Can people do anything to prevent(предотвратить) natural disasters and what should be done to escape damages and death?

No place is safe from natural disasters. They are part of life, and there is nothing we can do to prevent them. However, modern science has up-to-date tools(инструменты) to predict(предсказывать) a lot of natural disasters and to warn people about them. People, in their turn, should not panic and should strictly(строго) follow(следовать) the instructions where to find a shelter(укрытие) from the approaching(приблежающийся) disaster.

Before leaving the house, people should switch off the light and unplug(выдернуть) all the appliances(приборы), they should turn off gas and water taps(краны). They should stay away from ruined parts of buildings as they can fall down any minute. They should take the first aid (коробка первой помощи)box or package with them. Everybody must be helpful and attentive(внимательный) to the others.

2

NATURAL DISASTERS

Nature and natural disasters are varied and widespread.

Nature has always been a great enigma for people since times immemorial. People admired nature, worshiped it and were afraid of it. Nature may present us with nice warm weather and with icy winds, with pleasant sunshine and horrible hail, with peaceful sky and thunder and lightning. People have always known that nature is powerful and unpredictable; it has bright and ugly sides.

Natural disasters are mostly connected with weather. A few examples of natural disasters are the following: earthquakes, floods, tsunamis, hurricanes, tornadoes, volcanic eruptions, avalanches, heat waves, ice ages, meteor strikes, drought, wild fires, epidemics, famines, weather disasters and others.

The reasons of natural disasters are different.

An earthquake occurs due to underground activity such as the movement of tectonic plates. Earthquakes happen in any part of the world and they are pretty much unpredictable. There are approximately 8,000 of less than 2.0 on the Richter scale microearthquakes every day! Fortunately, they are not felt.

A tsunami is caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water that is usually caused by underwater earthquakes.

A hurricane is caused by warm wet air that rises in a spiral and goes faster and faster – over 160 km an hour.

An avalanche is often triggered (инициируемый) by human activities, such as constructions or even simply skiing. During war time a lot of avalanches were caused by artillery fire.

The consequences of natural disasters are usually devastating.

A terrible tsunami happened in South-Eastern Asia on 25 December 2004. Thailand, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia were damaged greatly. The tsunami killed more than 200000 people thousands, a lot of people were injured, thousands of people became homeless, unemployed, a lot of people need water, food clothes, medical and psychological help.

A devastating drought in West Africa between 1968 and 1974 killed hundreds of thousands of people and nearly half of the animals in the area. The crops did not grow and many countries suffered from famine.

A well-known Galveston Hurricane struck in the United States in September 1900 and destroyed the whole city of Galveston, Texas. About 6000 people were killed.

«Hurricane Andrew» hit Florida in 1992 killed 15 people and destroyed thousands of buildings. More than 50 000 people had nowhere to live.

An awful flood China in 1998 killed 4000 people, destroyed houses and left millions of people homeless, a lot of farmland was damaged.

Volcanic eruptions are dangerous because of the hot lava which flows from the volcano after eruption and the volcanic ash which is released into the atmosphere. The ash is dangerous for animals and people to inhale and can cause damage to moving parts in machinery.