Matières
Niveaux
Natural Disasters Vocabulary
Fiche | Anglais
Vocabulary on the theme of natural disasters.
Primaire
3-6
Table des matières
- Haut de page
- Basic Natural Disasters Vocabulary
- Damage & Effects Vocabulary
- Natural Disaster-Related Verbs
- Natural Disasters Vocabulary at a Glance
- Natural Disasters Vocabulary Exercise
- Advanced Natural Disasters Vocabulary
- Advanced Natural Disasters
- Advanced Damage & Effects Vocabulary
- Earthquake-Related Vocabulary
- Advanced Natural Disaster-Related Verbs Vocabulary
- Natural Disasters Description Vocabulary
- Exercise – Advanced Natural Disasters Vocabulary
- See Also
Basic Natural Disasters Vocabulary
*Tropical cyclones are generally referred to by regional names.
- When they form in the Atlantic Ocean or in the North-East Pacific Ocean, they are hurricanes.
- When they form in the Indian Ocean, they are tropical cyclones.
- When they form in the Western Pacific Ocean, they are typhoons.
Damage & Effects Vocabulary
*Destruction vs. damage
The words destruction and damage are often used as synonyms, but they have slightly different meanings.
- Destruction implies total loss, that it can’t be fixed: it will have to be rebuilt.
- Damage implies partial loss, that it can probably be fixed or repaired.
Natural Disaster-Related Verbs
*To destroy vs. to damage
The verbs to destroy and to damage are often used as synonyms, but they have slightly different meanings.
- To destroy implies total loss, that it can’t be fixed: it will have to be rebuilt.
- To damage implies partial loss, that it can probably be fixed or repaired.
Natural Disasters Vocabulary at a Glance
Natural Disasters Vocabulary Exercise
(Coming soon)
Advanced Natural Disasters Vocabulary
Advanced Natural Disasters
storm surge
A fast rise in sea level caused by a powerful storm.flash flood
A sudden and very fast flood that happens in a short time.tidal wave*
A wave caused by the effects of gravity, the daily movement of the tides. They generally do not cause damage.tsunami*
A series of huge waves triggered in the ocean. Underwater earthquakes and underwater volcanic eruptions are its main causes.hailstorm
A storm where solid balls of ice, called “hail,” fall from the sky.sandstorm
A strong windstorm that carries huge clouds of sand and dust through the air. It happens in dry areas like deserts.mudslide
A fast-moving landslide consisting mostly of wet mud and water.sinkhole
A large, sudden hole in the ground. It happens when water washes away the material under the surface, causing the ground above to collapse.heatwave
A period of extremely hot weather that lasts for many days or weeks. It is much hotter than usual for that specific area.drought
A long period with very little or no rain, affecting plants, animals and people.famine
An extreme shortage of food for a large number of people.epidemic
A sudden increase in a disease in a specific community or region.pandemic
An epidemic that has spread over several countries or continents.
*Until not so long ago, the expressions tidal wave and tsunami were used interchangeably. Many people and sources still do. However, since tsunamis are not connected to tides as tidal waves are, they are considered as two different phenomena with different causes and characteristics.
| Caused by | Characteristics | |
| tidal wave | Gravity (tides) | Predictable Generally non-destructive |
| tsunami | Underwater earthquakes and volcanoes | Unpredictable Huge waves Very destructive |
Advanced Damage & Effects Vocabulary
debris
Scattered pieces of things that are destroyed or broken after a disaster.rubble
Pieces of broken stones, bricks, and concrete.devastation
Severe destruction and ruin caused by a natural disaster.shortage
When there isn’t enough of something people need, like water, food, medicine or electricity, for example.homelessness
When a person doesn’t have a home.extinction
When every single member of a group of animals or plants dies.victim
A person who is affected by a disaster.casualties
The total number of people who are either killed or injured in a disaster.fatalities
The number of people who die due to a disaster.refugee
A person who is forced to leave their home for safety or shortage reasons.survivor
People who have survived a disaster.volunteer
People who provide help and do work without being paid.shelter
A temporary safe place or structure to protect people.rescue mission
A planned operation to find and save people who are in danger after a disaster.emergency services
Trained people that respond to emergencies such as police, firefighters and paramedics.state of emergency
An official declaration by the government during a disaster. It gives the police and government officials additional temporary powers to resolve dangerous situations quickly.evacuation centre
A safe, temporary place—like a school gym or a community centre—where people go for safety after being evacuated.relief
Help for disaster victims in the form of food, clothes, money and medicine. Also called “aid.”aid
Help for disaster victims in the form of food, clothes, money and medicine. Also called “aid.”
tremor
The shaking or vibrating movements of the ground during an earthquake.aftershock
A smaller earthquake that happens after a larger one. Sort of like an echo of the earthquake.epicentre
The point on the surface of the Earth directly above where an earthquake starts.magnitude
A measurement that tells us the size or the total energy of an earthquake. It is measured with the Richter Scale.Richter Scale
A scale from 1 to 10 used to measure the magnitude of an earthquake.seismic
Describes anything related to earthquakes, the vibrations of the Earth and its crust.seismograph
An instrument that detects and records vibrations in the ground. It can measure how long and how strong an earthquake is.fault line
A fracture on the Earth’s surface caused by tectonic plate movements.tectonic plate
Large pieces of the Earth’s crust that float on a layer of molten rocks and move very slowly.
to strike
To hit or happen suddenly and with great force.to hit
To reach a place and cause damage or a strong effect.to overflow
When water gets too high and spreads on dry land.to quake
To shake or tremble violently.to warn
To give a "heads-up" so people can prepare or leave.to alert
To give a signal to make someone aware of an immediate danger.to predict
To say that something will happen in the future based on information or scientific data.to survive
To continue to live or exist after a dangerous event or a difficult situation.to rebuild
To build something again after it has been damaged or destroyed.to recover
To get better or go back to normal after something bad happens.
Natural Disasters Description Vocabulary
sudden
That happened very fast and without warning.unexpected
That happened as a surprise, that was not expected.unpredictable
Not possible to know before it happened, not predictable.strong
That has a lot of power, force or energy.intense
That is very strong, deep or extreme.severe
That is very serious, dangerous or causes a lot of damage.violent
That has very high physical force and causes destruction.huge
That is very large in size, amount or area.massive
That is exceptionally large, often to describe the scale of the disaster.gigantic
That is unusually large, like a giant.destructive
That caused a lot of destruction.devastating
That caused total destruction.dangerous
That can cause serious trouble or harm.risky
That might result in danger, loss or injury.hazardous
That is a threat to your safety or health.deadly
That is very dangerous and may cause death.fatal
That can cause serious injury or death.molten
Solid materials (like rock or metal) turned into hot liquid by very high temperatures.active (volcano)
Volcano that is erupting or has recently erupted (in the last 10 000 years).dormant (volcano)
Volcano that hasn’t erupted in the last 10 000 years, but that may erupt again.extinct (volcano)
Volcano that is not expected to erupt again.