MODULE

Natural
Disasters
“Yes, a dark time passed over this land,
but now there is something like light.”
—Dave Eggers

170
 Essential Question

How can learning

about natural
disasters make
us safer?

Video

171
Knowledge
Map

Natural
Science/ Disasters:
Technology Prediction and
Protection

172
Preparation

173
 Who Studies
notable If something
is notable, it is worth
noticing. Short
Read
Natural Disasters?
tremor A tremor is
a small earthquake or
uncontrolled shaking in a
body part.
spontaneous A
spontaneous action is one
that happens naturally
and isn’t planned.
hazard A hazard is a October 23, 2018
danger.
Dear Professor Melendez,
udying natural
to as k yo ur ad vic e abou t careers that involve st
1 I’m writing ld me you teach
ea rth sc ien ce (m y fav orite subject!) teacher to
disasters. My letter.
myNotes
on na tu ral dis as te rs an d suggested I send you a
college classes
As part of the tour, we
my fam ily ex plo red Kīlauea, a volcano in Hawaii.
2 Last year, o lead to disaster.
nd ho w a bre at ht aking natural occurrence can als
saw firstha stroyed the
ine d th at a no ta ble eru ption in 2014 almost de
Our guide expla
nearby town of Pahoa.
sses inside the
de me rea lly int ere st ed in volcanoes. What proce
3 The tour ma can science and
em ? Wh y do th ey eru pt ? Most importantly, how
earth cause th
people safe from them?
knowledge be used to keep
and have to practice
nc e ea rth qu ak e tre mo rs in California sometimes
4 We experie has always left me
for th em . Th e sp on ta ne ous shaking of the earth
safety drills natural
cin at ed an d sc are d! I’ve been reading about other
feeling both fas canes are as
ink th e sw irling win ds an d drenching rains of hurri
disasters, too. I th erous, right?
ing as ea rth qu ak es . Th ey can also be just as dang
thrill
r people
ta nd th es e kin ds of eve nts and maybe help othe
5 I want to unde
rs
rs would let me apply
someday, too. What caree
understand them better
ters to help people?
knowledge of natural disas
jobs I might consider.
6 I’d very much
appreciate your advice on
d advice!
Thank you for your time an

Sincerely,

Robin Thiersson
Robin Thiersson
267 Seismo Street
0
Tectonic, California 0000

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 November 1, 2018 myNotes
Dear Robin,
7 Thanks so much for your lett
er. It’s so encouraging to me
and natural disasters. The wo to hear of your interest in sci
rld needs budding scientists ence
like you!
8 Your fascination with natural
disasters could lead you to
For example, a volcanologis any number of exciting career
t studies volcanoes. (You ma s.
Kilauea.) Volcanologists often y ha ve met on e du ring your tour of
work at the site of an erupti
in labs analyzing data abou ng volcan o. The y also spend time
t the eruptions.

9 You probably know that no

one can predict earthquake
seismologists help us prepa s, but scientists called
re for these natural hazards.
in labs and at sites of seism These scientists also work bo
ic activity such as fault line th
s.
10 If you’d prefer the high winds
and ocean storm surges of
a meteorologist. These scien hurricanes, you may want to
tists forecast the weather or be
world’s climate. Their knowle stu dy the atm osphere and the
dge and direction is invaluab
during these mighty ocean le in he lping people stay safe
storms. Hurricanes can be eve
and earthquakes; you’re ab ry bit as da ngerous as eruptions
solutely right.
11 I gathered data for a seism
ologist for a number of years
happy to share my experien before I began teaching. I’d
ces with you and your classm be
ates!
Sincerely,

Professor Judy Melendez

Tectonic University
University Avenue
Tectonic, California 00000

Seismograms such as this one help

people study seismic activity.

175
 my Notes
Notice &
Note
Numbers and
Statistics

Prepare to Read
GENRE STUDY Narrative nonfiction gives factual information
by telling a true story.

• Narrative nonfiction authors present events in chronological

order. Doing so helps readers understand when events
happened and how they're connected.
• Narrative nonfiction often includes visuals, such as photos.
Captions help explain the photos and add details to the text.
• Texts written about events related to science or social studies
may also include words that are specific to the topic.

SET A PURPOSE Think about the genre and title of this text.
What do you know about volcanoes? What do you want to learn?
Write your ideas below.
CRITICAL
VOCABULARY

seismographs

evacuation

reservoir

conferring

consequences

widespread

alarming
Meet the Author:
Elizabeth Rusch victim

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 myNotes

ER UPTI ON!
Volcanoes and the Science of Saving Lives

by Elizabeth Rusch
photographs by Tom Uhlman

177
 myNotes

1 When the Colombian volcano Nevado del Ruiz erupted in 1985, United States
Geological Survey (USGS) scientist Andy Lockhart was horrified by the
tragedy. A year later, he became one of the earliest members of a volcano crisis
team, called the Volcano Disaster Assistance Program (VDAP). The VDAP’s
mission is to bring equipment and knowledge to areas threatened by volcanoes
in order to predict eruptions and prevent catastrophes. Six years after the
program started, Chris Newhall, another VDAP scientist, got a call about
steam shooting from Mount Pinatubo (peen-uh-TOO-boh), a mountain in the
Philippines. Until this happened, most people thought Mount Pinatubo was a
huge jungle-covered mountain, not a volcano. Chris knew it was serious. He and
the team had to do something. He and fellow VDAP scientists Andy Lockhart
and Rick Hoblitt set out to try to predict Mount Pinatubo’s next move. They
worked from Clark Air Base, very close to the volcano.

2 On May 28 , Chris got a new gas reading from Mount Pinatubo.

Sulfur dioxide (SO2) had jumped tenfold, to 5,000 tons a day. The volcano was
definitely ramping up.
3 A few days later, instruments recorded two unusual earthquakes. A shallow,
continuous, rhythmic shaking known as a low-frequency earthquake meant
magma was moving toward the surface and releasing more gas. Then the
seismographs recorded the first earthquake directly under the vent.
4 Over the next few weeks, the volcano spat steam higher and higher into the
sky. The plume changed color from white to gray. Then the volcano began
shooting rock and ash. But the geologists tested the ash and found no sign of
fresh lava. The steam explosions were just tossing up old material. Would the
volcano erupt, or would it just spit steam until it slipped back into dormancy?1

1 dormancy: the period during which a volcano is temporarily inactive

seismographs Seismographs are instruments that measure and record

details about earthquakes, such as their strength and how long they last.

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5 Then the sulfur dioxide plummeted, from 5,000 tons to 1,300 to 260 a day.
That could mean the volcano was settling down.
6 Or . . . it could mean the volcano’s vent was clogged, with pressure building.
7 Andy and the other scientists watched the seismograph around the clock.
They saw bigger quakes, longer quakes, and a harmonic tremor, a constant
humming earthquake that often means magma is rising and boiling away
groundwater.2
8 The Americans and Filipinos each had their own alert level systems. The
VDAP scientists debated. Was it time to raise the alert level to three: high and
increasing unrest; eruption possible in two weeks?
9 Ray, the head of the Filipino geologists, would need time to spread any
warning to people scattered in villages all around Pinatubo. He raised his alert
level to three: eruption possible in two weeks. About 10,000 members of the
Aeta tribes3 were moved to evacuation camps.
10 The quakes accelerated. Magma moving all along the conduit4 was shaking
the ground deep in the earth and quite near the surface. More and more steam
and ash poured from cracks in the volcano, called fumaroles.
11 The volcanologists5 estimated the size of the magma chamber (the
reservoir of melted rock and gas under the volcano) and the potential size of
the eruption. The eruption could be ten times larger than the 1980 eruption of
Mount St. Helens, which was bigger than any living geologist had ever seen.
12 Military officers listened intently to the geologists’ briefings. At the end of
one, Major General William Studer asked: “What would you do?”
13 The scientists answered: “Move the dependents off the base.”
14 The officers relocated pregnant women and the elderly. The air force
newspaper and TV station began broadcasting details of an evacuation plan:
what to bring and where to go.

