DOES MOTHER NATURE RULE THE WORLD

Capacity of natural disasters

No matter how advanced mankind becomes, Mother Nature has the ability to wipe it out in one fell swoop. If this is to be doubted just take a look at the selected events that have occurred since 2003.

2003- Heat wave in Western Europe which was responsible for up to 37,451 deaths.

2004- Indian Ocean Tsunami which was responsible for the deaths of up to 230,000 people. It was caused by an earthquake in the ocean that measured between 9.1 & 9.3 on the Richter scale, making it the second most powerful earthquake ever recorded.

2005- Hurricane Katrina hit the south east corner of the USA, and was responsible for the deaths of 1,836 people and resulted in $89.6 billion worth of damage. This occuring in the worlds only super power.

2005- Earthquake in Kashmir, Pakistan, which was responsible for the deaths of 74,500+ people 2008- Earthquake in Sichuan Province, China. This was responsible for the deaths of 69,197 people, and cost the Chinese government $441 billion in aid and restoration costs.

2009- Australian Bush Fires was responsible for over 173 deaths. It also burnt out 4500 km² 450,000 ha (1,100,000 acres) of land.

2009- L'Aquila Earthquake, Italy was responsible for the deaths of over 270 people, causing $16 billion worth of damage and was Italys deadliest earthquake in almost 30 years.

After looking at all these events, it can only result in one conclusion. No matter what mankind does, Mother Nature rules the world.

It is possible for many natural disasters to be mitigated against. For example, in California where they suffer from a large amount of earthquakes due to the San Andreas fault, they are able to build structures which can withstand earthquakes. L'Aquila, for example, was so devastating because many of the buildings in the town were very old and therefore not designed to withstand such a powerful earthquake. In New Orleans, flood defences have been built so that the level of flooding seen during Katrina is never repeated. For heatwaves, air conditioning and other measures can be used to combat extreme heat. This shows that all but the most extreme natural disaster can be offset by man made technology.