Natural Disaster Project
The 2 big questions of the project:
1. How does the disaster happen; can it be predicted and prepared for?
2. What are the short and long term environmental impacts?
Part A: How does the disaster happen; can it be predicted and prepared for?
In this section, you must cover 3 things:
1. How does this type of disaster occur?
2. Can this type of disaster be predicted?
3. Can this type of disaster be prepared for?
How does this type of disaster occur?
o You need to explain how your chosen disaster occurs. Your explanation should be detailed. As well as having written information, you should have some diagrams, properly labelled, to show how the disaster unfolds (eg. Diagrams showing shifts in tectonic plates). For example, this could be done as a storyboard, timeline, or sequence of events.
o You should also cover how this disaster can be measured (eg Richter scale, area in size affected)
o You need to make sure you use the key terms you would have learnt in your disaster type in-depth toolbox.
Can this type of disaster be predicted?
o If it can, what tools are used to predict it?
o If not, why is it so difficult to predict it? Have there been things people have tried in the past to predict it? Are scientists working on ways to predict it today – what theories/methods are they working on?
Can this type of disaster be prepared for?
o If people live in an area that is more susceptible to a type of natural disaster, are there things they can do to prepare in case the disaster does hit?
o What specific things can be done to prepare for the disaster type you’ve chosen? Often there may be little individuals can do – what steps or preparations have governments or other agencies taken to prepare for the disaster?
Part B: What are the ENVIRONMENTAL impacts of the natural disaster?
In this section, you must cover 4 things:
1. What are the short-term environmental impacts of the disaster?
2. What are the long-term environmental impacts of the disaster?
3. How has the earth changed as a result of this disaster?
4. What are detailed case-study examples of these impacts?
What are the short-term environmental impacts of the disaster?
o Think of how long short-term impacts last for.
o What are some of the immediate things that happen to the environment when a disaster hits?
What are the long-term environmental impacts of the disaster?
o Think of the length of time long-term impacts last for.
o What are some of the longer-lasting things that happen to the environment after a disaster hits?
How has the earth changed as a result of this disaster?
o How has the earth been reshaped?
o What impact will the changes have on the environment?
What are some case-study examples of these impacts?
The clearest way to see what the short and long-term environmental impacts of a disaster type are is to look at examples from the past.
o You need to give at least FOUR examples of short-term and four examples of long-term environmental impacts from the disaster type.
o The examples can either be from the same place, or can be drawn from different places that the disaster has hit.
What to include in this section of the project:
As well as written information, you should also have:
o Images (photos, illustrations, diagrams)
o Maps showing where the case study examples are located
