The consequences of natural disasters are usually devastating.

A terrible tsunami happened in South-Eastern Asia on 25 December 2004. It was caused by the second most powerful earthquake in recorded history. Such countries as Thailand, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia were damaged greatly. The tsunami wreaked (причинять вред) havoc (разрушение, опустошение), killed more than 200000 people thousands, a lot of people were injured(пораненый), thousands of people became homeless, unemployed(безработные), a lot of people need water, food clothes, medical and psychological(психологическая) help. There was a threat(угроза) of different diseases(болезнь) and epidemics.

A devastating drought happened a desert climate of Sahel, in West Africa between 1968 and 1974. The winds changed direction(напровление) and the area did not receive(получать) any rain for six years. Hundreds(сотни) of thousands of people and nearly half of the animals in the area died because there wasn’t enough water. The crops(урожаи) did not grow and many countries suffered(страдали) from famine(голод). People had to walk hundred kilometers to find water.

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

«Hurricane Andrew» hit Florida in 1992. The people there had to leave their homes and move to other towns and wait. When the hurricane arrived, it killed 15 people and destroyed thousands of buildings. More than 50 000 people had nowhere(нигде) to live.

An awful(ужасный) flood happened in China in 1998 because of heavy(тежёлый, сильный) rainfall. Nearly 4000 people were killed. The flood destroyed houses and left millions of people homeless, a lot of farmland(фермерские замли) was damaged. Floods attacked(отаковало) the Netherland in January 1995. Rains are dangerous for the country as the Netherlands are very flat(плоский) and their part is below(ниже) the sea level. It rained and rained for more than two weeks. The water in the canals and rivers rose higher and higher, and thousands of people had to leave their homes until the water level fell down again.

Volcanic eruptions are dangerous because of the hot lava which flows from the volcano after eruption(извержение) and the volcanic ash(эш, вулканиеский пепел) which is released(освобождается) into the atmosphere. The ash is dangerous for animals and people to inhale(вдыхать) and can cause damage to moving parts in machinery(техника).

Nearly two thousand years ago, in 79 AD(Ano Domine, годы после рождения Христа) a volcano called Vesuvius erupted(взорвался, извергся) on the west coast of Italy, south of Naples. It was one o’clock on 24th August. In the busy Roman port of Pompeii, people were walking about in the streets, families were preparing(готовиться) lunch and children were playing. Suddenly Vesuvius erupted(1извергся). There was a loud(громкий) explosion(взрыв). There was dust(пыль) and ash(пепел) everywhere. People rushed(бежать, метаться) into the streets screaming(кричать, везжать). Children ran to their parents crying. People tried to run away, taking their things with them. They tried to escape(избежать), but most of people and animals died.

Vesuvius has erupted(извергать) many times. The last big eruption(извержение) was in 1944. Will Vesuvius erupt again? Nobody knows. If it does, it might be a small eruption or a big one. Some people live close to Vesuvius because the soil(земля) around it is good for growing crops. But it is also very dangerous.

Дата добавления: 2015-10-29