Nature, a Beautiful Disaster

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The English writer John Ruskin once said “Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather,” (John Ruskin Quotes - Page 4) but I’m sure there are many who disagree with him. Nature’s beauty is a gift from God, but occasionally nature is not so aesthetically pleasing. Natural disasters occur often around the world destroying the lives of many on a regular basis. An example could be the recent flood victims of Australia or even last year’s earthquake in Haiti. There are several types of natural disasters¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬¬- from earthquakes to hurricanes and floods; they often strike without warning and leave a path of destruction and despair in their path.

The least violent type of natural disasters is the flood; it is one of the most frequent hazards. A flood can affect local areas or a very large area affecting entire river deltas. Not all foods are alike, some of them develop slowly over a period days and some of them occur in a matter of minutes. The floods that develop quickly are known as flash floods; flash floods have a dangerous wall of thunderous water that carries rocks, mud and other different debris. If you live in a low-lying area near water you more prone to flooding, the smallest streams, gullies, creeks, and streambeds can cause a flood. Floods are often not a common thought when you think of a natural disaster, but they can be fatal, destroy homes, businesses, and roads, happen when you least expect, and happen when you are not prepared (FEMA:Flood). An extreme example of this type of natural disaster is the flood in eastern Australia last month; the flood, which lasted for weeks, caused thirty dea...

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