Tornados

Students Names: Giovani M. and Avein P.

Type of Storm: Tornado

Definition: As defined by Dictionary.com, a tornado is a localized, violently destructive windstorm occurring over land, and characterized by a long, funnel-shaped cloud extending toward the ground and made visible by condensation and debris.

Top Tornados in the World:  Daulatpur-Saturia, Bangladesh on April 26, 1989 and Madarganj to Mrizapur, Bangladesh on May 15, 1996. The top two tornados both occurred in Bangladesh.

Summary: The # 1 tornado was Daulatpur-Saturia, Bangledesh on April 26, 1989. An estimated 1,300 people died from this tornado, which was a mile wide and cut a swath of destruction 50 miles long. The injuries were estimated to be around 12,000. Due to poor housing and construction standards, the tornado completely destroyed virtually every structure it touched. Below is a map of the area effected:
      

The 2nd largest tornado was Madarganj to Mrizapar, Bangladesh in May of 1996.

As one of the most recent of the deadliest tornadoes in history, an estimated 700 people perished after a huge tornado touched down from Madarganj to Mrizapur in Bangladesh on May of 1996. Around 700 people perished. Many of the victims were blown long distances,up to 0.9 miles, and found hanging in trees. In addition, softball-sized hail pounded the area. It is the second single deadliest tornado on record. As the tornado traveled south from Madarganj to Mirzapur in Bangladesh, a distance of over 100 kilometers, it also destroyed an estimated 30,000 homes. Below is a picture of the destruction:

 

Hurricanes

Students Names: John A. and Cindy P.
Type of Storm: Hurricanes
Summary:

  A hurricane can be defined as a tropical cyclone with high wind speeds of more than 74 miles per hour. Flooding, high speed wind, tornadoes and torrential downpours are to be expected. The top two storms we researched are The Bhola Cyclone which hit Pakistan in 1970 and Hurricane Thelma which hit the Philippines in 1991.

   The Bhola cyclone was a disastrous hurricane that struck the east of Pakistan (now known as Bangladesh) and India’s west Bengal. It was the top most deadly hurricane of all time of the tropics, and also the most deadly natural disaster of all time. The storm claimed up to 500,000 lives from flooding due to storm surges.  Peak winds were recorded at 115mph. Bhola took out crops, vegetation. The Pakistani government was severely criticized for its delayed handling of the relief operations following the storm, both by local political leaders in East Pakistan and in the international media. Furthermore, The Indian government received many ship reports from the Bay of Bengal that were giving meteorological information on the cyclone, but as Indo-Pakistani relations were generally hostile, the information was not passed on to the Pakistani government. A large part of the population was taken by surprise by the storm. Below is a picture of the storm:

 

   

Hurricane Thelma was the deadliest storm of the Pacific in 1991’s typhoon season. Thelma was considered a minimal storm and did not produce the strongest of winds, but it did produce torrential rains. This rainfall resulted in catastrophic events such as dam failures, landslides, and flash flooding, which in turn, caused an estimated 6,000 casualties. Tens of thousands of people were left homeless in the aftermath; Ormoc City was the most impacted. The name ‘Thelma’ was retired, meaning that it cannot be used in the future. Below is a picture of Hurricane Thelma:

Assignment Instructions

Hi all my 6th graders!!

Today's assignment will be on Science, particularly weather. You will be broken up into pairs and assigned a type of storm (e.g., hurricane, earthquake, tornado, or blizzard). You will research this type of storm using Google. Each group has to find the top 2 storms of their assigned storm in the world, collect 5-10 facts about that individual storm and look for a picture from that storm using Google Images. Students will then create a blog with a summary of their findings. Including all the information (facts), pictures, and maps (location of the storms) surrounding their type of Storm. Once completed post the blog.

External sites to help guide you in your research:
1. Earthquakes - http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/world/10_largest_world.php
2. Hurricanes -  http://crunkish.com/top-ten-hurricanes-of-all0time/
3. Tornadoes - http://www.grayflannelsuit.net/the-10-deadliest-tornadoes-in-world-history/
4. Blizzards - http://www.thisblogrules.com/2011/01/the-ten-worst-snowstorms-in-world-history.html

Happy Researching! 
- Ms. Caroselli