COPE Disaster Book Series

What are natural hazards... and disasters? Forces of nature that happen with little warning and occur all over the world, such as earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, landslides, tropical cyclones (and other storms), storm surges, heatwaves, wildfires, droughts and volcanoes. When these natural hazards pose a threat to humans or the environment they can lead to disasters and cause destruction in a community. What are storm surges? A sudden rise of water hitting areas close to the coast, usually created by a tropical cyclone, hurricane or other storms. The surge happens because the storm has fast winds. These winds push the water on to shore, causing the water level to rise. Sometimes a storm surge can be so high, it is as dangerous as a large tsunami, flooding coastal towns and destroying communities.

Reita Wong (Designer); Christine Messervy (Project Manager)