Engineering to Prevent Natural Disasters: Save Our City!
Students learn about various natural hazards and specific methods engineers use to prevent these hazards from becoming natural disasters. They study a hypothetical map of an area covered with natural hazards and decide where to place natural disaster prevention devices by applying their critical thinking skills and an understanding of the causes of natural disasters.
Destruction caused by a tsunami in Hilo, HI.Copyright NOAA http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2005/s2545.htm
Engineers must understand the causes and behavior of our planet's natural forces so they can help people survive natural disasters. They design devices that help us minimize, eliminate or predict the effects of natural hazards. Detecting, predicting and warning about hazards help populations evacuate and/or seek shelter. They design mountain, ocean, earth and atmospheric monitoring devices. They design weather instruments, radar and satellites to collect data and make predictions. Sometimes engineers make devices that trigger smaller hazards in order to prevent larger ones.
After this activity, students should be able to:
- Describe several methods that engineers use to predict, minimize or eliminate the effects of natural hazards.
- Explain that the placement of these devices is important to their effectiveness.