EnglishPod 192 - Natural Disasters

Summary

This podcast episode focuses on extreme weather events such as avalanches, blizzards, droughts, and more. Hosts Marco and Catherine discuss the meaning of Armageddon and explain meteorological events in detail. They cover real-world examples like a blizzard in the U.S., an earthquake in Chile, and a drought in Ecuador. Additionally, the episode delves into terms like 'hydroelectric power plants' and 'tsunamis' and highlights the importance of monitoring seismic activity. The hosts also share personal experiences with earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, adding context to the discussion.

Takeaways

• 🌩️ The lesson focuses on extreme weather conditions, not just rain or sunshine.
• 🌪️ The word 'Armageddon' refers to the end of the world due to catastrophic events, often mentioned in the Bible.
• 🏔️ An avalanche is a dangerous meteorological event involving snow breaking off a mountain and rushing down.
• ❄️ A blizzard refers to a heavy snowstorm where visibility is severely reduced due to snow coming down from the sky.
• 🌵 A drought is a long period of no rain, causing dry land and problems like food shortages and power outages from hydroelectric plants.
• 🌊 Seismic activity refers to movements of the Earth's plates, leading to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.
• 🌋 A volcano erupts when lava from beneath the Earth's surface violently escapes, often causing landslides and floods.
• 📉 The Richter Scale measures the magnitude of earthquakes, ranging from 0 to 10, with severe earthquakes usually being above 6.0.
• 🌊 A tsunami is a massive tidal wave, often caused by undersea seismic activity, capable of widespread destruction.
• 🌏 Modern meteorological and seismic equipment help scientists predict weather events like volcano eruptions and earthquakes.

Q & A

What is the main focus of the lesson in this script?

The lesson focuses on extreme weather events, particularly unusual and sometimes devastating meteorological phenomena, beyond typical rain or sunshine.

What is the meaning of the word 'Armageddon' as discussed in the lesson?

Armageddon refers to the end of the world, typically due to a great catastrophe or disaster. It originates from the Bible and is often used to describe apocalyptic scenarios.

What extreme weather events were reported in the international weather report segment of the script?

The weather report mentioned an avalanche in Switzerland, a blizzard in the U.S. Midwest, a six-month drought in Ecuador, an earthquake in Chile, a volcanic eruption in Mexico, and Hurricane Liliana affecting Mexico's coast, with a potential tsunami threatening Central America.

What is an avalanche, and why is it dangerous?

An avalanche occurs when a large mass of snow breaks off and rolls down a mountain. It is dangerous because it can bury people under the snow and cause destruction in its path.

How is a blizzard different from an avalanche?

A blizzard is a storm with heavy snowfall and strong winds, reducing visibility to almost nothing, while an avalanche is the movement of snow down a slope without necessarily any snow falling from the sky.

What is a drought, and why can it be harmful?

A drought is a prolonged period with no rain, causing the land to become very dry. It is harmful because it affects farming, limits water supply, and can lead to food shortages and power outages in regions reliant on hydroelectric power.

What does the term 'hydroelectric' mean, and how does it relate to the weather events in Ecuador?

'Hydroelectric' refers to generating electricity using the energy of flowing water. In Ecuador, the six-month drought led to the closure of a hydroelectric power plant because there was no water to generate electricity.

What is the Richter Scale, and why is it important?

The Richter Scale measures the strength of earthquakes, ranging from 0 to 10. It is important for understanding the severity of an earthquake, with higher numbers indicating more powerful and destructive earthquakes.

What is seismic activity, and how does it relate to tsunamis?

Seismic activity refers to movements of the Earth's plates beneath the surface, often leading to earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Tsunamis can occur as a result of this seismic activity, especially after underwater earthquakes that displace large amounts of water.

What is a tsunami, and where does the word come from?

A tsunami is a giant tidal wave that can cause widespread destruction when it reaches land. The word 'tsunami' comes from Japanese, and it refers to the large ocean waves often triggered by seismic events like earthquakes.

Outlines

00:00

🌦️ Introduction to Extreme Weather and Armageddon

The hosts, Marco and Catherine, introduce a lesson focused on extreme weather events, discussing various dangerous weather phenomena beyond the usual rain or sunshine. They also introduce the word 'Armageddon,' explaining it as a reference to the end of the world due to a catastrophic event. The segment prepares listeners for the upcoming dialogue, which will explore such disasters further.