2 groundwater: water found underground in the cracks in sand, soil, and rock
3 Aeta tribes: tribes of people native to the island of Luzon in the Philippines
4 conduit: a channel for moving some type of liquid
5 volcanologists: geologists who study active and inactive volcanoes

evacuation An evacuation is the act of moving from a dangerous area to a safer one.
reservoir A reservoir is a place where a supply of something is collected.

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15 The earthquakes got even closer to the surface. A steam plume reached
28,000 feet (8,500 meters), the highest so far.
16 After conferring with VDAP scientists, Ray raised his alert to level four,
enlarging the evacuation zone for the local population. Filipinos all around the
volcano packed a few possessions and walked or rode carts down the mountain.
17 VDAP members debated: Should we move to level four? The air force had
set VDAP’s level four as a trigger for Clark to be evacuated. Evacuating
14,000 people and millions of dollars of equipment would be a huge challenge,
and a huge burden to the military and their families.
18 Some VDAP members thought they should.
19 Then the earthquakes diminished.
20 “Volcanoes don’t necessarily move from deep sleep to violent eruption in a
straight, orderly progression,” Andy said. “They ramp up and drop down, ramp
up and drop down. The trend at Pinatubo was ramping higher and dropping
down less. Any single episode of ramping up could lead to a full-blown eruption.
But it could all just peter out to nothing.” The scientists had to predict the
unpredictable. The consequences—a costly false evacuation or tragic loss of
life—weighed heavily on their minds and their hearts.
21 On June 8, a chopper lifted off to give scientists a closer view of
the summit. The sky cleared. They could see that a big, ugly gray blob of
rock had poked out of the east crater wall. It was a lava dome. Cold,
hard, heavy rock could be clogging the vent. With magma moving up
with nowhere to go and pressure building, this thing could blow—with deadly
results.
22 The scientists told the air force commanders the new development and
waited for them to take action.
23 Then, the next morning, June 9, when Andy and his colleague hopped into the
helicopter, it took a detour—to the center of the base. General Studer and his
second-in-command climbed aboard. The helicopter headed for the volcano.
24 Instead of billowing steam and ash, only a thin snake of yellow-gray plume
drifted up from the summit.
25 “Geez, that’s a lot of ash,” the general commented.

conferring If you are conferring with someone, you are discussing an

idea or trying to make a decision.
consequences Consequences are the outcomes or effects of events.

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 myNotes

26 “That’s nothing,” the volcanologists said. They pointed out how underlying
the jungle all around the mountain were signs of massive ancient pyroclastic
flows.6 “That’s all ash from the last eruption.” The helicopter turned, and the
widespread devastation once wrought by this volcano became impossible to
miss. The general stared silently out the window as the helicopter headed back
to the base.
27 Finally, he turned to his second in command. “Do it tomorrow,” he said.

6 pyroclastic flows: fast-moving flows of hot gas and rock

widespread If something is widespread, it happens

over a large area or among many people.

“Volcanoes don’t necessarily move

from deep sleep to violent eruption
in a straight, orderly progression.”
Mount Pinatubo steams behind an air force helicopter.

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 myNotes

LOOKING FOR LUMPS

Changes in the surface of a volcano give underground. Domes can also grow so
clues about what is happening beneath. large that they trigger landslides. So
Imagine a mole tunneling under a lawn. scientists have to track their growth, too.
When the mole moves, the grass bumps How do scientists measure all these
up. Magma moving underground does lumps and bulges? Digital elevation
the same thing, actually lifting the maps—compiled using photos and radar
ground above it. When magma is close data—show the length, width, and height
to the surface, the bulge can grow of every part of the volcano. Scientists
hundreds of feet high and hundreds of compare DEMs compiled at different
feet wide. times to track how the shape of the
Lava shoved out of an erupting volcano has changed. They can also make
volcano can also make a massive bulge these measurements using satellite radar
or dome. Domes and bulges might plug images, GPS, meters that track how the
a vent, causing pressure to build ground tilts, or by careful surveying.

June I0, I99 I

28 At 6 a.m., military television and radio echoed with the order to evacuate. The
streets of Clark Air Base filled with cars, trucks, and buses that funneled
downhill through the shantytowns7 and toward a naval station an hour away. By
noon, 14,500 people had evacuated.
29 The Filipinos extended their evacuation to twelve miles (20 kilometers),
displacing 25,000 people. People with carts piled high with furniture and
leading water buffalo shared the road with the long line of military trucks and
the cars of people evacuating the base.
30 Left on the base were some officers, the Military Police (MPs), and
engineers who could keep the lights on. The volcanologists moved their
observatory to the farthest corner of the base. “We were just incredibly relieved
that most everybody was out of the way,” Andy said.
31 But the pressure still weighed on the scientists.
32 “I couldn’t help second-guessing myself,” said team member Dave Harlow.
“All of us did. I was feeling as though the chances were pretty high that we
would all be hauled in front of committees investigating the disastrous
evacuation, its costs and impact to the Philippine economy and on the air force.”

7 shantytowns: settlements on the outside of towns that

consist of large numbers of run-down dwellings

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 myNotes

People evacuating to avoid the dangers of the eruption.

“We were just incredibly relieved that

most everybody was out of the way.”
33 Would Mount Pinatubo really explode? The next few days would tell.
34 Andy woke up to a blue-sky morning on June 12. It was after 6 a.m., and
the clouds had usually rolled in by then. But the sun shone brightly as he waited
for geologist Rick Hoblitt, who was going to give Andy a lift to the observatory.
35 “LET’S GO!” Rick hollered from upstairs. Geez, Andy thought. What’s up
with him?
36 Rick raced down the stairs, taking two at a time, just as Andy opened the
front door.
37 A huge black ash column pumped out of the volcano, filling the sky. The
column rose up higher and higher. Rick and Andy jumped into their truck and
raced off.
38 By the time they got to the observatory at the edge of the base, the ash
column had hit the stratosphere. The cloud mushroomed out, reaching the sky
right above them.

