McGraw-Hill Health 2005

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Macmillan/McGraw-Hill Health Grade 8
Grade 8
e-Journal

Health Online
Emergencies and Disasters

Step 1. Questions

Do you live in Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, or in another state on the Great Plains? If so, then you are familiar with tornadoes. Do you live close to the Atlantic Ocean in the southeast United States? Then you probably know about hurricanes. Or if you live by the Pacific Ocean, you proabably have lived through an earthquake or two.

Different kinds of weather emergencies and natural disasters affect every region of the United States. All can be hazardous. However, all can be survived when the proper safety rules are followed.

For this e-Journal project, you will prepare a safety poster for the weather emergency or natural disaster of your choice. The poster should include at least three paragraphs of text. It should also include drawings, graphs, illustrations, or photos.

As you research your topic, prepare answers to these questions:
  • What is the emergency or disaster like?
  • How can people know that the disaster is coming?
  • What safety rules should people follow before, during, and after the disaster?
  • Where can people learn more about the disaster and how to survive it?
First, explore the Web sites listed in Step 2. Take notes in the note-taking boxes for both the text and graphics portions of the poster.

Use Steps 3 and 4 to write the paragraphs of text for the poster. Print the text and include it in the poster. You may keep the paragraphs together on a single sheet of paper. You may cut them into individual sections.

Step 2. Research

Research answers for the questions you were asked in Step 1. Visit these Web sites. Take notes about them on this page, too!

FEMA For Kids: The Disaster Area
FEMA stands for the Federal Emergency Management Agency. It is the branch of the U.S. government that helps people prepare for and manage tornadoes, floods, earthquakes, hurricanes, and other disasters. Learn all about FEMA at this Web site.
Take Notes:



American Red Cross: Disaster Services
When disaster strikes, the Red Cross helps people survive and cope. Visit their thorough Web site to learn safety rules during an earthquake, flood, hurricane, or other disaster.
Take Notes:



Savage Planet
Visit this Web site to learn about all sorts of natural disasters. These include some rare disasters that may be new to you. This intriguing Web site comes from PBS, home of the Savage Planet television series.
Take Notes:



Additional Sites

NOVA Online: Avalanche!
When snow comes tumbling down a mountain--look out! It's an avalanche! Learn all about the power of avalanches at this great Web site, from NOVA Online.
Take Notes:



Go to Step 3 or Save My Notes


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