasters and Oklahoma Service Unit Representative of Salvation Army, characterized the very nature […]

Introduction Nearly every element of within the periodic table has found its way into the atmosphere. As an ease when studying the element and there species composition of compounds in the atmosphere, Seinsfield and Pandis (21) suggest categorizing of the atmospheric compounds as containing halogens, sulfur, carbon or nitrogen. Probably, this classification rides on the […]

Sequence of events The fatal Partridge-Raleigh oilfield explosion occurred in June 2006. Partridge-Raleigh had hired contractors from an independent firm (Stringer’s Oilfield Services) to carry out maintenance on the tanks used by Partridge-Raleigh to store oil. Specifically, the contractors were required to install pipes from two oil storage tanks to another tank. During the installation […]

Studies by Dincer (2010) show that emergencies related to global warming in New Jersey are caused by changing weather patterns, rising sea levels, higher precipitation events, and extreme weather conditions. That has made New Jersey vulnerable to rising hurricane intensity and major storms, raising the potential threats of human morbidity and higher mortality rates (Ross, […]

Through the analysis of Carden (2010) involving natural disasters and their impact on product prices, it was shown that you must first take into consideration what type of product has been affected, the demand side of the product curve as well as the amount of reserves that is present in the current global supply chain […]

Mount Pinatubo is said to have the largest eruption in the 1990’s. It is situated on the Philippine Island of Luzon. When it erupted, the volcano killed hundreds of people and displaced thousands. It also destroyed properties and crops that belonged to the people living around the mountain. Seismic experts from the Philippine Institute of […]

Introduction Dangerously high pollution levels shrouded Beijing in smog for several days in Jan, 2013. Poor visibility and 755 air pollution levels as measured by the US Embassy in Beijing shocked all Chinese residents. Similar data by the American embassy also showed the PM 2.5 had reached an all-time high of 866 microgram per cubic […]

Introduction According to state records, the plant was founded in 1962 by Emil Plasek whose name was common in a town founded by Czech immigrants. It was a grain storage and fertilizer distribution center for the farmers in the area with its stores on the periphery of a little town in a village of America. […]

Identification of the effects of Acid rain Acid rain chemically alters the structure and composition of soil (38). Depletion of base metals significantly modifies soil processes and impedes the ability of sensitive soils to recover from the losses caused due to acid rain (38). The soil loses its ability to neutralize strong acids within the […]

Introduction Floods are the most common natural disasters that New Zealand has been experiencing for centuries. Given that New Zealand is an island, it experiences floods such as coastal floods, flash floods, rainfall floods, and riverine floods. These floods have catastrophic impact on human settlements and the environment, and thus cause huge economic losses. Rouse […]

Background information The industrial revolution brought forth with it huge benefits to humanity, several manufacturing industries emerged and the society experienced an economic growth, however, the revolution brought with it very serious ecological and environmental issues that still “haunt” humanity to date. Issues such as global warming and environmental pollution became common phenomenon.. Statement of […]

Background Tear (2007) explain that the acid rain phenomenon conceptualization dates back to 130 years ago when the relationship existing between the industrial emissions released and acid rain formation. Formation of the acid precipitation has had adverse impacts on the human health as well as the ecosystem. dos Santos et al. (2005, p.86) explain that […]

Physiologically, living things regulate the intake and removal of various metabolic precursors within their systems. In this context, it is true that plants will not increase their CO2 uptake in response to increased levels of the gas (CO2) in the atmosphere. Additionally, plants will not increase their relative significance in the removal and sequestration of […]

Introduction The Bophal disaster has always been regarded as the worst industrial accident in the world (Willey and Hendershot, 2006). The disaster occurred on the morning of December 3rd 1984 when a leak of methyl isocyanate gas among other poisonous chemicals and substances (MIC) escaped from one of the storage tanks of Union Carbide of […]

Introduction Indiana University Bloomington (IUB) community is prone to several natural disasters. However, in this region, no disaster stands out as a Tornado disaster. Since IUB is located in Indiana, it runs the risk of being hit by a tornado. History shows that, Indiana has witnessed some of the worst tornados in America (the occurrence […]

During the 1970s, the southern parts of California witnessed massive wildfires which led to the destruction of vast acres of land, loss of lives of people as well as millions of dollars. These disasters were mainly attributed to poor coordination and communication among the various agencies which were charged with the responsibility of responding to […]

Summary The three articles are entirely based on events surrounding a gas leak incident in Bhopal, India on the third of December, 1984. However, the structuring of each individual story is in such a way that the three articles end up documenting different aspects of the happenings of the day. The article Bhopal disaster, 25 […]

Introduction All employees, inconsiderate of their nature of work and employment, are entitled to proper working conditions as well as remuneration equivalent to the work done. This is enshrined in the labor laws. It is important therefore that all companies and industries that provide employment opportunities put in place measures and policies that will uphold […]

Introduction The Deepwater Horizon accident took place on April 20, 2010. This was after the explosion of an offshore drilling rig in the U.S waters on the Gulf of Mexico. The accident led to the spilling of large volumes of oil into the waters on the Gulf of Mexico, thereby endangering aquatic lives. Several people […]

