Our Changing World
After natural disasters many individuals find the task of rebuilding overwhelming. Some communities rebuild in the same spot and some move locations. There are pros and cons to each of these ideas.
Greenburg, Kansas received catastrophic damage due to an EF5 tornado on May 7th, 2007. As a community they pulled together to begin rebuilding with an environmentally conscious effort which is documented on Planet Green.
Soldier Grove, Wisconsin relocated their downtown in the late 70’s due to flooding. This move proved successful in 2007 when the previous Soldier Grove location stood under water for ten days.
Chelsea, Iowa, a town in Tama County reviewed moving in 1993 but decided to stay, received flooding in 2008. No one was injured nor was any property catastrophically damaged however; the town is still subject to flooding.
Our Changing World, a Project Learning Tree activity, can be modified to help students understand and/or cope with the changes that affect our communities socially and physically due to natural disasters.
Book List
Grades PreK-2
Boyce, N., Osborne, M. 2007. Tsunami and Other Natural Disasters: A Nonfiction Companion to High Tide in Hawaii. Random House Children’s Books.
McGuire, B., Quake, D. 2007. Natural Disaster. Kingfisher.
Grades 3-5
Boyce, N., Osborne, M. 2007. Tsunami and Other Natural Disasters: A Nonfiction Companion to High Tide in Hawaii. Random House Children’s Books.
Day, T.,Watts, C. 2006. Natural Disasters (DK Eyewitness Series). DK Publishing, Inc.
McGuire, B., Quake, D. 2007. Natural Disaster. Kingfisher.
Grades 9-12
Barry, J. 1998. Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How it Changed America. Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing.
Brinkley, D. 2007. The Great Deluge: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, and the Mississippi Gulf Cost. HarperCollins Publishers.
Horne, J. 2006. Breach of Faith: Hurricane Katrina and the Near Death of a Great American City. Random House Publishing Group.
Larson, E., Cline, I.2000. Issac’s Storm: A Man, A Time and the Deadliest Hurricane in History. Knopf Publishing Group.
Maser, C. 1995. Resolving Environmental Conflicts: Towards Sustainable Community Development. CRC Press.
McCullough, D. 1987. The Johnstown Flood. Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing.
Miller, D., Rivera, J. 2008. Hurricane Katrina and the Redefinition of a Landscape. Lexington Books
Stern, G. 2008. The Buffalo Creek Disaster: The Story of Survivor’s Unprecedented Lawsuit. Knopf Publishing Group.
