3.2.
1 Human-Environment Interaction
Human-Environment Interaction comes in many forms, from everyday use of consumer
products, to political agreements over environmental resources, to natural hazards.
Directions: For this assignment, you will research and use this organizer to take notes on how
humans have adapted to natural disasters. Please conduct your own research and use the
resources below to fill out the blank boxes. Give me two bullet points in ‘Damage
Caused’ and ‘Adaptations/Modifications’ columns.
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Hazard What it is Where it is Damage caused Adaptation/
Modification
Flooding Houses were 1. Near large 1. Roads destroyed 1. Storm
underwater rivers like the 2. People forced to drainage tunnels
after Hurricane Mississippi. leave their homes 2. Flood
Katrina 2. Flash floods warnings
occur in Vegas
Earthquakes An earthquake Over 80 per cent 1. Buildings can 1. strapping
is an intense of large collapse water heaters to
shaking of earthquakes 2. Electricity can wall studs
Earth's surface. occur around the go out 2. Putting latches
edges of the on cabinets.
Pacific Ocean, an
area known as the
'Ring of Fire'
Volcanoes Volcanoes are Sixty percent of Volcanic eruptions 1. Thin layers of
openings, or all active can result in ash can act as
vents where volcanoes occur at additional threats natural
lava, tephra the boundaries to health, such as fertilizers,
(small rocks), between tectonic floods, mudslides, producing
and steam erupt plates. Most power outages, increased
onto the Earth's volcanoes are drinking water harvests in
surface. found along a contamination, and years following
belt, called the wildfires. an eruption. In
“Ring of Fire” response to
that encircles the frequent
Pacific Ocean. eruptions, some
Some volcanoes, farmers have
like those that adapted their
form the crops and
Hawaiian Islands, farming styles
occur in the to suit different
interior of plates types of ash.
at areas called 2. As well as
“hot spots.” providing
mineral
resources,
many countries
with active
volcanoes are
able to use the
heat generated
by volcanic
activity as
geothermal
energy (e.g.
Iceland and
New Zealand).
Hurricanes A hurricane is a Hurricanes most During hurricane The range of
tropical storm frequently occur season, affected possible
with winds that off the Southeast properties expect actions to
have reached a and mid-Atlantic to see flooding, hurricanes is
constant speed coasts, but they broken windows, limited to
of 74 miles per can also roam the downed power evacuation,
hour or more. Atlantic Basin lines, leaking roofs large-scale
anywhere between and more. engineering
the northern projects such
Bahamas and as floodgates
Atlantic Canada, and dams, loss
in the Gulf of prevention
Mexico, the (insurance), and
eastern Caribbean the self-
Sea and the organization of
western tropical society in
Atlantic (to the recovery and
east of the Lesser rebuilding in the
Antilles). aftermath of a
hurricane
disaster.
Tsunamis A tsunami is a In the last decade Most tsunami
alone, deadly damage and If caused by an
series of tsunamis have destruction is earthquake,
enormous ocean occurred in Chile caused by Drop, Cover,
(2007, 2010), flooding, wave then Hold On to
waves caused Haiti (2010), impacts, erosion, protect yourself
from the
by earthquakes, Indonesia (2004, strong currents,
2005, 2006, and floating debris earthquake first.
underwater 2010), Japan (e.g., trees, Get to high
(2011), Peru structures, ground as far
landslides, inland as possible
(2001), Samoa - vehicles, and other
volcanic American Samoa things that can act Be alert to signs
- Tonga (2009), like battering of a tsunami,
eruptions or Solomons (2007). rams). The water such as a sudden
asteroids. Of these, only can be just as rise or draining
Indonesia (2004) dangerous, if not of ocean waters.
and Japan (2011) more so, as it Listen to
caused deaths at returns to the sea, emergency
distant shores. taking debris and information and
people with it. alerts. Always
follow the
instructions from
local emergency
managers.
Evacuate: DO
NOT wait! Leave
as soon as you
see any natural
signs of a
tsunami or
receive an
official tsunami
warning. If you
are in a boat, go
out to sea.
Drought A drought is Droughts can
defined as "a occur in any Immediate drought Never pour water
period of region of the impacts can down the drain
abnormally dry world, including include visibly dry when there may
weather the U.S. Today, vegetation and be another use
sufficiently droughts in the lower water levels for it. For
prolonged for U.S. are in lakes and
the lack of concentrated in reservoirs. Longer- example, use it to
water to cause the west part of term impacts, such water your indoor
serious the country. as land subsidence, plants or garden.
hydrologic seawater intrusion, Fix dripping
imbalance in the and damage to faucets by
affected area." ecosystems, can be replacing
harder to see, but washers. One
more costly to drop per second
manage in the wastes 2,700
future gallons of water a
year.
Forest Fires Wildfire, also Wildfires can When wildfire hits
called forest, occur anywhere, in drought-stricken Some adaptations
bush or but are common areas, watersheds of Resisters
vegetation fire, in the forested and reservoirs can include: thick
can be described areas of the be further bark to shield
as any United States and impacted by ash them from fire;
uncontrolled Canada. They are and debris flows, deep roots
and non- also susceptible in water treatment protected from
prescribed many places facilities may shut fire; the shedding
combustion or around the world, down with damage of their lower
burning of including much of or loss of power, branches to
plants in a the vegetated crops can be prevent fire from
natural setting areas of Australia destroyed, and climbing; and
such as a forest, as well as in the smoke can affect moist, short
grassland, brush Western Cape of animal and human needles or leaves
land or tundra, South Africa. health. that are hard to
which consumes burn. Some
the natural fuels examples
and spreads include:
based on ponderosa pine,
environmental sugar pine, and
conditions (e.g., Douglas-fir.
wind,
topography)
2. Critical Thinking Question: Which natural disaster do you think it is hardest for
humans to adapt to? Why?
In my opinion droughts and floods are the most fatal disaster events. I say this
because events like this are life changing depending on how bad the droughts and
floods are. Deaths from these events are now very low the most deadly events today
tend to be earthquakes.