05:03

🌍 Global Weather Disasters in the News

A mock international weather report highlights several extreme weather events around the globe. In Switzerland, an avalanche occurs, though no one is harmed. The U.S. Midwest is hit by a blizzard, leading to school closures. Ecuador faces a severe drought that impacts farming and shuts down a hydroelectric plant, while Chile suffers a 7.5 earthquake. In Mexico, a volcanic eruption leads to floods and landslides, and Hurricane Liliana strikes its coast, with fears of a tsunami affecting Central America.

10:03

🌀 Discussion on Meteorological Events and Vocabulary

Marco and Catherine delve into weather-related vocabulary. They explain the meaning of a 'meteorological event' and how it relates to weather phenomena. Key terms include 'avalanche' (a dangerous fall of snow from a mountain) and 'blizzard' (a snowstorm with heavy snow and limited visibility). They also touch on 'drought,' the dangers it poses to farming and electricity generation, and the importance of hydroelectric power, which relies on water flow to generate electricity.

15:04

🌋 Understanding Natural Disasters: Volcanoes, Earthquakes, and Seismic Activity

This section focuses on terms related to geological disasters. The hosts discuss the Richter scale, which measures earthquake severity, explaining that anything above 7.0 is considered severe. The term 'volcano' is introduced, along with the verb 'erupt,' describing how volcanoes release lava and gases. They also cover 'landslides,' where large amounts of land slide down hills or mountains, often as a result of volcanic or seismic activity.

🌊 Tsunamis, Seismic Activity, and More Vocabulary

The hosts define 'seismic activity,' which refers to the movement of Earth's plates, often resulting in earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. They introduce the word 'tsunami,' explaining it as a giant tidal wave, often caused by underwater earthquakes, and reference the devastating 2004 tsunami in Southeast Asia. The conversation emphasizes how natural disasters can have chain reactions, like earthquakes triggering tsunamis.

🌍 Real-Life Experiences with Natural Disasters

Catherine shares her personal experiences of living through several earthquakes and witnessing volcanic eruptions in Ecuador. Marco adds that modern meteorological and seismic equipment helps predict such events, reducing their potential impact. They also mention historical disasters, such as the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in Italy, which preserved ancient cities under volcanic ash. The hosts invite listeners to share their own experiences with natural disasters.

Keywords

💡Armageddon

Armageddon refers to the end of the world, often caused by a great catastrophe or disaster. In the video, it is used metaphorically to describe a series of extreme and unprecedented weather events happening globally, likening these events to the apocalypse.

💡Meteorological event

A meteorological event is any phenomenon related to the weather, such as rain, snow, or storms. In the video, these events include more extreme occurrences like avalanches, blizzards, and hurricanes, highlighting the destructive forces of nature.

💡Avalanche

An avalanche is a large mass of snow that suddenly slides down a mountain. It is highly dangerous, as people can get buried under the snow. The script references an avalanche in the Alps, illustrating the destructive potential of natural weather events.

💡Blizzard

A blizzard is a severe snowstorm with strong winds and low visibility. In the video, a blizzard hits the U.S. Midwest, causing school closures, showing how extreme weather can disrupt daily life and safety.

💡Drought

A drought is a prolonged period of abnormally low rainfall, leading to a shortage of water. The video mentions a six-month drought in Ecuador that affects farming and electricity generation, emphasizing the severe economic and environmental impacts of such conditions.

💡Hydroelectric power plant

A hydroelectric power plant generates electricity by using flowing water to spin turbines. In Ecuador, the drought led to the closure of such a plant, which demonstrates how environmental conditions directly affect energy production and infrastructure.

💡Richter Scale

The Richter Scale is a numerical system used to measure the magnitude of an earthquake, with values ranging from 0 to 10. In the video, a 7.5-magnitude earthquake in Chile is described, indicating a severe seismic event with significant damage.

💡Volcano

A volcano is a mountain that can erupt with molten rock, lava, ash, and gases from beneath the Earth's surface. The video describes a volcanic eruption in Mexico, causing floods and landslides, demonstrating the devastation associated with such natural phenomena.

💡Seismic activity

Seismic activity refers to the movement of Earth's tectonic plates, which can cause earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. In the video, it is mentioned that the seismic activity in Mexico could lead to further natural disasters like tsunamis, showing the interconnectedness of such events.

💡Tsunami

A tsunami is a massive ocean wave typically caused by underwater earthquakes or volcanic eruptions. The video warns of a potential tsunami in Central America, illustrating the secondary effects of seismic activity and the widespread damage it can cause.

Highlights

Introduction to the topic of extreme weather events beyond just rain or sunshine.