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 myNotes

39 Then the cloud slowed, stopped,

and started to dissipate.
40 “Wahoo! Whoa! Cool!” the
MPs hollered. They started doing a
victory dance, because they thought
they’d just seen the eruption and
survived.
41 But Andy and Rick didn’t
dance. They turned to their
instruments. They knew that this
could be just the beginning.
42 For the next few days Pinatubo
shot steam, rumbled, and kept the
scientists on edge. Several times,
the volcano shot up columns as big
as the one on June 12.
43 But on June 14, the volcano Military personnel and their families evacuate
Clark Air Base.
stopped shooting steam and ash.
Pinatubo shook as much as it had
two days before, but nothing came out. The volcano is all stopped up, Andy thought.
44 He fell asleep late that night, restless and worried. Then on June 15, Andy and
other scientists were jolted from sleep by a cry.
45 ”GET UP! GET UP!” yelled the scientist on watch.
46 Andy ran to the front door. Clouds obscured the top of the volcano and pelting
rain blurred Andy’s view. But great black ash clouds—massive, rolling clouds of
superheated ash—raged down six miles (10 kilometers) on each side of the volcano.
47 Pyroclastic flows!
48 Moments later, rain and wind from a typhoon8 that had hit the island completely
hid the erupting volcano.
49 Andy rushed to the seismograph.
50 The earthquakes died down, way down, and stayed down.

8 typhoon: a dangerous, powerful tropical storm occurring in the western Pacific or Indian Oceans

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51 “This is bad,” Andy muttered.

52 The pressure under the volcano was building.
53 “Should we evacuate?” the scientists asked each other.
54 The decision was quick. Someone yelled: “EVACUATE THE BASE!”
55 Everyone started moving all at once, grabbing things, yelling. Officers, MPs, and
scientists piled into cars and sped away.
56 From a big field, they watched the dark volcano. They waited.
57 The volcanologists wanted to see their instruments. They wanted to find out
what this volcano was up to so they could extend the evacuation zone if needed, or
learn something that would help at another crisis. But that would mean risking
their own lives.
58 They decided they’d been too hasty evacuating themselves. They drove back to the
observatory on the base, along with the base commanders.
59 It was raining. Not just water and ash, but egg-size chunks of pumice9. The
scientists hurried into the building and crowded around the seismographs.
60 The earthquakes were so intense that the seismograph needles just banged from
the top to the bottom of the drum, TUNK, TUNK, TUNK, TUNK, making alarming
blocks of solid ink. Pinatubo blasted ash higher and higher. The scientists watched,
aghast, as monitoring stations blinked out one by one on the far side of the volcano—
destroyed. Then a station went down on their side.

9 pumice: a very lightweight, porous volcanic glass

alarming Something that is alarming makes you worry that something bad may happen.

Threatened by Mount Pinatubo, Clark Air Base was evacuated on June 10.
The light-colored peak in the center is the summit of Pinatubo.

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 myNotes

The June 12, 1991, eruption

of Mount Pinatubo, viewed
from Clark Air Base.

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 myNotes

“I had maybe twenty seconds to run

to the back of the building. Maybe
that would be enough protection.”

61 That was only twelve miles (20 kilometers) from where they were standing.
62 Was a searing pyroclastic flow heading their way?
63 Flows moved at up to one hundred miles (160 kilometers) an hour. Did the
scientists have only precious moments before they themselves fell victim to an
eruption and raging, searing pyroclastic flows?
64 This time the scientists knew they had no time to evacuate. They raced for
the back of the building, the farthest they could get from the erupting monster.
65 They waited, panting, sweating.
66 Andy could stand it no longer. He went back to the front door. All he saw
was black—complete black—from the rain, the dark clouds, the ash fall. The
sound was terrifying—like a wall of rock a mile high racing down at breakneck
speeds.
67 I could die, Andy thought. All my friends could die.
68 He watched and he watched, his eyes glued to a row of lights on an airstrip
that pointed toward the volcano. “I figured that as long as I could see the
lights, the pyroclastic flow hadn’t reached us. If the lights went out, I had
maybe twenty seconds to run to the back of the building. Maybe that would be
enough protection.”
69 Then the air and sky seemed to lighten, just a shade. The pyroclastic flow
hadn’t reached the base. Andy and his friends checked the instruments.
Everything was flatlining—all the monitoring stations had been destroyed—
except for one. A station on the base.
70 The volcanologists quickly grabbed what they could, piled into trucks, and
tore off. That is, until they merged with hordes of evacuating Filipinos. “It was

victim If you fall victim to something, you suffer or die because of it.

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 myNotes

a huge, slow-moving traffic jam of everybody with a water buffalo strolling

out of town,” says Andy. “We were going crazy with the delay, but at least we
were headed away from the volcano.”
71 But Andy, the other volcanologists, and the villagers managed to escape
with their lives.
72 The eruption of Mount Pinatubo was the second largest eruption in the
twentieth century. A few hundred people died, most in buildings that later
collapsed under the weight of rain-soaked ash. But more than 20,000 lives
were saved. “We got it right,” Andy said. “We questioned ourselves and
doubted ourselves as things unfolded, but we got it right.”

This ash-covered news box

on Clark Air Base tells the
story of the headline.

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myNotes

Respond
to the Text ER UPTI ON!
Volcanoes and the Science of Saving Lives

Collaborative Discussion
by Elizabeth Rusch
photographs by Tom Uhlman

Look back at what you wrote on page 176. Tell a partner two things you
183

learned from the text. Then work with a group to discuss the questions 5re_se_m3_erupti.indd 183 10/13/2018 4:48:01 AM

below. Support your answers with facts and details from Eruption!
During the discussion, explain how your ideas connect to those of
others in your group.

1 Review pages 180–188. What quotes does the author include in the
text? What do those quotes help you understand?
Listening Tip
Listen to the ideas and
details each speaker
shares. What new
information can
you add?
2 Reread page 182. What additional information does the sidebar
“Looking for Lumps” provide? Why does the author present it
separately from the main text?

Speaking Tip
Think about how
other speakers’ ideas
are related to your
own. Ask questions
3 What details explain why the decision to evacuate was difficult to be sure you
to make? understand their
comments.

189
Cite Text
Evidence
Write a Response
PROMPT

Respond to the Text In Eruption!, you read about the tough decisions that scientists
had to make while monitoring Mount Pinatubo before and during its eruption. Why
did the scientists decide to evacuate the area? Did they make the right decision? How
do you know? Cite evidence from the text to support your response.

EVIDENCE

List details from Eruption! that explain why the scientists decided to
evacuate. Then note whether or not they made the right decision and explain
why.

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myNotes

WRITE ER UPTI ON!

Volcanoes and the Science of Saving Lives

Now write your response in a paragraph.

by Elizabeth Rusch
photographs by Tom Uhlman

Make sure your response 183

5re_se_m3_erupti.indd 183 10/13/2018 4:48:01 AM

 answers the questions.

 uses evidence from the text.

 explains why the scientists decided to evacuate.

 is written in complete sentences.

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 my Notes

Prepare to View
GENRE STUDY Informational videos present information
about a topic, person, or event in visual and audio form.

• A narrator explains what is happening on the screen.

• Experts may be interviewed to help explain key points.
• Words that are specific to science or social studies topics may
be included.
• First-person accounts are sometimes featured to help viewers
better understand an event or experience.

SET A PURPOSE As you watch, think about the kinds of events

that occur during and after a large earthquake. What do you already
know? What do you want to learn? Write your ideas below.

CRITICAL
VOCABULARY

prior

magnitude

literally

maintenance

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 myNotes

Between the Glacier and the Sea:

The Alaska Earthquake

193
 As you watch Between the Glacier and the Sea: The Alaska Earthquake, think about how
the video uses sound and visual elements to explain events and experiences. How do
the narration and the animations work together to clarify why the earthquake
happened? Do the earthquake survivors’ descriptions make the video stronger? Why
or why not? Take notes in the space below.

