Everywhere on this earth, there are many types of natural disasters. These are the most powerful forces of nature, which cannot be prevented. They cause all kinds of devastating destruction. Our only hope is to be able to avoid them and stay out of their way. They occur in all parts of the world. There is no part of the world that does not face at least one kind of natural disaster. Hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, avalanches, wildfires, volcanoes, floods and thunderstorms are the NDs that this research paper will focus on. There are others but these are the ones that have been chosen to discuss. We'll start with hurricanes. At least for people in the Western Hemisphere, hurricanes are very well known. These are massive storms with very powerful winds. Hurricanes are one of the most destructive natural disasters. These storms begin in the North Atlantic Ocean, called the "tropical zone." The warm, humid air in this area is what actually fuels hurricanes. Hurricanes form every year between June and November. In 2005, 15 hurricanes hit land, but typically about six hurricanes come together in a given year. Hurricanes begin as a “tropical depression,” which is a rainstorm with wind speeds of around thirty-eight mph. or less. The next stage of the storm is called a "tropical storm", which consists of heavy rain with wind speeds between thirty-nine and seventy-four mph. Third, the storm reaches its final and most powerful stage, which receives the title "hurricane". Hurricane wind speeds are 75 mph. or more. Although the storms are very powerful, if you live far inland you shouldn't worry too much. As soon as the hurricane hits land, with nothing feeding... middle of paper ... the epicenter is close enough that you can feel the earthquake, then the resulting tsunami could strike within minutes , or even a few seconds. Clearly, tsunamis pose a very real danger to those who live even near the ocean. Works Cited “Earthquakes”. Home. Np, and Web. March 19, 2014. “Geography”. About.com. Np, and Web. March 19, 2014. Gutelle, Andrew and George Fryer. Nature's Fury: the power of weather. Pleasantville, NY: Reader's Digest Children's, 1999. “Natural Disasters” print. National Geographic. Np, and Web. March 19, 2014. Oard, Michael J. The Weather Book. Green Forest, AZ: Master, 1997. N. pag. Print. Parker, Steve. Severe weather. Np: np, nd Print."TEACHERS." School teachers. Np, and Web. March 18, 2014. Weather. New York: DK, 2008. N. pag. Print.Wood, Tim. Natural disasters. New York: Thomson Learning, 1993. Print.Book