Vocabulary preview of the word 'Armageddon', referring to the end of the world due to great disaster or catastrophe.

Weather report discussing various global meteorological events, starting with an avalanche in Switzerland.

Blizzard hits the U.S. Midwest, leading to school and university closures.

Ecuador experiences a six-month drought, impacting farming and causing the shutdown of a hydroelectric power plant.

A 7.5 magnitude earthquake strikes southern Chile, with losses reported in the billions.

Mexico faces a volcanic eruption, causing floods and landslides, and is also hit by Hurricane Liliana.

Officials warn of a possible tsunami affecting Honduras, Guatemala, and Panama due to ongoing seismic activity.

Explanation of meteorological terms like 'meteorological event,' 'blizzard,' and 'drought' with detailed examples.

Discussion on hydroelectric power and how droughts can impact such power generation.

Explanation of the Richter Scale for measuring earthquakes, noting that 10 on the scale is nearly impossible.

Definition of volcanic eruptions and their connection to floods and landslides.

Introduction of the term 'seismic activity' related to movements under the Earth's crust and its connection to earthquakes and volcanoes.

Discussion on tsunamis, explaining how seismic activity in the ocean can create giant tidal waves.

Personal anecdotes from the hosts about experiencing earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, emphasizing the reality of these events.

Transcripts

foreign

[Music]

and welcome back to English pod my name

is Marco my name is Catherine and today

we have a very weather focused lesson

it's all about all the horrible things

that can happen to you with the weather

exactly so as you know there are many

different types of weather and not only

rain or Sunshine but many other

phenomena so we're going to take a look

at some of those but before we go into

it let's take a look at one word on

vocabulary preview

vocabulary preview

okay so we're talking about extreme

weather today that's not rain or drizzle

or Sunshine we're talking about really

interesting unique and sometimes

devastating things that can happen so

today's vocabulary word is Armageddon

all right so Armageddon now you've

probably seen the movie Armageddon so

what does this word mean

okay so this word is a reference to the

end of the world it means the time when

the world will end because of a great

catastrophe or a great disaster okay so

everyone talks about Armageddon it's

mentioned in the Bible and as you say

it's when the world stops existing

exactly so think about that one as we

listen to today's dialogue we will be

back in a minute to talk about what's

going on

[Music]

foreign

those are the headlines for today and

now for the international weather report

with Mike Sanderson

thank you Bob this past week has been

the beginning of Armageddon for many as

a series of unprecedented meteorological

events occurred around the world in

Switzerland a major Avalanche was

reported in the Alps fortunately no one

was injured due to the extreme cold this

winter a blizzard has struck the U.S

Midwest causing classes in schools and

universities to be temporarily canceled

moving on to Latin America Ecuador has

suffered a six-month drought that has

not only affected farming but has also

forced the closure of the hydroelectric

power plant that provides electricity

for the entire country in Chile a major

earthquake that registered 7.5 on the

Richter Scale struck the southern region

losses are reported to be in the

billions authorities have not yet

released an official statement

not a great week for the world any good

news I'm afraid not Bob one of the major

volcanoes in Mexico has erupted causing

major floods and landslides in the

region meanwhile Mexico's Coast has been

hit by Hurricane Liliana and officials

say that all the seismic activity leads

them to believe that a tsunami made hit

Central America affecting Honduras

Guatemala and Panama that's all the news

we have for today but stay tuned for

updates on the six o'clock news back to

you Bob

foreign

[Music]