Listen for the Critical Vocabulary words prior, magnitude, literally, and maintenance,
and for clues to the meaning of each word. Take notes in the space below about how
the words are used in the video.

prior Prior means coming before, in time or order.

magnitude Magnitude refers to the size of something.
literally If you say something literally happened, that means it actually happened, and you aren’t
exaggerating or using a metaphor.
maintenance The maintenance of something is the act of caring for it and repairing it when needed.

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myNotes

Respond
to the Between the Glacier and the Sea:
The Alaska Earthquake

Video
Collaborative Discussion
Look back at your response on page 192 and talk with a partner about
what you learned from the video. Then work with a group to discuss the 199

questions below. Take notes about details and examples in Between the
Glacier and the Sea: The Alaska Earthquake to support your responses.
During the discussion, listen actively to each speaker and build on each
other’s ideas.

1 What was remarkable about the 1964 Alaska earthquake?

Listening Tip
Watch the facial
expressions and
2 Why is hearing the story about the oil fires from one of the survivors gestures each speaker
important? What impact does it have on you as a viewer? uses to explain his or
her thoughts.

Speaking Tip
3 What has the information in the video taught you about the
Use your notes to
earthquake survivors?
help you state your
ideas clearly.

195
 Cite
Evidence
Write a Response
PROMPT

Respond to the Video In Between the Glacier and the Sea: The Alaska Earthquake, you
learned about the most powerful earthquake in North American history. What did you
learn about the cause of the Great Alaskan Earthquake? Think about how the city of
Valdez, Alaska, changed after the earthquake. Cite evidence from the video to support
your response.

EVIDENCE

List details from Between the Glacier and the Sea: The Alaska Earthquake that
explain what caused the earthquake. Then cite evidence showing the
earthquake’s effect on the city of Valdez.

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myNotes

Between the Glacier and the Sea:

The Alaska Earthquake
WRITE

Now write your response in a paragraph.

Make sure your response 199

 uses evidence from the video to answer the questions.

 explains the cause and effects of the earthquake.

 is written in complete sentences.

197
 my Notes
Notice &
Note
Numbers and
Statistics

Prepare to Read
GENRE STUDY Informational texts tell about a topic, event,
or place.

• Informational texts may organize ideas under subheadings.

Subheadings contain central ideas and relevant details,
including facts, examples, and sometimes quotations.
• Informational texts may contain science or social studies
words specific to the topic.
• Visuals, such as diagrams and maps, and text features, such as
sidebars, may tell more about the topic.

SET A PURPOSE Think about the title and genre of this text.
What do you know about earthquakes and tsunamis? What do you
want to learn? Write your ideas below.

CRITICAL
VOCABULARY

parallel

lateral

destruction

triggered

thrust
Build Background:
The Pacific Ring of Fire radiate

modified

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 myNotes

Racing Waves
by Rachel Young

199
 In July 2004
myNotes

1 the village school on Tello Island,

Indonesia, had a visitor with a startling story to tell. As the students in
their red-and-white uniforms sat quietly listening, geologist Kerry Sieh
explained that under the ocean, 60 miles from their island, was a ticking
time bomb.
2 For hundreds of years, the Sunda Megathrust Fault had been storing
energy that would be released in massive undersea earthquakes. The
powerful quakes would likely cause tsunamis, fast-moving waves that
could wipe out the entire seaside village.
3 The students and their teachers were surprised by Sieh’s warnings.
They’d never felt giant earthquakes or seen tsunami waves. How did he
know that the earth was going to shake?
4 Sieh explained that, for more than a decade, scientists from the
California Institute of Technology had been studying a section of the fault
just to the south. They’d figured out that major earthquakes shook the
region about every 200 years. The last big quake was in the early 1800s,
which meant another could come at any time. Though Sieh couldn’t say
exactly when it would happen, he was almost certain there would be at
least one major earthquake in the students’ lifetimes.
5 But no one could have known that the next big quake would hit just
a few months later.

Rising Corals
6 Scientists know a lot about earthquakes after they happen, but they
can’t predict what hour, day, year, or even decade an earthquake will hit.
So how did Kerry Sieh know to warn the Tello islanders that an
earthquake might happen soon?
He read the corals.
7 In the Indian Ocean, big
corals called Porites grow from
the sea floor to the water’s
surface, then outward. The ocean
floor sinks slowly between

Porites coral

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 myNotes
earthquakes, dragging the coral down, then rises quickly during a
quake, raising the coral up again. Over hundreds of years, all this up and
down causes the coral to grow outward in doughnut-shaped rings.
Sieh discovered that by looking at the growth patterns of Porites coral
heads near the fault, he could pinpoint the dates of past earthquakes,
and maybe find a pattern that would help predict future quakes.
8 Using underwater chainsaws, Sieh and other scientists sliced off
slabs of coral heads that were hundreds of years old. Sure enough, they
found that, on a section of the fault just to the north of the Mentawai
Islands and just to the south of Tello, earthquakes occurred in pairs
about every 200 years. One pair of quakes hit in the 1300s, another in
the 1500s, and a third in 1797 and 1833—almost 200 years ago.
According to the corals, it was time for another big quake.

When it reaches the Between earthquakes, the During an earthquake,

ocean’s surface, a coral ocean floor is slowly part of the ocean floor
head stops growing sinking. And the coral, springs up, and some
upward. Only the sides, which is attached to the coral heads are lifted half
which are still underwater, ocean floor, is sinking, too. out of the water. The
continue to grow outward The coral head drops section of coral above the
in rings, like the growth below the water line, and sea dies, while the part
rings of a tree. You can tell the sides grow up to the still under the sea keeps
how old a coral is by water’s surface. growing. From above, the
counting the rings. coral looks like a little
doughnut inside a series
of bigger ones.

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 myNotes

Sinking Islands
9 The corals weren’t the only evidence of underground rumblings in
Indonesia. The Sunda Megathrust Fault at the bottom of the Indian
Ocean marks the collision between two of the plates that make up the
earth’s surface, one oceanic, the other continental. Between earthquakes,
the plates are stuck together. As the oceanic plate slips slowly
downward, it squeezes the continental plate sideways about half an inch
a year, and drags it down a few inches a year as well. The islands on top
of the continental plate are dragged down too, as much as half an inch a
year. The more years between earthquakes, the more the islands sink—
and the more stress builds up at the fault.
10 The islanders could tell that the water line was shifting. “They can
see their boardwalks and harbors sinking,” Sieh said. Trees that once
grew tall on shore were now underwater, and wells that once gave
freshwater were full of salty seawater instead. But no one thought that
this had anything to do with earthquakes or tsunamis.
11 Evidence from Global Positioning System, or GPS, stations they’d set
up to measure island sinking also had convinced the scientists that a big
quake could rock the area at any time. “As we came to realize what we
were learning, and how much at risk people were,” said Sieh, “we
couldn’t keep quiet.”
12 In July 2004, Sieh visited five islands and gave presentations at
schools, churches, mosques, and village squares. Sieh and his colleagues
planned to return the following
year to visit more islands and
teach more people about their
research. Then, six months later,
a quake struck.