This case study is on the Gulf of Mexico which has one of the worst oil spills history incidents; more recently this region experienced a massive oil spills that turned out to be an environmental disaster. This case study intends to discuss a framework of responding to oil spillage operations occurring specifically in the Gulf […]

Introduction Generally, pollution is the process of introducing new materials, contaminants, into the natural environment leading to adverse effects. There are different types of pollution. These include air pollution, sound pollution, light pollution, littering, and soil contamination. From the above definition of pollution, it is clear that pollutants are foreign substances and particles that contaminate […]

The disaster took place on December, 1984, when a toxic cloud of chemicals in one of the Union Carbide Corporation’s plants was introduced into the atmosphere. The plant was situated near an impoverished district of Bhopal, India, where 800,000 people lived. Nearly 4 thousand people were killed immediately and 300,000 were injured (Höpfl & Matilal, […]

Introduction Acid rain refers to rain containing strong inorganic acids in solution. The acids include sulfuric acid, ammonium and nitric acid. The acids originate from acid forming substances emitted into the atmosphere from combustion of hydrocarbon fuels and farming activities (Driscoll et al. 2005, p. 27). These chemicals interact with ozone and atmospheric moisture to […]

Introduction Tsunamis have gained worldwide notoriety following the two devastating tsunamis that have occurred in the course of the last ten years. These natural catastrophes have demonstrated that tsunamis are high-impact disasters that can cause massive destruction and death within a few minutes of their occurrence. The impact of tsunamis is especially considerable since the […]

Some of the ecological problems associated with Gold in Indonesia include depletion of the resource, land erosion, human conflict and illegal gold mining and illegal trade (McMahon et al vii; 6). For many years, Indonesia has been relying on gold as one of the most valuable resources. Therefore, a lot of emphasis is given to […]

The reading under analysis is called Columbia’s Last Flight and is introduced by Langewiesche. In particular, the story reveals the journalist’ investigation and research on the reasons for the space shuttle disaster happened in February1, 2003. The author focuses on preliminary construction terms, NASA’s response to the tragedy, further investigations, and alternative methods for averting […]

In this chapter James Surowiecki describes the events that led to the Columbia shuttle disaster and explains the factors that contributed to this catastrophe. First of all, the author mentions that during the launch of Columbia a large piece of foam was broken off and smashed into the wing of the shuttle. The thing is […]

Introduction Natural disasters are rapid and instantaneous occurrences that cause extreme devastation to the environment and the socioeconomic systems. The world is prone to many natural disasters though the the socioeconomic impacts can be mitigated. It is estimated that a third of the world economic cost is channeled towards prediction and mitigating disasters. Death tolls […]

Essay Proposal Calamities leave terrible and remarkable damages on people who are afflicted by them. Hurricane Sandy was particularly devastating to northeast residents in New Jersey. Apart from the conspicuous financial and personal damages left behind by disastrous emergencies, they also provoked political and bad economic grandstanding. Any person who follows such grandstanding wonders whether […]

Risk Identification And Justification The identified disaster risk is tornado, which is defined as “a violently rotating column in contact with the ground that is usually overhanging from a parent cumulonimbus cloud” (Vinod 2011, par 7). This disaster brings lots of impacts to the community living in the region. Though most Tornados last for only […]

Introduction The Chilean copper mine collapsed on 5th of August 2010 about a half a mile below the surface of the earth. This event was aired on almost all the major stations across the world. Many people also came to take part in the rescue mission. The communication and coverage of the incident was done […]

Introduction An earthquake is essentially a quiver which resulted by sudden energy release from the earth inner surface. The release of energy causes a ripple of seismic waves that are felt in the form of shaking. The damage caused by an earthquake depends on the magnitude and the length of such earthquake. (U.S. Geological Survey2008, […]

In his essay Driving Global Warming, Bill McKibben wants to illustrate the effect of non-fuel efficient cars on the environment. McKibben chooses the most popular class of cars in the US, the sports utility vehicle (SUV) and provides an argument to illustrate his point (McKibben 1). In the introduction, Bill briefly explains how people of […]

Tsunami can be defined as a sequence of ocean waves of bizarrely enormous length that are engendered by incessant uproars of the earth’s outer layer. This sticking force causes mass destruction of property and human beings. There is also a widespread epicenter under or near the ocean, and with a vertical displacement of the ocean […]

Global Warming (GW) is a term that connotes elevated temperatures of the globe at closer planes. This originates from the sun’s heat enclosed within the atmosphere. It is notable that such a warming process appears to be escalating. Probably, changes appear negligible to many societies, but they will augment with time. Apparently, the next decades […]

Introduction Based on the data presented in Chapters 2 and 3 of the book a grim future for humanity is seen wherein farmlands have turned into deserts, freshwater is nonexistent, the climate is hellish and natural disasters abound as a result of the ill-advised nature of the voracious human exploitation of the planet’s resources. Insights […]

Introduction to Tornadoes A tornado looks like a column of air or condensed funnel, which is moving anti-clockwise at high speeds with one end of the column being in contact with the ground and the other touching the heavy clouds (Galiano, 2000, p. 3). Sometimes, the vertical funnels consist of clouds of debris, dirt, objects, […]