we're back and while this weather report

is not really far from the truth I mean

this kind of stuff happens every day all

over the world right that's correct and

unfortunately it's been happening very

frequently in the past couple months

we've heard of a lot of earthquakes and

volcanoes and things like that so this

is very valuable stuff when you're

trying to talk about current events as

well okay so why don't we start now

analyzing a couple of different words

and phrases on language takeaway

language takeaway

well the first vocabulary item we have

here is meteorological event it's a real

mouthful it's a long word meteorological

so for example meteorological means

having to do with the weather something

that's related to the weather so a

meteorological event could be rain snow

okay so it has to do with meteorology

meteorology is the study of the weather

and someone who does this is a

meteorologist so usually the weathermen

that you see on TV they're

meteorologists so let's go now to Marco

our resident meteorologist very good our

resident meteorologist right okay so

meteorological events now moving on one

of the first events that we're going to

look at is an avalanche Avalanche and

Avalanche has to do with snow this means

that when a mountain that has a lot of

snow on it

um maybe part of that snow breaks off

and starts to roll down you have a wall

of snow that comes down that's an

avalanche that's a naval

when the snow comes down and it's

actually very dangerous because people

can get buried under the snow yeah

exactly all right so another event that

has to do with snow is a blizzard okay a

blizzard is different from an avalanche

because an avalanche maybe it's not

snowing the snow just Falls

but in a blizzard you're talking about a

storm of snow but it's like a lot of

snow coming down from the sky so much

snow that you probably can't see

anything there's just white everywhere

okay

all right so that's a blizzard a lot of

lot of snow coming down from the sky now

moving on the opposite of snow and

things being wet is we have a drought

yeah this is the opposite of wet

actually so there's no rain in a drought

a drought means that things are very dry

the land is very dry okay so it's a

period of time that there's no snow

there's no water there's no rain there's

nothing it's very very dry we're going

through a drought correct and the

problem with the drought is very

dangerous is because people cannot grow

food in a drought and so lots of people

starve when this happens okay so I gotta

watch out for a drought now in this case

it not only affected farming but also we

have a hydroelectric power plant that

can't work obviously because there's no

water so Hydro means water

hydroelectric means electricity that is

generated by flowing water and so for

example a mill something that turns

water on a river is a way to get power

from water but a hydroelectric project

that can give you electricity is maybe

like a dam or an electric Mill right so

usually you have these on rivers and

they just take advantage of the flowing

of water to turn some huge turbines and

generate power so that's all we have for

now why don't we listen to the dialogue

again and we'll be back shortly to take

a look at some more words

foreign

those are the headlines for today and

now for the international weather report

with Mike Sanderson thank you Bob this

past week has been the beginning of

Armageddon for many as a series of

unprecedented meteorological events

occurred around the world in Switzerland

a major Avalanche was reported in the

Alps fortunately no one was injured due

to the extreme cold this winter a

blizzard has struck the U.S Midwest

causing classes in schools and

universities to be temporarily canceled

moving on to Latin America Ecuador has

suffered a six-month drought that has

not only affected farming but has also

forced the closure of the hydroelectric

power plant that provides electricity

for the entire country in Chile a major

earthquake that registered 7.5 on the

Richter Scale struck the southern region

losses are reported to be in the

billions authorities have not yet

released an official statement not a

great week for the world any good news

I'm afraid not Bob one of the major

volcanoes in Mexico has erupted causing

major floods and Landscape in the region

meanwhile Mexico's Coast has been hit by

Hurricane Liliana and officials say that

all the seismic activity leads them to

believe that a tsunami may hit Central

America affecting Honduras Guatemala and

Panama that's all the news we have for

today but stay tuned for updates on the

six o'clock news back to you Bob

[Music]