A geographer prepares a GPS station in

Indonesia to collect data.

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 myNotes

What Makes the Earth Quake?

25 Next time you’re outside, jump up bump and grind together. Finally
and down. Stomp your feet a few the plates break free along a
times. The ground seems solid, section of the fault, releasing
right? Well, not entirely. pent-up energy in an earthquake.
26 The part of the earth you’re The force makes objects move up
standing on, called the and down and in a lateral motion,
lithosphere, is rock-solid. But the and it can cause great destruction.
lithosphere is very thin—if the
earth were the size of an apple,
the lithosphere would be about as
thick as the apple’s skin. If you
dug a hole through the earth,
you’d find that as you went
deeper, what’s inside becomes
hotter and more gooey. The solid
lithosphere is broken up into
continental plate
close-fitting plates that drift on
top of the molten rock
earthquake epicenter
underneath. We don’t feel the oceanic plate
plates moving because they’re
usually drifting only a few
•
centimeters a year—about as fast molten rock
(or slow) as your fingernails grow.
27 Earth’s plates don’t all move
parallel to each other and in the
same direction. At the boundary There are several different types of
where two plates meet, called a faults. The Sunda Fault offshore
fault, they bump and push into from the Batu and Mentawai
each other. They’re wedged islands is called a megathrust,
together most of the time, but where the underwater oceanic
stress builds up as the plates plate dives under the continental
plate.

parallel If two or more things are parallel to each other, they move in the same direction.
lateral If something moves in a lateral way, it moves side to side.
destruction Destruction is the act of destroying or ruining something.

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 myNotes

December 26, 2004

13 The ground shook so violently that people were knocked off
their feet. Dishes fell from shelves, roofs collapsed, trees toppled.
Two minutes after it began, the shaking stopped. It had been the
biggest earthquake anywhere on the planet in 40 years.
14 Like a twig you bend and bend until it breaks, pressure that had
been building along the Sunda Megathrust Fault for hundreds of years
had finally given way. Along a section of the fault longer than the state
of California, the oceanic and the continental plates suddenly, violently
separated, which triggered earth-shaking waves. But the worst was
still to come.

No Ordinary Waves
Most waves are formed by wind that directions. As a tsunami wave hits the
blows across the ocean’s surface, shallow water near land, it slows down
pulling water with it. But a tsunami is but grows taller. Water at the shore is
started by a disturbance, such as an sucked into the giant wave, exposing
undersea earthquake, that shifts fish, shells, and corals that were
water at the ocean floor. Water is underwater moments ago. Then,
thrust up from the bottom of the sea suddenly, a towering wall of water
all the way to the ocean’s surface, and crashes onto the beach.
waves begin to radiate out in all

triggered If you triggered an action or event, you did something to start it.
thrust To thrust is to push something with great force.
radiate To radiate is to spread out in waves or rays.

204
 myNotes
Indian Ocean
December 26, 2004
earthquake epicenter MALAYSIA
•

•
March 28, 2005
earthquake epicenter
SUMATRA
Tello
Batu
Islands
Su
nd
aM

Mentawai
eg

Islands
ath
r

Indian Ocean
us
tF
au
lt

15 The continental plate sprang up as much as 20 feet, pushing up the

water above it. Tsunami waves rippled out in all directions, gaining power
as they raced across the open ocean as fast as jet airplanes. The first wave,
100 feet tall in some places, hit the Indonesian island of Sumatra
15 minutes after the earthquake. Waves swamped the coast of Thailand
75 minutes later, then India and Sri Lanka, and even Africa, 3,000 miles
from the quake’s center.
16 The deadly waves kept flooding beaches for hours. Hundreds of
thousands of people were killed, and millions were left homeless.
17 Kerry Sieh was at home in California when he heard the news.
Immediately, Sieh thought of his friends on the islands he’d visited.
Had they escaped the quaking ground and giant waves? Had their homes
and villages been destroyed? Communication by phone or email was
impossible. On January 1, he flew back to Indonesia, uncertain
of what he’d find.

205
 myNotes

Safe for Now

18 People in Tello were lucky. Their island was more than 200 miles from
the epicenter of the quake, the most powerful point. On Tello during the
quake, the earth shook, but not violently. Later, a small tsunami, three to
six feet high, swept through the village, flooding houses. People were
shaken and scared, but unharmed.
19 As he traveled to the other islands he’d visited in July, Sieh was
relieved to hear the same story. Few homes had been destroyed, and no
lives were lost. But danger still lurked. An earthquake on one section of
a fault can increase stress along the rest of the fault. And the thousands
of miles of the Sunda Megathrust Fault that hadn’t ruptured in
December were still ripe for another quake.
20 Sure enough, another earthquake shook an area to the south on
March 28. This quake was 10 times less powerful than the one in
December, yet it was still the second-biggest quake to rock the world
in 40 years.
21 Again, Sieh’s friends escaped harm. But the quakes were proof that
what the scientists had said was true, and they convinced some islanders
to take action. Today, on the island of Simuk, many people have left

Destruction after the 2004 earthquake and tsunami in Indonesia

206
 myNotes

their homes near the shore and have rebuilt their town at the island’s
highest point, the hill where Sieh erected his GPS station. Their
modified town is better prepared for tsunamis.
22 The quakes also provided Sieh with a lot of work to do. On Sumatra,
the rising continental plate pushed up vast stretches of beach that had
been underwater. “We saw thousands of dead corals,” Sieh said. He
looked at data from the GPS stations to find out exactly how the nearby
islands moved during the quakes.

modified A modified version of something is a revised, or changed, version.

Destruction after the 2004 earthquake and tsunami in Indonesia

207
 myNotes
23 As they traveled the islands by boat and helicopter, Sieh and
his colleagues explained why earthquakes and tsunamis happen and
what people can do to prepare. They can build their houses out of
lightweight wood or bamboo rather than heavy concrete, which would
cause more damage if it toppled during a quake. They can move their
villages away from the beach, or build pathways to higher ground.
24 Sieh doesn’t know exactly when or where it will hit, but he’s certain
another big quake is coming along
the section of the fault south of Tello.
Until it does, he’ll try to understand
as much as he can about why and
how the earth moves, and he’ll teach
the people who live nearby about the
danger that lurks under the waves.

Students cover their heads during an

earthquake drill in Indonesia.

An official talks to students during an earthquake and tsunami drill in Indonesia.

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myNotes

Respond

Racing Waves
to the Text

Collaborative Discussion by Rachel Young

Look back at what you wrote on page 198. Tell a partner two things you
learned during reading. Then work with a group to discuss the questions 205

below. Include details from Quaking Earth, Racing Waves to support your
5re_se_m3_quaking.indd 205 11/19/2018 11:41:28 PM

answers. Be sure to follow your class’s rules for an orderly discussion.

1 Revisit pages 200–201 of the selection. What did Sieh and the other
scientists learn from “reading the corals”?

Listening Tip
Listen politely to ideas
that speakers share. If
you are the recorder
2 Reread page 203. What causes an earthquake? Why isn’t it possible for your group, jot
for us to feel the usual plate movements that take place on the down key points.
earth’s surface?

Speaking Tip
Let your group’s
leader know when
you want to speak.
3 What is the difference between a tsunami and a normal ocean
Then share your
wave?
answer with a clear
voice that others can
hear.

