Natural disasters 10

“Local road was washed away and damaged.

The highway of national route ‘Kyiv–Chop’ was blocked

because of mud sliding in Skole district in Lviv region.

Railroad Lviv–Uzhhorod was blocked because of

fallen trees.”

“A private dwelling house was destroyed because of sliding in Ivano-Frankivsk region. The master of the house, born in 1965, died. 963 houses were underfl ooded by water.”

“In the evening on July, 24 27-year-old resident of Vyzhnytsya district died in the basement that was flooded as a result of bad weather in Bukovyna.”

These lines are from Ukrainski Novyny (Ukrainian News) report about the natural disaster that occurred in Western Ukraine in July 2008. As a result of heavy showers the level of water in rivers had risen, and houses, farmlands and granaries were underfl ooded. 6ome crops were destroyed.

Natural disasters began to occur in Ukraine with increasing frequency. After dangerous floods in Zakarpattia the storms and tornados also came their way. Information about the number of people killed by lightning has become more frequent in different parts of Ukraine. Until recently, we only heard of such disasters in other part of the Atlantic.

And what are the causes of natural disasters which are becoming more frequent in our country? Not waiting for the scientists’ explanations, people say this is our fault. During the last 50 years a great deal of forests in the Carpathians have been cut down. Deforestation has led to changes in local climate. That’s why we have so much trouble with floods in this region. The scientists remind us that all elements and systems are interconnected in nature. Irresponsible attitude to it might lead to terrible results. The conducted research has confirmed the idea about not only natural but man-made causes of these floods.

What is a natural disaster? The definition is: it is the effect of a natural hazard that affects the environment and leads to financial, environmental and/or human losses. A natural hazard is a threat of a natural occurring event that will have a negative effect on people or the environment. Many natural hazards are interrelated. For example, earthquake can cause a tsunami and drought that can lead directly to famine.

The costs of natural disasters are the lives lost, homes destroyed and economies disrupted.

… But there is reason for hope. By understanding how and where these natural events occur, we can build and live safely on earth, and by providing real-time information about floods, earthquakes and other hazards, we can respond effectively when disaster strikes. We should build stronger, safer communities that are resistant to natural disasters