Natural Disaster...

Natural disaster can be defined as a consequence of a natural hazard occurring on land, sea or air.
In Australia. these events cause great financial hardship for individuals and communities, and can result in loss of life, which has become part of AUSTRALIAN FOLKLORE....

Some of the common natural disasters found in Australia are..


Drought

Prolonged and abnormally dry period when there is not enough water for users' normal needs. These major droughts have resulted in financial losses, personal hardship and environmental damage. In Western NSW and west Darling areas, the 1895 Federal Drpoght was exacerbated by heavy overstocking, and the arrival of rabbits which crossed the Murray River into western NSW in 1881 and reached plague proportions. Overstocking caused widespread severe erosion and increased the effects of the drought.

Eastern and Southern Australia is once again experiencing widespread drought, with agricultural income in 2006-07 expected to be at the lowest level since 1994-95.

Forest fires

In mid-January 2003, extreme weather conditions led to multiple outbreaks of fire in Namadgi National Park to the south of Canberra. Strong winds pushed the fires into forested areas adjoining Canberra and on the afternoon of Saturday 18 January, firestorms fanned by high winds hit Canberra suburbs. Thousands of hectares of forest and park lands were burnt out.

Floods

Floods occur when water covers land which is normally dry. Floods in Australia range from localised flash flooding as a result of thunderstorms, to more widespread flooding following heavy rain over the catchment areas of river systems. Flooding is also a regular seasonal phenomenon in Northern Australia. Australian towns were built on floodplains despite warnings from local Aborigines.

Over one million square kilometres of Queensland and New South Wales (and a smaller area of Victoria) were flooded in April 1990. The towns of Nyngan and Charleville were the worst affected with around 2,000 homes inundated. Six people were killed and around 60 were injured.

notes..

Australian folklore is based on traditional beliefs, legends and customs of a group, handed down through generations

Fast Food Forum To Address Obesity Woes

THE fast food industry will meet with the NSW government and public health experts for talks today triggered by concern over the community's rising level of obesity.

Former premier Bob Carr will co-chair the NSW Food Forum, where the agenda includes proposals such as listing fat and calorie information alongside meals offered on fast food menus.The NSW Government initiative follows a campaign by Sydney-based The George Institute for Global Health, which has highlighted the elevated levels of salt contained in most fast food meals.Bruce Neal, Professor of Medicine at the University of Sydney and senior director at The George, said the talks were a "great opportunity" to improve the nutrition of fast food and possibly without the need for new regime of industry regulation.Australia was now lagging behind the US and the UK which had introduced salt reduction targets for 80 different categories of food, he said.

"Prof Neal is calling for industry agreement to reduce the salt content of fast food meals.This would ensure a benefit for all fast food consumers, he said, and not just those "few motivated people" who could be persuaded by improved nutritional labelling to buy a healthier option.The fast food industry is expected to announce a new partnership with the Australian Food and Grocery Council (AFGC) - a Quick Service Restaurant Forum within the AFGC that would focus on nutrition and health issues.

Industry takes the growing levels of obesity and chronic disease seriously and recognises the need to work with stakeholders to reduce salt and saturated fats and improve consumer information.