209
Cite Text
Evidence
Write a Response
PROMPT

Respond to the Text In Quaking Earth, Racing Waves, you read about Kerry Sieh, a
scientist who predicted an earthquake based on evidence he had observed. What
evidence can scientists use to predict earthquakes? What advice does Sieh give to
people who live south of Tello today? Cite evidence from the text to support your
response. Try to use Critical Vocabulary words in your writing.

EVIDENCE

List details from Quaking Earth, Racing Waves that explain how scientists can
predict when earthquakes will occur. Note how learning about earthquakes
can make people safer.

210
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CorrectionKey=TX-B;NL-B

myNotes

WRITE Racing Waves by Rachel Young

Now write your response in a paragraph.

Make sure your response 205

5re_se_m3_quaking.indd 205 11/19/2018 11:41:28 PM

 uses evidence from the text to answer the questions.

 explains how scientists predict when earthquakes will occur.

 tells how learning about earthquakes can make people safer.

 is written in complete sentences.

211
 my Notes
Notice &
Note
Numbers and
Statistics

Prepare to Read
GENRE STUDY Informational texts give facts and examples
about a topic.

• Informational texts are often organized using headings that

help readers identify central ideas.
• Science texts include words that are specific to the topic.
• Informational texts often include visuals, such as charts and
maps, and sidebar features, which tell more about the topic.

SET A PURPOSE Think about the title and genre of this text.
What do you know about hurricanes? What do you want to learn?
Write your ideas below.
CRITICAL
VOCABULARY

surge

eventually

regions

mobile

anchored

foundations

category

track
Meet the Authors:
Alvin and Virginia Silverstein
and Laura Silverstein Nunn

212
 myNotes

HURRICANES
The Science Behind
Killer Storms

by Alvin and Virginia Silverstein

and Laura Silverstein Nunn

213
 myNotes

1 You will not hear about hurricane

disasters in Kansas or the Sahara Desert. Hurricanes not only
need heat to form, but they also need moisture—lots of it. The warm ocean
waters of the tropics are perfect for the birth of a hurricane.
2 Meteorologists (weather scientists) use the term tropical cyclone to
describe any storm over the tropical oceans that spins in a circle around a
center of low pressure. Tropical cyclones are known by different names,
depending on where they form. If these storms develop in the North
Atlantic Ocean, the northeastern Pacific Ocean, the Gulf of Mexico, or the
Caribbean Sea, they are called hurricanes.
3 In the northwestern Pacific Ocean, near Japan and the Philippines,
hurricanes are known as typhoons. Near Australia and in the Indian Ocean,
they are called cyclones.

A Hurricane’s Life Cycle

4 A hurricane goes through a series of four stages as it grows: tropical
disturbance, tropical depression, tropical storm, and hurricane. Not all
storms reach the higher stages.
5 Tropical disturbance: Tropical disturbances form over warm, tropical
oceans, with water surface temperatures at least 80 degrees Fahrenheit. The
warm surface water evaporates, sending water vapor into the air. As the
moist air rises, it cools. Some of the water vapor condenses into water
droplets, forming clouds. Clouds pile up high into the atmosphere, and
thunderstorms develop.
6 Tropical depression: As the warm, moist air above the ocean rises, it
creates an area of low air pressure. Cool heavier air from the surrounding
area sinks, replacing the rising air. A cluster of thunderstorms joins to form
a single large weather system. Soon a whirlpool of hot, moist air is spiraling
around a low-pressure center. As the swirling winds turn, they gather more
energy from the warm water below. The wind speed rises. If the winds reach
38 miles per hour, the growing storm is ready to enter the next stage.

214
 myNotes

High waves crashed ashore in Shizuoka,

Japan, on September 6, 2007, as
Typhoon Fitow advanced toward Japan’s
main island of Honshu. These waves
were part of Fitow’s storm surge.

What Does “Hurricane” Mean?

The term hurricane comes from “Huracan,” the god of evil, named
by an ancient Central American Indian group. Spanish colonists later
changed the spelling to “hurricane.”

surge A surge is a sudden powerful movement forward or upward.

215
 myNotes

7 Tropical storm: The storm continues to grow stronger, and the winds
blow faster. The strong winds draw up more heat and water vapor from the
ocean surface, feeding the storm. Some of the water vapor condenses,
producing heavy rain. Thunderstorms release heat, giving the storm even
more power. Viewed from an airplane flying above the storm, the clouds
have a distinct circular shape. If the wind speed reaches 74 miles per hour,
the storm has reached the last stage—a hurricane.
8 Hurricane: The swirling winds of a hurricane surround the eye—an area
of warm low-pressure air at the center. This is a calm area that may be from
6 to 40 miles across.
9 In the eye of the storm it may be sunny with only light winds. To
someone on the ground, it seems like the storm is over. But it is not.
10 The strongest winds blow around the edge of the eye, called the eyewall.
Bands of thick clouds, called rainbands, swirl outward around the eyewall.
As the storm moves, the area that was below the eye suddenly gets stormy
again. The rainbands can produce more than 2 inches of rain per hour.
11 As it develops, a hurricane moves across the ocean. It usually travels
northwest at a speed of 10 to 20 miles per hour. It may eventually reach a
coast and move inland. As soon as the hurricane passes over land, however,
its wind speed drops. Remember that the warm ocean waters supply a
hurricane with energy. The air over land areas is cooler and drier, so the
hurricane gets weaker. Soon it may become just a tropical storm, and
eventually it dies out.
12 Sometimes a hurricane may change course and move back out over the
ocean. Picking up energy, it may later hit the coast again in a different spot
with greater force. This is what happened with Katrina, which first hit
Florida, then moved over the Gulf of Mexico to hit the Gulf Coast even
harder. A hurricane can last an average of three to fourteen days, and travel
as many as 4,000 miles.

eventually To state that something will happen eventually means that it will happen at
some time, usually after a series of other events.

216
 Why Do Hurricanes Swirl Around in a Circle? myNotes
Winds start blowing in a straight direction. But they curve because
the Earth moves as it spins on its axis. This is known as Coriolis effect.
The faster the winds blow, the more they curve. In a hurricane, winds
blow so fast, they form spirals. In the Northern Hemisphere, the winds
in a hurricane blow counterclockwise. In the Southern Hemisphere,
they move clockwise.

Where Do Hurricanes Start?

The winds that blow over the tropical oceans are typically
“easterlies”—winds that blow from east to west. Thunderstorms that
develop in low-pressure areas disturb this wind flow, producing a
wavelike movement. Meteorologists call it an easterly wave, or a
tropical wave. About 80 percent of hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean
start in easterly waves over western Africa.

ARCTIC OCEAN

NORTH
ASIA AMERICA
PACIFIC OCEAN

ATLANTIC OCEAN

Tropic of Cancer

INDIAN OCEAN PACIFIC OCEAN SOUTH

AMERICA
Tropic of Capricorn
AUSTRALIA

The shaded areas show where hurricanes form. The arrows

represent paths that they often take. The lighter the color of
the ocean, the higher the sea-surface temperature.

