The Destructiveness of Nature

Summary:   In addition to its overall beauty and enchantment, nature can be most destructive and appalling. Dangerous earthquakes, eruptive volcanoes, and catastrophic hurricanes are some of Earth's most deadly and uncontrollable elements, causing several fatalities every year.

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Nature can be such a marvelous thing, but have you ever realized how disastrous it can be? Nature has many positive aspects like exotic waterfalls, warm beaches and enchanting forests but alongside nature's positive aspects, it has many negative aspects as well. Nature can be one of the most destructive and appalling things; it often causes complete chaos. Nature's dangerous earthquakes, eruptive volcanoes and catastrophic hurricanes have caused several fatalities every year.

Earthquakes are an extremely unpredictable part of nature which makes it hard to prepare for. Nature can suddenly change your life without notice. Modern technology has helped to increase the accuracy of the prediction of weather but even today the old saying of "you can never fool mother nature" still applies. On January 17, 1994 the Northridge Earthquake hit Los Angeles measuring 6.7 on the Richter scale. I can hardly imagine relaxing in my apartment and being abruptly interrupted by the sudden crumbling of my building. A total of 171 earthquake related injuries were reported in the Los Angeles County after the massive earthquake, 33 of them were fatal. A high measuring earthquake like the earthquake in Los Angeles can cause an excess amount of damage, leading to horrible injuries. The injuries from the Northridge Earthquake were mainly caused by the structure failure of buildings, the abrasions from objects or from falling due to unstable grounding. Dangerous earthquakes are a common fear among populations, which shuns the beauty of nature.

Just like earthquakes, volcanoes have caused several fatalities in the past as well. One of the most famous volcanic eruptions was the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius, which destroyed the ancient city of Pompeii. Volcanic ash is very thick and it chokes everything it touches. Volcanic ash comes out from volcanoes in large amounts, along with rocks and hot cinders. Pompeii was buried from 8-10 feet of volcanic ash and debris. Since the destruction of Pompeii, the city has been excavated and studied since the 1700's. Nearly 2000 impressions from human bodies have been found from when the ash had hardened and turned to rock. The number of fatalities from the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius shows how deadly nature can truly be.

The most recent fatal example of how dangerous nature can be is the notorious hurricane, Katrina. Katrina hit the southern region of the United States; most of the damage ended up in New Orleans, Louisiana. What was once a thriving city of culture is now a city of ruins. Photos of the disaster are posted everywhere online and news broadcasts. Every time I hear about the struggle people in New Orleans are going through or see the depressing photos, my heart breaks for them. Like many other Americans, I have contributed money to the Red Cross to help the disaster relief. Hurricane Katrina flooded many parts of Louisiana. In New Orleans, bodies were floating around everywhere. To this day, volunteers and authority figures are collecting the bodies of the deceased. The believed number of fatalities are said to be in the thousands, but no one can be sure. The forces of Hurricane Katrina destroyed a population in what seemed like in the blink of an eye.

It is scary to think how dreadful nature can be. The negative aspects of nature are definitely the most deadly. Nature can be so beautiful but often it leads to the disruption of our everyday lives. Earthquakes, volcanoes and hurricanes are some of the most deadly, uncontrollable elements on the earth. Their amount of their damage causes several fatalities every year, making each catastrophe more tragic each time. Nature is not something to be messed with; its power exceeds our own. If it was not for earthquakes, volcanoes and hurricanes, many people would still be alive today.