DISASTERS PROJECT: A CASE STUDY
Objective: Describe the interaction between humans and the physical environment and analyze the
consequences of extreme weather and other natural disasters such as El Niño, floods, tsunamis, and
volcanoes.
In this project, you are to choose a natural disaster from recent history and research that
particular event. You are then to create a technology based project that displays the causes
and effects of your chosen disaster.
1. Choose a disaster from the following list or receive teacher approval:
Hurricane Katrina 2003
Japanese Earthquake
& Tsunami – 2011
Huascaran
Earthquake &
Avalanche – 1970
Joplin Tornado - 2011
Galveston Hurricane
– 1900
Haitian Earthquake –
2010
Mount St. Helens –
1980
Hurricane Andrew –
1992
San Francisco
Earthquake – 1906
Krakatoa Eruption 1883
Bhola Cyclone – 1970
Xenia Tornado - 1974
Wildfires - 2011
Mississippi River
Floods - 2011
Huang He River
Flooding (China) –
1931
European Heat wave
- 2003
South Asian Floods 2007
Chilean Earthquake 2010
Iran Blizzard - 1972
Ethiopian Famine –
1984-1985
Guatemalan
Earthquake – 1976
Schoolhouse Blizzard
– 1888
Vargas, Venezuela
Mudslides – 1999
2. Your project needs to be either in Powerpoint, Photostory, or another similar, approved, format. If
you work on your project at home, it is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY to be certain that the version of
your technology is compatible with the school’s version.
3. Your project will outline the event, the causes, and the effects of the disaster at the local, regional,
and global scale. You must include:
a. A title slide that includes the name of the disaster, your name, period and date. Provide
an image of the disaster. 5 points
b. Two slides that outline the actual event. Must include the location (written and visual)
and date of the event. 10 points
c. Two slides that outline the causes of the disaster. Be sure to include the physical
processes and/or patterns involved. 20 points
d. Four slides that outline the effects of the disaster. Four or more slides must be broken
down into social, political, economic, and environmental effects (on a local, regional, and
global scale). 40 points
e. One slide that shows the situation today. What does the location look like today?
How are people affected presently? With regard to HEI, what has been done, or is being
done, to reduce the destruction (SEP) by similar events in the future? 10 points
f. Bibliography slide – List the sources (minimum 4) used for the creation of your product.
Use proper MLA format with annotations, www.bibme.com is a useful resource. 5 points
Details:
 Search engines are not a valid/citable source.
 Every slide must have a graphic (ex: map/chart/graph)
 Text limit (5 LINES X 5 sentences) max
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Rubric: ______________________________

Title Slide w/ Name, Date, Period

Spelling, Creativity, Appearance
Points for each slide:

Actual Event

Causes

Effects

Situation Today

Bibliography

Total
_____ (5pts)
_____ (10pts)
_____ (10pts)
_____ (20pts)
_____ (40pts)
_____ (10pts)
_____ (5pts)
_____ (100pts)