217
 myNotes

Naming Hurricanes
13 Every year, meteorologists use a special alphabetical list of names for
hurricanes. Different lists are used for hurricanes in the Atlantic and Pacific
regions. The names are common first names in the languages of the regions
where the storms strike.
14 Hurricane names are retired (no longer used) if a named storm causes a
tremendous amount of damage or the loss of many lives. “Katrina,” for
example, will never be used again.

regions Regions are areas.

Are Big Hurricanes More Powerful Than Small Ones?

Not always. Hurricane Andrew, which hit southern Florida in 1992, was
the second-most destructive hurricane in U.S. history. But it was fairly
small, measuring only 60 miles across, compared to the average
hurricane, which covers an area 300 miles wide.

When Is Hurricane Season?

Hurricanes usually form at a certain time of the year, known as the
hurricane season. Since hurricanes need warm, moist air to form, they
usually develop during the summer and autumn months. The Atlantic
hurricane season is from June 1 to November 30. The hurricane season
for the northeast Pacific is May 15 to November 30.

218
 myNotes

This satellite image of Hurricane

Katrina shows the storm centered
over Louisiana on August 29, 2005.

This towering mass of white

clouds is part of Hurricane
Katrina’s eyewall, the area
around the central eye. The
strongest winds are found in
the eyewall. The picture was
taken on August 28, 2005, from
a hurricane-hunter airplane.

219
 myNotes A historic home was damaged September 24,
2005, by a tree downed by Hurricane Rita at
Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana.

220
 myNotes

when a i t s
a n e h
hurric
15 Every year, eighty to one hundred tropical
storms develop around the world. About forty to sixty of them get strong
enough to become hurricanes, typhoons, or cyclones. And only a few of
those ever reach places where people live.
16 More hurricanes hit some regions than others. In the northwest Pacific
Ocean, for example, an average of twenty-eight tropical storms occur each
year; nineteen of them become typhoons. In the Atlantic Ocean, however, an
average of only ten tropical storms develop every year, and six of them
become hurricanes. Over a three-year period, the United States coast gets hit
an average of five times by hurricanes, and two of them are major hurricanes.
When a hurricane hits land—no matter where—the effects can be disastrous.

Whipping Winds
17 Hurricane winds are extremely powerful. Out at sea, the winds can blow up
to 200 miles per hour. Although a hurricane loses energy when it moves over
land, the winds still cause a lot of damage. Strong gusts of wind rip huge trees
out of the ground. They toss cars and people through the air. The wind can
even turn small objects, such as a road sign or a lawn chair, into deadly flying
missiles.
18 Hurricanes are especially destructive when they hit an area where many
people live. Hurricane Andrew, for example, had winds of 165 miles per hour
when it reached the coast of southern Florida in 1992. It passed through an
area south of Miami that was filled with homes and businesses. Many of the
buildings there were mobile homes, which do not weigh as much as houses.
They also are not well anchored to the ground. In some communities, more
than 90 percent of mobile homes were completely destroyed.

mobile Something that is mobile is able to move or be moved easily.

anchored Something that is anchored is firmly attached to something else or weighed
down so it won’t move easily.

221
 myNotes In August 1992, Hurricane Andrew caused massive
destruction in southern Florida. Hundreds of thousands
of homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed.

Storm Surges
19 Even though a hurricane’s winds are dangerous, people are more likely to die
from a storm surge. The winds of the storm push ocean waters toward the
shore, forming a huge wave. The low air pressure also lifts the water, raising
the level even higher. These forces combine with the normal ocean tides,
forming a huge wall of water. Many hurricanes have produced storm surges
more than 20 feet high.
20 The surging water smashes into buildings and washes out roads. The
storm surge may also wash away beaches and remove the soil around the
foundations of houses.

foundations Foundations are the base pieces houses and buildings are built upon.

It’s a Fact!
Hurricane Camille, which hit the Mississippi and Alabama coasts in
August 1969, had the most powerful hurricane winds over land in
United States history. They blew more than 190 miles per hour.

222
 myNotes

Heavy Rains
21 Hurricanes can cause serious flooding even without a storm surge. Their
rainbands can dump 10 to 15 inches of rain in a twenty-four hour period.
Bigger storms bring heavier rains—up to 20 inches or more. Such huge
amounts of rainfall in a short amount of time can flood entire communities.
22 Heavy rains can also cause mudslides. Rain mixes with the soil on
mountains and hillsides and forms mud. The mud flows downhill. Rocks
break free, adding to the mixture. As the mudslide rushes down the
mountain, it rips out trees and carries away houses. Down below, it buries
everything in mud. Hurricane Mitch killed more than ten thousand people
in 1998 due to mudslides caused by heavy rains.

When Hurricane Floyd came

toward land in September 1999,
its storm surge collapsed this
pier at Daytona Beach, Florida.

223
 myNotes

Tornadoes
23 Hurricanes can also bring tornadoes. These are small but very powerful
storms. The winds of a tornado, or “twister,” rapidly swirl around in a tall
cloud that is funnel-shaped. Some hurricanes do not produce any tornadoes;
others spawn, or form, many of them. Hurricane Katrina, for example,
produced sixty-two tornadoes. The tornadoes that come with hurricanes
are not usually as powerful as those that form during thunderstorms in the
Midwestern states.

What’s the Damage?

24 Scientists use the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale to rank the strength of the
hurricane. The scale rates a hurricane from Category 1 (least powerful) to
Category 5 (most destructive). The rating is based on average wind speed.
Each category also indicates the level of storm surge and how much damage
scientists think the hurricane will do.
25 Hurricanes in categories 3, 4, and 5 are considered major hurricanes.
They can cause widespread damage to property, severe inland flooding, and
significant loss of life. Hurricanes can change categories as they gain or lose
strength. That is what happened with Hurricane Katrina. Over the Gulf of
Mexico, Katrina had become a Category 5, but it was down to Category 3 by
the time it reached the Louisiana-Mississippi border as it moved inland.

category A category is a group of things that are similar to each other in some way.

What Is the Difference Between Hurricanes and Tornadoes?

Hurricanes and tornadoes are both cyclones—powerful windstorms
that spin in a circle. But they have major differences:
• Hurricanes form over the ocean. Most tornadoes form over land.
• Hurricanes are huge, often hundreds of miles wide. Tornadoes are
usually much smaller, only 4,000 to 5,000 feet wide.
• Hurricanes last for up to two weeks. Tornadoes last for up to
three hours.
• Hurricane winds are not as powerful as tornado winds. Tornado
winds typically blow 200 to 300 miles per hour.

224
 myNotes

Are Hurricanes Getting Worse?

26 Some studies have shown that the number of category 4 and 5 hurricanes
has increased worldwide since the 1980s. Many scientists believe this
increase in severe storms is due to global-warming. They think our planet
has been getting warmer. Since a warmer planet means warmer oceans,
storms have become more powerful. Other scientists have a different idea as
to why strong hurricanes have been recorded. They think that scientists have
just gotten better at detecting and tracking hurricanes. Because technology
has become so advanced, scientists can track hurricanes better and warn
people in advance.

track To track something is to watch it and see where it moves and how it changes.

Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale

CATEGORY WIND SPEED STORM SURGE DAMAGES

1 74–95 mph 4–5 ft • Some flooding

• Little or no damage to
building structures

2 96–110 mph 6–8 ft • Flooding of coastal roads

• Some trees blown down
• Damage to roof shingles,
doors, and windows

3 111–130 mph 9–12 ft • Damage to house structures

• Mobile homes destroyed
• 
Severe flooding

4 131–155 mph 13–18 ft • Severe flooding inland

• Some roofs ripped off
• Major structural damage to
lower floors of buildings

5 >155 mph >18 ft • Severe flooding farther inland

• All trees and shrubs
blown down
• Mobile homes destroyed

• Serious damage to building

and house structures

225
 myNotes
Jason Ross, top, and John Heilig,
bottom, board up a beach house on
September 16, 2003, in Nags Head,
North Carolina, as people prepare for
a possible hit from Hurricane Isabel.

What Should You Do About Your Pets?

Try to take your pets and pet supplies with you if you have to evacuate
pets. They likely will die if left on their own. Come up with a plan for
them before there is an emergency.
Hurricane shelters usually will not take in pets. Look for hotels
outside your local area that will accept pets. Make a list of animal
boarders and veterinary offices that will keep animals in an emergency.
Your pets should all have collars and identification tags.

226
 myNotes

s tay i n g sa f e
27 An estimated 35 million people, or 12 percent
of the people in the United States, live in the southern coastal regions most
threatened by Atlantic hurricanes. As the coastal population continues to
grow, the damages due to hurricanes also increase.
28 Scientists may not be able to prevent a hurricane from invading where
people live. However, there are a number of things people can do to survive
when a hurricane hits.

Emergency Plan
29 In case a hurricane hits, you and your family should have an emergency plan.
There are probably special hurricane shelters nearby. Find out where they are
and the fastest way to get to them.
30 At home, keep a disaster supply kit handy. You will need items to keep you
safe in case the power goes out or your neighborhood is flooded. Emergency
supplies can get you through a few days stuck in your home or a shelter until
regular services are working again. The kit should include:
• Flashlight and batteries
• Battery-operated radio
• First aid kit
• Emergency food and water
• Special items for babies, the elderly, and pets
• Protective clothing, such as rain gear
• Blankets
31 Listen for hurricane warnings on the radio or TV, and follow the
instructions. The National Hurricane Center also posts hurricane warnings
on its Web site. If the local officials say you should evacuate, leave as quickly
as you can.

227
 myNotes

If a Hurricane Is Coming
32 If a hurricane warning is issued for your area, damage to you and your home
can be reduced if your family does the following:
• Nail boards over your home’s windows.
•P  ick up toys, bikes, and other objects outside the house. Put them where
they will not blow around and cause damage.
• Prevent flooding by placing sandbags around your house.
• Trim bushes and tree limbs hanging over the house.
• I nside the house, put strips of duct tape crisscross on windows to keep
broken glass from flying around.
•F  ill bathtubs, pails, and bottles with water for drinking and washing.
The water supply may be cut off or polluted.
33 Unless there is an evacuation, stay inside your home. Do not leave even
if it seems like the storm is over. Remember, it could be the eye of the storm.
A hurricane is not over until the second half of the storm has passed.
34 Hurricanes are terrifying disasters, but learning about them can help you
be prepared. Knowing where to go and what to do if a hurricane strikes can
make a huge difference in keeping you and your family safe.

Vehicles leave New Orleans

ahead of Hurricane Katrina on
August 28, 2005. Road signs
(inset) often inform people
of evacuation routes.

228
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myNotes

Respond
to the Text HURRICANES

Collaborative Discussion
The Science Behind
Killer Storms

by Alvin and Virginia Silverstein

and Laura Silverstein Nunn

Look back at what you wrote on page 212. Talk with a partner about
what you learned from the text. Then work with a group to discuss the 219

questions below. Find information in Hurricanes: The Science Behind Killer

5re_se_m3_hurricane.indd 219 5/22/2019 10:43:57 PM

Storms to support your answers. Look for ways to connect your ideas to
those of others during your discussion.

1 Reread pages 214–216. What conditions need to be present in order

for a hurricane to form?

Listening Tip
Listen closely to each
speaker’s ideas and
think about how they
are related.
2 Review pages 221–224. What dangerous elements can hurricanes
produce? Why is each one a problem?

Speaking Tip
Use words and
phrases such as
3 What do the maps and photos in the selection help you understand
another reason or also
about hurricanes?
to link your ideas
to what other
speakers say.

229
Cite Text
Evidence
Write a Response
PROMPT

Respond to the Text In Hurricanes, The Science Behind Killer Storms, you read about
how hurricanes form, the damage they can cause, and ways people can prepare for
these storms. How can this kind of information help make people safer? Cite evidence
from the text to support your response.

EVIDENCE

List details from Hurricanes, The Science Behind Killer Storms that explain how
people can use information about hurricanes to protect themselves from
these storms.

230
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myNotes

WRITE HURRICANES
The Science Behind
Killer Storms
Now write your response in a paragraph.
by Alvin and Virginia Silverstein
and Laura Silverstein Nunn

Make sure your response 5re_se_m3_hurricane.indd 219

219

5/22/2019 10:43:57 PM

 uses evidence from the text to answer the questions.

 explains how hurricanes form.

 tells about the damage hurricanes can cause.

 explains how to prepare for a hurricane.

 is written in complete sentences.

231
Performance
Task

Essential Question

How can learning about natural

disasters make us safer?

Write an Opinion Essay

PROMPT Think about the four natural disasters you learned about in this module:
volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, and hurricanes. How can learning about these types
of natural disasters help us stay safe? What do you think is the best way to prepare for
a natural disaster? Use evidence from the module selections to support your opinion.

Make sure your opinion essay

 provides an introduction that clearly states your opinion.

 explains why the issue is important.

 supports your opinion with reasons in a logical order.

 presents reasons supported by facts and details from the
selections.

 uses words and phrases that link the opinion, reasons,

and evidence.

 provides a conclusion that restates the opinion.

232
 PREWRITE Map your ideas.

Think about the four natural disasters you learned about in this module. How do you
think that learning about natural disasters can keep us safe? What do you think is the
best way to prepare for a natural disaster? Use the chart below to plan your writing.

My Opinion

Reason 1 Reason 2 Reason 3

233
Performance
Task

DRAFT Write your opinion essay.

Use the information you wrote on page 233 to draft your opinion essay. Write an
introduction that states your opinion.

Write a paragraph for each reason you cited. Be sure to include strong
supporting details.

Reason 1 Reason 2 Reason 3

Write a conclusion that restates your opinion and sums up your reasons.

234
 REVISE AND EDIT Review your draft.

Now it’s time to revise and edit your draft. This is a chance to review your opinion essay
and make improvements. Work with a partner or small group. Share suggestions about
how to improve each other’s work. Use these questions to help you evaluate and
improve your opinion essay.

PURPOSE/
ORGANIZATION
essay
EVIDENCE/SUPPORT ELABORATION CONVENTIONS
FOCUS

Does my Are the reasons Is each of my Have I used Have I spelled all
introduction presented in a reasons linking words words correctly?
clearly state my logical order? supported by and phrases to
opinion and why strong evidence connect my Have I used
it’s important? Does the from the opinion, reasons, punctuation and
conclusion selections? and evidence? capitalization
Does each reason restate my correctly?
clearly support opinion?
my opinion?

PUBLISH Create a finished copy.

Make a final copy of your opinion essay. Write legibly using your cursive
writing skills.

235