Types of Disasters
You've heard the word "disaster," but what exactly does it mean? Your mom may have called your room a disaster ("clean it up!"), but a real disaster is serious.
There are natural disasters, such as a hurricane, earthquake, tornado, or tsunami (a big surge of water from the ocean), that happen because of the weather or other natural conditions. People also can cause disasters, like causing an oil spill that pollutes the environment or starting a forest fire.
You might wonder: What if that happened in my town? Depending on where a person lives, some kinds of natural disasters are more likely to happen than in other places. For instance, hurricanes happen in areas along coasts.
Be Prepared
Wherever you live, it's good to be prepared for an emergency. You've probably already experienced something like this — maybe the power went out for a long time or there was a big snowstorm.
Families can take simple steps to be prepared for an emergency, like having a battery-powered radio, flashlights, bottled water, and extra food on hand.
Knowing your family has a plan can help you feel more safe and secure. Grownups are in charge of these plans, but you can ask your parents if they have a plan and an emergency kit.
Some preparations are the same for everyone (flashlights, etc.), but other plans will be different depending on which kind of problem might affect your area. For instance, if you live where there are tornadoes sometimes, the plan means knowing to listen to the radio for tornado warnings and to go to the safest part of the house until it passes.
If your family wants to know more about being prepared, organizations like the American Red Cross can help.
In a bad storm or serious disaster, it's important to remember that lots of people are looking out for you, including parents, police officers, firefighters, doctors, nurses, and other people who are trained to handle emergencies. When a disaster happens, you'll see these people on the news helping people.