时间：2022-08-03 07:41:53
Kinds of disasters
You’ve heard the word “disaster （灾祸）”， but what exactly does it mean？ Your mom may have called your room a disaster （“Clean it up！”）， but a real disaster is serious.
There are natural disasters， like tornadoes （龙卷风） and hurricanes （飓风）， and there are man-made disasters， such as the oil spill that polluted the Gulf Coast of the United States in 2010.
Nature， including the weather， can cause big problems， such as a hurricane， earthquake， tornado， typhoon， or tsunami （海啸）.
People also can cause disasters， like when the oil spilled into the Gulf of Mexico， or when someone starts a fire in the woods that becomes a forest fire.
You might wonder： What if that happened in my town？ Depending on where a person lives， there’s more risk of certain kinds of natural disasters. For instance， a tsunami only affects （影响） areas along coasts.
Be prepared
Wherever you live， it’s good to be prepared for an emergency. You’ve probably already experienced something like this ― maybe the power went out for a long time or there was a big snowstorm.
Families can take simple steps like having flashlights （手电筒）， bottled water， and extra food on hand.
Knowing your family has a plan can help you feel safer. Grownups are in charge of these plans， but you can ask your parents if they have a plan and an emergency kit （应急包）.
Some preparations are the same for everyone （flashlights， etc.） but other plans will be different depending on which kind of problem might affect your area. For instance， if you live where there are tornadoes sometimes， the plan means knowing to listen to the radio for tornado warnings and to go to the safest part of the house until it passes.
If your family wants to know more about being prepared， organizations like the American Red Cross can help.
You might feel upset about a disaster even if you’re not directly affected and there’s little chance of it ever happening in your town. It’s important to remember that lots of people are looking out for you. In a bad storm or other problems， that would include parents， police officers， firefighters， doctors， nurses， and other people who are trained to handle emergencies. When a disaster happens， you’ll see these people on the news helping people.
Now you know it’s normal to feel sad about disasters， even if you’re fine and live far away. You should also know that the sad feelings you have will get better over time.
And hard as it is to believe， even people who lost the most in a disaster will feel better some day. It will take a long time， but they will slowly heal thanks to the people who care for them.
（Have you experienced any disaster？ Say something about it.）