well a word that many people are

unfortunately familiar with is Richter

or Richter scale and now this is

something that a lot of people are

talking about right now because of the

earthquake in Sichuan China last year

and the earthquake in Haiti very

recently and so the Richter Scale that's

a big r because it's a proper name is a

way for us to determine how severe how

big the earthquake was right so people

talk about a 6.0 a 7.1 so that's on the

Richter Scale the lowest is zero and the

highest is ten correct right but 10 is

like impossible apparently apparently

and a lot of them are actually

underwater but the very serious ones are

maybe

8.07.0 all right so Richter Scale now we

talked about earthquakes we talk about

snowing now let's talk about a volcano a

volcano in Mexico has erupted Okay so

we've got two words here volcano a

volcano is a mountain that has an

opening in the center where lava from

the middle of the Earth the center of

the earth can come out so it's very

dangerous obviously because it's very

hot right but a volcano doesn't open it

erupts so the verb here that we use

without volcano is to erupt okay so it

doesn't explode a volcano erupts that

means to open violently very quickly

okay so when this happens obviously you

have a lot of lava you have maybe snow

that melts and you have floods and

landslides

okay land slides a landslide is one word

but it's made up of two words that you

probably already know so land obviously

it's the ground and things like that the

Earth but a slide is to move down across

the ground and so a landslide happens

when you've got something

um

like lava or water that's pushing all of

the Earth all of the ground down and

it's destroying houses and trees and

land and it's very very destructive

right so usually see this that happens

um on the side of mountains or on the

side of Hills where all that land starts

to slide down or to go down and it's

very similar to an avalanche right but

instead of snow falling down it's a mud

and land yeah all right so we have a

landslide and because of all the

eruptions and the earthquakes they said

that they have a lot of seismic activity

this word seismic is something that I've

heard a lot recently in movies like

2012. yeah um so seismic means um having

to do with the movement of the plates

under the Earth's crust so you know the

Earth is is not everything that we see

it's also activity things happening

underneath the ground and so underneath

the ground we have these big plates and

seismic activity is what happens when

these kind of things start to move

activity is movement and so seismic

activity refers to

earthquakes and volcanoes things that

are changing under the ground that will

affect us okay so that's seismic

activity it's pronounced seismic right

seismic seismic okay and uh because of

all this activity uh people say that

they may have a tsunami well this

doesn't sound very English does it I

know tsunami and actually if you see the

spelling it's with a t t s right I think

it's a Japanese word but I'm not

positive I think so too tsunami is the

name that we give to a giant tidal wave

so that's a wave of water in the ocean

that's very very dangerous because it

can get to 100 200 feet tall and this

means that when it comes down it can

destroy houses cities cars things like

that right and um there was a very very

famous tsunami in Southeast Asia in

2004. remember that yeah in Indonesia

right that's right in Indonesia and

Thailand yeah it was it was intense it

was big and it was also because of an

earthquake right I think so all these

earthquakes they move the Earth around

and then all of a sudden the the

reaction is that there's water that

moves and the water then yeah it turns

into a wave yeah just imagine what

happens with you have if you have a

bucket of water and then you start

moving the bucket just a little bit and

just you see how it just water starts to

Splat all over the place that's right

all right so tsunami was our last word

for today when we listened to our

dialogue again and we'll be back shortly

laughs

[Music]

those are the headlines for today and

now for the international weather report

with Mike Sanderson

thank you Bob this past week has been

the beginning of Armageddon for many as

a series of unprecedented meteorological

events occurred around the world in

Switzerland a major Avalanche was

reported in the Alps fortunately no one

was injured due to the extreme cold this

winter a blizzard has struck the U.S

Midwest causing classes in schools and

universities to be temporarily canceled

moving on to Latin America Ecuador has

suffered a six-month drought that has

not only affected farming but has also

forced the closure of the hydroelectric

power plant that provides electricity

for the entire country in Chile a major

earthquake that registered 7.5 on the

Richter Scale struck the southern region

losses are reported to be in the

billions authorities have not yet

released an official statement

not a great week for the world any good

news I'm afraid not Bob one of the major

volcanoes in Mexico has erupted causing

major floods and landslides in the

region meanwhile Mexico's Coast has been

hit by Hurricane Liliana and officials

say that all the seismic activity leads

them to believe that a tsunami made hit

Central America affecting Honduras

Guatemala and Panama that's all the news

we have for today but stay tuned for

updates on the six o'clock news back to

you Bob

foreign

[Music]

these are all pretty terrifying have you

ever experienced a meteorological event

like one of the ones that we talked

about today I've uh I've actually lived

it through like three earthquakes like

pretty big ones plus because you used to

live in Los Angeles

so we get them all the time in LA

um apart from that I actually I've seen

a volcano erupt a couple of times

because you know Ecuador is a is is part

of the volcano alley right and it's all

the Andes mountains and it's part of the

circle of fire what they call so we have

a couple of different active volcanoes

and from time to time they will start to

smoke or to spew some lava but nothing

major like there hasn't been a major

catastrophe with the volcanoes hopefully

it won't either well and these days they

have a lot of equipment uh seismic

equipment and meteorological equipment

that can help meteorologists to

determine when things will happen like

when a volcano channel will erupt or if

there will be an earthquake because they

can study the Tremors in the ground

right yeah and I think probably the most

uh famous

um volcano is I think it was in Italy

right Mount Vesuvius that's right so

you've got Mount Vesuvius in Naples

which famously destroyed a number of

cities in this ancient civilization in

ancient

it was and what's amazing is that they

still have a lot of the the buildings

underground under the ash because when

all the ash settled it preserved the

bodies like a mummy and so you can see

the bodies and the things that they you

know their jewelry and their money and

it's fascinating because it's this

horrible horrible natural disaster

actually helped us in the future learn

about this old civilization yeah it's

crazy actually in uh in Ecuador you can

see a huge hole that has like a lake in

the middle and you're like oh wow that's

beautiful but that's actually caused

because the entire Mountain just kind of

blew the top off like the cone because

of this major eruption so you can just

imagine how powerful these eruptions are

I can just imagine what it would have

been like Mount Vesuvius but anyway on a

brighter note if you have any questions

any comments or any stories of your own

maybe you've us you've lived through a

typhoon a hurricane or tornado

um you can come to our website

englishpod.com we hope to see you there

all right bye guys

[Music]

thank you